of the prediction was to be accomplished during the generation then living on the earth. This indeed is the difficulty which, more than any other, has puzzled and perplexed those who have endeavoured to give a consistent interpretation of our Lord's prophecy. The great and justly celebrated Mede, whose explanation of the whole prophecy is similar to the one given in these pages, in order to do away the objection arising to it from the above clause, supposes that y, the Greek word in the passage, which is translated "generation," does not mean a generation of co-existing men, but a race or nation, and the nation spoken of he takes to be that of the Jews. He, therefore, interprets it as signifying that "the "Jewish nation shall not pass away till all these

γενεά,

γενει

things be fulfilled ;" and refers to the declaration of God in Jeremiah xxxi. 35, 36. as being parallel thereto.* That YEYE is sometimes used in this sense, both in the Greek version of the Old and the New Testaments, is shewn by Mede in the passage of bis Works referred to. But though the above Greek word occasionally signifies a nation or people, yet this is certainly not its natural or ordinary meaning; and where it does occur in the above sense, the context points out that it is not to be understood in its general acceptation.

In this passage, on the contrary, the immediate context would rather lead us to understand it in its common meaning of "generation" of cotemporary men, and as being used in a chronological sense. Besides, on referring to the version of the Seventy, it will be seen that yeva is commonly used to translate * See his Works, Book iv. epist. 12.

γενεά,

the Hebrew word 717, signifying" a generation," in the ordinary sense of the word: and accordingly, in most of the Hebrew versions of the Gospels, 717 has been used for yeva, in rendering this identical passage into Hebrew; and we may with humility presume that it was the very word used by our blessed Lord in delivering the discourse. And if this be the case, Mede's translation of it is untenable.

The true solution of this difficulty seems to consist in a close attention to the word which is supposed to indicate the complete fulfilment of the prophecy in that generation. The original expression for the clause, " till all these things be fulfilled," is sws av παντα ταύτα γενηται. Now the most proper signification of the verb yoμ is not, "to be completely fulfilled,” as it is rendered in the passage before us; but it rather signifies, commencement running into subsequent continuance of action. This will appear by substituting it for other verbs which clearly denote the accomplishment of action. Thus in the clause of the 21st chapter of Luke, "until the times of "the Gentiles be fulfilled," if YEYwTa were substituted for inplwo, the sense would be materially altered, and the phrase would then mean, until the times of the Gentiles shall be, that is, shall arrive or commence, In like manner, if yα were to be put for TEλg, in Revelation xv. 8. the sense would be, until the seven plagues of the seven angels shall arrive or begin. These examples show, that the strict rendering of the clause we are now considering ought to be, "this generation shall not pass "away till all these things shall be, i. e. shall

R

γενωνται

"begin to be accomplished." The expression, all these things, must be understood as used collectively to denote the whole series of events contained in the prophecy, which whole series began evidently to receive its accomplishment in that very generation, by the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, and the leading away the Jews captive into all nations. Thus a difficulty, which has so much perplexed interpreters of the scripture, is proved to have no real existence, and it is shown that the appearance of difficulty arose solely from a want of closeness in the translation, and the verb you being rendered in the same sense, as if it had been Txew or manpow, to finish or fulfil.*

γινομαι

* The reader will find the interpretation of the clause, which is here offered, fully illustrated in a paper in the Christian Observer, for April 1811, by Mr. Faber. The subject was for some time discussed, between Mr. Faber and the writer of these pages, in the way of private letters, and the result of these discussions made public by Mr. Faber in the above paper. For my own part, I confess that I was first indebted for the idea which led to this interpretation, to a writer in the Christian Observer, for 1:06, p. 145, 146, who signs himself "A Plain Honest Man."

and

Since the first edition of this work was published, another solution of the foregoing difficulty has been proposed by a writer in the Christian Observer who signs himself C. O. In the phrase, ov jun magildn ʼn yɛvɛɑ züтn, he proposes to alter the accents on the last word, write it aurn. He adds: "It is well known, that in the most ancient manuscripts, written in uncials, or capitals, without points or "accents, the word is ambiguous, and therefore the alteration that

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I propose is perfectly allowable."-Having made these remarks, he expounds the prophecy itself in reference to the same events as I have done, and renders the clause containing the difficulty as follows: "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up 66 your heads, for your redemption draweth_nigh.”—“ Verily I say unto you, that generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled."The inference he draws from the passage so rendered is, that all the great and awful events mentioned by our Lord, under the figure of

Our Lord having told the disciples, in the words which have been considered, that the generation then living should not pass away till the whole series of events predicted by him began to receive their accomplishment, did thus, in effect, give an answer, as far as it was proper to do it, to the question, "when shall these things be?" He afterwards, however, adds, that that day and hour, viz. the day and hour of his second advent, were unknown to all, saving the Father.* And in the conclusion of this important and interesting discourse, our Saviour exhorts the disciples to constant watchfulness that they might not be taken by surprise in the day of the second advent; and that when that day should come, they might be accounted worthy to escape the things which should come to pass, and to stand before their Lord and Master.

The inference to be drawn from the preceding inquiry into our Lord's prophecy, with regard to the immediate subject of investigation, must be obvious to the attentive reader. Since a series of events exactly corresponding with those awful signs in the celestial luminaries, which were to take place at the close of the times of the Gentiles, did actually com

signs in the sun, moon, and stars, shall occupy a space of time less than a generation; so that the very same generation which witnesses the signs in the celestial luminaries, shall also behold our Lord coming with the clouds of heaven.

I have thought it right to place this solution before the reader in justice to the anonymous writer; but I still adhere to the view of the "passage which is given above.

*We find in other passages of scripture the expression, that day, applied by way of emphasis to the day of the second advent, as being the day, above all others, to be the subject of contemplation. 2 Tim. i. 18; iv. 8.

mence at the fall of the French monarchy, and have continued to proceed with accelerated velocity to the present time; it follows that the times of the Gentiles (i. e. the twelve hundred and sixty years) ended at the fall of the French monarchy in 1792; which agrees with the conclusions we arrived at, in considering each of the foregoing propositions.*

There is also an inference to be drawn, from comparing our Lord's prophecy with the account given in the sixteenth chapter of the Apocalypse, of the effusion of the seven vials of wrath, which are the constituent parts of the seventh trumpet. From Rev. xvi. 15. we learn that the period of the vials immediately precedes the second advent of our Lord. In a similar way we have seen, in considering the celestial signs which mark the close of the times of the Gentiles, that these signs immediately precede the second advent: therefore the celestial signs predicted by our Lord must synchronise with the seven Apocalyptic vials. But since the twelve hundred and sixty years end when the celestial signs begin, they equally end when the vials (which are synchronical with the celestial signs) begin, i. e. at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which further confirms the truth of the fifth proposition.

"The present period appears to be no other than the fulfilment' "of the regular times of the Gentiles' declared by our Saviour, " and the commencement of that last, disorderly, concluding time, "which was immediately to succeed; when the firmament of the "Christian world was to be shaken, the luminaries of its ancient "sovereignties to be obscured or extinguished, its sea of nations "thrown into universal tumult, and the hearts of men moved by a generalanxiety and dread of the things which are coming next upon the earth." A Christian's Survey, &c. p. 199.

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