royal Jewess. She returned to Rome after he became emperor, but never regained her place in his affections. The war in Judea was followed by disturbances in Egypt, caused by some of the zealots who escaped thither and excited a revolt among the Alexandrian Jews: but the heads of the people soon delivered them up to the Roman governor as enemies to the public peace. Such was their spirit, however, that the most lingering torments would not induce the tenderest boy to own Cæsar as his lord. At the time of this tumult Vespasian ordered the temple in Egypt to be shut up; and it was destroyed shortly afterwards. Josephus ended his life at Rome, and never lost the imperial favour. It was there he wrote the history of the Jewish war in the Syro-Chaldaic language, for the use of the Jews in the East; and afterwards translated it into Greek, for the information of the western Jews and the Romans. It is said, both Titus and Agrippa bore witness to the correctness of his accounts; and the former signed it with his own hand, and placed it in the public library. Many years after, he wrote the history of the " Antiquities of the Jews," to correct some false reports concerning his people and their religion. It is evident the works of Josephus were written with a view of pleasing his Roman friends; and he was disposed to exaggerate, in some cases, for his own honour or theirs; and in others, to make his nation appear greater, or their religion more agreeable to the minds of the Gentiles. The remarkable passage in which he speaks of Christ has been supposed by some not to be genuine : but many are inclined to believe Josephus was constrained to give this testimony, though his own heart was unaffected by it. As it will not be generally known to the young reader, I shall conclude this chapter with the passage in question :-"About this time lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed we may call him a man; for he performed wonderful things, and was an instructor of such as received the truth with pleasure. He made many converts both among the Jews and Greeks. This was the Christ. And when Pilate, on the accusation of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those who before entertained a respect for him continued to do so; for he appeared to them alive again on the third day: the divine prophets having declared these and many other wonderful things concerning him. And the sect of Christians, so named from him, subsists to this very time "(written, A. D. 93). CHAP. XVII. REIGN OF VESPASIAN.-TITUS, EMPEROR.-ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS.-AGRICOLA.-DEATH OF TITUS. Ar the close of the Jewish war, Vespasian built a temple to peace, in which he placed the book of the law and some of the spoils of Jerusalem; and, as there was no war in any part of the empire, the temple of Janus was shut. Titus, as the acknowledged heir of the empire, was now associated with his father, and assisted him in the government. Vespasian was unwearied in his attempts to correct the abuses caused by the tyranny of his predecessors, and to restrain the general licentiousness. Pliny, the celebrated naturalist, who stood high in his favour, remarks, that "he was a man in whom power made no alteration, except in giving him the opportunity of doing good equal to his will." 66 He seemed always to dislike rather than to court the flattering titles offered him by the senate and people : and when the king of Parthia, in one of his letters, styled himself the king of kings, the Roman emperor, in his answer, wrote simply, Flavius Vespasian." After reigning ten years, beloved by his subjects, he was attacked by a sudden illness, which he felt would be fatal to him; and he exclaimed, in the spirit of a pagan, "Methinks I am going to be a god!" As his end approached, he observed that an emperor ought to die standing; and making a great effort to raise himself upon his feet, he fell back and expired in the arms of his supporters, A. D. 79. Titus, on his succession to the empire, imitated and exceeded his father in humanity and moderation; and even Christian writers have noticed his courtesy and readiness to do good. He dismissed all his vicious companions; and encouraged, as Vespasian had done, every man of learning or wisdom and his generosity procured him such universal love, that he was called "The delight of mankind." : It was his rule not to send away any petitioner dissatisfied; ERUPTION OF MOUNT VESUVIUS. 99 and he was so active in his exertions for others, that one night, on recollecting that he had done no benefit to any one in the course of the day, he exclaimed with sorrow, I have lost a day." Titus, as emperor, seems to have been an example of a ruler using rightly the power given to him: for, notwithstanding his benevolence, he was a "terror to evil-doers ;" and it is even said, the criminals who had escaped punishment in the former reign now received the due reward of their deeds: and he carefully silenced all mischievous persons, false witnesses, and disturbers of the public peace. It was in the first year of the reign of Titus, on the twentyfourth of August, A.D. 79, that the most tremendous eruption of the volcano of Mount Vesuvius took place; on which occasion the two large towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii were completely overwhelmed. Pliny, commander of the Roman fleet in the Adriatic, took a boat and went to the place of danger, from which every one was trying to escape; for his curiosity to observe the progress of the eruption overcame every other feeling. But he stayed too long; and he was suffocated by the sulphureous vapours in the midst of his observations. This extraordinary man had pursued his favourite studies with such ardour, notwithstanding the toils of a military life, that