t

yet he fays that which is equivalent, that they undertook to rescue "the people from the Roman yoke. Which was the thing which "the Jews expected the Meffias would do for them. And therefore "we find, that the difciples who were going to Emmaus, and knew "not that Christ was rifen, and were doubtful what to think of him, fay: We hoped, this had been he that fhould have redeemed "Ifrael; that is, they hoped, this had been the Meffias, that being, "it feems a common periphrafis of the Meffias, that he was he that "was to deliver Ifrael." Which is agreeable to a note of *Grotius upon the place. All they, therefore, who pretended that they were infpired, and fent by God to deliver the Jewish people, were indeed falfe Chrifts. They took upon themselves the character of the Meffiah.

We may now readily admit the truth of what Jofephus fays in the paffage tranfcribed not long ago: "That what principally ex"cited the Jewish people, the wife men, as he calls them, as well as others, to the war with the Romans, was the expectation of a tr great deliverer to arife among them, who should obtain the empire of the world." This great deliverer was the Meffiah. The numerous false prophets and falfe Chrifts, of whom Jofephus fpeaks fo frequently, and fo diftinctly, are full poofs of it.

The expectation of the coming of the Meffiah, about the time of the appearance of Jefus, was univerfal, and had been fo for fome while. But with the idea of a prophet, or extraordinary teacher of religion, they had joined alfo that of a worldly king and conqueror, who fhould deliver the Jewish people from the burdens under which they laboured, raise them to a ftate of independence, and bring the nations of the earth into fubjection to them, to be ruled and tyrannised over by them. And because our Lord did not perform, nor attempt this, they rejected and crucified him. If he would but have affumed the ftate and character of an earthly prince, Scribes and Pharifees, Priefts and People, would all have joined themselves to him, and have put themselves under his banner. Of this we fee many proofs in the Gofpels. This difpofition prevailed to the laft. The people, therefore, though they had already met with many difappointments, when our Lord entered into Jerufalem, in no greater ftate than riding upon an afs, accompanied him with loud acclamations, and other tokens of refpect, faying: "Hofanna to the "Son of David. Bleffed is the King, that cometh in the name of the "Lord." And Jefus, our Lord, not affuming then the character of an earthly prince, was a fresh difappointment, and left deep refentments; which rendered them fufceptible of the worst impreffions from the chief priests, and their other rulers. And at their inftigation they defired Pilate, the Roman governor, to fet Barabbas at liberty, VOL. V. and.

K

"Chrifti nomine populus Judaicus intelligebat vindicem libertatis. Nam illud, hue τι δὲ ἐλπίζομεν, ὅτι ἀυτός ἐσιν ὁ μέλλων λυτρῆσθαι τὸν Ισραήλ, defcriptio eft nominis Chrifti. "Quare quicumque fe miffos divinitus liberatores populi Judaici dicebant, eo ipfo Christos se "profitebantur, et erant feudoxg1501," &c. Grot. in Matt. xxiv. 5.

Proofs of this, together with divers remarks, may be feen in Credib, Parti. B.i. ch. v. P. 289, &c.

and crucify Jefus. With which clamorous and importunate demands he at length complied, ftill bearing teftimony to the innocence of him whom he unwillingly condemned. The account of St. Matthew alone, without any other, will fuffice for fhewing this amazing tranfaction. "Pilate faith unto them, What fhall I do then with Jefus, "who is called Chrift? They all fay unto him, Let him be cruci"fied. The Governor faid, Why what evil has he done? But "they cried out the more, faying, Let him be crucified. When "Pilate faw that he prevailed nothing, and that rather a tumult "was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, faying, I am innocent from the blood of this juft perfon. "See ye to it. Then anfwered all the people: His blood be upon . us, and upon our children. Then releafed he Barabbas unto them. "And when he had scourged Jefus, he delivered him to be crucified.” Matt. xxvi. 22, 26.

The continued expectation of the Meffiah, as a worldly King and Conqueror, as we have juft feen in Jofephus, and their uneafiness. under the Roman yoke, were the immediate occafions of their rebelling against the authority to which they were then subject. And the fame principles that induced them to reject and crucify Jefus, brought upon them their utter and final ruin.

