Part 2 (1/2)

Of external, the chief are miracles and prophecy. Miracles carried conviction to beholders; and were designed to give credibility to special messengers. Prophecy is a standing evidence, by which testimony is borne to the truth of revelation; yea, it is a growing evidence, which gains strength by every fulfillment.

Some may envy those who lived in this age of miracles supposing them sufficient to banish every doubt. But the proof arising from the fulfillment of prophecy, which we enjoy above them, is equal if not superior to theirs.

The prophecies contain sketches of the history of man, and of the plan of providence, from their respective dates to the end of the world.

Those which relate _to the declensions of religion, which were to take place under the gospel dispensation_, will now only be considered.

From those declensions, arguments are drawn against the truth of Christianity. Was Christianity from G.o.d, he would verify the declaration made by him who claimed to be his Son. _The gates of h.e.l.l shall not prevail against it_. But they do prevail. What was once said of its author, _Behold the world is gone after him,_ will now apply to its enemy. This religion is not therefore from G.o.d, but of man's device. Propt up as it is, by human laws, and supported by ”the powers that be,” it totters towards ruin. Left to itself, it would soon fall and come to nought.

Such are the proud vauntings of infidelity, when ”iniquity abounds and the love of many waxeth cold.” So when Christ hung on the cross, and when he slept in the tomb, ignorant of consequences, his disciples ”wept and lamented, and the world rejoiced;” but the time was short.

Soon the world was confounded and the ”sorrow of his disciples was turned into joy.” IF the declensions which we witness, are foretold in scripture, they are no occasion of surprize.

Yea, instead of weakening our faith, they may reasonably increase it.

And when we consider the a.s.surances given us, that these declensions were to antecede the universal prevalence of true religion; they may also serve to increase our hope.

To _shew that these declensions are foretold, and that we may expect yet greater abominations, than have hitherto appeared_, is attempted in the following discourse.

When _the son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth_?

That Christ is here intended by the Son of man; and that faith will be rare among men at the coming of his, referred to, are not doubtful matters. But what coming of Christ is here referred to? This is first to be ascertained.

The coming of Christ refers in the scripture, to several events.

Sometimes to his incarnation; sometimes to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jewish polity; sometimes to his coming to judgment; and sometimes to the beginning of that universal dominion which he is to exercise on earth in the latter days. Each of these is the subject of several prophecies.

Christ's incarnation, or his coming to dwell with men, and to obey and suffer for their redemption, was a princ.i.p.al subject of the old testament prophecies. ”To him gave all the prophets witness.”

The divine justice executed on the Jews, in the destruction of their chief city, and polity, is also termed Christ's coming. This was the subject of several prophecies of old. It was foretold by Moses, and sundry others who lived before the gospel day; but more particularly by Christ, in person just before his sufferings. To this event the desolations foretold in the twenty fourth of Matthew, and its parallels in the other gospels, had a primary reference. The metaphors used to describe it are strong. They have been supposed to refer to the general judgment; and they have, no doubt an ultimate reference to it. But they refer, more immediately to another coming of Christ; his coming to render to the Jews according to their demerits as a people, soon after they should have filled up the measure of their iniquity by his crucifixion; which by the circ.u.mstances attending it, became a national act.

That this coming of Christ was particularly intended in those predictions, is, from several considerations apparent. That the Christians of that age, who were conversant with the apostles, and instructed by them, received this to be the meaning of those prophecies, and that they fled at the approach of the Roman armies, and escaped the destruction which came on the Jews, are matters of notoriety. And that this was the primary meaning of those prophecies, is further evident from an express declaration which they contain; ”_Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pa.s.s away till all these things be fulfilled_.” This closeth the prophecy. The whole must therefore have received a primary accomplishment, ”before that generation did pa.s.s away.” This was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem by t.i.tus.

Christ's coming to judgment, is often foretold in every part of the new testament, to pa.s.s over the intimations given of it in the old.

But none of these can be _the coming of the Son of man_, referred to in the text. That it cannot refer to his incarnation is evident, from the time in which the declaration in the text was made. His coming in the flesh had been then accomplished.

Neither can it refer to his coming to punish Jewish apostasy and ingrat.i.tude; or to his coming to judge the world in righteousness, because the moral state of the world at neither to those periods, answers to the description here given. _Shall he find faith on the earth_?

The ruin of the Jews by the Roman armies, happened about thirty six years after Christ's crucifixion. Long ere that time the spirit had been poured out, and many had embraced the gospel. The apostles and evangelists, had gone, not only to ”the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but also into the way of the Gentiles;” had called ”those who were afar off, as well as those who were near; their sound had gone into all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Neither had they labored among the Gentiles in vain. St. Paul spake by the Spirit when he declared to the Jews that the salvation of G.o.d was sent unto the Gentiles, and they would hear it. His word was verified.

”Many were added to the Lord, and the number of the disciples was multiplied.”

Such was the state of the world, at that _coming of the Son of man.

Faith was then to be found on the earth_, if not among Jews.

When Christ shall come to judgment, we have reason to believe, that faith will also be found on earth; and more than at that period we have now considered.

The scriptures of both testaments, abound with predictions of the universal prevalence of religion, in the latter days; of the whole worlds rejoicing under the auspicious government of the Prince of Peace; of restraints laid on the powers of darkness, that they should not deceive and seduce mankind. And though we are taught that ”the old serpent will afterwards be loosed, for a little season, and go forth to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,”

we have no intimation that the main body of the Church will be corrupted by his influence, or injured by his power. His adherents may ”compa.s.s the camp of the saints, and the beloved city,” but will make no attack upon them. ”Fire will come down from G.o.d out of heaven, and destroy them.” By some special, perhaps miraculous interpolation of providence, the people of G.o.d will be protected and delivered.