coming to establish his spiritual kingdom over all people, nations, and languages, and not his coming to put an end to this mundane system, is evident from what Chrift himself told them, Matt. xvi. 28. There be fome Standing here, who shall not tafte of death, till they fee the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. And, agreeably to this account of the coming of Christ, and of the end of all things, I obferve, that every paffage of their epistles, in which the apostles have spoken of these things as at hand, máy, with the greatest propriety, be interpreted of Chrift's coming to establish his everlasting kingdom over all people, nations, and languages, by destroying Jerusalem, putting an end to the law of Mofes, and fpreading the gospel through the world. Thus, 1 Cor. x. 11. Thefe things-are written for our admonition, upon whom τnλn twv alwvwv, the ends of the ages are come, means, the end of the age under the law, and the beginning of the age under the Meffiah.-Philip. iv. 5. Let your moderation be known to all men: the Lord is nigh; namely, to destroy the Jews, your greatest adversaries.-Heb. ix. 26. But now, once επι συντέλεια των αιώνων, at the conclufion of the ages, the Jewish Jubilees, he hath been manifefted to abolish fin-offering by the facrifice of himself. Heb. x. 25. Exhorting one another daily, and Jo much the more, as ye fee the day approaching: the day of Christ's coming to destroy Jerufalem and the Jewish ftate.-Ver. 37. For yet a very little while, and he who is coming will come, and will not tarry.-James v. 7. Wherefore, be patient, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Ver. 8. Be ye alfo patient: ftrengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord to deftroy the Jews, your per.. fecutors, draweth nigh.-Ver. 9. Behold, the fudge ftandeth before the door. Pet. iv. 7. The end of all things, the end of Jerufalem and of the temple, and of all the Mofaic inftitutions, bath approached. Be ye therefore, fober, and watch unto prayer.1 John ii. 18. Young children, it is the last hour of the Jewish ftate; and, as ye have heard from Chrift, in his prophecy of the deftruction of Jerufalem, that the antichrift cometh, fo now there are many antichrifts; whence we know that it is the last hour of the Jewish ftate.

2. There is another coming of Chrift fpoken of by the apostles, different likewife from his coming to judge the world,

and

and to put an end to the prefent ftate of things; namely, his coming to destroy the man of fin, 2 Theff. ii. 8. Him the Lord will confume by the breath of his mouth, and will render ineffectual by the bright shining of his coming. This fingular event, which will contribute greatly to the honour of God, and to the good of his church, being to be accomplished by a visible and extraordinary interpofition of the power of Chrift in the government of the world, is, agreeably to the fcripture style, fitly called the coming of the Lord; and the bright shining of his coming. But this coming is no where in fcripture faid to be at hand.

3. There is likewife a day, or coming of Chrift, spoken of by Paul, different from his coming to judgment, and from both the former comings. I mean, his releafing his people from their prefent trial, by death. Cor. i. 8. He alfo will confirm you until the end without accufation, in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.-Philip. i. 6. He who hath begun in you, a good work will be completing it until the day of Jefus Chrift.-1 Theff. v. 23. May your whole perfon, the fpirit, and the foul, and the body, be preferved unblameable, unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift. It is, true, the release of Christ's servants from their present trial by death is accomplished, for the most part, by no extraordinary difplay of his power: yet it is fitly enough called his day and coming; because, by his appointment all men die, and by his power each is carried to his own place after death. Befides, his fervants in particular, being put on their duty like foldiers, must remain at their feveral pofts, till released by their commander; and when he releases them, he is fitly faid to come for that purpose.

4. Besides all these, there is a day, or coming of the Lord to judge the world, and to put an end to the prefent state of things. This coming, Christ himself hath promised, Matt. xvi. 27. The Son of Man fhall come in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels; and then shall he reward every man according to his work. Now, this being a real perfonal appearing of Chrift in the body, it is more properly than any other of his comings called the day and coming of Chrift. And the purposes of it being more important than thofe of his other comings, the exertions of his power for accomplishing them, will be most fignal

and

toy and glorious. On that occafion likewise, he will appear in far greater Majesty than formerly. For whereas, during his firft abode on earth, his dignity and perfections were in a great measure concealed under the veil of his human nature, at his fecond coming, his glory as the image of the invisible God, and as having all the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily, will be moft illuftriously displayed, by his raising the dead, judging the world, deftroying the earth, punishing his enemies, and rewarding his fervants. Hence this coming is, with great propriety, termed the revelation of Jefus Christ: and the day of his revelation, when he fhall be glorified in his faints, and admired of all them who believe.

