phatical, ought to be faid in the laft place; fo that it fhould rather have been, they know not the hour, no, nor the day; but we here does undoubtedly fignify the appointed feafon or time; and fo the four feafons of the year are, by the Greeks, called e; and, in this sense, the word is moft certainly used by the Evangelift St John, chap. vii. 30. But no man laid hands on him, speaking of Chrift, because his hour was not yet come, that is, the time appointed for his fuffering; and that which, in the text, is called hour, is, in the next verfe, called nejcs which fignifies a particular feafon, or appointed time. Ye know not when the time is, that is, the time which God hath particularly defigned and appointed for this great work of judging the world.

2. He excludes from the knowledge of it, those who were most likely to know it, if God had not absolutely referved it to himself. Of that day and hour knows none, no, not the angels, neither the Son.

(1.) Not the angels, which are in heaven; though they be creatures of so perfect a knowledge, though they be the minifters of God, and do continually attend upon him, and behold his face, and understand much more of the works of God, and his providence in regard to the affairs of the world, than we that live here below in fo much error and ignorance, that dwell in houfes of clay, whose foundations are in the duft: Yet the particular time. when God will judge the world, he hath referved as a fecret to himself, and not communicated it so much as to the angels, who are defigned to wait upon the great Judge of the world, and to make up his train in that folemnity. our Saviour tells us, Matth. xxv. 31. That the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him. And fo likewise the Apostle, 2 Thess. i. 7. That the Lord Jefus Chrift fhall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels.

So

But this is not only hid from the angels, but, which is yet more, from the Son himfelf. Of that day and hour knows none, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son. This feems ftrange indeed, that the Son of God, who came from the bofom of his Father, and, therefore, is more likely than any to know his fecrets, that he,

whom

whom God had ordained to be the Judge of the world, into whofe hands he had committed that great truft and authority, fhould not be acquainted with the time of this judgment: Nay, that he, in whom are all the treasures of wifdom and knowledge, and in whom the divinity does fubftantially refide, fhould not know this time, this feems incredible, but that he himself hath told us fo. It was indeed a common faying among the Jews, that the time of the end of the world was revealed to none: But yet, one would think the Son were always excepted. Nay, how can it well be otherwife, if we believe him to be God? and indeed the fathers, in their difputes with the Arians, have mightily puzzled themselves about this text.

Some, and thofe of no small account, have understood these words, as if our Saviour only intended to put off his disciples from a more particular enquiry about this matter; not that he was ignorant of the day of judgment, but that he did not know it, fo as to reveal it to them; which is by no means to be admitted, not only because it looks too like the equivocation of the Jesuits, but likewife, because the fame may be faid of the angels; fince it is no otherwife denied of the angels, that they know this time, than it is of the Son. Others fay, that his human nature was not ignorant of the day of judgment, but that it did not know this of itself, but by virtue of its union with the divine nature. But our Saviour abfolutely fays, that the Son did not know it. And, therefore, others more reafonably have diftinguished between his human nature and divine, and though, as God, he could not be ignorant of any thing, yet his human understanding did not know it. And it is not unreasonable to suppose, that the divine wifdom which dwelt in our Saviour, did communicate itself to his human foul according to his pleasure; and fo his human nature might, at fome times, not know fome things. And, if this be not admitted, how can we understand that paffage concerning our Saviour, Luke ii. 52. That Jefus grew in wifdom and ftature; or, as the word na may more fitly be tranflated, in age, and in favour with God and man? For, if the human nature of Chrift, did neceffarily know all things, by virtue of its union with the divinity, he could not then, as man, be faid to grow in wisdom. M 3

And

And this, I think, may be fufficient for the clearing of this difficulty, concerning the Son's not knowing the particular time which God had appointed for judging the world. And if he did not know it, it is furely no reflection upon his difciples, if they were ignorant of it, or mistaken about it. Their infallibility was ouly in things that were revealed to them, but cannot be imagined to extend to things not revealed. And thus I have done with the first thing, namely, the uncertainty of the time of the general judgment, as to all but God only. Of that day and hour knoweth none, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. I proceed now to the

Second Thing, which I mainly intended, viz. that the confideration of the uncertainty of the time should make us very careful to be always prepared for it. Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. In which words we have,

Firft, A general caution; take ye heed. Look to it, that ye be not furprized and overtaken by that time. The time being fo uncertain, they were always in danger.

Secondly, More particular directions how they should demean themselves in this cafe. And our Saviour directs to two things, vigilancy and prayer; watch and pray.

