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DISSERTATIONS

ON

THE PROPHECIES,

WHICH HAVE BEE^r

REMARKABLY FULFILLED,

AND

AT THIS TIME ARE FULFILLING IN THE WORLD.

/

BY THOMAS NEWTON, D. D.

LATE LORD BISHOP OF BRISTOL.

TO WHICH ARE ADDED,

A number of Original Notes, and a Supplement, containing

Extracts from the writings of

Owen, Usher, Broum, Knox, Gill, More, &c.

. A NEW EDITION,

IN WHICH THE

GREEK, LATIN, AND OTHER QUOTATIONS,

.ire translated into English.

IJV THREE VOLUMES. .-^^^S'

/

VOL. L ;,0v .?

PHILADELPHIA :
PUBLISHED BT JAMES MAHTIJ^,

No. 369, Market-street.

Stiles, printer. /"T^

1813. -wf

District of Pennsylvania ^ to wit:

BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the twenty-seventh da>
of May, in the thirty-seventh year of the independence of the
United States of America, A. D. 1813, James Martin, of the said
District, hath deposited in thi« office ^^^f ^^^^ «^^ ^;°^> .'„^^^
-/ight whereof he claims as proprietor, m the words following,
to wit :

*' Dissertatiom on ihe Prophecies, -^chich have been re^narko^ly
fuimetU find at this time are fulJiUii.g in the -.oorhl By Tho.
mas JK'e^oton, D. D. kite J^ord Bishop of Bristol, lo -wnich
are added, a number of original J\otes, and a Supplement, con-
taining Extracts frojn the ivritings of 0~uen, Usher, Broivn,
Knox, Gill, More, SJc. A neiu edition, in -ivhich the Greek,
Latin, and other Quotations are traiislated into English. In
three volumes. Vol. 7."
In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States,
.ntitiiled, " An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by se-
curing the Copies of Maps, Charts, :uid Books, to the Authors
und I'roprictors of sucli Copies, during tlie times therein men-
tioned." And also lo the Act, entitled, " An Act supplemen-
tary to An Act, entitled, " An Act. for the Encouragement of
Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books,
to the Authors and Proprietors of such Copies duri^ng the times
therein mentioned," and extending the benefits tliereof to the
Arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other
prints."

n. CALDWELL,
Clerk of tlie District of rennsvlvania.

TO HIS GRACE THE

LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY:

(DR. HERRING.)

MAY IT PLEASE VOUR GRACE, -

WITH your wonted condescension and
goodness to accept this oifering from my hands,
as a testimony of my veneration for your grace,
and of my gratitude for your favours to me. A
work of this kind I could not indeed address to
any one so properly as to your grace, on account
of your eminent station, and much more on ac-
count of your amiable qualities, and more still
as I have the happiness to live under you^pecu-
liar jurisdiction ; and your grace is very kind in
permitting me to inscribe it to your name, which
kindness I will not abuse with the usual style of
dedications. Your grace's virtues are so well
known, and so universally esteemed, as to stand
in need of no commendation, and much less of
mine.

I would rather beg leave to apprise your
grace, and the reader, of the design of these
dissertations : which is not to treat of the pro-
phecies in general, nor even of those prophecies
in particular, which were fulfilled in the person
and actions of our Saviour ; but only of such as
relate more immediately to these later ages, and

iv DEDICATION.

are in some measure receiving their accomplish-
ment at this time. What first suggested the
design, were some conversations formerly with
a great general,^ who had for many years the
chief command in the army, and was a man of
good understanding, and of some reading, but
unhappily had no great regard for revealed re-
ligion or the clergy. When the prophecies were
urged as a proof of revelation, he constantly de-
rided the notion, asserted that there was no such
thing, and that the prophecies which were pre-
tended, were written after the events. It was-
immediately replied, that though such a thing
might with less scruple and more confidence be
affirmed of some prophecies fulfilled long ago,
}'et it could never be proved of any, the con-
trary might be proved almost to a demonstra-
tion : but it could not be so much as affirmed of
several prophecies without manifest absurdity ;
Ibr there were several prophecies in scripture,
which were not fulfilled till these later ages, and
were fulfilling even now, and consequently could
not be framed after the events, but imdeniably
\vere written and published many ages before.
He was startled at this, and said he must ac-
kno\vledge, that if this point could be proved to
satisfaction, there would be no argument against
such plain matter of fact ; it would certainly con-
\ ince him, and he believed would be the readi-
est Avay to convince every reasonable man, of
the truth of revelation.

* Marshal Wade.

DEDICATIOX. V

It was this occasion, my Lord, that first gave
rise to these dissertations, wlilc.h were originally
drawn up in the form of some sernions. But
since that time, they have been new-modelled,
much altered, and much enlarged, and confirm-
ed by proper authorities. And tliough some of
them only are here published, yet each disserta-
tion may be considered as a distinct treatise by
itself. It is hoped indeed, tliat the wliole, like
an arch, w^iil add strength and firmness to each
part ; but at the same time, care hath been ta-
ken, that the parts should have strength in them-
selves, as well as a relation to the whole, and a
connection with each other. The publication
therefore of some parts cannot be improper ; and
the others shall go to the press, so soon as an in-
different share of health, constant preaching twice
a day, and other necessary duties and avocations
will permit me to put the finisliing hand to
them.

Every reader must know, your grace, and
every scholar must know more especially, that
such works are not to be precipitated. They
require time and learned leisure, great reading
and great exactness, being disquisitions cf'some
of the most curious points of history, as Vvell as
explications of some of the most difficult pas-
sages of scripture. And I should not presume
to offer any of them to your grace, or to sub-
mit them to the public censure, if they had not
been first perused and corrected by some of my
friends, and particularly by three of the best
schoiarsj and ablest critics of this age, Bishop

vl DEDICATION,

Pearce, Dr. Warburton, and Dr. Jortin ; who
were also my friendly coadjutors in my edition
of Milton ; and as they excel in all good learn-
ing themselves, so they are very ready to pro-
mote and assist the well-meant endeavours of
others.

When the other parts shall appear, they sliall
likewise beg your grace's patronage and protec-
tion. And in the mean time may your grace's
health be re-established, and continue many
vears for the good of this church and nation !
It is nothing to say that it is my earnest wish :
It is the wish of all mankind : but of none more
ardently than,

May it please your grace,

Your grace's most dutiful,

and obliged,

and obedient servant,

THOMAS NEWTON.

9tiA. 5. 1731.

DISSERTATIONS

. PROPHECIES

WHICH HAVE

KEM AUK ABLY BEEN FULFILLED, AND AT THIS TLME
ARE FULFILLING IN THE WORLD.

INTRODUCTION.

ONE of the strongest evidences for the truth of
revealed religion, is that series of prophecies which
is preserved in the Old and New Testament ; and a
greater service perhaps could not be done to Chris-
tianity than to lay together the several predictions of
scripture with their completions, to show how parti-
cularly things have been foretold, and. how exactly
fulfilled. A work of this kind was desired by the
Lord Bacon in his Advancement of Learning :* and
he intitleth it the kistoi'y of prophecy^ and therein
would have " every prophecy of the scripture be
sorted with the event fulfilling the same throughout
the ages of the world, both for the better confirma-
tion of faith," as he saith, " and for the better illu-
mination of the church, touching those parts of pro-
phecies which are yet unfulfilled : allowing never-
theless that latitude which is agreeable and familiar
unto divine prophecies, being of the nature of the
author, with whom a thousand years are but as one

♦ Book II. in English.

viii INTRODUCTION.

(lay, and therefore they are not fulfilled punctually
at once, but have springing and germinant accom-
plishment throughout many ages, though the heighth
or fulness of them may refer to some one age."

Such a work would indeed be a wonderful confir-
mation of our faith, it being the prejogative of God
alone, or of those who are commissioned by him,
certainly to foretel future events ; and the conse-
quence is so plain and necessary, from the believing
of prophecies to the believing of revelation, that an
infidel hath no way of evading the conclusion but by
denying the premises. But why should it be thought
at all incredible for God upon special occasions to
foretel future events ? or how could a divine revela-
tion (onh supposing that there was a divine revela-
tion) be better attested and confirmed than by pro-
phecies ? It is certain that God hath perfect and most
exact knowledge of futurity, and foresees all things
to come as well as comprt-hends every thing past or
present. It is certain too, that as he knoweth them
perfectly himself, so he may reveal them to others
in what degrees and proportions he pleaseth ; and
that he actually hath revealt-d them in several instan-
ces, no man can deny, every man must acknowledge,
who compares the several prophecies of scripture
with the events fulfilling the same.

But so many ages have passed since the spirit of
prophecy hath ceased in the world, that several per-
sons are apt to imagine, that no such thing ever ex-
isted, and that what we call predictions are only his-
tories written, after the events had happened, in a
prophetic style and manner : which is easily said in-
deed, but hath never been proved, nor is there one
tolerable argument to prove it. On the contrary
there are all the proofs and authorities, which can be
had in cast* s of this nature, that the prophets prophe-
sied in such and such ages, and the events happened
afterwards in such and such ages : and you have as
much reason to believe these, as you have to believe

ESTTRODUCTION. ix

^ny ancient matters of fact whatever; and by the
same rule that you deny these, you might as well
deny the credibility of all ancient history.

But such is the temper and genius of infidels ;
* they understand neither what they say, nor whereof
they affirm ;' and so betray their own ignorance, ra-
ther than acknowledge the force of divine truth ; and
assert things without the least shadow or colour of
proof, rather than admit the strongest proofs of di-
vine revelation. It betrays ignorance indeed, alto-
gether unworthy of persons of liberal education, not
to know when such and such authors flourished, and
such and such remarkable events happened ; and it
must be something worse than ignorance to assert
things without the least shadow or colour of proof,
contrary to all the marks and characters by which
we judge of the truth and genuineness of ancient au-
thors, contrary to the whole tenor of history, both
sacred and profane, which in this respect give won-
derful light and assistance to each other; and yet
these are the men, who would be thought to see far-
ther and to know more than other people, and will
believe nothing without evident proof and demon-
stration.

The facts, say they, were prior to the predictions,
and the prophecies were written after the histories.
But what if we should be able to prove the truth of
prophecy, and consequently the truth of revelation,
not by an induction of particulars long ago foretold,
and long ago fulfilled, the predictions whereof you
may therefore suppose to have been written after the
histories, but by instances of things which have con-
fessedly many ages ago been foretold, and have in
these latter ages been fulfilled, or are fulfilling at this
very time ; so that you cannot possibly pretend the
prophecies to have been written after the events, but
must acknowledge the events many ages after to cor-
respond exactly with the predictions many ages be-
fore ? This province we will now enter upon, this

X INTHODUCTION.

task we will undertake, and will not only produce in-
stances of things foretold with the greatest clearness
in ages preceding, and iulfilled with the greatest ex-
actness in ages following, if there is any truth in his-
tory sacred or profane ; but we will also (to cut up
the ol)jection entirely by the roots) insist chiefly upon
such prophecies, as are known to have been written
and published in books many ages ago, and yet are
receiving their completion, in part at least, at this
very day.

For this is one great excellency of the evidence
drawn from prophecy for the truth of religion, that
it is a g-roxuing- evidence ; and the more prophecies
are fulfilled, the more testimonies there are and con-
firmations of the truth and certainty of divine reve-
lation. And in this respect we have eminently the
advantage over those, who lived even in the days of
Moses and the prophets, of Christ and his apostles.
They were happy indeed in hearing their discourses
and seeing their miracles, and doubtless * many righ-
teous men have desired to see those things which
they saw and have not seen them, and to hear those
things which they heard and have not heard them ;'
Mat. xiii. 17. but yet I say we have this advantage
over them, that several things, v/hich were then only
foretold, are now fulfilled ; and what were to them
only matters of faith, are become mattery of fact and
certainty to us, upon whom the latter ages of the
world are come. God in his goodness hath afforded
to every age sufficient evidence of the truth. Mira-
cles may be said to have been the great proofs of re-
velation to the first ages who saw them performed,
Prophecies may be said to be the great proofs of re-
velation to the last ages who see them fulfilled. All
pretence too for denying the prophecies of scripture
is by these means absolutely precluded ; for how can
it be pretended that the prophecies were written af-
ter the events, when it appears that the latest of these
prophecies were written and published in books near

INTRODUCTION. Xl

1 TOO years ago, and the events have, many of them,
been accomplished several ages after the predictions,
or perhaps are accomplishing in the world at this
present time ? You are therefore reduced to this ne-
cessity, that you must either renounce your senses,
and deny what you may read in your bibles, together
with what you may see and observe in the world;
or else must acknowledge the truth of prophecy, and
in consequence of that the truth of divine revelation.
Many of the principal prophecies of scripture will,
by these means, come under our consideration, and
they may be best considered with a view to the se-
ries and order of time. The subject is curious as it
is important, and will be very well worth my pains
and your attention ; and though it turn chiefly upon
points of learning, yet I shall endeavour to render it
as intelligible, and agreeable, and edifying as I can
to all sorts of readers. It is hoped the work will
prove the more generally acceptable, as it will not
consist merely of abstract speculative divinity, but
will be enlivened with a proper intermixture of his-
tory, and will include several of the most material
transactions from the beginning of the world to this
day.

To this edition various notes are added, particu-
larly at the commencement and close of the work,
with a view of illustrating the observations of the ex-
cellent author, and showing how time continues to
confirm the prophecies of the divine word. Nearly
sixty years have elapsed since our author wrote.
Subsequent events, to an important extent, confirm
the persuasion that " the word of the Lord is true
and righteous altogether."

CONTENTS

OF

VOL. I.

INTRODUCTION.

Page 7—11.
Pr(3phecies one of the strongest proofs of revelation, p. 7. A
history of prophecy desired by Lord Bacon, 7. The conse-
quence plain from the believing of prophecies to the believ-
ing of revelation, 8. The objection that the prophecies were
written after the events, groundless, and betrays great igno-
i*ance, or something worse, 9. The truth of prophecy may
be proved by instances of things fulfilling at this very time, 9.
The evidence drawn from prophecy, a growing evidence, 10.
Miracles the great proofs of revelation to the first ages. Pro-
phecies to the last, 10. The necessity to which infidels are
reduced, either to renounce their senses, or to admit the truth
of revelation, 11. Most of the principal prophecies of scrip-
ture will be comprehended in this work, as well as several of
the most material transactions in history, 11.

DISSERTxlTION I.

NOAH'S PROPHECY.

p. 25—42.
Very few prophecies till Noah, p. 25. Noah*s drunkenness, and
the behaviour of his sons thereupon, 26. In consequence of
their different behaviour he was enabled to foretel the differ-
ent fortunes of their families, 27. The prophecy, 27. Not
to be understood of particular persons, but of whole nations,
27, 28. The curse upon Canaan, a curse upon the Canaanites
for their wickedness, 28. The wickedness of the Canaanites
very great, 29. The curse particularly implies the subjection
of the descendants of Canaan to the descendants of Shem and
Japheih, 30. The completion of this shown from the time
of Joshua to this day, 31. A different reading proposed of'
VOL. I. B

XIV CONTENTS.

Ham the fatlier of Canaan instead of Canaan, 32. The curse
in tills larger sense also shown to be fulfilled from the earliest
times to the present, 33, 34 The promise lo Shem of the
Lord being his God, how fulfilled, 34. The promise of en-
largement to Japheth, an allusion to his name, A5. How ful-
filled both in former and in later times, 36. The following
clause, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, capable of
two senses, and in both punctually fulfilled, 37. Conclusion,
57. A mistake of Mr. Mede corrected, 38. Lord Bolingbroke
censured for his indecent reflections on this prophecj', 39.
His ignorance about the Codex Alexandrinus, 40. His blun-
der about the Roman historians, 40, 41, His sneer about be-
lievers refuted, 41. Condemned by himself, 41. Had great
talents, but misapplied them, 42.

DISSERTATION II.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING ISHMAEL.

p. 42—58.
Abraham favoured wnth several revelations, p. 42. Those con-
cerning Ishmael or the Ishmaelites, 42. The promise of a
numerous posterity, how fulfilled, 43. The promise of twelve
princes, how fulfilled, 44. The promise of a great nation,
how fulfilled, 44. The saying that he should be a wild man,
how fulfilled, 45. The saying that his hand should be against
every man and every man's hand against him, how fulfilled,
46. The saying that he should dwell in the presence of all
his brethren, how fulfilled, 46. The Ishmaelites or Arabians
have fi-om first to last maintained their independency, 47.
Against the Egyptians and Assyrians, 48. Against the Per-
sians, 48. Against Alexander and his successoi^s, 48, 49.
Against the Romans, 49. Their state under Mohammed, and
since his time, and now under the Turks, 50, 51. Dr. Shaw's
account of them, 53. Bishop Pocock's, 53. And Mr. Han-
way's, 54. Conclusion, 55. Wonderful that they shotdd re-
tain the same manners for so many ages, 56. More wonderful
that they should still remain a free people, 57. The Jews and
Arabs in some respects resemble each other, 57, 58.

CONTENTS. Xy

DISSERTATION III.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING JACOB AND ESAU.

p. 58—71.
More prophecies concerning- the posterity of Isaac than of Ish-
mael, p. 58 The promise of the blessed sctd, how fulfilled,
58. The promise of the land of Canaan, how fulfilled, 58, 59.
The p omise of a numerous posterity, how fulfilled, 59. The
promises concerning- Esau and Jacob, 60. Not verified in
themselves, but in their posterity, 61. Comprehend several
particulars, 61. I. The families of Esau and Jacob two differ-
ent people and nations, 62, 63. 11. The family of the elder
subject lo that of the younger, 64, 65. 111. In situation and
other temporal advantages much alike, 65, 66. IV. The el-
der branch delighted more in war and violence, but subdued
by the younger, 67, 68. V The elder at one time shook ofiT
the dominion of the younger, 68, 69. YI. In all spiritual gifts
and graces the younger superior, and the happy instrument
of conveying the blessing to all nations, 69, 70. Conclusion^
70. The prophecies fulfilled in the utter destruction of the
Edomites, 70, 71.

DISSERTATION IV.

JACOB'S PROPHECIES CONCERNING HIS SONS,
PARTICULARLY JUDAH.

p. 71-89.
An opinion of great antiquity, that the soul near death grew
prophetic, 71. Jacob upon his death-bed foretold his sons
what should befal them in the last days, the meaning of that
phrase, 73. Jacob bequeaths the temporal blessing to all his
sons, the spiritual to Judah, 74. Tiie prophecies concerning
several tribes, how fulfilled, 75. The temporal blessing how
fulfilled to Judah, 76. The spiritual blessing, 77- I. An ex-
planation of the words and meaning of the prophecy, 77 — 83.
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, explained, 77 ^ 78.
Nor a law-giver from between his feet, explained, 79. Shiloh
in all the various senses of the word shown to be the Mes-
siah, 80. Le Clerc's singular interpretation, 81. J-T'/s as well
as Christians have by Shiloh generally understood the Mes-
siah, 82. And unto him shall the gathering of the people be,
capable of three different constructions, 82, 85. II. The com-
pletion of the prophecy, 83 — 89. Judah hereby constituted a.

xvi Contents.

tribe or body politic, and so continued till the coming of the
Messiah and the destruction of Jerusalem, 83 — 85. The lat-
ter clause fulfilled in the first sense, and the people gathered
to Judah, 85. Fulfilled in the second sense, and the people
gathered to the Messiah, 86. Fulfilled in the last sense, and
the people gathered to the Messiah before the sceptre's de-
parture, 87. The prophecy with regard to Benjamin fulfilled,
88. Conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah, 88, 89.

DISSERTATION V.

BALAAM'S PROPHECIES.

p. 89—113.
The gift of prophecy not always confined to the chosen seed, or
to good men, p. 89. Balaam both a heathen and an immoral
man, 90. A ceremony among the Heathens to curse their
enemies, 91. The story of Balaam's ass considered, 91. A
proper sign to Balaam, and the prophecies render the mira-
cle more credible, 93. The style of his prophecies beautiful,
94. His prophecy of the singular character of the Jewish na-
tion, how fulfilled' even to this day, 95. His prophecy of their
victories much the same as Jacob's and Isaac's, 96 His pro-
phecy of a king higher than Agag, how fulfilled, 96. His pro-
face to his latter prophecies explained, 98. His prophecy of
a star and sceptre to smite the princes of Moabj how fulfilled
by David, 99. Who meant by the sons of Sheth, 99. His
prophecy ag-ainst the Edomifes, how fulfilled by David, 101.
This prophecy of the star and the sceptre applied by most
Jewish and Christian writers to tlie Messiah, 101, 102. But
principally to be understood of David, 103. His prophecy
against the Amalekites, how fulfilled, 104. His. prophecy
against the Kenites, and who the Kenites were, 106. How
fulfilled, 107. His prophecy of ships from the coast of Chit-
tim, 108. The land of Chittim shown to be a general name
for Greece, Italy, and the countries and islands in the Medi-
terranean, 109. How afflict Ashur, 111. How afflict Eber,
and who meant by Eber, 111. How perish for ever, 112.
Conclusion, 113.

CONTENTS. XVll

DISSERTATION YI.

MOSES' PROPHECY OF A PROPHET UKE UNTO
HIMSELF.

p. 113—124.
Moses hath not only preserved several ancient prophecies, but
hath likewise inserted several of his own, p. 113. His pro-
phecy of another prophet like unto himself, 113. 1. What
prophet was here particularly intended, 114 — 118. The Mes-
siah principally, if not solely, 114. Proved from the conclu-
sion of the book of Deuteronomy, 115. From God's declara-
tion to Miriam and Aaron, 116. From the text itself, ilG.
From this prophet's being- a lawg-iver, 116. From fact, 117.
11. The g-reat likeness between Moses and Christ, 118 — 122.
Christ resembled Moses in more respects than any other per-
son ever did, 118. The comparison between them as drawn
by Eusebius, 119. As enlarged and improved by Dr. Jortin,
119, 120. His conchision from thence, 122. HI. The punish-
ment of the people for their infidelity and disobedience to
this prophet, 122—124.

DISSERTATION YII.

PROPHECIES OF MOSES CONCERNING THE JEWS.

p. 124—138.
Prophecies of Moses abound n^ost in the latter part of his wri-
tings, 124. The 28th of Deuteronomy a lively picture of the
state of the Jews at present, 124. Prop!iecy of their enemies
coming- from far, how fulfilled, 125. Prophecy of the cruelty
of their enemies, how fulfilled, 126. Of the sieg-es of their
cities, 126. Of their distress and famine in the sieges, 127.
Of women eating- their own children, 128. Of their great ca-
lamities and slaughters, 130. Of their being carried into
Egypt, and sold for slaves at a low price, 130. Of their be-
ing plucked from off their own land, 131, 132. Of their be-
ing dispersed into all nations, 133. Of their still subsisting
as a distinct people, 133. Of their finding no rest, 133. Of
their being oppressed and spoiled, 134. Of their children ta-
ken from them, 135. Of their madness and desperation, 135.
Of their serving otlier gods, 136. Of their becoming a pro-
verb, and a by-word, 137. Of the long continuance of them,
137. Conclusion, 138.

B 2

XViU CONTENTS.

DISSERTATION VIII.

PROPHECIES OF OTHER PROPHETS CONCERNING
THt: JEWS.

p. 138—163.
Other prophecies relative to ihe present state of the Jews, p.
138. I. The prophecies concerning- the restoration of the two
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the dissolution of the ten
tribes, 139 — 146. The restoration of the two tribes foretold
to be after 70 years, 139. Fulfilled at three periods, 139. The
ten tribes to cease from being* a people within 65 years, 144.
The prophecy how fulfilled, 141. What is become of them
since, and where are they at present, 142. Vain conjectures
of the Jews thereupon, 142, 143. Not all returned with the
two tribes, 143. Not all swallowed up and lost among- the
heathen nations, 144. Whether they remained, or wliether
they returned, they ceased from being a distinct people, and
were all comprehended under the name of Jews, 144, 145.
The reason of this distinction between the two tribes and
the ten tribes, 146. II. The preservation of the Jews, and
the destruction of their enemies, 146 — 149. The preserva-
tion of the Jews, one of the most illustrious acts of divine
providence, 147. Nor less the providence of God in the de-
struction of their enemies, 148. Not only nations but sing-le
persons, 149. HI. The desolation of Judea another memora-
ble instance of the truth of prophecy, 149 — 155. Foretold by
the prophets, 149. The present state of Judea answerable to
the prophecies, 150. No objection from hence to its having
been a land flowing- with milk and honey, 151. The ancients.
Heathens as well as Jews testify it to have been a g-ood land,
151. Mr. Maundrell's account of its present state, 152, 153.
Dr. Shaw's, 152. IV. The prophecies of the infidelity and
reprobation of the Jews, how fulfilled, 155—157. V. Of the
calling and obedience of the Gentiles, 157. This revolution
effected by ir»competent persons, and in a short time, 159.
The prophecies concerning the Jews and Gentiles have not
yet received their entire completion, 159. What hath been
5iccomplislied a sufficient pledge of what is to come, 159, 160.
Conclusion dissuading all i)ersecution, and recommending hu-
manity and charity to the Jews, 161 — 163.

CONTENTS. XIX

DISSERTATION IX.

THE PROPHECIKS CONCERNING NINEVEH.

p. 163— -181.
Some prophecies relating- to other nations which had connec-
tions with the Jews, 163. Want of ancient eastern historians
to clear up the prophecies, 163. The Assyrians terrible ene-
mies to bolh Israel and Judah, 164. Isaiah's prophecy against
the Assyrians, 165. Nineveh, the capital of (lie Assyrian em-
pire, a most ancient city, 166. An cxceedinir great city like-
wise, and the scripture-account confirmed by heathen authors,
167. Like other great cities very corrupt, but king- and peo-
ple repented, at the preaching- of Jonuh, 169. Some inquiry
who this king- was, and at what time Jonah prophesied, 170.
Their repentance of short continuance, for Nahvmi not long
after foretold the destruction of the city, 170, 171. Some in-
quiry when Nahum prophesied, 172. Nineveh accordingly
destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians, 172. Some inquiry
by whom particularly, 173. Nahum's prophecies of the man-
ner of its destruction exactly fulfilled according to the ac-
counts of Diodorus Siculus, 173, 174. Nahum and Zephaniah
foretold its total destruction contrary to all probability, i76,
177. These pi-edictions fulfilled according to the accounts of
the ancients, 178. According to the accounts of tJie moderns,
179, 180. Conclusion, 180, 181.

DISSERTATION X.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING BABYLON.

p. 181—203.
Babylon as w^ell as Nineveh an enemy to the people of God, 181.
A very great and very ancient city, 181. Considerably im-
proved by Nebuchadnezzai-, 182. One of the wonders of the
world, 183. Isaiah and Jeremiah foretold its destruction, 183,
184. Prophecies of Cyrus the conqueror of Babylon, fulfilled,
184. The time of the reduction of Babylon foretold, 185. Se-
veral circumstances of tlie siege foretold, 185. Besieged by
the Medes and Elamites or Persians, 185, 186. Armenians and
other nations united against it, 187. The Babylonians hide
themselves within their walls, 187 The river driefl up, 188.
The city taken during a feast, 189. The facis related by He-
rodotus and Xenophon, and therefore no room for scepticism,
189. The prophets foretold its total desolation, 190. These

XX CONTENTS.

prophecies to be fulfilled by degrees, 191, 193. Its state un-
der Cyrus, 192. Under Darius, 192. Under Xerxes, 193. Un-
der Alexander and afterwards, 194, 195. The accounts of it
since that time, by Diodorus, 195. Strabo, 196. Pliny, 196.
Pausanias, 196. Maxinnus Tyrius and Lucian, 197 Jerome,
197. Accounts of later authors, of Benjamin of Tudela, 197.
Texeira, 198. Hauwolf, 198. Peter de la Valle, 199. Ta-
vernier, 199. Mr. Salmon, 200. Mr. Hanway, 200. By these
accounts it appears how punctually tlie prophecies have been
fulfilled, 201. Conclusion ; such prophecies a convincing- ar-
gument of the divinity of the scriptures, and likewise instan-
ces of fine writing, and of the spirit of liberty, 202, 203.

DISSERTATION XI.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING TYRE.

p. 203—225.
Tyre, another enemy to the Jews, its fall predicted by Isaiak
and Ezekiel, p. 203. The prophecies relate to both old and
new Tyre, 203. A very ancient city, 205. The daughter of
Sidon, but in time excelled the mother, and became a mart
of nations, 206. In this flourishing condition, when the pro-
phets foretold her destruction, for her pride, and wickedness,
and cruelty to the Jews, 207, 208. Several particulars inclu-
ded in the prophecies, 209. I. The city to be taken and de-
stroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans, 209 — 211.
II. The inhabitants to pass over the Mediterranean, but to
find no rest, 211—214. HI. The city to be restored after 70
years, 214, 215. IV. To be taken and destroyed again, 215,
216. V. The people to forsake idolatry, and become con-
verts to the true religion, 218, 219. VI. The city at last to
be totally destroyed, and become a place for fishers «to spread
their nets upon, 220. These prophecies to be fulfilled by de-
grees, 221 A short account of the place from the time of
Nebuchadnezzar to the present, 221, 222. Huetius' account
of it, 222. Dr. Shaw's, 223. Mr. Maundrell's, 223. Conclu-
sion with some reflections upon trade, 224, 225.

DISSERTATION XII.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING EGYPT.

p. 225—253.
T.gypt famous for its antiquity, p. 225. No less celebrated for
its wisdom, 226. The parent of superstition as well as the

CONTENTS. XXI

mistress of leaniing-, 227- Had such connections with the
Jews, that it is made the subject of several prophecies, 227".
The phruse.of the burden of Kg-ypt considered iind explained,
227 — 229. I. Its conquest by Nebuchudnezxar foretold by
Jeremiah and Ezekiel, 229. How fulfilled, 229—232. H. Its
conquest by the Persians foretold by Isaiah, and how fulfilled,
232 — 236. 111. Its conquest by Alexander foretold by Isaiah,
and at the same time the spreading of the true religion in the
land, 236, 237. How fulfilled, 237--241. IV. Tlie prophecy
of Ezekiel, that it should be a base tributary kingdom, 241.
The truth of it shown by a short deduction of the history of
Ei?ypt from that time to this, 242 — 253. Its state under the
Babylonians, 242. Under the Persians, 243 — 245. Under ihe
Macedonians, 245. Under the Romans, 246. Under Uie Sa-
racens with the burning- of the Alexandrian Library, 247 —
249. Under the Mamalucs, 249. Under the Turks, 250. No
one could have foretold this upon hiuTian conjecture, 251.
Conclusion with some reflections upon the character of the
Eg'}ptians, as drawn by ancient and modern authors, 251 —
253.

DISSERTATION XIII.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM OF THE GREAT
._ EMPIRES.

p. 253— 278,
Some prophecies relating to inore remote nations, p 253. The
genuineness of Daniel's prophecies denied by Porphyry and
Collins, but suihciently vindicaled, 254. Tiie credit of Da-
niel as a prophet established by prophecies fulfilling at this
time, 255. Daniel's first prophecy, his interpretation of Ne-
buchadnezzar's dream, with tiie occu.sion of it, 255 — 257.
A great human figure not an improper emblem of human
power, and the various parts and metals signify various king-
doms, 257. I. Tlie head of fine gold, or the Babylonian em-
pire, 258, 259. The extent of it shown from heathen authors,
259, 260. H. The breast and arms of silver, or the Medo-
Persian empire, 260. Whv said to be inferior, and how long
it lasted, 261. III. The belly and thighs of brass, or the Ma-
cedonian empire, 261. Why said to bear rule over all the
earth, 261. The kingdom of Alexander and of his successors
not two different kingdoms, 263. Spoken of as one and the
same by ancient authors, 263. IV. The legs of iron, and feet
part of iron and part of claj-, or the fourth en»pire, 264. Far-
ther proofs that t.-iC kingdoms of the Seleucida; and Lagidx
cannot be the fourth kingdom, 265. This description appli-

XXll CONTENTS.

cable only to the Roman empire, 265, 266. So St. Jerome ex-
plains it, and all ancient writers both Jewish and Christian,
266, 267. V. The stone that brake the image, or the fifth
empire, 267 Cannot be the Roman, 268. Can be understood
only of the kingdom of Christ, 268, 269 Represented in two
states, as a stone, and as a mountain, 269, 270. This inter-
pretation confirmed by ancient writers, both Jews and Chris-
tians, and particularly by Jonathan Ben Uziel, who made the
Chaldee paraphrase upon the prophets, 270. The sense of
Josephus with Bishop Chandler's reflections upon it, 271, 272.
The ancient Christians give the same interpretation, 272. St.
Chrysostom's comment, 273. The exposition of Sulpicius
Severus, 274. Conclusion, 275. Hence we are enabled to
account, for Nebuchadnezzar's prophecy, and the Delphic
oracle, 276. Hence the distinction of four great empires, and
why only these four predicted, 277, 278.

DISSERTATION XIV.

DANIEL'S VISION OF THE SAME.

p. 278—311.
What was exhibited to Nebuchadnezzar in the form of a great
image, was represented to Daniel in the shape of great wild
beasts, and why, 278, 279. I The Babylonian empire why
compared to a lion, 279. Why with eagle's Avings, 279. Why
with a man's heart, 280. II. The Persian empire, why com-
pared to a bear, 281. How raised up itself on one side, and
had three ribs in the mouth, 281. Its cruelty, 282. 111. The
Macedonian empire, why compared to a leopard, 283. Why
with four wings and four heads, and dominion given to it,
284. IV. The Roman empire compared to a terrible beast
without a name, 284. The kingdoms of the Seleucidx and
Lagidx, can in no respect answer to this description, 285.
The Roman empire answers exactly. A memorable quotation
to this purpose, from Dionysius of Halicarnassus, 287- This
beast had ten horns or kingdoms, and the kingdoms of Egypt
and Syria were never so divided, 288. The notions of Por-
phyry, Grotius, and Collins, refuted, 289. The ten kingdoms
to be sought amid the broken pieces of the Roman empire,

289. The ten kingdoms, according to Machiavel, 289. Ac-
cording to Mr. Mede, 290. According to Bishop Lloyd, 290.
According to Sir Isaac Newton, 290. The same number since,

290. How they stood in the eighth century, 291. A little
liorn to rise up among the ten, 292 The notion of Grotius
and Collins, that Antiochus Epiphanes was the little horn,
refuted, 292, 293. An inquiry proposed into the sense of the;

CONTENTS. XXlll

ancients, 293. The opinion of Irenaeus, 293. Of St. Cyril at
Jerusalem, 294. Of Si. Jerome with Theodoret and St. Aus-
tin 293. The fathei's had some mistaken notions concerning
Antichiist, and how it came to pass they had such, 196 — 298.
Tlie little horn to be soug-ht among- the ten kingdoms of the
western Roman empire, 298. Machiavel himself points out a
little horn spnng-uig- up among the ten, 299. Three of the
first horns to tall before him, 299. The three according to Mr.
Mede, 299. According to Sir Isaac Newton, 300. Something
to be approved, and something to be disapproved in both
their plans, 300. The first of the three horns, the exarchate
of Ravenna, 301. The second, the kingdom of the Lombards,
302. The third, the state of Rome, 303. The character an-
swers in all other respects, 304. How long Antichrist to
contintie, 305, 306. V. All these kingdoms to be succeeded
by the kingdom of the Messiah, 307. This and the former
prophecy compared together, 309. They extend from the
reign of the Babylonians to the consummation of all things,,
310. Will cast light upon the subseqtient prophecies, and
the subseqtient prophecies reflect light upon them again, 311;
Conclusion, 311.

