ever the holy wars, gloried in the empty title. The city howi did not remain fo affured to the family of Saladin, but thirty years after his nephew Al Moadham, fultan of Damafcus, was obliged to demolith the walls, not being able to keep it himself, and fearing left the Franks, who were then again become formidable in thofe parts, fhould eftabh themselves again in a place of fuch ftrength. Afterwards in the year 1228, * another of Saladin's family, Al Kamel, the Sultan of Egypt, who after the death of his kinfman Al Moadham enjoyed part of his estates, to fecure his own kingdom, made a treaty with the Franks, and yielded up Jerufalem to the emperor Frederic II. upon condition that he fhould not rebuild the walls, and that the mofques fhould be referved for the devotions of the Muffelmen. Frederic was accordingly crowned king there, but foon returned into Europe. Not many years intervened, before the Christians broke the truce; and Melecfalah, fultan of Egypt, being greatly offended, marched directly towards Jerufalem, put all the Franks therein to the fword, 'demolished the caftie which they had built, facked and razed the city, not even fparing the fepulchre of our faviour, which till that time had never been violated or defiled; and m before the end of the fame century, the crufaders or European Chriftians were totally extirpated out of the holy land, having loft in their eaftern expeditions, according to fome ac counts, above two millions of perfons. Before this time the Mamalucs or the foreign flavesto the Egyptian fultans had ufurped the government from their masters: and foon after this " Kazan the Chan of the Mogul-Tartars made an irruption into Syria, routed Al Nafer the Sultan of Egypt, had Damascus furrendered to him, and ordered Jerufalem to be prepared and fortified. But being recalled by great troubles in Perfia, he was obliged to quit his new conquefts, and the Mamaluc fultan of Egypt foon took poffeffion of them again. F 3 in i Herbelot. ibid. p. 269. Knolles and Savage, p. 74. Voltaire ib. k Abul-Pharaji ibid. p. 305. Herbelot. p. 269 et 745. Knolles and Savage, p.81. Voltaire ibid. and Annals of the Empire, Ann. 1229. 1 Herbelot ibid. p. 269. Knolles and Savage, p. 83. m Knolles and Savage, p. 95. Voltaire ibid. n Pocockii Supplem. Ad Abul-Pharaj. p. 2. Knolles and Savage, p. 96. In like manner when the great Timur or Tamerlane, like a mighty torrent, overwhelmed Afia, and vanquished both the Turkish and Egyptian fultans, he went twice in paffing and repaffing to vifit the holy city, gave many prefents to the religious perfons, and freed the inhabitants from fubfidies and garrifons. But the ebb was almost as fudden as the flood. He died within a few years, and his fons and grandfons quarrelling about the fucceffion, his vaft empire in a little time moulderd away; and Jerufalem with the neighbouring countries reverted to the obedience of the Mamalucs again. It was indeed in a ruined and defolate ftate, as Chalcocondylas P defcribes it, and the Christians paid large tribute to the fultans of Egypt for access to the fepulchre of Jefus. And in the fame ftate it continued, with little variation, under the dominion of the Mamalucs, for the space of above 260 years, till at length this with the other territories of the Mamalucs fell a prey to the arms of the Turks of the Othman race. It was about the year 1516 that 9 Selim the ninth emperor of the Turks turned his arms against Egypt; and having conquered one Sultan, and hanged another, he annexed Syria, Egypt, and all the dominions of the Mamalucs to the Othman empire. In his way to Egypt, he did as Kazan and Tamerlane had done before him ; he went to vifit the holy city, the feat of so many prophets, and the scene of fo many miracles. It lay at that time miferably deformed and ruined, according to the account of a contemporary historian, not inhabited by the Jews who were banifhed into all the world, but by a few Chriftians • Chalcocondylas de rebus Turc. Lib. 3. Herbelot. p. 877, &c. Knolles and Savage, p. 138, &c. » Τον δε τάφον Ιηση, κ. 7. λ. Sepulchrum Jefu fub potestate istius regis in Palæstina fitum eft, unde plurimum lucri ei accidit-Situm in urbe Hierufalem, quae devaftata eft cum maritimis regionibus. Chalcocond. ibid. p. 75. Edit. Paris. 59. Edit. Venet. 4 Pocockii Supplem. ad Abul-Pharaj. p. 29, 30, 49. Herbelot. Bib. Orient. p. 802. Knolles and Savage, p. 240. &c. Prince Cantemair's Hift. of the Othman empire, in Selim I. Pauli Jovii Hift. Lib. 17. Herbelot ibid. Knolles and Savage, p. 243. Prince Cantemir ibid. Sect. 21. p. 163. $ Paulis Jovius ibid. Ea tunc miferabili facrarum ruinarum deformitate inculta atque deferta, non a Judæis veteribus incolis, qui tunc toto orbe extorres in admiffi fceleris pænam, nec fedem nec patriam Chriftians who paid a large tribute to the Egyptian fultans for the poffeffion of the holy fepulchre. Selim offered up his devotions at the monuments of the old prophets, and presented the Christian priests with as much money as was fufficient to buy them provifions for fix months; and having ftayed there one night, he went to join his army at Gaza. From that time to this the Othman emperors have poffeffed it under the title of Hami, that is of protectors, and not of masters; though they are more properly tyrants and oppreffors. Turks, Arabians, and Chriftians of various fects and nations dwell there out of reverence to the place; but very few Jews; and of those the greatest part, as "Bafnage fays, are beggars, and live upon alms. The Jews fay, that when the Meffiah fhall come, the city will undergo a conflagration and inundation in order to be purified from the