Serm. CLXXXIII. of the Ghrifian `Religion. S i are as plain, as the Budding of the Fig-Tree is a Sign of Summer : but f nave not given fuch plain Signs of the End of the World, and the Day of judgment. That I have declared to you in dark Allegories of the Sun's being ddrkned, and the Moon's not giving her Light, and the Stars falling from Heaven, which cántiot be underftood literally ; and the myftical Meaning of them is very hidden; And thus I hope I have removed diode Difficulties, and made the Order and Series of this Prophecy very clear. Secondly, I come in the next Place to expound the Particulars of this Pr'ophe- cy, fo far as it concerns the Deftru&ion of ferufalem, as we find them in the 24th of St. Matthew, compared with the other two Evangelifts rhat wrote of it St. Mark and St. Luke; and to Phew the ex-s1 Accomplifhment of each of thefe Particulars, nor only from the Tradition of Chriltians ; but from the Writings of the yews and Heathens, whichare fo much theftrcnger on our Side, becaufe they are the Teftimonics of Enemies. And in the expounding of this Prophecy, I í11a11 dillirtaly confider thefe three Things. I. Our Saviour's general Prediction of the Siege and total Deftruaion"of the City of erufalem, and of the Temple, which you have from the 34th verfe of the 2,3d Chapter, to the 3d verfe of the 24th. a. His Prediúion cf the Signs that fliould forerun the Deftruction of Hierufa- lem, from 'mile the ;d, to rerfe the ail. 3. The concomitant and fub equent Circumftances of it, from vet. the tt. to ver. z9. r. Our Saviour's general Prediétion of the Siege of Hierufalem, arid of the total Deftru£tion of the City. This our Saviour foretels, Luke 19. 41, 42, 43,44. Andwhen he was come near, he beheld the City and wept over et, laying, If thou hadfl known, even thou, at haft in this thy day, the things Which Belong unto thy peace : lut now they are hidfrom thine eyes. For the days (hall come Upon thee, that thine Enemies fhall cat( a trench about thee, and comp* thee round, and keep thee in on every fide ; andfhall lay theeeven with the ground, and thy Children within thee; and they fha.'l not leave in thee one floue upon another ; lecaufe thou knewefl not the time of thy vifttation. So 7nfephus tells, Lib. 6. that Titus railed a Wall round about Hierufalem, and kept them in on every fide ; fo that none could come Our, rho' many thoufands were famifh'd with hunger ; which was fo fad and difmal a Calamity, that our Saviour, rho' he knew how jail a caufe there was for it, yet out ofvery Humanity, and tendernefs of Nature, he could not but upon rho fore- fight of fo fad a Deltrufffon, weep over it. He indeed expmfleeh his vehement defire that this might have been prevented, Chap. 2.3. 37. O Hierufalem. Hierufa- lem, thou that kill/( the Prophets, and flonefl them that are feat unto th'e ; how of ten would I have gather'd thee, as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her whits, and ye would not ! Therefore having brought this Ruin wilfully upon themfIves, he pronouncech the Sentence of their Defolation, ver. 38. Behold your houfe is left unto you defalate 1 And at the beginning of the next Chapter, when the Difciples were (hewing him the beautiful ftructure of the Temple, he foretels, that therá fhouldnot one floue Ge left upon another, which fhiould not le thrown down. Now that all this was punctually accomplifh'd, yofephus tells us, Lib. 7. Bell. ltd. that when the Romans had taken the City, Cafar gave order to lay it wafle ro the ground, exceptingTome part of the Wall which was left for the Guards of Soldiers; and three of the Ifrongeft Towers, which he ordeed ro be left for a !landing Monument of the Roman Courage : but all the reff of the City was fo levell'd, that no Man that should come to fee it, could believe that it was ever inhabited. And our Saviour's Prediction of the utter Ruin of the Temple; was molt re. markably fulfill'd. For the Roman Hiftory tells us, that Turnus Rufus with a Ploughfhare did tear up the Foundation of the Temple, and left no part of ir, not fo much as under ground, undiffolv'd. So that our Saviour's Prophecy was literally fulfill'd, There was not left one flout upon another, that was not thrown down. .I
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