he had one hundred and sixty volumes of original notes on various authors; and thirty books of the "Natural History" which he compiled still exist. These were preserved by his nephew Pliny, surnamed the Younger, of whom we shall speak again. It was he who found the body of the naturalist, on searching for it, three days afterwards. It was not till A.D. 1713, that the towns so suddenly buried in the earth were accidentally discovered. Some labourers digging for water found some remains which led to further examination; and Herculaneum and Pompeii were found almost in their original state, many feet underground. As the streets and houses, with all their contents, were found just as they existed so many centuries before, we can have a certain knowledge of the fashions of those times but this is far less instructive than the example, given to us, of destruction as sudden as that of Sodom and Gomorrah; for in these Roman cities people were about their daily work just as usual, and employed in their different pursuits as we may be at this hour. And so we are assured, in 100 CLOSE OF THE REIGN OF TITUS. Scripture, it will be in the day of the Lord's coming, which cannot be far distant from us (Matth. xxiv. 40). In A. D. 80, a great fire took place at Rome, which destroyed the Capitol, or temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, with other public buildings. In order to repair this loss, an edict was passed, that the annual tribute which all the Jews had been accustomed to pay in support of their temple worship, should be raised for this purpose. They were thus instrumental in rebuilding an idol temple whilst their own lay in ruins and this increased the bitter feeling of degradation and their desire to recover their independence. In the reign of Titus, his general, Agricola, became master of South Britain, and began seriously to attempt the civilization of the natives. Their rude dwellings were gradually exchanged for substantial houses: temples and even theatres were built, and the dress and manners of their conquerors in some measure imitated. The sons of the chiefs were taught the Latin tongue, and instructed in the arts; so that, in the course of time, the civilized islanders began to consider the Romans as their friends. On account of the successes of Agricola, the senate saluted Titus with the title of Imperator, which was the usual compliment after a victory, and which he had received fourteen times before. This empty honour afforded him a very brief pleasure; for he was taken ill shortly afterwards in the great amphitheatre, which he had caused to be built for the public entertainment. Some thought it was a fever, others suspected he had been poisoned by his wicked brother Domitian. In his dying hours he declared there was only one action of his life that he regretted; and it was afterwards generally supposed he meant the nomination of Domitian as his successor, A. D. 81. looking back through his history, how many things must the historian view with painful regret, and even with wonder that the conscience of a heathen was not affected by the remembrance. But it is too frequently supposed that former excesses, and especially the sins of youth, are covered by improvement of conduct in later life. Alas! how different are the thoughts of man from the thoughts of God. It is only those who have learnt to measure themselves, not by others, but by God's standard of righteousness and true holiness, that can feel no covering for sin will do but that which he has himself provided in his well-beloved Son; and even those who can rejoice in this In THE PRESENT DISPENSATION. 101 great salvation will be ready to confess in their dying hours, as an eminent Christian once did "Life's one blot in every page, CHAP. XVIII. THE PRESENT DISPENSATION.-CONTRAST BETWEEN THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN DISPENSATIONS.-THE BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.-OUTLINES OF THE EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS, TO THE CORINTHIANS, TO THE ROMANS, AND TO THE EPHESIANS.-LAST EPISTLES OF PETER, PAUL, AND JUDE. THROUGH the whole course of our history we have been tracing the goodness of the Creator, and the failure of the creature in every position. Man failed in the garden of Eden: and in the favoured circumstances of Israel, kings, priests, prophets, and people proved again and again that in the flesh dwelleth no good thing. The national rejection of the Gospel put an end to the national blessings of the Jews; and their peculiar dispensation completely ended at the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple: for, according to the law, the sacrifices could not be offered anywhere but in that appointed place. It is not my present object to touch upon their future national repentance or restoration. I wish rather to point out to you the character of the New Dispensation, commonly called the Christian dispensation, which will exist till the Lord's second appearing. God is not now dealing with a particular nation, and suffering other nations to be ignorant, or giving them up to a reprobate mind because they do not like to retain the knowledge of Him (Acts xvii. 30; Rom. i. 28). On the contrary, that particular nation, even Israel, is blinded (Acts xxviii. 26-27; Rom. xi. 25) and salvation is now proclaimed to the Gentiles, that is, to all nations. God is gathering a great multitude, which no man can number, out of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues and for this purpose the Gospel will be preached in all the world, for a witness to all nations, before the end of the dispensation comes. Another grand distinction between the two dispensations is, that whereas the obedience of Israel secured outward honour and prosperity in the world (see : |