INTRODUCTION TO THE LECTURE FOUNDED BY THE
HONOURABLE ROBERT BOYLE.

p. 312—322.
How and by whom the author was appointed to preach the
Boyle's Lecture, 312, 313. Previous to the farther explana-
tion of Daniel, a vindication is proposed of the genuineness of
his prophecies, against the principal objections of unbelie-
vers, 313. Collins' eleven objections, particularly considered
and refuted, 313. His first objection, relating to the age of
Daniel, refuted, 314. His second objection, relating to the
mistake of the kings names, and to Nebuchadnezzar's mad-
ness, refuted, 314. His third objection, relating to the Greek
words found in Daniel, refuted, 315. His fourth objection,
relating to the version of the Seventy, refuted, 316. His fifth
objection, drawn from the clearness of Daniel's prophecies to
the times of Antiochus Epiphanes, refuted, 316. His sixth
objection, drawn from the omission of Daniel in the book of
Ecclesiasticus, refuted, 317. His seventh objection, relating
Jonathan's making no Targum on Daniel, refuted, 317. His
eighth objection, drawn from the style of Daniel's Chaldee,
refuted, 318. His ninth objection, drawn from the forgeries
of the Jews, refuted, 319. His tenth objection, drawn from
Daniel's uncommon punctuality in fixing the times, refuted,
319. His eleventh objection, relating to Daniel's setting forth

Xxiv CONTENTS.

facts very imperfectly, and contrary to other histories, and to
his dark and emblematic style, refuted, 320. The external
and internal evidence for the genuineness of the book of Da-
niel, 321. The division of the remainder of this work, agree-
able* to the design of the honourable founder, 321. From the
instance of this excellent person, and some others, it is shown
that philosophy and religion may weU consist and agree to-
gether, 322.

DISSERTATIONS

ON THE

PROPHECIES,

NOAH'S PROPHECY.

THE first prophecy that occurs in scripture, is that
part of the sentence pronounced upon the serpent, which
IS, as I may say, the first opening of Christianity, the first
promise of our redemption. We read in P^.-csis, iii. 15.
■' I will put enmity between thee and ^ vvoman, and be-
tween thy seed and her seed ; it siua bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel.' If you understand this
In the sense which is commonly put upon it by Christian
interpreters, you have a remarkable prophecy, and re-
markably fulfilled. Taken in any other sense, it is not
worthy of Moses, nor indeed of any sensible writer.

The history of the antediluvian times is very short and
concise, and there are only a few prophecies relating to
the deluge. As Noah was a preacher of righteousness to
the old world, so he was a prophet to the new, and was
enabled to predict the future condition of his posterity,
which is a subject that upon many accounts requires a
particular discussion.

It is an excellent character that is given of Noah, Gen.
vi. 9. ' Noah was a just man, and perfect in his genera-
tions, and Noah walked with God.* But the best of men
are not without their infirmities : and Noah, Gen. ix. 20,

VOL. I. c

26 DISSERTATIONS OX

&CC. having « planted a vineyard, and drank of the wine,'
became inebriated, not knowing perhaps the nature and
strength of the liquor, or being through age incapable of
bearing it : and Moses is so faithful an historian, that he
records the failings and imperfections of the most vene-
rable patriarchs, as well as their merits and virtues. Noah
in this condition lay * uncovered within his tent : and Ham
the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father ;* and
instead of concealing his weakness, as a good-natured man,
or at least a dutiful son would have done, he cruelly ex-
posed it ' to his two brethren without.* But * Shem and
Japheth,* more compassionate to the infirmities of their
aged father, ' took a garment' and ' went backward,' with
such decency and respect, that they * saw not the naked-
ness of their father' at the same time that they ' covered
it.* When * Noah awoke from his wine ' he was informed
of * what his younger son had done unto him.* The word*
in the original signifies his little son; and some f com-
mentators therefore, on account of what follows, have im-
agined that Canaan joined with his father Ham in this
mockery and insult upon Noah ; and the \ Jewish rabbins
hwVe a tradition, that Canaan was the first who saw Noah
in this pOP^^ure, and then went and called his father Ham,
and concurrea with him in ridiculing and exposing the
^)ld man. But this '.^ a very arbitrary method of interpre-
uuion ; no mention was made before of Canaan and of
what he had done, but only of Ham the father of Ca-
naan ;' and of him therefore must the phrase of little son^
or youngest soriy be naturally and necessarily understood.

* The Hebrew word Jvatan signifies little, less, least.

f Hence it is inferred with great probability, that he (Canaan)
was a companion with liis father in his transgression. See Pis-
rator in Pool's Synopsis on Cen. ix. 25.

t See Origen on the book of Genesis, page 33. of Vol. II. in the
Benedictine Edition. It is a question that has been greatly agi-
tated, why the curse due to Ham should have been denounced
by Noah against Canaan. Theodoret answers this in liis 57tii
question on the book of Genesis, that he had learned ft-om a cer-
tain Jew, that Canaan first beheld the nakedness of his grand-
iather, and in a sneering and contemptuous manner pointed him
out to his father. But the truth is, that this tradition among the
.fews is to be met with in Bereshith Itabba, a rabbinical book
written long before the time of Theodoret. See Bochart's book
entitled Phaleg-, Book IV. Chop, xxxvii. Col. 308.

THE PROPHECIES. 27

In consequence of this cUflcrent behaviour of his three
sons, Noah as a patriarch was enlightened, and as the fa-
ther of a family, who is to reward or punish his children,
was impowered, to foretel the different fortunes of their
families: for this prophecy relates not so much to them-
selves, as to their posterity, the people and nations de-
scended from them. He was not prompted by wine or
resentment j for neither the one nor the other could in-
fuse the knowledge of futurity, or inspire him with the
prescience of events, which happened hundreds, nay thou-
sands of years afterwards. But God, willing to manifest
his superintendence and government of the world, endued
Noah with the spirit of prophecy, and enal)led him in
some measure to disclose the purposes of his providence
towards the future race of mankind. At the same time
it was some comfort and reward to Shem and Japheth,
for their reverence and tenderness to their father, to hear
of the blessing and enlargement of their posterity ; and
it was some mortification and punishment to Ham, for
his mockery and cruelty to his father, to hear of the ma'
lediction and servitude of some of his children, and that
as he was a wicked son himself, so a wicked race should
spring from him.

Then this was Noah's prophecy : and it was delivered,
as * most of the ancient prophecies were delivered, in me-
tre for the help of the memory, Gen. ix. 25, 26, 27.

* Cursed be Canaan.'

* A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.*
< Blessed be Jehovah the God of Shem ;'

* And Canaan shall be their servant.'

* God shall enlarge Japheth.'

* And shall dwell in the tents of Shem,'

* And Canaan shall be their servant.'

Canaan was the fourth son of Ham according to the urdei-
wherein they are mentioned in the ensuing chapter. And
for what reason can you believe that Canaan was so par-

* The reader may see this point proved at larg-e, in the very
ingenious and learned Mr. Arcluleacon Lowth's poetical Prelec-
tions Cparticiilarly Prelect. 18.) &c., a work that merits the at-
tention of all ^v!io study the Hebrew lang-uag-e.

28 DISSERTATIONS ON

ticularly marked out for the curse ? for his father Ham's
transgression ? But where would be the justice or equity
to pass by Ham himself with the rest of his children, and
to punish only Canaan for what Ham had committed ?
Such arbitrary proceedings are contrary to all our ideas
of the divine perfections ; and we may say in this case
what was said in another, Gen. xviii, 25. ' Shall not the
judge of all the earth do right ?* The curse was so far
from being pronounced upon Canaan for his father Ham's
transgression, that we do not read that it was pronounced
for his own, nor was executed till several hundred years
after his death. The truth is, the curse is to be under-
stood not so properly of Canaan, as of his descendants to
the latest generations. It is thinking meanly of the an-
cient prophecies, of scripture, and having very imperfect,
very unworthy conceptions of them, to limit their inten-
tion to particular persons. In this view the ancient pro-
phets would be really what the Deists think them, little
better than common fortune-tellers ; and their prophecies
would hardly be worth remembering or recording, espe-
cially in so concise and compendious a history as that of
Moses. We must affix a larger meaning to them, and
understand them not of single persons, but of whole na-
tions; and thereby a nobler scene of things, and a more
extensive prospect will be opened to us of the divine dis-
pensations. The curse of servitude pronounced upon Ca-
naan, and so likewise the promise oi blessing and enlarge-
ment made to Shem and Japheth, are by no means to be
confined to their own persons, but extend to their whole
race ; as afterwards the prophecies concerning Ishmael,
and those concerning Esau and Jacob, and those relating
to the twelve patriarchs, were not so properly verified in
themselves as in their posterity, and thither we must look
for their full and perfect completion. The curse there-
fore upon Canaan was properly a curse upon the Canaan-
Ues. God foreseeing the wickedness of this people, (which
began in their father Ham, and greatly increased in this
branch of his family) commissioned Noah to pronounce
a curse upon them, and to devote them to the servitude
and misery, which their more common vices and iniqui-
ties would deserve. And this account was plainly written
by Moses, for the encouragement of the Israelites, to sup-

THE PllOPHEClES. 29

port and animate them in their expedition against a peo-
ple, who by their sins had forfeited the divine protection,
and were destined to slavery from the days of Noah.

We see the purport and meaning of the prophecy, and
now let us attend to the completion of it. Cursed be Ca-
naan ; and the Canaanites appear to have been an abo-
minably wicked people. The sin and punishment of the
inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities of the
plain are too well known to be particularly specified : and
for the other inhabitants of the land, which was promised
to Abraham and his seed, God bore with them ' till their
iniquity was full,* Gen. xv. 16. They were not only ad-
dicted to idolatry, which was then the case of the greater
part of the world, but were guilty of the worst sort of ido-
latry ; ' for every abomination to the Lord, which he
hateth, have they done unto their gods ; for even their
sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to
their gods,' Deut. xii. 31. Their religion was bad, and
their morality, (if possible,) was worse ; for corrupt reli-
gion and corrupt morals usually generate each other, and
go hand in hand together. Read the 18th and 20th chap-
ters of Leviticus, and you will find that unlawful marri-
ages and unlawful lusts, witchcraft, adultery, incest, sod-
omy, bestiality, and the like monstrous enormities were
frequent and common among them. And was not a cnrse
in the nature of things, as well as in the just judgment of
God deservedly intailed upon such a people and nation as
this? It was not ' for their own righteousness' that * the
Lord brought' the Israelites in * to possess the land :' but
*for the wickedness of these nations did the Lord drive
them out :' Deut. ix. 4. and he would have driven out the
Israelites in like manner for the very same abominations.
Levit. xviii. 25, Sec. ' Defile not yourselves in any of these
things ; for in all these the nations are defiled which I
cast out before you. And the land is defiled ; therefore
I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself
vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep
my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any
of these abominations — that the land spne not ycu out
also when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that
were before you. For whosoever shall commit any of
c 3

DISSERTATIONS OX

these abominations, even the souls that commit them>
shall be cut off from among their people/

But the curse particularly implies servitude and sub-
jection. ' Cursed be Canaan ; a servant of servants shall
he be unto his brethren.' It is very well known that the
word brethren in Hebrew comprehends more distant re-
lations. The descendants therefore of Canaan were to be
subject to the descendants of both Shem and Japheth :
and the natural consequence of vice, in communities as
well as in single persons, is slavery. The same thing is
repeated again and again in the two following verses,
< and Canaan shall be servant to them,' or ' their servant ;'
so that this is as it were the burden of the prophecy.
Some* critics take the phrase observant of servants strict-
ly and literally, and say that the prediction was exactly
fulfilledj when the Canaanites became servants to the Is-
raelites, who had been servants to the Egyptians. But
this is refining too much ; the phrase off servant of ser-
vants is of the same turn and cast as ' holi/ of holies^ king
ofkings^ song of songs,' and the like expressions in scrip-
ture ; imports that they should be the lowest and basest
of servants.

We cannot be certain as to the time of the delivery of
diis prophecy ; for the history of Moses is so concise,
that it hath not gratified us in this particular. If the pro-
phecy was delivered soon after the transactions, which
•immediately precede in the history, Noah's ' beginning
to be a husbandman, and planting a vineyard,* it was soon
nfter the deluge, and then Canaan was prophesied of be-

* Noah cursing Ham, foretold that the time was coming",
when his posterity would be the servant of servants. This pre-
diction was fulfilled in the Canaanites, at that time, when they
were compelled to come under the yoke of the Israelites, a peo-
ple who for a long time had served the Egyptians. See Bo-
chart's Phaleg, Book I. Chap. i. Col. 3, 4.

I S. Pompey was a man without letters, a freedman of freed-
men, and a servant of servants. He envied the great, while he
cringed to tlie basest. So saith Velleius Peterculus, II. 73. In
the same book II, 83, and in the fragment of Sallust we meet
with these words, *' here indeed the lowest of servants obtains
the superiority." A vassal below the condition of servants.
These examples are taken from some manuscript notes in the
possession of Dr. Jortin.

THE PllOPIlECIES. 31

fore he was born, as it was prophesied of Esau and Jacob,
Gen. XXV. 23. * the elder shall serve the younger,' before
the children ' were born and had done either good or evil,*
as St. Paul saith, Rom. ix. 11. If the prophecy was deli-
vered a little before the transactions, which immediately
follow in the history, it was a little before Noah's death,
and he was enlightened in his last moments as Jacob was,
to foretel what should befal his posterity in tht latter daysy
Gen. xlix. 1. However this matter be determined, il
was several centuries after the delivery of this prophecy,
when the Israelites, who were descendants of Shem, un-
der the command of Joshua invaded the Canaanites, smote
above thirty of their kings, took possession of their land,
slew several of the inhabitants, made the Gibeonites and
others servants and tributaries, and Solomon afterwards
subdued the rest, 2 Chron. viii. 7, 8, 9. < As for all the
people that were left of the Hittites, and the Amorites,
and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites,
which were not of Israel ; but of their children who were
left after them in the land, whom the children of Israel
consumed not ; them did Solomon make to pay tribute
until this day. But of the children of Israel did Solomon
make no servants for his work : but they were men of
war, and chief of his captains, and captains of his chariots
and horsemen.' The Greeks and Romans too, who were
descendants of Japheth, not only subdued Syria and Pa-
lestine, but also pursued and conquered such of the Ca-
naanites as were any where remaining, as for instance
the Typians and Carthaginians, the former of whom were
mined by Alexander and the Grecians, and the latter by
Scipio and the Romans. " This fate," says Mr. Mede*
" was it that made Hannibal, a child of Canaan, cry out
with the amazement of his soul, Agnosco fortunam Car-
thaginis^ I acknowledge the fortune of Carthage.*' And
ever since the miserable remainder of this people have
been slaves to a foreign yoke, first to the Saracens, who
descended from Shera, and afterwards to the Turks, who
descended from Japheth ; and they groan under their do-
minion at this day.

* Mede's Works, Book I. Disc. 50. pag-. 284. See also tf>-
-.vards the end of the XXVU book of Llvy.

32 DISSERTATIONS OS

Hitherto we have explained the prophecy according
to the present copies of owr bible : but if we were to cor-
rect the text, as we should any ancient classic author in
a like case, the whole perhaps might be made easier and
plainer. Ham the father of Canaan is mentioned in the
preceding part of the story ; and how then came the per-
son of a sudden to be changed into Canaan ? The Ara-
bic * version in these three verses hath the father of Ca^
naan instead of Canaan. Some copies of the Septuagint t
likewise have Ham instead of Canaan^ as if Canaan was a
corruption of the text. Vatablus and others \ by Canaan
understand the father of Canaan^ which was expressed
twice before. And if we regard the metre, this line Curs^
ed be Canaan, is much shorter than the rest, § as if some-

* Cursed be the father of Canaan. See the Arabic version.
f The Septuagint in some copies have Ham instead of Canaan,
as if Canaan were a corruption of the text. See Calmet on this
passage. So likewise Ainswortb, [Who says, by Canaan may be
understood or Implied, Canaan's father; as the Greek translation
hath Ifam, and elsewhere in Scripture, Goliah is named for Goli-
iih's father. 2 Sam. xxi, 19. compared with 1 Chron. xx. 5.]

i: Some suppose that the word Abi father, is left out by the
carelessness of transcribers and ought to be supplied, because a
little below Ham is twice called the father of Canaan, see Gen.
ix. 18, 22. As if the words stood thus. Cursed be Ham the fa-
ther of Canaan. See Vatablus on the passage.

§ My suspicion hath since been confirmed by the reverend and
learned Mr. Green, fellow of Clare-hall in Cambridge ; who is
admirably W'ell skilled in the Hebrew language and Hebrew me-
tre, and hath given abundant proofs of his knowledge.rfnd judg-
ment, in these matters, in his new translation and commentary
on the song of Deborah, the prayer of Habakkuk, &c. He as-
serts, that according to Bishop Hare's metre, the words ha7n abi
are necessary to fill up the verse. He proposes a fartlier emen-
dation of the text, by the omission of one line, and the transpo-
sition of another, and would read the whole prophecy thus, ac-
cording to the metre.

And JToah said,

Cursed be Ham the father of Canaan ;

A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren.

And he said,

Blessed be Jehovah the God of Shem ;

For he shall dwell in the tents of Shem.

God shall enlarge Japheth ;

And Canaao shall be their servant.

THE PROPHECIES. 33

thing was deficient. May we not suppose therefore,
(without taking such liberties as father HoubiR-aut hath
with the Hebrew text) that the copyist by mistake wrote
only Canaan instead of Ham the father of Canaan^ 2iX\6.
the whole passage was originally thus ? ' And Ham the
father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told
his two brethren without. — And Noah awoke from his
wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him.
And he said, Cursed be Ham the father 0/ Canaan; a ser-
vant of servants shall he be unto his brethren. And he
said. Blessed be the Lord God of Shem ; and Ham the
father 0/ Canaan shall be servant to them God shall en-
large Japheth ; and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem ;
and Hun the father o/Canaan shall be servant to them.*

By this reading all the three sons of Noah are included
in the prophecy, whereas otherwise Ham, who was the
offender, is excluded, or is only punished in one of his
children. Ham is characterized as the father of Canaan
particularly, for the greater encouragement of the Israel-
ites, who were going to invade the land of Canaan : and
when it is said * Cursed be Ham the father of Canaan ; a
servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren ;* it is
implied that his whole race was devoted to servitude, but
particularly the Canaanites. Not that this was to take
effect immediately, but was to be fulfilled in process of
time, when they should forfeit their liberties by their wick-
edness. Ham at first subdued some of the posterity of
Shem, as Canaan sometimes conquered Japheth ; the Car-
thaginians, who were originally Canaanites, did particu-

If you will not allow this emendation to be right and certain, yet
I think you must allow it to be probable and ingenious, to ren-
der the sense clearer and plainer, and to give to every part its
just weight and proportion. Or the whole may, with only a
transposition and without any omission, be represented thus;

And Noah said.

Cursed be Ham the father of Canaan ;

A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren.

And he said.

Blessed be the Lord God of Shem ;

For he shall dwell in the tents of Shem ;

And Ham the father of Canaan shall be their servant.

God shall enlarge Japheth,

And Ham the father of Canaan shall be their servant.-.

34 DISSEUTATIONS ON

larly in Spain and Italy : but in time they were to be sub-
dued, and to become servants to Shem and Japheth ; and
the change of their fortune from good to bad would ren-
der the curse still more visible. Egypt was the land of
Ham^ as it is often called in scripture ; and for many years
it was a great and flourishing kingdom : but it was sub-
dued by the Persians, who descended from Shem, and
afterwards by the Grecians, who descended from Japheth ;
and from that time to this it hath constantly been in sub-
jection to some or other of the posterity of Shem or Ja-
pheth. The whole continent of Africa* was peopled
principally by the children of Ham : and for how many
ages have the belter parts of that country lain under the
dominion of the Romans, and then of the Saracens, and
now of the Turks ? in what wickedness, ignorance, barba-
rity, slavery, and misery, live most of the inhabitants ?
and of the poor negroes how many hundreds every year
are sold and bought like beasts in the market, and are
conveyed from one quarter of the world to do the work
of beasts in another ?

Nothing can be more complete than the execution of
the sentence upon Ham as well as upon Canaan ; and
now let us consider the promises made to Shem and Ja-
fiheth. * And he said, ver. 26. Blessed be the Lord God
of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant? or rather,
and Canaan shall be servant to them^ or their servant^
that is to his brethren ; for that, as we observed before,
is the main part of the prophecy, and therefore is so fre-
quently repeated. A learned critic t in the Hebrew lan-
guage, who hath lately published some remarks on the
printed Hebrew text, saith, that " if it should be thought
preferable to refer the word blessed directly to •S'/fd'wz, as
the word cursed is to Canaan ; the words may be (and
perhaps more pertinently) rendered — Blessed of Jehovah^
my God., be Shem ! See Gen. xxiv. 3 1 ." Or if we choose
(as most perhaps will choose) to follow our own as well

* Ham, although cursed, yet was not excluded from earthly
blessings ; for in the division of the world, besides Egypt and
the whole continent of Africa, a large portion of Syria was like-
wise allotted to him. See Bochart's Phale^, Book lY. Chap. 1
Col. 203.

t See Kemiipott*6 Dissertation, p. 561.

THE PROPHECIES. 35

as all the ancient versions, we may observe that the old
patriarch doth not say, Blessed be i>7ie?n, as he said, Cursed
be CaiiaaJi ; for men's evils springeth of themselves, but
their good from God : and therefore in a strain of devo-
tion breaking forth into thanksgiving to God as the author
of all good to Shem. Neither doth he say the same to
Japheth ; for God certainly may dispense his particular
favours according to his good pleasure ; and salvation
was to be derived to mankind through Shem and his pos-
terity. God prefers Shem to his elder brother Japheth,
as Jacob was afterwards preferred to Esau, and David to
his elder brothers, to show that the order of grace is not
always the same as the order of nature. The Lord being
called the God of Shem particularly, it is plainly intimat-
ed that the Lord would be his God in a particular manner.*
And accordingly the church of God was among the pos-
terity of Shem for several generations ; and of them^ Rom.
ix. 5. as conceriiing thejiesh^ Christ came.

But still Japheth was not dismissed without a promise,
ver. 47. * God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell
in the tents of Shem ; and Canaan shall be servant to
them, or their servant. God shall enlarge Japheth.'
Some render the word, (it is so rendered in the margin
of our bibles) God shall jiersuade or allure Japheth, so
that he shall come over to the true religion, and dive II in
the tents of Shem. But the best critics t in the language
have remarked, besides other reasons, that they who
translate the word by persuade or allure., did not consider,
that when it is so taken, it is used in a bad sense, and go-
verns an accusative case, and not a dative, as in this place.
God shall enlarge Japheth^ or U7ito Japheth is the bestren-

* [Shem is the first person who had the honour of having* the
Lord stiled his God, This expression denotes his being a God
IN COVENANT with him, as when he is called the God of Abram,
Isaac, and Jacob. Noah, foreseeing by a spirit of prophecy, that
God would enter into a a special covenant with the posterity of
Shem, taking- them to be his peculiar people, and binding himself
to be their God, was affected at the consideration of so great a
privilege, and breaks out hito an ascription of praise to God, on
this account.] Fuller.

f See Boch art's Phaleg, Book HI. Chap, i. Col. 149. and Le
Clerc upon the passage.

36 DISSERTATIONS ON

dering ; and in the original there is a manifest allusioii
to Japheth's name, such as is familiar to the Hebrew wri-
ters. As it was said of Noah, Gen. v. 29. « This same
shall comfort us/ the name of A^oah being thought to
signify comfort: As it is said of Judah, Gen. xlix. 8.
* Thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise/ and the
name of Judah signifies firaise .- As it is said of Dan, ver.
]6 *Dan shall judge his people,' and the name of Dan
s\%ri\hQs judging : As it is said of Gad, ver. 19. < A troop
shall overcome him,' and the name of Gad signifies a
troofi or company : So it is said here, * God shall enlarge
Japheth,' and the name oiJafiheth signifies enlargement.
Was Japheth then more enlarged than the rest ? Yes, he
was both in territory and in children. The territories of
Japheth's posterity were indeed very large, for * besides
all Europe, great and extensive as it is, they possessed
the lesser Asia, Media, part of Armenia, Iberia, Albania,
and those vast regions towards the north, which anciently
the Scythians inhabited, and now the Tartars inhabit ;
and it is not improbable that the new world was peopled by
some of his northern descendants passing thither by the
straits of Anian. The enlargement of Japheth may also
denote a numerous progeny as well as ample territory :
and if you consult the genealogies of the three brothers
comprised in the following chapter, you will find that
Japheth had seven sons, whereas Ham had only ybwr, and
Shem ox^y Jive ; and the northern hive (as Sir William
Temple demoninates it) was always remarkable for its
fecundity, and hath been continually pouring forth
swarms, and sending out colonies into the more southern
parts, both in Europe and in Asia, both in former and in
latter times.

* I altogether agree with the admirers of Bochart, who think
that by the promise contained in these words was intimated,
that God in the division of the earth would bestow the greatest
portion on the posterity of Japheth. This must be acknowledg-
ed by every person, who considers that besides Europe, large as
it is, they inhabit the lesser Asia, Media, a part of Armenia,
Iberia, Albania and those most extensive countries towards the
north, which formerly the Scythians, but now the Tartars pos-
sess; to say nothing of the continent of America, into which, it
is highly probable, they found their way by the straits of Anian.
See Bochart's Phaleg, Book III. Chap. i. Col. 149.

THE PROPHECIES. 37

«

The following clause, < and he shall dwell in the tents
of Shem,' is capable of a double construction ; for thereby
may be meant either that God^ or that Jaliheth shall dwell
in the tents of Shem; in the tents of Shem^ saith he, speak-
ing according to the simplicity of those times, when men
dwelt in tents and not in houses. They who prefer the
former construction, seem to have the authority of the
original text on their side ; for there is no other noun to
govern the verbs in the period, but God; there is no pro-
noun in the Hebrew answering to the he which is inserted
in our English translation : and the whole sentence would
run thus, ^ God will enlarge Japheth, and will dwell in
the tents of Shem :' and the Chaldee of Onkelos * also
thus paraphraseth it, * and will make his glory to dwell in
the tabernacles of Shem.' They who prefer the latter
construction, seem to have done it, that they might refer
this 27th verse wholly to Japheth, as they refer the 26th
wholly to Shem : but the other appears to me the more
natural and easy construction. Taken in either sense,
the prophecy hath been most punctually fulfilled. In the
former sense it was fulfilled literally, when the Shechinah
or divine presence rested on the ark, and dwelt in the
tabernacle and temple of the Jews ; and when * the Word
who was with God and was God,' John i. 1 . eskenosen,
pitched his tent, and dnvtU among us^ ver. 14. In the lat-
ter sense it was fulfilled first, when the Greeks and Ro-
mans, who sprung originally from Japheth, subdued and
possessed Judea and other countries of Asiabelonp:ing to
Shem ; and again spiritually, when they were proselyted
to the true religion, and they who were not Israelites by
birth, became Israelites by faith, and lived, as we and
many others of Japheth's posterity do at this day, within
the pale of the church of Christ.

What think you now ? Is not this a most extraordinary
prophecy ; a prophecy that was delivered near four thou-
sand years ago, and yet hath been fulfilling through the
several periods of time to this day ! It is both wonderful
and instructive. It is the history of the world as it were

• And he (God) will cause his glory to abide In the tents of
Shem. See the Paraphrase of Onkelos.

VOL. I. D

3B DISSERTATIONS ON

in epitome. And hence we are enabled to correct a tnis^
take of one author, and expose the petulance of another.
1. The first is the learned and excellent Mr. IMede, an
author always to be read with improvement, and to be
corrected with reverence : but yet I conceive, that ht
hath carried matters too far in ascribing more to this pro-
phecy than really belongs to it. For discoursing of the
habitations and dispersions of the sons of Noah, he saith *
that " there hath never yet been a son of Ham, who hath
shaken a sceptre over the head of Japheth : Shem hath
subdued Japheth, and Japheth hath subdued Shem, but
Ham never subdued either:" and this passage hath been
cited by several commentators t to illustrate this prophe-
cy. But this worthy person surely did not recollect, that
Nimrod, the first monarch in the world, was the son of
Cush, who was the son of Ham, Gen. x. Misraim was
another son of Ham ; he was the father of the Egyptians,
and the Egyptians detained the Israelites in bondage se-
veral years. Shishak king of Egypt subdued Rehoboam
king of Judah, 1 Kings xiv. Sesostris king of Egypt
(the same probably as Shishak) conquered great part
of Europe and Asia, if there is any faith in ancient
history. The Carthaginians too, were descended from
the Canaanites, as we noticed before, gained several
victories over the Romans in Spain and Italy. It was a
mistake therefore to say that Ham never subdued Shem
Qr Japheth. It is enough if he hath generally and for
much the greatest part of time been a servant to them, as
he really hath been for two or three thousand years, and
continues at present. This sufficiently verifies the pre-
diction ; and we should exceed the limits of truth, if we
should extend it farther. Wc might almost as well say
(as some have said) that the complexion of the blacks was
in consequence of Noah's curse. But though Ham had
in some instances and upon some occasions been superior,
yet this is memorable enough, that of the four famous
monarchies of the world, the Assyrian, Persian, Grecian,
and Roman, the two former were of the descendants of
Shem, as the two latter were of the sons of Japheth.

• See Mede's Works, IJook I. Disc. 49, and 50. pag. 283. Edit.
2672.
t Patrick, kc.

THE PROPHECIES. 319

2. The other is the famous author of the Letters on the
study and use of history, who hath strangely abused his
talents in abusing this prophecy; For the true meaning
and exact completion of it rightly considered, what room
is there for ridicule ? and how absurd and impertinent as
well as gross and indecent are his reflections ? " The
curse," says he,* " pronounced in it contradicts all our
notions of order and of justice. One is tempted to think,
that the patriarch was still drunk ; and that no man in his
senses could hold such language, or pass such a sentence.**
But such will be the case, when men of more parts than
judgment talk and write about things which they do not
sufficiently understand ; and especially in matters of reli-
gion, whereof by no means they are competent judges,
having never either studied them at all, or studied them
superficially and with prejudice. All that he hath written
relating to these subjects betrays great weakness in a man
of his capacity, weakness great as his malice ; and we
might have an easy victory over assertions without proofs,
premises without conclusions, and conclusions without
premises.! But I love not controversy, and will only

* Lord Bolingbroke's Works, Vol. 2. Letter lii. pag. 314. Edit,
quarto.

f [It is worthy of notice, that the God of Israel thought it no
dishonour to his character to declare, that " heUvould visit the
iniquity of the fathers upon the cliildren in those that hated
him," any more than that " he would shew mercy to those that
loved him," which he did in an eminent degree in the posterit}'
of Abi-aham. And should any object to this, and to the Bible on
this account, we might appeal to universal fact. None can deny,
that children are the better or the worse for the conduct of their
parents. If any man insists that neither good nor evil j^iall befal
him, but what is the immediate consequence of his own conduct,
he must go out of the world, for no such state of existence is
known in it.

There is, however, an important difference between the sin of
a parejit being the occasion of the prediction of a curse upon his
posterity y -xvho tvere considered by Him ~cvho kiiexo the e?ul from the
beginning as -valking in )iis steps, and its being the formal cause
of their pimishme?it.

The sin of Ham was the occasion of the prediction against the
Canaanites, and the antecedent to the evil predicted, but it was
not the ca2is€ of it. Its formal, procilring cause, may be seen in

40 DISSERTATIONS ON

inake two op three reflections, just to give a specimen of
the boasted learning and abilities of this writer.

His lordship seemeth to take a particular pleasure in
railing at pedants, at the same time that he himself is one
of the most pedantic of writers, if it be pedantry to make
a vain ostentation of learning, and to quote authors with-
out either reading or understanding them, or even know-
ing so much as who and what they are. " The Codex
Alexandrinus,* saith he, we owe to George the monk.*'
We are indebted indeed to George the monk, more usu-
ally called Syncellus, for what is entitlec^ Vetus Chronic
con or an old chronicle. But the Codex Alexandrinus
is quite another thing ; it is, as all the learned know, the
famous Greek MS. of the Old and New Testament,
brought originally from Alexandria, 'and presented to
Charles I, and now remaining in the King's library, of
which it doth not appear that George the monk knew
any thing, and it is evident that his lordship knew no-
thing. If he meant to say the Chronicon Aiexandrinum,
that is still another thing, and the work of another author.

His lordship is of opinion f that '< Virgil in those fa-
mous verses Excudent alii, Sec. might have justly ascrib-
ed to his countrymen the praise of writing history better

the 18th chapter of Leviticus. .To Ham, and perhaps to Canaan,
the prediction of the servitude of their descendants was a pu-
nishment, but the fulfilment of that prediction on the parties was
no farther such than as it was connected with their own sin.

There is also an important difference between the providential
dispensations of God toxvards fuwiUes and nations in the present
ruorld, and the admirdstration of distributive justice towards indivi'
duals, ivi^h respect iojhe ivorld to come. In the last judgment,
' every one shall give an account of himself to God, and be judg-
ed according to the deeds done in the body,' but while we are
in this world we stand in various relations, in which it is impos-
sible that we should be dealt with merely as individuals. Cod
deals with fiimilics and nations as such, and in the course of his
providence visits them with good and evil, not according to the
conduct of individuals, but, as far as conduct is concerned, that
of the general body. To insist that we should, in all cases, be
treated as individuals, is to renounce the social character.]

* Lord Bolingbroke's AVorks, Letter 1st. page 26?.
t Letter the 5th. page 340, &.c.

THE PROPHECIES. 41

tiian thqr Grecians." But which are the Roman histories,
that are to be preferred to the Grecian ? " Why the re-
mains, the pfecioLis remains," says his lordship, " of Sa-
lust, of Livy, and of Tacitus." But it happened that
Virgil* died, before Livy had written his history, and be-
fore Tacitus was born. And is not this an excellent
chronologer now, to correct all ancient history and chro-
nology sacred and profane ?

