many of them, as guilty of the fact. For my name's fake. This was exactly fulfilled, in that the Chriftians were fo miferably perfecuted for no other cause, but for being called Chriftians. They did not punifh them for oppofing their idolatry, for that the Jews did as well as the Chriftians, who yet efcaped their malice; nor could they lay any other crime to their charge. Hence was that common faying among the Heathen, Vir bonus Caius Sejus; tantummodo quòd Chriftianus.

Fifthly, And upon this perfecution, the apoftacy of many from Chriftianity, ver. 10. Then fhall many be offended; that is, fall off from Chriftianity because of these perfecutions, as we read feveral did, Demas, Hermogenes, Phygellus, and probably feveral others.

And they shall betray one another, and hate one another. Which was remarkably fulfilled in the fect of the Gnoftics, who did not only decline perfecution themselves, but joined with thofe that perfecuted the Chriftians, as ecclefiaftical history tells us.

Sixthly, That likewife upon this occafion of perfecution, many falfe Prophets fhould arife, and deceive many, ver. 11. which feems to refer to Simon Magus, who gave himself out to be the power of God, and to the other heads of the Gnoftic fect, ver. 12. And the love of many shall grow cold, because iniWhich feems to refer likewife quity fhall abound. to the Gnoftics, of whom St John in his first epistle doth fo frequently make mention of their name; as he that faith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, &c. and of whom he doth fo much complain for want of love to their brethren.

Ver. 13. But he that shall endure to the end, shall be faved; that is, he that fhall continue conftant in the profeffion of the faith, notwithstanding these perfecutions and apoftafies, and falfe teachers that fhall arife, fhall be faved.

Seventhly, That there fhould be an univerfal publication of the gospel, before this great defolation fhould happen, ver. 14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness

unto

unto all nations. And this was accomplished before the deftruction of Jerufalem: for the gofpel was published all over the Roman empire before that time : and that is it which is here meant by the world, in the same sense that Auguftus is faid by St. Luke, to have taxed all the world. And this is the very phrase which the Romans conftantly ufed, calling the Roman empire, Imperium orbis terrarum. And that the gofpel was thus published, we may eafily believe, if we confider how many were fent forth for this purpofe, and what indefatigable pains they took in this work, especially St. Paul, who preached from Jerufalem to Illyricum, which, according to the account which he gives of the journey, is computed to be no less than 2000 miles, and yet he made confiderable ftays in many places.

For a witness unto all nations; that is, that all nations might be convinced of the unreasonable obftinacy of the Jews, before God brought thofe dreadful calamities upon that nation.

And then shall the end come; that is, the final deftruction of the Jews, the total defolation of the Jewish church and commonwealth, according to the prophecy of Jacob, Gen. xlix. 10. which puts thefe two figns together, that the Scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Eighthly, The laft and most immediate fign and Forerunner which he gave of their deftruction, is the ftanding of the abomination of defolation in the holy place, Ver. 15. When ye shall fee the abomination of defolation spoken of by the Prophet Daniel, Standing in the holy place; then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains. There is a great difference among expofitors what is here meant by the abomination of idefolation standing in the holy place. Some refer it to the ftatue of Adrian the Emperor, placed where the temple was at Jerufalem. But that cannot be, becaufe that was a long time after the deftruction of Jerufalem, and therefore could not be given by our Saviour for a fign C 2

and

and forerunner of it. Others (as Capellus) refer it to the faction of the zealots, which before Titus came to befiege Jerufalem, feized upon the temple, and profaned it by bloodfhed and flaughter, and made fo horrible a devaftation in the city. And this would not be improbable, if St. Luke had not given us fo clear an interpretation of it, Luke xxi. 20, 21. who, inftead of the abomination of defolation, mentioned by St. Matthew and St. Mark, puts the Roman Armies. And when ye shall fee Jerufalem compaffed with armies, then know that the defolation thereof is nigh. Then let them that are in Judea flee into the mountains. So that according to St. Luke, the abomination of defolation ftanding in the holy place, is the Roman armies compaffing Jerufalem; which therefore is called the abomination of defolation, because it would caufe fo great a defolation among them: When ye fee Jerufalem compaffed with armies, then know that the defolation thereof is nigh. And it is faid to ftand in the holy place, becaufe Jerufalem was the holy city, and fo many furlongs about it were accounted holy. Now when the Roman army fhould approach within the limits of the holy Ground, then the abomination of defolation might be. faid to ftand in the holy place: but the word, abomination feems particularly to refer to the Roman ensigns, upon which were the images of their Emperors, which the Romans worshipped, as Suetonius exprefly tells us; and Tacitus calls them their bellorum dii, their gods of War. Now it was an abomination to the Jews to fee thefe idols fet up within the limits of the holy city. To which I may add what Jofephus tells us afterward, that the Romans, after they had conquered the city, fet up these enfigns in the ruins of the temple, and facrificed to them.

