ftronger proof be given of a divine revelation than the fpirit of prophecy; and can any stronger proof be given of the fpirit of prophecy, than the examples now before us, in which fo many contingencies, and I may fay improbabilities, which human wifdom or prudence could never foresee, are fo particularly foretold, and fo punctually accomplished! At the time when Chrift pronoun-ced these prophecies, the Roman governor refided at Jerufalem, and had a force fufficient to keep the people in obedience, and could human prudence forefee that the city as well as the country would revolt and rebel against the Romans? Could human prudence forefee famines and peftilences and earthquakes in divers places? Could human prudence foresee the speedy propagation of the gospel fo contrary to all human probability? Could human prudence forefee fuch an utter deftruction of Jerufalem with all the circumstances preceding and following it? It was never the custom of the Romans abfolutely to ruin any of their provinces. It was improbable therefore that fuch a thing should happen at all, and still more improbable that it fhould happen under the humane and generous Titus, who was indeed, as he was called, the love and delight of mankind.

What is ufually objected to the other predictions of holy writ, cannot with any pretence be objected to these prophecies of our Saviour, that they are figurative and obfcure; for nothing can be conveyed in plainer fimpler terms, except where he affected fome obfcurity, as it hath been fhown, for particular reasons. It is allowed indeed that fome of these prophecies are taken from Mofes and Daniel. Our Saviour prophefying of the fame events hath borrowed and applied fome of the fame images and expreffions. But this is a commendation rather than any difcredit to his predictions. He hath built upon the foundations of the inspired writers before him; but what fuperftructure hath he raised? He hath acted in this cafe as in every other, like one who came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them. He hath manifefted himself to be a true prophet, by his exact interpretation and application of other prophets. He is alfo much more particular and circumstantial than either Mo

G 2

Amor ac deliciæ humani generis, Suet. in Tito. Sect. T.

a

fes

fes or Daniel. In feveral inftances his prophecies are entirely new, and properly his own: and befides he uses greater précifion in fixing and confining the time to that very generation.

For the completion of thefe prophecies the perfons feem to have been wonderfully raifed up and preferved by divine providence. Vefpafian was promoted from obfcurity; and though feared and hated by Nero, yet was preferred by him, and fingled out as the only general among the Romans who was equal to fuch a war; God perhaps, as Jofephus intimates, fo difpofing and ordering affairs. He had fubdued the greateft part of Judea, when he was advanced to the empire; and he was happy in putting an end to the civil wars, and to the other troubles and calamities of the state, or otherwife he would hardly have been at leifure to prosecute the war with the Jews. Titus was wonderfully preferved in the most critical articles of danger. While he was taking a view of the city, he was furrounded by the enemy, and nothing lefs was expected than that he fhould be flain, or made prifoner: but he refolutely broke through the midst of them, and though unarmed yet arrived unhurt at his own camp: upon which f Jofephus maketh this reflection, that from hence it is obvious to understand, that the turns of war and the dangers of princes are under the peculiar care of God. Jofephus himself was alfo no less: wonderfully preferved than Titus, the one to deftroy the city, and the other to record its deftruction. He marvellously escaped from the fiares which were laid for him by John of Gifchala, and by Jefus the chief of the robbers: and when i his companions were determined to kill him and themselves rather than furrender to the Romans, he prevailed with them to draw lots who fhould be killed, the one after the other; and at last he was left

with

!. e ταχα τι και περι των όλων είδη τ8 Θες προοικονομημένο. forfan et Deo aliquid de univerfis præordinante. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 3, Cap. 1. Sect. 3. p. 1118. Edit. Hudfon.

f ενθα δη μάλιτα παρισι νουν, ότι και πολέμων ῥοπαι και βασιλεων κινδυ 201 pedras Ty Os, hinc fane maxime licet intelligere, Deo curæ effe et belli momenta et regum pericula. Ibid. Lib. 5. Çap. 2. Sect. 2. P. 1216.

Jofephi Vita, Se&. 17, &c. i De Bell. Jud. Lib. 3. Cap. 7..

h Ibid, Sect. 22.

with only one other, whom he perfuaded to fubmit with him to the Romans. Thus was he faved from the most imminent destruction; and he himself esteemed it, as it certainly was, a fingular inftance of divine providence.

As Vefpafian and Titus feem to have been raised up and preferved for the completion of these prophecies, fo might Jofephus for the illustration of their completion. For the particular paffages and tranfactions, by which we prove the completion of thefe prophecies, we derive not fo much from Chriftian writers, who might be fufpected of a defign to parallel the events with the predictions, as 、 from Heathen authors, and chiefly from Jofephus the Jewish hiftorian, who though very exact and minute in other relations, yet avoids as much as ever he can the mention of Christ and the Chriftian religion. He doth not fo much as once mention the name of falfe Chrifts, though he hath frequent occafion to fpeake largely of falfe prophets; fo cautious was he of touching upon any thing that might lead him to the acknowledgment of the true Chrift. His filence here is as remarkable, as his copioufnefs upon other fubjects. It is indeed very providential, that a more particular detail, a more exact history is preferved of the destruction of Jerufalem, and of all the circumstances relating to it, than of any other matter whatsoever tranfacted fo long ago: and it is an additional advantage to our caufe, that these accounts are tranfmitted to us by a Jew, and by a Jew who was himself an eye-witnefs to most of the things which he relates. As a genesal in the wars he must have had an exact knowledge of all transactions, and as a Jewish priest he would not relate them with any favour or partiality to the Christian caufe. k His Hiftory was approved by Vespasian and 'Titus (who ordered it to be published) and by king Agrippa and many others, both Jews and Romans, who were prefent in those wars. He had likewise many enemies who would readily have convicted him of any falfification, if he had been guilty of any. He defigned no- . thing lefs, and yet as if he had defigned nothing more, his history of the Jewish wars may ferve as a larger com ment on our Saviour's prophecies of the deftruction of Jerufalem. If any one would compare our Saviour's

