appearances fhall be feen in the air: yet, awful as thefe may be, they are intended only as pref.ges of far feverer calamities." "You, my beloved friends, will ftand in need of a peculiar degree of courage. For, previous to thofe national judgments, the most violent perfecutions fhall be raifed against you; fo that you may expect, in my fervice, univerfal hatred, ftripes, imprifonment, and death itself. Hereby, indeed, an honour will be conferred upon you. While you are called to answer for your felves, you will have the opportunity of bearing witnefs to the truth before kings and rulers of the earth, and evincing the excellence of your principles. You may tremble, perhaps, under an apprehenfion, that, bocaue you are deftitute of Jearning and eloquence, you thall not be able to vindicate my Gofpel, as you ought, and may therefore be confounded in the prefence of your judges. But you need not be anxious on this account, fince the Holy Ghoft will fupport you, and furnish you with proper arguments and words: and I pledge myfelf to give you fuch utterance and wifdom, as fhall render you fuperior to all the fubtlety and power of your enemies." "This fierce oppofition to my cause will stagger many of its profeffed friends, and induce them to defert it. Through the fear of perfecution, they will apoftatife from the truth, and betray their nearest relations, who ftedfaftly maintain it; fo that one brother fhall treacherously deliver up another to the hand of violence, the father his fon, the children their parents. What, then, have you to look for, but general contempt and abhorrence? Yet a peculiar proteation, extending even to your minuteft concerns, fhall be afforded you; in 'dependence upon which, you may poffefs an unfhaken firmness and composure of mind." "Many "Many falfe teachers, alfo, fhall arife, and spread deftructive errors: and, through the prevalence of iniquity, not a few of thofe, who have fhewn much love for my name, fhall decline from their life and zeal. In the midst of fuch difficulties, you may be perplexed and ready to abandon my fervice: but I exhort you to perfevere through all extremities, having refpect to the glorious recompenfe of reward, which is fet before you. For your encouragement, I affure you that your word fhall not be ineffectual, and that by your means, weak as you are, the Gospel of my grace fhall be promulgated from kingdom to kingdom, and make its way against all oppofition, to every nation of the known world. After that event the end shall come; the Jewish ftate fhall be concluded, the city and temple laid in ruins, and both the civil and ecclefiaftical polity totally deftroyed." "There are, likewife, nearer figns, and certain attendant circumftances of this approaching devaftation, which you will carefully remark. According to Daniel's prophecy, you will fee-the Roman armies. (properly called "the abomination of defolation,” as being deteftable for their idolatry, and as laying wafte all before them) erecting their ftandards upon the holy ground, and investing Jerufalem. Let this be confidered as a fignal, that you muft immediately quit the place, which is about to be demolished, and retreat to the mountainous part of the country, for the prefervation of your lives. Without regarding your fubftance or your apparel, fly upon the very first notice, with the utmost hafte; or you will perish in the general calamity. Thefe troubles will be peculiarly diftreffing to perfons in certain fituations, as to pregnant women, and to the mother, whofe tender infant ftill hangs upon her breaft. It will, alfo, be * Dan, ix. 26. defirable defirable to yourfelves, that your departure may not happen in the winter feafon, which would increase its difficulty, or on the fabbath day, as it would grieve you to have the facred reft interrupted by a long journey." "As to this unhappy people, who are devoted to deftruction, their cafe will be most deplorable indeed. For the afflictions, which await them, will be extreme, far furpafling every inftance that has yet been known, or that fhall occur again. A moft tremendous flaughter will take place among them; and thofe, who efcape the edge of the word, fhall be dif perfed, in a ftate of wretched captivity, among all the nations of the world. Their well-fortified city fhall be razed to its very foundations, and remain in the poffeffion of the Gentiles, till God's appointed, time for the triumph of the Gentiles fhall be completed. Should the horrid carnage and devaftation continue long, the whole Jewish race would be quite extirpated. But God, who ftill retains a purpose of mercy