His lordship is likewise pleased to say,t that " Don
Quixote believed, but even Sancho doubted :" and it may
be asserted on the other side, that Sir Isaac Newton be-
lieved the prophecies, though his lordship did not, the
principal reason of which may be found perhaps in the
different life and morals of the one and the other. Nay
the wisest politicians and historians'*have be^n believers,
as well as the greatest philosophers. Raleigh, and Cla-
rendon believed ; Bacon, and Locke believed ; and where
then is the discredit to revelation, if Lord Bolingbroke
was an infidel ? ' A scorner,* as Solomon saith, Pro v. xiv.
6, * seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not.*

But there cannot be a stronger condemnation of his
lordship's conduct, than his own words upon another oc-
casion in his famous Dissertation upon parties. " Some
men there are, the pests of society I think them, who
pretend a great regard to religion in general, but who
take every opportunity of declaiming publicly against
that system of religion, or at least against that church-
establishment, which is received in Britain. Just so the
men, of whom I have been speaking, affect a great re-
gard to liberty in general ; but they dislike so much the
system of liberty established in Britain, that they are in-
cessant in their endeavours to puzzle the plainest thing
in the world, and to refine and distinguish away the life
and strength of our constitution, in favour of the little,
present, momentary turns, which they are retained to
serve. What now would be the consequence, if all these
endeavours should succeed ? — I am persuaded that the
great philosophers, divines, lawyers, and politicians, who

* Virgil died A. U. C. 735. Livy according to Dodwell finished
his history in 745. Tacitus was consul in 850. See Fabriclus.
t Letter the 4th. page 130.

D 2

42 DISSERTATIONS ON

exert them, have not yet prepared and agreed upon the
plans of a new religion, and of new constitutions in
church and state. We should find ourselves therefore
without any form of religion, or civil government. The
first set of these missionaries would take otf all the re-
straints of religion from the governed ; and the latter set
would remove, or render ineffectual, all the limitations
and controuls, which liberty hath prescribed to those that
govern, and disjoint the whole frame of our constitution.
Entire dissolution of manners, confusion, anarchy, or
perhaps absolute monarchy, would follow ; for it is possi-
ble, nay probable, that in such a state as this, and amidst
such a route of lawless savages, men would choose this
government, absurd as it is, rather than have no govern-
ment at all."

It is to be lamented that such a genius should be so
employed : but the misapplication of those excellent ta-
lents with which God had entrusted him, was his reign-
ing fault through every stage, through every scene of
life. That which Lord Digby * said of the great Lord
Strafford, may with more truth and justice be affirmed of
him, that the malignit}- of his practices was hugely ag-
gravated by those rare abilities of his, whereof God had
given him the use, but the devil the application.

II.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING ISHMAEL.

ABRAHAM was the patriarch of greatest renown
next after the times of Noah. He was favoured with
several revelations ; and from him two very extraordinary
nations descended, the Ishmaelites, and Israelites, concern-
ing each of whom there are some remarkable prophecies.
Ishmael, though the son of the bond-woman, and not pro-
perly the child of promise, was yet distinguished by some

• Ruskworth, Vol. 4. pag^ 2'25.

THE PROPHECIES. 43

express predictions for the comfort and satisfaction of
both his parents. In the 16th chapter of Genesis, when
Ilagur ' Ik'd from the face of her mistress who had dealt
hardiy with her, the angel of the Lord found her in the
wilderness, and said unto her, return to thy mistress, and
submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the
Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly,
that it shidl not be numbered for multitude. And the
angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold thou art with
child, and shall bear a son, and shalt call his name Ish-
mael,' that is, God shall hear, ' because the J^ord hath
heard thy affliction.* And he will be a wild man ; his
hand will be against every man, and every man's hand
against him ; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his
brethren,* ver. 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12. In the folfcwing chap-
ter, when Isaac was promised to Abraham, God still re-
served a blessing for Ishmael, ' Behold I have blessed
him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him
exceedingly : twelve princes shall he beget, and I will
make him a great nation/ ver. 20. Afterwards when
Hagar and Ishmael were sent forth into the wilderness,
God said unto Abraham, Gen. xxi. J 3. * And also of the
son of the bond-woman will I make a nation, because he
is thy seed.' The same is repeated to Hagar, ver. 18, * I
will make him a great nation.' And if we are curious to
trace the course of events, we shall see how exactly these
particulars have been fulfilled from the earliest down to
the present times.

' I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, th^it it shall not
be numbered for multitude :' and again, ' Behold I have
blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply
him exceedingly.' These passages evince that the pro-
phecy doth not so properly relate to Ishmael, as to his
posterity, which is here foretold to be very numerous.
Ishmael married an Egyptian woman, as his mother was

* [God is not said to have heard her prayer, for it does not ap-
pear that she, as yet, had ever called upon his name ; she merely
sat bewailing- herself, and not knowing what would become of her
—yet, lo, the ear of mercy is open to affliction itself! The
groans of the prisoner are heard of God ; not only theirs who
cry unto him, but, in many cases, theirs who do not.}

Fuller.

44f DISSERTATIONS ON

likewise an Egyptian : Gen. xxi. 21. and in a few years,
his family was increased so, that in the 37th chapter of
Genesis we read of Ishmaelites trading into Egypt. Af-
terwards his seed was multiplied exceedingly in the Ha-
garenes, who probably were denominated from his mother
Hagar ; and in the Nabathxans, who had their name
from his son Nebaioth ; and in the Itureans, who were so
called from his son Jetur or Itur ; and in the Arabs, es-
pecially the Scenites, and the Saracens, who over-ran a
great part of the world : and his descendants, the Arabs,
are a very numerous people at this day.

' Twelve princes shall he beget.' This circumstance
is very particular, but it was punctually fulfilled; and Mo-
ses hath given us the names of these twelve princes.
Gen. XXV. >6. ' These are the sons of Ishmael, and these
are their names, by their towns, and by their castles ;
twelve princes according to their nations :' by which we
are to understand, not that they were so many distinct
sovereign princes, but only heads of clans or tribes.
Strabo frequently mentions the Arabian phylarchs as he
denominates them, or rulers of tribes : and- Melo, quoted
by Eusebius from Alexander Polyhistor, a heathen histo-
rian, relates that " Abraham* of his Egyptian wife begat
12 sons (he should have said one son who begat 12 sons)
who departing into Arabia divided the region between
them, and were the first kings of the inhabitants ; whence
even to our days the Arabians have twelve kings of the
same names as the first." And ever since the people
have been gj^verned by phylarchs,and have lived in tribes ;
and still continue to do so, as Thevenot't and other mo-
dern travellers testify-

* And I will make him a great nation.* This is repeat-
ed twice or thrice ; and it was accomplished, as soon as

* He (Abraham) of his Eg-yptian wife begat twelve soas, who
going into Arabia divided that country among themselves, and
were the first who arrived at sovereign authority therein. From
thence it hath come to pass, that the Arabians even down to the
times in which we live, reckon twelve kings reigning over them,
who are called by the same names with their first sovereigns. See
the Evangelical preparation of Eusebins, Book IX. Chap. xix.
page 421. in the edition of Vigerus.

t See Part I. Book 2. Chap. 32. See likewise Harris' Voyages,
Vol.2. Book 2. Chap. 9.

THE PROPHECIES. 45

in the regular course of nature it could be accomplished.
His seed in process of time grew up into a great nation,
and such they continued for several ages, and such they
remain to this day. They might indeed emphatically be
stiled a great nation^ when the Saracens had made those
rapid and extensive conquests, and erected one of the
largest empires ihat ever were in the world.

* And he will be a wild man.' In the original it is a
"'^ild ass man, and the learned Eochart * translates it tain
ferus quam onager^ as wild as a wild ass ; so that that
should be eminently true of him, which in the book of
Job xl, 12. is affirmed of mankind in general, 'Man is
born like a wild asses colt.' But what is the nature of
the creature, to which Ishmael is so particularly compar-
ed ? It cannot be described better than it is in the same
book of Job xxxix. 5, Sec. ' Who hath sent out the wild
ass free ? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass ?
Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren
land his dwellings. He scorneth the multitude of the
city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver. The
range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth
every green thing.' Ishmael therefore and his posterity
were to be wild, fierce, savage, ranging in the deserts, and
not easily softened and tamed to society : and whoever
hath read or known any thing of this people, knoweth this
to be their true and genuine character.. It is said of Ish-
mael, Gen. xxi. 20, that ' he dwelt in the wilderness, and
became an archer ;' and the same is no less true of his
descendants than himself. 'He dwelt in the wilderness;'
and his sons still inhabit the same wilderness, and many
of them neither sow nor plant t according to the best ac-
counts ancient and modern. ' And he became an archer ;*
and such were the Itureans, whose bows| and arrows are
famous in all authors ; such were the mighty men of Ke-

* See the first Part of Bochart's Hierozoicon, Book I. Chap.
xvi. Col. 878.

f See Amianus Marcellinus, Book XIV. Chap. iv. page 14. in
the edition of Valesius printed at Paris, 1681. See also Harris*
Voyages, Vol. II. Book II. Chap. ix.

t The wood of the yew-tree is bent into Iturean bows. See
Virgil's Georgics, Book II. line 448. — From thence apassage was
opened for Iturean arrows. See Lucan VU. oO.

46 DISSERTATIONS 0%"

dar in Isaiah's time; Is. xxi. 17. and such the Arabs,
have been from the beginning, and are at this time. It
was late before they admitted the use of fire arms among
them ; * the greater part of them are still strangers t©
them, and still continue skilful archers.

* His hand will be against every man, and every man's
hand against him.* The one is the natural and almost
necessaiy consequence of the other. Ishmael lived by
prey and rapine in the wilderness ; and his posterity hav«
all along infested Arabia and the neighbouring countries
with their robberies and incursions. They live in a state
of continual war with the rest of the world, and are both
robbers by land, and pirates by sea. As they have been
such enemies to mankind, it is no wonder that mankind
have been enemies to them again, that several attempts
have been made to extirpate them ; and even now as well
as formerly, travellers are forced to go with arms and in
caravans or large companies, and to. n>arch and keep
watch and guard like a little army, to defend themselves
from the assaults of these freebooters, who run about in
troops, and rob and plunder all whom they can by any
means subdue. These robberies they also f justify, " by
alleging the hard usage of their father Ishmael, who be-
ing turned out of doors by Abraham had the open plains
and deserts given him by God for his patrimony, with per-
missiSn to take whatever he could find there. And on
this account they think they may, with a safe conscience,
indemnify themselves, as well as they can, not only on
the posterity of Isaac, but also on every body else ; always
supposing a sort of kindred between themselves and those
they plunder. And in relating their adventures of this
kind, they think it sufficient to change the expression,
and instead of I robbed a ?na7i of stick or such a things to
say, I gained it.**

' And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren ;*
shall tabernacle^ for many of the Arabs dwell in tents, and
are therefore called Scenites. It appears that they dwelt
in tents in the wilderness so long ago as in Isaiah and

* Thevenot in Harris, Vol- 2. Book 2. Chap. ix.

•j- Sale's Preliminary Discourse to the Koran, Sect. I. page 30,
31, where he also quotes 9. book intituled, A Journey into Pales-
tine.

THE PROPHECIES. 47

Jeremiah's time ; Isa. xiii. 20. Jer. iii. 2. and they do the
same at this day. This is very extraordinary, that
* his hand should be against every man, and every man's
hand against him,' and yet that he should be able ' to
dwell in the presence of all his brethren :' but extraordi-
nary as it Was, this also hath been fulfilled both in the per-
son of Ishmael, and in his posterity. As for Ishmael
himself, the sacred historian afterwards relates, Gen.xxv.
17, 1 8. that * the years of the life of Ishmael were an hun-
dred and thirty and seven years, and he died in the pre-
sence of all his brethren.* As for his posterity, they dwelt
likewise in the presence of all their brethren, Abraham's
sons by Keturah, the Moabites and Atnmonites descend-
ants of Lot, the Israelites descendants of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, and the Edomites descrendants of Abraham,
Isaac and Esau. And they still subsist a distinct people,
and inhabit the country of their progenitors, notwith-
standing the perpetual enmity between them and the rest
of mankind. It may be said perhaps that the country
was not worth conquering, and its barrenness was its
preservation : but this is a mistake, for by all accounts,
though the greater part of it be sandy and barren deserts,
yet here and there are interspersed beautiful spots and
fruitful vallies. -One part of the country was anciently
known and distinguished by the name of Arabia the hafi-
py. And now the proper Arabia is by the oriental wri-
ters generally divided into five provinces. Of these the
chief is the province of Yaman, which, as a learned
writer* asserts upon good authorities, " has been famous
from all antiquity for the happiness of its climate, its fer-
tility and riches. The delightfulness and plenty of Ya-
man are owing to its mountains ; for all that part which
lies along the Red Sea, is a dry barren desert, in some
places 10 or 12 leagues over, but in return bounded by
those mountains, which being well watered, enjoy an al-
most continual spring ; and besides coffee, the peculiar
produce of this country, yield great plenty and variety of
fruits, and in particular excellent corn, grapes, and spices.
The soil of the other provinces is much more barren than
that of Yaman ; the greater part of their territories bein^

* Sale's Preliminary Discourse, ibid, page 2, 3.

48 DiSSERTATIONS ON

covered with dry sands, or rising into rocks, interspersed
here and there with some fruitful spots, which receive
their greatest advantages from their water and palm
trees.". But if the country was ever so bad, one would
think it should be for the interest of the neighbouring
princes and states at any hazard to root out such a pesti-
lent race of robbers : and actually it hath several times
been attempted, but never accomplished. They have from
first to last maintained their independency, and notwith-
standing the most powerful efforts for their destruction,
still dwell in the presence of all their brethren, and in the
presence of all their enemies.

We find that in the time of Moses, they were grown
up into ' twelve princes according to their nations ;* Gen.
XXV. 16. * and they dwelt,' saith Moses, ver. 18. 'from
Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest
towards Assyria :* but yet we do not find that they were
ever subject to either of their powerful neighbours, the
Egyptians or Assyrians. The conquests of Sesostris, the
great king of Egypt, are much magnified by Diodorus
Siculus; and probably he might subdue some of the
western provinces of Arabia bordering upon Egypt, but
he was obliged, as Diodorus * informs us, to draw a line
from Heliopolis to Pelusium, to secure Egypt from the
incursions of the Arabs. They were therefore not sub-
jects, but enemies to the Egyptians ; as they were like-
wise to the Assyrians, for they assisted t Belesis and Ar-
baces in overturning that empire, assisted them not as
fellow rebels, but as an independent state with their aux-
iliary forces.

The next great conquerors of the east were Cyrus and
the Persians ; but neither he nor any of his successors ever-
reduced the whole body of the Arabs to subjection. They
might conquer some of the exterior, but never reached
the interior parts of the country : and Herodotus, the
historian who lived nearest to those times, saith expressly,

* See Diodorus Sicnlus, Book 1. page 36, in the edition of Ste-
-phanus, and page 52, in that of Rhodomanus.

t See Diodorus Siculus, Book II. page 79, in the edition of
Stephanas, and page 111, in that of Rhodomanus.

THE PROPHECIES. 49

that the Arabs * were never reduced by the Persians to
the condition of subjects, but were considered by ihem as
friends, and opened to them a passage into Egypt, which
without the assistance and permission of the Arabs would
have been utterly impracticable ; and in another place f
he saith, that while Phoenicia, Palestine, Syria, and the
neighbouring countries were taxed, the Arabian territo-
ries continued free from paying any tribute. They were
then regarded as friends, but afterwards they assisted with
their forces Amyrtaeus | king of Egypt against Darius
Nothus, and Euagoras § king of Cyprus against Arta-
xerxes Mnemon ; so that they acted as friends or ene-
mies to the Persians, just as they thought proper, and as
it suited their humour or their interest.

Alexander the great then overturned the Persian em-
pire, and conquered Asia. The neighbouring princes
sent their ambassadors to make their submissions. The
Arabs || alone disdained to acknowledge the conqueror,
and scorned to send any embassy, or take any notice of
him. This slight provoked him to such a degree, that he
meditated an expedition against them ; and the great pre-
parations which he made for it, showed that he thought
them a very formidable enemy : but death intervened,
and put an end to all that his ambition or resentment had
formed against them. Thus they happily escaped the
fury of his arms, and were never subdued by any of his
successors, Antigonus, one of the greatest of his suc-

* The Arabians never were subdued by the Persians. Unless
a free passage had been granted by them to Cambyses the king
of Persia, that prince would never have been able to force his
way through their country to invade Egvpt. See Gale's edition
of Herodotus, Book I[I. Sect. 88, pag-e 198.

t See the same, Sect. 91, page 199. Beyond the territory of
Arabia, for this country was free.

i See Diodorus Siculus, Book XHI. page 355, In the edition of
Stephanus. Vol. ii. page 172, in the edition of Rhodomanus.
See Prideaux Connections, Part I. Book VI. In the year 410.

§ See Diodorus Siculus, Book XV. page 459, in the edition of
Stephanus. Vol II. page 328, in the edition of Itliodomanus. See
also Prideaux Connections, Part I. Book VII. vear 3 86.

|i See Strabo, Book XVI. page 1076, and 1132, in the edition
of Amsterdam printed in 1707. AndArrian Book VII. page 300,
in the edition of Gronovius.
VOL. I. E

so DISSERTATIONS ON

cessors,*^ made two attempts upon them, one by his gen-
eral Athenaeus, and the other by his own son Demetrius,
but both without success ; the former was defeated, and
the latter was glad to make peace with them, and leave
them at their liberty. Neither would they suffer the
people employed by Antigonus, to gather the bitumen on
the lake Asphaltites, whereby he hoped greatly to increase
his revenue. The Arabs fiercely attacked the workmen
and the guards, and forced them to desist from their un-
dertaking. So true is the assertion of Diodorusjf that
" neither the Assyrians formerly, nor the kings of the
Mades and Persians, nor yet of the Macedonians, were
able to subdue them ; nay though they led many and
great forces against them, yet they could not accomplish
their attempts." We find them afterwards sometimes at
peace, and sometimes at war with the neighbouring states ;
sometimes joining the Syrians, and sometimes the Egyp-
tians; sometimes assisting the Jews, and sometimes
plundering them ; and in all respects acting like a free
people, who neither feared nor courted any foreign power
-whatever.

The Romans then invaded the east, and subdued the
countries adjoining, but were never able to reduce Arabia
into the form of a Roman province. It is too common
with historians to say, that such or such a country was
conquered, when perhaps only a part of it was so. It is
thus that Plutarch \ asserts, that the Arabs submitted to
LucuUus ; whereas the most that we can believe is, that
he might subdue some particular tribes ; but' he was re-
called, and the command of the Roman army in Asia was
given to Pompey. Pompey, though he triumphed over
the three parts of the world, could not yet conquer Arabia.

♦ See Diodorus Siculus, Book XIX. page 722, &c. in Stepha-
nus' edition, and Vol. II. page 730, in that of Khodomanus.

f Neither the Assyrians in ancient times, nor the kings of the
Medes and Persians afterwards, nor even those of Macedon were
able to subjugate them. Although all these put in motion,
agaiiist them, many well appointed armies, yet their enterprises
were never crowned with success. See Diodorus Siculus, Book
II. page 92, in Stephanus' edition, and page 131, in that of Kho-
domanus.

4 See Plutarch, every where in his life of Lucullus.

THE PROPHECIES. 3%

He * carried his arms into the country, obtained some
victories, and ( omi)eJled Arelas to submit ; but other af-
fairs soon oblir]^ed him to retire, and by retiring, he lost all
the advanta;a,es which he had gained. His forces were
no sooner withdrawn, than the Arabs made their incur-
sions again into the Ionian provinces. iElius Gallus in
the reign of Augublust penetrated far into the country,
but a strange distemper made terrible havoc in his army,
and after two years spent in this unfortunate ex]>edition,
he was glad to escape with the small remainder of hir;
forces. The emperor Trajan reduced some parts of Ara-
bia, but he could never subdue it entirely ; and when he
besieged the city of the Haji,arenes, as Dion \ says, his sol-
diers were repelled by lightnings, thunderings, hail,
whirlwinds, and other prodigies, and were constantly so
repelled, as often as they renewed their assaults. At the
same time, great swarms of flies infested his camp ; so
that he was forced at last to raise the siege, and retired
with disgrace into his own dominions. About eighty
years after, the emperor Severus twice besieged the same
city with a numerous army, and a train of military en-
gines ; but he had no better success than Trajan. God,
says 5 the heathen historian, preserved the city by the
backwardness of the emperor at one time, and by that of
his forces at another. He made some assaults, but was

* See Plutarch in his life of Pompey.' Page GIO, Sec. in the
Paris edition of 1624.

f See Strabo, Book XVI. page 1126, in the Amsterdam edition
of 1707. See also Dion Cassius, Book LIIl. page 516, in Leun-
clavius' edition printed at Hanover, in 1606. Dion calls him by
mistake Aelius Largus.

± There were thunderings. Tlie rainbow appeared. Flashes
of lightning, furious storms, hail and thunderbolts assailed the
Romans as often as they attacked them. (The Hagarenes.) As
often too as they provided a meal, great swarms of liies sending
forth a dreadful stench perched on their meats and drinks. For
these reasons Trajan retired from thence. See Dion's History.
Book LXVIII. page 785, in Leunclavius' edition printed at Han-
over, 1606.

§ And thus God delivered the city (of the Hagarenes,) by tlu^
emperor Severus recalling his soldiers, at a time, when they had
it in their power to take it, and afterwards when he was desir-
ous of possessing it, he was hindered by the obstinacy of his sol-
diers. See the same Book LXXV. page 855.

52 DISSERTATIONS ON

baffled and defeated, and returned with precipitation as
great as his vexation for his disappointment. And if such
great empeiors and able warriors as I'rajan and Severus
eould not succeed in their attempts, it is no wonder that
the foilowino; emperors could prevail nothing. The
Arabs continued their incursions and depredations, in
Syria and other Roman provinces, with equal licence and
impunity.

Such was the state arrd condition of the Arabs to the
time of their famous prophet Mahommed, who laid the
foundation of a mighty empire : and then for several cen-
turies they w^ere better known among the European na-
tions by the name of the Sarraccni or Saracene^ the ^irru'
C(?m* of Pliny, and the Ha^q^arenesf of holy scripture.
Their conquests were indeed amazingly rapid ; they can
be compared to nothing more properly than to a sudden
flood or inundation. In a few years the Saracens over-
ran more countiies, and subdued more people than the
Romans did in several centuries. They were then not
only free and independent of the rest of the woi Id, but
^vere themselves masters of the most considerable parts
of the earth. And so they continued for about t three
centuries ; and after their empire was dissolved, and they
were reduced within the limits of their native country,
they still maintained their liberty against the Tartars,
Mamalucs, Turks, and all foreign nations whatever. Who-
ever were the conquerors of Asia, they were still uncon-
quered, still continued their incursions, and preyed upon
all alike. The Turks have now for several centuries been
lords of the adjacent countries ; but they have been so
little able to restrain the depredations of the Arabs, that
they have been obliged § to pay them a sort of annu-

* See Pliny's Natural History, Book VI. Chap, xxxii. and the
note of Hardiiin.

f HagareneSj tlie descendants of Ishmael They are called also
Ishmaelites and Saracens, Sec Calmet's Diet.

i The Saracens beg^an their conquests, A. D. 622, and to reign
at Damascus A. D. 637. Theh* empire was broken and divided
A. D. 936. See Dr. lUair's Chronol. Tables. Tab. o3» and 39, and
Sir Isaac Newton on the Apocalypse. Chap. 3, pag-e 304, 305.

§ See Thevenot m Harris, Vol". 2, Book 11. Chap. 9, and Deme-
trius Cantemir's Hist, of the Oihnian empire in Ashmed II. pag«

THE PROPHECIES. 53

al tribute for the safe passage and security of the pil-
grims, who usually go in great companies to Mecca ; so
that the Turks have rather been dependant upon them,
than they upon the Turks. And they still continue the
same practices, and preserve the same superiority, if we
may believe the concurrent testimony of modern travel-
lers of all nations.

Two of our own nation have lately travelled into those
parts, and have written and published their travels, both
men of literature, both reverend divines, and writers of
credit and character. Dr. Shaw and Bishop Pococke ;
and in several instances they confirm the account that we
have given of this people. " With regard to the manners
and customs of the Bedoweens, saith Dr. Shaw,* it is to
be observed that they retain a great many of those we read
of in sacred as well as profane history ; being, if w'e ex-
cept their religion, the same people they were two or
three thousand years ago; without ever embracing any of
those novelties in dress or behaviour, which have had so
many periods and revolutions in the Moorish and Turkish
cities." And after giving some account of their hospi-
tality, he proceeds thus : " Yet the outward behaviour of
the Arab frequently gives the lie to his inward temper
and inclination. For he is naturally thievish and treach-
erous ; and it sometimes happens that those very persons
are overtaken and pillaged in the morning, who were en-
tertained the night before, with all the instances of friend-
ship and hospitality. Neither are they to be accused for
plundering strangers only, and attacking almost every
person, whom they find unarmed and defenceless, but for
those many implacable and hereditary animosities, which
continually subsist among them, literally fulfilling to this
day the prophecy, that Ishmael should be a nviid man ; his
hand should be against every man, aJid every man^s hand
against him.'* Dr. Shawf himself was robbed and plun-
dered by a party of Arabs in his journey from Ramah to
Jerusalem, though he was escorted by four bands of Turk-
ish soldiers : and yet the Turks at the same time paid a
stipulated sum to the Arabs, in order to secure a safe pas-

* Shaw's Travels, page 300, Sec.
t Preface to his Travels, page vii.
E 2

54: DISSERTATIONS ON

sage for their caravans : and there cannot surely be u
stronger proof, not only of the indei)endency of the Arabs,
but even of their superiority, not only of their enjoying
their liberty, but even of their abusing it to licentiousness.
Bishop Pococke was the last who travelled into those
parts ; and he hath informed us, that the present inhabit-
ants of Arabia resemble the ancient in several respects ;
that they* live under tents, and stay in one place as long
as they have water and shrubs and trees for their camels
to feed on, for there is no tillage nor grass in all this
country ; that all their riches consist in camels, a few
goats, and sometimes sheep, so that they live in great
poverty, having nothing but a few dates and a little goats
milk, and bring all their corn eight or ten days journey
from Cairo ; that they are in different nations or clans,
each obeying the orders of its great chief, and every en-
campment those of its particular chief ; and though seem-
ingly divided, yet they are all united in a sort of league
together; that they love plunder, f and the roving sort
of life this disposition leads them to ; have good horses,
and manage them and their pikes with much address;
those on foot use poles, with which they fence off the
spear, with great art. So that authors, both sacred and
profane, Jewish and Arabian, Greek and Roman, Chris-
tian and Mahommedan, ancient and modern, all agree in
the same account : and if any are desirous of seeing the
matter deduced more at large, they may be referred to a
dissertation upon the independency of the Arabs, by the
learned authors of the Universal History.

An author, who hath lately published an account of
Persia, having occasion to speak of the Arabians,! says,
*' their expertness in the use of the lance and sabre, ren-
ders them fierce and intrepid. Their skill in horseman-
ship, and their capacity of bearing the heat of their burn-
ing plains, give them also a superiority over their ene-
mies. Plence every petty chief in his own district con-
siders himself as a sovereign prince, and as s\ich exacts
customs from all passengers. Their conduct in this re-

* Pococke's Description of the East, Vol. I. Book III. Chap. 2.

f Book IV. Chap. 4.

^ Ilanway's Travels, Vol. 4, Part 5. Chap. xxix. pa^e221. Sec.

THE PROPHECIES. 5.;

spect has often occasioned their being considered in no
better light than robbers, £cc. They generally marry
Avithin their own tribe, See. When they plunder caravans
travelling through their territories, they consider it as
reprisals on the Turks and Persians, who often make in-
roads into their country, and carry away their corn and
their flocks."

Who can fairly consider and lay all these particulars
together, and not perceive the hand of God in this whole
aftair from the beginning to the end ? - The sacred histo-
rian saith, that these prophecies concerning Ishmael were
delivered partly by the angel of the Lord, and partly by
God himself: and indeed who but God, or one raised and
commissioned by him, could describe so particularly the
genius and manners, not only of a single person before he
was born, but of a whole people from the first founder of
the race to the present time ? It was somewhat wonder-
ful, and not to be foreseen by human sagacity or prudence,
that a man's whole posterity should so nearly resemble
him, and retain the same inclinations, the same habits,
the same customs throughout all ages. The waters of
the purest spring or fountain are soon changed and pol-
luted in their course ; and the farther still tliey flow, the
more they are incorporated and lost in other waters. How
have the modern Italians degenerated from the courage
and virtues of the old Romans ? How are the French and
English polished and refined from the barbarism of the
ancient Gauls and Uritons ? Men and manners change
•with times : but in all changes and revolutions the Arabs
have still continued the same with little or no alteration.
And yet it cannot be said of them, as of some barbarous
nations, that they have had no commerce or intercourse
with the rest of mankind ; for by their conquests they
over-ran a great part of the earth, and for some centuries
were masters of most of the learning that was then in the
world : but, however, they remained and still remain the
same fierce, savage, intractable people, like their great
ancestor in every thing, and different from most of the
world besides, Ishmael was circumcised ; and so are his
posterity to this day : and as Ishmael was circumcised
when he was thirteen years old, so were^the Arabs at the

56 DISSERTATIONS ON

same a^-e according to Josephus.* He was born of Ha-
gar, who was a concubine ; and they still indulge them-
selves in the use of mercenary wives and concubines. He
lived in tents in the wilderness, shifting from place to
place ; and so do his descendants, particularly those there-
fore called Scenitesf formerly, and those called Bedoweens
at this day. He was an archer in the wilderness ; and so
are they. He was to be the father of twelve princes or
heads of tribes ; and they live in clans or tribes at this
day. He was a wild man, his hand against every man,
and every man's hand against him : and they live in the
same state of war, their hand against every man, and every
man's hand against them.

This, I say, is somewhat v/onderful, that the same^eo-
ple should retain the same dispositions for so many ages;
but it is still more wonderful, that, with these dispositions,
and this enmity to the whole world, they should still sub-
sist in spite of the world an independent and free people.
It cannot be pretended, that no probable attempts were
ever made to conquer them ; for the greatest conquerors
in the world have almost all in their turns attempted it,
and some of them have been very near effecting it. It
cannot be pretended that the dryness or inaccessibleness
of their country hath been their preservation ; for their
country hath been often penetrated, though never entirely
subdued. I know that Diodorus Siculus:^ accounts for
their preservation from the dryness of their country, that
they have wells digc;ed in proper places known only to
themselves, and their enemies and invaders through ig-
norance of these places perish for want of water: but this
account is far from being an adequate and just represen-
tation of the case ; large armies have found the means of

* See his Antiquities, Book I. Chap, xii. Sect. 2, page 29, in
Hudson's edition. And also Pocock's Specimen of Arabian His-
tory, page 319.

f Scenites or Skenites, — wanderers, so called from their tents,
in Greek Skene, which signifies a tent. Pee Pliny, Book VI. Chap,
xxviii. Sect. 32, in Havduin's edition. See also Pocock's Speci-
men of Arabian History, page 87.

^ See Diodorus Siculus, Book U. page 92, in Stephanus' edi-
tion, pag-e 131, in that of Rhodomanus, and Book XIX. page 722,
in Stephanus' edition, and page 730, in that of Kiiodomanus.

THE PROPHECIES. 57

subsistence in their country ; none of their powerful inva-
ders ever desisted on this account; and therefore that they
have not been concjuered, we must impute to son.e other
cause. When in all human probability they were upon the
brink of ruin, then (as we have before seen at large) they
were signally and providentially delivered. Alexander
was preparing an expedition against them, when an in-
fiammatoiy fever cut him off in the flower of his age.
Pompey was in the career of his conquests, when urgent
affairs called him elsewhere, ^lius Gallus had penetrated
far into the country, when a fatal disease destroyed great
numbers of his men, and obliged him to return. Trajan
besieged their capital city, but was defeated by thunder
and lightning, whirlwinds and other prodigies, and that as
often as he renewed his assaults. Severus besieged the
sauie city twice, and was twice repelled from before it ;
and the historian Dion, a man of rank and character,
though an heathen, plainly ascribes the defeat of these
two emperors to the interposition of a divine power. We
who know the prophecies, may be more assured of the
reality of a divine interposition : and indeed otherwise
how could a single nation stand out against the enmity of
the whole world for any length of time, and much more
for near four thousand years together? The great em-
pires round them have all in their turns fallen to ruin,
while they have continued the same from the beginning,
and are likely to continue the same to the end : and this
in the natural course of human affairs was so highly im-
probable, if not altogether impossible, that as nothing but
a divine prescience could have foreseen it, so nothing but
a divine power could have accomplished it.

These are the only people besides the Jews, who have
subsisted as a distinct people from the beginning ; and in
some respects they very much resemble each other. The
Arabs as well as the Jews are descended from Abraham,
and both boast of their descent from that father of the
faithful. The Arabs as well as the Jews are circumcised,
and both profess to have derived that ceremony from
Abraham. The Arabs as well as the Jews had originally
twelve patriarchs or heads of tribes, who were their princes
or governors. The Arabs as well as the Jews marry
among themselves, and in their own tribes. The Arabs

58 DISSERTATIONS ON

as well as the Jews are singular in several of their cus-
tonis,and are standing monunnents to all ages, of the exact-
ness of the divine predictions, and of the veracity of scrip-
tiiie history. We may with more confidence believe the
particulars related of Abraham and IshmaeL when we
see them verified in their posterity at this day. Tl is is
havini; as it were ocular demonstratioii for our faith. This
is proving by plain matter of fact, that the most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men^ and that his truth, as well
as his mercy ^ endurethfor ever.

III.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING JACOB AND ESAU.

AS it pleased God to disclose unto Abraham the state
and condition of his posterity by Ishmael, who was the
son of the bond-woman ; it might be with reason expect-
ed, that something should be predicted concerning his
posterity also by Isaac, who was the son of the free-wo-
man. He was properly the child of promise, and the
prophecies relating to him and his family are much more
numerous than those relating to Ishmael: but wc will
select and enlarge upon such only, as have reference to
these later ages.

It was promised to Abraham before Ishmael or any
son was born to him, Gen. xii. 3. ' In thee shall all fami-
lies of the earth be blessed.' But after the birth of Ish-
mael and Isaac, the promise was limited to Isaac, Gen.
xxi. 12. ' for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.* And ac-
cordingly to Isaac was the promise repeated, Gen. xxiv.
4. ' In thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be bless-
ed.' The Saviour of the world therefore was not to come
of the family of Ishmael, but of the family of Isaac ; which
is an argument for the truth of the Christian religion in
preference to the Mohammedan, drawn from an old pro-
phecy and promise made two thousand years before
Christ, and much more before Mohammed was born.

The land of Canaan was promised to Abraham and his

THE PROPHECIES. 59

seed four hundred years before they took possession of it.
Gen. XV. It was promised again to Isaac^ Gen. xxvi. 3.
* Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will
bless thee : for unto thee and unto thy seed I will give all
these countries, and 1 will perform the oath which I sware
unto Abraham tuy father.* Now it is very well known,
that it was not till after the death of Moses, who wrote
these things, that the Israelites got possession of the land
under the command of Joshua. They remained in pos-
session of it several ages in pursuance of these prophe-
cies: and afterwards, when for their sins and iniquities
they were to be removed from it, their removal also was
foretold; both the carrying away of the ten tribes, and the
captivity of the two remaining tribes for seventy years,
and Ukcwise, their final captivity and dispersion into all
nations, till'in the fulness of time they shall be restored
again to the land of their inheritance.

