be,* which is the meaning of the word "fulfilled," in verse 34. What he had said was more certainly to take place, than the continuance of heaven and earth. * Matth. 34. 34, έws av ravтa тavтa yevnтal. Mr. Cuninghame remarks that the most proper and original signification of the verb yivoμaι is not to be completely fulfilled, as it is rendered in our English version of this passage; but rather, " commencement, rainning into subsequent continuance, of action." This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilling :-the aorist subjunctive. He quotes Luke, 21. 24, to show that yevwvrai cannot be understood as synonymous with λnpwowo, and Rev. 15. 8, that it cannot mean Tελεowσiv. In confirmation of this meaning, he says, “ It may be observed that the phrase & δει γενεσθαι εν τάχει, in Rev. 1. 1, is explained on the same principle by Vitringa, Doddridge, Dr. Cressner, Woodhouse, the Jesuit Ribera, and others. So in Matth. 8, 24, Leιopos μeyas ɛyɛvero, does not signify that the storm was over, but was begun. In Matth. 8. 16, we have the words, opias de yeνομενης, the evening being come ; in Mark, 6. 2, γενομενου σαββατου, the Sabbath being come; John, 8. 58, πрiv Аßрaaμ yɛvɛo0aι, before Abraham was born; John, 13. 2, dɛitvov yevoμevov, according to our version is rendered, supper being ended; but according to Whitby, Doddridge, Macknight, Schleusner, &c., supper being come.-See Cuninghame on the Apocalypse, pp. 313-323, where the merits of the criticism are fully discussed. I only add, that Scapula gives the meaning of the word yivopai, nascor, orior. Nothing more can be fairly inferred from the Saviour's use of the word yɛvnra, if the word yɛvɛa be used in the common sense, to denote the period during which men simultaneously dwell together on the earth, a period of thirty years, than that, during the age of the inhabitants of the world, then living in his day, there would be the commencement, the rise, the opening, of the series; the birth of that course of events, he was then predicting. The scenes he predicted, in other words, would soon begin. With this view we are satisfied, as being conformable alike with the import of the Saviour's language, and the comment of His providence. But if any prefer the criticism which determines the meaning of yevca differently from the current acceptation of the word generation, we do not object. In either case, the text cannot be understood to mean that all should be accomplished during the lifetime of the men who were cotemporary with Christ; and we are relieved from the In the 36th verse he replies to the third and last question, stating that, as to the precise day and hour when the end should come, it was not to be made labored efforts of those who make the destruction of Jerusalem to be the main event referred to, and typical of that of the world, at the day of Judgment, and who quote this passage in proof of what they call a double sense of prophecy, and of the fallacious rule of interpretation founded on it. It is certain that the word yɛvɛa very often, both in sacred and profane writers, means a race, a family, a tribe, a nation, a class of persons united by sameness of character, disposition, or other ties, a people of common origin. Scapula assigns genus, progenies, as its proper meaning, and quotes Philo de Vita Mosis, as authority —καταλείπει μεν πατρίδα καί γενεὰν και πατρώον οἶκον. A writer in the Investigator, vol. i. pp. 53-56, has quoted, in proof of this meaning, from Homer, Iliad Y. 303, 304,— Οφρα μεν ασπερμος γενεη και αφαντος οληται Δαρδανῶν "That the race (or posterity) of Dardanus become not extinct.” Iliad p. 191, Κρείσσων δ' αυτε Διος γενεη ποταμοιο τετυκται, "The race (or descendant) of Jove is superior to a river." And from Hesiod, E. Kaι H. 281, Τουδε τ' αμαυρότερη γενεη μετοπισθε λελειπται. "The race (or progeny) of the perjurer is left to more obscurity." And Josephus, A. J. 1. 10,—Ο Θεος και παιδα αυτή γενήσεσθαι εξαγ "-And Sepγελλει και πολλην εξ εκείνου γενενὰ, a numerous race. tuagint, Josh. 22. 27,-Twv yɛrewv nμwv peɑ' has.-"Our generations after us." cr The following passages are given in proof of the absolute import of the word, as synonymous with a tribe, or people, or nation, without reference to the ancestor : Sophocles, Ajax, 190-Τας ασωτου Σισυφίδαν γενέας. Euripides, Hecuba, 470-Tiтavwv yevεav-"The race of the Titans." Eschylus, Agamemnon, 1538— ὁ δε λοιπον ιοντ εκ τωνδε δόμων αλλην γενεαν τριβειν θανατοις αυθενταισιν. "To afflict another race (or family); opposed to that of the Plisthenidæ." known, but it should come upon the world just as the flood did in the days of Noah. It behoved them, Pindar, Nem., VI. 54—radaιpatos yeveα, an anciently celebrated family."-Homer, Iliad E. 265, Της γαρ τοι γενεης ἧς Τρωι περ ευρύοπα Ζευς "Of that breed (or race) of horses." The following, among other passages from the Septuagint, may be added to the above :-Psalm, 14. 5; 24. 6; 73. 15. Gen. 31.3. Lev. 25. 41. The word is used in the New Testament in the sense of race, tribe, people, nation. See Phil. 2. 15, where our translators render it nation. The above is sufficient to justify the remarks of the learned Mede, who in Epist. 