Thus it appears, that when the apoftles wrote, there were four comings of Chrift to happen; three of them figurative, but the fourth a real perfonal appearance; that these different comings are frequently spoken of in fcripture; and that, although the coming of Chrift to destroy Jerusalem, and to establish his everlasting kingdom, be reprefented by the apostles as then at hand, no paffage from their writings can be produced, in which his personal appearance to judge the world is faid, or even infinuated, to be at hand. The truth is, if the different comings of Chrift are diftinguished, as they ought to be, we fhall find, that the apostles have spoken of each of them according to truth; and that the opinion which infidels are so eager in maintaining, and which fome Chriftians have unadvisedly espoused, to the great difcredit of the inspiration of the apostles, as if they believed the day of judgment was to happen in their lifetime, hath not the least foundation in fcripture.

CHAP.

CHAP. I.

View and Illuftration of the Things contained in this Chapter.

T feems, the meffenger who carried the apostle's first letter 1. the 'Theffalonians had informed him, that they were ex

ceedingly strengthened by it, and bare the perfecution, which ftill continued as violent as ever, with admirable conftancy. This good news was fo acceptable to Paul and his affistants, that they began their fecond letter with telling the Theffalonians, they thought themfelves bound to return thanks to God for their increafing faith and love, ver. 3.-And that they boasted of their faith and patience in all the perfecutions which "they endured, to other churches, ver, 4. (probably the churches of Achaia,) in expectation, no doubt, that their example would have a happy influence on thefe churches, in leading them to exercife the like faith and patience under fufferings. And, for the encouragement of the fuffering Theffalonians, the apoftie obferved, that their behaviour under perfecution demonftrated God's righteoufnefs in having called them, notwithstanding they were of the Gentile race, into the gofpel difpenfation, ver 5. -Yet

OLD TRANSLATION. CHAP. I. 1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Theffalonians in God our

Father, and the Lord Jefus

Christ:

2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jefus Christ.

3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because

that your faith growerh exceedingly, and the charity

GREEK TEXT.

• Παυλο και Σιλανσ και Τιμοθεος, τη εκκλησία Θεσσαλονικέων εν Θεώ πας τρι ήμων και Κυρίῳ Ιησε Χρισῳ.

2 Χαρις ύμιν και ειρηνη απο Θεα πατρος ήμων, και Κύριε Ιησε Χρισε,

3 Ευχαρισειν οφειλομεν τῷ Θεῷ παντοτε περι ύμων, αδελφοι, καθως αξίον εςιν, ότι υπεραυξανει n 751515

Ver. 1. God our Father. God is the Father of all mankind, by creation and of them who believe, by regeneration: and that whether they be Jews or Gentiles.

:

Ver. 3.

per

-Yet it was just in God to punish their Jewish persecutors, by fending tribulation upon them, ver. 6.—while he was to bestow on the Theffalonians, a fhare in his reft, along with the believing Jews, when Chrift will return from heaven with his mighty angels, ver. 7.--to punish all who know not God, and who obey not the gofpel of his Son, ver. 8.-with everlasting deftruction, by flaming fire iffuing from his prefence, ver. 9.The apoftle adds, that, at the judgment of the world, Chrift will be glorified by the miniftry of the angels, who fhall put his sentences in execution, and be admired by all who believe, and among the reft, by the Theffalonians, ver. 10.-And in this fuafion, he always prayed that the behaviour of the Theffalonians might be fuch as would induce God to judge them worthy of the gofpel, whereby they were called to eternal life; and alfo to perfect in them the work of faith with power, ver. 11.—That, on the other hand, the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift might be glorified through them, by their perfevering in the faith of the gofpel, even when perfecuted; and, on the other, that they might be glorified through him, by the virtues which they were enabled to exercife, in a degree proportioned to the grace of God, and of Chrift, beftowed upon them; for these virtues would excite in the minds of their perfecutors, the highest admiration of their character, ver. 12.