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Surely the conviction of each of us must be that of Gamaliel's; "Had this counsel, or this

work been of men, it would have come to nought; but being of God, nothing could overthrow it."

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SERMON VII.

THE SUBJECT OF PROPHECY CONTINUED.

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet stand in the holy place; whoso readeth let him understand, then let them which be in Judea, flee into the mountains.”—MATT. xxiv. 15, 16.

In our former discourses, respecting the signs that our Saviour predicted should accompany the destruction of Jerusalem, we have already considered, together with their fulfilment, those which preceded that event: we shall now pass on to such as attended the siege itself.

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When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet." The apparent obscurity in the phrase, "the abomination of desolation," we shall find cleared up, by a reference to the parallel place in St. Luke; where, instead of the phrase used by

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St. Matthew, he expresses himself thus, "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation of it is nigh." What St. Luke, therefore, describes as the Roman army, St. Matthew describes as the abomination of desolation. And the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place consequently means, the Roman army besieging Jerusalem; and this, saith our Saviour, is what was spoken of by Daniel the prophet; alluding to the 9th and 11th chapters of his prophecy, "whoso readeth, let him understand:" that is, so let every one who readeth these prophecies of Daniel, understand them. The Roman army is called an abomination, on account of its ensigns and images; which were so to the Jews. We read in Josephus, that "the Romans having brought their standards into the temple, and having placed them opposite the eastern gate, they sacrificed to them in that place." The Roman army is therefore fitly called, "the abomination ;" and the abomination which maketh desolate, because it was to desolate, and lay waste Jerusalem. And this army, besieging

Jerusalem is called by St. Mark, "standing where it ought not ;" that is to say, in "the Holy Place:" as not only the city, but a considerable compass of ground about it was deemed holy. When, therefore, the Roman armv shall advance to besiege Jerusalem, then let them which be in Judea" consult their safety, and "flee into the mountains." This counsel was remembered, and wisely followed by the Christians afterwards. The Jewish historian informs us, that when Cestius Gallus came with his army against Jerusalem, "many fled from the city, from a persuasion that it would soon be taken ;" and that a few years afterwards when Vespasian was drawing his forces towards Jerusalem, a great multitude fled into the mountainous country. It is probable that among these, were some Christians; but it is certain, from ecclesiastical historians, that at this juncture all who believed in Christ left Jerusalem and fled to Pella, and other places beyond the river Jordan, thus marvellously escaping the general shipwreck of their country: and we do not read any where, that so much as one of them perished. Of such signal service was

this caution of our Saviour! In the verses following the text he prosecutes the same subject. "Let him which is on the house-top not come down to take any thing out of his house." The houses of the Jews, as well as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans were flat-roofed, and had stairs on the outside, by which persons might ascend and descend without coming into the house. In the eastern walled cities these flat-roofed houses usually formed continued terraces from one end of the city to the other, which terraces terminated at the gates. He, therefore, who is walking on the house-top, let him not come down to take any thing out of his house; but let him instantly pursue his course along the tops of the houses, and escape out of the city gate as fast as he possibly can. "Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes." These expressions our Saviour uses to intimate, that their flight must be as sudden and hasty as even that of Lot out of Sodom; and, indeed, the Christians escaping just as they did was the more providential, as a short time afterwards all possibility of escape was pre

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