Ver. 15. Then let them that be in Judea, flee into the mountains; and let him which is on the house top, not come down to take any thing out of his house; neither let him which is in the field, return back to take his cloaths; which are feveral expreffions to fignify what hafte the Chriftians fhould make, when

they

they faw the Romans making fo near approaches to Jerufalem.

Let them which are in Judea flee into the mounta ns. Some refer this to the last fiege by Titus; but I fee no probability for that; for the Jews did not permit any to go out of the city. Others refer it to Vefpafian's drawing his forces towards Jerufalem fometime before the fiege, but hearing of the death Nero the Emperor, he forbore to befiege it, till he had received orders from the new Emperor; and that this was a warning to the Chriftians, and they took their opportunity then to flee to the mountains. But this could not be neither, because for a good while before, the faction of the zealots under John, and Simon's faction, who lay without the city, did flay all who endeavoured to escape out of the city. If we limit these words to Jerufalem, (which the text does not) the most probable time was, when Jerufalem was firft compaffed by the Roman army under Ceftius Gallus, who afterwards withdrew his fiege; and then indeed thofe that would, had liberty to flee away. And at this time Jofephus doth fay, that many did flee, foreseeing the approaching danger. But there is no reafon to confine it to Jerufalem; for our Saviour's words are more large, Then let them that are in Judea flee into the mountains. And if fo, there is an exprefs paffage in Josephus to this purpofe, that when Titus was drawing up his forces towards Jerufalem, a great number of those who were at Jericho went from thence eis Ta open, into the mountainous places, and thereby confulted their own fafety.

Verse 15. Let him that is on the house top not come to take any thing from thence. Our Saviour alludes to the fashion of the Jewish houfes which had plain roofs, upon which they used to walk; and he bids them make fuch hafte, that when they faw this fign, they fhould not think of faving any thing in their houfes, but betake themfelves prefently to the mountains for fafety.

Ver. 16. Neither let him that is in the field rẻturn back to take his cloaths. Another expreffion tơ

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fignify

fignify what hafte they should make from the approaching danger.

Verfe 17. But wo unto them that are with child, and to them that give fuck in thofe days; because of the impediment that this would be to their flight. Or poffibly it may refer to the dreadful ftory, not paralfelled in any place or age, which Jofephus tells of one Mary, who in the time of the fiege, out of very famine, boiled her fucking child, and eat it. And therefore St. Luke xxi. 23. does mention this of the women's being with child, not as an impediment to flight, but as an inftance of the great calamity that fhould befal them. Luke xxi. 23. But wo unto them that are with child, and to them that give fuck in thofe days: for there fhall be great diftrefs in the land, and wrath upon this people.

Verfe 18. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the fabbath-day. Not in winter, because of the hardness of the season, and the difficulty of travelling and living upon the mountains : nor on the fabbath-day. This concerned the Chriftian Jews as well as others, most of which obferved the Jewish law and rites after our Saviour's death, till the defolation of the Jewish ftate and temple, as appears out of the hiftory of the Acts. For though St. Paul ftood for the liberty of the Gentiles; yet it appears from Acts xxi. 21. that he vindicated himfelf from the calumny or afperfion which was caft upon him, as if he taught the Jews which were among the Gentiles, to forfake Mofes, and that they ought not to circumcife their children, nor to walk after their customs. So that the Chriftian Jews retaining the obfervance of the Jewith fabbath, upon which it was not lawful to go any farther than a fabbathday's journey, which was fcarce two miles; if the danger fhould happen at that time (as the Romans ufually took advantages to make all their onfets on that day, knowing the fuperftition of the Jews in that point) they must needs have been in great perplexity.

Having thus particularly treated of the figns which