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been written before the difperfion of the apostles, becaufe (3) St. Bartholomew is faid 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 deftruction 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, the one by St. Peter, the other by St. Paul. So Papius Bifhop of Hierapolis, and Clemens Alexandrinus, fay exprefsly that the Gospel of St. Mark was written at the defire of the new converts, and ratified by St. Peter. So the learned Origen affirms, that the fecond Gofpel is that of Mark, who wrote as Peter dictated to him; and the third Gofpel is that of Luke, which is commended by Paul. So Tertullian faith, that Mark's Gospel is affirmed to be Peter's, whofe interpreter Mark was; and Luke's Gofpel they are wont to afcribe to Paul. So Jerome faith, that the Gofpel according to Mark, who was the difciple and interpreter of Peter, is faid to be Peter's. Thefe authorities are more than fufficient to weigh down the fingle teftimony of Irenæus to the contrary: but befides thefe Gregory Nazianzen, Athanafius, and other fathers might be alleged to prove, that the Gofpels of Mark and Luke, received the approbation, the one of St. Peter, the other of St. Paul: and it is very well known, that both these apoftles fuffered martyrdom under Nero. The Gofpel of St. Mark must have been written at latest in the reign of Nero; for he died in

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 ex Judæis in Palaeftina, evangelium fuum fcripfiffe, et quidem, ut multi addunt, Hierofolymis, octavo poft afcenfionem Chrifti anno, qui Claudii imperatoris primus fuit. Wethein.

(3) Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift. Lib. 5. Cap. 10. Hieron. Catalog. Script. Ecclef. in Pantano. p. 112. Vol. 4. Par. 2. Edit. Bened.

(4) Papias et Clemens Alex. apud Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. z. Cap. 15. Origen apud Eufeb. Lib. 6. Cap. 25. Tertull. adverf. Marcion. Lib. 4. Sect. 5. p. 416. Edit. Rigaltii, Paris. 1675. Hieron. de Script. Ecclef. p. 101. Vol. 4. Edit. Benedict, &c.. &c.

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reign, in the (5) eighth year of Nero according to me. The Golpel of St. Luke was written before Acts of the Apoftles, as appears from the preface e latter; and the Acts of the Apoftles concluding St. Paul's dwelling at Rome two years, it is proe that this book was written foon after that time, before the death of St. Paul. It may be concluded as certain, that three of the four Gofpels were writand published before the destruction of Jerufalem; Lardner himfelf, who fixed the time of writing the first Gospels later than most other authors, yet (6) tains that they were all published fome years before eftruction of Jerufalem; and in all probability the rs themfelves were dead before that period; St. hew and St. Mark were certainly fo; and confely it cannot with any colour of reafon be pretendhat the predictions were written after the events. ohn is the only evangelift, who lived and wrote the deftruction of Jerufalem; and he purposely thefe prophecies, to prevent this very cavil, as we uppofe with reafon. Neither can it be pretended, thefe predictions were (7) interpolations made afrds, because they are inferted in feveral places, and into the very fubftance of the Gospels; and bethey are cited and alluded to by ancient writers, I as other parts; and because they were not to be plifhed all at once, but required feveral ages to perfect completion; and we fee them, in fome in5, fulfilling to this very day.

the conclufion of the twenty-third chapter of St. ew, our Saviour had with the moft merciful fevewith the most compaffionate juftice, pronounced the ce of defolation upon Jerufalem; (ver. 37, 38.) falem, Jerufalem, thou that killeft the prophets, and them which are fent unto thee, how often would I thered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth

her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your houfe is left unto you defolate. In like manner, upon another occafion, when he was approaching to Jerufalem, (Luke XIX. 41, 42.) he beheld the city, and wept over it, faying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. So deeply was our Saviour affected, and fo tenderly did he lament over the calamities, which were coming upon his nation! Such a generous and amiable pattern of a patriot fpirit hath he left to his difciples; and fo contrary to truth is the infinuation of a (8) noble writer, that there is nothing in the Gospels to recommend and encourage the love of one's country.

When our Saviour uttered that pathetic lamentation recorded in the twenty-third chapter of St. Matthew, he was in the temple, fpeaking to a mixt audience of his difciples and the multitude: and as he was departing out of the temple, (ver. 1ft. of the twenty-fourth chapter) his difciples came to him for to fhow him the buildings of the temple, intimating what a pitiable calamity they thought it, that fo magnificent a structure fhould be deftroyed. In the other Gofpels they are reprefented as faying, (Mark XIII, 1.) Mafter, fee what manner of ftones, and what buildings are here; and as fpeaking of the temple, (Luke XXI. 5.) how it was adorned with goodly ftones, and gifts. The gifts of ages were repofited there, the (9) prefents of kings and emperors as well as the offerings of the Jews: and as the whole temple was built with the greateft coft and magnificence, fo nothing was more ftupendous than the uncommon measure of the ftones. The difciples appear to have admired them particularly, and to have thought them very extraordinary; and indeed they were of a fize almoft incredible, Thofe (1) employed in the foundations were in magnitude

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tude forty cubits, that is above fixty feet, a cubit being fomewhat more than a foot and a half: and the fuperftructure was worthy of fuch foundations. There were fome ftones of the whiteft marble forty five cubits long, five cubits high, and fix cubits broad, as a priest of the temple hath defcribed them.

