observed, that as yet they had not resisted unto blood, ch. xii. 4. But this Ananus the Sadducee, presently after he had been placed in power by Agrippa, taking advantage of the death of Festus, and of the time that passed before Albinus, his successor, was settled in the province, summons James before himself and his associates. There to make short work he is condemned, and immediately stoned. And it is not unlikely but that other private persons suffered together with him.

§ 6. The story, by the way, of the martyrdom of this James, is at large reported by Eusebius out of Hegesippus, Hist. Eccles. lib. 2. cap. 23. in the relation whereof, he is followed by Hierome and sundry others. I shall say no more of the whole story, but that the consideration of it, is very sufficient to persuade any man to use the liberty of his own reason and judgment, in the perusal of the writings of the ancients. For of the circumstances therein reported about this James, and his death, many of them (as his being of the line of the priests, his entering at his pleasure into the Sanctum Sanctorum, his being carried up and set by a great multitude of people on a pinnacle of the temple) are so palpably false, that no colour of probability can be given unto them, and most of the rest seem altogether incredible. That in general this holy apostle of Jesus Christ, his kinsman according to the flesh, was stoned by Ananus, during the anarchy between the governments of Festus and Albinus, Josephus who then lived testifies, and all ecclesiastical historians agree.

$7. The churches at this time in Jerusalem and Judea were very numerous. The oppressors, robbers, and seditious of all sorts, being wholly intent upon the pursuit of their own ends, filled the government of the nation with tumults and disorders. The disciples of Christ, who knew that the time of their preaching the gospel unto their countrymen was but short, and even now expiring, followed their work with diligence and success, being not greatly regarded in the confusion which was raised, while the nation was rushing on to its fatal end.

§ 8. All these churches, and the multitudes that belonged unto them, together with the profession of the gospel, were addicted zealously unto the observation of the law of Moses. The synod indeed at Jerusalem had determined, that the yoke of the law should not be put upon the necks of the Gentile converts, Acts xv. But eight or nine years after, when Paul came up to Jerusalem again, ch. xxi. 20-22. James informs him, that the many thousands of the Jews who believed, did all zealously observe the law of Moses; and moreover judged that all those who were Jews by birth ought to do so, and on that account were like enough to assemble in a disorderly multitude, to inquire into the practice of Paul himself, who had been ill report

ed of amongst them. On this account, they kept their assem blies distinct from those of the Gentiles all the world over; as amongst others Hierome informs us, in his notes on the first chapter of the Galatians. All those Hebrews then to whom Paul wrote this Epistle, continued in the use of Mosaical worship, as celebrated in the temple, and in their synagogues, and in the practice of all other legal institutions whatever. Whether they did this out of an unacquaintedness with their liberty in Christ, or out of a pertinacious adherence unto their own prejudicate opinions, I shall not determine.

9. From this time forward, the body of the people of the Jews saw not a day of peace or quietness: tumults, seditions, outrages, robberies, murders, increased all over the nation. And these things, by various degrees, made way for that fatal war, which, beginning about six or seven years after the death of James, ended in the utter desolation of the people, city, temple and worship, foretold so long before by Daniel the prophet, and intimated by our Saviour to lie at the door. This was that day of the Lord, whose sudden approach the apostle declares unto them, ch. x. 36, 37. "For ye have need of patience, that after ye have done the will of God, ye may receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Mixgov irov irov a very little while, less than you think of or imagine, the manner whereof he declares, ch. xii. 26-28. And by this means he effectually diverted them from a pertinacious adherence unto those things whose dissolution from God himself, was so nigh at hand; which argument was also afterwards pressed by Peter, 2 Epist iii.

10. Our blessed Saviour had long before warned his disciples of all these things; particularly of the desolation that was to come upon the whole people of the Jews, with the tumults, distresses, persecutions and wars which should precede it, directing them to the exercise of patience in the discharge of their duty, until the approach of the final calamity, out of which he advised them to free themselves by a timely flight from Jerusalem and all Judea, Matt. xxiv. 15-21. This, and no other, was the oracle mentioned by Eusebius, whereby the Christians were warned to depart out of Jerusalem. It was given, as he says, Tois dexinois, to approved men amongst them. For though the prophecy itself was written by the evangelists, yet the special meaning of it was not known and divulged amongst all. Their leaders kept this secret for a season, lest the people should have been exasperated, and the servants of Christ obstructed in the work which they had to do, before its accomplishment. And this was the way of the apostles also as to other future events, which being foretold by them, might provoke either Jews or Gentiles, if publicly divulged, 2 Thess. ii. 5, 6. But now when

the work of the church among the Jews for that season was come to its close, the elect being gathered out of them, and the final desolation of the city and people appearing to be at hand, by a concurrence of all the signs foretold by our Saviour, those entrusted with the sense of that oracle, warned their brethren to provide for that flight whereunto they were directed. That this flight and departure, probably with the loss of all their possessions, was grievous unto them, may easily be conceived.

