benefit of his predictions, inftead of being confined to one occafion, or to one people, is by this admirable management extended to every fubfequent period of time, and to the whole Christian world.

After this general remark, which is a fort of key to the whole prophecy, and will afford an eafy folution to feveral difficulties that occur in it, 1 fhall proceed to confider diftinctly the most material parts of it.

оп

We are told in the firft verse of this chapter, that « our Saviour's departing from the temple his difciples came to him, to fhew him the buildings of it ;" that is, to draw his attention to the magnitude, the fplendour, the apparent folidity and ftability of that magnificent structure. It is obfervable that they advert particularly to the ftones of which it was compoffed. In St. Mark their expreffion is," See what manner of flones, and what buildings are here;" and in St. Luke they fpeak of the goodly ftones and gifts with which it was adorned. This feems at the first view a circumftance of little importance; but it fhows in a very strong light with what perfect fidelity and minute accuracy every thing is difcribed in the sacred writings. For it appears from the hiftorian Jofephus, that there was scarce any thing more remarkable in this celebrated temple than the ftupendous fize of the ftones with which it was conftructed. Thofe employed in the foundations were forty cubits, that is above fixty feet, in length; and the fuperftructure, as the fame hiftorian obferves, was worthy of fuch foundations, for there were ftones in it of the whiteft marble, upwards of fixty-feven feet long, more than feven feet high, and nine broad*.

It was therefore not without reafon that the difciples particularly noticed the uncommon magnitude of the ftones of this fuperb temple, from which, and from the general folidity and strength of the building, they probably flattered themselves, and meant to infinuate to their divine Mafter, that this unrivalled edifice was built for eternity, was formed to stand the shock of ages, and to resist the utmost efforts of human power to destroy it. How aftonished

Jofephus de Bell. Jud. 1. x. c. 5.

then and difmayed must they have been at our Saviour's anfwer to thefe triumphant obfervations of theirs! Jesus faid unto them," See ye not all those things? Verily I fay unto you, there shall not be left here one ftone upon another that shall not be thrown down." This is a proverbial expreffion, used on other occafions to denote entire destruction; and therefore had the temple been reduced to ruins in the ufual way, the prophecy would have been fully accomplished. But it fo happened that this prediction was almoft literally fulfilled, and that in reality scarce one ftone was left upon another. For when the Romans had taken Jerufalem, Titus ordered his foldiers to dig up the foundations both of the city and the temple*. The Jewifh writers also themselves acknowledge, that Terentius Rufus, who was left to command the army, did with a plough-fhare tear up the foundations of the temple† ; and thereby fulfilled that prophecy of Micaht. "Therefore thall Zion for your fake be ploughed as a field.” And in confirmation of this remarkable circumftance, Eufebius alfo affures us, that the temple was ploughed up by the Romans; and that he himself faw it lying in ruins§. The evangelift next informs us, that as Jefus fat on the mount of Olives, which was exactly oppofite to the hill on which the temple was built, and commanded a very fine view of it from the east, his difciples came unto him privately, faying, "Tell us when shall these things be, and what fhall be the fign of thy coming, and of the end of the world." The expreffions here made use of, the fign of thy coming, and the end of the world, at the first view naturally lead our thoughts to the coming of Christ at the day of judgment, and the final defolution of this earthly globe. But a dew attention to the parallel paffages in St. Mark and St. Luke, and a critical examination into the real import of those two phrafes in various parts of Scripture, will foon convince a careful inquirer, that by the coming of Chrift is here meant, not his coming to judge the world at the last day, but his coming to execute judgment upon Jerufalem; and that by the end of the world is to

* Jof. de Bello Jud. 1. vii. c. i. p. 170. B.

See Whitby in Loc.

Eufeb. Dem. Evang. l. vi. 13.

See Mark xiii. 4. Luke xxi. 7. Matth. xxiv. 4, 5; xvi. 28. John xxi 22.

be understood, not the final confummation of all things hère below, but the end of that age, the end of the Jewish ftate and polity; the fubverfion of their city, temple, and government*.

The real queftions therefore here put to our Lord by the difciples were these two:

1ft. At what time the deftruction of Jerufalem was to take place: "Tell us, when fhall these things be?"

2dly. What the figns were that were to precede it: "What fhall be the fign of thy coming?"

Our Lord in his anfwer begins firft with the figns, of which he treats from the 4th to the 31ft verfe, inclufive.

The first of thefe figns is fpecified in the 5th verse, "Many fhall come in my name, faying, I am Christ, and fhall deceive many."

