privately, and asked him, saying ; ciples came unto him When shall these Desolations, and all privately, saying, Tell these strange things, which you have us when thall these told us of, be accomplished ? And by fall be the fign of what Signs shall we know, when the wall be the fign of Consummation of the present state of the end of the world?

thy coming, and of Things in the World shall be ? and when, and by what Revolutions, the Kingdom of the Messias shall be establithed?

4. To this general Question, which 4 And Jesus anthe Disciples (who had not yet any clear swered and said unNotion what the State and Duration of

to them, Take heed

that no man deceive the Christian Dispensation was to be)

you. were not capable of proposing more distinctly; cus accordingly returned such an Answer, as, being immediately and properly a Description of the final Destruction of Jerufalem and of the Jewish Nation, which was to be the first establishment of the Kingdom of Christ; might also at the same time contain an obscure Prophecy of the end of the World. And his Answer was this: Ye are desirous to know the time and manner of my Second appearing, to destroy my Enemies, and to establish the Kingdom of the Messias : But take heed that no Man deceive you, and impose upon you.

5. For many Impostors shall appear, 5 For many hall who will pretend to be the Messiah,

come in my name, sent of God to deliver such as will saying, I am Chriit:

and shall deceive follow them; and they shall shew many

many. wonderful Signs, and shall deceive many. 6. Ye shall also hear of Wars and 6 And

ye

shall Tumults, Commotions, Revolutions, hear of wars, and

of wars : Terrors, and Panick Fears. But let not

fee that ye be not your Minds be disturbed at these things; troubled : for all For many such Calamities as these

these things

must muft happen, before the final and utter

rumours

come

come to pass, but the Destruction of the Jewish Nation ; end is not yet.

(and in like manner, before the end of

the World.) 7 For nation shall 7. For one Country shall take up rise against nation, Arms against another; and there must be and kingdom against Broils and Commotions, and Civil Wars kingdom: and there îhall be famines and through the World: And there shall be pestilences, and earth- Famines, and Plagues, and Earthquakes quakes in divers in several parts of the Earth. places.

8. All these things are but the be8 All these are the ginnings of that last and total Deftrubeginning of forrows. &tion, which shall come upon the Na

tion of the Jews : (And in like manner such Calamities as these, will precede the last Judgment, and the end of the

World.) 9 Then shall they 9. In the mean time ye shall be afdeliver you up to be Aicted, and persecuted even to Death ; affieted, and fhall and both Jews and Gentiles shall hate kill

and be hated of all nati- you for the sake of your professing Chri

ftianity. ons for my names sake.

10. And many Christians, discoura10 And then shall ged by these Sufferings and Calamities, many be offended, Thall turn Apoftates; and, to ingratiate and shall betray one themselves with Unbelievers, shall beanother, and Thall

tray and persecute their Brethren. hate one another.

II. Many false Teachers also, and many false

Deceivers shall arise; who under preprophets shall rise, and shall deceive tence of preaching the Gospel, shall many.

seduce many to follow vain and vicious Doctrines ; and shall pervert weak Men, in hopes of escaping Persecution, to dissemble or forsake the Truth of Re

ligion. 12 And because in

12. And because the Persecutions niquity shall abound, moved by Unbelievers on the one the love of many hand; and the Apoftafies, Contentions, thall wax cold.

and Dissimulation of some Believers on the other hand, will mightily perplex things, and cause great confusion ; therefore the Zeal which many others hitherto retained for true Religion VOL. I.

M M

will

11 And

will at length cool, and they also will
become luke-warm and fearful.
13. But he that under all these Trials

13

But he that and Amictions, shall continue stedfast shall endure unto the and unmoved to the end, in the Pro- end, the same shall

be saved. feffion and Practice of true Religion ; shall, by the peculiar Providence of God, be preserved here from the extremity of that final Calamity whereby the Jewish Kingdom shall be utterly destroyed; and he shall hereafter inherit eternal Life.

14. Now during these Calamities 14 And this gorand Confusions, the Christians scattered pel of the kingdom abroad by the Persecution, shall preach fhall be preached in the Gospel to the Gentiles. And as all the world, for a foon as the Gospel has been preached, tions, and then shall

witness unto all naand Churches established by them the end come. through the Roman Empire, the Jewish Nation and Polity shall be utterly destroyed with their City and Temple: (And in like manner, when the Christian Religion has made its progress through all the Nations of the Earth, the End of the World Mall come. )

15. When therefore ye shall see the 15 When ye thereHoly City compassed about with Hea- fore shall see the abo

mination ofdesolation then Armies, the Abomination of Defolation spoken of by Daniel the Pro- the prophet, stand in

spoken of by Daniel phet, (which, let him that readeth, the holy place, (whoconsider and understand ;) that is, when lo readeth, let him ye shall see Jerusalem, besieged by the understand.) Romans ;

16 Then let them 16. Then let them which are in which be in Judea, Judea, knowing that the final Destru- fee into the &tion of that Nation is coming, flee for tains. their Lives.

