And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to _him_ for to shew him the buildings of the temple. Ver. 1. _Departed from the temple_] Never to return more to it. In Ezekiel 9:3; Ezekiel 10:4; Ezekiel 10:18,19; Ezekiel 11:22,23, God departs by degrees, and still as he go... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Ver. 2. _There shall not be left here, &c._] This was afterwards fulfilled, when the temple was so set on fire by Titus' soldiers, that i... [ Continue Reading ]
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what _shall be_ the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? Ver. 3. _Came unto him privately, saying_] Because it was dangerous to speak publicly of the destructi... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. Ver. 4. _Take heed that no man deceive you_] Try the spirits, and turn from false doctrines, as you would do from a serpent in your way, or from poison in your meats. Deceivers are sly and subtle, and that old serpent, more s... [ Continue Reading ]
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Ver. 5. _Shall come in my name_] Or, under my name, saying, I am Christ, as Theudas the Egyptian, Judas the Galilean, Acts 5:36,37. Barhocab, and others of old, who were miserably slain by the Romans. (Joseph. Antiq. xvii.... [ Continue Reading ]
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all _these things_ must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Ver. 6. _See that you be not troubled_] μη θροεισθε, or frighted, as soldiers are by sudden alarm. _Quid timet hominem homo in sinu dei positus?_ David was u... [ Continue Reading ]
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Ver. 7. _For nation shall rise, &c._] See here the woeful effects of refusing God's free offers of grace. They that would have none of the gospel of pea... [ Continue Reading ]
All these _are_ the beginning of sorrows. Ver. 8. _All these are the beginning, &c._] _q.d._ There yet remain far worse matters than war, -famine, pestilence, earthquakes. _Adhuc restant gravissimi partus cruciatus._ And yet war is as a fire that feeds upon the people, Isaiah 9:19,20. Famine is far... [ Continue Reading ]
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. Ver. 9. _And shall kill you_] Besides the butchcries at Jerusalem, that slaughter house of the saints, _Nero orientem fidem primus Romae cruentacit, _ " Nero was the first Ro... [ Continue Reading ]
And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. Ver. 10. _And then shall many be offended_] As not willing to suffer. How many revolted for fear in the primitive times, were abjured here in Queen Mary's reign, fell to Popery in the Palatinate, and other pl... [ Continue Reading ]
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. Ver. 11. _And shall deceive many_] Witness the Eastern and Western Antichrist, those deceitful workers, that have drawn millions of souls into hell by their grand impostures. The world went wondering after those two beasts, which, as the p... [ Continue Reading ]
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Ver. 12. _And because iniquity shall abound_] In these last and worst times, as Bernard yoketh them, and as the Scripture often describeth them. There was never but one Noah, that with two faces saw both before and behind him. But,... [ Continue Reading ]
But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Ver. 13. _But he that endureth_] It is but a he, a single man, that holdeth out; when many lose their love, and therewith their reward, 2 John 1:8. Ecebolus, Aeneas, Sylvius, Baldwin, Pendleton, Shaxton, and many others, set forth gall... [ Continue Reading ]
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Ver. 14. _For a witness unto all nations_] While, with Moses, it slayeth the Egyptian, sayeth the Israelite, is a savour of life to some, of death to others, who shall be l... [ Continue Reading ]
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Ver. 15. _The abomination of desolation_] That is, antichrist, say some interpreters; and hitherto may fitly be referred that of Baronius, who in... [ Continue Reading ]
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Ver. 16. _Flee into the mountains_] As Lot at length did, for Zoar was too hot to hold him; so should Judea be for these, who were therefore to repair to Pella, beyond Jordan, where they were hidden until the indignation was overpast, as Eus... [ Continue Reading ]
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Ver. 17. _Not come down to take any thing_] See here the miseries of war, which now, alas, we feel, and can seal to: being glad to flee for our lives with the loss of all, lest with Shimei, seeking to save our goods... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. Ver. 18. _Return back to take his clothes_] The body is better than raiment; and although there is great use of clothes, in flight especially, to save us from the injury of wind and weather (for we carry the lamps of our lives i... [ Continue Reading ]
And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! Ver. 19. _Woe to them that are with child, &c._] By the laws of nations women with child, babes and sucklings, maids and old folk, should be spared. But the bloody sword often knows no difference, as Hosea 10:14, the a... [ Continue Reading ]
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: Ver. 20. _But pray ye_] Christ saith not, Fight ye, but Pray ye. To fight it boots not; for God hath resolved the land's ruin: but prayers are _bombardae et instrumenta bellica Christianorum, _ as Luther hath it, the gre... [ Continue Reading ]
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Ver. 21. _Tribulation, such as was not, &c._] Those very days "shall be affliction;" so Mark hath it, Mark 13:19, εσονται αι ημεραι εκειναι θλιψις. As if the very time were not... [ Continue Reading ]
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. Ver. 22. _There should no flesh be saved_] That is, no Jew left alive; the Roman soldiers had been so often beaten by them, that they desired nothing more than to rid t... [ Continue Reading ]
Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here _is_ Christ, or there; believe _it_ not. Ver. 23. _Then, if any man shall say_] Here again our Saviour returns to the description of the last times, containing the rise, reign, and ruin of Antichrist, whose chief engine shall be to persuade Christ's corp... [ Continue Reading ]
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if _it were_ possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Ver. 24. _If it were possible, &c._] Fundamentally and finally the elect cannot possibly be deceived; because both "the deceived... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I have told you before. Ver. 25. _Behold, I have told you before_] See, therefore, that ye stand alway upon your watch; for, for this end have I warned you: prevision is the best means of prevention. _Leo cassibus irretitus ait si praescivissem._ To sin after warning is to fall with open ey... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, _he is_ in the secret chambers; believe _it_ not. Ver. 26. _Behold, he is in the desert_] In such a hermitage, or blind chapel, built in a by-place to the honour of such a saint, as our Lady of Loretto, Hall, o... [ Continue Reading ]
