28 Q. What Piece of Cruelty was Herod guilty of, when he heard that a Child was born who was to be King of the Jews? A. He flew all the young Children in Bethlehem, that he might be fure to deftroy Christ, and that his own Pofterity might be Kings of Judea.

29 Q. Whom did Herod defign then for the Succeffor to his Kingdom? A. Antipater, his elder Son by Doris, a Wife which Herod had be fore Mariamne; his Father had raised him to fome Poft of Honour upon his Difpleasure with his other Sons, and he had been alfo active and bufy himself towards procuring the Death of thofe two Brothers.

30 Q Did Antipater fucceed his Father in the Kingdom, according to Herod's prefent Defign? A. Antipater longing for the Crown, and for his Father's Death, did really confpire to poison him, and being convicted thereof, had a Sentence of Condemnation paffed upon him; and it being confirmed by Auguftus Cæfar, was executed by his Father's Approbation. This was the third Son whom Herod put to death.

31 Q. When, and in what Manner did Herod die? A. In the feventieth Year of his Age, and five Days after the Execution of his Son Antipater, Herod himself died by a dreadful Complication of Difeafes. He had a flow Fever, an Afthma, an Ulcer in his Bowels and his lower Parts, which bred Worms and Lice; he languished under extreme Pain and Torment till he expired, and feems to have been fmitten of God in a fignal and terrible Manner for his Cruelty, and the multiplied Iniquities of his whole Life.

32 Q. What Inflance of Cruelty was he guilty of even at his Death? A. Knowing how much

he

he was hated of the Jews, he concluded there would be no Lamentation for him, but rather Rejoicing when he died: and to prevent this, he framed a Project, one of the most horrid that could enter into the Heart of Man; he fummoned all the chief Jews over the whole Kingdom on Pain of Death to appear at Jericho where he then lay; he fhut them up Prifoners in the Circus, or publick Place of Shews, he ordered and adjured his Sifter Salome and her Hufband, who were his chief Confidents, to fend in Soldiers as foon as he was dead, and put them all to the Sword; " for this, faid he, will pro"vide Mourners for my Funeral all the Land "over."

33 Q Was this barbarous and bloody Command executed? A. His Sifter Salome, as bad as fhe was, chofe rather to break her Oath to him than execute fo horrid a Defign, and therefore the released them all after his Death.

34 Q. What Pofterity did Herod leave behind him? A. He had nine Wives, and fuch of his Pofterity as are named in Scripture, are these that follow, viz.

Archelaus his Son, who fucceeded him in the Kingdom of Judea and Samaria, Matth. ii. 22. Herod Antipas, Tetrarch or Governor of Galilee, who cut off John the Baptift's Head, Matth. xiv. 1, 3, 6. Philip, Governor of Iturca and Tracho. nitis, Luke iii. 1. and Herod Philip, who married his own Niece Herodias, and had a Daughter by her called Salome, who danced well: But Herodias afterward left him to marry Herod Antipas his Brother, for which John the Baptift reproved this Herod Antipas, Luke iii. 19.

This Herodias was Daughter of Herod's Son Ariftobulus, whom he put to death, and Sifter of Herod Agrippa who flew the Apoftle James, Acts xii. I, 2. and was afterwards fmitten of God, at Cafarea, ver. 20-23. Of this Herod Agrippa was born that King Agrippa the fecond, before whom Paul pleaded his Caufe, Acts xxv. and xxvi. and his two Sifters were Drufilla, Wife to Felix the Governor, Acts xxiv. 24. and Bernice, who attended her Brother Agrippa to hear Paul plead. This Genealogy is borrowed from Dr. Prideaux.

35 Q. Did Archelaus continue long in his Government? A. He was guilty of many and great Inftances of Tyranny, for which he was depofed, and banished to a Town in France by the Roman Emperor, when he had reigned in Judea between nine and ten Years.

