either his city or temple; but that he desired that he would not defile the temple, nor thereby offend against God. That he might, if he pleased, offer the sacrifices, which were now discontinued, by any of the Jews whom he should pitch upon." Certainly there was generosity in this offer; it also shows how his heart was set upon preserving the temple, which stood before him in all the magnificence of its splendour.

This ceasing of the daily sacrifice is an item in the fulfilling of prophecy. This 17th day of Panemus (A. D. 70) is a most significant day, for it marks the closing years of the prediction of Daniel: "And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease."1 "In the midst," that is, half way in the week. This prophecy was uttered 606 years before the Roman siege caused the daily sacrifice to cease. From the month of February A.D. 66, when Vespasian took the command and entered upon this war, to the seventeenth of Panemus A.D. 70, was just three and a half years. Half a week is three and a half days, and in prophetic calculation a day counts for a year, which makes three and a half years. How unerringly accurate are the movements of Providence to guard, to complete, and to register the uttered words of prophecy !

Retributive justice is an essential element in the government of God.-This principle is frequently and with great prominence illustrated in the inspired

1 Dan. ix. 27.

page. It was by deceit that Jacob obtained the birthright; in after life he was often and sorely deceived by Laban, and by his own children. When the thumbs and great toes of Adonibezek were cut off, he acknowledged the justice of his punishment because threescore and ten kings had thus been treated by him. Haman erected a gallows fifty cubits high, that Mordecai might be hung thereon, but it was upon this same gallows that Haman, in retribution, was himself hung. "His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.' It is as true in the moral as in the natural world that, "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap:" hence they who sow to the wind must reap the whirlwind.

"1

Jerusalem is also an illustration. The Jews had not only shed the blood of Christ, but said, “His blood be upon us, and upon our children." Retributive justice gave them blood until it stood in pools in the temple enclosures. They desired a robber and a murderer, and retributive justice gave them robbers and murderers until they loathed life, and their souls were in the deepest anguish. They took our Lord and scourged Him, and in various ways tormented Him. So the Roman soldiers first whipped and then tormented the Jewish prisoners. When our Lord hung upon the cross they passed by, wagging their heads, and railing on Him. The Roman soldiers "nailed those they caught to the crosses by way of jest."

1 Psa. vii. 16.

Retributive justice, though sometimes slow, is always certain. When the Divine forbearance no longer holds it back, then it comes with no stinted measure. For the soldiers, out of the wrath and hatred they bore the Jews, "nailed those they caught, one after one way and another after another, to the crosses by way of jest, when the multitude was so great that room was wanting for the crosses and crosses wanting for the bodies."

It is impossible for us in this connection to forget that the same principle of retributive justice is still in operation. We may not crucify Christ as did the Jews, but we may by our own sins "crucify Him afresh, and put Him to an open shame." We may draw down upon ourselves the Divine displeasure by our neglect and rejection of His dear Son. We may

slight His mercy, and turn a deaf ear to His words of warning and of invitation. If so, we must prepare for a retribution upon our sins like that which punished the guilty of the ancient world. Nay, rather, "Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."1

1 Heb. x. 29-31.

IX.

ahe emple Destroyed.

"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled... Heaven and shall earth pass away: but My words shall not pass away." LUKE XXI. 24, 33.

ITUS, by the most indomitable exertions, had gained possession of Bezetha, which he destroyed, had also subdued Acra, and levelled its walls, had forced his way up, through the breach, into the tower of Antonia, which he partially demolished. He was driven back with great slaughter when he advanced to the taking of the temple. It was in the enclosures of Antonia that we left him making preparations for another assault upon the temple. Before making this last attack he sent Josephus again to speak to the people, and persuade them to submit, so as to end the war, and thus save their beautiful house and the remaining portion of the city. Josephus carried to John the permission for the Jews to offer undisturbed the daily sacrifice, which had been suspended. Speaking in the Hebrew language, he urged upon the people a variety of considerations why they should, without any further

shedding of blood, submit, and throw themselves upon the clemency of Titus, and thus save the temple from the fire just ready to seize upon it. His manner was very earnest and sorrowful, speaking with groans and sobs which interrupted his words. This moved the people; but John cast reproaches and imprecations upon Josephus, and defied the power of the Romans, because this was God's city, and He would take care of it.

John and his followers became the more exasperated at this speech of Josephus, and endeavoured to get him into their power. Some of the principal men, with the high-priests, fled from the city, and were kindly received by Titus. Next he caused Josephus, in company with a large force, to march round the walls, and show themselves to the people. This induced numbers to desert to the Romans. These also joined their entreaties that the Romans should be admitted, or at least that the Jews should depart from the temple, and thus save the holy house. But all in vain, for the seditious "set their engines for throwing darts and javelins and stones at due distances from one another, insomuch that all the space round about, within the temple and the holy house itself became a citadel."

Having failed to make any arrangement with the Jews, Titus prepared his forces for an attack upon the temple, which he prosecuted with spirit and determination. As he could not bring all his army into action, the place being so narrow, he chose thirty soldiers of the most valiant out of every hun