You fee here, that the Time of his Appearance is faid to be the End of the World. But how is that to be understood? If we take the Expreffion in the literal Senfe, and as we commonly use it, the Thing is not true: For there have already pafs'd full Seventeen hundred Years fince our Saviour's Appearance; and yet the End of the World is not come, nor do we know when it will.

But there will be no Difficulty in this Matter, if we carefully attend to the Phrase the Apostle here useth, and interpret it according to the Propriety of the Language in which it is delivered. The Word in my Text is, Zurléhera Dfs aivov, which every Body, that is verfed in the Style of the New Teftament, knows may be better and more naturally rendred the Confummation or Conclufion of the Ages, than the End of the World.

- For the Understanding this Phrafe, we must have recourfe to the known Idiom of the Jews, who used to speak of the feveral Oeconomies and Difpenfations, under which the World fucceffively had been, or was to be, as of fo many Alves, or Ages. The laft of which Ages, and the Accomplishment and Completion of all of them, they held to be the Age of the Meffiah; beyond which they knew there was to be no other Age or Oeconomy. With reference to this way of speaking, the Times of the Gofpel-Difpenfation are frequently called in Scripture the Last Times, the Last Days, the Fulness of the Times, and in the Text, the Confummation or Shutting up of

the

the Ages. The Meaning of all which Phrafes is no more than this, That the Times of the Gofpel, that is the Appearance and Revelation of our Saviour; though God intended them from the beginning, yet fhould they be the laft of all Times. There fhould be feveral Difpenfations fet on foot in the World before they came; and when those Times were fulfilled, when the Ends of thofe Difpenfations were accomplished, then fhould our Saviour. appear, and begin his Kingdom, which should never be fucceeded by any other.

This is the true Meaning of Chrift's appearing, ev Zurleλéíz évv, as the Text expreffeth it, that is, not (as we Tranflate it). in the End of the World, but in the last of the Ages, or at the Time when the Ages were fulfilled and accomplished.

Now what Ufe are we to make of this Confideration, the Apostle himself doth fairly intimate to us in the beginning of this Epiftle: God, faith he, who at fundry Times, and in divers Manners, fpake in Times paft unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in thefe laft Days Spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath made Heir of all Things, and by whom he made the Worlds. And fo he goes on, to fet forth the incomparable Dignity and Pre-eminence of this laft Meffenger of God, above that of either Angels or Men, by whom he had spoken to Mankind before. But what is the Inference he draws from all this? Why, That you may fee in the beginning of the Second Chapter, We ought therefore (faith he) to give the more earnest beed

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heed to the Things we have heard, (That is to say, the Doctrine of the Gospel) left at any Time we let them flip. For if the Word Spoken by Angels was ftedfaft, and every Tranfgreffion and Difabedience received a just. Recompence of Reward; how shall we escape if we neglect fo great Salvation as was spoken to us by the Lord Jesus?

The Apostle's Argument here proceeds on this Manner. God's Revelation of his Will to Mankind, and the Discovery of his Grace and Goodness, was not all at once, but gradual and by Parts.

He first fpake to Mankind by the Patriarchs who were burning and fhining Lights in their Generations.

He afterwards fingles out the Nation of the Jews, to be his peculiar People, and to them he gives a Written Law which was delivered to them by Angels in the Hand of Mofes their Mediator (as the Apostle speaks in the Third of the Galatians) which Law was a Shadow or dark Representation of the Good Things which were afterwards to be revealed.

After this he fends Prophets in a continual Succeffion for feveral Ages, who do more clearly discover God's Will to them; who call upon them to Holiness and Virtue; and who fpeak in very plain Terms of that great Salvation which God fhould one Day manifeft to the World.

And laft of all, as the Lord of the Vineyard, in the Parable, dealt with his Husbandmen, who after he had fent Servants, one after another, of different Qualities and De

grees,

grees, at laft fent his own Son: fo, at laft, I fay, did the great Lord of the World, when the Fulness of the Time was come, fend his own Son to be his Embaffador to Mankind; his own Son, who was the Brightness of his Glory, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon.

If now, as the Apoftle here argues; If under the former Difpenfations, when God only declared his Will by Angels or by Prophets, he was yet fo fevere, that no Tranfgreffion or Difobedience efcaped, without a juft Recompence of Vengeance; how can we efcape, if we neglect fo great Salvation, as that was, which in these laft Days, was preached by Jefus Chrift? How can we escape, if these last and greatest Methods of God for our Good, and in which all the Treasures of his Goodness are difplay'd; I fay, if these have no effect upon us, in order to the making us both Holy and Happy?

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What Teachers, what Inftructers can we' further expect? What new Lights or Affiftances do we yet wait for? Can any one think that God fhould fet on foot fome other new Difpenfation, for the bringing off those wretched People, upon whom this last could prevail nothing? Do we dream of another Covenant, or another Mediator between God and Man, befides Chrift Jefus? Do we fancy that God will fend fome other Embaffador, or Saviour into the World, after he hath fent his own Son? Or that the Son of God will come a Second Time in Human Flesh, and again be Crucified for us?

No, certainly, God hath afforded the last and greateft Means for Man's Salvation, and no other is ever to be expected. Chrift hath once appeared in the End of the World to put away Sin, by the Sacrifice of himself; and to those that believe in him, and love him, and obey him, will. he appear the Second Time to their Salvation. But never will he appear again to make a new Reconciliation for thofe Men, that are not reconciled to God by his firft Appearance. To fuch (as our Apoftle fpeaks in the Tenth Chapter) There remains no more Sacrifice for Sin, but a fearful Expectation of Judgment and fiery Indignation to confume the Adverfaries.

III. The Third General Point I am to infift on from the Text, is the End of our Saviour's Appearance; and that is here faid to be the putting away of Sin; once in the End of the World bath he appeared to put away his Sin.

This is that which the Scripture every where affigns as the Bufinefs and Defign of Chrift's coming. To run over all the particular Texts, would be tedious in fo plain a Cafe. I fhall therefore only name One or Two.

This is the Account that St. John gives of his Appearance, 1 Epift. Chap. iii. Ye know, faith he, that he was manifefted to take away. our Sins.

And again, this is the Account that the Angel gives to Joseph, a little before his Birth, Matth. 1. 20. Fear not (faith he) to take unto thee Mary thy Wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghoft. And fhe fhall bring forth a Son, and thou fhalt call his Name Jefus ;

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