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bright signature of truth and reality upon it, and that it would be a miracle of miracles, if these writings were the work of imposture or fanaticism? - Killest the prophets, c. See notes on verse 35, and chap. xxi. 35, 36.— Thy children. The Jewish people, who often assembled at the holy city in obedience to the law, and who might be appropriately called her children. Hen gathereth her chickens, &c. A figure full of beauty and pathos, to express his affection and interest for his country, and his earnest efforts to rescue it from impending destruction. 2 Esdras i. 30; Deut. xxxii. 11, 12. He had pleaded with the Jews in the most moving manner; he had urged them to repentance by every motive; he was about to appeal to them by the yet more affecting spectacle of the cross. But all was in vain. They were advancing obstinately towards the precipice of their ruin, and nothing could turn them aside. Luke xiii. 34, 35. This burst of patriotic lamentation for the coming overthrow of that city, so dear to the Jewish heart, is in striking contrast with the tremendous rebukes, he had just administered to the Scribes and Pharisees. It was thus, that the two elements of the severe and the gentle mingled harmoniously in his most heroic, yet humane spirit, and gave a divine perfection to his character. What power of reproof was joined to the most melting compassion! what magnanimity of soul, to weep over the city that was so soon to ring with the infernal cry, Cru

cify him, Crucify him, and whose inhabitants would exult at his agonies on the cross, as at some holyday spectacle!

38. Your house is left unto you desolate, i. e. the temple, of which the Jews were excessively proud. Perhaps he directed their attention, by a gesture of the hand and eye, to that glorious edifice, on which Jewish wealth had been lavished without measure, and around which, Jewish piety had thrown all its holiest associations, "the Earth's One Sanctuary." He could say nothing more awful than that that house should be overthrown from pinnacle to foundation. It appears, that Jesus now left it for the last time. It might truly be said to be left desolate even now, for it would no more resound with instructions of him, who was greater than the temple, and who carried in himself the Holy of Holies; the Shechinah of the Divine Presence. By some he is understood to say, that the Jewish dwelling-place, i. e. country, would be left desolate.

39. Ye shall not see me, &c. A form of speech is used equivalent to his saying, You will no more have my presence among you; for they would never acknowledge him to be the Messiah. In the sentence, Blessed is he that cometh, &c., he alludes to the hosannas with which he was saluted on his entrance into Jerusalem, chap. xxi. 9; Ps. cxviii. 25, 26. Or, the sense of the verse may be, that my religion, of which I am the embodiment, will not again be addressed

to your attention, till you shall undergo, through the judgments of God, such an alteration in your feelings, that you will gladly say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord, i. e. the Christ; till you shall submit to what would once have seemed most humiliating.

CHAP. XXIV.

1-42. Parallel to Mark xiii. 137; Luke xxi. 5-36.

1. Departed from the temple. As would appear, for the last time. To show him the buildings. Full of admiration themselves at the grandeur of the temple, they call his notice to it, as if to say, Can so magnificent an edifice be left desolate, as you have predicted! Far from it. In their estimation it was as stable as the world itself. Between the different parts of the Gospel narration, as it proceeds, there are many fine and delicate connexions, which demonstrate, beyond a doubt, the truth of the history. We are not expressly told, why they invited his attention to the temple at that, more than any other time, but the context furnishes the reason, chap. xxiii. 38.

2. See ye not all these things? According to Griesbach, not should be omitted; but it would not essentially affect the meaning. Mark xiii. 2.- Not be left here one stone upon another, &c. We learn from Mark and Luke that the disciples

had spoken with peculiar admiration of the "goodly stones and gifts." Jesus frames his reply accordingly. These very stones, said he, are destined to be scattered in the dust. Josephus states that the temple was built of stones which were white and strong, and that each in its length was 25 cubits, or 37 feet, in its height 12, and its breadth 18 feet. The prediction of our Lord was not, perhaps, in this verse, designed to be literal, but to express by a common figure, the utter overthrow of the temple. Yet it is remarkable, that the fulfilment was so exact, that one stone was not left upon another. Josephus, an eyewitness of the war, and whose history is a running commentary upon this portion of the Gospel narrative, says, that, with the exception of three towers, the wall was thoroughly laid even with the ground, and dug up to the foundation. Other Jewish writers corroborate this account, and state, that Terentius Rufus, the Roman general, left in command at Jerusalem after its capture, ploughed up the temple and the places about it; so that that saying was fulfilled, on shall be as a ploughed field." We have, in this and the subsequent prophecies, an unanswerable proof of the divine foreknowledge, and authority of Jesus. No event so disagreeable to the Jews, or so unlikely to happen, could have then

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been predicted, as the destruction of their temple, "with its glittering masses of white marble and pinnacles of gold." The victor, whoever he might be, would be supposed to be desirous of keeping such a proud trophy of his success. Titus, the conqueror, sought to preserve it; but it was set on fire, in violation of his orders, by one of his soldiers, and could not be extinguished, though the greatest efforts were made to do it. Thus wonderfully were the words of Jesus fulfilled that had been uttered forty years before.

