that raised Tumults and foster'd Sedition and Faction which produced mutual slaughters and bloodshed the latter were a sort of Men that pretended to be Inspired with an extraordinary Zeal for their Religion and Country but shewed no other Effects of it but Rage Rapine and inhumane Slaughters Besides the fury of these Zealots these Iewish Rapparees and Assassins and the Domestick Quarrels and Ravages caused by the Factious there were also Foreign Assaults and Invasions from their Enemies abroad Iosephus records how the foresaid Cestius first of all approached their City and drew a Line about it but the main shock and fatal blow they receiv'd were from Titus's Armies which laid siege to them of which you shall hear farther afterwards The short of what is now to be said is this that if any Man consults the Iewish and Heathen Writings which relate what was done about that time in Iudea by the Zealots and the Factious and by the Romans he must say our Saviour's words concerning those days were true Ye shall hear of Wars and rumours of Wars for Nation shall rise against Nation and Kingdom against Kingdom v. 6 7. Not to mention â—hat History tells us that the Roman Empire was strangely allarm'd with Wars about the latter end of Nero's Reign Kingdoms rose against one another both in the East and West and Blood and Slaughter began to be very rampant In the same Verse he fore-tells there shall be Famines and Pestilences and Earthquakes and so it happened as Iosephus assures us for he as hath been said already on another account mentions the great Famine in Claudius's Reign fore-told in the Acts and another after that in the same Emperors time But that long Famine attended with Pestilence in the time of the Siege of Ierusalem exceeded all the rest the dread and horror of which were such faith Iosephus as were never known to Greeks or Barbarians Among other dreadful passages he relateth how a Noble Woman was forced by extremity of Hunger to eat her own Child that suckt her Breast And hereby the words which our Saviour afterward speaks in this Chapter were verified Wo to them that are with Child and to them that give suck in those days and those in Luke 23. 29. The days are coming in which they shall say blessed are the Barren and the Wombs that never bare and the Paps which never gave suck As to the Earthquakes which happen'd they have been recorded by some of the Gentile Writers and particularly that in Claudius's Reign as Eusebius lets us know Those horrible Earthquakes which were felt and those Thunders as I may so say which were heard under Ground by the Inhabitants of Campania after the Siege of Ierusalem are accurately described by Dion Cassius who also informs us that the Mount Vesuvius in that Province began first to burn about that time to the great Horror of the neighboring People It follows v 9. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and ye shall be hated of all Nations for my name sake There is abundant testimony given to this by Tacitus Suetonius Pliny and other Prophane Writers The former of these relates what exquisite Punishments what severe Torments were inflicted on the Christians by Nero for their burning of Rome though indeed he set it on fire himself And the other ensuing Persecutions in his Reign which the Christians underwent are sufficiently testified by the Enemies of Christianity Let us now approach towards Ierusalem's last fatal Siege the immediate fore-runner of its Overthrow When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed wiâ—â— Armies then know that the Desolation thereof is nigh Luke 21. 20. And more particularly and distinctly this close besieging of Ierusalem is express'd in Luk. 19. 43. The days shall come upon thee that thine Enemies shall cast a trench about thee and compass thee round and keep thee in on every side Which Dion Cassius amply and particularly attesteth saying That Titus Vespasian cast a Trench round the City and so closely kept them in with his Army that none could escape no not through those Vaults under the City Walls which were made for conveying Water into the City for even those were stopt up by Titus And from the Iewish Historian who was personally present at the Siege and knew very well all the Occurrences of it we learn that the Romans made three Trenches about Ierusalem and built a Wall or Rampire round about it in three days so that none could pass in or out The Army which shut them so close up is call'd the Abomination of Desolation standing in the holy place v. 15. It is true Chrysostom understands this of Titus's Statue set up in the Temple but Iosephus who is very full in Relations of this matter saith nothing of it Others understand it of the mad and abominable pranks of the Zealots who seiz'd the Temple and acted strange and unaccountable things But it is most probable that this Place is meant of the Pagan Idolatrous Roman Army which stood in the â—uly place i. e. environed Ierusalem caâ—l'd the holy City and at last made their way into it That this is the true meaning appears from comparing this Evangelist with another What St. Matthew here faith When you see the abomination of Desolation standing in the holy Place is explain'd by St. Luke thus When you see Jerusalem incompass'd with Armies i. e. the abominably Desolating Armies the Armies consisting of Ethnick Idolaters who were an Abomination to the Iews and who not only threatned but brought Desolation and Destruction on the City and Temple the Roman Armies whose Banners or Ensigns were in the shape of Eagles rapacious devouring Creatures In allusion perhaps to which our Saviour uttered those words Wheresoever the Carcase is there will the Eagles be gathered together v. 24. that is wheresoever the Iews destin'd to slaughter and death were to be found wherever these walking Corpes these Carkases were to be seen thither the Roman Armies as God's Executioners should fly and like preying Eagles fall upon them and devour them Most remarkable is that which Christ farther saith in Luke 19. 