56.o The Evidences of the Truth Vo1.11, try ; and after that ihcy were fuouwided into three Parties, John's, and Elea - zar's, and Simon's, which held feveral parts of the City, and day and night continued to deltroy oneanother; in which Seditions all their Granaries of Corn, and Magazines of Arms were burnt ; fo that rho' Proviton had been laid in the City, that would have fufficed for feveral Years, yet before they came to be befieged byTitus, they were almoft reduced to famine. And after they were befieged, at the firft they united a little againft the Romans; yet after a few days, they divided again into Fanions, and more of them were (lain by one another's hand, and with more cruelty than by the Romans ; infomuch that Titus the General of the Romans wept feveral times, to confider the Mifery they brought upon themfelves, and their very Enemies were more pitiful toward them, than they to one another. After two Months Siege, the Famine began to rage within, and then all manner of Cruelties were exercifed by the Soldiers upon that miferable Peo- ple ; and at laic they were brought to fuch neceflïty, that many endeavoured to flee out to the Enemy, and yet were not permitted ; but as many as were fufpetìed of any endeavour to efcape, were cruelly kill'd. It is not to be imagined what barbarous Inhumanities, in thole ftraights, all exercifed one toward another ; fnatching the meat out of one anothers Mouths, and from their deareft Friends, and their very Children. And fo obflinate were they, that neither thofe Calamities which they fuf- fer'd, nor the feverity of the Romans in crucifying many thoufands of them before the Walls, and threatning them all with the fame Death, in cafe they would not yield, in ripping open the Bowels of two thoufand of Them ina night, who fled out of Jerufalem, upon a report that they had (wallowed Gold (as many of them had) yofephus, Lit. 6. Chap. 15. not all the kind Meflages of Titus, Offering Peace to them, and ufing all manner of Entreaties and Perfwaíions not to run upon their own ruin, could prevail with them to accept of Peace. And thus they continued, till by Famine and Force the City was taken, and then their provocationof the Romans to Cruelty toward thofe they had got into their power, was fo great, that Titus was not able to withhold the Soldiers from exercifing great Cruelties toward them. in fhort, from the beginning of the Siege, to the taking of the City, there were familh'd and flain Ly the faâions among themfelves, and by the Romans i c 00000, the greateft number, and with the faddeft Circumftan- ces, that is to be read of in any Story. Was not thisa time of great tribulation ? Were not thefe days of Vengeance indeed ? Was there ever a fadder accomplifhment of any Prediction, than thefe words of our Saviour had ? And after all this, the Temple was burnt and made defolate, the whole City deftroyed, and all their whole Land feiz'd by the Roman Emperor, and the remnant of the People in other parts of the Nation were profecuted with great feverity. Great numbers of Yews were deftroyed at the taking of the Caftle of Herodion, and Macharus, and Wadi:, da, and in the Thickets or Wood of fandes. And there were great flaughters of the Yews in other parts, at Antioch, in all places about Alexandria and Thebes, and at C)rent, fo that it was vifible that there was Wrath upon this People. Ver. zz. And except that the Lordhad fhortened thofe days, no fiefh fhould be faved : but for the Elells fake, whom he bath chofen, he bath fhortned the days ; that is, if thofe Calamities had lafled a little longer, there would not one yew have been left alive ; but for the Eletls fake, that is, for the lake of thole Chriftians who were left among them, chafe days were fhortsed ; God enchning the heart of Titus to Thew pity toward the remnant, and not to fuffer the Nations to exercife any mote Cruelty toward them ; particularly at Antioch, (the firft Seat of the Chriftians) yofephus tells us, that when Titus
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