*

As the fin of the Jewish people in rejecting and crucifying Jefus, after a life of perfect innocence and confummate virtue, after fpeaking as no man had done before, and doing works which no other man had done, at Jerufalem, and in every part of the land of Ifrael, after fuch preparations as had been made for his reception by the Prophets, and by the teftimony of John the Baptift, his forerunner, was very great and aggravated and as they rejected the renewed offers of mercy, and repeated and earneft calls to repentance, made by Chrift's Apoftles, and went on increafing in wickedness; God at length fuffered the Romans to come upon them with an armed force, demolished their temple, and made defolate their city, and their whole country, with many circumftances of uncommon and even unparalleled diftrefs. All which having been foreseen, and often foretold, by the Lord Jefus, in his public difcourfes; the accomplishment of thefe predictions, in the event, is an argument of great force in favour of his divine miffion, and of his being indeed the Meffiah, additional to the excellent doctrine, and wonderful works of his miniftry.

VIII. THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH WAR, AND OF THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM, FROM JOSEPHUS.

Having fhewn the occafion and caufes of the war, and having alfo obferved the feveral things foretold by the Lord Jefus, as preceding

"If ye were blind, ye should have no fin. But now you fay, We fee: therefor your fin reineth." John ix. 41. "If I had not come and fpoken unto them, they had not had fin. "But now they have no cloak for their fin. If I had not done among them the works which "no other man did, they had not had fin. But now have they both feen, and hated, both me and my Father." John xv, 22.-24.

preceding it; I now proceed to the hiftory of the war itself, collecting it from Jofephus, and making my extracts in his own words.

The difturbances ftill increafing in Jerufalem, and the animofity againft Florus being very great, "Ceftius Gallus,* prefident of Syria, "judged it not proper for him to lie ftill any longer. He therefore "determined to march into Judea. Whereupon he took out of An "tioch the twelfth legion entire, and out of the reft two thoufand "chofen men, with fix cohorts of foot, and four troops of horse, " befides the auxiliaries, which were fent by the Kings. Of which "Antiochus fent two thousand horfe, and three thoufand foot, all "archers. Agrippa fent a thousand horse, and two thousand foot. "Sohemus followed with four thoufand. He then marched to Pto"lemais. Agrippa accompanied Ceftius as a guide in the journey, "and as capable of being ufeful to him in other refpects. After he "was come thither, Ceftius took a party of his army, and marched haftily to Zabulon, a ftrong city of Galilee, which separates the country of Ptolemais from our nation. That he found deftitute "of its men, the multitude having fled to the mountains, but full of "all good things, which he allowed the foldiers to feize as plunder. "And he fet fire to the city, though its buildings were very beauti"ful, resembling thofe of Tyre and Sidon, and Berytus. After "that, he over-ran the neighbouring country, feizing whatever "came in his way, and fetting fire to the villages. And then re"turned to Ptolemais." At this very time, as Jofephus adds in the fame paragraph, the Jews found means to deftroy about two thousand Syrians at Berytus, and near it, Ceftius being at a distance.

}

"Now + Ceftius himself marched from Ptolemais, and came to Ce"farea; and then fent part of his army before him to Joppa; who "coming fuddenly upon that people, who were prepared neither for "flight nor for their own defence, flew them all with their fa"milies, and then plundered and burnt the city. The number of "the flain were eight thousand and four hundred. In like manner "he fent a number of horfe into the toparchy of Narbata, not far "from Cefarea, who flew many of the inhabitants, plundered their "goods, and fet fire to the villages."

"Now alfo Ceftius fent Gallus, commander of the twelfth legion, "into Galilee, where he flew more than two thousand."

"Gallus § then returned to Cefarea, and Ceftius moved with his "whole army, and came to Antipatris. Thence he fet forward "to Lydda, where he found the place empty of men, the people "being gone up to Jerufalem upon account of the feast of Taber"nacles. However, he found there fifty men, whom he flew, and "burnt the city; and then marched onward; and going up by Be"thoron, he pitched his camp at Gaba, fifty furlongs from Jeru"falem." "The

K 2

§ lb. cap xix. § 1.

The Jews feeing the war approaching to their metropolis "relying upon their numbers, went out to fight in a hafty and dif orderly manner, even in the time of the feftival. But the rage which made them forget their religion, did alfo make them fu"perior to their enemies. Ceftius with his whole army was in danger. Five hundred and fifteen of the Romans were flain, whilft the Jews loft only two and twenty. The moft valiant of "the Jews were Monobazus, and Kenedæus, related to Monobazus, King of the Adiabenes. Next to them were Niger of Peréa, and Silas of Babylon, who had deferted from King Agrippa to the "Jews, and Simon, fon of Gioras, to be hereafter often mentioned. After that, the Jews retired into the city. Ceftius ftaid there "three days."

