19 And wo unto for to take up his 宁 17 But wo unto tries, enter thereinto. 22 For thefe be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be ful- 23 But wo unto them that are with them that are with them that are with child, and to them child, and to them child, and to them that give fuck in thofe that, give fuck in thofe that give fuck in those days. days. days: JOHN. the Holy City; then at laft affure your felves that the Destruction of Ferufalem is at hand. [Let every one that reads this History give particular attention to this place fince it is of no fmall importance efpecially to the Jews.] At that time let thofe that be in Judea fly into the Mountainous Country beyond it; let him that is upon the Houfe-top, not come down to fecure his Goods, but make what haft he can, left by delaying the Paffes leading to it be fecur'd, and all means of escaping thereby intercepted. Let thofe that be in Jerufalem make what haft they can out of it, and let fuch as are in the Fields take care not to return into the City to remove their Goods: For then will be the appointed time in which God has determin'd to execute his Vengeance on all the obftinate Inhabitants of Jerufalem, by inflicting those Punishments on them of which they were forewarn'd by Mofes and the Prophets. At that time fad will be the condition of Women big with child, or that give fuck, fince they can hardly escape the Fury of the Soldiers, if they do not leave the City betimes; and 21 For then shall 19 For in thofe for there. be great tribulation, days fhall be affliction, fhall be great diftrefs fuch as was not fince fuch as was not from in the land, and wrath. the beginning of the the beginning of the upon this people. world to this time, no creation which God nor ever thall be. created, unto this 20 And except that 24 And they shall fall by the edg of the fword, and fhall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerufalem fhall be trodden. down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.. 22 And except thofe days fhould be fhort- the Lord had shortned ned, there fhould no thofe days, no flesh flesh be faved: but for fhould be faved: bur the elects fake thofe for. the elects fake. days fhall be shortned. whom he hath chofen, . he hath fhortned the. days. 23 Then if any man fhall fay to you, Lo, here is Chrift, or there; believe it not. 21 And then, if any man fhall fay to you, Lo, here is Chrift, or lo, he is there; be lieve him not. and if they continue in it, they muft undoubtedly perish. Pray to God therefore that the beginning of your flight do not happen in the Winter, or upon the Sabbathday for a fhort Journy may be dangerous. So great will be the Calamity of the fews, that it is not to be parallel'd from the beginning of the World, nor fhall any thing hereafter happen like unto it. For the greateft part of the Jews fhall be maffacred, or fold, and live in flavery among all Nations: But Jerufalem after its Deftruction fhall be rebuilt by the Gentiles, and inhabited by them till the time allot-ted them by God be accomplished. Unless God had contracted the duration of that time, it would have bin fcarce poffible for any Inhabitant of Judaea to escape; but he has fhortned thofe times of Affliction, left by a long continuance the Good together with the Bad fhould be involv'd in one common Ruin. If any fhall then fay unto you, that the Meffiah is come, and will kortly head the Jews, and fet them. free: MATTHEW. CHA P. XXIV. 24 For there shall arife falfe Chrifts, and false prophets, and fhall fhew great figns and wonders, infomuch that (if it were poffible) they shall deceive the very elect. K 25 Behold, I have old you before. 26 Wherefore, if they fhall fay unto you, Behold, he is in the defert, go not forth: behold, he is in the fecret chambers, believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west: fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of man be. 28 For wherefoever the carcafe is, there will the eagles be gathered together. free from their Oppreflion, believe them not for many Impoftors fhall arife, many falfe Prophers and falfe Meffiahs, who will endeavour to affert their Authority by Miracles fufficient to mislead not only the obftinate contumacious Jews, but even thofe if pollible that have believed on me. Beware of thefe Impoftors, which will be no difficult thing for you who have bin fo often and fo exprefly forewarn'd by me. When they shall tell you therefore that the Deliverer of the Jews is in fome Solitude, go not out of the Towns in queft of him. When they tell you he abfconds in fome fecret place, as not willing to appear as yet in public, believe them not for no one shall foretel the time of my coming, which will be fo fudden as to refemble the celerity with which Lightning darts it felf in a moment from Weft to Eaft As you are wont proverbially to fay, Wherefoever the Carcafe is, there will the Eagles be gathered together; fo alfo wherefoever the Jews out of a vain hope of a Meffiah to head them fhall tumultuoufly affemble in order to fhake off the Roman Yoke, thither will the Roman Legions fly, and put them all to the Sword. But MATTHEW. CHAP. XXIV. 29 Immediately af- 24 But in those 25 And there shall ter the tribulation of days, after that tribu- be figns in the fun, those days, fhall the lation, the fun fhall and in the moon, and fun be darkened, and be darkened, and the in the ftars; and upon the moon fhall not moon fhall not give the earth diftrefs of give her light, and her light: nations, with perplexithe ftars fhall fall 25 And the ftars of ty, the fea, and the from heaven, and the heaven fhall fall, and waves roring; powers of the hea- the powers that are in ven shall be shaken. heaven fhall be shaken. 26 Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after thofe things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven fhall be fhaken. JOHN. 30 And then shall appear the fign of the Son of man in heaven : and then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall 26 And then shall 27 And then shall glory. fee the Son of man they see the Son of they fee the Son of moft part of heaven. But after all these Calamities fhall overwhelm the Jews, fo as to make their cafe defperate, the Heaven, Earth and Sea fhall all feem to be confounded, and the face of Nature be diffolv'd; for the Government of the Jews fhall be for ever broken, and with fo ftupendous a Deftruction, that the very Terror of it fhall overfpread the minds of many with a melancholic and dreadful anguish. Then at laft will the Jews be able to perceive that thefe Afflictions are Punishments inflicted on them for their obftinate disbelief of me; and they will be no lefs appall'd, than if they faw me actually defcending from Heaven to execute judgment againft them, furrounded with the bright Rays of Light, and a multitude of the Heavenly Hoft. The contumacious fems being cut off, I will recal all thofe that have believ'd on me, who during the heat of the War fhelter'd themfelves in the neigh boring and remoter Regions, Meffengers being fent into all thofe places with the news of the reeftablishment of Peace in Judea, as it were Angels on purpose to Mmm fettle fettle them in their antient Habitations. Now when you behold the beginning of the Signs I have mentioned, lift up your heads, and expect a change in a fhort time, as being fure from thefe tokens that your deliverance draws nigh. For as you easily forefee the approach of Summer from the fprouting of the Fig-tree and other Trees; fo may you infer from what I have declar'd, and the exemplary Judgments executed on the rebellious Jews, that I am in poffeffion of my heavenly Kingdom, and that thofe who believ'd on me fhall be deliver'd from the Calamities they apprehended. You have not long to wait for this happy time; for I affirm, that before many that are now alive fhall be deceas'd,this thing fhall be accomplish'd. Nor doubt whether thefe things I have foretold fhall be fulfill'd or no; for Heaven and Earth shall rather perish than any thing of what I tell you not come to pass. But as for the precife Day and Hour in which they fhall be fulfill'd, no one knows them |
