The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1878-01-09
Fon TIE CnrrRA1 fsrsBYrEnIAN.
THE SECOND CONT o OF CHRIST.

Ill. Christs coming Will be suuuen au'
unexpected to the inhabitants of the earth
He will not herald His approach by sucf
events as will require lime for their exc
cution sufficiently longito enable the unpre
pared to put themselves in readiness to vel
come Him. If, as have endeavOred to show
He comes at the sounding of the last trump
and there are NO such i yiicatiOns of His ap
prosch previous to thu sounding of ths
trump as will alarm the careless, then must
His coming be too sudden and unexpected
for any change to occur in the spiritual con
dition of the impenitent through the instru
mentality of the means of grace; for it il
declared that the saints which are then ''alive
will be caught up IN gaOment, in the t~'nh-
ling of an eye, at the last trump" The same
truth is taught in the parable Of the ten Vir-
gins. Matt. XIV :-l-15s When the cry was
"made suddenly, behold the bridegroom
cometh," those only who we're ready, went
in to the marriage. In the sequel of the
parable it is said, "Watch therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour wherein
the Son of Man cometh." Some have sup
posed that in that passage, the phrase, "the
Son of Man cometh" alludeS to the approach
of death, or to the spiritual coming of Christ,
at death. But heNdoes not come to the IN
believer at death, IN spirit and in no other
sense, except in the sense that death is His
messenger And in the sense in which lie
may be said to come to the believer at death,
He is aever absent from him. Not even By
accommodation, can the phrase be always
used to indicate death, for death, that is the
bridegroom $50 called, by this interpretation)
sometimes gives fair warning of his approach,
and some foolish virgins, aware of his near
approach, have sought and obtained the wis
dom which is from above.
Besides, the context of the passage must
demand such an UNUSUAL meaning of the
phrase alluded to, for purpose of making
the sentence intelligibl But instead Of re-
quiring such meanir it requires the usual
and natural meaning. ar Saviour had just
been speaking, not of ath, but of his own
personal coming In Oof of this | do not
need at this time to gOSnto full examina-
ton of the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew.
Most commentators who suppose that the
sign of the Son of Man" given in verses %
81, alludes to the destruction of Jerusalem,
and the gathering of the elect into the fold
of Christ, are compelled to admit that allu-
sion is also had to the second coming Of
Christ. Upon this admission, the words Of
Christ at the iolOse Of the parable of the ten
virgins, must allude to the coming He had
just spoken of, that is, either wholly to His
second coming, or tt-the destruction of Jeru-
salem and the gathering of the elect into the
Church, and also to His second coming
The following would give as fair inter
probation of Matthew xiv; A; aud XIV :
13, (strikingly similar passages) by those
who refer the coming of Christ in the twenty
fourth chapter, to theA destruction of JeruSa-
lem, etc. eye who in the present day,
watch; be ye also rd for in such an hour
as ye think not, Jeru pm will be destroyed,
and the Son of mad h send forth His an
gels (ministers of th| osp0D to gather His
elect into the visibs Church, and all the
tribes of the earth shall mourn; and ye who
shall live after the destruction of Jerusalem,
watch and be ready, for in such an hour as
ye think not, the ministers of the gospel will
gather the elect into the Church, and at last,
in such an hour as ye think not the Son of
Man will come personally, and all the tribes
of the earth shall mourn" But l cannot
think that the language of Christ indicates
that He alluded to, and that He intended
His disciples to understand that He alluded
to two different cOmings, one spiritual, as
it is called, and the other literal. They had
certainly asked him what would be the sign
of His literal coming, and had reason to ex-
pect an answer to that question. This Is
evident from the fact that just before they
asked Him about His coming, He Himself
had alluded to His personal coming. He had
lust said in His address to Jerusalem, eye
shall not see me henceforth until ye shall say,
blessed is He that cometh in the name of the
Lord" In answering the question of His
disciples, Christ alluded to the literal coming
of false Christs and after saying that he
would not be found lin person. in the desert
nor in secret chamber, declares that "at
the Tightening cOmeth out of the east ant
shineth even unto the west; so shall also tht
cominq of the Son of man be-" Matt. xiv
27. 1t is at this verse in my opinion, tina
our Saviour, having answered the question
of His disciples concerning the destruction
of Jerusalem and the temple, which He ha(
foretold, begins to answer their question
concerning bis coming. o. this verse, Bloom
field says, "By this. Exquisite simile is repre-
sented the. suddenness, the celebrity, and a
some think, the conspiouousneSs of Christ
advent to take vengeance on the Jews" -
He might have said, to take vengeance Of
them that know not God and that obey no
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" Oh
this verse Doddridge says, $50 sudden an
conspicuous also shall the coming of the So
of Man be, both in His appearance to tn
destruction of Jerusalem, and to the fnO