The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 459

hundred e.n~ ~nety yea"!, though nofl the day or season. ~2) Our Lord himself speaks of great poht1cal revolutions the.t should he.ppen before his return ; and hie language plainly implies that the event was then remote (@ee ver. 48; eh. xxv. 6, 19), (3) Paul declares that before th~t great event there should occur a gradual development a.nd subsequent gre.duel we.stmg of a ~reat apostasy, the germs of which were alree.dy working in his day (see 2 Thess. ii.). (4) Proceeding further, we find Peter using language evidently designed to prepare the Church for a long delay (see 2 Pet. iii.). (5) The ~eries of intervening events is wonderfully disclosed in the course of the reve- lations given to John. The wise who study this series cannot be ignorant as to the approaching time. 3. But to the wicke,d it will come as a surprise. (1) So the Flood came upon the men of that. generation. "They knew not." They were warned, but did not heed. " Death never comes without a warrant, but often without a warning" (Anon.). Not knowing, i.e. acknowledging, is joined with eating and drinking and m:i.rrying. They were sensual because secure; but the ignorance of wickedness is an imaginary security. "The flood came." Those who will not know by faith shall be made to know by feiling. The evil day is never further off for men's putting it off. J ud~ents are most terrible to those who make a jest of them. (2) "As in the days o[ Noah." The design here is to show that the desolation will be as general as it will be unexpected. The miserable Jews neglected the advice of Jesus to watch, and were destroyed. It is for us to learn wisdom by the things which they have suffered. The /!'Cneral neglect of religion is a more dangerous symptom to a people than particular iustances of irreligion. (3) The siege of Jerusalem surprised the Jews in the midst of their festivity at the Passover (cf. Judg. xvili. 7, 27; 1 Thess. v. 3). Man's unbelief shall not make the truth of God's threatenings of none effect (cf. Isa. xlvii. 7-9; Rev. niii. 7). "The uncertainty of the time of Christ's coming is to those who are watchful a savour of life unto life, and makes them more watchful; but to those who a.re careless it is a savour of death unto death, and makes them more careless" (Henry). 4. It will be a time of separation. (1) " Then shall two men be in the field," etc. (ver. 40). lfany who have been united in the closest earthly relations will then be found separated in their spiritual condition and eternal ellotment. (2) Those "taken" correspond to Noah and his family, who were taken into the ark, and to the disciples of Jesus, who removed to Pell&. Those "left " correspond to the people shut out of the ark, and those shut into Jerusa.lem when it was devoted to destruction. In the last day the elect will be gathered out of the devoted world into the cloud of Christ's protecting presence. (3) Here our Lord enjoins upon his disciples to watch, and that too in reference to his coming-an event so far remote that when it occurs they will be found among the dead. In like manner, we find the apostles exhorting their brethren to watchfulness, and urging the same reason, while they certainly knew that event to be remote. The lesson., then., is that it is manifestly the Divine purpose that the thoughts of the people of God should be carried forward to and fixed upon that momentous time when Christ shall come to judge the world. Observe, then: L That to live in a state of preparation for this event \s also to live prepared for death. 2. That every exhortation of Scripture to watch for the former is alike applicable to the latter. 3. That in a most important respect the hour of death is to every man the hour of judgment.-J. A. M. Vers. 43-51.-The two ,ervantB. The "household" ·of God is his Church (see Eph. iii. 15 ). In the professing Church there a.re two classes of persons, viz. the "wise" a.nu the "evil." In minor particulars there may be an infinite diversity, but ultimately all will be visibly separated into these great cla6ses. This will hold in re1pect to both ministers and people. L " WHO, THEN, IB THE FAITHFUL Al."D WISE BEBVANT? " 1. He that watchea for the refAMfl, ef hi6 Lord. (I) "Wisdom" is a synonym for "religion." In this sense the term id commonly used in the Proverbs of Solomon. The " wise" servant, therefore, is he that has repented of his sin and has accepted his Saviour. (2) True Christians a.re "of the day," and are instinctively watching for "that day" in which the Lord /esUB will appear in his glory (see 1 These. v. 4----6; 2 Pet. iii. 10-12). (3) To such the advent of the Master can be no surprise. If Jesus three.tens. the ang?l of the Church at Sardis to come on him as a thief, it lll because h.e was neither penitent nor cm, xxrv, 1-51.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BT. MATTHEW. -i65