idea of undertaking it, and embolden them with the hope of success. At all events their perverse countrymen, they were well aware, would take occasion from this to vilify them, as enemies to their own country; as a set of men who, in an artful manner, had invited a foreign foe to invade their native land, and to destroy even the temple of Jehovah. The dilemma to which the sacred writers were reduced, by apprehensions of this kind, were perplexing and perilous beyond description; and wonderful is the address with which they extricated themselves an address which proves at once the soundness of their understanding, and the truth of their history. Matthew, as he composed his gospel in Judea, intimates that the army which should besiege Jerusalem was to be the Roman army, (chap. xxiv. 28.); but Mark, who published his narrative in Rome, has suppressed this intimation, though in other respects his account is equally particular and accurate with that of Matthew.

Of the manner in which the prophecy respecting the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, delivered by Christ and recorded by his historians, was urged as an accusation against them, we meet with a striking instance in Acts vi. 11."Then they suborned men which said, We have heard him (Stephen) speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they

stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him and caught him, and brought him to the council, and set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law. For we have heard him say, That this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the custom which Moses has delivered to us."

Now Josephus, in order to screen our Lord and his apostles from the odium of having handed to posterity a prophecy, which threatened the ruin and disgrace of their country, refers it to the prophets, and more particularly to Daniel, the most eminent and highly reputed servant of God in more ancient days. The Saviour himself did the same thing, being sensible that the oracle he gave his followers to record, would be one great means of bringing upon them the hatred and reproaches of their countrymen: and he moreover reminded them, on this occasion, that they should be hated by all on his account. Though Josephus refers the oracle to the ancient prophets in general, or to Daniel in particular, it is demonstrable that he meant that oracle, as enforced and rendered more definite by the predictions of Jesus.-For he represents it as not disbelieved by those wicked men who pretended to believe in Christ. He also knew that our

Lord had identified his prediction with the oracle of Daniel: he could not therefore refer it to the latter, without also intending the former. But what is most observable, the Jewish historian mentions the oracle under the peculiar limitations presignified by Jesus. by Jesus. "The city was to be taken and the temple burnt at the very time when commotions should prevail, and when impious hands should pollute the sanctuary of God." The ancient prophets have not, and our Saviour has thus limited the accomplishment of the oracle: for he not only says that Jerusalem would be taken in war, but that this event would take place in a season distinguished by uncommon disturbances, "When shall hear of wars and commotions, be not afraid; for these things must come to pass.-Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilence, and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven."

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Our Lord, moreover, had foretold that the oracle would be fulfilled, when the temple was beginning to be profaned. "And then shall the end come, when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place." Mat. xxiv. 14. Modern critics suppose that by the abomination of desolation is meant the Roman eagle: But this, I

presume, is a mistake. The words of Daniel seem to refer to the robbers, who took their stand in the temple and desolated it, and by their impious deeds rendered it abominable in the sight of God. In this sense they were understood alsó by our Lord and by Josephus. The words of the prophet, to which Jesus refers, are the following: "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince to come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. 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, and for their widespread abominations, he shall make it (the sanc tuary) desolate." Dan. ix. 26.

Here it is explicitly declared, that the people who should destroy the sanctuary were the prince's own people, and that they destroyed it by their wide-spread abominations. This decla ration was literally accomplished. The zealots, or robbers, classed with the followers of Christ; and God brought fire on the temple, because it was polluted by their impious hands.

Farther, our Lord did not mean the Roman eagle by the abomination of desolation; because the Roman eagle was not brought into the temple, until it was set on fire and nearly consumed. J. W. lib. 6, c. 4, § 5, and c. 6, § 1. Titus did

every thing in his power to prevent the temple from being destroyed and even profaned. "I call to witness," says he, "the gods of the country, and every god who ever had a regard to this place; I also call to witness my own army, and the Jews, who are with me, and your ownselves, that I do not compel you to pollute your sanctuary: and if you will change the place of combat, no Roman shall come near it; for I will endeavour to preserve your temple, whether you will or not." J. W. lib. 4, c. 2, 4. Moreover our Lord's admonition to his followers, to preserve themselves by flight, supposes that he did not mean the Roman eagle, for it would be then too late, to flee. On the other hand, the proper season for escaping the horrors of the siege was, when the zealots under John and Simon began to pour into the city, and profane the temple, Finally, the account which Josephus gives of the zealots proves, that by them is meant the abomination of desolation. For the high priest, Ananus, thus speaks of them in his speech to the Idumeans, " If you should examine them one by one, they will each appear worthy of a thousand deaths; for they are the scum and offscouring of the whole community; who, having wasted in debaucheries their own goods, and made it their sport to plunder and destroy the surrounding villages, clandestinely flocked into this city. They are robbers, who by their im