lands of the Jews to be fold for his own use;" and "all the Jews, wherefoever they dwelt, to pay each man every year the fame fum to the Capitol of Rome, that they had before paid to the Temple at Jerufalem.". Thus the land of the whole nation became the private property of the Roman Emperor, and the whole people became aliens, and fugitives, and flaves. "The facrifice and the oblation ceafed," and the Jews have ever fince remained without a City, without a Temple, without a King, and without a Priest'; their tribes confounded, their pedigrees lost', and yet, a people separated and distinguished from all the nations among whom they are scattered, in perfon, manners, and religion. We have already feen the Gospel preached to the Gentiles-the church of Chrift eftablifhed-increasing-and at the fame time fuffering continual perfecution from Jews and Heathens, according to the express declara Those who are now called Priests among the Jews, are only chief Rabbis, and have little or no authority, or resemblance to the office of High-Prieft, established by the Law of Mofes. Their pedigrees had been carefully preferved till the coming of Chrift, which may be confidered as another proof that he was indeed their expected Meffiah. VOL. I. R tions tions of our Saviour to his Difciples; we have seen the total abolition of the Jewish Theocracy- "the men of the vineyard have been punished by their Lord, for having flain his fan." It only remains for us to direct our attention to the triumph of the perfecuted church over Pagan tyranny and fuperftition. But here I must beg leave to obferve, that complete as this victory was over the reigning enemy of the church, and greatly as it extended the apparent dominion of Christ over the nations-Paganism falling before Christianity throughout the Roman Empire-yet does not this great event appear fully adequate to the fublime defcription which our Lord gives of the triumph, the glory, and the happiness of the church in this most folemn Prophecy. We might therefore have looked to a future period for its ultimate completion, even if there had not been a Revelation concerning the fucceeding corruptions, trials, and perfecutions, to which the church was to be fubjected previous to the final victory over all its enemies, of which this was but a type. The period of hiftory from the deftruction of of Jerufalem to the acceffion of Conftantine, excepting only the short reigns of the Septimian family, abounds in a most remark able degree with the general ravages of war, famine, and peftilence. The amazing flaughter of the Jews in the time of Trajan and Adrian, has been already mentioned. The Romans also fuffered fo feverely, that the Emperor Adrian forbore the usual falutation in his Letters to the Senate, in token of general grief and distress". The reign of Maximin was filled with wars, murders, invafions, and rebellions; and in the following fifty years there were more than twenty Emperors, almost all of whom died in war, or were murdered by their own foldiers and fubjects. In the reign of Gallienus, the thirty tyrants, or ufurpers, who arose in different parts of the empire, occafioned most violent The dreadful incurfions of the Goths and Scythians-the most destructive peftilence that ever had visited mankind, pervading all the Roman provinces and continuing fifteen years in the reign of Gallus the horrible perfecution of the Chriftians for ten years under Dioclefian, and the civil wars between Maximian, Galerius, Maximin, commotions "Newton, vol. iii. p. 61, &c. R 2 Maxen Maxentius, Licinius, and other competitors for empire, exhibit together a moft awful picture of the convulfive efforts of " the powers of darkness against the kingdom of the Prince of Peace." Many indeed were in that age impreffed by the extraordinary manifeftations of the wrath of God. They mourned, and their hearts failed them for fear, when they faw the Son of man coming in the power of his kingdom. Galerius ", Maximin, and Licinius, recalled their Decrees and Edicts againft the Christians, publicly confeffed the guilt of their cruel perfecutions, and acknowledged the juft judgments of God and of Chrift in their deftruction. "A change of all the powers in being was the moft characteristic mark of the age from 260 to 312. For, from the time of the fetting up of the thirty tyrants, to the time of Conftantine [excepting only the fhort reign of Aurelian, and he carried war into the Eaft] the empire was continually baken and torn, and gradually difmembered by civil wars; and there was no bright fun, or moon in it, no one great ruling potentate, as in the ages preceding; but it became a prey, and was Newton, vol. iii. p. 73. plun plundered in every part by the Goths and Scythians, and other barbarous nations. The whole period was remarkable only for the expiring pangs and struggles of Pagan tyranny. And at the fame time, as if it were on purpose to turn the attention of mankind, to apply this precife part of this Prophecy to these very days; in the beginning of them, in the year 262, most parts of the Empire were vifited with a moft grievous peftilence and famine, attended with dreadful earthquakes, furprising darkness, and ftrange lightnings, by all of which many perished; there was an accumulation alfo of other dire calamities and shakings, amongst which, the fea overflowed and drowned whole countries. In the conclufion, the Pagan empire ceased, and those who had fupported its dominion loft all power and authority, and were caft down, and the whole form of government was changed." "The great lights of the Heathen world, the fan, moon, and stars, were all eclipfed and obfcured; the Heathen Emperors and Cæfars were flain, the Heathen priests and augurs were extirpated, the Heathen officers and magiftrates were removed, the Heathen temples were demolished, and * Mr. King's Morfels of Criticifi their |