44. They shall lay thee even with the Ground and shall not leave in thee one stone upon another Which Iosephus will acquaint you was fulfilled by Titus's demolishing the whole Temple and Walls excepting a small part of these latter which he ordered should remain And particularly he commanded three Towers besides part of the Wall to be left standing that Posterity might see by those Relicks what stately and stronge Place the Roman Army had taken and partly also that these might be a Garison for his Soldiers and by laying level the whole compass of the City as well as the Temple that those who came thither should scarcely believe it was ever inhabited To accomplish this more effectually he made his Soldiers pluck up the very Foundations of the City and Temple that is
the Case of Samuel who though he had been an eminent Person yet chose an obscure Burial Nay it is likely that all Persons at first of a mean Figure and private Capacity were lodg'd when they were dead in the same Ground on which they dwelt when they were alive Which is Servius's Remark on a Passage in Virgil Of old saith he all Men were buried in their Houses And Isidore agrees with him Another Instance of this private Interment was Ioab who though he had been a Great Man yet went off the Stage in very ill Circumstances and was buried in his own House in the Wilderness 1 Kings 2. 34. And King Manasses who had been so exorbitant an Offender voluntarily chose a mean and humble Grave in the Garden of his own House 2 Kings 21. 18. as thinking himself unworthy of the Royal Sepulchre of his Fathers which was in the City of David And here also is remarkable another Exception viz. as to the Burial of some of the Iewish Kings who were not buried without the Walls but in the City it self viz. Zion the upper Part of Ierusalem where the Temple and the King's Palace were seated the City of David as we expresly read concerning the Burial of David 1 Kings 2. 10. Solomon 1 Kings 11. 43. Iehoram 2 Chron. 21. 20. and others The rest had a Royal Burying-place without the City and King Vzziah being a Leper was not interred with some of the other Kings but in the Field of the Burial which belong'd to the Kings 2 Chron. 26. 23. And in the Fields or Places separated from their Cities and great Towns they generally disposed of their Dead heretofore Rachel was buried in the way to Ephrath i. e. Bethlehem Gen. 35. 19. Not to speak of Moses's Burial in a Valley Deut. 34. 6. which was of God's own disposal we read that Aaron before him was buried on Mount Hor Numb 20. 28. Deut. 10. 6. and Ioshua after both these on Mount Ephraim on the Side of a Hill there Josh. 24. 30. The Son of the Widow in Naim was carried to be buried without the Gates of the City Luck 7. 12. Lazarus's Grave was without the Town of Bethany John 11. 30 32. Ioseph's Sepulchre where our Saviour was laid was in a Garden without Ierusalem John 19. 41. in the Place where he was crucified there was a Garden And that the Graves of the Jews were without the Cities is evident also from Mat. 27. 52 53. The Graves were opened and many Bodies of Saints which slept arose and came out of the Graves and went into the holy City Thence the Devils are said to abide among the Tombs Mat. 8. 28. these being Places of Solitude remote from the City Hence we read of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Graves that appear not and the Men that walk over them they being in the Fields and High-ways are not aware of them Luk. 11. 44. To prevent which they sometimes wash'd them over with White Lime that Passengers might the better discern and discover them and thereby avoid Desilement These are the whited Sepulchres Mat. 23. 27. to which our Saviour compares the Pharisees These were situated in the Commoâ— Ways and Fields at least some were in the suburbs This was the Law and Practice of the Greeks and from them the Romans borrow'd this Custom who as several Authors witness buried none within the City but without the Gates in the Fields and High-way Sides whence the Epitaphs were directed ad Viatores Thus it was among the Christians of old We bury our dead without the City saith Chrysostom therein letting us know what was the antient Custom of the Eastern Churches But afterwards People were loth to lie in the wide and open Fields and desired their dead Bodies might be taken into Cities then into Church-yards and Constantine the Great was peculiarly favour'd to be interr'd in the Church-porch Afterwards when some presum'd to bury their dead in Churches there were Canons made against it But by degrees it became lawful to do it in most Countries where Christianity was received and as to England Bodies were first brought to be buried in Churches here by the Means and Procurement of Cuthbert Archbishop of Canterbury A. D. 758. The Turks at this Day refuse to bury in their Mosches or Temples or within the Walls of their Cities though if you will believe it their Prophet had the Privilege to be exempted from the common way of Burial and was entomb'd at Mecca I have this likewise to observe that as Persons of great Rank had particular Apartments and Places set apart for the burying of themselves and their Family as is evident from what hath already been said and may be confirmed from 2 Sam. 19. 