But that which seems most especially to have perplexed them, was their relinquishment of that worship of God whereunto they had been so zealously addicted. That this would

prove grievous unto them, our Saviour had before intimated, Matt. xxiv. 20. Hence were they so slow in their obedience unto that heavenly oracle, although excited with the remembrance of what befel Lot's wife in the like tergiversation. Nay, it is likely from this Epistle, that many of them who had made profession of the gospel, rather than they would now utterly forego their old way of worship, deserted the faith; and, cleaving to their unbelieving countrymen, perished in their apostasy. These our apostle in an especial manner, forewarns of their inevitable and sore destruction, by that fire of God's indignation, which was shortly to devour the adversaries, to whom they associated themselves, ch. x. 25-31.

§ 11. This was the time wherein this Epistle was writtenthis the condition of the Hebrews unto whom it was addressed, both in respect of their political and ecclesiastical estate. Paul, who had inexpressible zeal, and overflowing affection for his countrymen, being now in Italy, considering the present condition of their affairs, how pertinaciously they adhered to Mosaieal institutions; how near the approach of their utter abolition was; how backward, during that frame of spirit, they would be to save themselves, by flying from the midst of that perishing generation; what danger they were in to forego the profession of the gospel, when it could not be retained without a reLinquishment of their former divine service and ceremonies; writes this Epistle unto them, wherein he strikes at the very root of all their dangers and distresses. For whereas all the danger of their abode in Jerusalem and Judea, and so of falling in the destruction of the city and people, all the fears the apostle had of their apostasy into Judaism, all their own distresses in reference unto their flight and departure, arose from their adherence unto and zeal for the law of Moses: by declaring unto them the nature, use, end and expiration of these ordinances and institutions, he utterly removes the ground and occasion of all the evils mentioned. This was the season wherein this Epistle was written, and these some of the principal oc-.

casións (though it had other reasons also, as we shall see afterwards) of its being written. And though particular events of those days are buried in oblivion, yet I no way doubt but that through His grace who moved the apostle to write, and who directed him in writing it, it was made signally effectual towards the professing Hebrews, both to free them from that yoke of bondage wherein they had been detained, and to prepare them with cheerfulness unto the observation of evange lical worship, leaving their countrymen to perish in their sin and unbeliet

1. Of the language wherein this Epistle was originally written. Supposed to be the Hebrew. § 2. Grounds of that supposition, disproved. §3. Not translated by Clemens. 4. Written in Greek. Arguments for the proof thereof. § 5. Of citations out of the LXX.

§ 1. BECAUSE this Epistle was written to the Hebrews, most

of the ancients granted that it was written in Hebrew. Clemens Alexandrinus was the first who asserted it; after whom, Origen gave it countenance, from whom Eusebius received it, and from him Hierome, which is the most ordinary progression of old reports. The main reason which induced them to embrace this persuasion, was a desire to free the Epistle from an argument against its being written by Paul, taken from the dissimilitude of the style used in it, unto that of his other Epistles. This being once admitted, though causelessly, they could think of no better answer, than that this supposed difference of style arose from the translation of this Epistle, which by the apostle himself was first written in Hebrew. Clemens Romanus is the person generally fixed on as the author of this translation; though some do faintly intimate, that it must have been done by Luke the evangelist. But this objection from the diversity of style, which alone begat this persuasion, hath been already removed out of the way, so that it cannot be allowed to be a foundation of any other supposition.

§2. That which alone is added to give countenance unto this opinion, is that which we mentioned at the entrance of this discourse; namely, that the apostle writing unto the Hebrews, wrote in their native language, which being also his own, it is no wonder if he were more copious and elegant in it than he was in the Greek, with which he was originally unacquainted, learning it, as Hierome supposeth, upon his conversion. But a man may modestly say unto all this, oude vyes. Every thing in ὑγιες. this pretended reason for that which indeed never was, is so far from certainty, that indeed it is beneath all probability.

For, 1. If this Epistle was written originally in Hebrew, whence comes it to pass, that no copy of it in that language was ever read, seen, or heard of, by the most diligent collectors of all fragments of antiquity in the primitive times? Had ever any such thing been extant, whence came it in particular, that Origen, that prodigy of industry and learning, should be able