that the Meffiab fhould come during the Standing of the Second Temple: And that Prophecy can never now be fulfilled. feemed You have feveral Times attempted to rebuild your Temple, in the Reigns of Adrian, of Conftantine, of Julian; when, having gained not only that apoftate Emperor's Confent, but that he was willing to bear the Expences of it; and gave Orders for the Rebuilding of your Temple at Jerufalem, in Odium to the Chriftians; and the Heathens did with great Zeal (for the fame Reafon) affift you in it; even then, when you on all Hands to have gained your Purpofe-Behold God did immediately himself interpofe! and by a terrible Earthquake threw up the Stones out of the very Foundation with that Violence, as deftroyed many of the Workmen and Spectators; and, by overthrowing the Buildings near adjoining to the Temple, killed and maimed many more of the Jews, who were there gathered together for the carrying on of this Work. And when, not terrified with this, they again attempted to lay the Foundations. of the Temple, Globes of Fire, bursting out of the very Foundations, not only deftroyed the Workmen, but devoured the Stones. This is recorded in Socrat. Hift. Eccl. 1. 3. c. 20. and in Sozom. 1. 5. c. 22. who appeals to several. Witnesses of it, then living: And our Chryfoftome fays, We all are Witnefes of this Thing. But befides thefe Teftimonies of Chriftians, this is likewife told by Ammianus Marcellinus, who was not a Chriftian, in his 23d Book. Thus the Building of the Temple was defeated at that time, A. C. 361. and to this Day. Though if you had a new Temple To-morrow, that could not folve the Prophecies that were made either to the first or second Temple; which laft has been destroyed now more than feventeen hundred Years: Much less could it fatisfy all those Prophecies that fpeak fo particularly of the Time of the Meffiab's Coming, which are longer fince past. Orat. 2. Contr. Jud. IV. IV. The Prophecies of the Holy Scriptures, concerning the Time of the Coming of the Meffiah, were fo noted and known among the Jews, that when it drew near, viz. about the Time that our Bleffed Saviour came into the World, the Jews were generally looking out for him, and expected his Coming. Some thought that Herod (who repaired the Temple, and made it more glorious) was he, and took the Name of Herodians: Others followed Theudas: Others, Judas of Galilee: A v. 36, 37. Jofeph. Antiq. 1. xxviii. c. 1, 2. 1. xx. C. 2. Both of which are mentioned in our Hif tory of the Acts of the Apofiles, and likewife by your Jofephus; if it was not another Theudas, who, as he tells, pretended to Miracles, viz. to divide the River Jordan by his Command, and give his Followers a Paffage through it on dry Land. He mentions another Imer, who led the Jews into the Wilderness, and promised them Deliverance, if they would follow him thither; whom Feftus deftroyed, with all his Followers. This our Saviour literally foretold; and cautions against following thefe falfe Chrifts, and falfe Prophets, into the Defart. And Jofephus fays, that there were at that time (which was about fifty-feven or fiftyeight Years after the Nativity of Chrift) many Enchanters and Deceivers, who perfuaded the common People to follow them into the Defart, where they promised to Matth. xxiii. 23, 24, 25, 26. Jofeph Antiq. 1. xx. c. vi. work Miracles, &c. He fays, that the Country of Judea was ftored with fuch; fo intent were they then to find out their Meffiah, and fo perfuaded that that was the Time of his Coming. The two Brothers ibid. 1. xviii. c. xii. Afinaus and Anileus, both Weavers, had mighty Succeffes, but were at laft destroyed; and were the Occafion of the Destruction of many of the Jews, who followed them, about forty Years after the Birth of Chrift. Id. de Bell. And about feventy-four Years after, an añ other other Weaver, one Jonathan, led many of Jud.1. vii. the Jews after him into the Wilderness, c. 31. where he promised to shew them Signs and Wonders. He was burnt alive, and Multitudes of the Jews were maffsacred about Cyrene. This was two Years after the Deftruction of Jerufalem. And Jofephus tells, that the great Cause of that was their Expectation of their Meffiab then to come. For Bell. Jud. he fays, that the chief Thing which incited 1.vii. c.12. them to that War (with the Romans), was a doubtful Prophecy (as he calls it) found in the Holy Scriptures, that, about that Time, one of their Country should be Monarch of the whole World. He faid (after the Deftruction of