37. I Kings 13. 22 31 32. where these peculiar Repositories are call'd the Graves of their Fathers and of their Mothers and the Sepulchers of their Fathers so the poor and meaner sort of Persons were buried in a common and promiscuous Place of Sepulture Ier. 7. 32. 26. 23. the Graves of the Sons of the People To Burying appertains Embalming of which we have the first Instance in Gen. 50. 2. And the next is in the 26th ver for Ioseph who had taken that care of his Father was embalmed himself and then put in a Coâ—â—in a Chest as the word Aron signifies No History whatsoever goes so far back as this though 't is true we have these particular Passages of Moses's History confirmed by Pagan Historians afterwards for Herodotus tells us this was the Practice of the Egyptians and fully describes the manner of it yea he mentions the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Coffins wherein the Corps were deposited after the Embalming was finish'd Pliny doth the like shewing us how they open'd the Bodies disbowell'd them and fill'd them with Aromaticks Moses records that forty Days were fulfill'd in Embalming Gen. 50. 3. which agrees with what Herodotus and Diodore of Sicily say of this Egyptian Performance viz. that it was done with great Curiosity and Art and that Considerable Time was spent about it And seeing there was required Skill to know and choose out the best Herbs Drugs Ointments and Spices it is no wonder that this was as you heard before the Physicians work From the Egyptians this was derived to other Nations and particularly to the Iews who constantly used it more or less towards the Bodies of such as were of any Rank and Quality Hence we read of the Embalming of King Asa 2 Chron. 16. 4. of King Zedekiah Jâ—r 34. 5. of which more anon And it was used to our Saviour as is particularly recorded Iohn 1â— 40. They took the Body of Iesus and wound it in liâ—eâ— Clothes which was a Custom generally observ'd by all other Nations though the Lacedemonians by a particular Order of Lycurgus buried all in Woollen as we do at this Day with the Spices viz a mixture of Myrrh and Aloes about a
Chereth was used when for some great Offence a Man was excluded from Ecclesiastical Communion debarr'd the Congregation cut off from being a Member of the Church Thus the Chereth is the same with Cherem which was the middle sort of Excommunication among the Jews between Nidui which was a Separation from Company and Converse and Shammata which was a Devoting to Satan and utter Destruction Thus you see what Course they took in those early Times to animadvert on those that were Faulty and it is the more considerable because it was of God's own Appointment Hence we conclude these Inflictions were appointed and executed with great Reason and Equity with singular Wisdom and Prudence and such as became the Divine Author of them and the All-Wise Governour of that People It cannot be expected I should insist on the Particular Laws and Constitutions of their Civil Government they being so Many and Various These may be consulted in the Old Testament it self which presents us with the most Compleat Rules of Civil Polity and such as to a great Part of them are sitted to the Governments of all Nations in the World The Greeks were famous for their Laws and so were the Old Romans who borrowed a considerable Part of their Laws from them and particularly caused those of the Twelve Tables the first beginning of their Laws to be fetch'd thence by their Decemviri and we see they contain Excellent Things in them And the Encomiums of the Learnedest Men are large on the Laws of the Empire the Pandects are fraught with the Decisions and Responses of Wise and Experienced Lawyers and the Code is famed for the Decrees and Constitutions of Emperours Yea how large and elaborate have the Great Sages of our Nation been in Commendation of the English Laws telling us that they are the Highest Reason and nothing else but Reason that they are so Reasonable that nothing that is Unjust can be so much as supposed to be in them and therefore that no Man must presume to be wiser than these Laws If these be the Elogiums of meer Humane Constitutions of what transcendent Worth and Excellency must we needs allow Those Laws to be which though calculated for Civil and Humane Government were originally Divine and Heavenly and framed by Insinite Wisdom it self Such were the Laws of the Iews which in this Sacred Volume are transmitted to us and consequently they far surpass they infinitely surmount all others under Heaven And no Laws whatsoever were prior to these as Iosephus against Appion very clearly demonstrates Moses was the Antientest Law-giver and Lycurgus Draco Solon and other Publishers of Laws whom the Greeks boast of were but Upstarts in respect of him You do not so much as meet with