"At this time Agrippa, with the confent of Ceftius, fent to the "Jews two ambaffadors, Borcæus and Phoebus, men well known to them, with affurances of plenary forgiveness from Ceftius, if they would lay down their arms, and fubmit. But the Jews would not "fo much as receive the ambaffadors. Phoebus they fell upon, and "flew him, before he had fpoken a word. Borcæus too was wounded, but he retreated and efcaped."

"Soon after that, Ceftius moved forward with his whole army, and encamped upon an elevated fpot of ground, called Scopos [fignifying the Profpect, or Watch-tower]. Here he refted three days. On the fourth day, which was the thirtieth of October, he "brought his army into the city. The feditious, as Jofephus calls them, were much terrified, and retired from the fuburbs to the inner part of the city, and the temple. Ceftius foon fet fire to the દ place called Bezetha, or the new city, and to the wood market. "After which he came forward to the upper part of the city, and "pitched his camp over againft the royal palace. And if at that "time he had attempted to make his way within the walls by force, "he would have won the city prefently, and put an end to the war But Tyrannus Prifcus, a general in the army, and many officers of the horfe, who had been corrupted by Florus, diverted him from that defign; which was the occafion that this war lafted fo long, and the Jews were involved in fuch grievous calamities."

<< at once.

So writes Jofephus. And afterwards he fays: "If || Ceftius had continued the fiege a little longer, he had certainly taken the city. But God, as I think, for the wickedness of the people abhorring his own folemnities, fuffered not the war to come to an end at that * time."

The Jews refumed upon his rear, deThat night Ceftius

"Ceftius ** then withdrew from the city. courage, and went after him, and coming "ftroyed a good number both of horfe and foot. lay at his former camp, Scopos. As he went farther off the next day, he even invited his enemies to pursue him. The Ro

* Ib. § 2.

+ Ib. §.3.

+ Ib. §. 4.

' 6 6.

"mans

** §7.

"mans fuffered greatly. Among the flain, were Prifcus, commander "of the fixth legion, Longinus a tribune, and Æmilius Secundus, "commander of a troop of horse. It was not without a great deal "of difficulty that they got to Gabao, their former camp, and leaving "behind their baggage. There Ceftius ftaid two days, and was in great perplexity how to proceed. On the third day he judged it "expedient to move."

*

"That he might march on with the greater expedition, he "threw away every thing that might retard his march. He killed "the mules and the other beafts, excepting only fuch as carried weapons of war; which the Romans kept for their own use, and "that they might not fall into the hands of the Jews, to be after"wards employed against them. In that march they met with fuch "difficulties, that the Jews were near taking the whole army of "Ceftius prifoners; and would have effected it, if night had not "come on."

"In their flight they left behind them many engines for fieges, "and for throwing ftones, and a great part of their other inftru"ments of war. The Jews purfued them as far as Antipatris, and "then returned, taking up the engines, fpoiling the dead bodies, "and gathering up the prey which the Romans had left behind them. "So they came back to their metropolis with great rejoicings. They loft but a few men themfelves; but they had flain of the "Romans and their auxiliaries five thousand and three hundred foot, "and three hundred and eighty horfe. These things happened on "the eighth day of November, in the twelfth year of the reign of "Nero."

"After that calamity had befallen Ceftius," fays Jofephus, "many of the moft confiderable of the Jewish people forfook the "city, as men do a finking fhip."

And it is very likely, that at this time many of the Chriftians alfo withdrew from Jerufalem and Judea. Eufebius fays, that § before the war began, the Chriftians left Jerufalem, and went to a place beyond Jordan, called Pella. Epiphanius || speaks to the like purpofe. Eufebius does not quote any ancient author for what he fays; but it might be founded upon tradition, and fuch as could be relied upon. As he refided near the place, he might have fatisfactory information of it, and receive the account from the defcendants of thofe Jewish believers.

However, fome of them may have gone abroad into the other countries. St. John, as is well known, lived for fome time in Afia. When he came thither, we cannot fay exactly: but probably, in the year of Chrift 66, or fooner. Some of the Jewish believers K 3 might

* $ 8.

+ Ib. § 9.

† Μετὰ δὲ τὴν Κεσία συμφορὰν, πολλοὶ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν Ιεδαίων, ὥσπερ βαπλιζομένης νιὼς, απενήχοντα The news. De B. J. 1. 2. c. xx. § I.

...

.... πρὸ τῶ πολέμε, μελαςῆναι τῆς πόλεως, καὶ τίνα τῆς Περαίας πόλιν οἰκεῖν. Πέλλαν αὐτὴν ὀνομάζετιν. H. L. 1. 3. cap. V. ρ. 75. Απ

H. 29. § vii.