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cerity and ingenuity of Christ, and the courage and conftancy of his difciples. Had Jefus been an impoftor, he would, like all other impoftors, have fed his followers with fair hopes and promises: but on the contrary we fee, that he denounceth perfecution to be the lot of his difciples, he pointeth out to them the difficulties they must encounter, the fiery trials they must undergo; and yet they did not therefore stagger in their faith, they did not therefore like fainthearted foldiers forfake their colors and defert his fervice. One hardly knoweth whom to admire moft, him for dealing fo plainly with them, or them for adhering fo fteddily to him. Such inftances are rarely found of openness on one fide, and of fidelity on the other.

A third reflection we may make on the fudden and amazing progrefs of the gospel, that it fhould fpread fo far and fo wide before the deftruction of Jerufalem. The greatness of the work that was wrought, the meanness of the inftruments which wrought it, and the short time that it was wrought in, muft force all confidering men to fay (Pfal. CXVIII. 23.) This is the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. The Mohammedan religion indeed in less than a century overran a great part of the world; but then it was propagated by the fword, and owed

its fuccefs to arms and violence. But the Chrif

tian religion was diffufed over the face of the earth in the space of forty years, and prevailed not only without the fword but against the sword, not only without the powers civil and military to fupport it, but against them all united to opprefs it. And what but the spirit of God could bid it thus go forth (Rev. VI. 2.) conquering and to conquer? Had this counfel or this work been of men, as Gamaliel argued, (Acts V. 38.) it would have come to nought; but being of God, nothing could overthrow it.

A fourth reflection we may make (and it is the laft that I fhall make) that seldom any ftate is ruined, but there are evident fignals and prefages of it. Few people have their fate particularly foretold by prophets, like the Jews; nor indeed can the fate of any people be fo particularly foretold, the time, the manner, and all the circumstances preceding and fucceding, without divine inspiration. So many paffages and circumftances cannot be particularly foretold unless particularly revealed: but in the general, without the fpirit of prophecy, it is no difficult matter to perceive when cities and kingdoms are tending towards their final period and diffolution. There are as certain tokens and symptoms of a confumption and decay in the body politic, as in the

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body natural. I would not prefage ill to my country; but when we confider the many hainous and prefumptuous fins of this nation, the licentiousness and violation of all order and difciplin, the daring infolence of robbers and finugglers in open defiance of all law and justice, the factions and divifions, the venality and corruption, the avarice and profufion of all ranks and degrees among us, the total want of public spirit and ardent paffion for private ends and interefts, the luxury and gaming and diffoluteness in high life, and the laziness and drunkenness and debauchery in low life, and above all that barefaced ridicule of all virtue and decency, and that fcandalous neglect, and I wish I could not fay contempt, of all public worship. and religion; when we confider these things, thefe figns of the times, the ftoutest and most fanguin of us all must tremble at the natural and probable confequences of them. God give us grace, that we may know, (Luke XIX. 42.) at leaft in this our day, the things which belong unto our peace, before they are hid from our eyes. Never may fuch blindneís happen to us, as befel the Jews; but may we (If. LV. 6, 7.) Seek the Lord while be may be found, and call upon him while be is near; and return unto the Lord, and he will bave mercy upon us, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

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TH

XIX.

The fame fubject continued.

PART II.

HE preceding discourse was concerning the figns of the deftruction of Jerufalem, that is the circumstances and accidents, which were to be the forerunners and attendents of this great event. Those are already specified which passed before the fiege, and now we proceed to treat of those which happened during the fiege and after it. Never was prophecy more punctually fulfilled, and it will be very well worth our time and attention to trace the particulars.

When ye therefore fhall fee the abomination of defolation, fpoken of by Daniel the prophet, ftand in the holy place, (whofo readeth, let him understand) Then let them which be in Judea, flee into the mountains. (ver. 15 and 16.) Whatever difficulty there is in these words, it may be cleared up by the parallel place in St. Luke, (XXI. 20, 21.) And when ye shall fee Jerufalem compassed with armies, then know that the defolation thereof is nigh, Then let them which are in Judea, flee to the mountains. So that the abomination of defoS 4 lation

lation is the Roman army, and the abomination of defolation ftanding in the holy place is the Roman army befieging Jerufalem. This, faith our Saviour, is the abomination of defolation, Spoken of by Daniel the prophet, in the ninth and eleventh chapters; and fo let every one who readeth those prophecies, understand them. The Roman army is called the abomination for its enfigns and images which were fo to the Jews. As Chryfoftom affirms (1) every idol and every image of a man was called an abomination among the Jews. For this reafon, as (2) Jofephus informs us, the principal Jews carneftly intreated Vitellius, governor of Syria, when he was conducting his army thro' Judea against Aretas king of the Arabians, to lead it another way; and he greatly obliged them by complying with their request. We farther learn from (3) Jofephus, that after the city was taken, the Romans brought their. enfigns into the temple, and placed them over against the eastern gate, and facrificed to them there. The Roman army is therefore fitly called

(1) ἅπαν είδωλον, και παν τυ πωμα άνθρωπε παρα τοις Ιεδαίοις βδέλυγμα εκαλείτο omne fimulacrum et hominis effigies apud Judæos appellabatur abominatio. Adverf. Judæos V, Orat. p. 645. Vol. 1. Edit. Benedict. (2) Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. 18. Cap. 6. Sect. 3. Edit. Hudfon.

(3) κομισαλες τας σημαίας εἰς το ἱερον, και θεμενοι της ανατολι κης πύλης αντικρυς, έθυσαν τε αυτ raad. fignis in templum illatis pofitifque contra portam orientalem, et illis ibi facrificarunt. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 6. Cap. 6. Se&t. 1. p. 1283. Edit. Hudfon, (4) non

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