defilements, which the Christian and Mohammedan have committed in it; and therefore they choose not to settle there. the writer just mentioned affigns two more probable and natural reasons. “One is, that the Mohammedans look upon Jerufalem as a holy place; and therefore there are a great many Santons and devout Muffulmen, who have taken up their abode there, who are perfecutors of the Jews as well as of the Christians, fo that they have lefs tranquillity and liberty in Jerufalem than in other places : and as there is very little trade, there is not much to be got, and this want of gain drives them away." But By thus tracing the hiftory of Jerufalem from the deftruction by Titus to the prefent, it appears evidently, that as the Jews have been led away captive into all nations,' fo Jerufalem hath been trodden down of the Gentiles. There are now almost 1700 years, in which the Jewish nation have been a standing monument of the truth of Christ's predictions, themselves difpersed over the face of the whole earth, and their land groaning un der patriam habent, fed a paucis Chriftianis incolebatur. li cum igno minia et gravi admodum contumelia Chriftiani nominis, ob conceffam venerandi fepulchri poffeffionem, grave tributum Ægyptiis regibus perfolvunt, &c. et fes fucceffeurs l'ont poffedee jufqu'a prefent sous le titre de Hami, c'est-a-dire, de protecteurs, et non pas de maitres. Herbelot, p. 270. Bafnage Hift. of the Jews, B. 7. Chap. 24. Sect. 10. der the yoke of foreign lords and conquerors: And at this day there is no reason to doubt but they will continue in the fame state, nor ever recover their native country, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' Our Saviour's words are very memorable, Jerufalem fhall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. It is ftill trodden down by the Gentiles, and confequently the times of the Gentiles are not yet fulfilled. When the times of the Gentiles fhall be fulfilled,' then the expreffion implies that the Jews fhall be reftored and for what reason, can we believe, that though they are difperfed among all nations, yet by a conftant miracle they are kept diftinct from all but for the farther manifeftation of God's purposes towards them? The prophecies have been accomplished to the greatest exactness in the deftruction of their city, and its continuing ftill fubject to strangers, in the difperfion of their people, and their living still feparate from all people; and why fhould not the remaining parts of the fame prophecies be as fully accomplished too in their restoration, at the proper feafon, when the times of the Gentiles fhall be fulfilled? The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled, when the times of the four great kingdoms' of the Gentiles according to Daniel's prophecies fhall be expired, and the fifth kingdom' or the kingdom of Christ shall be fet up in their place, and the faints of the most High fhall take the kingdom, and poffefs the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.' Jerufalem, as it hath hitherto remained, so probably will remain in fubjection to the Gentiles, until thefe times of the Gentiles be fulfilled;" or as St Paul expreffeth it, Rom. xi. 25, 26. until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and fo all Ifrael fhall be faved,' and become again the people of God. The fulness of the Jews' will come in as of the Gentiles.' For ver. 12, &c. be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness ? For I would not, brethren, that ye fhould be ignorant of this mystery, that blindness in part is happened to Ifrael, until the fulnefs of the Gentiles be come in: And fo all Ifrael shall be saved.” well as 'the fulness if the fall of them XXI. W XXI. THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED. PART IV. HEN we first entered on an explanation of our Saviour's prophecies relating to the destruction of Jerufalem, comprifed chiefly in this 24th chapter of St Matthew, it was obferved that the difciples in their queftion propofe two things to our Saviour, firft when fhould be the time of his coming or the deftruction of Jerufalem, and fecondly what fhould be the figns of it, ver. 3. Tell us when shall these things be, and what fhall be the figns of thy coming, and of the conclufion of the age. The latter part of the question our Saviour answereth first, and treateth at large of the figns of the destruction of Jerufalem from the 4th verfe of the chapter to the 31ft inclufive. He toucheth upon the most material paffages and accidents, not only of those which were to fore-run this great event, but likewife of thofe which were to attend, and immediately to follow upon it: and having thus anfwered the latter part of the question, he proceeds now in verfe 32d to answer the former part of the question, as to the time of his coming and the destruction of Jerufalem. He begins with obferving that the figns which he had given would be as certain an indication of the time of his coming, as the fig-tree's putting forth its leaves is of the approach of fummer; ver. 32, 33. Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that fummer is nigh: So likewife ye, when ye fhall fee all these things, know that it is near, or he is near even at the doors.' He proceeds to declare that the time of his coming was at no very great distance; and to fhow that he hath been speaking all this while of the destruction of Jerufalem, he affirms with his ufual affirmation, ver. 34. Verily I fay unto you, This generation fhall not pafs, till all these things be fulfilled. It is to me a wonder how any man can refer part of the foregoing difcourfe to the deftruction of Jerufalem, |