of earth, in determined contest and fairly balanced opposition. Jews and Romans, Christians and heathens, gazed to see whether the emperor could or could not go contrary to the declaration uttered by the Man of sorrows, who had not where to lay his head. The earthly potentate was defeated. He abandoned the undertaking. This fact, recorded by Christians and by infidels, would be enough for our present purpose, were we to say nothing concerning the means of his defeat. To show that Jerusalem has been still trodden down of the Gentiles, is mainly the point we have in view; and it is all we shall notice when we come to the application. But for the purpose of exhibiting the way in which opposers uniformly narrate that which they dislike to pen-we must notice the strange want of fairness and of truth belonging to unbelieving historians, leading them sometimes to conceal and sometimes to pervert-we look for a moment at Gibbon's history of this event. He grants that it was said the workmen were driven from their work by a supernatural visitation; that they were scorched by fire again and again; that an account of this public and marvellous defeat was published the same year by two individuals-but these individuals were Christians. That their statement was neither denied by the emperor or his friends, nor contradicted in any way, does not seem to have weighed much in his estimate of the singular occurrence. It is true that Gibbon speaks well of a certain heathen writer, Ammianus Marcellinus, who was the emperor's private secretary, and who became his biographer. It is true he quotes the following

words of Ammianus, who knew as much of the defeat and the cause of it as did the emperor himself. "While Alypius, assisted by the governor of the province, urged with vigor and diligence the execution of the work, horrible balls of fire breaking out near the foundations, with frequent and reiterated attacks, rendered the place from time to time inaccessible to the scorched and blasted workmen; and the victorious element continuing in this manner absolutely and resolutely bent, as it were, to drive them to a distance, the undertaking was abandoned." If the historian had simply quoted this testimony, telling us that although this reputable heathen author was a spectator of these things, and was recording his own failure along with that of his master, still he, Gibbon, did not credit the recital, there would have been nothing unfair in the transaction; but his efforts to prejudge the case and bias the reader's mind against evidence, certainly evince a repugnance to the unobstructed ray of light. It is not our object here to inquire how much credulity they must possess who can believe that no one was found to contradict these statements of Pagans and Christians, out of all the Jewish nation, and out of all the Roman army, or from the ranks of the admirers or flatterers of royalty. A sermon which was preached within that generation is still extant, addressed to the Israelites as a persuasive, leading them to obey the gospel; they were reminded of this noted overthrow, and invited to go and look again at the materials and other tokens of their rebuke from heaven while endeavoring to go contrary to the purpose of the Maker of worlds

We

might pause and inquire how strange that any one wishing them to embrace Christianity, should remind them of that which they had never known, and speak to them of wonders which they had never witnessed, as though these marvels were fresh in their recollection; but these are not the points before us. The certainties alone are enough for our purpose. We know that Jerusalem has been trodden down of the Gentiles seventeen hundred years. We know that the Jewish worship was not restored; and that if a wealthy and enthusiastic people, aided by an emperor and his army, were not enough to build another temple, then nothing ever could accomplish it.

APPLICATION. Should the reader desire to ascertain whether those who scoff at holy writ do not occasionally have their curiosity, at least, awakened by such incidents as those above named, so far as to lead them on towards further inquiry, he may soon bring the matter to a fair trial by asking such questions as the author has often asked. Inquire the reason why the Christians left the city, and were not involved in ruin and misery such as the world had never seen before. Had they more political sagacity than their countrymen? Or why did not some fifty or a hundred thousand of the more prudent Jews retire to Pella, and share the safety which the Christians there enjoyed? Or, if the church had been watching for the token, and obeyed the signal of the Redeemer, did he only conjecture the sign, or was he Lord of armies? How did he know that the dispersion would continue, and that Jerusalem would never recover her Mosaic forms of worship? etc.

Those who make such inquiries of such as reject the gospel at the present day, find, with striking uniformity, that they do not remember, or they never knew accurately, what Christ had said of that people and that place. They are not informed as it regards Julian's ability, or his wish to disprove the prophecy; what unbelieving historians have acknowledged on these points; what were the sufferings of those who killed the prophets and stoned the apostles, or indeed of any other fact or facts of this kind. It is only some hearsay difficulty, some seeming contradiction, or some objection of their own against the book of inspiration, which seizes and retains their thoughts when the subject of inspiration is mentioned.

There is another branch of wilful ignorance which must not be passed by without notice, but at present we are otherwise employed.

Scoffers of the present day are unacquainted with all those facts of historic authority which have a secondary connection with the holy page; but for the present we must show what we mean by saying they are ignorant of Bible language.

CHAPTER XIII.

SCOFFERS OF THE LAST DAYS ARE WILFULLY IGNORANT OF BIBLE LANGUAGE.

An old man of Kentucky became rich and mocked at God. He became more and more bitter, just as fast and in proportion as his kind Saviour heaped the blessings, comforts, and luxuries of life around him. He took up the Bible and read the following passage, or one like it: "Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden, but themselves are gone into captivity." Isaiah 46:1, 2.

66 Here," exclaimed the old man, with more than anger depicted in his face, "here is the jargon which no one can understand, which I am required to believe; an unmeaning jargon."

Reader, notice what that old man might have known, if he had read one fiftieth part as much Bible history as he had read of political disputes in his newspapers. Notice what he might have felt, while reading those verses, had he been humble enough to seek after knowledge; had he even patiently conversed with such of the pious as wished to speak with him on the great concern. He might have noticed. that in the sacred book, God, by the mouth of his