hosts and congregations. This language was borrowed from the ancient hieroglyphics. For as in the hieroglyphic writing, the sun, moon and stars were used to represent states and empires; kings, queens and nobility; their eclipse and extinction used to denote temporary disasters or entire overthrow: so, in like manner, the holy prophets call kings and empires by the names of the heavenly luminaries; their misfortunes and overthrow are represented by eclipses and extinction; stars falling from the firmament, are employed to denote the destruction of the nobility; in a word, the prophetic style seems to be a speaking hieroglyphic. These observations, adds the Bishop, will not only assist us in the study of the Old and New Testaments, but will likewise vindicate their character from the illiterate cavils of modern libertines, who have foolishly mistaken that for the peculiar workmanship of the prophet's heated imagination, which was the sober, established language of their times; and which God condescended to employ, as the properest conveyance of the high, mysterious ways of providence, in the revelation of himself to mankind."

We are to consider then the 24th chapter of St. Matthew as containing not two distinct prophecies, but one continued prediction; relating in its primary sense to the destruction of Jerusalem, and to the termination of the Jewish economy; and in its remote, or secondary sense, to the coming of Christ in judgment at the last day: the destruction of Jerusalem being a lively image, type, or emblem of the end of the world; the end of the Jewish state being, in a manner, the end of the world to many of the Jews. The expressions, then, here used by St. Matthew, of "the coming of Christ," and of " the end of the world," or rather, as it should be rendered, the conclusion of the age, are to be considered as only different expressions to denote the same period; namely, the destruction of Jerusalem. And the purport, therefore, of the question proposed by the disciples to our Lord is simply this: When shall the destruction of Jerusalem take place, and what shall be the signs when all these things shall be fulfilled? It was observed in our former discourse, that our Saviour answers the latter part of this question

first, and treats of the signs of his coming, from the 4th to the 31st verse inclusive. We shall now, therefore, proceed to consider what these signs were, and to show how exactly they were fulfilled. They may be divided into those signs or circumstances which ushered in, attended, and followed this great event. The first sign which was to precede, or to usher in the coming of Christ in judgment upon the Jews, was the appearance of false Christs. "Take heed," saith our Saviour, in the verse following our text, "that no man deceive you; for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." In St. Luke our Lord adds, "the time draweth near:" accordingly, within a short time after his decease, this part of the prophecy began to be fulfilled. We read in the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that Simon Magus appeared in Samaria, "giving out that himself was some great one; to whom they gave heed, saying, This man is the great power of God." Of the same description with Simon Magus, was also another Samaritan named Dositheus, who pretended, as we learn from Origen, that

he was the Christ foretold by Moses.

The

66

words of Origen, are as follows: And after the time of Jesus, a certain Samaritan, Dositheus, wished to persuade the Samaritans, his countrymen, that he was the Christ, prophesied of by Moses; and he seemed to gain some by his teaching." About twelve years after the death of our Lord, as we learn from Josephus, in the reign of Claudius, when Crispius Fadus was procurator of Judea, there arose likewise an impostor of the name of Theudas, who pretended that he was a prophet; and persuaded a great multitude to follow him, with their best effects, to the river Jordan, which he promised to divide for their passage; and saying these things, remarks Josephus, he deceived many: almost the very words of our Lord himself. The historian adds, that Fadus having sent a troop of horse against these deluded people, they fell unexpectedly upon them, and having killed many, and taken many prisoners, they beheaded Theudas and caused his head to be conveyed to Jerusalem. Josephus also testifies that a few years afterwards, in the reign of Nero, and under the

procuratorship of Felix, these impostors arose so frequently, that many were daily apprehended and put to death: well, therefore, might our Saviour caution his disciples against them, and thus wonderfully was this first sign of his coming fulfilled. "Take heed," saith he, "that no man deceive you; for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." In concluding this discourse our time will not admit of many observations. We may, however, remark, what a melancholy proof of the wickedness, superstition and enthusiasm of mankind does it afford, that these false Christs and false prophets should have deluded such numbers as they did, to their destruction. The false Christs had for a time many more disciples than the true Messiah. The Christians were once, as our Saviour calls them, "a little flock." "The number of the names together," saith St. Luke, "were about an hundred and twenty." Whereas we learn from Josephus, that these impostors actually drew away six thousand at one time, and at another time, even thirty thousand. With a pretence of divine inspiration, they taught the