Thirdly, There is a reafon added to enforce this care and diligence, from the uncertainty of the time as to us : For ye know not when the time is.

From whence I fhall obferve, by the way, the great goodness of God to us, and his fingular care of us. That, as he is gracious and merciful to us, in giving us the knowledge of thofe things which are neceffary and useful for us to know; fo no lefs in keeping us ignorant of other things, which are not only not neceffary for us to know, but which it would be very much to our harm and prejudice, to have the knowledge of them communicated to us. God hath acquainted us with whatever is neceffary to direct and excite us to our duty; but he hath purpofely concealed from us thofe things, which might tend to make us flothful and carelefs, negligent and remifs in it. He hath not acquainted us with the fecrets of his decrees and providence; but hath referved these in his

Own

own power; because it would be really to our disadvantage to have the knowledge of them. If we knew all events before-hand, and how and when all things would happen, we should be too much concerned about fome things, and too little about others; and, therefore, God hath, in great wisdom and goodness, afforded us the knowledge of those things which are moft proper and useful for us, whereby we may be inftructed in our duty, and encouraged and ftirred up to it. Job xxviii. 28. Unto man he faith, The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil, is understanding. This is the knowledge which is fit for us, and which no man is deftitute of, but by his own fault, and grofs neglect of himself.

So that God is very good to us, both in revealing fome things to us, and in hiding other things from us; particularly thofe things which we are speaking of, concerning the time of the end of the world, and the judgment of the great day. Which, did men certainly know to be fo far off, as it really was in our Saviour's time, and may perhaps now be, it would very much abate the force and awe of it upon the minds of men; for then men would think themselves fafe till death fhould remove them out of the world. But when, for any thing we know, the general judgment of the world may overtake us the next moment; this confideration gives a great deal of weight to all the reft, and is apt to ftrike a particular terror into men. What man would not be afraid to offend, if he did not know but that the next moment he should be brought to his trial, before a fevere and impartial judge? So that, for this reason, God hath, in great kindness to us, concealed this matter from us, and, like a wife and good father, instead of gratifying our curiofity, hath confulted our real benefit and advantage.

Befides this, that it is always useful to the world to be kept in awe, by the continual danger and terror of an approaching judgment, there feems to have been a more particular reafon why our Saviour would have the difciples and firft Chriftians ignorant of this thing; for which reafon he difcourfed fo to them concerning it, as that they might rather apprehend, that the end of all things was at hand, and might probably happen in their time. And thus

it feems his difciples underftood his fpeech concerning St John, as if he fhould not die till our Lord came to judgment. And the Apostles, in feveral of their exhortations, feem to urge Chriftians from this very confideration, of the nearness of the general judgment. So St Paul, Phil. iv. 5. Let your moderation be known to all men; the Lord is at hand. And the author to the Hebrews, chap. x. 25. encourageth Chriftians to conftancy in their profeffion upon the fame account, Not forfaking the affembling your felves together, as the manner of fome is; but exhorting one another, and fo much the more, because the day approacheth. So likewife St James, chap. v. 9. Grudge not one against another, brethren, left ye be condemned: Behold, the Judge ftandeth at the door. And St Peter tells us, that feveral impious men fcoffed at them upon this account, as if the Apostles had been deceivers in this matter, and, therefore, faid, Where is the promise of his coming? as it were upbraiding them, for putting men in a vain expectation of it.

And it was no inconvenience at all, that the Apoftles and firft Chriftians had this apprehenfion of the nearness of that time; for no confideration could be more forcible to keep them ftedfaft in their profeffion, and to fortify them againft fufferings, than a perfuafion of the approach of that day, wherein thofe who fuffered for Chrift fhould be fo gloriously rewarded; and thofe who, for fear of fuffering, fell off from him, fhould be fo terribly punifhed. And nothing could be more proper and powerful, to wean their affections from the love of this world, and to make them willing to part with any thing in it, than to apprehend that there would shortly be an end of it, and then all the enjoyments of it would figrify nothing. So that their ig norance in this matter was, by the providence of God, admirably fitted for the animating and encouraging of Chriftians to a great zeal and conftancy in the profeffion of their faith, and in the propagating of it, as thinking they had but a little while to do this great work in.

And it will be, in all ages to the end of the world, a good argument to men to vigilancy and conftant preparation; becaufe, if they be remifs and carelefs, the great Judge of the world may come in a day that they think

not