It was foretold to Abraham that his posterity should
be multipHed exceedingly above that of others; Gen. xii.
2. ' I will make of thee a great nation;' and xxii. 17. ' in
blessing I will bless thee, in multiplying I will multiply
thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is
upon the sea-shore.' The same promise was continued
to Isaac, Gen. xxvi- 4. ' I will make thy seed to multiply
as the stars of heaven.* And not to mention the vast in-
crease of their other posterity, how soon did their descen-
dants by Jacob grow up into a mighty nation ? and how
numerous were they formerly in the land of Canaan ? how
numerous were they in other parts of the world accord-
ing to the accounts of Philo and Joscphus ? and after the
innumerable massacres and persecutions which they have
undergone, how fiunierous are they still in their present
dispersion among all nations ? It is computed that there
are as many Jews now, or more than ever there were,
since they have been a nation. A learned foreigner,*
who hath written a histoi y of the Jews as a supplement
and continuation of the history of Josephus, says that "it
is impossible to fix the number of persons this nation is
at present composed of. But yet we have reason to be-

* See Basnage's History of the Jews, Book VII. Chap, xxxiil.
Sect. 15.

6G BISSERTATIOXS ON

lieve, there are still near three millions of people, who
profess this religion, and as their phrase is, are ivitnesess
of the unity of God in all the nations of the world" And
who could foretel such a wonderful increase and propa-
gation of a branch only of one man's family, but the same
divine power that could effect it ?

But Isaac had two Sons, whose families did not grow
up and incorporate into one people, but were separated
into two different nations : and therefore, as it had been
necessary before to specify whether Ishmaelor Isaac was
to be heir of the promises, so there was a necessity for
the same distinction now between Esau and Jacob. Ac-
cordingly, when their mother had conceived, * the chil-
dren struggled together within her ;' Gen. xxv. 22. and
it was revealed unto her by the Lord, ver. 23. ' Two na-
tions are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall
be separated from thy bowels ; and the one people shall
be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall
serve the younger.' The same divine spirit influenced
and directed their father to give his final benediction to
the same purpose : for thus he blessed Jacob, Gen. xxvii.
28, 29. * God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fat-
ness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine. Let peo-
ple serve thee, and nations bow down to thee ; be lord
over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to
thee ; cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed
be he that blesseth thee.' And thus he blesseth Esau, ver.
39, 40. ^ Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of
the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. And by
thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother ;
and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the do-
minion, that thou shalt break, his yoke from off thy neck.*
But for greater clearness and certainty a more express
revelation was afterwards made to Jacob ; and the land of
Canaan, a numerous progeny, and the blessing of all
nations, were promised to him in particulari Gen. xxviii.
13, 14. * I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and
the God of Israel : the land whereon thou liest, to thee
will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as
the dust of the earth ; and thou shalt spread abroad to the
west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south ;
and in thee, and in thy seed shall all the families of the
eai'th be blessed.*

THE PR0PIILC1E:>. ^i

We have here a farther and more ample proof of what
was asserted before, that these ancient prophecies were
meant not so much of single persons, as of whole people
and nations descended from them. For what is here pre-
dicted concerning Esau and Jacob was not verified in
themselves, but in their posterity. Jacob was so far from
bearing rule over Esau, that he was forced to fly his coun-
try for fear of Esau, Gen. xxvii. He continued abroad
several years ; and when he returned to his native coun-
try, he sent a supplicatory message to his brother Esau,
Gen. xxxii. 5. * that he might find grace in his sight.*
When he heard of Esau's coming to meet him with four
hundred men, he ^ was greatly afraid and distressed,' ver.
7. and cried unto the Lord, ver. 11. ' Deliver me, I pray
thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of
Esau.* He sent a map^nificent present before him to ap-
pease his brother, calling Esau his iord, and himself
Esau's servant^ ver. 18. When he met him, he 'bowed
himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to
his brother.' Gen. xxx. 3. And after he had found a gra-
cious reception, he acknowledged, ver. 10. 'I have seen
thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou
•wast pleased with me.' Jacob then had no temporal su-
periority over Esau ; and therefore we must look for the
completion of the prophecy among their posterity. The
prophecy itself refers us thither, and mentions plainly
two nations and tivo manner of fieofUe^ and comprehends
these several particulars; that the families of Esau and
Jacob should grow up into two different people and na-
tions; that the family of the elder should be subject to
that of the younger; that in situation and other temporal
advantages they should be much alike; that the elder
branch should delight more in war and violence, but yet
should be subdued by the younger ; that, however, there
should be a time when the elder should have dominion,
and shake off the yoke of the younger; but in all spiritiTal
gifts and graces the younger should be greatly superior,
and be the happy instrument of conveying the blessing to
all nations.*

* [Paul introduces this case as an instance of the sovereignty
of God, in the dispensation of his grace. The rejection of a

VOL. I. F

62 DISSERTATIONS ON

I. Tlie families of Esau and Jacob should grow up in-
to two different people and nations. * Two nations are in
thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated
from thy bowels.* The Edomites were the offspring of
Esau, as the Israelites were of Jacob; and who but the au-
thor and giver of life could foresee, that two children in
the womb would multiply into two nations ? Jacob had
twelve sons, a,nd their descendants all united and incor-
porated into one nation ; and what an over-ruling provi-
dence then was it, that two nations should arise from the
two sons only of Isaac ? But they were not only to grow
up into two nations : but into two very different nations,
and tivo manner of people were to be separated from her
bowels. And have not the Edomites and Israelites been
all along two very different people in their manners and
customs and religions, which made them to be perpetu-
ally at variance one with another? The children strug-
gled together in the womb, which was an omen and token
of their future disagreement: and when they were grown
up to manhood, they manifested very different inclina-
tions. Esau was a cunning hunter, and delighted in the
sports of the field; Jacob was more mild and gentle,
dwelling in tents, and minding his sheep and his cattle,
Gen. XXV. 27, Our English translation, agreeably to the
Septuagint, * and the vulgate, hath it, that Jacob was a
plain man ; but he appears from his whole conduct to have
been rather an artful than a plain man. The word * in

great part of the Jewish nation was to some a stunjbllng block.
5t seemed to them as if the word of promise, to the fathers had
taken no effect. The apostle in answer, maintains that it was
not the original design of God, in the promise to save all Abra-
ham's posterity, but on the contrary, that from the beginning, he
drew a line of distinction between Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and
Esau, though each were alike descended from him, according
to the flesh. To a farther, supposed objection, that such a dis-
tinction between children, while they were yet unborn, reflected
on the righteousness of God, he contents himself with denying
the consequence, and asserting the absolute right of Cod, to
iiave mercy on whom he will have mercy.] Rom. ix. 6, 16.

* " Aplastos," in the Septuag-int version, and "simplex," in
the Vulgate, both of which signify, plain, simple, or without
deceit.

t "Tam," a Hebrew word, which signifies entire or perfect.

THE PROPHECIES. 63

the original signifies perfect, which is a general term;
but being put in opposition to the rough and rustic man-
ners of Esau, it must particularly import that Jacob was
more humane and gentle, as Philo * the Jewamderstands
it, and Le Clerc translates it. Esau slighted his birth-
right f and those sacred privileges of which Jacob was

In the Syriac and Samaritan, this word is rendered entire, by
Onkelos it is translated perfect, and in the Arabic, perfect m
virtues.

♦ See Le Clerc on the passage. " Jacob truly was mild, mee;k,
or gentle."

t [Whether Jacob was right as to the means he used or not, his
motives were good, and those of Esau were evil. Observe parti-
cularly.

1. The birth-right attached to seniority.

2. It ordinarily consisted in the excellency of dignity, the
excellency of power, and a double portion.

3. These privileges of the first-boi-n, were in several instances,
forfeited by the mis-conduct of the parties, as in the case of
Cain, Reuben, &c.

4. There was in the family of Abraham a peculiar blessmg,
which was supposed to be attached to the birth-right, though
God in several instances put it in another direction. This bles-
sing was principally spiritual and distant, having respect to the
setting up of God's kingdom, to the birth of the Messiah ; or \\\
other words to all those great things, included in the covenant
of Abraham. This was well understood by the family, both
Esau and Jacob must have often heard their parents converse
about it. If the birth-right which was bought at that time, had
consisted in any temporal advantages of dignity, authority or pro-
perty to be enjoyed in the life time of the parties, Esau would,
not have made so light of it as he did, calling it this birth-right
and intimating that he should soon die, and then it would be of
no use to him. It is a fact too that Jacob had none of the ordi-
nary advantages of the birth-right during his life time. Instead
of a double portion he was sent out of the family with only a
Huff in his hand, leaving Esau to possess the whole of his fa-
ther's substance, and, when more than twenty years afterwards he
returned to Canaan, he made no scruple to ascribe to his bro-
ther, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power, call-
ing him my lord Esau, and acknowledging himself as his servant.
The truth is, the question between them was, which should be
heir to the blessing-s promised in the covenant with Abraiiam,
This Jacob desired, and Esau despised, and in despising bles-
sings of so sacred a nature, and that for a morsel of meat, he
was guilty of profaneness. The spirit of his language was

64 DISSERTATIONS ON

desirous, and is therefore called Heb. xii. 16. the /wo/une
Esau : but Jacob was a man of better faith and religion.
The like diversity ran through their posterity. The re-
Tigion of the Jews is very well known ; but whatever the
Edomites were at first, in process of time they becaine
idolaters. Josephus* mentions an Idumean deity named
Koze : and Amaziah king of Judah, after he had over-
thrown the Edoniites, 2 Chron. xxiv. 14. * brought their
gods, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down
himself before them, and burned incense unto them ;*
which was monstrously absurd, as the prophet remon-
strates, ver. 15. * Why hast thou sought after the gods
of the people, which could not deliver their own people
out of thine hand?* Upon these religious differences and
other accounts there was a continual grudge and enmity
between the tv/o nations. The king of Edom would not
sufier the Israelites in their return out of Egypt, so much
as to pass through his territories : Numb. xx. and the
history of the Edcmites afterwards is little more than the
history of their wars with the Jews.

II. The family of the elder should be subject to that
of the younger. * And the one people shall be stronger
than the other people, and the elder shall serve thQ
younger,' or as the words may be rendered, the greater
shall serve the lesser. Thefamily of Esau was theelder,and
for some time tlie greater and more powerful of the two,
there having been dukes and kings in Edom, ^ before there
reigned any king over the children of Israel, Gen. xxxvi.
3 1 . But David and his captains made an entire conquest
of the Edomites, slew several thousands of them, 1 Kings
xi. 16. and 1 Chron. xviii. 12. and compelled the rest to
become his tributaries and servants, and planted garrisons
among them to secure their obedience. 2 Sam. viii. 11.
* And he put garrisons in Edom ; throughout all Edom

" / cannot live upon protuhes, give me sompthing to eat and drink,
for to morroio 1 die.** Such is the spirit of unbelief in every age :
and tluis it is that poor deluded souls continue to despise things,
distant and lieavenly, and prefer to them the momentary grati-
fications of flesh and sen.se.] Fuller,

* Koze, was a divinity worshipped by the Edomites. See
Antiquities, Book XV. Chap. vii. Sect. 9.' page 686, in Hudson's
••.dition.

THE PROPHECIES 60

put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's
servants/ In this state of servitude they continued about
an hundred and fifty years, • without a king of their own,
being governed by viceroys or deputies appointed by the
kings of Judah. In the reign of Jehoshaphat king of Ju-
dah it is said, that ' tliere was then no king in Edom : a
deputy was king,' 1 Kings xxii. 47. But in the days of
Jehoram his son, they revolted, and recovered their li-
berties, ' and made a king over themselves,' 2 Kings viii.
20. But afterwards Amaziah king of Judah < slew of
Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took Selah
by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day/
says the sacred historian, 2 Kings xiv. 7. ' And other
ten thousand left alive, did the children of Judah carry
away captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock,*
whereon Selah was built, 'and cast them down from the
top of the rock, that they were broken all in pieces,' 2
Chron. xxv. 12. His son Azariah or Uzziah likewise took
from them Elah, that commodious haven on the Red Sea,
and fortified it anew, ' and restored it to Judah,' 2 Kings
xiv. 22. 2 Chron. xxvi. 2. Judas Maccabaeus attacked and
defeated them several times, killed no fewer than twenty
thousand at one time, and more than twenty thousand at
another, and took their chief city of Hebron, and the
towns thereof^ and pulled down the fortress ofit^ and burtU
the towers thereof round about, 1 Mace. v. 2 Mace. x.
At last his nephew, Hyrcanusf the son of Simon, took
others of their cities, and reduced them to the necessity
of embracing the Jewish religion, or of leaving their coun-
try and seeking new habitations elsewhere, whereupon
they submitted to be circumcised, and became proselytes
to the Jewish religion, and ever after were incorporated
into the Jewish church and nation.

III. In situation and other temporal advantages Xhey
should be much alike. For it was said to Jacob, ' God
give thee of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the

* From about the year of the world 2960 before Christ 1044,
to about the year of the world 3115 before Christ 889. See
Usher's Annals.

j- See Josephus' Antiquities, Book IX. Sect. I. page 584;, in
Hudson's edition.

2 F

66 DISSERTATIONS OX

earth, and plenty of corn and wine :' and much the same
is said to Esau, ' Behold thy dwelling shall be of the fat-
ness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above.*
Jn this manner the latter clause is translated in Jerome's *
and the old versions : but some modern commentators,
( t Castalio, le Clerc, &c.) render it otherwise, that his
dwelling should be far from the fatness of the earthy and
from the dew of heaven: and they say that Idumea, the
country of the Edomites, was a dry, barren, and desert
country. But it is not probable, that any good author
should use the very same | words with the very same
praepositions in one sense, and within a few lines after
in a quite contrary sense. Besides Esau solicited for a
blessing ; and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews
saith, xi. 20. that/.saac blessed Jacob and Beau ; whereas
had he consigned Esau to such a barren and wretched
country, it would have been a curse rather than a bles-
sing. The spiritual blessing indeed, or the promise of
the blessed seed could be given only to one ; but tempo-
ral good things might be communicated and imparted to
both. Mount Seir and the adjacent country was at first
the possession of the Edomites; they afterwards extend-
ed themselves farther into Arabia; as they did afterwards
into the southern parts of Judea. But wherever they
were situated, we find in fact, that the Edomites in tempo-
ral advantages were little inferior to the Israelites. Esau
had cattle^ and beasts^ and substance in abundance, and he
went to dwell in Seir of his own accord, and he would
hardly have removed thither with so many cattle, had it
been such a barren and desolate country, as some would

* In the fatness of the earth, and In the dew of heaven from
above.

f He shall be at a distance from the fatness of the earth. See
Castalio. His habitation shall be remote indeed from the fat-
ness of the earth, nor shall it be fertilized by the dew of heaven.
And truly, the land of Edom was not rich, fertile, or well wa-
tered. See Le Clerc on the passage.

i Ver. 28. Mittal hashamaim umislimanne haaretz.
of the dew of heaven and the fatnesses of the earth.
Ver. 39. Mishmanne haaretz. umittal hashamain mignal

of the fatnesses of the earth and of the dew of heaven from
above-

THE PROPHECIES. 67

represent it, Gen. xxxiv. 6, 7, 8, The Edomites had
dukes and kings reigning over them, while the Israelites
were slaves in Egypt. In their return out of Egypt when
the Israelites desired leave to pass through the territories
of Edom, it appears that the country abounded with fruit-
ful fields and vineyards ; ' Let us pass, I pray thee, through
thy country ; we will not pass through the fields, or
through the vineyards, neither will we drink of the water of
the wells,' Numb. xx. 17. And the prophecy of Malachi,
i. 2. which is commonly alleged as a proof of the barren-
ness of the country, is rather an argument to the contrary :

* And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his herit-
ap;e waste, for the dragons of the wilderness:' for this im-
plies that the country was fruitful belore, and that its pre-
sent unfruitfulness was rather an effect of war, and devasta-
tion, than any natural defect' and failure in the soil. If the
country is barren and unfruitful now, so neither is Judea
what it was formerly. The face of any country is much
changed in a long course of years : and it is totally a dif-
ferent thing, v/hen a country is regularly cultivated by m-
babitants living under a settled government, than when ty-
ranny prevails, and the land is left desolate. It is also fre-
quently seen that God, as the Psalmist saith, cvii. 34.

* turneth a fruitful land into barrenness for the wicked-
ness of them that dwell therein.'

IV. The elder branch should delight more in war and
violence, but yet should be subdued by the younger.

* And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy
brother.' Esau himself might be said to live much by
the sword, for he ' was a cunning hunter, a man of the
field,' Gen. xxv. 27. He and his children got possession
of mount Seir by force and violence, by destroying and
expelling from thence the Horites, the former inhabitants,
Deut. ii. 22. We have no account, and therefore cannot
pretend to say, by what means they spread themselves
farther among the Arabians ; but it appears, * that upon
a sedition and separation many ofthe Edomites came, and
seized upon the south-west parts of Judea during the Ba-
bylonish captivity, and settled there ever afterwards. Both

* See Strabo Book XVI, page 1103, in the Amsterdam edition
of 1707. And Pridcuux.* Connections, Part I. Book I. in the year

740.

6s DISSERTATIONS OX

before and after this, they were almost continually at war
with the Jews ; upon every occasion they were ready to
join with their enemies; and when Nebuchadnezzar be-
sieged Jerusalem, they encouraged him utterly to destroy
the city, saying. Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation
thereof,' Ps. cxxxvii. 7. Even long after they were sub-
dued by the Jews, they still retained the same martial
spirit, for Josephus * in his time giveth them the charac-
ter of ^' a turbulent and disorderly nation, always erect to
commotions and rejoicing in changes, at the least adula-
tion of those who beseech them beginning war, and hast-
ening to battles as it were to a feast." Agreeably to this
character, a little l)efore the last seige of Jerusalem, they
came at the entreaty of the zealots to assist them against
the priests and people, and there together with the zeal-
ots committed unheard-of cruelties, and barbarously mur-
dered Ananusthe high-priest, from whose death Josephus
dateth the destruction of the city.

V. However there was to be a time when the elder
should have dominion, and shake off the yoke of the
younger. * And it shall come to pass when thou shall
have dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off
thy neck.' The word which we translate have dornvrion
is capable of various interpretations. Some render it in
the sense of laying down or shaking off^ as the Septua-
gintj and the Vulgar Latin, And it shall come to pass that
thou shalt shake off^ and shalt loose his yoke from off thy
neck. Some again render it in the sense of mourniyig or
repenting^ as the Syriac,:^ But^ if thou shaW refient^ his

* They were a turbulent and disorderly nation, always inclin-
ed to commotions, and delighting in changes, easily flattered to
take up arms and hastening to battles as if they were going to a
feast. See the Jewish wars, Book IV. Chap. iv..Sect. 1. page
1177, in Hudson's edition. Consult also the following chapter.

f * Estaide henika ean katheles, kai ekluses ton Zugon antou
apo tou trachelou sou.' Septuagint. That is. It (the times)
shall be, when thou mayest shake off and loose his yoke from thy
neck. Tenipnsque veniet cum excutias et solvas jugum ejus
de cervicibus tuis. Vulgate Version. That is, the time will
come when thou mayest shake off and loose his yoke from thy
necks.

i But if thou shall exercise repentance, his yoke shall pass
ofl' from thy neck.

THE PROPHECIES. 69

yoke shall fiassfr 07)1 off thy neck. But the most common
rendering and most approved is, whcji thou shall have domi-
nion ; and it is not said or meant, that they should have
dominion over the seed of Jacob, but simply have domi-
nion, as they had when they appointed a king of their
own. The Jerusalem Targum * thus paraphraseth the
whol-e, " And it shall be when the sons of Jacob attend to
the law, and observe the precepts, they shall impose the
yoke of servitude upon thy neck ; but when they shall
turn themselves away from studying the law, and neglect
the precepts, behold then thou, shake off the yoke of ser-
vitude from thy neck." David imposed the yoke, and at
that time the Jewish people observed the law. But the
yoke was very galling to the Edomites from the first :
and toward the latter end of Solomon's reign, Hadad the
Edomite of the blood royal, who had been carried into
Egypt in his childhood, returned into his own country,
and raised some disturbances, 1 Kings xi. but was not
able to recover his throne, t his subjects being overawed
by the garrisons which David had placed among them.
But in the reign of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king
of Judah, ' the Edomites revolted from under the domi-
nion of Judah, and made themselves a king.' Jehoram
made some attempts to subdue them again, but could not
prevail. ' So the Edomites revolted from under the hand
of Judah unto this day,' saith the Author of the books of
Chronicles: 2 Chron. xxi. 8, 10. and hereby this part of
the prophecy was fulfilled about nine hundred years after
it was delivered.

VI. But in all spiritual gifts and graces the younger
should be greatly superior, and be the happy instrument
of conveying the blessihg to all nations. ' In thee and in
thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed:' and

* And it shall come to pass when the children of .Tacob shall
labour in the law and keep the commandments, they shall put a
yoke of bondage upon thy neck ; But when the children of Jacob
shall tuni away themselves from studying the law, and from
keeping the commandments, behold then thou shalt l)reak off'
their yoke of bondage from thy neck. See the Jerusalem Tar-
gum.

t See Josephus' Antiquities, Book VIII. Chap. VII. Sect. 6.
page 361, in Hudson's edition,

70 DISSERTATIONS ON

hitherto are to be referred in their full force those ex-
pressions, ' Let people serve thee, and nations bow down
to thee ;• Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and bles-
sed be he that blesseth thee.' The same proi«nse was
made to Abraham in the name of God, ' I will bless them
that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee ;* Gen.
xii. 3. and it is here repeated to Jacob, and is thus para-
phrased in the Jerusalem Targum,* "He who curseth
thee, shall be cursed, as Balaam the son of Beor; and he
who blesseth thee, shall be blessed, as Moses the prophet,
the law-giver of Israel.'* It appears that Jacob was a man
of more religion, and believed the divine promises more
than Esau. The posterity of Jacob likewise preserved
the true religion and the worship of one God, while the
Edomites were sunk in idolatry. And of the seed of Ja-
cob was born at last the Saviour of the world. This was
the peculiar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the
happy instrument of conveying the spiritual blessings to
all nations. This was his greatest superiority over Esau ;
and in this sense St. Paul understands and applies the
prophecy, the elder shall serve the younger. Rom. ix. 12.
The Christ, the Saviour of the world, was to be born of
some one family : and Jacob's was preferred to Esau's
out of the good pleasure of almighty God, who is cer-
tainly the best judge of fitness and expedience, and hath
an undoubted right to dispense his favours as he shall see
proper; < for he saith to Moses,' {as the apostle proceeds
to argue, ver. 15)^1 will have mercy on whom I will
have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion.' And when the Gentiles were con-
verted to Christianity, the prophecy was fulfilled literally,
* Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee ;'
and will more amply be fulfilled, when ' the fulness of the
Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved.'

We have traced the accomplishment of the prophecy
from the beginning ; and we find that the nation of the
Edomites hath, at several times, been conquered by, and

* J.icob, my son, whosoever shall curse thee, sball be cursed,
like T^alaam the son of Beor; but whosoever blesseth thee, shall
be blessed, like Moses the prophet, the braelitish law-^iver. Sec
Jerusalem Tartjum,

THK rUOPHEClES. 71

made tributary to the Jews, but never the nation of the Jews
to the Edomites, and the Jews have been the more conside-
rable people, more knowR in the world, and more famous
in history. ' We know indeed little more of the history
of the Edomites, than as it is connected with that of the
Jews : and where is the name or the nation nov/ ? They
were swallowed up and lost, partly among the Nabathaean
Arabs, and partly among the Jews ; and the very name
was abolished * and disused about the end of the first cen-
tury after Christ. Thus were they rewarded for insult-
ing and oppressing their brethren the Jews, and hereby
other prophecies were fulfilled of Jeremiah, xlix. 7. &c,
of Ezekiel, XXV. 12, Sec. of Joel, iii. 19. Amos, i. 11. Sec.
and Obadiah. And at this day we see the Jews subsisting
as a distinct people, while Edom is no more. For agree-
ably to the words of Obadiah, ver. 10. * For thy violence
against thy brother Jacob, shame shall cover thee, and
thou shalt be cut off for ever :* and again, ver. 1 8. * there
shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau, for the
vLord hath spoken it.*

IV.

JACOB'S PROPHECIES CONCERNING HIS SONS,
PARTICULARLY JUDAH.

IT is an opinion of great antiquity, that the nearer men
approach to their dissolution, their souls grow more di-
vine, and discern more of futurity. We find this opinion
as early as Homer, | for he represents the dying Patro-
clus foretelling the fate of Hector, and the dying Hector
denouncing no less certainly the death of Achilles. So-
crates in his Apology to the Athenians, a little before his
death \ asserts the same opinion. " But now," saith he,

* See Prideaux* Connect. Part L Rook V. Anno 1^9.

t See Homer's Iliad, Book XVI. Line 852, and Book XXH.
Line 358.

t Truly I feel a strong desire to prophecy, to you who have
condemned me, as to those things which shall happen hereafter.

72 DISSERTATIONS OJjT

" I am desirous to prophecy to you who have condemned
me. what will happen hereafter. For now I am arrived
at that state, in which men prophecy most, when they are
about to die." His scholar Xenophon* introduces the
dying Cyrus declaring in like manner, " that the soul of
man at the hour of death appears most divine, and then
foresees something of future events.'* Diodorus Siculusf
allegeth great authorities upon this subject : " Pythago-
ras the Samian, and some others of the ancient natural-
ists have demonstrated, that the souls of men are immor-
tal, and in consequence of this opinion that they also fore-
know future events, at the time that they are making
their separation from the body in death." Sextus Empi-
ricus \ confirms it likewise by the authority of Aristotle ;
*< the soul," saith Aristotle, *' foresees and foretels future
events, when it is going to be separated from the body by-
death." We might produce more testimonies to this pur-
pose from Cicero, and Eustathius upon Homer, and from
other authors, if there was occasion ; but these are suffi-
cient to show the great antiquity § of this opinion. And

for now that I am about'to die, I am arrived at that period of
time when the prophetic faculty is most energetic. See Plato's
Apology for Socrates, Vol. II. of his works page 39, in the edi-
tion of Serranus.

• The soul of man (at the point of death) seems most divine,
and then foresees something of futurity. See Xenophon's Cyi-o-
pedia. Book VII. near the bottom of page 140, in the edition of
Henry Stephens, printed 1581.

f Pythagoras the Samian, and some others of the ancient na-
turalists have demonstrated the immortality of tlie soul, as a
consequence from this sentiment, that it has a foreknowledge of
future events at the time of its separation from the body. See
the beginning of Book XVIII. page 586, in Rhodomanus' edition.

i Aristotle saith, the soul divines and foretels future events,
when it is about to be separated from the body by death. Against
Mashem, page 312.

§ Shakspeare alludes to this notion in Henry IV. First Part,

O, I could prophecy,

But that the earthly and cold hand of death
Lies on my tongue.

The same notion is also happily expressed in a most excellent
Latin poem on. The Immorlaiity of the Soul, which is deserving
of a place among- classic authors. In richness of poetry it equals
Lucretius, and in clearness and strength of argument, it exceeds
him. The following is a prose translation of four of its lines.

THE PROPHFXIES. 73

it is possible, that old experierice* may in some cases at-
tain to something like prophecy and divination. In some
instances also God may have been pleased to comfort and
enlighten departing souls with a prescience of future
events. But what I conceive might principally give rise
to this opinion, was the tradition of some of the patriarchs
being divinely inspired in their last moments to foretel
the state and condition of the people descended from
them ; as Jacob upon his death-bed summoned his sons
together that he might inform them of what should befal
them in the latter daijs^ or the last days ; by which phrase
some commentators understand the times of the Messiah,
or the last great period of the world ; and Mr. Whiston
particularly asserts, f that it is generally, if not always, a
characteristic and criterion of prophecies not to be fulfilled
till the coming of the Messiah ; and accordingly he sup-
poses that these prophecies of Jacob more properly be-
long to the second coming of the Messiah, at the resto-
ration of the twelve tribes hereafter. But the phrase of
the latter days or last days in the Old Testament signifies
any time that is yet to come, though sometimes it may
relate to the times of the Messiah in particular, as it
comprehends all future time in general : and hence it is
used in prophecies that respect different times and periods.
'I will advertise thee,' saith Balaam to Balak, Numb,
xxiv. 14. 'what this people shall do to thy people in the
latter days :' but what the Israelites did to the Moabites,
was done long before the times of the Messiah. ' I know,'
Buith Moses, Dcut. xxxi. 29. 'that after my death ye will
utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way
which I have commanded you, and evil will befal you in
the latter days :' where the latter days are much the same
as the time after the death of Moses. ' There is a God
in heaven,' saith Daniel, ii. 28. 'that revealeth secrets

For when the joints grow stiff at the approach of death, the
mind possesseth a keener perception, and a vivacity more divine.
At no time do men discover an eloquence more i^raceful, than
when, about to die, they open their prophetic lips.
' * Alluding- to these lines of Milton,
Till old experience do attain
To something like prophetic strain. '
t Boyle's Lectures, Vol. 2, page 311.

VOL. I, G

74 DISSERTATIONS OX

and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar, what
shall be in the latter days;* but several particulars are
there foretold of the four great monarchies of the earth,
which were fulfilled before the coming of the Messiah.
And in like manner these prophecies of Jacob were, ma-
ny or most of them, accomplished under the Mosaic
ceconomy, several ages before the birth of our Saviour.

Jacob as we have seen, received a double blessing, tem-
poral and spiritual, the promise of the land of Canaan,
and the promise of the seed in which all the nations of
the earth should be blessed ; which promises were first
made to Abraham, and then repeated to Isaac, and then
confirmed to Jacob ; and Jacob a little before his death
bequeaths the same to his children. The temporal bles-
sing or inheritance of the land of Canaan might be shared
and divided among all his sons, but ihe blessed seed could
descend only from one : and Jacob accordingly assigns to
each a portion in the promised land, but limits the de-
scent of the blessed seed to the tribe of Judah, and at the
same time sketches out the characters and fortunes of all
the tribes.

He adopts the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and
Ephraim, for his own, but foretels that the younger should
be the greater of the two; Gen. xlviii. 19. and hath not
the prediction been fully justified by the event ? The
tribe of Ephraim grew to be so numerous and powerful,

that it is sometimes put for all the ten tribes of Israel.

Of Reuben it is said, Gen. xlix. 4. * Unstable as water,
thou shalt not excel :' and what is recorded great or ex-
cellent of the tribe of Reuben ? * In number, Numb. i.

and power they were inferior to several other tribes.

Of Simeon and Levi it is said, ver. 7. ' I will divide them
in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel :, and was not this
eminently fulfilled in the tribe of Levi, who had no por-
tion or inheritance of their own, but were dispersed
among the other tribes ? Neither had the tribe of Simeon
any inheritance pioperly of their own, but only a portion
in the midst of the tribe of Judah ; Josh. xix. 1 — 9. from

* [The double blesslug was taken from liim and given to Jo-
seph—the kingdom to Judali, and the pricstood to Levi.]

Fuller.

THE PROPHECIES.. 75

whence several of them afterwards went in quest of new-
habitations, 1 Chron. iv. 39, &c. and so were divided from
the rest of their brethren. A constant tradition * too
liath prevailed amoni:;' the Jews which is also confirmed
by the Jerusalem Targum, that the tribe of Simeon were
so straightened in their situation and circumstances, that
threat numbers were necessitated to seek a subsistence
among the other tribes, by teaching and instructing their
children.! — - — Of Zebulun it is said, ver. 13. 'He shall
dwell at the haven of the sea, and shall be for an haven of
ships :' and accordingly the tribe of Zebulun extended
from the sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean, Josh. xix.
10, &c.| where they had commodious havens for ship-
ping. And how could Jacob have foretold the situation
o^ any tribe, which was determined two hundred years
aiterwards by casting of lots, unless he had been directed

by that divine Spirit, who disposeth of all events ? Of

Benjamin it is said, ver. 27. ' He shall ravin as a wolf:' and
was not that,a fierce and warlike tribe, as appears in seve-
ral instances, and particularly in the case of the Levite's

* The Jews also have a tradition that the writers, tutors,
schoolmasters and teachers of youth were almost all of the tribe
of Simeon. That they might procure a subsistence, they were
forced to live separately, in the towns and villages of their breth-
ren. Tliis opinion is embraced by the author of the Jerusalem
I'argum, by Fagius and others.

•f [The sentence in Levi's case was not reversed, but convert-
ed into a blessing in consequence of the service his descendants
performed in their zeal against the worshippers of the golden
calf. Exod. xxxii. 26, 29. Deut. xxxiii. 9, 10. So that being
consecrated to God, as the priestly tribe, they were honourably
and profitably diviilcd and scattered in that character throughout
Israel. ' Scott.

The Simeonites, however, for Zimri*s sin, had the curse bound
on. Num. xxv. Shameful divisions are the just punishment of
sinful confederacies.]

^ [The maritime situation in which this tribe was placed,
tended greatly to enricli it, both by fisheries and commerce.
Deut. xxxiii. IS, 19. Zebulun was younger than Issachar, yet
Jacob mentions him first, and accordingly his inheritance was first
allotted him.] ' Scott.

76 DISSERTATIONS ON

•wife, Judg. XX. Avhen they alone waged war against all the
other tribes, and overcame them in two battles ? *

In this manner he characterizes these and the other
tribes, and foretels their temporal condition, and that of
Judaii as well as the rest : ' Binding his fole unto the vine,
and his asses colt unto the choice vine, he washed his
garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood, of grapes.
Kis eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with
milk;' ver. 11, 12. and not to mention the valley of Esh-
col and other fruitful places, the mountaiRs about Jerusa-
lem, by the accounts df the best travellers, were particu-
larly fitted for the cultivation of the vine, and for ihe feed-
ing of cattle. "The blessing," says Dr. Shaw,f "that
Avas given to Judah, was not of the same kind, with the
blessing of Asher or of Issachar that his bread should be
fat^ or his land should be fileasant^hut that his eyes should
be red ivith wine, and his teeih should be ivhite with milk.^^
He farther observes, that " the mountains of the country
abound with shrubs and a delicate short grass, both which
the cattle are more fond of, than of such plants as are
common to fallow grounds and meadows. Neither was
this method of grazing peculiar to this country ; inas-
much as it is still practised all over mount Libanus, the
Castravan mountains and Barbary ; in all which places the
higher grounds are set apart for this use, and the plains
and vallies for tillage. For besides the good manage-
ment and oeconomy, there is this farther advantage, that
ihe milk of cattle fed in this manner is far more rich
and delicious, as their flesh is more sweet 'and nour-
ishing.— It may be presumed likewise, that the vine
was not neglected, in a soil and exposition so proper for

* [Dr. Clarke observes, that the union of the tribe of Benjamin
*'with the tribe of Judah, seems to be intimated in their joint
conquest, expressed nearly in the same terms. — Jiulah ivent vp
from ihe preij — Benjamiyi devoured the prey. Moses in his parallel
prophecy, Deut. xxxiii. 12. confirms this by signifying, tliat the
Sanchiary should be fixed in his lot, and that he should continue
as long as the existence of the temple itself."

