Secondly, The next fign our Saviour gives, is, Wars, and rumours of wars, famines, peftilences, earthquakes, &c. ver. 6, 7. And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars. About this time the Jews began to be fet upon in feveral places, by the command of the Emperor, and many thousands of them were flain at Alexandria and Babylon, as Jofephus tells us. And there was a fear, and rumour of a general war denounced against them by Caius Caligula the Emperor, unless they would receive his ftatue into the temple. Upon this rumour the whole nation was in great aftonishment, infomuch that the Jews left their bufinefs, and neglected to till their grounds, expecting the Romans would have fallen upon them; of which confternation, both Jofephus and Philo give us a particular account.

Our Saviour adds, See that ye be not troubled; for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet; that is, when you fee the nation in this danger from the Romans, be not ye troubled, as the Jews will be, thinking now will be the ruin of the nation. This and many other things will happen, before the final end come. And accordingly it fell out. For fo Jofephus and Tacitus tell us, that this ftorm was blown over by the fudden death of the Emperor.

Verfe 7. Nation shall rise up against nation. Which happened under Claudius and Nero, the two next Roman Emperors, when in feveral cities, as Cæfarea, Ptolemais, and many others, the Jews and those of other nations that inhabited thofe cities, fell upon and destroyed one another, as may be read at large in Jofephus.

And kingdom against kingdom. This feems to refer to the feveral provinces or tetrarchies in Palestine, which were also called kingdoms, which at this time had cruel wars against one another; as the Jews and the Galileans against the Samaritans, and several others that Jofephus fpeaks of.

And there fhall be famines and peftilences. Accordingly Jofephus tells us, that under Claudius Cæfar there was a great famine in Judea, namely, that which was prophefied of by Agabus, Acts xi.. 28.

And

And this Grotius very probably fuppofeth to be the reafon why St. Paul in his epiftles, written about that time, is so earnest with the Chriftians to fend relief to the faints at Jerufalem. Peftilences, they ufually follow famine; and earthquakes in divers places; which happened in the times of Claudius and Nero. Philoftratus fpeaks of a great earthquake that happened in Crete in the time of Claudius, and in feveral other places, as Smyrna, Chios, Samos, &c. not long before the deftruction of Jerufalem; Tacitus fpeaks of one in Afia about the fame time. And though these were at a greater distance, than the oother figns which our Saviour mentions; yet the Jews could not but hear of them, because several of the nations were difperfed into fome of those places.

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Thirdly, Fearful fights and figns from heaven. So St. Luke, chap. xxi. ver. 11. There shall be fearful fights, and great figns from heaven. Jofephus gives us a clear comment upon this, Bell. Jud. lib. 7: fays he, "This wretched people believed impoftors

and counterfeits, but thofe great figns and prodi"gies which did forerun their defolation, they nei"ther minded, nor believed." A little before their deftruction (he tells us) there hung over their city a fiery fword, which continued for a year together. A little before their rebellion against the Romans, there appeared a comet, which fhined to clear in the temple, and about the altar, as if it had been day. And the fame day an heifer, that was led to be fa crificed, brought forth a lamb in the middle of the temple. The eaftern gate of the temple, which was of maffy brafs, and very heavy, and could fcarce be fhut by the ftrength of twenty men, and was conftantly made faft with ftrong locks and bars, flew open at midnight; which when it was told to the Magiftrate, and he came to fee it, they could fcarce get ftrength enough to fhut it. One evening, not long before their defolation, there were feen in the air, chariots and armies hovering over the city. At the feast of Pentecoft, the Priests going one night into the temple, according to their custom, firft

heard

heard a noise, and afterwards a fudden voice, faying, Let us go bence. And, which was very terrible, one Jefus a plain countryman, four years before any troubles began, when the city was in a deep peace, came up to Jerufalem, and upon one of their faftivals, began to cry out with a loud voice, A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerufalem and the temple, a voice against bridegrooms and brides, a voice against the people. And thus he went about crying day and night; and being feized on by the Magiftrate, and punished and tortured, he would not give over, but ftill went crying about, Wo, wo to Jerusalem; and thus he continued for feven years and five months together, and was neither weary nor hoarfe, until the city was befieged, and then he was quiet; but one time went up upon the walls, and cried with a loud voice, Wo, wo to the city and the temple, and the people, and added, Wo alfo to myself; and immediately was ftruck dead by a ftone out of a cross

bow.

Were not thefe fearful fights and great figns from heaven? And thefe we have all related by one of the most prudent hiftorians, who lived at that very time, and that very place; and he fays, that many were alive when he wrote, and could attest all this.

Verfe 8. All these are the beginning of forrows. The fcripture ufually compares the greateft fufferings and afflictions to the pains of a woman in travail, to which our Saviour here alludes, and fays, These were but the first pangs, nothing to thofe throws which should come at last.

Thefe are three of the figns forerunning the deftruction of Jerufalem, which were predicted by our Saviour. There are yet five more, which I referve for my next difcourse on this subject.

SER

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SERMON CCXXXIX.

The evidences of the truth of the Chriftian religion.

2 COR. iv. 3, 4.

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious gospel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould fhine unto them."

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The fixth fermon on this text.

HE fourth evidence which thofe who lived in our Saviour's time had of his divine authority, was, The fpirit of prophecy proved to be in him, and made good by the accomplishment of his predictions.

I have given five inftances of our Saviour's predictions, and am now treating on the fourth of them, viz. His foretelling the deftruction of Jerufalem, with the circumftances of it.

In explaining the particulars of this prophecy, I propofed three things to be confidered:

1. Our Saviour's general prediction of the fiege, and total destruction of Jerufalem and the temple. 2. His prediction of the figns that fhould fore

run it.

3. His prediction of the concomitant and fubfequent circumstances of it.

I am upon the fecond of thefe, viz. our Saviour's prediction of the figns that fhould forerun the de

ftruction

ftruction of Jerufalem; three of which I have dif patched, and now proceed to those which remain.

Fourthly, Another fign which our Saviour foretold, as a forerunner of the deftruction of Jerufalem, was perfecution of the Chriftians. They shall deliver you to be afflicted, and shall kill you. St. Mark expreffeth it more particularly, Mark xiii. 9. But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils, and in the fynagogues ye shall be beaten, and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my fake, for a teftimony against them. And these did partly happen before the forementioned calamities, and partly upon them but our Saviour first reckons by themfelves the common calamities of the nation; and then he comes to those which did concern his difciples and followers; and this follows very fitly upon the former more general calamities. For we find the fathers in their apologies every where complaining, that the Jews and Heathen laid the blame of all the judgments and calamities which befel them, as famine, peftilence, and earthquakes, upon the Chriftians, as the caufes of them; and from this pretence they many times took occafion to perfecute them.

They fhall deliver you to be afflicted. This was fulfilled in delivering fome of the Apoftles to be whipped and imprisoned by the chief priests and rulers, as Peter and John; or giving them up to the Roman power, as they did James and Peter to Herod; Paul to Gallio, Felix and Feftus, and last of all to Nero.

And fhall kill you. St. Luke faith, fome of you; for of others he faith, that not a hair of their head fhould fall to the ground. Thus Stephen was killed by a popular tumult; and the two James's were put to death under colour of a judicial procefs; the one ftoned by the council of the Jews, and the other put to death by Herod.

And ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's fake. Which began under Nero, who, charging the Chriftians with the burning of the city, as Tacitus tells us, when himself had set it on fire, tortured VOL. X.

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