17

Let him which 17 & 18. And because this vengeance is on the house-top, that fall fall upon the Jews, will be

not come down to sudden and terrible ; therefore let every of his house :

take any thing out one that hopes to escape, make fuch of his house :

18 Neither let him speed in his flight, as not to return which is in the field, home to take any of his Goods with

noun

return

those days.

your flight be

* This

22

return back to take him ; but let him flee, as Lot did out of his cloaths.

Sodom, without so much as looking back. 19 And wo unto 19. But wo be to them, who through them that are with any impediment shall not be in a conchild, and to them

dition to make a speedy Aight, as Wothat give fuck in

men that are with Child, or give Suck. 20 But pray ye

20. Pray ye also that ye may not be that

forced to flee in the Winter, or on the not in the winter,

* Sabbath; when either the Season, or neither on the fab- the Holiness of the time, may retard seems Spobath-day :

ken in conand prevent your escape. 21 For then shall

defcenfion 21. For the Hardships and Calamities be great tribulation, of that time, when the Romans shall

to the Jews such as was not since

ish Prejuover-run the Country, and Jerusalem dices. the beginning of the world to this time, shall be besieged by them; will be no, nor ever shall be. greater than ever befel any People be

fore, or shall ever happen after. And except

22. So that if that Tribulation were
those days should be to be as lafting, as it will be sharp and
shortned, there should fevere, no one could possibly escape :
no flesh be saved : But for the sake of those Chriftians who
but for the elects fake Thall at that time be scattered through
those days shall be
shortned.

Judæa, God will so order things, that
the extremity of the Calamity shall be

short and the City shall quickly be taken. 23 Then if any 23. At that time, t if any Man shall man snall say unto

report that Christ

appears in this or that you, Lo, here is Chrift, or there, be place, to destroy his Enemies, and to

deliver his Servants, believe it not. lieve it not.

24 For there shall 24. For there shall arise Impostors arise false Chrifts,and and Deceivers, who shall each pretend false prophets, and to be the Messiah, and shall work shall shew great figns strange Wonders and Delusions ; so as and wonders, info to deceive, not only the unbelieving much that (if it were Jews, but, if it were possible, even possible) they shall sincere Christians also. deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have 25. Take heed now, and be not detold you before.

ceived: Behold, I have expressly cau-
tioned and forewarned you.

+ (And in like manner in all other calamitous Times preceding the End of the World.)

26. If

M 2

.

& 24.

26. If therefore it shall be reported

26 Wherefore, if that Christ appears visibly in the Desart, they shall say unto and is preparing to come and deliver his you, Behold, he is

in the desart, go not Servants; regard it not.

And if they forth: behold, he is: say, he is secretly in any private place, in the secret chamready to shew himself and appear pub- bers, believe it not. lickly, give no Credit to it at all.

27 & 28. For as Lightning Thineth 27 For as the light-
through all Places in an instant, and as ning cometh out of
Eagles gather themselves with incredi- the east, and thineth
ble swiftness to all parts where the Prey lo shall also the com-

even unto the west:
is to be found; fo the Power of Christ ing of the Son of
in destroying his Enemies, shall demon- man be.
ftrate it self evidently through all the 28 For wherefo-
Land at once; and his Kingdom shall ever the carcass is,

be established, not with Observation in there will the cagles
+ See Luk. † this or that particular place, but by the begathered together.
xvii.v.20, wonderful Efficacy of the Divine Power
21,22, 23, it shall appear and prevail through the

World, as it were in a Moment.

29. For immediately after thefe fatal 29 ImmediateWars, and the Destruction of Jerufa- ly after the tribulalem by the Romans; the whole fewith thail the sun be darkPolity, Government, Laws, and Reli- fhail the sun be dark

ned, and the moon
gion, shall be utterly diffolved.

shall not give her
30 & 31. And then it will become light, and the stars
evident, that Jesus was the true and shall fall from hea-
only Meffias, and the Jews shall lament ven, and the powers
and mourn, and be forced to acknow- of the heavens shall
ledge the Power, and Glory, and Maje- be shaken,
1ty of Chrift; who will then send forth

30 And then shall
his Ministers among the Gentiles, and appear the sign of the

Son of man in heawill gather into one Body those who be

ven: and then shall
lieve and obey his Gospel, from among all the tribes of the
all the Nations of the Earth. (In like earth moum, and
manner at the end of the World, after they shall see the Son
long Perfecutions and Afflictions of the of man coming in
Church, and after great Disturbances the clouds of hea-
and Revolutions in all the Nations of and great glory.

power
the World, Christ will at last appear
in the Clouds of Heaven with Power send his angels with

31 And he shall
and great Glory; and he will send

a great