The beloved of the Lord^ shall dwell with him in safety and
.shall cover him all the day long, and shall dwell between his
.shoulders ] Deut. xxxiii. 18.

t .Shaw's Travels, page 2t66f 367.

THE PROPHECIES. 7^

it to thrive in." He mentions particularly " the many
tokens which are to be met with, of the ancient vineyards
about Jerusalem and Hebron," and " the great quantity of
grapes and raisins, which are from thence brought daily
to the markets of Jerusalem, and sent yearly to Egypt."

But Jacob bequeaths to Judah particularly the spiritual
blessing, and delivers it in much the same form of words
that it was delivered to him. Isaac had said to Jacob,
Gen. xxvii. 29. 'Let people serve thee, and nations bow
down to thee ; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mo-
ther's sons bow down to thee :' and here Jacob saith to
Judah, ver. 8. ' Thou art he whom thy brethren shall
praise ; thy hand shall be in the neck of thy enemies ;
thy father's children shall bow down before thee.' And
for greater certainty it is added, ver. 10. ' The sceptre
shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between
his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gath-
ering of the people be.' I will not trouble the reader, or
myself with a detail of the various interpretations which
have been put upon this passage, but will only offer that
which appears to me the plainest, easiest, and best ; I
will first explain the words and meaning of the prophecy,
and then show the full and exact completion of it. They
who are curious to know the various interpretations of
the learned, may find an account of them in Huetius* and
Le Clerc ; t but no one hath treated the subject in a more
masterly manner than the present Lord Bishop t of Lon-
don ; and we shall principally tread in his footsteps, as
we cannot follow a better guide.

I. ' The sceptre shall not depart from Judah.' The
■word shebet^ which we translate a sceptre^ signifies a rod
or staff of any kind; and particularly the rod or staff
which § belonged to each tribe as an ensign of their autho-

* See Eusebius' Evangelical preparation, Prop. IX. Chap. IV.

f See Le Clerc's commentary on the passage.

% See the 3d Dissertation in Bishop Sherlock's Discourses of
the Use and intent of Prophecy.

§ Bishop Sherlock hath cited to this purpose Menochiiis on
the Hebrew Republic, Book I. Chap. IV. where he saith, the
name (of a rod) hath been transferred to denote a tribe, because
each tribe was in possession of its peculiar rod, with its name
inscribed thereon, which the princes of the tribes used to carry
in their hand, When the Lord addresscth Auronin these words,
G 2

78 DISSERTATIONS ON

rity ; and thence it is transferred to signify a tribe^ as be-
ing united under one rod or staff of government, or a ru-
ler of a tribe ; and in this sense it is twice used in this
very chapter, ver. 16. ' Dan shall judge his people as one
of the tribes or riders of Israel ;' and again, ver. 28. * all
these are the twelve tribes or riders of Israel ;* It hath the
same signification in 2 Sam. vii. 7 . 'In all the places where-
in I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a
word with any of the tribes or riders of Israel, (in the paral-
lel place of Chronicles, 1 Chro. xvii. 6. it is judges oi Israel)
*whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying.
Why build ye not me an house of cedar ?' the word doth
indeed sometimes signify a sce/z^r^, but that is apt to con-
vey an idea of kingly authority, which was not the thing
intended here : and the Seventy * translate it * archon,' a
ruler, which answers better to a laiv-giver in the following
clause. It could not with any sort of propriety be said,
that tfie scefitre should not depart from Judah, when Ju-
dah had no sceptre, nor was to have any for many gene-
rations afterwards : but Judah had a rod or staff of a
tribe, for he was then constituted a tribe as well as the
rest of his brethren. The very same expression occurs
in Zechariah, x. 1 1. *and the sceptre of Egypt shall de-
part away,' which implies that Egypt had a sceptre, and
that that sceptre should be taken away ; but no grammar
or language could justify the saying, that Judah* s scefitre
should depart or be taken away, before Judah was in pos-
session of any sceptre. Would it not therefore be better,
to substitute the word staff ov ruler instead of 'sce/itre, un-
less we restrain the meaning of a sceptre to a rod or staff
of a tribe, which is all that is here intended ? The staff or
ruler shall not depart from Judah. The tribeship shall 7iot
depart from Judah. Such authority as Judah had then,
"was to remain with his posterity. It is not said or meant,
that he should not cease from being a king or having a
kingdom, for he was then no king, and had no kingdom ;
but only that he should not cease from being a tribe or

lut take thou tuith thee, both thy brethren of the tribe of Levi and
the rod of thy father^ we are to understand both the rod itself
and the whole tribe, wiiich was thereby signified and ruled.

• Ouk ekleipsei archon ex Juda. Septuagint, That is, a ruler
out of Judah shall not be wanting.

THE PROPHECIES. 79

body politic, having rulers and governors of his own till
a certain period here foretold.

, *Nor a law-giver from between his feet.' The sense of
the word scejitre will help us to fix and determine the
meaning of the other word mechokek^ which we translate
a laiO'giver. For if they are not synonimous, they are
not very different. Such as the government is, such
inust be the law-giver. The government was only of a
single tribe, and the law-giver could be of no more. Nor
had the tribe of Judah at any time a legislative authority
over all the other tribes, no, not even in the reigns of Da-
vid and Solomon. When David appointed the officers
for the service of the temple ; 1 Chron. xxv. 1. Ezra viii.

20. and when Solomon was appointed king, and Zadok
the priest ; 1 Chron. xxix. 22. these things were done
with the consent and approbation of the princes and ru-
lers of Israel. Indeed the whole nation had but one law,
and one law-giver in the strict sense of the word. The
king himself was not properly a law-giver ; he was only
to have * a copy of the law, to read therein, and to turn
not aside from the commandment, to the right hand or
to the left,' Deut. xvii. 18, Sec. Moses was truly, as he
is stiled, the laiv-giver; Numb. xxi. 18. Deut. xxxiii.

21. and when the word is applied to any other person or
persons, as Judah is twice called by the Psalmist, Psal.
xl. 7. cviii. 8. 7ny law-giver, it is used in a lower signi-
fication. For it signifies not only a law-giver, but a
judge : not only one who maketh laws, but likewise
one who exerciseth jurisdiction : and in the Greek •
it is translated ' hegoumenos,' a leader or president^
in the Chaldee a scribe, f in the Syirac t an expo-
sitor, and in our English bible it is elsewhere translated a
governor, as in Judges v. 14. < Out of Machir came
down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the
pen of the writer.* The laiv-giver therefore is to be taken
in a restrained sense as well as the sceptre ; and perhaps
it cannot be translated better than judge ; J^or a judge

* * Kai hegoumenos ek ton meron autou,' Septuagint. That
is a ruler out of his loins.

f Nor a Scribe from his children's children. See the Chaldee
version.

4 And an expositor from between his feet.

80 DISSERTATIONS OX

from betnvcen his feet. Whether we understand it, ihi V
a judge from between his feet shall not defiartfromJudah^
or a judge shall not depart from betnveen his feet^ I con-
ceive the meaning to be much the same, that there should
not be wanting a judge of the race and posterity of Judah,
according to the Hebrew phrase of children's coming
from between the feet. They who expound it of sitting at
the feet of Judah, seem not to have considered that this was
the place of scholars, and not of judges and doctors of the
law. As Dan. vcr. 16. was io judge his fieofde as one of
the tribes or rulers of Israel ; so was Judah, and with
this particular prerogative, that ^/le staff or ruler should
not depart from Judah nor a judge /rem between his fcet^
until the time here foretold, which we are now to exa-
mine and ascertain.

* Until Shiloh come,' that is, until the coming of the
INIessiah, as almost all interpreters, both ancient and mo-
dern, agree. For howsoever they may explain the word,
and whencesoever they may derive it, the Messiah is the
person plainly intended. — The Vulgar * Latin translates
it Qui niittcndus est, He ivho is to be sent ; and to favour
this version that passage in St. John's Gospel, ix. 7. is
usually cited, Go wash in the f^ool of Siloam, which is by
interpretation sent; And who was ever sent with such
power and authority from God as the Messiah, who fre-
quently speaking of himself in the gospel under the de-
nomination of him whom the Father hath sent?' — The
t Seventy translate it ' ta a]iokei mena auto,' the things re
served fjV him, or according to other copies ' ho apokei tai*
he for whom it is reserved ; And what was the great trea-
sure reserved for Judah, or who was the person for whom
all things were reserved, but the IN'Iessiah, whom we have
declaring in the gospel, Matt. xi. 27. 'All things are de-
livered unto me of my Father,' and again, xxviii. 1 8

* All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth?'—
The Syriac translates it to the same purpose, is cujus

• As if St. Jerome had read Shiloch instead of Shilob, and de-
rived it from Shalach, he sent. The letter in HebreAv made use
of to express the sound of ch^ is nearly of the same form with tl)e
letter answering- to our h.

t Deriving- it from sh yig'nifying which or what, and/o, to hirp.

THE PROPHECIES. 81

iUiid est, he nvhose it is, I suppose meaning the kingdom ;
and the Arabic cujus ifise est, ivhose he is, I suppose
meaning Judah : And whose was Judah, or whose was
the kingdom so properly as the Messiah's, who is so ma-
ny times predicted under the character oi the king of Is-
rael ? — Junius and Tremellius with others,* translate it
filiiis ejus, hie son - And who could be this son of Judah
by way of eminence, but the Messiah, *the seed in which
all the nations of the earth shall be blessed ?' — In the
Samaritan text and version it is fiacfus, the peace-maker ;
and thisf perhaps is the best explication of the word:
And to whom can this or any the like- title be so justly
applied as to the Messiah, who is emphatically stiled,
Is. ix. 6. * the prince of peace,* and at whose birth was
sung that heavenly anthem, Luke ii. 14. * Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards
men V

These are the principal interpretations, and which ever
of these you prefer, the person understood must be the
Messiah. But the learned Mr. Le Clerc would explain
the text in such a manner as utterly to exclude the Mes-
siah : and he was a very able commentator, the best per-
haps upon the Pentateuch ; but like other learned men,
he was sometimes apt to indulge strange unaccountable
fancies. Of this kind, I conceive, is his interpretation of
this prophecy ; for he says % that &Jiilo7i signifies ^wz5 ejus
aut cessatio, his end or ceasi?ig, and that it may be referred
to the laiv-giver, or to the scefitre, or even to Judah him-
self. But if it be referred to the law-giver, or to the
scefitre, what is it but an unmeaning tautology. ' There

*As if it was derived from Shil, an issue of blood, or Sliilojah,
the secundines, that wherein the infant is wrapt, and thence by
a metonymy, the infant itself.

1 1 look upon the word Shlloh to be derived from the verb
Shalah, he was tranquil or peaceful, in the same manner as Ki-
tor smoke is fojnied from Katar he made smoke underneath ;
and there are other words of that formation.
- + He says that Shiloh is the same as Shilo, and Shil may be
derived from Shul, and Shul is the same as Shalah, which in
Chaldee signifies to cease, to end. It may be translated the end
or ceasing. This being supposed, his end may be referred to
law -givers, to sceptre, or even to Judah. See his Commentary
on the passage.

82 DISSERTATIONS ON

shall be a law-giver as long as there shall be a law-giver,
There shall not be an end of the sceptre till the end of
the sceptre come ? If it be referred to Jiidah or the tribe
of Judah, the thing is by no means true ; for the tribe of
Judah subsisted, long after they had lost the kingdom,
and were deprived of all royal authority. Not many read-
ers, I imaghie, will concur with this learned commenta-
tor. The generality of interpreters, Jewish as well as
Christian, have by Shiloh always understood the Messiah.
The Targum of Onkelos is commonly supposed * to have
been made before our Saviour's time, and hef thus ex-
presseth the sense of the passage, " There shall not be
taken away one having the principality from the house of
Judah, nor a scribe from his children's children, till Mes-
siah come whose is the kingdom." And with him agree
the other Targums or Chaldee paraphrases, and the au-
thors of the Talmud, and other ancient and modern Jews,
whom the reader may see cited in Buxtorf upon the
word. So that, I think, no doubt can remain, that by the
coming of Shiloh is meant the coming of the Messiah.

* And imto him shall the gathering of the people be,'
or obedience of the people, as it is otherwise translated.
These words, are capable of three different constructions;
and each so probable, that it is not easy to say which was
certainly intended by the author. For 1. they may relate
to Judah, who is the main subject of the prophecy, and
of the discourse preceding and following ; and by the
people we may understand the people of Israel : and then
the meaning will be, that the other tribes should be gath-
ered to the tribe of Judah ; which sense is approved by
Le Clerc and some late commentators. Or 2. they may
relate to Shiloh, who is the person mentioned immediately
before ; and by the pa-.ofilc we may understand the Gen-
tiles: and then tlie meaning will be, that the Gentiles
should be gathered or become obedient to the Messiah ;
which sense is consonant to other texts of scripture and
is confirmed by the authority of most ancient interpreters ;

* See Prideaux' Connections, Part 2. Book VIII. and year 37.
t There shall not be taken away one, having- the cliief rule,

from the tribe of Judah, nor a Scribe from liis children's child-
r(,'n, even for ever; till Messiah come, whose is the kingdom.

THE PROPHECIES. 33

only some * of them render it, and he shall be the ex^
fiectation of the nation. Or 3. they may still relate to
Shiloh^ and yet not be considered as a distinct clause, but
be joined in construction with the proceedins^ words, until
Shiloh come^ the word until being common to both parts;
and then the sentence will run thus, ujitil Shiloh come a?id
to him the gathering or obedience of the fieojile^ that is,
until the Messiah come, and until the people or nations
be gathered to his obedience ; which sense is preferred
by the most learned Mr. Medef and some others. And
each of these interpretations may very well be justified
by the event.

II. Having thus explained the words and meaning of
the prophecy, I now proceed to show the full and exact
completion of it. The tvvelve sons of Jacob are here
constituted twelve tribes or heads of tribes, ver. 28. " All
these are the twelve tribes of Israel ; and this is it that
their father spake unto them, and blessed them ; every
one according to his blessing he blessed them." To Ju-
dah particularly it was promised, that the sce/itre or rod
of the tribe should not depart from him^ nor a judge or
laiu-giverfrom bet'iueen his feet; his tribe should continue
a distinct tribe with rulers and judges and governors of
its own, until the coming of the Messiah. The people
of Israel after this settlement of their government were
reckoned by their tribes, but never before. It appears
that they were reckoned by their tribes and according to
their families, while they sojourned in Egypt: and the-
tribe of Judah made as considerable a figure as any of
them. In number it was superior to the others ; Numb,
i. and xxvi. it had the first rank in the armies of Israel ;
Numb. ii. it marched first against the Canaaniles : Judg.
i. and upon all occasions manifested such courage as fully
answered the character given of it, ver. 9. < Judah is a
lion's whelp ; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up :

* And he shall be the expectation of the nations. So the Vul-
gate following the Septuapf int, dotli translate.

f See Mode's Discoui'se VIII. and Gothofredus Valandus*
Dissertation, entituled, a leader not to depart from the midst
of the citiz-cns of Judah, before the miivcrsal empire of Messiah.
See Collection of Dissertations, Vol, I, and Mann's critical note
on the passage.

S4> DISSERTATIONS ON

lie stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion,
who shall rouse him up ?* If the first king of Israel was
of the tribe of Benjamin, the second was of the tribe of
Judah ; and from that time to the Babylonish captivity,
Judah had not only the sceptre of a tribe, but likewise
the sceptre of a kingdom. When it was promised to Ju-
dah particularly that the sceptre should not depart from
him, it was implied that it should depart from the other
tribes : and accordingly the tribe of Benjaniin became a
sort of appendage to the kingdom of Judah ; and the other
ten tribes were after a time carried away captive into As-
syria, from whence they never returned. The Jews also
were carried captive to Babylon, but returned after se-
venty years : and during their captivity they were far
from being treated as slaves, as it appears from the pro-
phet's advice to them ; Jerem. xxix. 5, See. * Build ye
houses and dwell in them ; and plant gardens, and eat the
fruit of them. Sec' and many of them were so well fixed
and settled at Babylon, and lived there in such ease and
affluence, that they refused to return to their native coun-
try. In their captivity they were still allowed to live as
a distinct people, appointed feasts and fasts for themselves,
and had rulers and governors of their own, as we may
collect from several places in Ezra and Nehemiah. When
Cyrus had issued his proclamation for the rebuilding of
the temple, ' then rose up the chief of the fathers,' saith
Ezra, i. 5. so that they had chiefs and rulers among
ihem. Cyrus ordered the vessels of the temple to be de-
livered to the prince of Judah ; Ezra i. 8. 'SO that they
had then a prince of Judah. And these princes and ru-
lars, who are often mentioned, managed their return and
settlement afterwards. It is true that after the Babylonish
captivity they were not so free a people as before, living
under the dominion of the Persians, Greeks and Romans ;
but still they lived as a distinct people under their own
laws. The authority of their rulers and elders subsisted
under these foreign masters, as it had even while they
were in Egypt. It subsisted under the Asmonean princes,
as it had under the government of the Judges, and Samuel,
and Saul ; for in the books of Maccabees there is frequent
mention of the rulers and elders and cou7icil of the JewSf
and of ptiblic acts and memorials in their name. It sub-

THE PUOPIIECIES. 85

sisted even in our Saviour's time, for in the gospels we
read often of * the chief priests, and the scribes and the
elders of the people.' '1 heir power indeed in capital
causes, especially such as related to the state, was abridged
in some measure; they might judge, but not execute
without the consent of the Roman governor, as I think
we must infer from this passage, John xviii. 31. * Then
said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him ac-
cording to your law : the Jews therefore said unto him,
It is not lawful for us to put any man to death.' The
sceptre was then departing, and in about forty years af-
terwards it totally departed. 'I' heir city was taken, their
temple was destroyed, and they themselves were either
slain with the sword, or sold for slaves. And from that
time to this they have never formed one body or society,
but have been dispersed among all nations ; their tribes
and genealogies have been all confounded, and they have
lived without a ruler, without a law-giver, and without
supreme authority and government in any part of the
earth. . And this a captivity not for seventy years, but
for seventeen hundred. " Nor will they ever be able (as
the learned prelate * expresseth it) after all their preten-
ces, to show any signs or marks of the sccfiire among
them, till they discover the unknown country, where
never mankind dweH, and where the apocryphal Esdras
has placed their brethren of the ten tribes." 2 Esdras
xiii. 41.

We have seen the exact completion of the former part
of the prophecy, and now let us attend to that of the lat-
ter part, ' And unto him shall the gathering of the peo-
ple be.' If we understand this of Judah, that the other
tribes should be gathered to that tribe, it was in some mea-
sure fulfilled by the people's going up so frequently as
they did to Jerusalem, which was in the tribe of Judah, in
crder to obtain justice in difficult cases, and to worship
God in his holy temple. ' Whither the tribes go up,' saith
the Psalmist cxxii. 4, 5. 'the tribes of the Lord; unto
the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of
the Lord. For there are set thrones of judgment; the
thrones of the house of David.* Upon the division of the

* Bishop Shelock's Dissertation 3d. page 351. edit. ^.
VOL. I. H

86 DISSERTATIONS ON

kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and
the priests and Levites, and several out of all the other
tribes, 2 Chron. xi. 13, 16. went over to Judah, and were
so blended and incorporated together, that they are more
than once spoken of under the notion of one tribe :
1 Kings xi. 13, 32, 36. and it is said expressly, 1 Kings xii.
20. ' there was none that followed the house of David,
but the tribe of Judah only ;' all the rest were swallowed
up in that tribe, and considered as parts and members of
it. In like manner, when the Israelites were carried away
captive into Assyria, it is said, 2 Kings xvii. 18. 'there
was none left but the tribe of Judah only :' and yet we
know that the tribe of Benjamin, and many of the other
tribes remained too, but they are reckoned as one and
the same tribe with Judah. Nay at this very time there
was a remnant of Israel, that escaped from the Assyrians,
and went and adhered to Judah : for we find afterwards,
that in the reign of Josiah there was some ' of Manasseh
and Ephraim and of the remnant of Israel,* who contri-
buted money to the repairing of the temple, as well as

* Judah and Benjamin;* 1 Chron. xxxiv. 9. and at the
solemn celebration of the passover, some * of Israel were
present,* as well as ' all Judah and the inhabitants of Jeru-
salem.* When the people returned from the Babylonish
captivity, then again several of the tribes of Israel associ-
ated themselves, and returned with Judah and Benjamin;

* and in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah, and of
the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim
and Manasseh,' 1 Chron. ix. 3. At so many times, and
upon such different occasions, the other tribes were ga-
thered to this tribe, insomuch that Judah became the ge-
neral name of the whole nation; and after the Babylonish
captivity they were no longer called the people of Israel,
but the peojilc of Judah or Jt ws.

Again ; if we understand this of Shiloh or the Messiah,
that the people or Gentiles should be gathered to his obe-
dience, it is no more than is foretold in many other pro-
phecies of scripture, and it began to be fulfi led in Corne-
lius the centurion, whose conversion, Acts x. was, as I
may say. the first fruits of the Gentiles, and the harvest
afterwards was very plenteous. In a few years the gos-
pel was disseminated, and ' look root downward, and bore

THE PROrilECIES. 87

fruit upward' in the most considerable parts of the world
then known : and in Constantine's time, when the em-
pire became Christian, it might with some propriety be
said, ' the kingdoms of this world are become the king-
doms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign
for ever and ever,' Rev. xi. 15. We ourselves were of
the Gentiles, but are wow gathered unto Christ.*

Lastly, if we join this in construction with the words
preceding until Shiloh come^ two events are specified as
fore-runners of the sceptre's departing from Judah, the
coming of the Messiah, and the gathering of the Gentiles
to him; and these together point out with greater exact-
ness the precise time of the sceptre's departure. Now
it is certain that before the destruction of Jerusalem, and
the dissolution of the Jewish commonwealth by the Ro-
mans, the Messiah was not only come, but great numbers
likewise of the Gentiles were converted to him. The
very same thing was predicted by our Saviour himself,
Mat. xxiv. 14. * This gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations,
and then shall the end come ;' the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, and end of the Jewish constitution. The Jews were
not to be cut off, till the Gentiles were grafled into the
church. And in fact we find that the apostles and their
companions preached the gospel in all the parts of the
world then known, * Their sound,' as St. Paul applies the
saying, Rom. x. 18. ^ went into all the earth; and their
words unto the ends of the world.' And then the end
cavie^ then an end was put to the Jewish polity in church
and state. The government of the tribe of Judah had
subsisted in some form or other from the death of Jacob
to the last destruction of Jerusalem: but then it was ut-
terly broken and ruined ; then the sceptre departed, and

* [Such was the value of his sacrifice and mediation, that it
was considered a light thing for him, merely to raise up the
tribes of Jacob : he must be a light to the Gentiles and God's
salvation to the ends of the earth. Nor has this promise yet
spent its force : probably the greater part of it is yet to be ful-
filled. What is foretold of the church in the Ix. of Isaiah, of
multitudes of all nations gathering- together unto her, will be
the accomplishment of this promise concerning" Christ; for those
who are gathered to her are first gathered to'liim.] FtiUer.

88 DISSERTATIONS ON

hath been departed ever since. And now even the dis-
tinction of tribes is in great measure lost among them;
they are called Jews, but the tribe of Judah is so far fromi
jjearing- rule, that they know not for certain which is the
tribe of Judah ; and all the world is witness, that they ex-
ercise dominion no where, but every where live in sub-
jection.

Before we conclude, it may not be improper to add a
just observation of the learned prelate before cited. As
the tribe of Benjamin annexed itself to the tribe of Judah
as its head, so it ran the same fortune with it; they went
together into captivity, they returned home together, and
were both in being when Shiloh came. This also was
foretold by Jacob, ver. 27. ' Benjamin shall ravin as a
wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at
night he shall divide the spoil.' The morrdng and night
here can be nothing else but the morning* and night of
the Jewish state ; for this state is the subject of all Jacob's
prophecy from one end to the other: and consecjuently it
is here foretold of Benjamin that he should continue to
the very last times of the Jewish state. This interpreta-
tion is confirmed by Moses' prophecy, for the prophecy
of iMoses is in truth an exposition of Jacob's prophecy.
'Benjamin,* saith Moses, Deut. xxxiii. 12. 'sliall dwell
in safety ; the Lord shall cover him all the day long.*
What is this all the day long ? The same certainly as the
morning and night. Does not this import a promise of a
longer continuance to Benjamin, than to the other tribes?
And was it not most exactly fulHlled?

To conclude* This prophecy and the completion of
it will furnish us with an invincible argument, not only
that the Messiah is come, but also that Jesus Christ is
the person. For the sceptre was not to depart from Ju-
dah, until the Messiah should come : but the sceptre hath
long been departed, and consequently the Messiah hath
been long corne^ The sceptre departed at the final

* Thus some Jewish iiiterprcters, referred to by Bochart, un-
derstood the expression; In tlie morning", that is, in the first or
early limes of the Isruelitisli kingdom. — In the evening, that
is, after the time of the liabvlonish captivity. Sec Bochart's
Uicrozoicon, first Part, Book 111. Chap. x. Col. 828.

THE PROPHECIES. Si'

destruction of Jerusalem, and hath been departed seven-
teen centuries; and consequentjy the Messiah came a
little before that period : and if the Messiah came a little
before that period, prejudice itself cannot long make any
doubt concerning the person. All considerate men must
say as Simon Peter said to Jesus, John vi. 68, 69 : ' Lord,
to whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the
son of the living God.*

, BALAAM'S PROPHECIES.

WONDERFUL as the gift of prophecy was, it was
not always confined to the chosen seed, nor yet always
imparted to the best of men. God might sometimes, to
convince the world of his superintendance and govern-
ment of the world, disclose the purposes of his providence
to heathen nations. He revealed himself to Abimelech,
Gen. XX. to Pharaoh, Gen. xli. and to Nebuchadnezzar,
Dan. ii. and we have no reason to deny all the marvellous
stories which are related of divination among the Hea-
thens i the possibility and credibility of which is argued
on both sides by Cicero in his two books of Divination,
his brother Quintus- asserting it in the first book, and
himself labouring to disprove it in the second ; but I
think all unprejudiced readers nmust agree, that the argu-
ments for it are stronger and better than those urged
against it. Neither was there any necessity, that the pro-
phets should always be good men. Unworthy persons
may sometimes be possessed of spiritual gifts as well as
of natural. Aaron and Miriam, who were inspired upon
some occasions, yet upon others mutinied against Moses^^
and rebelled against God. Jonah, for his disobedience ta
God, was thrown into the sea. In the 1 3th chapter of the
first book of Kings we read of two prophets, the one a
liar afterwards inspired, the other inspired and afte?wards
disobedient to the y^ord of the Lord. Yea, our Saviour

90 DISSERTATIONS ON

himself hath assured us, Matt, vii 22. 23. that, * in the
last day many will say unto him, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name ? and in thy name have cast out
devils ? and in thy name done many wonderful works ?
and yet will he profess unto them, I never knew you ; de-
part from me, ye that work iniquity.*

Balaam was a remarkable instance of both kinds, both
of a prophet who was a heathen, and of a prophet who
M'as an immoral man. He came from ylram or Mesopo-
tamia, out of the mountains of the east ; Numb, xxiii. 7.
Deut. xxiii. 4. and the east was infamous for soothsayers
und diviners. Is. ii. 6. However, he was a worshipper
of the true God, (as were also Melchizedeck, and Job, and
others of the heathen nations) and this appears by his ap-
plying to God. Numb. xxii. 8; ' I will Ixing you word
again, as the Lord shall speak unto me ;' and by his cal-
ling* the Lord his God, ver. 18. ' I cannot go beyond the
Avord of the Lord my God, to do less or more.' But his
worship was mixed and debased with superstition, as ap-
pears by his building seven ai/ars, and sacrificing on each
altar. Numb, xxiii. 1, 2. and by his going to seek for in*
rhantments, whatever they v.erc. Numb. xxiv. 1. He ap-
pears to to have had some pious thoughts and resolutions,
by declaring, ' I cannot go beyond the w^ord of the Lord
my God to do less or more ;' and by so earnestly wish-
ing, ' Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my
last end be like his,* xxiii. 10. But his heart was un-
sound, was mercenary, was corrupt ; he * loved the wa-
ges of unrighteousness,* 3 Pet. ii. 15. and ' ran greedily
after rewards:* Jucle. 1 1. his inclinations were contrary
to his duty ; he was ordered to stay, but yet he wished to
go ; he was commanded to bless, but yet he longed to
V ursc ; and when he found that he was over-ruled, and
t:ould do the people no hurt as a prophet, he still contriv-
ed to do it as a politician, and taught Balak to cast a
stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eatthings
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.* Rev. ii.
14. So that he was indeed a strange mixture of a man ;
but so is every man more or less. There are inconsis-
tencies and contradictions in every character, though not
so greai perhaps and notorious as in Balaam. If he is
' called a soothsayer in one part of scripture, Josh. xiiL 2^s.

THE PROPHECIES. 91.

in another part he is called 2^firo/ihet : 2 Pet. ii. 16. and
his name must have been in high credit and estimation,
that the king of Moab and the elders of Midian should
think it worth their while to send two honourable embas-
sies to him at a considerable distance, to engage him to
come and curse the people of Israel. It was a supersti-
tious ceremony in use among the heathens to devote their
enemies to destruction at the beginning of their wars, as
if the gods would enter into their passions, and were as
unjust and partial as themselves. The Romans had pub-
lic officers to perform the ceremony, and *Macrobius
hath preserved the form of these execrations. Now Ba-
laam being a prophet of great note and eminence, it was
believed that he was more intimate than others with the
heavenly powers, and consequently that his imprecations
would be more effectual ; for as Balak said unto him,
Numb. xxii. 6. ' I wot that he whom thou blessest is
blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.'

But the strangest incident of all is the part of Balaam's
ass. This usually is made the grand objection to the
truth of the story. The speaking ass from that time to
this hath been the standing jest of every infidel brother. —
Philo the Jew seemeth to have been ashamed of this part
of the story : for in the first book of his life of Moses,
wherein he hath given an account of Balaam, he hath
purposely omitted this particular of the ass's speaking, I
suppose not to give oftence to the Gentiles ; but he need-
ed not to have been so cautious of offending them, for si-
milar stories were current among them. The learned f
Bochart hath collected several instances, the ass of Bac-
chus, the ram of Phrixus, the horse of Achilles, and the
like, not only from the poets and mythologists, but also
from the gravest historians, such as Livy and Plutarch,
who frequently affirm that oxen have spoken. The
proper use of citing such authorities is not to prove, that
those instances and this of Balaam are upon an equal
footing, and equally true ; but only to prove, that the
Gentiles believed such things to be true, and to lie within
the power of their gods, and consequently could not ob-

* In his Saturnalia, Book HI, Chap. ix.

f See the first part of the Hierozoicon, Book II. Chap. xiv.

92 DISSERTATIONS ON

ject to the truth of scripture-history on this account.-—
Maifttonides and others have conceived, that the matter
was transacted in a vision : and it must be confessed, that
many things in the writings of the prophets are spoken
of as real transactions,-\vhich were only visionary ; and
these visions made as strong impressions upon the minds
of the prophets as realities. But it appears rather more
probable from the whole tenor of the narration, that this
was no visionary, but a real transaction. The words of
St. Peter show, that it is to be understood, as he himself
understood it, literally: 2 Tet. ii. 14, 15, 16. 'Cursed
children : which have forsaken the right way, and
are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of
Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness ; but was
rebuked for his iniquity; the dumb ass speaking with man's
voice, forbad the madness of the prophet/ The ass was
enabled to utter such and such sounds * probably, as parrots
do, without understanding them : and say what you will of
the construction of the ass's mouth, of the formation of
the tongue and jaws being unfit for speaking, yet an ade-
quate cause is assigned for this wonderful effect, for it is
said expressly, ' that the Lord opened tlie mouth of the ass ;'
and no one who believes a God, can doubt of his having
power to do this, and much more. If the whole transac-
tion was visionary, no reason can be given why it was
said particularly, that 'the Lord opened the mouth of the
ass.' But it is thought strange that Balaam should ex-
press no surprise upon this extraordinary occasion : but
perhaps he had been accustomed to prodigies with hisin-
ehantments; or perhaps, believing the eastern doctrine
of tl^e transmigration of human souls into the bodies of
brutes, he might think such a humanized brute not in-
capable of speaking : or perhaps, he might not regard, or
attend to the v/ondcr, through excess of rage and madness
as the word is in St. Peter ; or perhaps, (which is the
most probable of all) he might be greatly disturbed and

* [And where is the wonder of all this) If the ass hud opened
her own mouth and reproved the rash prophet, we might well be
astonished, but when God opens the mouth, an ass can speak as
well as a man. It is worthy of remark here, that Balaam testi-
fies no surprise at this miracle because he saw it was the Loid'iJ
doings ] ^. Clarkc>

THE PROPHECIES. 93

astonished, as Josephus •^ afTirms he was, and yet Moses
in his short history might omit this circumstance. Tlie
miracle was by no means needless or superP.uous; it was
very proper to convince Balaani, that the mouth and ton-
p:ue were under God's direction, and that the same divine
power which caused the dumb ass to speak contrary to
its nature, could make him in like manner utter blessings
contrary to his inclination. And accordingly he was over-
ruled to bless the people, though he came prepared and
disposed to curse them, which according to Bochart f was
the greater miracle of the two, for the ass was merely
passive, but Balaam resisted the good motions of God. —
We may be the more certain that he was influenced to
speak contrary to his inclination, because after he had done
prophecying, tbnigh he had been ordered in anger to de-
part and y?(?<? ^0 his place ; Numb. xxiv. 10. II. yet he
had the meanness to stay, and give th^t wicked counsel,
whereby the people were enticed 'to commit whoredom
with the daughters of Moab, and twenty and four thou-
sand died in the plague,' Numb xxv.

This miracle then was a proper sign to Balaam, and
had a proper effect ; and we may the more easily believe
it, when we find Balaam afterwards inspired with such
knowledge of futurity. It was not more above the natur-
al capacity of the ass to speak, than it was above the na-
tural capacity of Balaam to foretel so many distant events.
The prophecies render the miracle more credible ; and
we shall have less reason to doubt of the one, when we see

* See Antiquities, Book IV. Chap. VI. Sect. 2. But whilst
he was astonished and confounded by the ass addressing him ia
a human voice, &c. See page 150, of Hudson's edition.

f Rabba in his twentieth section on the book of Numbers, af-
firms that God opened the mouth of Balaam's ass, to teach him,
that the mouth and the tongue were in his power, and so those
of Balaam himself, if he should go about tocur.se Israel. And
indeed, the event itself shewed the same thing, seeing Balaani
in spite of all that could be done, blessed the very persons,
whom with so much parade, it was intended that he should
curse. This was even a greater miracle than when the ass spake.
For the ass was merely passive, whereas Balaam to the utmost
opposed himself to the influences of Cod, as Saul did when he
prophecicd. See the first part of Hierozoicon, Book II. Chap,
xiv.