36 Q. How was Judea governed afterwards? A. The Romans were fo much difpleafed with the evil Practices of Archelaus, that they reduced Judea to the Form of a Roman Province, and ruled it afterward by Procurators or Governors, who were fent thither, and recalled at their Pleafure: The Power of Life and Death was taken out of the Hands of the Jews, and placed in the Roman Governor, and their Taxes were paid more directly to the Roman Emperor, and gathered by the Publicans.

37Q How did the Jews refent this? A The Pharifees, and the People under their Influence, thought it unlawful to acknowledge a King who was not a few, Deut. xvii. 15. From among thy Brethren fhalt thou fet a King over thee: And therefore, though they were conftrained to pay Tribute to Cafar, yet they scarce allowed it to be lawful: upon this Account they looked upon these M Publicans

Publicans with greater Deteftation than any of the Tax-gatherers in former Ages, while their Governor was of the Jewish Nation or Religion.

Note, Though Herod was an Idumean by Nation, yet all the Idumeans having received the Jewish Religion, Herod was fo far counted a lawful Governor, as that they did not fcruple paying Taxes to him.

38 Q. How was the High-Priesthood carried on at this Time? A. As Herod had done before, fo the Roman Governors continued to make HighPriefts, and to depofe them as often as they pleased, to answer their own Purposes.

39 Q. Who was High-Prieft when our blessed Saviour was put to death? A. Caiaphas, who was Son-in-Law to Annas, who had been himself HighPrieft for fifteen Years, and was depofed by one of their Governors.

Note, Caiaphas was not immediate Succeffor to Annas, for there were three High-Priests came between them, who had been conftituted in that Office, and depofed by the Romans: Hence it may come to pass, that in the Hiitory of the Gofpels we frequently read of feveral Chief Priefts at the fame time, and of Annas and Caiaphas being High-Priefts at the Beginning of John the Baptift's Miniftry, Luke iii. z. For, whether they had any concurring Power given them by the Romans or no, yet being still alive after they had been in that Office, they might have their Title given them by the People, and fome of them had probably confiderable Influence in the Jewish Affairs. In the Cafe of Annas and Caiaphas, fome fuppofe one to have been Head of the Sanhedrim, and to have chiefly managed in Civil Affairs, the other in Sacred; others fancy one to have been the HighPrieft, and the other the Deputy-High-Prieft, or Sagan, who was always ready to perform the Office, if the High-Prieft was indifpofed or hindered: And fome

think they might rule alternately or together by Permiffion or Appointment of the Romans; it is evident the facred Laws of Mofes were not strictly obferved at that time among them, nor long before.

Note, This Annas is fuppofed to be the fame Person with that Ananias, whom Paul did not seem to acknowledge for God's High-Prieft, when he reproved him and called him, Thou whited Wall, Acts xxiii. 3-5.

40 Q. Who was Governor of Judea at that time? A. Pontius Pilate; for Tiberius Cæfar (who had reigned two or three Years together with Auguftus at Rome, and had after his Death fucceeded him now nineteen Years in the Empire) had a few Years before made this Pilate Governor: he was a Man thoroughly prepared for all manner of Iniquity, which he executed through his whole Government, and gave further Proof of it in that unjuft Sentence which he paffed even againft his own Confcience, for the Crucifixion of our Bleffed Lord at the Requeft of the wicked Jews.

41 Q. What became of Pontius Pilate at laft? A. He was in a very fhort time recalled by the Roman Emperor for Mifdemeanors in his Government, and was banished to Vienne in France, where he is reported to have put an End to his own Life by the Sword.

42 Q. Did the Jews grow wifer and better afterwards? A. They went on by Perfecution and Rage against the Gospel of Christ, and the Profeffors of it, and by many other Crimes, to fill up the Measure of their Iniquities, till at laft, upon their Infurrection against the Romans, they were expofed to the Fury of a conquering Army, their City and Temple were utterly deftroyed, according to the Prophecy of Christ, eleven hundred thousand of the People perifhed, and the Remains