our Saviour foretold, as the forerunners of the deftruction of Jerufalem, I proceed,

3. To confider the concomitant and fubfequent circumftances of it. As,

1. The unparallelled greatness of their calamity. 2. The arifing of falfe Chrifts.

3. Their being led into captivity, and dispersed up and down the world.

4. Their continuance in this captivity, and difperfed ftate out of their country, till the gospel had had its courfe among the Gentiles.

1. The unparallelled greatness of their calamity and deftruction, verfe 19. For then shall be great tribulation, fuch as was not from the beginning of the world to this time, neither ever fhall be. This is a very material circumftance in this prophecy, that the calamity of the Jews fhould be fo ftrange and unparalleled as never was in the world before: For though it might eafily have been foretold from the temper of the people, which was prone to fedition, that they were very like to provoke the Romans against them; yet there was no probability that all things fhould have come to that extremity; for it was not the defign of the Roman Government to deftroy any of thofe provinces which were under them, but only to keep them in fubjection, and reduce them by reasonable severity in cafe of revolt. But that fuch a calamity fhould have happened to them under Titus, who was the mildeft, and fartheft from severity of all mankind, nothing was more unlikely; and that any people fhould confpire together to their own ruin, and fo blindly and obftinately run themselves into fuch calamities as made them the pity of their enemies, was the moft incredible thing; fo that nothing less than a prophetical fpirit could have foretold fo contingent and improbable a thing as this

was.

St. Luke expreffeth the difmal calamity that should happen to them, in other words, but much to the fame fenfe, Luke xxi. 22, 23. For thefe be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But wo unto them that are with child,

and

and to them that give fuck in those days for there fhall be great diftrefs in the land, and wrath upon this people. And to this Jofephus fully gives teftimony, as will appear both by what he fays in general concerning their calamity, and by the particular account of their miseries and fufferings.

.

(1.) In general he tells us, That "never was any age fo fruitful of mifery as this was ;" and almost in our Saviour's words, in his preface to his books of the fiege of Jerufalem, he fays, That "all the calamities that had fallen upon any nation from the beginning of the world, were but fmall in comparison of what happened to the nation of the Jews in that age." And in his fixth book he says, That " as there was never any nation fo wicked, "fo never any nation fuffered fuch calamitous ac"cidents.' But this will best appear,

(2.) By a brief and particular enumeration of their calamities. Not to mention the burning and deftroying of feveral of their chief cities, as Zabulon, Gadara, Japha, Jotapatah, Joppa, and feveral others; I fhall infift chiefly upon the fufferings of the people themselves, by their tumults and feditions against the Romans. Before the coming of Vefpafian, there were flain at Jerufalem and in Syria 2000, at Askalon 2500, at Ptolemais 2000, at Alexandria 50000, at Joppa 8400, at Mount Afamon 2000, at Damafcus 10000, and afterwards at Askalon by Antonius a Roman commander 18000; in all, almost one hundred thousand.

By Vespasian in Galilee and other parts, very great numbers; at Japha 15000, at Mount Gerizim 11600, at Jotapatah (the city of which Jofephus our historian was governor) 40000, at Joppa 4000, at Tari chæa near upon 8000, at Gamala 9000, at Gifchala 2000; in all fourfcore and ten thousand.

Afterward, by their own feditions at Jerufalem, 8500 at feveral times; and afterwards by the faction of the zealots 12000 of the chiefeft and noblest of the citizens were flain at one time; at the river Jordan by Placidus 13000, befides many thousands drowned, fo that the river was filled up almost with

dead

dead carcafes. At two towns in Idumæa by Vefpafian 10000, at Gerafa 1000; in all forty-five thoufand.

Whilft Vefpafian was thus wafting the cities of Judea, the faction of the zealots filled all places at Jerufalem, even the temple itself, with continual flaughters; and after they had conquered Ananus, who ftood for the people against the zealots, and got all into their own hands, they were divided into parties, and made flaughter of one another; and one party let in Simon, who headed a feditious multitude, which he brought out of the country; and after that they were fubdivided into three parties, John's, and Eleazer's, and Simon's which held feveral parts of the city, and day and night continued to deftroy one another; in which feditions all their granaries of corn, and magazines of arms were burnt; fo that though provifion had been laid in the city, that would have fufficed for feveral years, yet before they came to be befieged by Titus, they were almost reduced to famine.

