The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 428

reBdy to revolt; BritBin conquered, and tion distrib11tively, 11 plo.co by plnoe," like agnin lost; Sarmatians and Suevians con- 1eu' llv6pa: so equive.lcnt t.o "here and spiring against us; the D6ciBns ronowned there." for defeats given and sustained; the Ver. 8.-lleginning of sorrows; &,~/vo,v: Po.rthians almost aroused to arms by a labouf'-1)11ng&, traooiling&. The metaphor counterfeit Nero. Italy afilicted with often occurs (see Isa. xxvi. 17; Jer. xiii. calamities unheard of, or recurring only 21 ; Hos. xiii. 18, eto.). These great event.s after a long interval; cities overwhelmed are oallcd "labour-pangs" because they or swallowed up in the fertile region of usher in the new creation, "the regenera- Cnmpe.nia; Rome itself laid waste by fire, tion " spoken of in eh. xix. 28 (see note the most ancient temples destroyed, the there). St. Paul writes (Rom. viii. 22), very capitol burned by its own citizens," "The whole creation groaneth and travailoth etc. (' Hist.,' l. 2). But the Lord's words in pain together until now." The tribula- seem t-0 refer to times when Rome's tions and calamities whioh preceded and· dominion had oea.sed, and nation warred accompanied the overthrow of the Jewish against nation, e.s in Liter and modem days polity are a sign and warning of the great ill Europe, Asia, e.nd parts of Africa. So and univorsal woes which shall herald the age.in the prediction mnst be extended fe.r de.y of judgment. Jewish writings speak beyond events in the Jewish oycle. l!'ammes. of "the sorrows of Messiah," distresses, Besides the famine mentioned in Acts xi. wars, famine, dissension, etc., which should 28, there were others in Jerusalem and herald his advent, and Christ may have J udme. (J osephua, • Ant.,' iii. 15. 8; xx. used the popular opinion, true as far as it 2. 6; 4. 2; • Bell. Jud.,' vi 8. 8). Suetonins went, as a vehicle for conveying the further (' Claud.,' IS) spee.ks of "e.ssidue.s sterili- truth, that the ooming age would be pro- tates ; " and Tacitus (' Ann.,' xii. 43) records duced. amid terrible agonies of men, peoples, e.s happening at the sa.me period, "frugum. and nature. egeste.s, et orta ex eo fa.mes." And pesti- Ver. 9.-The Lord passes t.o the fate of lences ; as oonseqnent on famine. Henoe his followers, or the corporate Church. 1he Greek pa.ronome.sia, ll.,µol , ,cal A.otp.ol, Then. St. Mark does not note the time : in onr t.e:rt. Ilnt many editors expunge St. Luke writes, "before all these things." ll.,µo~ considering it, with some reason, t.o Hence we gather that the oalainities now have been introduced from the parallel announced will precede, accompany, and passage in St. Lnke, where it is certainly follow those before mentioned. That which genuine. Of pestilences we have notice in befell the apostles and early believers is an J osephUB (' Bell. Jud.,' iv. 6. I), in Te.citUB emblem of what Christianity will undergo (' Ami.,' xiv.16), and Snetonins ('Nero,' 39), at the hands of an antagonistic world. St. where we read that at Rome in a single John,in the Revelation, has shadowed forth autumn thirty tho11SB.Dd persom perished. these things as doomed to fall upon the Wordsworth refers to Tertullian (' Apol.,' Church in the latt.er days. Shall they xx.), who sees in these predictions infallible deliver yon up to be afllicted (comp. eh. L proofof the inspiration of Seri pture. "Hence 17, 18). Christ is speaking, not only of it is that we come to be so certain of many the apostles, but of disciples generally. things not yet come to pass, from the They shall deliver you over to the autho- experience we have of those that are; rities, civil and religions, to he punished. because those were presign.i.fi.ed by the The Book of the Acts contains numero111t same Spirit with these which we see ful- examples of such afllictiom (see Aots iv. filling every day" (Reeve). Ee.rthquakes. S; viii. I; xii 4; xiii. 50; xiv. 19, eto.). Commentators relate the occurrence of B11ch Kill As Stephen (Acts vii. 59), James commotions at Rome, in Crete, Laodicea, the brother of John (Acts xii. 2), Peter Campan.ia, etc., and at Jenll!alem(Josephus, and Paul (Eusebius, • Hist. Ecol.,' ii. 25), • Bell. Jud.,' iv. 4. 5; Te.citUB, • lwn.,' xiL and many others. Jlated of 1111 [the] 43, 58; xiv. 27; ll:V. 22; Seneca, • Ep.,' 91. nations (Acts xxviii. 22, " As concerning 9 ; Pbilostrntus, • Vit. Apollon.,' iv. 34; this sect, it is known to us that everywhere Zonaras, • .Aml.,' xi. 10). Nosgen takes thi,. it is spoken agaiust "). Tacitus speaks of term "ee.rtbqua.kee" in a metaphorical sense those "quos per flagitia invisos vu.Igus as equive.lent t.o Tapa.x1t.l, and implying Christianos appellabat" (' Ann.,' xv. 44). mental perturbatiom ; but it seems inoon- The Romam seem to have placed Jews and gruoUB to admit a metaphysical prognostica- Christians in the same category, and to tion in the Inidst of a notioe of a 11eriee of have bestowed on the latter the hatred felt material phenomena. In divers plaoea ; for the former. But the Lord's words point Ka.Ta -r&1ro11s: per loca (Vulgate). Some to some feeling more universal and perma- render the words, " in all pl.ace8," td,itii, nent than this temporary animosity, even looorwm, as i.n Luke ii. 41, ,ea..,., t..os, " every to the hatred which occasioned the death of 7ear." But it is better to take the prepo11- martyrs in all ages, the warfare between oa. xxn.1-51,] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW 433