Such a structure as this, one would have expected, might have endured for many generations, and was indeed worthy of the highest admiration; but notwithftanding our Saviour affures his difciples, (ver. 6.) There Shall not be left here one ftone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Our Saviour in his prophecies frequently alludes to phrafes and expreffions used by the ancient prophets; and as the prophet Haggai (II. 15.) expreffeth the building of the temple by a stone being laid upon a ftone, fo Chrift expreffeth the deftruction of it by one Alone not being left upon another. In the fame manner he fpeaketh of and to the city, (Luke XIX. 44.) They Shall lay thee even with the ground, and fhall not leave in thee one ftone upon another. It is a proverbial and figurative manner of expreffion, to denote an utter deftruction: and the prophecy would have been amply fulfilled, if the city and temple had been utterly ruined, though every fingle ftone had not been overturned. But it happened in this cafe, that the words were almoft literally fulfilled, and fearce one ftone was left upon another. For when the Romans had taken Jerufalem (2), Titus ordered his foldiers to dig up the foundations both of all the city and the temple. The temple was a building of fuch ftrength and grandeur, of fuch fplendor and beauty, that it was likely to be preferved, as it was worthy to be preferved, for a monument of the victory and glory of the Roman empire. Titus was accordingly very defirous of preferving it, and (3) protested to

των δε εν αυτῳ λίθων ενιοι μηκα πεντε
και τεσσαράκοντα πηχώνησαν, ύψ
πεντε εύρος
de. Saxorum autem, qui-
bus exftructum erat templum, quædam
erant XLV cubitos longa, alta V. et
lata VI. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 5.
Cap. 5. Sect. 1, 2, 6. Edit. Hudfon.

(2) κελευει Καισαρ ηδη την τε πολιν άπασαν και τον νεών κατασκαπίειν.

jubet eos Cæfar totam funditus jam evertere civitatem et templum. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 7. Cap. 1. Sect. 1. p. 1295. Edit. Hudson.

(3) τηρήσω δε τον ναον ὑμιν και μη A. Vobis autem etiam invitis templum fervabo. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 6. Cap. 2. Sect. 4. p. 1269. Edit. Hudion. B 4

the

the Jews, who had fortified themselves within it, that he would preferve it, even against their will. He had (4) expreffed the like defire of preferving the city too, and fent Jofephus and other Jews again and again to their countrymen, to perfuade them to a furrender. But an over-ruling providence directed things otherwife. The Jews themfelves (5) firft fet fire to the portico's of the temple, and then the Romans. One of the foldiers, (6) neither waiting for any command, nor trembling for fuch an attempt, but urged by a certain divine impulse, threw a burning brand in at the golden window, and thereby fet fire to the buildings of the temple itself. Titus (7) ran immediately to the temple, and commanded his foldiers to extinguish the flame. But neither exhortations nor threatnings could restrain their vio lence. They either could not hear, nor would not hear; and thofe behind encouraged thofe before to fet fire to the temple. He was ftill for preferving the holy place. He commanded his foldiers even to be beaten for difobeying him but their anger, and their hatred of the Jews, and a certain warlike vehement fury overcame their reverence for their general, and their dread for his commands. A foldier in the dark fet fire to the doors; and thus, as Jofephus (8) fays, the temple was burnt against the will of Cæfar. Afterwards, as we (9) read in the Jewish Talmud and in Maimonides, Turnus Rufus, or rather (1) Terentius Rufus, who was left to command the army at Jerufalem, did with a ploughshare tear up the foundation of the temple; and thereby fignally fulfilled thofe words of Micah, (III. 12.) There fore fhall Zion for your fake be ploughed as a field. EuseCap. 4. Sect. 5. p. 1278. Edit. Hudfon.

(4) Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 5. Cap. 8. Sect. 1. Cap. 9. Sect. 2, &c. Cap. 11. Sect. 2. Lib. 6. Cap. 2. Sect. 1. Edit. Hudfon.

(5) Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 6. Cap. 2. Sect. 9. Edit. Hudfon.

(6) ενθα δη των τρατιωίων τις, ετε πα ραγΓελμα περιμείνας, ετε επι τηλικετῳ δείσας εγχειρήματι, δαιμονιῳ ὅρμη της χρώμενος, κ. τ. λ. Quo tenrpore miles quidam, non expectato cujufquam mandato, neque tantum facinus veritus, divino quodam impetu fretus, &e. Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. Lib. 6.

(7) Jofoph. ibid. Sect. 6, et 7.

(8) ὁ μεν εν ναος έτως, ακόνος Και σapos, Ipala. Et templum quidem hoc modo exuritur, invito Cafare. Sect. 7. p. 1279.

(9) See them quoted in Lightfoot, Whitby, Wetftein, &c. upon the place.

(1) Τερέντιος Ρέφος έτος γας αρχων της τραβίας κατελελειπίο. Terentius Rufus; namque is exercitui præfectus relictus erat. Jofeph. de Bell, Jud. Lib. 7. Cap. 2. p. 1298.

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