not agree to expiate by the ceremonies of the Roman religion, nor would they atone the gods by sacrifices and vows, as they used to do on the like occasions. Armies were seen to fight in the sky, and their armour looked of a bright light colour, and the temple shone with sudden flashes of fire out of the clouds. The doors of the temple were opened on a sudden, and a voice greater than human was heard, that the gods were retiring; and at the same time there was a great motion perceived, as if they were going out of it, which some esteemed to be causes of terror."

Here, then, you have an historian of those times, who tells you, in his own heathen fashion, that these prodigies happened because the Jews would not agree to expiate the ceremonies of the Roman religion, nor atone the gods by sacrifices and vows. He points out the character of these prodigies as prodigies appearing chiefly in the heavens, and especially mentions the circumstance that "a voice greater than human was heard." Altogether, his description leads us fairly to conclude that great and miraculous signs took place at that period; and that the Jewish dispensation closed, as it had begun, in the midst of stupendous and awful miracles.

1

Josephus gives us a much more detailed account of the miraculous phenomena of that extraordinary period. He says:-"Thus were the miserable people persuaded by these deceivers (the false prophets), while they did not attend nor give credit to the signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretel their future desolation; but, like men infatuated, without either eyes to see or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them. Thus there was a star resembling a sword, which stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year. Thus also, before the Jews' rebellion, and before those commotions which preceded the war, when the people were come in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread, on the eighth day of the month Zanthicus, and at the ninth hour of the night, so great a light shone around the altar and the holy house, that it appeared to be bright day-time, which light lasted for half-an-hour. At the same festival also, a heifer, as she was led by the high

1 Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 5.

priest to be sacrificed, brought forth a lamb in the midst of the temple.

"Moreover, the eastern gate of the inner court of the temple, which was of brass and vastly heavy, and had been with difficulty shut by twenty men, and rested upon a basis armed with iron, and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor, which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord, about the sixth hour of the night. Now, those that kept watch in the temple came hereupon running to the captain of the temple, and told him of it, who then came up thither, and, not without great difficulty, was able to shut the gate again.

"Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one-andtwentieth day of the month Artemisius, a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals, for before sunsetting chariots and troops of soldiers, in their armour, were seen running about among the clouds and surrounding of cities. Moreover, at that feast, which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner court of the temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, Let us remove hence.'

66

Now, if any one consider these things, he will find that God takes care of mankind, and, by all ways possible, fore-. shows to our race what is for their preservation; but these men interpreted some of these signals according to their own pleasure, and some of them they utterly despised, until their madness was demonstrated both by the taking of their city and their own destruction."

It is impossible not to notice the honesty with which these prodigies are recorded-the minute particulars, such as the day of the month, the hour of the night. The fact mentioned, which many were living to deny, if it could be denied, that the account of one of these prodigies would seem a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such

signals. The assertion made, that these signs were so evident, and did so plainly foretel their future desolation. All this gives weight to this testimony of Josephus, and proves that the period of the destruction of Jerusalem was a period signalised by prodigy and miracle.

It gives additional weight to this testimony, that it is confirmed by Eusebius1, but as he does little more than quote the words of Josephus, I shall not deem it necessary to repeat them.

".

Observe then, "these signs which were so evident, and which did so plainly foretel their future desolation"-"these denunciations which God made to them," which "they did not consider "— these "prodigious and incredible phenomena, the account of which would seem to be a fable, were they not. related by those that saw them, and were not the events that followed of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals

these "signals," which they "interpreted according to their own pleasure," some of which they "utterly despised, until their madness was demonstrated both by the taking of the city and their own destruction," took place at this time. Our Lord declared, "there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity." The Sixth Seal discloses "the sun black as sackcloth of hair, the moon as blood, the stars falling to the earth, and the heavens departing as a scrowl;" and a Heathen, a Jewish, and a Christian historian, the only historians of those days whose histories have come down to us, tell us that great and marvellous prodigies appeared.

