for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." The necessity for this friendly warning soon appeared; for within one year after our Lord's ascension, rose Dositheus, the Samaritan, who had the boldness to assert that he was the Messiah, of whom Moses prophesied, while his disciple, Simon Magus, deluded multitudes into a belief that he himself was the great power of God. About three years afterwards, another Samaritan impostor appeared, and declared that he would show the people the sacred utensils, said to have been deposited by Moses in Mount Gerizim. Induced by an idea that the Messiah, their great deliverer, was now come, an armed multitude assembled under him; but Pilate speedily defeated them, and slew their chief. While Cuspius Fadus was procurator in Judea, another deceiver arose, wl ose name was Theudas*. This man actually succeeded so far as to persuade

This is not the Theudas mentioned by Gamaliel, Acts, v. 36.

a very great multitude to take their effects and follow him to Jordan, assuring them, that the river would divide at his command. Fadus, however, pursued them, with a troop of horse, and slew many of them, and, among the rest, the impostor himself, whose head was cut off, and carried to Jerusalem. Under the govern. ment of Felix, deceivers rose up daily in Judea, and persuaded the people to follow them into the wilderness, assuring them that they should there behold conspicuous signs and wonders performed by the Almighty. Of these, Felix, from time to time, apprehended many, and put them to death. About this period (A. D. 55), arose Felix, the celebrated Egyptian impostor, who collected thirty thousand followers, and persuaded them to accompany him to the Mount of Olives, telling them that from thence they should see the walls of Jerusalem fall down at his command, as a prelude to the capture of the Roman garrison, and to their obtaining

*

the sovereignty of the city. The Roman governor, however, apprehending this to be the beginning of revolt, immediately attacked them, slew four hundred of them, and dispersed the rest; but the Egyptian effected his escape. In the time of Porcius Festus (A. D. 60), another distinguished impostor seduced the people, by promising them deliverance from the Roman yoke, if they would follow him into the wilderness; but Festus sent out an armed force, which speedily destroyed both the deceiver and his followers. In short, impostors, pretending to a divine. commission, continually and fatally deceived the people, and at once justified the caution, and fulfilled the prediction of our Lord.

If it be objected, that none of these im. postors, except Dositheus, assumed the name of Messiah, we reply, that the gro velling expectation of the Jews was directed to a Messiah who should merely deli.

C

re

ver them from the Roman yoke, and store the kingdom to Jerusalem," and such were the pretensions of these deceivers. This expectation, indeed, is the only true solution of these strange and repeated insurrections; which will naturally remind the reader of the following prophetic expressions of our Lord: "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive." " If they shall say unto you, behold, he is in the desert, go not forth. They will show* for pretend to show) great signs and wonders," &c.

Our Saviour thus proceeded: "And ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet, for nation shall rise up against na

* The original word signifies "give;" and that, in Scripture language, there is a clear distinction betwixt giving a sign and the sign itself, is sufficiently proved by Deut. xiii. 1, 2.

tion, and kingdom against kingdom, and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences: all these are the beginning of sorrows*."

"Wars and rumours of wars," &c. These commotions, like distant thunder, that forebodes the approaching storm,

"At first heard solemn o'er the verge of heaven," were so frequent from the death of our Lord until the destruction of Jerusalem, that the whole interval might, with propriety, be appealed to in illustration of this prophecy. One hundred and fifty of the copious pages of Josephus, which contain the history of this period, are every where stained with blood. To particularize in a few instances: About three years after the death of Christ, a war broke out be. tween Herod and Aretas, king of Arabia Petræa, in which the army of the former was cut off. This was 66 kingdom rising against kingdom." Wars are usually pre

* Mat. xxiv. 6-8. Luke xxi. 11.