towards them, will preferve them as a feparate people; agreeably to that declaration, "Destroy it not, for a bleffing is in it." "During thefe troubles, many deceivers will arife, and, under the affumed character of the Meffiah, promife deliverance. By fpecious arts and uncommon operations, they will obtain much credit; and, if the grace of God did not prevent, they would even pervert from the truth my chofen followers. But you are required to take heed; and thefe very predictions may be the means of your fecurity. Be not, therefore, induced to join any vain pretenders; for the calamities, which I have foretold, are unavoidable. The Son of Man will come, as he hath faid, like the lightening, which is fudden and terrible in its appearance, and the ftroke of which cannot be *Ifa. lxv 8.. warded warded off. He will come, as in flaming fire, to plead the cause of his Gofpel, and to inflict exemplary vengeance on his enemies. Under his commiffion, the Roman foldiers, bearing the eagle on their ftandards, fhall fly to the destruction of this devoted nation, as the devouring eagles to their prey. The awful defolation fhall, alfo, be attended, even as my final advent, with many furprifing fights in the heavens, and by great commotions, anguish, and terror upon the earth.” Before we proceed further with our Lord's folemn admonitions, let us paufe awhile, and feriously meditate on these prophecies, fo exprefs and circumftantial; for they deferve our most earnest regard. They are fo ftrong, as to be fufficient of themielves, were there no other evidence, to prove the truth of the Gofpel. If the events have not anfwered these defcriptions, then may Jefus be rejected as a bafe impoftor, and his whole fyftem of doctrine derided, as no better than an artful fiction. But, if indeed what he minutely foretold has been exactly accomplished, according to his declarations, what fhall we fay? Can there a doubt remain, concerning his miffion, or the refpect which is due to him? It is generally allowed, that thofe effects, which are clearly and undeniably miraculous, when produced in fupport of any pofition, are a full and inconteftable confirmation of it. Now prophecies are no other than miracles, perhaps the most ftriking, which can poffibly be exhibited. To predict future events, which lie beyond the reach of conjecture, and which at the time appear highly improbable; to do this in a circumftantial manner, is as wonderful, and as plainly fhews a divine interpolition, as opening the eyes of the blind, or raifing the dead to life. Yet this is what the Saviour has done. Nay, he has delivered fuch prophecies, as yet continue to be fulfilled among ourfelves. Thefe, therefore, are like a ftanding ftanding miracle, and afford us a stronger atteftation of his Gofpel, than even those were favoured with, who both faw and heard him. He declared, as we have remarked upon the subject before us, many things which were unlikely to take place, and which he could not have pointed out by any human acuteness or penetration. They were, alfo, moit offenfive to the people around him, and fuch, therefore, as impoftors, whofe grand aim is to conciliate favour, never would have afferted. Nor is the application of his words doubtful: they are fo exprefs and particular, as to feem more like a history of the past, than a prediction of the future. In confirmation of this remark, we appeal to thofe, who have related the facts as they really happened. Jofephus, a Jewish writer, is in this view one of the strongest advocates for Chriftianity. His account of the deftruction of Jerufalem by the Romans, which he himself beheld, fo exactly verifies our Lord's declarations, as to furnish the best comment upon them: and we fhould judge, that Jofephus himself was raifed up and preferved by the providence of God, on purpose to atteft the truth of the Gospel, even contrary to his own intentions. It would be unfuitable to our contracted plan to produce large extracts from hiftorians, in fupport of the words of Chrift, or to give a diftinct expofition of the Evangelifts. But it may be proper to fix our regard on a few remarkable particulars, which correfpond to the predictions before us. The temple of Jerufalem has been deftroyed by the very people, whom our Lord mentioned. Yet that event was unlikely, confidering the peace, which then fubfifted, and the ftrength of the fortrefs, which was generally thought impregnable. Nor was it the wifh of the Romans to demolish it: the commander iffued out his orders and laboured earnestly to prevent it; and when he found his own fchemes baffled, he was |