XVIII.

Our Saviour's Prophecies relating to the deftruction of feru/aum.

IN FOUR PART S.

TH

PART I.

HE Jewish church, confifting only of a fingle nation, and living under a theocracy or the immediate government of God, experienced continual interpofitions of a particular extraordinary providence in its favor and protection, and was from time to time inftructed by prophets raised up and fent one after another as occafions required. But the Chriftian church being defigned to comprehend the whole world, was like the world at firft erected by miracle, but like the world too is fince governed by a general ordinary providence, by established laws, and the mediation of fecond caufes. difference in the nature and conftitution of the two churches, is the reafon why prophecies, and miracles, and other fupernatural powers, which were continued fo long, and repeated fo frequently in the Jewish church, were in the Chrif

This

1

tian church confined to the first ages, and limited chiefly to the perfons of our bleffed Saviour, and his disciples, and their companions. There were prophets (Acts XI. 27.) who came from Jerufalem unto Antioch. One of them named Agabus (ver. 28.) foretold the great dearth, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæfar. The fame prophet foretold likewife (Acts XXI. 10, 11.) the bonds and imprisonment of St. Paul. Philip the evangelist had also (ver. 9.) four daughters, virgins, which did prophefy. Prophetic as well as other fpiritual gifts abounded in the primitive church; their fons and their daughters did prophefy, (Acts II. 17.) their young men faw vifions, and their old men dreamed dreams. But the only prophecies, which the Spirit of God hath thought fit to record and preferve, are fome delivered by our bleffed Saviour himself, and by his apoftles, particularly St. Paul and St. John.

Our bleffed Saviour, as he was the great fubject of prophecy, fo was an illuftrious prophet himself; as he excelled in all other spiritual gifts and graces, fo was eminent in this alfo; and gave ample proofs of his divine commiffion by his prophecies as well as by his miracles. What he faid upon one occafion, is equally applicable to all his predictions, that their accomplishment is a fufficient atteftation of his being the Meffiah;

(John

(John XIII. 19.) Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am be. He foretold not only his own paffion, death, and refurrection, but also the manner and circumstances of them, that he fhould be betrayed by one of the twelve, even by Judas Ifcariot the fon of Simon; that all the rest fhould be offended because of him that very night, and notwithstanding their proteftations to the contraty, fhould forfake him and fly; that Peter particularly, who was more zealous and eager than the reft, before the cock crew twice, fhould deny him thrice; that he should be betrayed to the chief priests, and be delivered to the Gentiles to mock, and to fcourge, to fpit upon, and to kill him; that he should be crucified, and the third day should rife again, and appear to his disciples in Galilée. He foretold that his apostles should be enabled of plain fifhers to become fishers of men; that they should be indued with power from on high to speak with new tongues and to work miracles; that they should go forth into all nations, and publish the glad tidings of the gospel unto the uttermost parts of the earth. He foretold the perfecutions and fufferings which his disciples should undergo, and particularly by what manner of death Peter in his old age fhould glorify God, and that John should fur

vive till after the deftruction of Jerusalem. He foretold the rejection of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles; that the kingdom of heaven should be taken away from the former, and be given to the latter, who fhould bring forth the fruits thereof; that the number of his difciples from small beginnings fhould increase wonderfully, as a little feed groweth into a tree, and a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump; that his church fhould be fo founded upon a rock, that it should ftand for ever, and all the powers of hell should not prevail against it. These things were most of them contrary to all human appearances, and impoffible to be foreseen by human prudence or effected by human power; and he must be thoroughly acquainted with the hearts of men, and with the direction and difpofition of future events, who could foretel them with such certainty and exactness and fome of them are actually accomplishing in the world at this present time.

But none of our Saviour's prophecies are more. remarkable than those relating to the deftruction of Jerufalem, as none are more proper and pertinent to the defign of these difcourfes and we will confider them as they lie in the twenty fourth chapter of St. Matthew, taking in alfo what is fuperadded by the other evangelifts upon parallel occafions. These prophecies were de

livered

livered by our Saviour about forty years, and were committed to writing by St. Matthew about thirty years, before they were to take effect. St. Matthew's is univerfally allowed to be the (1) firft of the four gofpels; the first in time, as it is always placed the first in order. It was written, as (2) most writers affirm, in the eighth year after the afcenfion of our Saviour. It must have been written before the difperfion of the apoftles, because (3) St. Bartholomew is said to have taken it along with him into India, and to have left it there, where it was found feveral years afterwards by Pantænus. If the general tradition of antiquity be true, that it was written originally in Hebrew, it certainly was written before the deftruction of Jerufalem, for there was no occafion for writing in that language after the destruction of Jerufalem and the difperfion of the Jews into all nations. It is afferted upon (4) good authority, that the Gofpels of Mark and Luke were approved and confirmed,

(1) πρωτον μεν γεγραπίαι το κατα τον ποτε τελωνην, ύσερον δε αποτόλον Ιησε Χρισε Ματθαιον. Primum evangelium fcriptum effe a Matthæo, prius, quidem publicano, poftea vero apoftolo Jefu Chrifti.Origen apud Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 6. Cap. 25.

&c. &c.

(2) On croit que faint Mat

thieu commença a travailler à fon evangile, la huitiéme année après la refurrection du Sauveur; c'eft-a-dire, l'an 41 de l'ere vulgaire. Prefque tous les anciens manufcrits Grecs le marquent ainfi à la fin de fon volume. Calmet Preface. Magno confenfu perhibent Patres, Matthæum, in gratiam credentium