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Ver. 27. _So shall also the coming of the Son of man be_] Clear and conspicuous, as the lightning cannot be hidden or hindered from being seen all the whole heaven over. Then... [ Continue Reading ]
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Ver. 28. _For wheresoever the carcase is, &c._] That is, saith M. Lambert, martyr, wheresoever is declared by the course of the Scriptures, the benefits granted to us by Christ's death, thither will men seek and flee, to kn... [ Continue Reading ]
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: Ver. 29. _Immediately after the tribulation of those days_] After that the mystery of iniquity hath... [ Continue Reading ]
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Ver. 30. _The sign of the Son of man_] That is, either Christ himself (by a Hebraism), or the dr... [ Continue Reading ]
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Ver. 31. _And he shall send his angels_] As his apparitors (heralds) and executioners. David went otherwise attended when he went against... [ Continue Reading ]
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer _is_ nigh: Ver. 32. _Ye know that summer is nigh_] Which is so much the sweeter, because brought in and let out by winter: so will eternal life be to the saints, here tossed and turmoil... [ Continue Reading ]
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, _even_ at the doors. Ver. 33. _Know that it is near, &c._] Some space then there shall be, it seems, between the foregoing signs and the coming of Christ. But though space be granted, yet grace is uncertain. Make sure work th... [ Continue Reading ]
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Ver. 34. _This generation shall not pass_] viz. That generation that immediately precedes the end of the world. That this is the sense, appears by the antithesis, Matthew 24:36; "But of that day and hour know... [ Continue Reading ]
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Ver. 35. _Heaven and earth shall pass, &c._] What God hath written he hath written. His word is established in heaven, saith David, Psalms 119:89; it endureth for ever, saith Peter, 1 Peter 1:25; it remaineth firm as Mount Sion, an... [ Continue Reading ]
But of that day and hour knoweth no _man_, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. Ver. 36. _But of that day and hour knoweth no man_] That the Lord will come it is _certo certius, _ not more sure, than what time he will come is to us most uncertain. Various guesses have been given about... [ Continue Reading ]
But as the days of Noe _were_, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Ver. 37. _So shall the coming of the Son of man be_] Sudden and unexpected. Luther observeth, that it was in the spring that the flood came, when everything was in its prime and pride, and nothing less looked for than a f... [ Continue Reading ]
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, Ver. 38. _They were eating and drinking_] Wine, likely; because our Saviour hereupon bids his apostles take heed to themselves lest their hearts... [ Continue Reading ]
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Ver. 39. _And knew not_] _i.e._ They took no knowledge of Noah's predictions, or their own peril. Their wits they had buried in their guts, their brains in their bellies (as of the ass fish it... [ Continue Reading ]
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Ver. 40. _The one shall be taken, the other left_] The Flood took all away in a manner; but at Christ's coming there shall be found a considerable company of such as shall be saved. He shall separate his saints with a wonde... [ Continue Reading ]
Two _women shall be_ grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Ver. 41. _Two women shall be grinding at the mill_] A poor trade, a hard task. God would have every man in his honest occupation to humble himself by just labour, and so to accept the punishment of their iniquity... [ Continue Reading ]
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Ver. 42. _Watch therefore, &c._] _Laeti simus, non securi_ Let us be happy, not carefree. (Bernard). While Ishbosheth slept upon his bed at noon, Baanah and Rechab took away his head. "Hold fast that thou hast, that no man take thy cro... [ Continue Reading ]
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Ver. 43. _He would not have suffered his house, &c._] And shall the children of this world be wiser for their houses than we fo... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Ver. 44. _Therefore be ye also ready_] Suetonius tells us that it was a piece of Julius Caesar's policy never to forewarn his soldiers of any set time of removal or onset, that he might ever have them in readines... [ Continue Reading ]
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Ver. 45. _Who then is a faithful and wise servant_] So every man ought to be, but ministers especially, who should so far surpass others in these good qualities, as Saul did t... [ Continue Reading ]
Blessed _is_ that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Ver. 46. _Blessed is that servant_] It was Augustine's wish, that Christ when he came might find him _aut precantem, aut praedicantem, _ either praying or preaching. It was Latimer's wish (and he had it) that he might shed... [ Continue Reading ]
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. Ver. 47. _Verily I say unto you, &c._] A deep asseveration for our better assurance and encouragement. Christ is a liberal paymaster, and his retributions are more than bountiful. Abraham thought much that the steward of his ho... [ Continue Reading ]
But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; Ver. 48. _But and if that evil servant_] All places are full of such evil servants (and so is hell too), as future their repentance, and so fool away their salvation. Of such dust heaps we may find in every corner: th... [ Continue Reading ]
And shall begin to smite _his_ fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; Ver. 49. _To eat and drink with the drunken_] Though he neither be drunk himself, not make others drunk, yet to be among wine bibbers and flesh mongers, as Solomon hath it,Proverbs 23:20, to company with such as a... [ Continue Reading ]
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for _him_, and in an hour that he is not aware of, Ver. 50. _In a day when he looketh not, &c._] As he did to that rich fool (_Stultitiam patiuntur opes, _ Wealth creates folly. Martial), who made account he had much good laid up in s... [ Continue Reading ]
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint _him_ his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Ver. 51. _And shall cut him asunder_] Gr. διχοτομησει, shall cut him in twain, that is, tear his soul from his body by main force, Job 27:8, throw him out of the world, as it... [ Continue Reading ]