This part of the prophecy began foon to be fulfilled; for we learn from the ancient writers, and particularly from Jofephus, that not long after our Lord's afcenfion feveral impoftors appeared, fome pretending to be the Meffiah, and others to foretel future events. The firft were those whom our Lord here fays should come in his name, and were therefore falfe Chrifts. The others are alluded to in the eleventh verfe, under the name of false prophets : « Many falfe prophets fhall arife, and shall deceive many.” Of the first fort were, as Origen informs ust, one Dofitheus, who faid that he was the Chrift foretold by Mofes; and Simon Magus, who faid he appeard among the Jews as the Son of God. Befides feveral others alluded to by Jofephus‡.

The fame hiftorian tells us, that there were many falfe prophets, particularly an Egyptian, who collected together

The word aiōn (here translated the world) frequently means nothing more than an age, a certain definite period of time. See Matth. xxiv. 6. 14. Mark xiii. 7, Luke xxi. 9, compared with ver. 20. Hebrews ix. 26.

Origen: Adv. Cels. L. 1 and 6.
De Bell. Jud. 1. i. p. 705.

above thirty thousand Jews, whom he had deceived*, and Theudas a magician, who faid he was a prophet, and de ceived many; and a multitude of others, who deluded the people even to the laft, with a promise of help from God. And in the reign of Nero, when Felix was procurator of Judæa, fuch a number of thefe impoftors made their appearance, that many of them were seized and put to death every dayt.

The next figns pointed out by our Lord are thefe that follow. "Ye fhall hear of wars and rumours of wars; fee that ye be not troubled; for all these things muft come to pass, but the end is not yet: for nation fhall rife against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there fhall be famines and peftilences, and earthquakes in divers places: all these are the beginning of forrows."

That there were in reality great disturbences and commotions in thofe times, that there were not only rumours of wars, but wars actually exifting, and continued diffentions, infurrections, and maffacres among the Jews, and other nations who dwelt in the fame cities with them, is fo fully attefted by all the hiftorians of that period, but more particularly by Jofephus, that to produce all the dreadful events of that kind which he enumerates, would be to tranfcribe a great part of his hiftory. It is equally certain, from the teftimony of the fame author, as well as from Eufebius, and feveral profane historians, that there were famines, and peftilences, and earthquakes in divers places. It is added in the parallel place by St. Luket, "that fearful fights and great figns fhall there be from heaven." And accordingly Jofephus, in the preface to his hiftory of the Jewish war, and in the history itself, enumerates a great variety of astonishing figns and prodigies, which he fays preceded the calamities that impended over the Jews, and which he exprefsly affirms, in perfect conformity to our Saviour's prediction, were figns manifeftly intended to forebode their approaching deftructions. And thefe

Jof Antiq. 1. 20. c. 6. and c. 4. f. 1. Ed. Huds.
fib. c. 7. f. 5. p. 892.
Luke xxi. II.

Jof. Prom. fect. ii. p. 957. De Bell. Jud. 1. vi, c, 5. £. 3. p.

1281-82. & l. 7. c. 30.

X

accounts are confirmed by the Roman hiftorian Tacitus, who fays that many prodigies happened at that time; armies appeared to be engaging in the sky, arms were seen glittering in the air, the temple was illuminated with flames iffuing from the clouds, the doors of the temple fuddenly burft open, and a voice more than human was heard, "that the gods were departing ;" and foon after a great motion, as if they were departing*.

The fign next specified by our Saviour in the ninth and the four following verses, relates to the disciples themselves. “Then fhall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and fhall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's fake." The parallel paffages in St. Luke and St. Mark are ftill ftronger, and more particular. St. Mark says, they fhall deliver you up to the councils; and in the fynagogues ye fhall be beaten; and ye fhall be brought before rulers and kings for my fake, for a teftimony against themt." St. Luke's words are, "They fhall lay their hands on you, and perfecute you, delivering you up to the fynagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's fake‡.' That every circumstance here mentioned was minutely and exactly verified in the fufferings of the apoftles and difciples after our Lord's decease, must be perfectly well known to every one that has read the Acts of the Apostles. You will there fee that the lives of the apostles were one continued scene of perfecution, affliction, and distress of every kind; that they were imprifoned, were beaten, were brought before councils, and fanhedrims, and kings; were many of them put to death, and were hated of all nations, by the heathens as well as by the Jews, for the fake of Chrift; that is, for being call ed by his name. The very name of a Christian was a crime; and it expofed them to every species of infult, indignity, and cruelty.

To all thefe calamities was to be added another, which we find in the tenth verfe. "Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and fhall hate one another." The meaning is, that many Chriftians, terrified with these