the word Law in Homer or Orpheus or Musâ—us the Antientost Greek Authors as Bodinus observes Indeed the Nations had no Written Laws at first Tully Livy Iustin and other Historians acquaint us that the Verbal Commands of Kings and Princes were their Laws But afterward when they had Laws committed to writing such as could be read whence they had the Name of Leges they derived them from the Hebrews more especially it might be proved that the Antientest Attick and Roman Laws were borrowed from Moses and that other Wise Law givers and Rulers have taken some of their best Constitutions hence Then in the next place if we look abroad and enquire into the Government of the Heathen Nations we shall there also be assisted by the Anitent Records of the Bible and as to many things that concern their Kings and Government we cannot inform our selves otherwise than from this Sacred History Here we read of four Eastern Kings such as they were for Melech is a large Word and signifies any Ruler the King of Shinar the King of Ellasar the King of Elam the King of Nations Gen. 14. 1 2. Which were the first peepings out of the Kingdoms of Babylon Assyria Persia and Greece for Shinar is Babylon as all agree Ellasar is Assyria some Region near to Euphrates as may be gather'd from Isa. 37. 12. Elam is the usual Name of Persia and by Nations is meant Greece especially the Grecian Isles where there was a great Conflux of several Nations But these Names are not to be taken in this Extent here for we cannot suppose that Five Great Kings and some of them of very distant Countries would come to sight the King of Sodom a Petty Prince Therefore the Places here nam'd must not be thought to be those Wide Regions which afterwards were known by those Names and the Persons who are here call'd Kings must not be conceived to be any other than Governours or Magistrates of Cities for so the Title of King is to be understood in some Texts of the Old Testament and particularly in this History where the five Kings of Canaan are mention'd We read that Abimelech which afterwards became the Name of the Kings of Palestine was one of the first Kings of this Countrey and that the particular Seat of his Government was Gerar Gen. 20. 2. We are informed that about this time which was about 400 Years after the Flood there were Kings of Egypt and that Pharaob was the Royal Name even then Gen. 12. 15. No Book that we can trust to make mention of these Early Kingdoms and Royal Thrones such as they were but Moses's History Yea here is a considerable Account of the Four Grand Monarchies or Empires of the World as they are usually stiled We are told here that Nimrod was a Mighty One in the Earth Gen. 10. 8. and a Mighty Hunter before the Lord v. 9. by which Character and what we may infer from it it appears that he was the First that exercis'd an Imperial and Kingly Power in the World though he hath not here the Title of King The Word Gibbor which we render Mighty is in the Version of the Seventy a Giant which expresseth not only the Greatnes of his Stature but the Exorbitancy of his Power which he exerted over others with an Unlimited Sway and Arbitrariness And when 't is said he was a Mighty Hunter I grant it may set forth what Warlike Exercise he was given to as Livy remarks of Romulus and Remus that they were addicted to this Manly Recreation and that it was a Sign of the Vigour of their Minds and the Strength and Agility of their Bodies and so Xenophon in the Life of Cyrus observes that it is a Military Exercise and becoming a Great Man But I conceive there is something more intimated to us in his being represented as a Hunter and a Mighty Hunter and before the Lord for this may signify to us his Fierce Pursuit of Men as well as Beasts his Tyrannizing and usurping Dominion over the People and that in desiance of God before whom he was not ashamed to act thus wickedly He was of the Race of Chush the Son of Cham and was the
Head and Ringleader of those Miscreants that built Babel or Babylon which baffles the common Account of Pagan Historians who tell us that Semiramis Ninus's Queen was the first Founder of that City unless we understand by it that she finish'd the Work He it was that with the Remains of the Babylonian Crew set up here the First Empire which began soon after the Flood viz. about 130 Years This is the Date of the First Monarchy in the World and Babel was the Place where it commenced It is expresly said The beginning of his Kingdom was Babel Gen. 10. 10. This was the first Step to the Universal Empire of the Chaldeans or Assyrians which afterwards spread it self to vast and almost unlimited Dimensions This is he that by the Pagan Writers is call'd Belus and said to be the Father of Ninus as Eusebius Ierom and other of the Learnedest among the Antients agree for this is observable and I have proved from several Instances in another Place that oftentimes the same Persons have not the same Names in Prophane History that are given them in the Sacred one Some read Gen. 10. 11. thus He went out of the Land into Assyria and thence gather that though Nimrod was first seated at Babylon and reign'd in Chaldea yet from thence he pierced into Assyria where he built Nineveh the Head City of the Assyrian Monarchy But this is unquestionable that the Empire was translated into Assyria and thence there is a Distinction between the Land of Assyria and the Land of Nimrod Mic. 5. 