He again declares that His gospel shall finally overcome all opposi-
tion, that He shall descend from heaven to earth invested with
supreme power and in celestial glory, but the time shall not be
made known to mankind until his appearance; but warns all to be
always prepared for it, and illustrates the dreadful consequence of
being unprepared by the parable of the ten virgins, and the absent
sovereign intrusting His servants with His treasure
253
He now gives a particular description of the last judgment, describes 254
His own attributes, declares His divinity, and positively asserts
that He is both Saviour and Judge of mankind; that none shall
enter heaven but through redeeming love, but to all the faithful sal-
vation is secured by Him. He then foretels His resurrection from
the grave, and ascension to eternal glory, and once more strenuously
exhorts all His followers truly to love God and all mankind ......
His spiritual connexion with His servants is illustrated by the pa-
rable of the vine; declares that His personal ministry is finished,
that He shortly shall return to heaven to His father, again declares
that Love is the first duty of christians, and most fervently prays
to His Father to preserve His disciples in their love and duty....
NOTE.
The evening before our Lord's crucifixion, He instituted the sacra-
ment of the last supper, commanding all His adherents, until
the end of the world, to piously assemble together, and eat
bread and drink wine in commemoration that He shed His blood,
and yielded His body to the stroke of death, to redeem man from
eternal misery. But I cannot imagine that the bread and wine,
consecrated and taken at these holy meals, are by any kind of
transmutation converted to the real flesh and blood of our Lord;
but that they are only symbols to remind His servants of His
great love and mercy in suffering an ignominious death to ob-
literate their transgressions, and fix love more stedfastly in their
hearts to him and all mankind.
The Evangelists record our Lord's miracles, His crucifixion, His bu-
rial, His resurrection from the grave, and His ascension into hea-