94 DISSERTATIONS OJ?

the accomplishment of the others. His predictions ate
indeed wonderful, whether we consider the matter or the
stile, as if the same divine spirit that inspired his thoughts
had also raised his language. They are called parables
in the sacred text: he took up his parable, and said. The
same v/ordis used after the same manner in the book of
Job, xxvii.l. xxix. 1 Moreover^ Job continued his parable^
and said. It is commonly translated parable or proverb.
Le Clerc translates 'wjiguraiioms orationem ; and thereby
is meant a weighty and solemn speech delivered in figu-
rative and majestic language Such, remarkably such,* are
the prophecies or parables of Balaam. V'ou cannot per-
ruse them without being struck with the beauty of them.
You will perceive uncommon force and energy, if you
read them only in our English translation. We shall
select only such parts as are more immediately relative
to the design of these discourses.

After he had offered his Brst sacrifice, Numb, xxiii. he
went to seek the Lord, and at his return he declared
among other things, < Lo, the people shall dwell alone,
and shall not be reckoned among the nations,' ver. 9.

* See to this purpose Bishop Lowth's Prelections, particular-
ly the fourth, page 41, and eighteenth, page 173, and his ingeni-
ous version of Part of Balaam's prophecies into Latin verse. —
See Prelection XX. page 206. The reader will not be displeas-
ed to see here a prose translation of it. How glorious in thine
encampment, O Jacob! and in thy standards, O [srael! Thou art
like a well watered valley, stretching out its fertile sides, or as
a garden abounding v/ith streams. Thou art like the spicy
plants in Eden's consecrated ground, always verdant and flour-
ishing, or like trees planted by tlie rivers, whose moist branches
drop by reason of copious dews, and whose fruit is nourished by
perennial waters. Thy king always victorious over thine ene-
mies, shall extend and perpetuate thy dominion. Thy God hav-
ing triumphed gloriously, over tlie Kgypiians, liath been thy
leader from the banks of tlie Nile, daily renewing thy strength.
Thou art like an unicorn, tliat has escaped from the toils of the
hunter, wliicli elated carries its horn aloft. It devours its ene-
mies, crushes tlicir bones, and breaks in pieces the spears of its
assaihints. Thou art like a lion stretched out and lying at his
case, or like a lioness couching, who dare rouse thee ? May every
one be enriched Vv^ith blessings who prays for thy prosperity,
and may he be overwhelmed with calamities who prays for tiiy
hurt.

TlIE PROPHECIES. 95

And how could Balaam upon a distant view only of a peo-
ple, whom he had never seen or known before, have dis-
covered the genius and manners, not only of the people
then living, but of their posterity to the latest genera-
tions r What renders it, more extraordinary, is the singu-
larity of the character, that they should ditl'er from all the
people in the world, and should dwell by themselves
among the nations, without mixing and incorporating
with any. The time too when this was affirmed increases
the wonder, it being before the people were well known
in the world, before their religion and government were
established, and even before they had obtained a settle-
ment any where. But yet that the character was fully
verified in the event, not only all history testifies, but we
have even occular demonstration at this day. The Jews
in their religion and laws, their rites and ceremonies,
their manners and customs, were so totally different from
all other nations, that they had little intercourse or com-
munion with them. An eminent author * hath shown,
that there was a general intercomm.unity amongst the
gods of Paganism ; but no such thing was allowed be-
tween the God of Israel and the gods of the nations.
There was to be no fellowship between God and Belial,
though there might be between Belial and Dagon. And
hence the Jews were branded for their inhumanity and
unsociableness ; and they as generally hated, as they were
hated by the rest of mankind. Other nations, the con-
querors and the conquered, have often associated and
united as one body under the same laws ; but the Jews in
their captivities have commonly been more bigotted to
tlieir own religion, and more tenacious of their own rites
and customs, than at other times. And even now, while
they are dispersed among all nations, they yet live dis-
tinct and separate from all, trading only with others, but
eating, marrying, and conversing chiefly among them-
selves. We see therefore how exactly and wonderfully
Balaam characterized the whole race from the first to the
last, when he said, ' Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and
shall not be reckoned among the nations.* In the con-

* See the Divine Legation of Moses. Book II. Sect. 6, and
Book V. Sect. 2.

9S DISSERTATIONS ON

elusion too when he poured forth that passionate wish,
^Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last
end be like his,* ver. 10, he had, in all probability, some
forebodings of his own coming to an untimely end, as he
really did afterwards, being slain with the five kings of
Midian by the sword of Israel. Numb. xxxi. 8.

After the second sacrifice, he said among other things,
Numb. xxii. 24, ' Behold, the people shall rise up as a
great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion ; he shall
not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink of the^
blood of the slain :* and again to the same purpose, after'
the third sacrifice, xxiv. 8, 9. ' He shall eat up the nations
his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them
through with his arrows; He couched, he lay down as a
lion, and as a great lion ; who shall stir him up ? Blessed
is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth
thee.' Which passages are a manifest prophecy of the
victories which the Israelites should gain over their ene-
mies, and particularly the Canaanites, and of their secure
possession and quiet enjoyment of the land afterwards,
and particularly in the reigns of David and Solomon. It
is remarkable too, that God hath here put into the mouth
of Balaam much the same things which Jacob had before
predicted of Judah, Gen. xlix. 9. * Judah is a lion's
whelp ; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up : he
stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion ;
who shall rouse him up ?' and Isaac had predicted of Ja-
cob, Gen. xxvii. 29. * Cursed be every one that curseth
thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee :*' there is
such analogy and harmony between the prophecies of
scripture.

At the same time Balaam declared, ver. 7, < His king
shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be ex-
ulted.* Some copies have Gog- instead of ^gag^ which
reading is embraced by the authors * of the Universal
History, who say that, " as the Samaritan, Septuagint,
Syriac, and Arabic? read Go^ instead of ^ gag ^ and Gog^
doth generally signify the Scythians and northern nations,
several interpreters have preferred this latter reading to

* See the Universal Hist. Book I, Chap. vii. Sect. 2. Vol. I
l^a^e 534. Fol. edit. Note Y.

THE PROPHECIES. Qjr

the first, and not without good grounds." But it is a
mistake to say, that the Syriac and Arabic read Gog': it
is found only in the Samaritan * and the Septuagint, and
in Symmachus according toGrotius: the Syriac f and
Arabic have Jgag^^s Avell as the Targumof Onkelos and
the Vulgate, though this latter with a different sense and
construction of the words. Neither have we any account
that Gog was a famous king at that time, and much less
that the king of Israel was ever exalted above him : and
indeed the Scythians and northern nations lay too remote
to be the proper subject of a comparison. The reading
of the Hebrew copies, his king shall be higher than Agag^
is without doubt the true reading : and we must either
suppose that Jigag was prophecied of by name particu-
larly, as Cyrus and Josiah were several years before they
were born : or, we must with Moses Gerundensis, | a
learned Rabbi, quoted by Munster, that Agag was the
gene'ral name of the kings of Amalek, which appears very
probable, it being the custom of those times and of those
countries, to give one certain name to all their kings, as
Pharaoh was the general name for the kings of Egypt,
and AbimeAech for the kings of the Philistines. Amalek
too was a neighbouring country, and therefore is fitly in-
troduced upon the present occasion : and it was likewise at
that time a great and flourishing kingdom, for, in ver. 20.

* And his king shall be exalted above Gog-. See the Samari-
tan version, " And the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted." See
the Septuagint. " And his kingdom shall be exalted above
Gog." See Symmachus, as quoted by Grotius.

t " He shall be extolled above king Agag, and his kingdom
shall be exalted." See the Syriac versicm. " More than Agag
shall his king be exalted, and his kingdom shall be extolled."
See the Arabic version, " His king shall be strengthened more
than Agag, and his kingdom shall be lifted up." See the version
of Onkelos. *' His king shall be taken away for the sake of
Agag, and his kingdom shall be removed." See the Vulgate
version.

% And according to Moses Gerundensis, all the kings of the
Amalckites were named Agag. For the name of the first king
was transferred to all that succeeded him in the throne of the
kingdom ; as all the Itoman emperors had the name of Caesar,
from Julius Ctcsar, the first who arrived at this dignity among
that people. See Munster.

VOL. r. I

98 DISSERTATIONS ON

it is styled, the first of the nations; and therefore, for the
king of Israel to be exalted above the king of Amalek,
'was really a wonderful exaltation. But wonderful as it
was, it was accomplished by Saul, who ' smote the Ama-
iekites from Havilah, until thou comtst to Shur, that is
over against Egypt: and he took Agag the king of the
Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people
with the edge of the sword,' 1 Sam. xv. 7, 8. The first
king of Israel subdued Agag the king of the Amalekites,
so that it might truly and properly be said, his king shall
tie higher than ^igag^ arid his kingdom shall be exalted^ as
it was afterwards greatly by David and Solomon.

His latter prophecies Balaam ushers in with a remarka-
ble preface, ' Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the
man whose eyes are open, hath said ; He hath said, which
heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Al-
mighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open,*
ver. 3, 4,j and 15, 16. which hath occasioned much per-
plexity and confusion, but the words rightly rendered,
will admit of an easy interpretation. * Balaam the son
of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath
said:* It should be, the man whose eye was shut : for the
word shatam is used only here and in Lamentations, iii. 8.
and there it signifies to shut ■ and the word satam which is
very near of kin to it, I think, hath always that significa-
tion. St, Jerome translates it, ciijiis obturatis est ocidus :
and in the margin of our bibles it is rendered, who had
his eijes shut^ but with this addition, but now open. It
plainly alludes to Balaam's not seeing the angel of the
Lord, at the same time that the ass saw him. * He hath
said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision
of the Almighty ;' for in this story we read several times,
that ' God came unto Balaam and said unto him ;' and
possibly he might aHude to former revelations. * Falling
into a trance, but having his eyes open ;' in the original
there is no mention of a trance ; the passage should be
rendered, fallivg uvA his eves were oficned^ alluding to
what happened in the way, to Balaam's falling with his
falling ass, and then having his eyes opened : ' And when
the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under
Balaam. Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam,
aiid he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way,

TIIE PROPHECIES. 99

and his sword drawn in his hand ; and he bowed down
his head, and fell flat on his face,' xxii. 27, 8cc. A con-
trast is intended between havin^j his eyes shut^ and having
his eyes ofiened ; the one answers to the other. The
design of this preface was to excite attention : and so
Balaam proceeds to advertise Balak nhac thin Jicofile
should do to his fieo/ile in the latter daijs, by which phrase
it meant the time to come, be it more or less remote.

He begins with what more immediately concerns the
Moabites, the people to whom he is speaking, ver 17,
18, 19. '1 shall see him, but not now, I shall behold him,
but not nii!;h ;* or rather, I see hiniy but not now ; I be-
hold him-) but not nigh ; the future tense in Hebrew being
often used for the present. He saw with the eyes of
prophecy, and prophets are emphatically styled s( fvs.

* There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall
rise out of Israel.' The star and the sceptre are proba-
bly metaphors borrowed from the ancient hieroglyphics,
which much influenced the language of the east : and
they evidently denote some eminent and illustrious king
or ruler, whom he particularizes in the following words.

* And shall smite the corners of Moab,' or the /irinces of
Moab^ according to other versions. This was executed
by David, for • he smote Moab, and measured them
with a line, casting them down to the ground : even with
two lines measured he, to put to death; and with one
full line, to keep alive :' that is, he destroyed two thirds,
and saved one third alive: ' and so the Moabites becauic
David's servants, and brought gilts,' 2 Sam. viii. 2.

' And destroy all the children of Sheth.' If by Sheth,
was meant the son of Adam, then all the children of Sheth
are all mankind, the posterity of Cain and Adam's other
sons having all perished in the deluge, and the line only
of Sheth having been preserved in Noah and his family ;
but it is very harsh to say, that any king of Israel would
destroy all m*ankind, and therefore the Syriac * and Chal-
dee soften it, that he shall sjibdue all the sons of Sheth,
and rule over all the sons of men. The word occurs

* ** And he shall subjug-ate all the ciiildren of Setb." See
the Syriac version. "And he shall rule over all the children of
men." See the ChulJce,

100 DISSERTATIONS ON

only in this place, and in Isaiah xxii. 5. where it is used
m the sense oi breaking- doivn or destroying .- and as par-
ticular places, Moab and Kdoni, are mentioned both be-
fore and after ; so it is reasonable to conclude, that not
all mankind in general, but some particular persons were
intended by the expression of the sons of Sheih. The
Jerusalem Targum * translates it, the srms of the east, the
Moabites lying east of Judea. Rabbi Nathan t says,
that Sheth is the name of a city in the border of Moab.
Grotius imagines t Sheth to be the name of some famous
king among the Moabites. Our Poole, who is a judici-
ous and useful commentator, says, that Sheth " seems
to be the name of some then eminent, though now un-
known, place or prince in Moab, where there were many-
princes, as appears from Numb, xxiii. 6. Amos ii. 3^.
there being innumerable instances of such places or per-
sons sometimes famous, but now utterly lost as to all
monuments and remembrances of them." Vitringa, in
ills commentary upon Isaiah, conceives, § that the Idu-
nieans were intended, the word Sheth, signifying a/own-
datioji, OY for tifed f dace •> because they trusted greatly in
iheir castles and fortifications. But the Idumeans are
mentioned afterwards ; and it is probable, that as two
hemistichs relate to them, two also relate to the Moab-
ites ; and the reason of the appellation assigned by Vi-
tringa, is as proper to the Moabites as to the Idumeans.
It is common in the style of the Hebrews, and especially
in the poetic parts of scripture, and we may observe it

• Hence the Jerusalem paraphrast rendereth it, the children
of the Moabites dwelt on the east of Judea. See Le Clerc.

f Kabbi Nathan saith, tiiat Seth was a city in the confines of
Moab. See Lira and Drusius.

i Nothing is more probable, than tliat Seth was some distin-
tjuishcd king among the Moabites, See Grotius.

§ 1 am fully persuaded that the word • karkar.' in the speech
»)f Balaam, signifies destruction, overthroiv, devastation, but [
■im in some doubt about the phrase, the children of Seth, whom
•*Vom the circumstance of the place, I imagine to have been
Idumeans. For I think that the word Seth, ought to be under-
^jlood appellatively, as signifying in general, a foundation or
tortificd place, because the Idumeans placed the greatest trust
in their castles and fortifications. See ^'itringa's Commentary
on Isaiah xxii. 5. page 611. ^ ol. I.

THE PROPHECIES. 101

particularly in these prophecies of Balaam, that the same
thing in eftect is repeated in other words, and the latter
member of each period is excgetical of the former, as
in the passage before us ; 'I see him, but not now ; I
behold him but not nigh :' and then again, ' there shall
come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of
Israel:' and again afterwards, * And Edom shall be a
possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his ene-
mies.' There is great reason therefore to think, that
the same manner of speaking was continued here, and
consequently that Shcth must be the name of some emi-
nent place or person among the Moabites ; ' and shall
smite the princes of Moab, and destroy all the sons of
Sheth.'

' And Edom shall be a possession.' This was also
fulfilled by David ; for * he put garrisons in Edom ;
throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of
Edom became David's servants,' 2 Sam. viii. 14. Da-
vid himself in two of his psalms, hath mentioned to-
gether his conquest of Moab and Edom, as they are also
joined together in this prophecy ; ' Moab is my wash
pot, over Edom will I cast out my shoe,' Psal. Ix. 8,
cviii. 9, ' Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies/
that is, for the Israelites. Seir is the name of the moun-
tains of Edom, so that even their mountains and fast-
nesses could not defend the Idumeans from David and
his captains. '• And Israel shall do valiantly,' as they
did particularly under the com.mand of David, several
of whose victories are recorded in this same 8th chap-
ter of the 2d book of Samuel, together with his conquest
of Moab and of Edom. < Out of Jacob shall come he that
shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that rem.ain-
eth of the city ;' not only to defeat them in the field, but
destroy them even in their strongest cities, or per-
haps, some particular city was intended, as Me may in-
fer from Psal. Ix. 9. cviii. 10. * Who will bring me
into the strong city ? who will lead me into Edom ?' And
"we read particularly that Joab, David's general, ' smote
every male in Edom : for six months did Joab reniain
there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in
Edom,' 1 Kings xi. 15, 16.

We see how exactly this prophecy hath been fulfilled

102 DISSERTATIONS ON

in the person and actions of David ; but most Jewish, as
■well as Christian writers, apply it, primarily perhaps to
David, but ultimately to the Messiah, as the person
chiefly intended, in whom it was to receive its full and
entire completion. Onkelos, who is the most ancient
and valuable of the Chaldee paraphrasts, interprets it of
the Messiah. " When a prince,"* says he, '' shall
arise of the house of Jacob, and Christ shali be anointed
of the house of Israel, he shall both slay the princes of
Moab, and rule over all the sons of men :" and with him
agree the Targums or paraphrases. Alaimonides, who
is one of the most learned and famous of the Jewish
Doctors, understands it partly of David, and partly of
the Messiah : and with him agree other rabbies, whom
you may find cited by the critics and commentators to
this purpose. It appears to have been generally under-
stood by the Jews, as a prophecy of the Messiah, be-
cause the false Christ, who appeared in the reign of the
Roman emperor Adrian, assumed t the title of Barcho-
chcbas^ or tlic so7i of the star^ in allusion to this prophecy,
and in order to have it believed that he was the star
whom Balaam had seen afar off. The Christian fathers,
1 think, are unanimous in applying this prophecy to our
Saviour, and to the star which appeared at his nativity.
Origen in particular saith, that + in the law there ai:e
many typical and enigmatical references to the Messiah:
but he produccth this as one of the plainest and clearest
of prophecies : and both Origen § and Eusebius affirm,

• "Wlien a k\ng of the house of Jacob shall arise, and Christ
of the house of Israel shall be anointed ; he shall both kill the
princes of Moab, and bear rule over all the children of men. —
See Onkelos.

f See Rasnage's History of tlie Jews, Book 6. Chapter ix.
Sect. 12.

i Wherefore, although in the lav/, there may be found many
things, which typically and enigmatically have a reference to
Christ, yet at present, I can think of none, which more plainly
rind manifestly have an allusion to him, than the one now be-
fore us.

§ See Origen against Celsus, Book IX. Sect. 60. page 374,
of V^ol. I. See his thirteenth homily on the book of Numbers,
Sect. 7. page 321, of the Benedictine edition. See Eusebi\is'
Evangelical Demonstration, Book IX. >ScQt. 1. page 417, of the
edition published at Paris in J.C28.

THE rUOPIIECIES. 103

that it was in consequence of Balaam's prophecies,-
which were known and believed in the east, tliat the
!Magi, upon tiie appearance ot" a new star, came to Je-
rusalem to worship him who was born king of the Jews.
The stream of modern divines and commentators run-
neth the same way, that is, they apply the prophecy
principally to our Saviour, and by Moab and EcloiHy un-
derstand the enemies and persecutors of the church.
And it must be acknowledged in favour of this opinion,
that many prophecies of scripture have a double mean-
ing, literal and mystical, respect two events, and receive
a two-fold completion. David too was in several things
a type and figure of the Messiah. If by dcsCrcying alt
the children of Shelh^ be meant, ruling over all mankind^
this w as never fulfilled in David. A star did really ap-
pear at our Saviour's nativity, and in Scripture, he is
styled Xh^ day-star, 2 Pet i. 19. tlie moniing-atar^ Rev.
ii. 28. the bright and morning-star, xxii. 16. perhaps
in allusion to this very prophecy. Dr. Warburton, who
improves every subject that he handles, assigns a farther
reason. Speaking of the two sorts of metaphor in the
ancient use of it, the popular and common, and the hid-
den and mysterious ; he says * that ^' the prophetic writ-
ings are full of this kind of metaphor. To instance only
in the famous prediction of Balaam — there shall come a
star out oj Jacob, and a scefitre shall rise out of Israel.
This prophecy may possibly in some sense relate to Da-
vid, but without doubt) it belongs principally to Chi ist.
Here the metaphor of a scejitre was common and popu-
lar to denote a ruler, like David ; but the star, though
like the other, it signified in the prophetic writings, a
temporal prince or ruler, yet had a secret and hidden
meaning likewise. A star in the Egyptian hieroglyphics,
denoted God if (and how much hieroglyphic writing
influenced the eastern languages, we shall see presently.)
Thus God, in the prophet Amos, reproving the Israel-
ites for their idolatry on their first coming out of Egypt,
:Says, Have yc offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in

* See the Divine Leg'alion, &c. Book IV. Sect. 4.
-j- A painte<l star was employed by the Egyptians to denote
God. See Horapol. Hierog-. Book 11. Chap. i.

104 DISSEIITATIONS ON

the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel P Bui yr
have borne the taOdrriacle of your Moloch and Chiun your
images,, the star of your God which ye made to yourselves,
Amos V. 15, 26. the star of your God, is here a noble
figurative expression to sit^nlfy the image of your God ;
for a star, being employed in the hieroglyphics to signify
God, it is used here with great elegance to signify the
material image of a God; the words, :/if star of your God^
being only a repetition (so usual in the Hebrew tongue)
of the preceding — China your ir/iugts; and not (as some
critics sup[)Ose) the same with your God Star, sidus
Deu/n vestrum. Hence we conclude, that the metaphor
here used by Balaam of a star, was of that abstruse mys-
terious kind, and so to be understood ; and conseciuently
that it related only to Chrif:t, the eternal Son of God."
Thus far this excellent writer. But though for these
reasons the Messiah might be remotely intended, yet we
cannot allow that he was intended solely, because, David
might be called a star by Balaam, as well as other rulers
or governors are by Daniel, viii. 10. and by St. John,
Rev. i. 20. and we must insist upon it, that the primary
intention, the literal meaning of the prophecy respects
the person and actions of David ; and for this reason par-
ticularly, because Balaam is here advertising Balak,
' What this people should do to his people in the latter
days,' that is, what the Israelites should do to the Moab-
ites hereafter.

From the Moabites he turned his eyes more to the
south and west, and looked on their neighbours; the Ama-
lekites ; and " took up his parable, and said,' ver. 20.
* Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end
shall be tliat he perish for ever. Amalek was the first of
the nations,' the first and most powerful of the neigh-
bouring nations, or the first thrit warretl against Israel,
as it is in the margin of our bibles. The latter interpre-
tation is proposed by Onkelos * and other Jews, I suppose
because they would not allow the Amalekites to be a more
ancient nation than themselves: but most good critics
prefer the former interpretation as more easy and natural,
and for a very good reason, because the Amalekites appear

* The wars of Israel commtnced with Amalek. See Oakclos.

THE PROPHECIES. 105

to have been a very ancient nation. They arc reckoned
among the most ancient nations thereabouts, 1 vSam. xxvii.
8. ' the Geshurites, and the Gezriles, and the Amalekites ;
for these nations were of old the inhabitants of the land,
as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.*
They are mentioned as early as in the wars of Chedor-
laomer : Gen. xiv. 7. so that they must have been a na-
tion before the times of^Abraham and Lot, and conse-
quently much older than the Moabites, or Edomites, or
any of the nations descended from those patriarchs. And
this is a demonstrative argument, that the Amalekites did
not descend from Amalek, the son of Eliphuz and grand-
son of Esau, as many have supposed only from the simi-
litude of names; Gen. xxxvi. 12. but sprung from some
other stock, and probably, as the Arabian writers affirm
from Amalek or Amlak, the son of Ham and grandson
of Noah. " Ajnlak et Amlik^ fils de Cham, fils de Noe —
C'est celuy que les liebreux appellent Amelec pere des
Amalecites:" so saith Herbelot ; but it is to be wished
that this valuable and useful author had cited his autho-
rities. According to the Arabian historians * too, they
were a great and powerful nation, subdued Egypt, and
held it in subjection several years. They must certainly
have been more powerful, or at least more courageous,
than the neighbouring nations, because they ventured to
attack the Israelites, of whom the other nations were
afraid. But though they were the first, the most ancient
and powerful of the neighbouring nations ; yet 'their lat-
ter end shall be that they perish for ever.' Here llaiaam
unwittingly confirms what God had before denounced by
Moses, Exod. xvii. 14. * And the Lord said unto Moses,
Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in
the ears of Joshua, for I will (or rather, that I vAll) ut-
terly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under
heaven.' Balaam had before declared, that the king of
Israel should prevail over the king of Amalek ; but here
the menace is carried farther, and Amalek is consigned
to utter destruction. This sentence was in great mea-
sure executed by Saul, who ' smote the Amalekites, and

* See Universal History, Cook I. Chap. 3, page 281, of Vol.
I, in the Folio edition.

106 DISSERTATIONS ON

utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword,*
1 Sam XV. 7, 8. When they had recovered a little,
'David and his men went up and invaded them; and
David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman
alive, and took away the sheep and the oxen, and the asses,
and the camels- and the apparel,' 1 Sam. xxvii 8, 9. Da-
vid made a farther slaughter and conquest of them at
Ziklag : I Sam. xx;;. and at last, ' the sons of Simeon, in
the days of Hezekiah king of Jiidah, smote the rest of
the Amalekites that were escaped, and dwelt in their
habitations,' I Chron. iv. 41, 42, 43. And where is the
name or the nation of Amalek subsisting at this day ?
What history, what tradition concerning them is remain-
ln;-2; any where ? They are but just enough known and
remembered to show, that wliat God had threatened, he
hath punctually fulnlled; 'I will utterly put out the re-
membrance of Amalek from under heaven ; and his latter
end shall be, that he perish for ever/

Then ' he looked on the Kenites : and took up his pa-
rable, and said,' ver. 2 1, 22. ' strong is thy dwelling place,
and thou puttest thy nest in a rock. Nevertheless the
Kenite shall be wasted, until Ashur shall carry thee away
captive.' Commentators are perplexed, and much at a
loss, to say with any certainty who thtHf Kenitts were.
There avQ ICevites mentioned, Gen. xv. 19. among the
Canaanitish nations, v.'hose land was promised unto Abra-
ham ; and Le Clerc * imagines, that those Kenites were
the people here intended : But the Canaanitish nations
are not the subject of Balaam's prophecies ; and the Ca-
naanitish nations were to be rooted out, but these Kenites
were to continue as long as the Israelites themselves, and
to be carried captive M'ith them by the Assyrians; and in
the opinion of Bochart,t those Kenites as well as the Ke-

* Here these more ancient Kenites arc to be understood. See
Le Clerc on the pas.sag-e.

f I um of opinion, that their names perished in that period,
which Intei'vened, bcluoen the times of Abruhum and of Moses.
This Iiowever is certain, tliat their name was imknown to Jo-
sluia. At least in hisdlvisionof the land, and in his enumeration
of the nations subdued by tlie Israelites, he no where makes men-
tion of it. See liochui't's rhalcii*, Bouk IV. ChuP. xx.\.vi. Col
397.

THE PROPHECIES. 107

nizzites became extinct in the interval of time which
passed between Abraham and Moses, being not mention-
ed by Joshua in the division of the land, nor reckoned
among- the nations conoiiert-d by him. The most proba-
ble account oi these Ke7iin\Sy I conceive to be this. Jethro,
the father-in-law of Moses, is called in one place, the
priest ofMidian^ Exod. iii. 1. and in another, the Kniite,
Judg'. i. 16. We may infer therefore, that the AJidian-
ites and the Kenites were the same, or at least, that the
Kciiites were some of the tribes of Midian. 'J'he Midian-
ites are said to be confederates with the Moabites in the
beginning of the story, and the elders of Midian as well
as the elders of Moab, invited Balaam to come and curse
Israel ; and one would naturally expect some notice to
be taken of them or their tribes in the course of these
prophecies. Now of the Kenites, it appears, that part
followed Israel : Judg. i. 1 6. but the greater part, we may
presume, remained among the Midianites and Amale-
kites We read in 1 Sam. xv. 6, that there were Kenites
dwelling among the Amalekites, and so the Kenites are
fitly mentioned here next after the Amalekites Their
situation is said to be strong and secure among the moun-
tains, ' Strong is thy dwelling-place, and thou puttest thy
nest in a rock ;* wherein is an allusion to the name, the
same word in Hebiew signifying a nest and a Kenite.
* Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Ashur
carry thee away captive.' The Amalekites were to be
utterly destroyed, but the Kenites were to be carried cap-
tive. And accordingly when Saul was sent by divine
commission to destroy the Amalekites, he ordered the
Kenites to depart from among them. 1 Sam.xv. 6. 'And
Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from
among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them : for
ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel when they
came up out of Egypt ;' for the kindness which some of
them shewed to Israel, their posterity was saved. ' So
the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.' This
showeth that they were nvasted^ and reduced to a low and
weak condition ; and as the kings of Assyria carried cap-
tive not only the Jcvs, but also the Syrians, 2 Kings xvi.
9. and several other nations, 2 Kings xix.l2, 13. it is most
highly probable, that the Kenites shared the same fate

108 DISSERTATIONS ON

with their neighbours, and were carried away by the same
torrent ; and especially as we find some Kenites men-
tioned among the Jews after their return from captivity.
1 Chron. ii. 55.

The next verse, ver. 23. ' And he took up his parable,
and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this '.' is
by several commentators referred lo what precedes, b\it
it relates rather to what follows, ' And he took up his
parable, and said :' this preface is U!?ed, when he enters
upon some new subject. ' Alas, who shall live when God
doeth this I' this exclamation implies, that he is now pro-
phecying of very distant and very calamitous times, ^nd
Shifis^ or rather/or Shi^is, as the particle vau often signi-
fies, and this instance among others is cited by Noldius.*
' For ships shall com.e from the coast of Chittim, and
shall afflict Ashur,and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall
perish for ever,' ver. 24.

Chittim was one of the sons of Javan, who was one of the
sons of Japheth, by whose posterity the isies of the Gen-
tiles^ Gen. X. 5. ivere divided and peopled, that is Europe,
and the countries to which the Asiatics passed by sea, for
such the Hebrews called islands. Chitiim is used for the
descendants of Chittim, as Ashur is put for the descend-
ants of Ashur, that is the Assyrians : but what people
were the descendants of Chittim^ or what country was
meant by the coasts of Chittim^ it is not so easy to deter-
mine.— The critics and commentators are generally di-
vided into two opinions, the one asserting that Macedonia,
and the other that Italy was the country her6 intended :
and each opinion is recommended and authorised by some
of the first and greatest names in learning ; as not to men-
tion any others, Grotius and Le Clerc t contend for the
former, Bochart and Vitringa \ are strenuous for the lat-
ter. But there is no reason why we nay not adopt both
opinions; and especially as it is very well known and
agreed on all hands, that colonies came from Greece to

* See Noldius on the Hebrew particle, ver. o7'

\ See Grotius and Le Clerc on the passage, as also upon Gen.

X. 4.

t See Dochart's Phaleg, Book III. Chap. v. And Vitringa on

Isa. xxiii. 1.

THE PROPHECIES. 109

italy ; and as Josephus * saith, that all islands and most
maritime places are called Chethem by the Hebrews ; and
as manifest traces of the name are to be found in both
countries • the ancient name of Macedonia having been
Macfttia^\ and the Latins having before been called CV-
tii. What appears most probable is, that the sons of
Chittim settled first in Asia Minor, where were a people
called Ceti'i^ and a river called Cetium^ according to Ho-
mer and Strabo.:}: From Asia they might pass over into
the island of Cyprus, which Josephus § saith was possessed
by Chethim^ and called Cliethima ; and where was also the
city Cittium, famous for being the birth-place of Zeno,
the founder of the sect of the Stoics, who was therefore
called the Cittean. And from thence they might send
forth colonies into Greece and Italy. This plainly ap-
pears, that wherever the layid of C/iittim or the islfs of
Chittim are mentioned in scripture, there are evidently
meant some countries or islands in the Mediterranean.

Isaiah prophecying of the destruction of Tyre by Ne-
buchadnezzar .jsaith, xxiii. 1. ' Howl, ye ships of Tarshish,'
that is, the ships trading from Tyre to Tartessus in
Spain ; * for Tyre is laid waste : from the land of Chit-
tim it is revealed to them ;' the news is brought first to
the countries and islands in the Mediterranean, and from
thence it is conveyed to Spain ; and afterwards, ver. 12.
' Arise, pass over to Chittim, there also shait thou have
no rest ;' the inhabitants might fly from Tyre, and pass
over to the countries and islands in the Mediterranean,
but even there they should find no secure place of refuge ;
Cod's judgments should still pursue them. Jeremiah
expostulating with the Jews concerning their causeless

* And from it (namely Chittim) every island, and almost every
place on the sea coast, is by the Hebrews called Chittim. See
Josephus' Antiquities, Book I. Chap, vi, in the 17 page of Hud-
son's edition, Vol. 1.

t See Bochart in the place above quoted.

+ See Homer's Odyssey, Book XII. Line 520, and the Sclio-
liast upon it. See also Slrabo's Geography, Book XUl. pages^
915, 916, in the second Volume of the Amsterdam edition of
1707.

§ But Chettim possessed the island of Chittima, which is new
called Cyprus. See Josephus in the place above quoted.

VCL. I, K

ilO DISSERTATIONS ON

revolt, saitli, ii. 10. ^ Pass over to the isles of Ciiittim, and
see,' that is, the isles in the IVlediterranean "vvhich lay
•westward of Judea ; * and send unto Kedar,' which was
in Arabia and lay eastward of Judea ; 'and consider dili-
gently, and see if there be such a thing;' go search east
and west, and see if you can find any such instance of
apostacy as this of the Jews. Ezekiel describing the lux-
'iry of the Tyrians even in their shipping, saith, xxvii. 6.
ic cording to the true reading * and interpretation of the
words, * they made their benches of ivory inlaid on box,
brought out of the isles of Chittim^' that is, out of the
isles of the Mediterranean, and most probably from Cor-
sica, which was famous above all places for box, as Bo-
chart hath proved by the testimonies of Pliny, Theo-
phrastus, and Diodorus. Daniel foretelling the exploits
of Antiochus Epiphanes, saith, xi. 29, 30. that he should
' come towards the south,' that is, invade Egypt, <• but the
ships of Chittim shall come against him, therefore he shall
be grieved and return :' the ships of Chittim can be none
other than the ships of the Romans, whose ambassadors!
coming from Italy to Greece, and from thence to Alex-
andria, obliged Antiochus, to his great grief and disap-
pointment, to depart from Egypt without accomplishing
his designs. The author of the first book of Maccabees,
speaking oi Alexander son of Philiji the Macedonian,, saith,
1, i. that he came out of the land of Chittim: and after-
wards, viii. 5. Perseus^ the last king of Macedon, he
calleth king of the Cittirns. By these instances it appears,
that the land of Chittim was a general name for the coun-
tries and islands in the Mediterranean : and therefore
when Balaam said, that shifis should come from the coast
of Chittim,, he might mean either Greece, or Italy, or
both, the particular names of those countries being at
that time perhaps unknown in the east : and the passage
may be the better understood of both, because it was
equally true of both, and Greece and Italy were alike, -the
scourges of Asia.