3. Mount of Olives. See note on Matt. xxi. 1, 2. From that elevation Jerusalem appeared as if lying beneath their feet. It was, probably, towards night, and the declining sun was brilliantly reflected from the splendid palaces, and from the vast temple towering over all with snowy whiteness. The disciples came, i. e. James and John, Peter and Andrew, who enjoyed most of his intimacy and confidence. Mark xii. 3. Startled by his predictions, they are anxious to learn when they would be fulfilled. When shall these things be, i. e. the destruction of the temple, verse 2.- End of the world, i. e. the Jewish world or dispensation. They were anxious to know how soon a new kingdom was to be established. Their ambition made them impatient.

4, 5. Jesus warns them against being deceived by false pretenders, who would come in his name, or arrogate to themselves his authority.

He here distinctly acknowledges that he was the Messiah. — Christ. Should be the Christ. We are informed in Acts v. 36, 37, viii. 9, 10, xxi. 38, and by Josephus, that such, or similar impostors actually appeared, and led many into ruin. Simon Magus was called, by his deluded followers, the Great Power of God. Theudas, Judas of Galilee, Dositheus of Samaria, and an Egyptian, drew away great numbers after them, but they perished with their adherents. Josephus relates, "that in the reign of Claudius, who died about the year 54, the land was overrun with magicians, seducers, and impostors, who drew the people after them in multitudes into solitudes and deserts, to see the signs and miracles which they promised to show by the power of God." It may be here stated, as an interesting fact of history, that there appeared, between the reign of Adrian and the year 1682, no less than twenty-four false Messiahs, or impostors, claiming divine authority.

6. Wars, and rumors of wars. The history of those times shows the fulfilment of our Saviour's words. Six years after the death of Christ, the Roman emperor Caligula commanded his statue to be erected in the temple of Jerusalem. The Jews resisted this desecration with the greatest spirit, and a war would have ensued, had not the emperor in the mean time died. one year and a half, four Roman emperors, Nero, Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, suffered violent deaths.

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11. Many false prophets shall rise. Not false Messiahs, as in verse 5, but false teachers. 2 Cor. xi. 13; 2 Tim. ii. 17, 18. Or reference is, perhaps, made to those false prophets who, according to Josephus, were suborned by the tyrannical Zealots, who ruled the city of Jerusalem, to declare, that aid would be given to the people from heaven, while they were besieged by the Romans.

12. Wax cold. Become, or grow cold. On account of the cruel persecutions, the prevalence of wickedness, and the spread of false doctrines, the attachment of many to the Christian cause would decline. 2 Thes. ii. 3; Gal. iii. 1; 1 Tim. i. 19; Heb. x. 25.

13. Those Christians, who remained constant in their belief of the Gospel, would escape from the ruin of Jerusalem. Eusebius says: "The whole body of the church at Jerusalem, having been commanded by a Divine revelation, removed from the city, and dwelt at a certain town beyond the Jordan, called Pella."

14. Preached in all the world, i. e. the Roman world, which embraced nearly all the countries then known. Rom. i. 8, xv. 19, 24-28; Gal. i. 17; Col. i. 6, 23. We learn, both from the New Testament and profane writers, that the Gospel was propagated far and wide in Asia, Africa, and Europe, during the forty years that elapsed between the

death of its founder and the overthrow of Jerusalem. The epistles of Paul, dedicated, as they are, to churches in various parts of the Roman empire, bear witness to the fulfilment of the text. Even persecution, as it drove the faithful from city to city, accelerated the diffusion of the truth. For a witness unto all nations. Furnishing them with evidence of the excellence of the Gospel, as designed for Gentiles as well as Jews, and showing the justice of Heaven in visiting with its judgments the people, which had rejected and crucified its Author. Then shall the end come. The end of the Jewish state and polity.

15. The abomination of desolation. Or, the desolating abomination, i. e. perhaps the Roman armies. Luke xxi. 20. They desolated the country and city. They were an abomination to the Jews, because their standards and ensigns had idolatrous images of their gods and emperors sculptured upon them, and therefore profaned the holy city with their presence. Hug, however, understands by the desecration of the holy place, which was to be the signal for flight, the possession of the temple by the Zealots, a band of robbers, who called to their aid the Idumeans, a heathen people, and polluted the sanctuary by making it a place of arms, and the theatre of the most detestable and murderous deeds. - Spoken of by Daniel the