And after they were befieged, at the first they united a little against the Romans, yet after a few days, they divided again into factions, and more of them were flain by one another's hand, and with more cruelty than by the Romans; infomuch, that Titus the General of the Romans wept feveral times, to confider the mifery they brought upon themfelves; and their very enemies were more pitiful towards them, than they to one another.

After two months fiege, the famine began to rage within, and then all manner of cruelties were exercised by the foldiers upon that miferable people; and at last they were brought to fuch neceffity, that many endeavoured to flee out to the enemy, and yet were not permitted; but as many as were fuIpected of any endeavour to efcape, were cruelly kilIt is not to be imagined what barbarous inhumanities, in those ftraits, all exercifed one toward another; fnatching the meat out of one another's mouths, and from their dearest friends, and their ve ry children,

led.

And

And fo obftinate were they, that neither those calamities which they fuffered, nor the feverity of the Romans in crucifying many thousands of them before the walls, and threatening them all with the fame death, in cafe they, would not yield, in ripping open the bowels of two thousand of them in a night, who fled out of Jerufalem, upon a report that they had fwallowed gold, as many of them had; Jofephus, lib. 6. cap. 15. nor all the kind meffages of Titus, offering peace to them, and ufing all manner of intreaties and perfuafions not to run upon their own ruin, could prevail with them to accept of a peace. And thus they continued, till by famine and force the city was taken, and then their provocation of the Romans to cruelty toward thofe they had got into their power was fo great, that Titus was not able to with-hold the foldiers from exercifing great cruelties toward them.

In fhort, from the beginning of the fiege, to the taking of the city, there were famifhed and flain by the factions among themselves, and by the Romans, 1100000, the greatest number, and with the faddeft circumstances, that is to be read of in any ftory.

Was not this a time of great tribulation? Were not these days of vengeance indeed? Was there ever a fadder accomplishment of any prediction, than thefe words of our Saviour had?

And after all this, the temple was burnt and made defolate, the whole city deftroyed, and all their whole, land feized by the Roman Emperor, and the remnant of the people in other parts of the nation were profecuted with great feverity. Great numbers of Jews were deftroyed at the taking of the caftle of Herodion, and Macharus, and Mafada, and in the thickets or woods of Jandes. And there were great flaughters of the Jews in other parts, at Antioch,and in all places aboutAlexandria and Thebes, and at Cyrene fo that it was visible that there was wrath upon this people.

Verfe 22. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh fhould be faved: but for the e

lefts

lects fake, whom he hath chofen, he hath shortened the days; that is, if those calamities had lafted a little longer, there would not one Jew have been left alive; but for the elects fake, that is, for the fake of thofe Christians who were left among them, thofe days were shortened: God inclining the heart of Titus to fhew pity toward the remnant, and not to fuffer the nations to exercise any more cruelty toward them; particularly at Antioch, (the firft feat of the Chriftians) Jofephus tells us, that when Titus came thither, the people petitioned him earnestly that they might expell the Jews, but he told them that was unreasonable, for now their country was laid wafte, there was no place for them to go to. Thus we see how for the elects fake those days were shortened.

2. Another circumftance which was to follow the deftruction of Jerufalem, was, the arifing of falfe Chrifts, and falje prophets, ver. 23, 24. And then, if any man fhall fay to you, Lo, here is Chrift, or, lo, he is there! believe him not. For falfe Chrifts, and falfe prophets fhall rife, and fhall fhew figns and wonders. Such was Jonathan, who prefently after the deftruction of Jerufalem, as Jofephus tells us, drew many into the wilderness of Cyrene, pretending that he would fhew figns and wonders to them. therefore our Saviour adds, ver. 25, 26. Behold I have told you before. Wherefore, if they shall fay unto you, Behold he is in the defart; go not forth. There appeared in Egypt, Crete and Cyprus, feveral other impoftors, who gave out themselves to be Chrifts and falfe prophets, who applied the prophecies of the Old Teftament to thefe counterfeit Meffias's; as they did that of Balaam concerning a star coming out of Jacob, to Barchochebas, because his name fignified the fon of a ftar. And this was a notorious impoftor in the the time of Adrian the Emperor, not many years after the deftruction of Jerufalem, about 20, (as I remember) Eufebius counts. He had a great multitude followed him, which put to death many Chriftians, because they would not renounce Chrift, and join with them against the Romans, and

that