12, p. 752 of his works, says, "I prefer, as I said," speaking of the import of the word in this passage, 66 gens Judæorum; for what reasons nihil nunc attinet dicere. No man can deny but this is one of the native notions of yɛvɛa, yea, and so taken in the gospels: as in the foregoing chapter, Matth. 23. 36, Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come επɩ Tηy yεvεav тavтnv-upon this nation. So 'Beza renders it twice in the parallel place, Luke, 10. 50, 51, and seven times in this gospel. Again, Luke, 17. 25, The Son of Man must be first rejected anо tηs γενεας ταυτης -Beza, à gente istâ. The LXX. renders by this word oy, populus, nowo, familia, no, progenies, patria. See Gen. 25. 13, and 43.7; Numbers, 10. 30, &c. I suppose here is enough for the signification of the word." We are not concerned to decide which one, or whether both of these critical expositions should be adopted. The idea evidently is, that the things which Christ predicted, should now begin to develope themselves. The Jewish people, or race, should not perish till all should be fulfilled: according to Mede, or according to Cuninghame, the men of that day should not all have died, till the scenes Christ predicted should begin; or blending both,-the Jewish race should not become extinct during the whole course of the days of vengeance, in which all the things he predicted were to be fulfilled. See Stonerd's Dissert. on the Disc. of Christ, pp. 188-193. Much more might be added here. Sufficient has been said to rescue this passage from the use which has been made of it, for confirming the double sense of prophecy, and introducing that confusion, which the spiritual interpreter and the rules of exegesis founded on the assumed double sense of prophecy, have always led to, in the interpretation of these predictions of Jesus Christ, therefore, to watch, for, ere they were aware, they should be involved in the terrible scenes connected with his coming to judgment, which he describes in the remainder of the 24th and through the 25th chapters of Matthew. We shall have occasion, hereafter, to refer to these chapters for another purpose. We have given this brief exposition at present, merely to confirm the truth of our position, that the predictions of Christ recognize no new principles of interpretation, but are as literally to be verified as those of the ancient prophets, and to be understood according to the grammatical construction and import of the language employed in delivering them. Equally true is it of the predictions of Paul, of Peter, and of Jude. They plainly refer to events in the church and world, to be literally, historically verified, i. e. matters of direct, public, visible observation, not allegorical resemblances, and are easiest and best understood according to the grammatical interpretation. As for those of John, in the book of Revelations, they are indeed delivered mainly in symbolical language, but the symbols are not all new. They are chiefly taken from Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, and are an exposition of many things contained in them, and therefore must be subjected to the same principles of interpretation applicable to them-which is not the allegorical but grammatical interpretation— according to the established import of the symbols, and to designate THINGS, AS REALLY AND HISTORICALLY TRUE, i. e. EVENTS TO OCCUR, as if they had been described in alphabetical terms.* Besides, they are interspersed with alphabetical interpretations, which serve as the clue to the mean * See Rev. 1. 20; 4. 5; 5.8; 7. 13-16; 11. 3, 4, 8; 17. 13, 14, 15, 18; 19. 8, 10; 20. 2, 4, 5. ing of some of the more complicated symbols. Symbolical language has indeed been called figurative, and made a pretext for the spiritual interpretation, founded on a hidden sense. But we shall have occasion, elsewhere, to show that symbolical language is even more definite and immutable, as to its import, than alphabetical—that it does not possess the character of what rhetoricians call allegory-and that it is used, as truly and designedly as the alphabetical, to designate events and scenes that are to occur in the church and world, as literally matters of public observation, events of history. The common and most plausible attempt made to prove the allegorical or spiritual interpretation to be correctly applicable to unfulfilled prophecy, is the following. The phrase, the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, or, the kingdom of the heavens, it is said, evidently, very often in the New Testament, denotes the church of God as a spiritual society, and, therefore, the language of prophecy relating to it, must, of course, possess an allegorical or spiritual meaning. In like manner, it is said, that the coming of Christ is a phrase employed in the New Testament, not in its literal sense, but analogically, to denote some special movement, or interposition of his providence, and, therefore must be analogically and spiritually understood. In reply to this, we remark, that the thing thus assumed must be proved. The phrase, the kingdom of heaven, we affirm, is not of mutable import, according to men's fancies-now denoting the church of God on earth, as it is visibly organized, and then, its invisible members, the elect of God-then, again, the intermediate state after death-then, the Millenium—and then, eternal glory. It properly, according |