have thought that the end of the yerse refers to the taking of Jerusalem hy the Romans. 1 venture to think that a hetter so- lution of the difficulty can he found.
" Whosoever shall fall upon this stone," signifies every one who stumhles at Christ and His Gospel, and refuses to helieve in Him as his Saviour, during the present dispensation. Such an one shall he " hroken," ruined, lost, and cast away.
** On whomsoever it shall fall," signifies every one who shall he found unhelieviug when Christ comes again the second time in glory. Such an one shall he " ground to powder," and visited with the heaviest displeasure of God. The gmlt of unhelief at the end of the Gospel dispensation shall he far greater thau the guilt of unhelief at the heginniug.
Barradius says, that Augustine takes this view and refers the verse to the two advents of Christ. The ruin of the un- heliever at the first advent shall he miserable. But the ruin of the unbeliever at the second advent shall be even more miser- able still.
Gerhard says, that Chrysostom, Theophylact, and Euthymius, all take the same view with regard to the stone grinding to powder him on whom it falls. They apply it to Christ's coining to judgment at the last day.
Some see in the verse a distinction between the punishment of the Jewish Church for its unbelief at Christ's first advent, and the punishment of the Gentile Churches at Chiist's second advent. The Jewish Church stumbled and was " broken," but shall yet be raised again, and restored to God's favour at the latter day. The Gentile Churches, when God's judgments shall fall upon them at last, shall never be restored. Their ruin shall be complete and in'etrievable. They shall be " ground to powder.**