When Adrian vifited the eastern parts of the Roman empire, and found Jerufalem a heap of ruins, forty-feven years after its de struction, he determined to rebuild it; but not exactly on the fame fpot. He called the new city, Ælia, after his own name, placed a Roman colony in it, and dedicated a Temple to Jupiter Capitolinus, in the room of the Temple of Jehovah. This profanation of the Holy Place was the great cause of the rebellions and fufferings of the Jews during the reign of Adrian. The city was once more taken by them and burnt.—Adrian rebuilt it-re-established the colony-ordered the ftatue of a hog (which the Jews held in religious abhorrence) to be fet up over the gate that opened towards Bethlehem; and published an edict, ftrictly forbidding any Jew, on pain of death, to enter the city, or even to look at it from a distance. Thus the city remained till the time of Conftantine, the first Christian emperor, who greatly improved it, and restored the name of Jerufalem; but the Jews were not permitted to refide there. Attempting in vain to get poffeffion of their capital, Conftantine caused their ears to be cut off, their bodies to be marked as rebels, and difperfed them over all the provinces of the empire, as fugitives and flaves. The Emperor Julian, from enmity to the Chriftians, favoured the Jews; and, in the vain hope of contradicting the Prophecy concerning it, attempted to rebuild the Temple, but was miraculously prevented, and obliged to defift from the undertaking ". Jovian revived the fevere edict of Adrian; and the Greek Emperors continued the prohibition; fo that the wretched Jews used to give money to the foldiers for permiffion to behold and weep over the ruins of their Temple and City, particularly on the return of that memorable day, in which it had been taken by the Romans. In the reign of Heraclius, Chofroes, King of Perfia, took and plundered it; but Heraclius foon recovered poffeffion In 637, the Chriftians furrendered Jerufalem to Omar, the Saracen Caliph, who built a mofque upon the fite of Solomon's Temple. It remained in the poffeffion - "This attempt of Julian was made A. D. 363, and is recorded by Ammianus Marcellinus, a contemporary Pagan Hiftorian, lib. xxiii. c. 1. It is likewife mentioned by feveral Chriftian writers of the fame century. For full proofs of the miracle by which this attempt was defeated, see Warburton's Julian. A fimilar project was formed by the confpirators against Christianity in France, and the project failed. See Barruel's Memoirs of Ja, cobinism, vol. i. p. 185. of of the Saracens above 400 years, and then was taken by the Turks. They retained it till the year 1099, when the Franks took it under Godfrey of Bouloigne, General of the Crufaders. The Franks kept poffeffion 88 years, that is, till 1187, when the Turks, under Saladin, retook it by capitulation, and with them it has remained ever fince". Thus literally has this Prophecy been hitherto fulfilled!-Jerufalem has been thus conftantly trodden down of the Gentilesthe Romans, the Saracens, the Franks, and the Turks-Its antient inhabitants have been expelled, and perfecuted, and its holy places have been polluted. The eagles of idolatrous Rome, the crefcent of the impoftor Mahomet, and the banner of Popery carried by the Crufaders, have been fucceffively displayed amidst the ruins of the fanctuary of Jehovah, for nearly 1800 years. But the conclufion of this prediction, "till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," indicates that it fhall not be trodden down for ever. • Newton, vol. ii. Diff. 20. HITHERTO HITHERTO the language of this Prophecy has been found clear and explicit; and History has abundantly proved the literal accomplishment of all its parts in their first sense and reference to the deftruction of Jerufalem. We now come to the bold figures and ftriking images of oriental diction, fuited to the defigned obfcurity of a Prophecy, which, while it foretold the fignal events which were at once to prove the divinity and difplay the power of the Meffiah to Jews and Gentiles, on the first establishment of his kingdom, revealed in awful terms the figns which shall precede the fecond coming of our Lord, at a then diftant period, and the manner, the purpose, and the final confequences of His appearance. The confideration of this Prophecy, as it relates to events yet future, must be referred to another part of this work: my present business is to prove the accurate fulfilment of the Prophecy, as it relates to events which are past. It has been proved by many learned men, that the language of Prophecy is not of that vague and uncertain fignification, which in fidelity fidelity fo eagerly afferts it to be; but that certain symbols were the established signs of certain ideas; and that thus the Prophetic language may be clearly understood by those who are converfant in this fpecies of writing. For inftance, great and extraordinary political revolutions, fuch as the fall of kings and the overthrow of governments, are repre fented by the ancient Prophets, by changes in the course of nature, and diforder among the heavenly bodies extraordinary commotions among the lowest claffes of people, by the raging turbulence, and roaring of the fea. And our Lord in the following prophecy uses the fame metaphors with the fame meaning. Immediately after (or, as it may be tranf lated, amidft) the tribulation of thofe days fhall the fun be darkened, and the moon fhall not give her light, and the stars fhall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then hall appear the fign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they fhall fee the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great found of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from |