(See Zech. xi. 3—6.) And now, not only the city, but also the temple, is full of your dead bodies. Certainly, it is God that joins with the Romans to extirpate all these abominations with fire. Josephus, being overcome with grief, could speak no more.

This pathetic address, instead of producing the desired effect upon John and his confederates, served only to exasperate them. Some of the people, however, were so moved by it, that, shortly after, finding opportunity, they made their escape; amongst whom were several persons of rank and quality. Titus received them courteously, and sent them to Gophna, a place situated between Samaria and Lydda, that they might remain there till the conclusion of the war. The seditious, not seeing them with the Romans, gave out that they were all slain, in order to deter others from flying. This device prevailed for a time, till Titus, hearing of it, recalled them from Gophna, and commanded them to go about the walls with Josephus, and shew themselves to the people. This they accordingly did; beseeching their countrymen, with tears, to receive the Romans into the city, or at least to depart out of the temple, and not occasion the destruction of that holy place. Upon which, many embraced the first opportunity to escape to the Romans.

Titus, pitying the case of the people, and wishing, above all things, to spare the temple, addressed them himself, telling them, That it was they who had polluted the temple with blood, not only of strangers, but of their own countrymen: he then called his gods to witness, and Him who sometimes dwelt in that place: I say sometimes (added he), for

now I am persuaded there is none. He farther said, I call my army to witness, and protest to the Jews that are with me, and to yourselves, that I have no share in this profanation; but if your army will depart this holy place, then no Roman shall come into the sanctuary; but I will preserve this famous temple against your will. Josephus repeated this to them in the Hebrew. But the seditious poured contempt upon it, and treated it as the effect of fear rather than of good-will.

Upon this, Titus determined to use force. The north and west parts of the porticoes or cloisters of the outward range of the temple were destroyed by the Jews, in order to cut off the communication; and, two days after, the other part was destroyed by the Romans.

On the eighth day of August, when Titus could not prevail against the walls of the inner temple, he resolved to do that which reverence had hitherto restrained him from, which was to set fire to the gates. The porches were soon in a flame, and continued burning all that day and the following night. Titus still resolved, if possible, to save the temple. But, on the tenth day, a Roman soldier, of his own accord, took up a flaming firebrand, and, getting on his comrade's shoulders, cast it through the golden window into the chambers, which immediately took fire, and spread through the whole fabric, consuming the most glorious structure that the world ever saw. In spite of all opposition, the flames raged with that fierceness, that they seemed to threaten all mount Sion. This, at length, threw a

damp upon the courage of the Jews; among whom, nothing but grievous cries and lamentations were now to be heard.

Titus, in the mean time, employed every effort to get the flames extinguished. He called, intreated, and even threatened his men, but all in vain. So great was the confusion, and so obstinately were the soldiers bent upon destroying all within their reach, that he was neither heard nor regarded. Before the conflagration became general, Titus, with some of his chief officers, entered into the sanctuary, viewed the holy things, and found, to their astonishment, such rich and sumptuous utensils and furniture still remaining in the temple, as surpassed all the reports they had heard of its grandeur and magnificence. They likewise beheld a dismal sight of blood, smoke, and flame, surrounding the great altar, which was covered with dead bodies, that had sustained all the miseries of fire, sword, and famine.

The Roman soldiers pursued their victory with all imaginable fury and revenge, cutting to pieces all they found about the temple, and setting fire to the rest of the building; in one part of which were six thousand persons, who had taken refuge there by the persuasion of a false prophet, with the promise of miraculous deliverance. In the confusion, the seditious fled into the city, where, seeming to relent, they desired a parley with the general himself, who severely upbraided them for the ruin they had brought on their country by their obstinacy: notwithstanding which, he promised them their lives upon immediate submission. They replied, That they had bound themselves by oath never to sur

render: they therefore requested leave to depart the city, with their wives and children. Their insolence in making such a demand, in their present circumstances, so exasperated Titus, that he proclaimed, by a common crier, that they were no longer to expect any mercy; after which, he abandoned the city to the fury of his soldiers.

The seditious tyrants then retired to the king's palace, where great numbers had deposited their wealth, and from thence repelled the Romans. These wretches, as if the sword of the enemy did not devour fast enough, barbarously slew eight thousand four hundred of their own countrymen, and, seizing all the money and treasure, betook themselves to the upper and stronger part of the city, situated upon a steep rock called Sion,

Titus raised mounts against this place, and made a breach in the walls on the twentieth of August, and, on the eighth of September, became master of all the city. The deluded wretches, having abandoned their towers, where their only strength lay, sought in vain to escape, by hiding themselves in vaults and holes, from whence numbers were taken and put to the sword. Titus, viewing the strong holds and rocky towers, which the seditious had abandoned, said with astonishment, Surely God hath assisted us in this war, and He it was that drove the Jews from these fortresses! for what human power could prevail against them? He then commanded both the temple and city to be entirely razed, by the plough being brought over it, according to ancient custom; which remarkably accomplished our Sa

viour's prophecy, That not one stone should be left upon another.

We have now seen an end of the most renowned city in the world. The psalmist says of mount Zion, That it was beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth; for God was known in her palaces for a refuge, Psalm xlviii. 2, 3. But when the Lord departed, its defence was gone, and it became a heap of ruins. Never was any siege more memorable, not for the length of time it held out, being only five months, but from the unexampled miseries which the Jews endured, of which you may see a full account in Josephus. The number of those who perished in the siege amounted to eleven hundred thousand; to which, if we add those that were cut off in the Jewish wars preceding, it will make one million three hundred and thirty-seven thousand four hundred and ninety. There were also ninetyseven thousand taken prisoners.

Such was the punishment justly brought upon the Jews for their murder of Jesus Christ, and obstinately persisting in unbelief. They knew not the miseries they were invoking, when they cried out, His blood be on us, and on our children! Thus were these people, once the favourites of Heaven, and the happiest and freest people in the world, cast off and abandoned, banished, sold, and dispersed all over the world. As they had rejected and despised Christ, so they were rejected of men; for, at last, no man would buy them. They were persecuted and ha-` rassed in all places whithersoever they went, as you will see in my next. I remain

Your's affectionately.