and left any Remains of the Family of the Afmoneans should hinder the Succeffion of his own Family to the Kingdom of Judea; and for these Reasons he gave private Orders, that in cafe he died, both his Wife and her Mother should be put to death: which dreadful Secret being communicated to his Queen, fhe refented it to fuch a degree, that she would never afterwards receive him; but, notwithstanding all kind Addreffes and Importunities, the perpetually followed him with fharp Reproaches of the Murther of her Relations, by which he secured the Crown to himself, and upbraided his Mother and his Sifter with the Meannefs of their Parentage. So that between his Exceffes of Love, and Rage, and Jealoufy, he was fo tormented, and fo wrought upon by the Artifices of his Mother and Sifter Salome, that at last he put his beloved Mariamne to death, under a Pretence of an Attempt to poifon him, and he executed her Mother too a little after the Daughter for a real Plot against his Life.

15 Q Did the Death of Mariamne relieve him from this Tumult of Paffions? A. By no means; for now his Love returned with Violence, and his Grief and Vexation joined with other Paffions to render him a moft miferable Wretch, a Torment to himself, and outrageous to all about him.

162 What courfe of Life did he follow afterward? A. He grew more arbitrary and cruel in his Government, he put what Perfons he pleafed into the High Priesthood, and turned them out again at pleafure: he made feveral Innovations in the Laws, Cuftoms, and Religion of the Jews, and introduced Spectacles of Wreftlers, of Combats between wild Beafts and Criminals, &c. in conformity to the Heathens, pretending it was

all

all neceffary to please Cæfar: and this fet the Hearts of the Jews much more against him, who were very jealous of their Religion and Cuftoms. Then thinking it needful for his Defence, as well as for his Grandeur and Glory, he built feveral ftrong Places and Towers within and without erufalem, he raised Temples in feveral Cities, and dedicated them to Cæfar who was his great Friend; and though fometimes he remitted part of the Taxes, and did feveral beneficent Actions to ingratiate himself with the People, it was all in vain, he could not obtain their Love.

17 Q. What was his greatest and most confiderable Attempt to please the People, and to perpetuate his own Name? A. He propofed to rebuild the Temple at Jerufalem: for it having now stood near five hundred Years, and being fo often injured, broken and repaired, he perfuaded the People that a new one should be built with much more Magnificence and Glory.

18 Q. But could be perfuade the Jews to confent that their Temple fhould be demolished, in order to rebuild it? A Not till he had affured them that the old Temple should remain untouched till. all Materials were ready to build the new one, which he actually provided at vaft Expence and Labour in two Years time, by employing ten thousand Artificers for Work, a thousand Waggons for Carriage, and a thoufand Priefts for Direction.

19 Q. Did he fulfil his Promife in Building this new Temple? A. Yes, he performed the Work with prodigious Coft and Splendor, as it is defcribed by Jofephus: It was built of large Stones, each twenty-five Cubits long, twelve Cubits broad, and eight in Thickness, which the Dif

ciples defired our Saviour to take notice of with Wonder, Mark iii. 1, 2. The Sanctuary, i. e. the holy Place, and the moft holy, which were more properly called the Temple, were finished in a Year and an half, fo that divine Worfhip was performed there, and in eight Yeas more he compleated the feveral Walls and Galleries, and Pillars and Courts according to his Design.

20 Q. How could it be faid then, John ii. 20 Forty and fix Years was this Temple in building? A. It was begun near forty-fix Years before that Paffover, when our Saviour being near thirty-one Years old, was prefent at Jerufalem; and though the grand Design and Plan was executed in nine Years and a half, yet Herod and his Succeffors were always building Outworks round it, or adding new Ornaments to it, even to that very Day when Chrift was there, and long afterward.

21 Q: When was it dedicated? A. The fame Year when it was finished, and on the Anniverfary-day of Herod's Acceffion to the Crown, and on this Account it was celebrated with a vast Num ber of Sacrifices and univerfal Rejoicing..

Note, Within four Years after this Dedication Jefus Chrift our Saviour was born, and was prefented there an Infant according to the Law.

22 Q: Was not this then the third Temple of the Jews? A. No, it was called the Second Temple ftill, becaufe though it was built a-new from the Foundations, yet it was only by way of Reparation, it not having been rafed and demolished with a ruinous Defign, nor did it lie in Ashes or Defolation, as it did when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it.

23 Q. Did Herod do any thing after this in favour of the Jews? A. When the Jews who were fcattered throughout Greece and Afia minor grew very numerous, and were much difturbed and oppreffed by the other Inhabitants, Herod procured for them a new Establishment of their Liberties and Privileges, and Permiffion to live in c ther Countries according to their own Laws and Religion, which had been granted them before by the Kings of Syria and by the Romans.

24 Q. What further Troubles did Herod meet with in his Family? A. His two eldest Sons by Mariamne, (viz.) Ariftobulus and Alexander, whom he had fent to Rome for Education, being returned to Jerufalem, in the Heat of their Youth they frequently expreffed their Refentments for the Death of their Mother, and thereby they became obnoxious to the Rage of Salome, Herod's Sifter and Favourite: And thus the who had been one great and conftant Inftrument to blow the Coals of Jealoufy and Difcontent between Herod and his Queen, and at last to occafion her Death, purfued the fame Courfe to make him jealous of fome Defigns of his Sons against his Life.

25 Q. What Iffue had thefe Quarrels and Fealoufies? A. They continued feveral Years: Plots were invented on both Sides: Thefe gave Herod in his old Age perpetual Difquietudes, Sufpicions and Fears: but Salome his Sifter prevailed fo far by her Craft against his two Sons, that after many Accufations and Acquitments of them, he at laft procured their Condemnation and Execution by Herod's Order and the Confent of Auguftus Cafar. This was about a Year or two before the Birth of Christ.

Chap. XIX. 26 Q. What was the general State of the Heathen World about this Time? A. All the known Parts of the World were fubdued to the Romans, and the Nations were in Peace; on which Account the Temple of Janus was shut up at Rome, which had never been shut but five Times fince the first Building of that City, and then Jefus Chrift the Prince of Peace came into the World, and was born at Bethlehem.

27 Q. Wherein does it appear that the World was thus all at quiet under the Government or Dominion of the Romans? A. Auguftus Cæfar the Emperor of Rome iffued out a Decree that Year for a general Regifter of his whole Empire, which St. Luke calls a Taxing or enrolling of all the World, Luke ii. 1. This brought Mary the Mother of Chrift to Bethlehem the City of David, to which Fainily fhe belonged; and while fhe was there, fhe brought forth her Son Jefus, as it is written, Luke ii. 1—11.

Note, This Year in which Christ was born, according to Bishop Usher's exact Computation, is the four thousandth Year from the Creation, which falls in with an old Tradition of the Jews, that the World was to laft fix thousand Years, viz. two thousand Years before the Law (or before Abraham, who was the Father of Circumcifion and the Jerus) and two thousand under the Law, i. e. from Abraham to the Messiah, and two thoufand under the Meffiah.

And here I might conclude this Chapter having brought the Jewish Affairs down to the Birth of Chrift. But it may give fome light to the New Teftament, to carry it on a little further.