G3

k Jofephi Vita. Sect. 65. Contra Apion, Lib. 1. Sect. 9.

words

words with that writer's hiftory of the whole war, as f Eufebius very well obferves, he could not but admire and acknowledge our Saviour's prefcience and prediction to be wonderful above nature, and truly divine,

***The predictions are the cleareft, as the calamities were the greatest which the world ever saw : and what heinous in was it, that could bring down fuch heavy judgments on the Jewish church and nation? Can any other with Half To much probability be affigned, as what the fcripture affigns, their crucifying the Lord of glory? As St Paul expreffeth it, 1 Theff. ii. 15. 16. They both kil led the Lord Jefus, and their own prophets, and perfe cuted the apostles,' and fo filled up their fins, and wrath came upon them to the uttermoft.' This is always objected as the most capital fin of the nation: and upon reflection, we fhall find really fome correfpendence between their crime and their punifhment. They put Jefus to death when the nation was affembled to celebrate the paffover; and when the m nation was affembled too to celebrate the paffover, Titus fhut them up within the walls of Jerufalem. The rejection of the true Meffiah was their crime; and the following of false Meffiahs to their deftruction was their punishment. They fold and bought Jefus as a flave; and they themselves were afterwards fold and bought as flaves at the loweft prices. They preferred a robber and murderer to Jefus, whom they crucified between two thieves; and they themselves A were afterwards infested with, bands of thieves and robbers. They put Jefus to death, left the Romans fhould come and take away their place and nation; and the Romans did come and take away their place and nation. They crucified

} συγκρινας τις τας τὸ σωτήρος ήμων λέξεις ταις λοιπαις τε συγγραφέως στηρίαις ταις περὶ τὸ παντὸς πολέμε, πως εκ αν αποθαυμάσεειν, θειαν ὡς κα καθως και ὑπερφυως παράδοξον την προγνωσιν τε καὶ προέησιν τ8 σωτήρες όμων ὁμολογήσας. Quod fi quis fervatoris noftri verba cum iis comparet, quæ ab eodem feriptore de univerfo bello commemorata funt, fieri non poteft quin admiretur praefcientiam ac prædictio. nem fervatoris noftri, eamque vere divinam et fupra modum ftupendam effe fateatur. Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 3. Cap. 7.

m Jofeph, de Bell. Jud. Lib. 6. Cap. 9. Sect. 3. et 4. Euseb. Hist. Lib. 3. Cap. 5.

Jofeph. ibid. Lib. 2. Cap. 4. ét 13. Lib. 3. Cap. 8. Lib. 4. Cap. 3. Lib. 7. Cap. 8, &c.

crucified Jefus before the walls of Jerufalem; and beforet the walls of Jerufalem they themfelves were crucified in fuch numbers, that it is faid room was wanting for the croffes, and croffes for the bodies. 1 fhould think it hardly poffible for any man to lay these things toge ther, and not conclude the Jews own imprecation to be remarkably fulfilled upon them, Matt. xxvii. 25. His blood be on us and on our children.'

We Christians cannot indeed be guilty of the very fame offence in crucifying the Lord of glory: but it behoves us to confider, whether we may not be guilty in the fame kind, and by our fins and iniquities, Hebr. vi. 25. crucify the fon of God afresh, and put him to an open fhame;' and therefore whether being like them in their crime, we may not also resemble them in their punish ment. They rejected the Meffiah, and we indeed have received him but have our lives been at all agreeable to our holy profeffion, or rather as we have had opportunities of knowing Chrift more, have we not obeyed him lefs than other Chriftians, and Hebr. x. 29. trodden under foot the Son of God, and counted the blood of the covenant wherewith we are fanctified an unholy thing, and done defpite unto the spirit of grace?' The flagrant crimes of the Jews, and the principal fources of their calamaties, in the opinion of P Jofephus, were their trampling upon all human laws, deriding divine things, and making a jeft of the oracles of the prophets as fo many dreams and fables and how hath the fame fpirit of licentiousness and infidelity prevailed likewife among us? How have the laws and lawful authority been infulted with equal infolence and impunity? How have the holy fcriptures, those treasures of divine wifdom, not only been neglected, but defpifed, derided, and abufed, to the 'worst purposes? How have the principal articles of our

και

faith

δια το πλήθος χωρα τε ενέλειπε το τοις σαυροις, και ταυροι τοις σωμα . et propter multitudinem fpatium crucibus deerat, et corporibus cruces. Ibid. Lib. 5. Cap. 11. Sect. I. p. 1247.”

P κατεπάτειτο μεν εν πας αυτοις θεσμος ανθρωπων, εγελατο δε τα θεία, και τες των προφητων θεσμό; (Αl. χρησμός) ώσπερ αγυρτικάς λογοποιίας EXλεvalov, et ab illis quidem omne jus humanum conculcabatur, divina autem quæque deridebantur, et prophetarum oracula ut præftigiatorum commenta fubfannabant. Ibid. Lib. 4. Cap. 6.Sect 3 p. 1168. Edit. Hudfon.