we speak by way of distinction, meaning the persons that were at that time living; for it is said, “for as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth," and in the visitation of Jerusalem the nations were not afflicted. It cannot therefore refer to that event, however there may be a comprehension of that event as a foreshower of the great one which was to follow so that I take the opportunity of making this remark; if I understand the matter aright, there is always one great scope, that is, one great fulfilment, in prophecy; but God so orders his matters that it hath a minor and preceding fulfilment. God so orders his matters, He so arrangeth every event and every transaction, that the great object which He has in view shall be illustrated before its arrival. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Now how are people to stand before Him if He is not present? I take you next to John xiv. 1-3. "Let not your heart be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." I suppose He does not say that to the wicked; yet they also are to be raised out of their graves; and therefore there must surely be some distinction between the resurrection of those that are to be

receivers of it with himself, and others. Then John xvi. 16-22. "A little while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me; because I go to the Father. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that He saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? They said therefore, What is this that He saith, A little while? we cannot tell what He saith. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask Him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me : and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." That "seeing and not seeing" is the interval between his going away and coming again. Can it be pretended that this was fulfilled in those transient appearances which were made to his disciples after his resurrection? Their joy was soon taken from them after that event, when they were beaten with stripes, and cast out of the synagogue, according to what is said in the former part

of this chapter, verse 2: "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service." Surely, when they were to undergo that, it was not, "Your joy no man taketh from you." It must

therefore be with reference to a future event. Next John xvii. 24. "Father, I will that they also whom Thou hast given me be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which Thou hast given me: for Thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." Why, when He comes and takes possession of his aerial city, and they are surrounding Him, they will be where He is, and they will behold his proper Christ glory. Then John xxi. 22, 23; where, after his warning Peter of the death he should die, Peter asked what should become of John. "Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come." Now is there any meaning in this, if He is not to come? "Tarry till I come;" till my second coming. Then Acts iii. 19-26. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever

He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." I am glad of the opportunity of just making a remark upon that promise to Abraham, "In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." People are apt to think that it must certainly mean the blessing which is coming on the nations at Christ's coming. If I understand it rightly, that was not the thing foretold. It is the gathering of a people out of all nations, and not the Jewish nation only, to be the mystical fulness, the body of Christ, the Church of God, priests and Levites. Then in 1 Cor. xv. 20-23. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Now do not be misled here; all that are in Christ shall be made alive; but that does not mean that every

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individual of mankind shall be made alive in Christ, which is the common way of interpreting it. This chapter speaks only of the resurrection of the saints. Then Phil. ii. 16. "Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." iii. 20, 21. "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Col. iii. 4. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." 1 Thess. i. 9, 10. "For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." ii. 19, 20.

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For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy." iii. 12, 13. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." iv. 13-18. "But I would not

have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them