6. The Sacred Writings also acquaint us that as this Monarchy began at Babylon and Chaldea and was translated into Assyria so at last it returned to Babylon again the Assyrian Dynasties being swallow'd up of those of Chaldea So the Assyrians laid the Foundation for the Chaldeans they set up the Towers thereof they raised up the Palaces thereof Isa. 23. 13. And this Relapse or Reduction of the Assyrian Government to the Babylonians is again foretold in Ezek. 31. 11 12 c. I have deliver'd him into the Hand of the mighty One of the Heathens he shall surely deal with him King Nebuchadnezzar is that El gojim that God of the Nations for so 't is in the Hebrew who made them all bow down to him and worshi him and he more especially made the Assyrians truckle to his Greatness and Soveraignty This is very carefully to be heeded because it gives Light to the whole History both Sacred and Prophane which relates the Affairs of those Kingdoms The want of attending to this is the reason why several that have writ of these things have egregiously blundred confounding one part of the Empire with another making no difference between Babylonians and Assyrians and thereby rendring all a mere Babel a Confusion But we are directed by what the Sacred History suggests to distinguish between the two neighbouring Dynasties of Assyria and Chaldea which alternately made up the First Monarchy Sometimes the Babylonian Princes bore sway and were Heads of the Empire at other times those of the Assyrian Race climb'd to this Honour Babylon and Nineveh were the two Royal Seats belonging to each when the Chaldean Kings prevail'd then the former was their Place of residence when the Assyrian Monarchs bare Rule the latter was the Place where they kept their Court. The brief Scheme of the Successions is this At first all Assyria was subject to Babylon or Chaldea next the Babylonian Power gave way to the Assyrian after this the Assyrians lost the Monarchy it coming again to the Chaldeans yet so that the Empire was then divided for the Medes had a Part though the greatest Share went to the Babylonians Where by the way we may observe that that which is call'd and reputed the First Monarchy may as well be said to be the Third it may be counted Two at least And thence it will follow that that which is vulgarly call'd the 2d Monarchy was the 3d or 4th for before the Persian Monarchy there was the Babylonian Assyrian and Median Here if the Reader would pardon the Digression it might be further prov'd that the common Division of the Monarchies into four and no more is imperfect and groundless for there were several other Entire Dynasties or Kingdoms in the time of the Assyrian Monarchs there were the Kingdoms of the Old Germans Egyptians Argives Athenians Lacedemonians Tyrians Romans Jews So the Greek Monarchy which is reckon'd the Third was divided into four Kingdoms Likewise with the Roman Emperours were contemporary the Greek Emperours in the East Besides if we should come down lower it would appear that Mabomet's Dove hath been as wonderful in the World as the Roman Eagle the Turkish Monarchy hath grasped more than the Roman and might challenge to be numbred among the most Celebrated Monarchies For these reasons I am apt to be of Bodinus's Mind that we ought to reckon more Monarchies than Four But I will not now contend especially because it is likely the Interpretation of those Dreams and Visions in Daniel concerning the Four Beasts and the Four Metals gave the first Occasion to this number of Four Monarchies and no more To return then to our former Matter viz. The Difference which the Old Testament directs us to take notice of between the Assyrian and Chaldean Empires which some have so shuffled together that they cannot distinctly be discern'd These Inspired Writings let us know that the First Captivity of the Jews was under the former the Second under the latter that the Kings of Assyria were those properly who reign'd in Nineve and that strictly speaking the Kings of Babylon were those that resided at Babylon though 't is true by reason of the Vicissitude of the Government of the Assyrians and Chaldeans these are sometimes call'd the Kings of Assyria and the King of Babylon and of Assyria is the same It is from the Scripture-Records that we are informed that Nebuchadnezzar in the eighth Year of his Reign transported Iehoiakin the King and other of the Jews to Babylon and that in his eighteenth Year he utterly destroyed Ierusalem and carried away Captive Zedekiah and the greatest Part of the Jews from which time are to be numbred the Seventy Years of the Babylonian Captivity This was Nebuchadnezzar the Great he who brought that Monarchy to its highest Pitch insomuch that some have reckon'd him the First Absolute Monarch Many other remarkable Passages relating to the whole Series of this Government and those that presided in it from first to last are set down in the Holy Writ Several of the very individual Persons who were the Chief Monarchs of this first and antientest Empire are here particularly mention'd with the considerable Actions and Events appertaining to them as Pul 2 Kings 15. 19. Tiglath-Pileser 1 Chron. 5. 26. Salmanassar 2 Kings 17. 3. Hos. 10. 14. Senacherib 2 Kings 18. 3. Esarhaddon 2 Kings 19. 37. Merodach-Baladan 2 Kings 20. 20. Isa. 39. 1. Nebuchadnezzar