They appeared at the downfal of no other city, ancient or modern. No historian has recorded anything at all similar; it is a unique point in history. Babylon, Nineveh, Tyre, fell, but no signs preceded their destruction. Jerusalem was previously destroyed by the Babylonians, but without accompanying signs. Rome was sacked by Alaric; Constantinople by the Euphratean Turks; but no miracle heralded in those desolations.

Not so, however, the Jerusalem of our Lord's day. The finger of God was visible in her destruction. The sun of Judaism set, as it rose, amidst stupendous prodigies. The miracle of Sinai

Eus. Eccles. Hist. lib. iii. cap. 7.

was reflected in the conflagration of Mount Moriah, and the conquest of Canaan renewed in the invasion of Judæa. The "word spoken by angels" was re-echoed in the "voice greater than human," and the presence of the Deity on the Holy Mount repeated in the awful coming of the Son of Man. The Jewish dispensation closed, as it had begun, in miracle, and with the last flickerings of the dying embers of God's holy house, angelic ministers of vengeance forsook the land they had so often trod in visits of love and mercy. Miracle and prodigy disappeared from this earth until that day when they shall once more disclose a present Deity, and a faithful and avenging God.

In the midst of these scenes of terror, what is the state of the enemies of our God and of his Christ? They are represented as overwhelmed with fear.

"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men 1, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand." 2

I call your attention to the circumstance, that they hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. Judæa was full of such hiding-places. A German commentator has observed, this expression seems to mark out particularly the rocks and caves of Palestine which afforded places of shelter for fugitives. Jerusalem especially abounded with such subterranean retreats. This made Titus surround the city with a wall, to prevent the introduction of food into the beleagured city through these subterranean passages.

Now is there evidence of "the kings of the earth," the masters of Jerusalem, with their chief captains and mighty men hiding themselves at this time in these subterranean caverns. The city at the time of its beleaguerment was in the hands of three factions, headed by John of Gischala, Simon,

1 MEYLOTāves Kai xiλiápxoi, "princes of Judæa;" thus, Mark, vi. 21.: "Herod made a feast to his lords, high captains," μeyiotāves kaì xiλiúpxoi. 2 Rev. vi. 15.

Of two

and Eleazar. These were the kings1 of the earth. of these kings there is evidence to prove that they did hide themselves in this manner.

Josephus tells us, "The last hope which supported the tyrants was in the caves and caverns under ground, whither if they could once fly they did not expect to be searched for. This was no better than a dream of theirs, for they were not able to lie hid either from God or from the Romans." 2

In another passage he tells us of the capture of John in these caverns. "For to speak only of what was publickly known, the Romans slew some of them, some they carried captives, and others they made search for under ground, and when they found where they were, they broke up the ground and slew all they met with . . . . for a great deal of treasure was found in these caverns. As for John, he wanted food, together with his brethren, in these caverns, and begged that the Romans would give him their right hand for his security, which he had proudly rejected before." 3

The historian gives us the account of the capture of Simon, another of the kings of the earth, in these subterranean pits.

"This Simon, while the Roman army were laying the city waste, took the most faithful of his friends with him, and let himself and them down into a subterraneous cavern that was not visible above ground."

Being obliged to come up out of his hiding-place for want of food, it is added, "this rise of his out of the ground did also occasion the discovery of a great number of others who had hidden themselves under ground." 4

Here, then, you have the kings of the earth, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, concealing themselves in terror in caves and pits. It is expressly said they did so, while “the Roman army were laying the city waste," and the vanity of this attempt at concealment is not unnoticed by the historian,

1 I. e. the rulers of Judæa: this is explained, Acts, iv. 26.; “The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ; for of a truth against thy holy child Jesus both Herod and Pontius Pilate were gathered together," -"principes Palestinæ." Schleusner.

2 Bell. Jud. lib. vi. cap. 7.

4 Ibid. lib. vii. cap. 2.

3 Ibid. lib. vi. cap. 9.