5 5 a I he Evidences of the `Truth, Vol. 1L 2. I (hall next confider our Saviour's Prediílion of the Signs that fhould fore- run the Deítruétion of jerufalem, namely, thefe Eight. Fir'', That there thoutd rife up falle and counterfeit Chrifis or Mefìias's. Secondly, Great Judgments fhould befall the World, and particularly that Na- tion, not long before that time; there fhould be Wars, and rumours of Wars, Fa- mines, Peflilencel, Earthquakes in diversplaces. Thirdly, Fearful Sights and Signs from Heaven. Fourthly, Perfecution of the Chriftians. Fifthly, That upon this occafion there fhould be a great Apoflafie of Chrifli; ans. Sixthly, That upon this Perfecution many falte Prophets or Teachers fhould arife. Seventhly, That there fhould be an univerfal Publication of the Gofpel before . this great Defolation fhould happen.. Eighthly, and laflly, which was to he the moft immediate Sign and forerunner of their Ruin, The abomination of delpletion, fhould be feen fianding in the holy Place. And thefe you have let down from the 3d verfe of this 24th Chapter, to the x t/t, which I thall briefly expound, and thew how the Event did correfpond to the PredeEtion. Our Saviour having before foretold the Deftrudion of I3ierufalem and the Tem- ple in general, the Difciples come to him, and ask him Two ueftions, When thefe things fhould be ? And what fhould be the fgn of his coming? that is, in Judgment to deffroy jerufalem ; and what fhould be the firsofthe end of the World p I (hail only confider the ftrft, the Signs that fhould forerun the Deflrulion of ferufalem, as being only pertinent to my prefent purpofe. Fir/t, He foretels there fhould b@ falfe and counterfeit Chritts, or Mefías's, ver. 3, 4. Take heed that no Man deceive you, for many /hallcome inmy name, faying, I am Chrift, and (hall deceive many. This our Saviour gives as one of the first Signs ; and therefore St. Luke adds, Chap. x t. 8. The time drawèth near, that is, it fhould not be long before this Sign fhould appear : and it accordingly happened. jofephro mentions feveral of thefe ; of whom, tho' Jofephue do not exprefly fay that they call'd themfelves the Mefias, yet he fays that which is equivalent, that they undertook to refcue the People from the Homan Yoak, which was the thing which the yews expefted the Mejtas fhould do for them ; and therefore we find Luke 24. 2 r. that the Difciples that were going up to Emmarra; and knew not that Chrift was rifen, and were doubtful what to think of him, becaufe ir was the thirdday, they fay, We hoped this had beenhe that fhouldhave redeemed Iliad; that is, they hoped this had been the Mefas, that being it teems a common Pe- riphrafis of the Mesas, that he was he that was to deliver Ifrael. Such an one Theudas pretended himfelf to be ; not that Theudas of whom Gamaliel fpeaks Ads ay. 36. but another of the fame Name, who about twelve Years after-our Saviour's Death, when Cufpins Fader was Procurator of fudea, rote and feduced the People; of whom jofephus, Lib. IS. gives this account, that being aSorcerer, he roleup and deceived many; which is the very expreflion our Saviour ufeth, They (hall deceive many. This Man perfwaded a great Multitude to bring their Goods and follow him down the River Jordan, which he promifed by his Command to divide, and to give them a fate paffage over ir. But whilft he was thus playing the fool among the People, Fade fent Come Forces, and prifed him and his Company, killing many of them, and cutting off his head, and fo there was an end of him. Such likewife were thofe Impoflours, which about two and twenty Years after our Saviour's Death were fo rife among them, when Felix was Governour of yudea ; of whom Jofephus tells us, that they drew Multitudes after them into the Wildernefs, promtling to work great Signs and Wonders before them ; which agrees exaflly with the defcription which oùr Saviour gives of the falfe Chrifh and falfe Prophets, ver. 24. where he lays, that they fhould thew great Signs rand Wonders, tinfa.olec xj liewra, the very words which gofephus ufeth. Andver. 26. If
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