the favourable moment might be, and was, feized with success, by all thofe, who be lieved in Christ and his prophecy, and not in false Christs, and false prophets, who would fay " peace and safety, when sudden deftruction cometh upon them."

4. He predicted alfo the captivity of the Jews in all nations; and even the present ftate of Jerufalem, thus "trodden down of the Gentiles;" and limited the captivity of the one, and the defolation of the other, to that period, when the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled. The prefent condition of the Jews, not only affords teftimony to the accomplishment of this prophecy, in that part of it, which denounced the end of their ftate; but also gives the strongest afsurance of its future completion, in the remaining part, which seems to promise, that, "Jeru

P The general character, which Jofephus applies to fome of them, βασιλειῶν ὁ καιρὸς ἀνέπειθε, fews the operation of principles, which the Gofpels afcribe to the Jews, viz. that the time of the Meffiah's appearance was confeffedly come, and that his leading object fhould be the temporal deliverance of Ifrael. The fame principles, that formed the ground of all thefe impostures,would tend to produce their fuccefs. Jofephus adds, that these falfe Chrifts fhewed onμña »ỳ rigura; whence it is evident, that a miraculous power, was a credential of the true Meffiah, though Maimonides affirms the contrary.

falem

falem fhall ceafe to be trodden down of the Gentiles, and that Ifrael fhall fee Jefus coming to her in his mercy, as he came now in his wrath, when the times of the Gentiles fhall be fulfilled, and the Jews fhall be difposed to say, "bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

These are only fome few of the many original circumstances, with which Jesus enlarged the views, that foregoing prophets had given, of the deftruction of Ifrael; but these seem fufficient to fhew, that the divine mind, and not antecedent prophecy, had been the fource, from whence he drew, and that all the purpofes both of the vengemercy of God were equally known

ance and

to him.

The history of Jofephus, a Jewish priest, and an eye-witness of the transactions, which he describes, yields at once a commentary, and a teftimony, to this prophecy of Jefus ; and the more clofely the prediction and the detail of that hiftorian are compared to

This capital prophecy has been frequently, and very diftinctly, explained; the following are among thofe writers, who have already difcuffed it. Chandler, Diff. annexed to Comm. on Joel. Grotius and Whitby, on Matth. xxiv.Newton. Diff. on proph. Vol. ii. pag. 24. Jortin Rem. on Eccl. Hift. Vol. i. Tillotson's Sermon. 184. fq.

M 3

gether,

gether, the greater will be our astonishment, that the dire imprecation of the Jews, "his blood be on us, and on our children," should be fo fignally and literally fulfilled; and the prediction itself, in all its parts, if taken together with the accomplishment, affords the ftrongest evidence of the divine miffion of Jefus, as a prophet; of his entire knowledge of the will and purposes of the Father, as Son of God; and of his judicial power, as a king.

2. This act of his regal authority over Ifrael, prefigures his final and univerfal judgment of the world; and as he came virtually or by his power, in this first exercife of his judgement, and will come really and in perfon, in the laft, both of them are styled his coming, in his kingdom, in the clouds, and in his glory, and are called, the fign of the Son of man. Hence,

The deftruction of Ifrael feems to be called Chrift's coming. John xxii. 21. ——— In clouds, Revel. i. 7. this expreffion does not neceffarily mean only a real and personal coming. comp. 2 Sam. xxii.8. See Lightfoot and Whitby on Matth. xxiv. 31.- -In glory with Angels, Mat. xxiv. 30.- -It is ftyled Chrift's inthroning, Matth. xix. 28. Luke xxii. 30.See Lightfoot, Hor. H. et T. 461.

in the fame capital prophecy, he seems to fpeak, in a primary fenfe, of his approaching judgement upon Ifrael, and in an ultimate fenfe, of his laft judgement of the world. The fame obfervation was formerly applied to the prophetical words of the Baptist;

"whofe fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." As the terms, here used, seem rather to denote a perfonal than a virtual paroufia, the paffage appears principally to respect the last coming of the Meffiah to judge the world; and in that view is parallel to the following prophecies of Chrift. "The Son of man fhall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he fit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. Then shall the king fay unto them on his right hand, come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for you from

the foundation of the world. Then fhall he fay also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire." "The Son of man fhall come in the glory of the Father, with his angels, and then fhall he reward every one according to his works." He predicted the He predicted the vengeance, which he would inflict upon his enemies, and the safeguard, that he would afford to his elect, in this life; together with the endlefs mifery, to which he will condemn the wicked, and the unspeakable happiness, to which he will receive the righteous, in another.

From the fubftance of this difcourfe it feems to be justly inferred; that the divine glory of the Spirit in Jefus, was fignally displayed in his predictions, and promises, fince he distinctly forefaw, as a prophet, and perfonally promised, as Son of God, all the means and operations either of grace or of vengeance, which were appointed to establish, to extend, to fupport, and to finish, his mediatorial kingdom;

• Matth. xxv. 31.

and