Jerufalem) that they were deceived in this Interpretation of the Prophecy; which he (then) applied to the Reign of Vefpafian, as if fulfilled in him. V. But what is more remarkable, the Romans themfelves had the fame Notion current among them: And not only they, but all the eastern Part of the World, which may well include all that was then known. Thus fays Suetonius, in the Life of Vefpafian, Percrebuerat Oriente toto vetus & conftans Opinio, effe in Fatis, ut eo Tempore, Judæa profecti rerum potirentur; i. e. That an antient and conftant Tradition had obtained throughout all the Eaft, that in the Fates it was decreed, that, about that Time, fome who should come from Judæa should ob tain the Dominion, or Government, i. e. of the World, which the Romans then poffeffed. And Corn. Tacit. (Hift. 1. 5.) fpeaks almoft in the fame Words, telling of the great Prodigies, which preceded the Destruction of Jerufalem: He fays, That many understood them as the Forerunners of that extraordinary Perfon, whom the antient Books of the Priests did foretel fhould come, about that Time, from Judea, and obtain the Dominion. Pluribus Perfuafio inerat, antiquis Sacerdotum Literis contineri, eo ipfo Tempore fore, ut valefceret Oriens, profectique Judæa Rerum potirentur. Thefe antient Books of the Priests must either mean the Holy Scriptures of the Old Teftament, in the Hands of the Jewish Priefts, and which were known to the Romans Romans (and, if fo, it fhews the Sense of the Jews at that time, and before, that that was the Time of the Meffiah's Coming); or otherwife, which is more probable, by these Books were meant the Oracles of the Sibyls, which were kept with great Veneration by the Roman Priefts, and which very plainly foretold the Coming of Chrift, and pointed out the very Time. And this raised fo great an Expectation, and a Jealousy in the Roman Government, at that time; with a watchful Eye particularly upon the Jews. The fame Year that Pompey took Jerufalem, one of the Sibyl Oracles made a great Noife, viz. That Nature was about to bring forth a King to the Romans. Which, as Suetonius tells in the Life of Auguftus, did fo terrify the Senate, that they made a Decree, that none born that Year should be educated. And that those whofe Wives were with Child, did each conceive great Hopes, applying the Prophecy to themselves-Senatum exterritum cenfuiffe, ne quis illo Anno genitus educaretur: Eos qui gravidas Uxores haberent, quod ad fe quifque Spem traheret, curaffe ne Senatus confultum ad Erarium deferretur. And Appian, Plutarch, Saluft, and Cicero, do all fay, that it was this Prophecy of the Sibyls which stirred up Cornel. Lentulus at that time; he hoping that he was the Man who fhould be King of the Romans. Some applied it to Cæfar; which Cicero (De Divinatione), after Cafar's Death, ridicules; and cautions that thofe Prophecies fhould not be interpreted of any future King to be in Rome. Cum Anftitibus agamus, & quidvis potius ex illis Libris, quam Regem proferant: Quem Romæ poft hæc nec Dii, nec Homines, effe patientur. Virgil, in his famous fourth Eclogue, wrote about the Beginning of Herod the Great, compliments the Conful Pollio with this Prophecy, by fuppofing it might refer to his Son Saloninus, then born. But the Words are too great to be verified of any mere mortal Man; and speak of fuch a golden Age, and Renovation of all Things, as cannot be fulfilled in the Reign of any earthly King. And Virgil does exprefs it almost in the Words of the Holy Scriptures, wherein they tell of the glorious Age of the Meffiah; of new Heavens Heavens and a new Earth, then to begin, and to be finally completed at the End of the World. 17. 2 Pet. iii. 13. Ultima Cumei venit jam Carminis Ætas: Ifai. lxv. Now the laft Age decreed by Fate is come: Then the Poet runs a Divifion upon the peaceable State of that Reign, perfectly a Paraphrafe of Isaiah 1xv. from ver. 17, which ends ver. 25. The Wolf and the Lamb fhall feed together, and the Lion fhall eat Straw as the Bullock; and Duft fhall be the Serpent's Meat. They fhall not hurt, nor destroy, in all my holy Mountain, faith the Lord. ·Nec magnos metuent Armenta Leones. Occidet & Serpens, & fallax Herba Veneni Occidet. -Nor fhall the Flocks fierce Lions fear. Nay the very Atonement for our Sins, which Daniet atributed to the Meffiah, chap. ix. 24. To finish the Tranfgreffion, to make an End of Sins, and to make Reconsiliation for Iniquity, is thus expreffed in this Eclog. Te Duce, fi qua manent Sceleris Veftigia roftri, By |