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"A voice from the eaft, a voice from the weft, a voice from the four winds; a voice against Jerufalem and the temple, a voice against bridegrooms and brides, a voice against all the people." This was his cry, in the ftreets of the city, by day and by night; and when chaftifed for uttering fuch words of omen, he never once varied the subject of his lamentations. To those who buffeted him, and to those who relieved him, he gave the fame mournful answer, Woe to Jerufalem. This was his practice, especially at the feafts, unwearied and unintimidated, for feyen years and five months; when, as he was going round the walls, with his ufual tone of Woe to the city, to the people, and the temple, and adding laft of all, Woe to myself, a ftone from an engine ended at one stroke his forrows and his life.

These are the prefages, recorded by Jofe phus ; which I fee no reafon to disbelieve

C.

z He mentions also another prodigy (vegas. B. J. L. V.

ix. §. 4.) that Siloa and the fountains without the city, before the coming of Titus, failed, fo that water was fold by measure; but that they flowed fo copiously on the approach of the enemy, as not only to serve their army and their cattle, but likewife to water the gardens. The fame, he fays, happened before the king of Babylon took the city. Dion on the contrary fays (L. LXVI. e Theodos.) the Romans were much

or difpute. Those, who are perfuaded of the infpiration of holy writ, may affent at leaft to the general account, from our bleffed Saviour's prediction of fearful fights, and great figns from heaven. If there are any, who are inclined to give more credit to the witness of men, than to the teftimony of fcripture; they may learn, from the completion of what was foretold, to think with due reverence of the oracles of truth.

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Jofephus informs us, that the people, as if deftitute both of fight and understanding, disregarded or misconstrued the warnings of heaven; but that they doubted the facts, he gives no intimation. On the contrary, of the certainty of thefe prodigies, which, he says, plainly foreshewed the future desolation, he appears to be moft fully fatisfied; and he probably related nothing of this kind which he had not either himself beheld, or received on the authority of eye-witneffes. He observes alfo, with great truth, that the calamities which enfued were worthy of the figns.

much diftreffed for want of water, but that the besieged were plentifully fupplied by means of fubterraneous canals brought into the city from a great diftance. Poffibly this might be fpoken of fome later period of the fiege; if not, where the two accounts vary, the teftimony of Jofephus, who was on the spot at the time, should doubtless be preferred.

Of this doubtlefs we may be affured, that in committing to writing these marvelous appearances, it was as much his defign to illuftrate the prophecies of the New Testament, as it was the intention of Caiaphas to foretel that Jefus fhould die for the nation'. They both were, in this refpect, involuntary inftruments in the hands of providence; and as the high priest uttered, but without being conscious of it, a truth on which depends the falvation of the world; fo the hiftorian recorded the fulfilling of predictions, which he was not acquainted with, or did not believe. It may be added, that Tacitus, who never was accused of being over-credulous in affairs of this naturę, has likewife mentioned moft of the prodigies recited above.

Such then were the previous indications of vengeance; let us next view the rife of the tribulations themselves.

"Ye shall hear," fays our Lord, "of wars and rumours of wars: fee that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pafs, but the end is not yet."

John xi. 49. &c.

c Matt. xxiv. 6.

b Hift, L. V. c. 13.

If.

If it were neceffary to apply these words to events totally different from those alluded to in the following verfe, we might understand them of wars and commotions in parts of the empire remote from Judea; which engaged the attention of the Romans, and were one of the causes that incited the Jews to make a revolt. But it is better perhaps, with Grotius, to refer the paffage to the Jewish affairs in various countries at this period.

In the reign of Caligula, the Greeks and Syrians who inhabited Seleucia, and lived in perpetual feuds and animofities, confpiring together for the purposes of flaughter, killed of the Jews above fifty thousand. About the fame time they were likewife miferably haraffed in Egypt; the Roman governors, and the emperor himself, conniving at, and even encouraging, every outrage done to this despised and infulted people'. A positive command was alfo iffued by the emperor, to erect his ftatue in the temple at Jerufalem;

d Vide Procem. B. J. §. 2.

e A. J. L. XVIII. c. x. §. 9.

Other calamities, which

befell them in Babylonia, are related in the fame chapter.

f Ibid. c. ix. §. 1. Philo de Leg. ad Caium, Vol. II. p. 562. &c. ed. Mangey.

· A. J. L. XVIII. c. ix. §. 2. &c.

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and though the execution of the order, at the earnest intreaty of the Jewish nation, was for a while delayed, and finally prevented by the emperor's death; yet the circumstances of the attempt were fuch as might well alarm them. If they did not voluntarily comply with the idolatrous injunction, which it was their duty to oppofe; the prefident of Syria, to whom the business was entrusted, was advancing towards Judea, and had reached the confines, with power fufficient to enforce obedience: and, in the eye of the Jews, every thing wore the appearance of immediate war.

The Chriftians, in the mean time, while the heavens grew black, and the tempeft was coming on, poffeffing in patience their own fouls, and fervently praying for, and labouring to effect, the converfion of their brethren; were taught, by that fure word of prophecy which they faw gradually unfolding, to expect other events, before the ftorm burit, and poured forth its fury on the devoted land. They themselves had had their share, an early and a large fhare, in afflictions and perfecutions; for fo it was foretold them: "Before all thefe;" before the troubles, whereof we have been speaking, were to come upon the Jews, they hall lay their hands on you,

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