* See Bochart in tlie place above quoted^ and tiie first part of
his Hierozoicon, Book 11. Chap. xxiv.

t See Livy, Book XLV. Chapters x. xi. xii. Sec also Pol}l)iiis,
pag-e 915, and 916, in Casaubon's edition.

THE PROPHECIES. Ill

'And shall afflict Asluir.' Ashur^ as we noted before,
signifies properly the descendants of Ashur, the Assyri-
ans : but* their name was of as large extent as their em-
pire, and the Syrians and Assyrians are often confounded
together, and mentioned as one and the same people. —
Now it is so well known as to require no particular proof,
that the Grecians under the command of Alexander the
Great, subdued all those countries. The llomans after-
wards extended their empire into the same regions ; and
as t Dion informs us, Assyria properly so called, was con-
quered by the emperor Trajan.

'And shall afflict Eber. Two interpretations are pro-
posed of the word Eber^ either the posterity of a man so
called, or the people who dwelt on the other side of the
river Euphrates. If by Eber we understand the posteri-
ty of Eber, as by Ashur the posterity of Ashur, which
appears a very natural construction ; then Balaam, who
was commissioned to bless Israel at first, prophecied evil
concerning them at last, though under another name :
but men and manners usually degenerate in a long course
of time ; and as the virtues of the progenitors might en-
title them to a blessing, so the vices of the descendants
might render them obnoxious to a curse. However, we
may avoid this seeming inconsistence, if we follow the
other interpretation, and by Eber^ understand the people
who dwelt on the other side of the river Euphrates, which
sense is given by Onkelos, t and is approved by several
of the ancients, as well as by many of the most able com-
mentators among the moderns, and is particularly enforc-
ed by a learned professor § of eminent skill in the orien-
tal languages. The two members of the period \vou1d
then better connect together, and the sense of the latter
Avould be somewhat exegetical of the former : cnid shall

* This name extended as widely as their empire^ — ^NFany of tlie
ancients consider the Syrians and the Assyrians as the same
people. See Bochart's Piialeg. Book II. Ciiap. iii. Col. 72.

j- See Dion's Roman History, Book LXVIU. page 7S3, in Leuu-
clavius' edition, printed at Hanover in 1606.

t 'And they shall subdue beyond the River Euphrates.' See
Onkelos.

§ See Hyde's History of the Religion of the ancient Persians.
Chap. ii. page 52 — 57.

112 DISSERTATIONS ON

ufflict Jshur, and shall afflict Eber^ shall affiict the Assy-
rians, and other neighbouring nations bordering upon the
river Euphrates. > And this interpretation I would readily
embrace if I could see any instance of a parallel expres-
sion. Beyond the river, meaning Euphrates, is indeed. a
phrase that sometimes occurs in scripture, and the con-
cordance will supply us with instances : but where doth
beyond alone ever bear that signification? I know, Gen,
X. 21. is usually cited for this purpose ; but that text is
as much controverted as this, and the question is the
same there as here, whether Eder be the proper name of
a man, or only a preposition signifying beyond^ and be- .
yond signifying the people beyond the river Euphrates :
or in other words, whether the passage should be trans-
lated, the father of all the children of Eber^ or the father ■
of all the children of the pcop.le on the other side of the ri-
vrr Euphrates. Isaiah's manner of speaking of the same
people is, ' by them beyond the river, by the king of As-
syria :' vii. 20. and one would expect the like here, shall
afflict Ashur^ and shall afflict them beyond the river. But
which ever of these interpretations we prefer, the prophe-
cy was alike fulfilled. If we understand it of the people
bordering upon the Euphrates, they as well as the Assy-
rians were subdued both by the Grecians and Romans.—
If we understand it of the posterity of Eber, the Hebrev/s
v/ere afflicted, though not much by Alexander himself,
yet by his successors the Seleucid^e, and particularly by
Antiochus Epiphanes, who spoiled Jerusalem, defiled
the temple, and slew all those who adhered to the law of
IVIoses. 1 Maccab. i. They were worse afflicted by the
Romans, who not only subdued and oppressed them, and
made their country a province of the empire, but at last
took away their place and nation, and sold and dispersed
them over the face of the earth.

' And he also shall perish for ever,* that is, Chittim,
who is the main subject of this part of the prophecy, and
whose ships were to afflict Ashur, and to afilict Eber : but
This notwithstanding, ' he also shall be even to perdition,*
he also shall be destroyed as well as Anialck, for in the'
original, the words are the same concerning both. He, in
the singular number, cannot well refer to both Ashur and
Eber. He, must naturally signify Chittim^ the principal

Tilt: PIIOPHECIES. 115

agent : and if by Chlttini^ be meant the Grecians, the
Grecian empire was entirely subverted by the Roman ;
if the Romans, the Roman empire was in its turn broker,
into pieces by the incursion of the northern nations. The
name only of the Roman empire and Caesarean majest)
subsisting at this day, and is transferred to another coun-
try and another people.

It appears then that Balaam was a prophet divinely in-
spired, or he could never have foretold so many distant
events, some of which are fulfilling in the world at this
time : and what a singular honour was it to the people of
Israel, that a prophet called from another country, and
at the same time a wicked man, should be obliged to bear
testimony to their righteousness and holiness ? The com-
mendations of an enemy, among enemies, are commen-
dations indeed. And Moses did justice to himself as well
as to his nation in recording these transactions. They
are not only a material part of his history, but are likewise
a strong confirmation of the truth of his religion. Ba-
laam's bearing witness to Moses, is somewhat like Judas
attesting the innocence of Jesus.

VI.

MOSES' PROPHECY OF A PROPHET LIKE UNTO
HIMSELF.

MOSES is a valuable writer, as upon many accounts,
so particularly upon this, that he hath not only preserved
and transmitted to posterity several ancient prophecies,
but hath likewise shown himself a prophet, and inserted
several predictions of his own. Among these none is
more memorable, than that of another propliet to be raised
like u«to himself. He was now about to leave his peo-
ple, and comforts them with the promise of another pro-
phet. Deut. xviii. 15. 'The Lord thy God will raise
up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy
brethren, like unto me ; unto him ye shall hearken.' The
same is repeated at ver. 18. in the name of God, ' I will
raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like
K 2

il-i DISSERTATIONS ON

unto thee, and will put my words in his month, and he
shall speak unto them ail that I shall command him.' It
is farther added at ver. 19. 'And it shall come to pass
that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he
shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.' Plain
as this prophecy is, it hath strangely been perverted and
misapplied: but I conceive nothing will be wanting to
the right understanding both of the prophecy and the
completion, if we can show first, wliat prophet was here
particulaiiy intended ; if we sl;ow secondly, that this pro-
phet resembled Moses in more respects than any other
person ever did ; and if we show thirdly, that the people
have been and btill are severely punished for their infide-
lity and disobedience to this prophet.

I. We will endeavour to show what prophet was here
)mrticularly intended. Some have been of opinion, * that
Joshua was the peison ; because he is said in l^^cclesias-
ticus xlvi. I. to have been successor of Moses in fir o-
phecies : and as the people were commanded to hearken
unto this prophet, unto him ye shall hearken ; so they said
unto Joshua, i. 17. ' According as we hearkened unto
Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee.' Some
again have imagined, t that Jeremiah was the person ;
because he frequently applies (say they) the words of
ZNIoses ; and Abarbinel in his preface to the commentary
iipon Jeremiah, reckons up fourteen particulars wherein
they resemble each other, and observes, that Jeremiah
prophecied forty years, as Moses also did. Otl^ers, and
those many more in number, % understand this neither of
Joshua, nor of Jeremiah, nor of any single person, but
of a succession of prophets to be raised up like unto Mo-
ses ; because (say they) the people being here forbidden
to follow after inchaniers and diviners^ as other nations
did, nothing would have secured them effectually from
ibllowing after them, but having true prophets of their
own, whom they might consult upon occasion ; and the
latter are opposed to the former. But still the propound-
•:rs and favourers of these different opinions, I think, agree

* See Manster, Drussius, Fag-ius,Calmet, 8cc.
t See Alunster, Fag-ius, Patrick, Calmet, &c.
\ See Fagiiis, roole, Lc Clcrc, Caimct, &.c.

THE FROPIIECIES. 115

generally in this, that though Joshua, or Jeremiah, or a
succession of prophets was primarily intended, yet the
main end and ultimate scope of the prophecy was the
Messiah : and indeed there appear some very good rea-
sons for understanding it of him principally, if not of him
solely, besides the preference of a literal to a typical in-
terpretation.

There is a passage in the conclusion of this book of
Deuteronomy, whicli plainly refers to this prophecy, and
entirely refutes the notion of Joshua's being the prophet
like unto Moses. ' And Joshua the son of Nun was full
of the spirit of wisdom ; for Moses had laid his hand upon
him : and the children of Israel, hearkened unto him and
did as the Lord commanded Moses. And there arose not
a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord
knew face to face : In all the signs and the wonders which
the Lord sent him to do,' Sec. We cannot be certain at
what time, or by what hand this addition was made to the
sacred volume : but it must have been made after the
death of Moses : and consequently Joshua was not a pro-
phet like unto Moses in the opinion of the Jewish church,
both of those who made, and of those who received, this
•addition as canonical scripture. ' There arose not a pro-
phet <sf7icc in Israel;' the manner of expression plainly
implies, that this addition must have been made at some
considerable distance of time after the death of Moses ;
and consequently the Jewish church had no conception
of a perpetual succession of prophets to be raised up like
imto Moses : and if this addition was made, as it is com-
monly believed to have been made, by Ezra, after the Ba-
bylonish captivity, tlien it is evident, that neither Jeremiah,
r.or any of the ancient prophets was esteemed li^e unto
Moses. Consider what are the peculiar marks and cha-
racters, wherein it is said, that none other prophet had
ever resembled Moses. ' There arose not a proi)het since
in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to
face, in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent
him to do.' And which of the prophets ever conversed
so frequently and familiarly with God, face to face?
which of them ever wrought so many and so great mira-
cles ? Nobody was ever equal or comparable to Moses in
these respects, but Jesus the Messiah.

116 msSEllTATIONS OX

God's declaralion too, upon occasion of Miriam's ar.d
Aaron's sedition, plainly evinces that there was to be no
prophet in the Jewish church, and much less a succession
of prophets Hke unto Moses<. JMiriam and Aaron grew
jealous of Moses, and mutinied against him, saying, ' Hath
the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not
spoken also by us ?' Numb. xxii. 2. The controversy
was of such importance, that God himself interposed ;
and what is his determination of the case ? * If tliere be a
prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known
unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
My seivant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine
house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even
apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude
of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not
afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' ver. 6, 7, 8.
We see here that a great difference was made between
Moses and other prophets, and also wherein that difier-
cnce lay. God revealed himself unto other prophets in
dreams and visions,, but with Moses he conversed more
openly, mouth to m.outh^ or, as it is said elsewhere,yflce to
face : and Moses saiv the si?mh'tude of the Lord. These
were singular privileges and prerogatives, which emi-
nently distinguished Moses from all the other prophets
of the Jewish dispensation: and yet there was a prophet
to be raised up like unto Moses: but whoever resembled
Moses in these superior advantages, but Jesus the Mes-
siah ?

It is likewise no considerable argument, that the letter
of the text favours our interpretation. The word is in the
singular number, ' The Lord thy God will raise up unto
thee a prophet;' and why then should we understand it of
a succession of prophets ? why should we depart from the
literal construction without any apparent necessity for it?
Other nations hearkened unto inchanters and diviners^
but the Lord would not suffer them so do ; he had given
them a better guide, already, and would raise up unto
them another prophet superior to all the inchanters and
diviners in the world : unto him they should hearken.

Moreover it is implied, that this prophet should be a
iaw-giver. ' A prophet like unto thee ;' not simply a pro-
phet, but a prophet like unto Moses, that is a second law-

YlIE PllOPlIECIES. 117

giver, as Eusebius * explains it. The reason too that is
assigned for sending this prophet, \vill evince that he was
to be vested \vith this character. The people had request-
ed, that the divine laws might not be delivered to them
in so terrible and awful a manner, as they had been in
Horeb. God approved their request, and promised there-
fore, that he would raise up unto them a prophet like unto
Moses, a law-giver who should speak unto them his com-
mands in a familiar and gentle way. This prophet there-
fore was to be a law-giver : but none of the Jewish pro-
phets were law-givers, in all the intermediate time be-
tween Moses and Christ.

If we farther appeal unto fact, we shall find that there
never was ^ny prophet, and much less a succession of pro-
phets, whom the Jews esteemed like iinto Moses. The
highest degree of inspiration they term the Mosaical, t
and enumerate several particulars, wherein that hath the
pre-eminence, and advantage above all others. There was
indeed, in consequence of this prophecy, a general ex-
pectation of some extraordinary prophet to arise, which
prevailed particularly about the time of our Saviour. The
Jews then, as well ast since, understood and applied this
prophecy to the Messiah, the only prophet whom they
will ever allow to be as great or greater than Moses. When
our Saviour had fed five thousand men, by a miracle
like that of Moses, who fed the Israelites in the wilder-
ness, then those men said, ' This is of a truth that prophet
that should come into the world,* John vi. 14. St. Peter and

* See Eusebiiis' Evangelical Demonstratioi-i, Book T. Chap. ii^i.
pag-e 6, and Book IX. Chap. xi. page 443, in the Paris edition of
1628.

f See Smith's Discourse of Prophecy, chap, ii, and xi, wherein
it is sliown from Maimouides, that Moses's inspiration excelled
all others in four particulars. 1. All other prophets prophecied
in a dream or vision, but Moses waking* and standing. 2. All
other prophets prophecied, by the help or ministry of an angel,
but Moses prophecied without the ministry of an angel. 3. All
other propliets were afraid, and troubled, and fainted, but Mo-
ses was not so, for the scripture saith, that God f'pdke to him a&
a man speiifccth to /us friend. 4 None of the proplicts did pro-
phecy at what time they would, save Moses.

+ See authorities cited in Bishop Chandler's Defence of Chris-
tianity. Chap. 6." Sect. 2. p. 307. Edit. 3d.

118 DISSERTATIONS ON

St. Stephen directly apply the prophecy to him : Acts iii.
22, 23. vii. o7 . and they may very well be justified for so
doing ; for he fully answers all the marks and characters
which are here given of the prophet like unto Moses.
He had immediate communication with the deity, and
God spake to him face toface^ as he did to Moses. He
performed <S7.§V25 and ti'onders, as great or greater than
those of Moses. He was a ian'-jiver, as well as Moses.
* I will raise them up a prophet,' saith God ; and the peo-
ple glorified God, saying, * That a great prophet is risen
up among us,' Luke vii. 16. 'I will put my words in his
mouth,' saith God, in Hebrew, will give my Avords: and
our Saviour saith, ^ I have given unto them the words
which thou gavest me,' John xvii. 8. * He shall speak
unto them all that I shall command him,' saith God : and
our Saviour saith, ' 1 have not spoken of myself ; but the
Father which sent me, he gave m.e a commandment what
I should say, and what I should speak. And 1 know that
his commandment is life everlasting : whatsoever I speak,
therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak,'
John xii. 49, 50.

n. We shall be more and more confirmed in this opi-
nion when we consider the great and striking likeness
between Moses and Jesus Christ, and that the latter resem-
bled the former in more respects than any other person
ever did. Notice hath been taken already of some instan-
ces, wherein they resemble each other, of God speaking to
both face toface^ of both performing sig77s a?id ivondeis^
oihoihbfzm^ law -givers: and in these respects none of
the ancient prophets were like unto Moses. None of
them were law-givers ; they only interpreted and inforced
the law of Moses. None of them performed so many and
so great wonders. None of them had such clear com-
munications with God ; they all saw visions, and dreamed
dreams. Moses and Jesus Christ are the only two, who
perfectly resemble each other in these respects. But a
more exact and particular comparison may be drawn be-
tween them, and halli been drawn by two eminent hands,
by one of the best and ablest of the ancient fathers, and by
one of the most learned and ingenious of divines: and as
we cannot pretend to add any modern thing to tliem, wc
must be content to copy from them.

THE PROPHECIES. 119

Kusebius treatini^ of the prophecies concerning
Christ, * produceth first this of Moses ; and then asketh,
" which of the prophets after Moses, Isaiah for instance,
or Jeremiah, or Ezekiel, or Daniel, or any other of the
twelve, was a law-giver, and performed things like unto
!Moses? Moses first rescued the Jewish nation from Egyp-
tian superstition and idolatry, and taught them the true
theology ; Jesus Christ in like manner was the first
teacher of true religion and virtue to the Gentiles. Moses
confirmed his religion by miracles; and so likewise did
Christ. Moses delivered the Jewish nation from Egyp-
tian servitude ; and Jesus Christ all mankind from the
power of evil demons. Moses promised a holy land, and
therein a happy life to those who kept the law : and Jesus
Christ a better country, that is a heavenly, to all righteous
souls. Moses fasted forty days ; and so likewise did Christ.
Moses supplied the people with bread in the wilderness ;
and our Saviour fed five thousand at one time, and four
thousand at another, with a few loaves. Moses went him-
self, and led the people through the midst of the sea ; and
Jesus Christ walked on the sea, and enabled Peter to walk
likewise. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and
the Lord caused the sea to go backward ; and our Saviour
rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Moses' face shone, when he descended from the Mounts
and our Saviour's did shine as the sun, in his transfigura-
tion. Moses by his prayers cured Miriam of her leprosy;
and Christ with greater power by a word healed several
lepers. Moses performed wonders by the finger of God :
and Jesus Christ by the finger of God did cast out devils.
Moses changes Oshea's name to Joshua ; and our Saviour
did Simon's to Peter. Moses constituted seventy rulers
over the people ; and our Saviour appointed seventy dis-
ciples. Moses sent forth twelve men to spy out the land:
and our Saviour twelve apostles to visit all nations. Moses
gave several excellent moral precepts; and our Saviour
carried them to the highest perfection."

Dr. Jortin f hath enlarged upon these hints of Euse-

* See Eusebliis' Evan^^elical Demonstration, Book HI. Chap. ii.
page 90 — 94, in tlie Paris edition of 1628.

t Itcmarks on Ecclesixistical History, Vol. I. page 203—222.

120 DISSERTATIONS ON

bius, and made several improvements and additions to
them. " Moses in his infancy was wonderfully preserv-
ed from the destruction of all the male children ; so was
Christ. Moses tied from his country to escape the hands
of the king : so did Christ, when his parents carried him
into Egypt : Afterwards, * the Lord said to Moses in
Midian, Go, return into Egypt ; for all the men are dead
which sought thy life ; Exod. iv. 19. so the angel of the
L6^^ said to Joseph, in almost the same words, * Arise,
and take the young child, and go into the land of Israeli
for they are dead which sought the yovmg child's life ;
Matth. ii. 20. pointing him out as it were for that pro-
phet, who should arise like unto Moses. Moses refused
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing
rather to suffer affliction. Christ refused to be made
king, choosing rather to suffer affliction. Moses, says
St. Stephen, ' was learned,' epaideuthe < in all the wis-
dom of the Egyptians,' and Josephus (Ant. Jud. ii. 9.)
says, that he was a very forward and accomplished
youth, and had wisdom and knowledge beyond his years ;
St. Luke observes of Christ, that he increased betimes)
in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man,'
and his discourses in the temple with the doctors, when
he was twelve years old, were a proof of it. Moses
contended with the magicians, who were forced to ac-
knowledge the divine power by which he was assisted ;
Christ ejected evil spirits, and received the same ac-
knowledgments from them. Moses was not only a law-
giver, a prophet, and a worker of miracles, but a king
and a priest : in all these offices the resemblance betweien
Moses and Christ was singular. Moses brought dark-
ness over the land ; the sun withdrew his light at Christ's
crucifixion : And as the darkness which was spread over
Egypt was followed by the destruction of their first born,
and of Pharoah and his host ; so the darkness at Christ's
death was the forerunner of the destruction of the Jews.
Moses foretold the calanuties which would befal the na-
tion for their disobedience ; so did Christ. The spirit
which was in Moses was conferred in some degree upon
the seventy elders, and they prophecied ; Christ confer-
red miraculous powers upon his seventy disciples. Mo-
ses was victorious over powerful kings and great nations ;

THE PROPHECIES. 121

so was Christ by the effects of his religion, and by the
fall of those who persecuted his church. Moses con-
quered Amalek by holding up both his hands ; Christ
overcame his and our enemies when his hands were
fastened to the cross. Moses interceded for trans-
gressors, and caused an atonement to be made for them,
and stopped the wrath of God ; so did Christ. Moses
ratified a covenant between God and the people by sprink-
ling them with blood ; Christ with his own blood. Mo-
ses desired to die for the people, and prayed that God
would forgive them, or blot him out of his book ; Christ
did more, he died for sinners. Moses instituted the pass-
over, when a lamb was sacrificed, none of whose bones
were to be broken, and whose blood protected the people
from destruction ; Christ was that paschal lamb. Moses
lifted up the serpent, that they who looked upon him
might be healed of their mortal wounds ; Christ was
that serpent. All Moses' affection towards the people,
all his cares and toils on their account, were repaid by
them with ingratitude, murmuring, and rebellion ; the
same returns the Jews made to Christ for all his benefits.
Moses was ill used by his owri family, his brother and
sister rebelled against him ; there was a time when
Christ's own brethren believed not in him. Moses had
a very wicked and perverse generation committed to his
care and conduct, and to enable him to rule them, mira-
culous powers were given to him, and he used his utmost
endeavour to make the people obedient to God, and to
save them from ruin ; but in vain ; in the space of forty
years they all fell in the wilderness, except two; Christ
also was given to a generation not less wicked and per-
verse, his instructions and his miracles were lost upon
them, and in about the same space of time, after they
had rejected him, they were destroyed. Moses was very
meek above all men that were on the face of the earth ;
so was Christ. The people could not enter into the land
of promise, till Moses was dead ; by the death of Christ
the kingdom of heaven was open to believers. In the
death of Moses and Christ there is also a resemblance of
some circumstances: Moses died, in one sense, for the
iniquities of the people ; it was their rebellion which
was the occasion of it, which drew down the displeasure

VOL. I. L

122 DISSERTATIONS ON

of God upon them and upon him ; Moses went up, in
the sight of the people, to the top of mount Nebo, and
there he died, when he was in perfect vigour, when Miis
eyes was not dim, nor his natural force abated :' Christ
suffered for the sins of men, and was led up, in the pre-
sence of the people, to mount Calvary, where he died in
the flower of his age, and when he was in his full natu-
ral strength. Neither Moses nor Christ, as far as we
may collect from sacred history, were ever sick, or felt
any bodily decay or infirmity, which would have render-
ed them unfit for the toils they underwent; their suf-
ferings were of another kind. Moses was buried, and
210 man knew where his body lay ; nor could the Jews
iind the body of Christ. Lastly, as Moses a little before
death promised another prophet i so Christ another coni'
forter."

The great similitude consists in their both being law-
givers, which no prophet ever was besides Moses and
Christ. They may resemble each other in several other
features, and a fruitful imagination may find out a like-
ness where there is none. But as the same excellent
writer concludes, " Is this similitude and correspondence
in so many things between Moses and Christ the effect
of mere chance ? Let us search all the records of uni-
versal history, and see if we can find a man so like to
INIoses as Christ was, and so like to Christ as Moses was.
If we cannot find such a one, then have we found him
of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write,
Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God."

III. There is no want of many words to prove, for it
is visible to all the world, that the people have been and
still are severely punished for their infidelity and disobe-
dience to this prophet. 'J'he prophecy is clear and ex-
^)ress ; ' Unto him ye shall hearken ; And it shall come
to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words
■which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of
lum,' that is, I will severely punish him for it, as the
phrase signifies elsewhere. The antecedent is put for
the consequent; judges first inquired, then punished: and
the Seventy translate it,* I will take vengeance of him.

Sec the Septuag-lnt,

THE PROPHECIES. 123

This prophecy, as we have proved at large, evidently re-
lates to Jesus Christ. Ciod himself in a manner applies
it to him: for when he was transfigured, Mat. xvii. 5. there
came ' a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my
beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him ;*
alluding- plainly to the words of JN'loses, ' Unto him ye
shall hearken,' and so pointing him out for the prophet like
unto Moses. St Peter, as we noted before, directly applies
it to our Saviour, Acts iii. 22, 23. ' For Moses truly said
unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you, of your brethren like unto me : him shall ye
hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you : And
it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear
that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people ;*
which is the sense rather than the words of the prophecy.
And hath not this terrible denunciation been fully execu-
ted upon the Jews? Was not the complete excision of
that incredulous nation, soon after Jesus had finished his
ministry among them, and his apostles had likewise
preached in vain, the fulfilling of the threat upon them
for not hearkening unto him ? We may be the more cer-
tain of this application, as our Saviour himself not only
denounced the same destruction, but also foretold the
signs, the manner, and the circumstances of it, with a
particularity and exactness that will amaze us, as we shall
see in a proper place : and those of the Jews who believed
in his name, by remembering the caution, and following
the advice which he had given them escaped from the
general ruin of their country, like fire-brands plucked out
of the fire. The main body of the nation either perished
in their infidelity, or were carried captive into all nations:
and have they not ever since, persisting in the same in-
fidelity, been obnoxious to the same punishment, and
been a vagabond, distressed, and miserable people in the
earth ? The hand of God was scarce ever more visible in
any of his dispensations. We must be blind not to see
it : and seeing, we cannot but admire and adore it. What
other probable account can they themselves give of their
long captivity, dispersion, and misery ? Their former cap-
tivity for the punishment of their wickedness and idolatry
lasted only seventy years: but they have lived in their
present dispersion, even though they have been no idola-

124 DISSERTATIONS ON

ters, now these seventeen hundred years, and yet without
any immediate prospect of their restoration : and what
enormous crime could have drawn down, and unrepen ted
of, still continues to draw down, these heavy judgments
upon them? We say that they were cut off for their in-
fidelity ; and that when they shall turn to the faith, they
will be grafted in again. One would think, it should be
worth their while to try the experiment. Sure we are,
that they have long been monuments of God's justice ;
"we believe, that upon their faith and repentance they will
become again objects of his mercy : and in the mean
time with St. Paul, Rom. x. 1. ^ our hearts desire and
prayer to God for Israelis, that they may be saved/

VII.

PilOPHECIES OF MOSES CONCERNING THE JEWS.

IT is observeable that the prophecies of Moses abound
most in the latter part of his writings. As he drew near-
er his end, it pleased God to open to him larger prospects
of things. As he was about to take leave of the people,
he was enabled to disclose unto them more particulars of
their future state and condition. The design of this work
will permit us to take notice of such only as have some
reference to these latter ages : and we will confine our-
selves principally to the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy,
the greater part whereof we may see accomplished in the
world at this present time.

This great prophet and law-giver is here proposing at
large to the people the blessings for obedience, and the
< urses for disobedience : and indeed he had foretold at
several times and upon several occasions, that they should
be happy or miserable in the world, as they were obedi-

dent or disobedient to the law that he had given them .

And could there be any stronger evidence of the divine
original of the Mosaical law ? and hath not the interposi-
tion of providence been woderfully remarkal)le in their
good or bad fortune I and is not the truth of the predic-

THE PROPHECIES. 1^ y

tion fully attested by the whole series of their history
from their first settlement in Canaan to this very day?
But he is larger and more particular in recounting the
curses than the blessings, as if he had a prescience of the
peoples' disobedience, and foresaw that a larger portion
and longer continuation of the evil would fall to their
share, than of the good. I know that some critics make
a division of these prophecies, and imagine that one part
relates to the former captivity of the Jews, and to the
calamities which they suffered under the Chaldeans ; and
that the other part relates to the latter captivity of the
Jews, and to the calamities which they suffered under
the Romans : but there is no need of any such distinc-
tion ; there is no reason to think that any such was intend-
ed by the author ; several prophecies of the one part as
well as of the other have been fulfilled at both periods,
but they have all more amply been fulfilling during the
latter period ; and there cannot be a more lively picture
than they exhibit, of the state of the Jews at present.

1. We will consider them with a view to the ordei-
of time rather than the order wherein they lie ; and
we may not improperly begin with this passage, ver.
49. ' The Lord shall bi'ing a nation against thee from
far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth,
a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand :' and
the Chaldeans might be said to come from far, in compa-
rison with the Moabite«, Philistines, and other neighbour-
ing nations, which used to infest Judea. Much the same
description is given of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah, ver.
14. ' Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O
house of Israel, saith the Lord : it is a mighty nation, it
is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou know-
estnot, neither understandest what they say.* He com-
pares them in like manner to eagles, Lam. iv. 19. ' Our
persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven :
they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for
us in the wilderness,' But this description cannot be ap-
plied to any nation with such propriety as to the Romans.
They were truly brought ' from far, from the end of the
earth.' Vespasian and Adrian, the two great conquer-
ors and destroyers of the Jews, both came from com-
manding here in Britain. The Romans too for the rapi-

L 2

126 DISSERTATIONS ON

dity of their conquests might very well be compared to
eagles, and perhaps not without an allusion to the stand-
ard of the Roman armies, which was an eagle : and their
language was more unknown to the Jews than the Chal-
dee.

2. The enemies of the Jews are farther characterized
in the next verse, ^ A nation of fierce countenance, which
shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favour to
the young. Such were the Chaldeans ; and the sacred
historian saith expressly, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 17. that for
the wickedness of the Jews, God ' brought upon them the
king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the
swordj in the house of their sanctuary, and had no com-
passion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that
stooped for age ; he gave them all into his hand.* Such
also were the Romans : for when Vespasian entered Ga-
dera, * Josephus saith, that " he slew all man by man, the
Romans showing mercy to no age, out of hatred to the
nation, and remembrance of their former injuries."— -The
like slaughter was made at GamaJa, f " For nobody es-
caped besides two women, and they escaped concealing
themselves from the rage of the Romans. For they did not
so much as spare young children, but every one at that
time snatching up many^cast them down from the cila-
del.'*

3. Their enemies were also to besiege and take their
cities, ver. 52. * And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates,
imtil thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou
trustedst, throughout all thy land. So Shalmanezer king
of Assyria came up against Samaria, and besieged it, and
at the end of three years they took it.' 2 Kings xviii. 9, 10.

* And afterwards having entered into it, (Gadera,) he ordered
»^11 that were gravvn up to be slain. The Romans shewed rriercy
to no age, both on account of their hatred to the whole nation,
and because of their recollection of the wrong which they (the
.Jews) had done to Cestius. See Jewish Wars, Book HI. Chap,
vii. Sect. 1. page 1128, in Hudson's edition.

f None were saved excepting two women, and they escaped,
because at the time of sacking the city, they privily had with-
drawn and concealed themselves from the fury of the Romans.
They did not even spare infants, but every one laying hold of
many of them, threw them down headlong- from the castle.

THE PROPHECIES. 12r

* So did Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against
all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them: lb. ver. 13.
and Nebuchadnezzar and his captains took and spoiled
Jerusalem, burnt the city and temple, 'and brake down
the walls of Jerusalem round about,* lb. xxv. 10. So
likewise the Romans, as we may read in Josephus' histo-
ry of the Jewish wars, demolished several fortified places,
before they besieged and destroyed Jerusalem. And the
Jews may very well be said to have ' trusted in their high
and fenced walls,* for they seldom ventured a battle in the
open field. They confided in the strength and situation
of Jerusalem, as the Jebusites, the former inhabitants of
the place, had done before them: 2 Sam. v. 6, 7. in-
somuch that they are presented saying, Jer. xxi. 13. —

* Who shall come down against us ? or who shall enter
into our habitation ?* Jerusalem was indeed a very strong
place, and wonderfully fortified both by nature and art ac-
cording to the description of Tacitus * as well as of Jose-
phus : and yet how many f times it was taken ? It was ta-
ken by Shishak king of Egypt, by Nebuchadnezzar, by
Antiochus Epiphanes, by Pompey, by Sosius and Herod,
before its final destruction by Titus.

4. In these sieges they were to suffer much, and espe-
cially from famine, /in the straitness wherewith their
enemies should distress them,' ver. 53, Sec. And accor-
dingly when the king of Syria besieged Samaria, ' there
was a great famine in Samaria ; and behold they besieged
it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of sil-
ver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five
pieces of silver,' 2 Kings vi. 25. And when Nebuchad-
nezzar besieged Jerusalem, ' the famine prevailed in the
city, and there was no bread for the people of the land,*
2 Kings xxv. 3, And in the last siege of Jerusalem by
the Romans there was a most terrible famine in the city,
and Josephus hath given so melancholy an account of it,
that we cannot read it without shuddering. He saith, par-

* See Tacitus' History, Book V. See Josephus' Jewish wars.
Book V. Chap, iv, and v'

t See Josephus* Jewish wars, Book VI. and last chapter, page
1292, of Hudson's edition.

128 DISSERTATIONS ON

ticularly, that t " women snatched the food out of the very-
mouths of their husbands, and sons of their fathers, and
(what is most miserable) mothers of their infants:" and
in another f place he saith, that " in every house, if there
appeared any semblance of food, a battle ensued, and the
dearest friends and relations fought with one another,
snatching away the miserable provisions of life :" so liter-
ally were the words of Moses fulfilled, ver. 54, 8cc. the
man's ' eye shall be evil towards his brother, and to-
wards the wife of his bosom, and towards his child-
ren, because he hath nothing left him in the siege
and in the straitness wherewith thine enemies shall dis-
tress thee in all thy gates,* and in like manner the woman's

* eye shall be evil towards the husband of her bosom, and
towards her son, and towards her daughter.'

5. Nay it was expressly foretold, that not only the men,
but even the women should eat their own children. Mo-
ses had foretold the same thing before, Levit. xxvi. 29.

* Ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your
daughters shall ye eat.' He repeats it here, ver. 53. *And
thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy
sons and of thy daughters ;' and more particularly, ver.
56, &:c. ' The tender and delicate woman among you,
who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon
the ground for delicateness and tenderness—she shall eat
her children for want of all things secretly in the siege
and straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress
thee in thy gates.' And it was fulfilled about six hundred
years after the time of Moses arnong the Israelites, when
Samaria was besieged by the king of Syria, and two wd-
men agreed together, the one to give up her son to be

* Forasmuch as wives squeezed the food out of the mouths of
their husbands, and children out of the mouths of their parents,
and what was most miserable of all, mothers out of the mouths
of their babes. See Jewish wars. Book V. Chap. x. Seet. 3. page
1245.

f Wherever, in any house, but the shadow of bread appeared,
instantly a battle ensued, and they who before had been on the
most friendly footing, fought against each other with the great-
est fury, that they might carry off some miserable scraps for
their sustenance. See Book VI. Chap, iii. Sect. 3. page 1274,
of Hudson's edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 129

boiled and eaten to-day, and the other to deliver up her
son to be dressed and eaten to-morrow, and one of them
was eaten accordingly, 2 Kings vi. 28, 29. It was fulfilled
again about nine hundred years after the time of Moses
among the Jews in the siege of Jerusalem before the
Babylonish captivity ; and Bai uch thus expresseth it, ii.
1, &c. * The Lord hath made good his word, which he
pronounced against us, to bring upon us great plagues,
such as never happened under the whole heaven, as it
came to pass in Jerusalem, according to the things that
were written in the law of Moses, that a man should eat
the flesh of his own son, and the flesh of his own daugh-
ter :* and Jeremiah thus laments it in his Lamentations,
iv. 10. * The hands of the pitiful women have sodden
their own children, they were their meat in the destruc*
tion of the daughters of my people,' And again it was
fulfilled above fifteen hundred years after the time of
Moses in the last siege of Jerusalem by Titus, and we
read in Josephus particularly of a noble woman's killing;
and eating her own sucking child. Moses saith, ' The
tender and delicate woman among you, who would not
adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground, for
delicateness and tenderness :' and there cannot be a more
natural and lively description of a woman, who was ac-
cording to Josephus * illustrious for her family and riches.
Moses saith, * she shall eat them for want of all things :'
and according to Josephus she had been plundered of all
her substance and provisions by the tyrants and soldiers.
Moses saith, that she should do it secretly- and according
to Josephus, when she had boiled and eaten half, she
covered up the rest, and kept it for another time. At so
many different times and distant periods hath this prophe*-
cy been fulfilled ; and one would have thought that such
distress and horror had almost transcended imagination,
and much less that any person would certainiy have fore-
seen and foretold it.

* Distinguished by her birth and wealth The tyrants in-

deed bad by this time pkmdered ber of all her substance, &c.
Afterwards having- dressed ber child, she devoured tlie one half
of him, and covering- up the remainder, sbe secretly reserved
him for another meal. See Jewish wars, Book VI. Chap. iii.
Sf-ct. 4, of Hudson's edition.

130 DISSERTATIONS ON

6. Great numbers of them were to be destroyed, ver.
62. * And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye
were as the stars of heaven for multitude.' Now not to
mention any other of the calamities and slaughters which
they have undergone, there was in the last siege of Jeru-
salem by Titus an infinite multitude, saith Josephus,*
who perished by famine : and he computes, that during
the whole siege, the number of those who were destroyed
by that and by the war amounted to eleven hundred thou-
s.wd, the people being assembled fi om all parts to cele-
brate the passover ; and the same author hath given us
an account of one million two hundred and forty thou-
sand, four hundred and ninety destroyed in Jerusalem
and other parts of Judea, besides ninety-nine thousand
two hundred made prisoners ; as Basnage t has reckoned
them up from that historian's account. Indeed there is
not a nation upon earth, that hath been exposed to so
many massacres and persecutions. Their history abounds
with them. If God had not given them a promise of a
numerous posterity, the whole race would many a time
have been extirpated.

7. They were to be carried into Egypt, and sold for
slaves at a very low price, ver. 68. * And the Lord shall
bring thee unto Egypt again, with ships : and there ye
shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bond-
women, and no man shall buy you.* They had come out
of Egypt triumphant, but now they should return thither
as slaves. They had walked through the sea as dry land
at their coming out, but now they should be carried thither
in ships. They might be carried thither in the ships of
the Tyrian or Sidonian merchants, or by the Romans who
had a fleet in the Mediterranean : and this was a much
safer way of conveying so many prisoners, than sending

* But of them who perished by famine throughout the city,
tliere was an incalculable multitude. See Jewish wars, 13ook
YI. Chap. iii. Sect. 3, page 1274.

And during the whole time of the siege, there perished eleven
hundred thousand persons. See the same. Chap. ix. Sect. 3. page
1291, of Hudson's edition,

t Hist, of the Jews, Book I. Chap. viii. Sect. 19. See too the
conclusion of Usher's Annals.

THE PROPHECIES. 131

them by land. It appears from Josephus * that in the
reigns of the two first Ptolemies many of the Jews were
slaves in Egypt. And when Jerusalem was taken by
Titus,! of the captives who were above seventeen years
he sent many bound to the works in Egypt; these under
seventeen were sold : but so little care was taken of these
captives, that eleven thousand of them perished for want.
The markets were quite overstocked with them, so that
Josephus says in another place, that they were sold with
their wives and children at the lowest price, there being
many to be sold, and but few purchasers ; so that hereby
also was verified that of the Psalmist, xliv. 13. *Thou
sellest thy people for nought, and takest no money for
them.' And we learn from St. Jerome, t " that after
their last overthrow by Adrian, many thousands of them
were sold, and those who could not be sold, were trans-
ported into Egypt, and perished by shipwreck or famine^
or were massacred by the inhabitants."

8. They were to be rooted out of their own land, ver.
63. < And ye shall be plucked from off the land whither
thou goest to possess it.' They were ixidetd /iluckedfro?}i
off their own land, when the ten tribes were carried into
captivity by the king of Assyria, and other nations were
planted in their stead ; and when the two other tribes
were carried away captive to Babylon ; and when the
Romans took away their place and nation; besides other
captivities and transportations of the people. Afterwards
when the emperor Adrian had subdued the rebellious

* See Josephus' Antiquities, Book XII. Chap. i. and ii.

f Having chained the males that were above seventeen years
of age, he sent them down to the works which were in Egypt. —
But such of them as were below that age, he sold. While
Phronton had the charge of the captives, eleven thousand per-
ished through want . See Jewish wars. Book VI Chap. ix. Sect.
2, page 1291, and Chap. viii. Sect. 2, page 1288, of Hudson's
edition.

:|: After the last destruction, which was brought upon them by
the emperor Adrian, many thousands of the Jews were sold; and
such of them as could find no purchasers, were transported into
Egypt. Of these last many perished by shipwreck, or famine, or
were cruelly massacred by the Egyptians. See Jerome on Zech.
XI. page 1774, in the third volume of the Benedictine edition.

132 DISSERTATIONS ON

Jews, be published an edict * forbidding them upon pain
of death to set foot in Jerusalem, or even to approach the
country round about it. Tertullian and Jerome say,t that
they were prohibited from entering into Judea. From
that time to this, their country hath been in the posses-
sion of foreign lords and masters, few of the Jews dwelling
in it, and those only of a low servile condition. Benjamin
of Tudela in Spain, a celebrated Jew of the twelfth cen-
tury, travelled into all parts to visit those of his own na-
tion, and to learn an exact state of their own nation, and
to learn an exact state of their affairs : and he \ hath re-
ported that Jerusalem was almost entirely abandoned by
the Jews. He found there not above two hundred per-
sons, who were for the most part dyers of wool, and who
every year purchased the privilege of the monopoly of
that trade. They lived all together under David's tower,
and made there a very little figure. If Jerusalem had
so few Jews in it, the rest of the holy land was still more
depopulated. He found two of them in one city, twenty
in another, most whereof were dyers. In other places
there were more persons ; but in upper Galilee, where
the nation was in greatest repute after the ruin of Jeru-
salem, he found hardly any Jews at all. A very accu-
rate and faithful traveller § of our own nation, who was
himself also in the holy land, saith, that " it is for the most
part now inhabited by Moors and Arabians ; those pos-
sessing the vallies, and these the mountains. Turks
there be few : but many Greeks with other Christians of
all sects and nations, such as impute to the J)lace an ad-
herent holiness. Here be also some Jews, yet inherit
they no part of the land, but in their own country do live
as aliens.*'

* See TertuUian's Apology, Chap. xxi. page 19, in Rlgaut's
edition, printed at Paris in 1675. See also Jerome on Isa. vi.
page 65, and upon Daniel, Chap, ix, page 1117, in the third vo-
lume of the Benedictine edition.

t See Benjamin of Tudela's Itinerary, and Basnage's History
of the Jews, Book YII. Chap. vii.

+ See Justin Martyr's Apology, page 71, of Thirlbiiis' edition,
and Eusebius' Church History, Book IV. Chap vi

§ See Sandy's Travels, Book III. page 114, of the seventh edi-
tion.

THE PROniEClES. 133

9. But they were not only to be plucked ott' from their
>\vn h\ncl, but also to be dispersed into all nations, ver. 25.
And thou shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the

earth;' and again ver. 64. 'And the Lord sliall scatter
thee among all people, from one end of the earth even to
the other.* Nehemiah i. 8, 9. confesseth that these
words were fulfilled in the Babylonish captivity ; but they
have more amply been fulfilled since the great dispersion
of the Jews by the Romans. What people indeed have
been scattered so far and wide as they ? and where is the
nation, which is a stranger to them, or to which they are
strangers ? They swarm in many parts of the East, are
spread through most of the countries of Europe and Af-
rica, and there arc several families of them in the West
Indies. They circulate through all parts where trade
and money circulate ; and are, as I may say, the brokers
of the whole world.

10. But though they should be so dispersed, yet they
should not be totally destroyed, but still subsist as a dis-
tinct people, as Moses had before foretold, Lev. xxvi. 44.
'And yet for all that, when-they be in the land of their
enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor
them, to destroy them utterly, and break my covenant
with them.' The Jewish nation,* like the bush of Mo-
ses, hath been always burning, but is never consumed. —
And what a marvellous thing is it, that after so many
wars, battles and sieges, after so many fires, famines, and
pestilences, after so many rebellions, massacres, and per-
secutions, after so many years of captivity, slavery and
misery, they are not destroyed utterly f and though scat-
tered among all people, yet subsist as a distinct people by
themselves l Where is any thing comparable to this to be
found in all the histories, and in all the nations under the
sun ?

1 1. However, they should suffer much in their disper-
sion, and should not rest long in any place, ver. 65. * And
among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall
the sole of thy foot have rest.' They have been so far
from finding rest, that they have been banished from city
to city, from country to country. In many places they

* See Basnage's History of the^Jews, Book YI. Chap. I. Sect. 1.
VOL. L M

134 DISSERTATIONS ON

have been banished and recalled, and banished again. We
will only just mention their great banishments in modern
times, and from countries very well known. In the lat-
ter end of the thirteenth century, they* were banished
from England by Edward I, and were not permitted to
return and settle again till Cromwell's time. In the lat-
ter end of the fourteenth century theyf were banished
from France (for the seventh time, says Mezeray) by
Charles VI ; and ever since they had been only tolerated,
they have not enjoyed entire liberty except at Metz where
they have a synagogue. In the latter end of the fifteenth
century they ^ were banished from Spain by Ferdinand
and Isabella ; and according to Mariana, there were a
hundred and seventy thousand families, or as some say,
eii^ht hundred thousand persons who left the kingdom ;
Most of them paid dearly to John II. for a refuge in Por-
tugal, but within a few years were expelled from thence
also by his successor Emanuel. And in our own time,
within these few years, they were banished from Prague
by the queen of Bohemia.

12. They should be op/iressed and spoiled evermore;
and their houses and vineyards.^ their oxen and asses
should be taken from them, and they should be only ofi-
firessed and crushed always, ver. 29, &c. And what fre-
quent seizures have been made of their effects in almost all
countries ? how often have they been fined and fleeced by
almost all governments ? how often have they been forc-
ed to redeem their lives with what is almost as dear as
their lives, their treasure ? Instances are innumerable. —
We will only cite an historian § of our own, who says
that Henry III, " always polled the Jews at every low ebb
of his fortunes. One Abraham, who was found delin-
quent, was forced to pay seven hundred marks for his re-
demption. Aaron, another Jew, protested that the king
had taken from him at times thirty thousand marks of

* See Kennet, Echard, and Basnage's History of the Jews,
Book VII. Chap. xix.

f The Jews were ordered to depart for the seventh time, 8cc.
See Mezeray's Chronological abridgement, and Basnage, Book
VII. Chap, xviii.

t See Mariana's History of Spain, Book XXVI. Chap. i. and vi.
See also Basnage, Book VII. xxi.

§ See Daniel in Kennet, Vol. I. page 179.

THE I'ROPHECIES. 1 35

silver, besides two hundred marks of gold, Avhich he had
presented to the queen. And in like manner used many
others of the Jews." And when they were banished in
the reign of Edward I, their estates were confiscated and
immense sums thereby accrued to the crown.

1 3. * Their sons and their daughters should be given
unto another people,' ver. 32. And in several countries,
in Spain and Portugal particularly, their children have
been taken from them by order of the government to be
educated in the Popish religion. The fourth council * of
Toledo ordered, that all their children should be taken
from them for fear they should partake of their errors,
and that they should be shut up in monasteries, to be
instructed in the christian truths. And when they were
banished from Portugal, "the king," says Mariana,!
"ordered all their children, under 14 years of age, to
be taken from them, and baptized : a practice not at all
justifiable," adds the historian, " because none ought to
be forced to become christians, nor children to be taken
from their parents."

14. *They should be mad for the sight of their eyes
which they should see,' ver. 34. And into what madness,
fury, and desperation have they been pushed by the cruel
usage, extortions, and oppressions which they have un-
dergone ? We will allege only two similar instances, one
from ancient, and one from modern history. After the
destruction of Jerusalem by Titus,| some of tlie worst of
the Jews took refuge in the castle of Masada, where being
closely besieged by the Romans, they at the persuasion
of Eleazar their leader, first murdered their wives and
children ; then ten men were chosen by lot to slay the
rest ; this being done, one of the ten was chosen in like
manner to kill the other nine, which having executed he
set fire to the 'place, and then stabbed himself. There
were nine hundred and sixty who perished in this mise-
rable manner ; and only two women, and five boys escaped
by hiding themselves in the aqueducts under ground,

* See Basnage, Book VII. Chap. xii. Sect. 14.
f See Mariana's History of Spain, Book XXVI. Chap. vi.
i See Josephus* Jewish wars, Book VII. Chap, viii, and ix, of
Hudson's edition.

136 DISSERTATIONS ON

Such another instance we have in our English history.*
For in the reign of Richard the first, when the people
were in arms to make a general massacre of them, fifteen
hundred of them seized on the city of York to defend
themselves ; but being besieged, they offered to capitu-
late, and to ransom their lives with money. The offer
being refused, one of them cried in despair, that it was
better to die courageously for the law, than to lull into
the hands of the Christians. Everyone immediately took
his knife, and stabbed his wife and children. 7he men
afterwards retired into the king's palace which they set on
lire, in which they consumed themselves with the palace
and furniture.

15. ' They should serve other's gods, wood and stone,*
ver. 36 ; and again ver. 64. ' they should serve other gods,
which neither they nor their fathers had known, even
wood and stone.* And is it not too common for the Jews
in popish countries to comply with the idolatrous worship
of the church of Rome, and to bow down to stocks and
stones rather than their effects should be seized and con-
fiscated ? Here again we must cite the author, who hath
most studied, and hath best written their modern history,
and whom we have had occasion to quote several times
in this discourse. " The Spanish and Portugal Inqijisi-
(ions, saith he,t reduce them to the dilemma of being
either hypocrites or burnt. The number of these dis-
semblers is very considerable : and it ought not to be
concluded, that there are no Jews in Spain or Portugal,
because they are not known : They are so much the more
dangerous, for not only being very numerous, but con-
founded with the ecclesiastics, and entering into all ec-
clesiastical dignities." In another place he saith,± " The
most surprising thing is, that this religion spreads from
generation to generation, and still subsists in the persons
of dissemblers in a remote posterity. In vain the great
lords of Spain § 7nake alliaiices^ change their nuDicny and

* See Basnage, Book YII. Chap. x. Sect. 20, who cites Mat«
ihew Pai'is, page 111, and Polydon Virgil, Book XI VT page 248.
t See Basnage, Book VII. Cliap. xxxiii. Sect. 14.
4: See Book Vll. Ciiap. xxi. Sect. 26.
§ See Limborch's conference with a Jew, page 102.

HIE PKOPimCIES. 137

take ancient scutcheons; they are still knoivn to be of
Jeiviah race, and Jews themselves. The convents of nionks
and Tiuns are full of them. Most of the canons, inqui-
sitors, and disho/is firoceed from this nation. This is
enough to make the people and clergy of this country
tremble, since such sort of churchmen can only pro-
fane the sacraments, and want intention in consecrating
the host they adore. In the mean time Orobio, who
relates the fact, knew these dissemblers. He was one
of them himself, and bent the knee before the sacra-
ment. Moreover he brings proofs of his assertion, in
maintaining, that there are in the synagogue of Amster-
dam, brothers and sisters, and near relations to good
families of Spain and Portugal ; and even Franciscan
monks, Dominicans and Jesuits, who came to do penance,
and make amends for the crime they have committed in
dissembling.**

16. ' They should become an astonishment, a proverb,
and a by-word among all nations,* vcr. 37. And do we
not hear and see this prophecy fulfilled almost every day:
is not the avarice, usury, and hard heartedness of a Jew
grown proverbial? and are not their persons generally
odious among all sorts of people ? Mahommedans, Hea-
thens, and Christians, however they may disagree in other
points, yet generally agree in vilifying, abusing, and per-
secuting the Jews. In most places where they are tole-
rated, they are obliged to live in a separate quarter by
themselves, (as they did here in the Old Jewry) and to
wear some badge of distinction. Their very countenances
commonly distinguish them from the rest of mankind.
They are in all respects treated, as if they were of ano-
ther species. And when a great master of nature would
draw the portrait of a Jew, how detestable a character
hath he represented in the person of his Jeiv of Venice !
0 17. Finally, * Their plagues should be wonderful, even
great plagues, and of long continuance,* ver. 59. And
have not their plagues continued now these 1700 years?
Their former captivities were very short in comparison :
And Ezekiel* and Daniel prophecied in the land of the
Chaldeans : but now they have no true prophet to foretel

♦ See Basna^e, Book "VI. Chap. i. Sect. 2.

M 2

138 DISSERTATIONS ON

an end of their calamities, they have only false Messiahs
to delude them and aggravate their misfortunes. In their
former captivities they had the comfort of being convey-
ed to tlie same place ; they dwelt together in the land of
Goshen, they were carried together to Babylon ; but now
they are dispersed all over the fuce of the earth. What
nation hath suflered so much, and yet endured so long?
•what nation hath subsisted as a distinct people in their
own country, so long as these have done in their disper-
sion into all countries? and ^\^hat a standing miracle is
this exhibited to the view and observation of the whole
■world?

Here are instances of prophecies, prophecies delivered
above three thousand years ago, and yet as we see, fulfill-
ing in the world at this very time: and what stronger
proofs can we desire of the divine legation of Moses?
How these instances may affect others, I know not : but
for myself I must acknowledge, they not only convince,
but amaze and astonish me beyond expression. They
are truly, as Moses foretold they would be, ' a sign and a
wonder for ever,' vcr. 45, 46. ' Moreover all these curses
shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee and over-
take thee, till thou be destroyed ; because thou hearken-
edst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep bis
commandments, and his statutes which he commanded
thee: and they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a
wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.*

YIlY.

TROPHECIES OF THE PROPHETS CONCERNING
THE JEWS.

BESIDES the prophecies of Moses, there are others
of other prophets, relative to the present state and con-
dition of the Jews. Such are those particularly concern-
ing the restoration of the two tribes of Judah and* Benja-
min from captivity, and the dissolution of the ten tribes
of Israel; and those concerning the preservation of ihe
Jews, and the destruction of their enemies; and those con-
cerning the desolation of Judea; and those concerning the

THb: PIlOPilliClES. 139

infidelity and reprobation of the Jews ; and those con-
cerning the calling and obedience of the Gentiles. And
it may be pioper to say something upon each of these
topics.

I. It was foretold, that the ten tribes of Israel should
be carried captive by the kings of Assyria, and that the
two remaining tribes of Judah and Benjamin should be
carried captive by the king of Babylon: but with this
diftVrence, that the two tribes should be restored and re-
turn from their captivity, but the ten tribes should be
diiisolved and lost in theirs. Nay, not only the captivity
and restoration of the two tribes were foretold, but the
precise time of their captivity and restoration was also
prefixed and determined by the jn'ophet Jeremiah: xxv.
11.' This whole land shall be a desolation, and an aston-
ishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Baby-
lon, seventy yeai's:' and again, xxix. 10. ' Thus saith the
Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon,

1 will visit you, and perform my good word towards you,
in causing you to return to this place.* This prophecy
was delivered, Jer. xxv. 1. *in the fourth year of Jehoia-
kim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that was the first
year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.* And this same
year * it began to be put in execution; for Nebuchadnez-
zar invaded Judea, besieged and took Jerusalem, made
Jehoiakim his subject and tributary, transported the finest
children of the royal family and of the nobility to Baby-
lon to be bred up there for eunuchs and slaves in his
palace, and also carried away the vessels of the house cf
the Lord, and put them in the temple of his god at Ba-
bylon. Seventy years from this time will bring us down
to the first year of Cyrus, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22. Ezra i. I.
when he made his proclamation for the restoration of the
Jews, and for the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem.
I'he computation of the seventy years captivity appears
to be the truest, and most agreeable to scripture. But if
you fix the commencement of these seventy years at the
time when Jerusalem was burnt and destroyed, their
conclusion f will fall about the time when Darius issued

* See Usher, Prideaux,and the Commentators on 2King'sxxiv.

2 Chion. xxxvi. and Dan. i.

T See Pridcaux Connectlon.s, Anno 518, and fourth of Darius

140 DISSERTATIONS ON

his decree for rebuilding the temple, after the work had
been stoptand suspended. Or if you fix their commence-
ment at the time when Nebuzaradan carried away the
last remainder of the people, and completed the desolation
of the land, their conclusion * will fall about the time when
the temple was finished and dedicated, and the first pass-
over was solemnized in it. " So that," as Dean Prideaux
says, " taking it which way you will, and what stage you
please, the prophecy of Jeremiah will be fully and exact-
ly accomplished concerning this matter." It may be said
to have been accomplished at three different times, and
in three different manners, and therefore possibly all
might have been intended, though the first without doubt
was the principal object of the prophecy.

But the case was different with the ten tribes of Israel.
It is well known that Ephraim being the chief of the ten
tribes is often put for all the ten tribes of Israel ; and it
was predicted by Isaiah, vii. 8. ' Within threescore and
five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a peo-
ple.' This prophecy was delivered in the first year of
Ahaz king of Judah ; for in the latter end of his father
Jotham's reign, 2 Kings xv. 37. Rezin king of Syria
and Pekah king of Israel began their expedition against
Judah. They went up towards Jerusalem to war against
it in the beginning of the reign of Ahaz ; and it was to
comfort him and the house of David in these difficulties
and -distresses, that the prophet Isaiah was commissioned
to assure him, that the kings of Syria and Israel should
remain only the heads of their respective cities, they
should not prevail against Jerusalem, and within sixty
and five years Israel should be broken as to be no more a
people. The learned Vitringat is of opmion, that the
text is corrupted, and that instead of sixty and five it
was originally sixteen and five. Sixteen and ^ve, as he
confesseth, is an odd way of computation for one and
twenty ; but it designs perfectly the years of Ahaz and
Hezekiah. For Ahaz reigned sixteen years, and Heze-
kiah ^/ive years alone, having reigned one year jointly
with his father ; and it was in the sixth year of Hezekiah ^

* See Prideaux' Connections, Anno 51^, and 7 of Darius.
t See his Commentury on the passage.

THE PROPHECIES. 141

2 kings xviii. 10, 11. that Shalmancficr took Samaria^ and
carried aivaij Israel unto Jfisyria. Then indeed the kin£^-
dom of Israel was broken : and the conjecture of Vitringa
would appear much more probable, if it could be proved
that it had ever been usual to write the number or dates
of years partly in words at length, and partly in numeral
letters. But without recourse to such an expedient the
thing may be explicated otherwise. For from the first of
Ahaz * compute sixty and five years in the reigns of
Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manasseh,the end of them will fall
about the 22d year of Manasseh, when Esarhaddon king
of Assyria made the last deportation of the Israelites, and
planted other nations in their stead ; and in the same ex-
pedition probably took Manasseh captive, 2 Chron. xxxiii.
1 1. and carried him to Babylon. It is said expressly that
it was Esarhaddon who planted the other nations in the
cities of Samaria: but it is not said expressly in scrip-
ture, that he carried away the remainder of the people,
but it may be inferred from several circumstances of the
story. There were other deportations of the Israelites
made by the kings of Assyria before this time. In the
reign of Ahaz, Tiglathpilezer took many of the Israelites,
*even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe
of Manasseh, and all the land of NapJitali, and carried
them captive to Assyria, and biought'them unto Halah,
and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan.' 1 Chron.
V. 26. 2 Kings xv. 29. His son Shalmaneser, in the reign
of Hezekiah, took Samaria, and carried away still greater
numbers ' unto Assyria, and put them in Halah and in
Habor by the river of Gozan,' (the same places whither
their brethren had been carried before them) * and in the
cities of the Medes.' 2 Kini2:s xviii. 11. His son Senna-
cherib came up also against Hezekiah, and all the fenced
cities of Judah; but his army was miraculously defeated,
and he himself was forced to return with shame and dis-
grace into his own country, where he was murdered by
two of his sons, 2 Kings xviii. 19. Another of his sons,
Esarhaddon succeeded him in the throne, but it was some
time before he could recover his kingdom from these
disorders, and think of reducing Syria and Palestine again

* See Usher, I'ricleaitx, &c.

142 DISSERTATIONS ON

to his obedience : and then it was, and not till then, that
he completed the ruin of the ten tribes, carried away the
remains of the people, and to prevent the land from be-
coming desolate, 'brought men from Babylon, and from
Cuthah, and from Havah, and from Hamath, and from Sep-
harvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria, instead
of the children of Israel,' Ezra iv. 2, 10. 2 Kings xvii. 24.
Ephraim was broken from being a kingdom before, but
now he was broken from being a people. And from that
time to this what account can be given of the people of
Israel as distinct from the people of Judah ? where have
they subsisted all this while ? and where is their situation,
or what is their condition at present ?

We see plainly that they were placed in Assyria and
Media; and if they subsisted any where, one would ima-
gine they might be found there in the greatest abundance.
But authors have generally sought for them elsewhere :
and the visionary writer of the second book of Esdras,
xiii. 40, 8cc. hath asserted that they took a resolution of
retiring from the Gentiles, and of going into a country,
which had never been inhabited ; that the river Euphrates
was miraculously divided for their passage, and they pro-
ceeded in their journey a year and a half, before they a-
rived at this country, which was called Arsareth. But the
worst of it is, as this country was unknown before, so it
hath been equally unknown ever since. It is to be found
no where but in this apocryphal book, which is so wild
and fabulous in other respects, that it deserves no credit
in this particular. Benjamin ofTudela, a Jew of the 12th
century, * hath likewise assigned them a large and spa-
cious country witli fine cities ; but nobody knoweth to
this day where it is situated. Eldad, another Jew of the
thirteenth century, had placed them in Ethiopia and I
know not where, and hath made the Saracens and twenty-
five kingdoms tributary to them. Another Jewish writer,
Peritful of Ferrara, who lived in the century before the
last, hath given them kingdoms in a country called Per-
richa, inclosed by unknown mountains, and bounded by
Assyria, and likewise in the deserts of Arabia, and even

* For these particulars, the reader may consult Casnage's
History of the Jews, Book Yl. Chap, ii, andiii.

THE PROPHECIES. 143

in the East Indies. Manasseh, a famous rabbi of the
last century, and others have asserted, that they passed
into Tartary, and expelled the Scythians ; and others a-
gain from Tartary have conveyed them into America. —
But all these differing accounts prove nothing but the
great uncertainty that there is in this matter. The best
of them are only conjectures without any solid founda-
tion, but most of them were manifest forgeries of the Jews
to aggrandize their nation.

The difficulty of finding out the habitations of the ten
tribes hath induced others * to maintain, that they return-
ed into their own country with the other two tribes after
the Babylonish captivity. The decree indeed of Cyrus
extended to all the fieople of God, Ezra i. 3. and that of
Artaxerxes to ail the /leo/ile 0/ Israel; vii. 13. and no
doubt many of the Israelites took advantage of these de-
crees, and returned with Zerubbabel and Ezra to their
own cities : but still the main body of the ten tribes re-
mained behind. Ezra, who should best know, saith that
there rose ufi of the chief of the fathers of Judah and Ben'
jamin^ i. 5. and he calleth the Samaritans the adversaries
of Judah and Benjamin; iv. i. these two tribes were the
principals, the others were only as accessories. And if
they did not return at this time, they cannot be supposed
to have returned in a body at any time after this : for we
read of no such adventure in history, we know neither
the time nor occasion of their return, nor who were their
generals or leaders in this expedition. Josephus, who
saw his country for several years in as flourishing a condi-
tion as at any time since the captivity, affirms, that Ezraf

* See Calmet's two Dissertations, 1st. Concerning the country
Into which the ten tribes were carried, and concerning the pres-
ent place of their abode. Vol. HI. and 2, An inquiiy, whether
the ten tribes have returned from their captivity, into the land
of Israel. Vol. VI.

f He (Ezra,) indeed sent a copy of it, (the degree,) into Me«
dia, to all the people of his nation, — when as many as were actu-
ated by a desire of returning to Jerusalem, betook themselves
with tiieir eiiects to Babylon. .But the great bulk of the Israel-
ites remained scattered over that country, so that two only of the
tribes live in Asia and Europe underthe Roman dominion. Where-
as the ten remaining tribes, at present are settled beyond the

144 DISSERTATIONS ON

sent a copy of the decree of Artaxerxes to all of the same
nation throughout Media, where the ten tribes lived in
captivity, and many of them came with their effects to
Babylon, desiring to return to Jerusalem : but the main
body of the Israelites abode in that region : and there-
fore it hath happened, said he, that there are two tribes
in Asia and Europe, living in subjection to the Romans :
but the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates to this time :
and then addeth with the vanity of a Jew speaking of his
countrymen, that they were so many myriads, that they
could not be numbered.

Others, finding no good authority for admitting that
the ten tribes of Israel wer^e restored in the'same manner
as the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, * have therefore
asserted, that "the ten tribes of Israel, which had separa-
ted from the house of David, were brought to a full and
utter destruction, and never after recovered themselves
again. For those who were thus carried away (except-
ing only some few, who joining themselves to the Jews in
the land of their captivity returned with them) soon go-
ing into the usages, and idolatry of the nations, among
whom they were planted, (to which they were too much
addicted, while in their own land,) after a while became
wholly absorbed, and swallowed up in them, and thence
utterly losing their name, their language, and their me-
morial, were never after any more spoken of." But if
the whole race of Israel became thus extinct, and perish-
ed for ever, how can the numerous prophecies be fulfill-
ed, which promise the future conversion and restoration
of Israel as well as of Judah ?

The truth I conceive to lie between these two opinion^
Neither did they all return to Jerusalem, neither did all,
who remained behind, comply with the idolatry of the
Gentiles, among whom they lived. But whether they re-
mained, or whether they returned, this prophecy of Isaiah
*vvas still fulfilled ; the kingdom, the commonwealth, the

Kuphrates and compose an infinite and incalculable number of
people. See Antiquities, Book XI. Chap. v. Sect. 2. page 482,
<>i' Hudson's edition.

* See Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book I. Year 677, and
22, of Manassch.

THE PROPHECIES. 14 j

state of Israel was utterly broken ; they no longer subsis-
ted as 81 distinct people from Judah, they no longer main-
tained a separate religion, they joined themselves to the
Jews from whom they had been unhappily divided, they
lost the name of Israel as a name of distinction and were
thenceforth all in common called Jews. It appears from
the book of Esther, that there were great numbers of Jews
in all the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the king-
dom of Ahasuerus or Artaxerxes Longimanus, king of
Persia, and they could not all be the remains of the two
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who had refused to return
to Jerusalem with their brethren ; they must many of
them have been the descendants of the ten tribes whora
the kings of Assyria had carried away captive ; but yet
they are all spoken of as one and the same people, and
all without distinction are denominated Jews. We read
in the acts of the Apostles, ii. 9. that there came to Jeru-
salem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost ' Parthians, and
Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia :*
these men came from the countries, wherein the ten
tribes had been placed, and in all probability therefore
were some of their posterity ; but yet these as well as the
rest are styled, ver. 5. * Jews, devout men, out of every
nation under heaven.' Those likewise of the ten tribes
who returned to Jerusalem, united with the two tribes of
Judah and Benjamin, and formed but one nation, one bo-
dy of Jews ; they might for some ages perhaps preserve
their genealogies ; but they are now incorporated toge-
ther, and the distinction of tribes and families is in a great
measure lost among them, and they have all from the
Babylonish captivity to this day been comprehended under
the general name of Jews. In St. Paulas time there were
several persons of all the ten tribes in being ; for he speak-
eth of ' the twelve tribes hoping to attain to the promise
of God ;* Acts xxvi. 7. and St. James addresseth his
epistle, ' to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad,'
James i. 1. And we make no question, that several per-
sons of all the ten tribes are in being at present, thougji
we cannot separate them from the rest ; they are confoun-
ded with the other Jews ; there is no difference, no dis-

VOL, I. N

146 DISSERTATIONS ON

tinction between them. The Samaritans* indeed (of
whom there are still some remains at Sichem and the
neighbouring towns) pretend to be the descendants of the
children of Israel, but they are really derived from those
nations, which Esarhaddon king of Assyria planted in
the country, after he had carried thence the ten tribes
into captivity. And for this reason the Jews call them
by no other name than Cuthites, (the name of one of those
nations) and exclaim against them as the worst of here-
tics, and if possible have greater hatred and abhorrence
of them than of the Christians themselves.

Thus we see how the ten tribes of Israel were in a
manner lost in their captivity, while the two tribes of Ju-
dah and Benjamin were restored and preserved several
ages afterwards. And what, can you believe, were the
reasons of God's making this difference and distinction
between them ? The ten tribes had totally revolted from
God to the worship of the golden calves in Dan and Be-
thel ; and for this, and their other idolatry and wickedness,
they were suffered to remain in the land of their captivity.
The Jews were restored, not so much for their own sakes,
as for the sake of the promises made unto the fathers ;
the promise to Judah, that the Messiah should come of
his tribe ; the promise to David that the Messiah should
be born of his family. It was therefore necessary for the
tribe of Judah, and the families of that tribe, to be kept
distinct until the coming of the Messiah. But now these
ends are fully answered, the tribes of Judah and Benja-
min are as much confounded as any of the rest : all dis-
tinction of families and genealogies is lost among them :
and the Jewsf themselves acknowledge as much in say-
ing, that when the Messiah shall come, it will be part of
his office " to sort their families, restore the genealogies,
and set aside strangers."

II. The preservation of the Jews through so many
ages, and the total destruction of their enemies are won-
derful events ; and are made still more wonderful by be-
ing signified before-hand by the spirit of prophecy, as
we find particularly in the prophet Jeremiah, xlvi, 28.

* See Prideaux as before.

t See Bishop Chandler's Defence of Christianity, Chap. I.
SeC^. 2, page 38, of the third edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 147

^ Fear not thou, O Jacob my servant, saitb the Lord, for
I am with thee, for I will make a full end of all the nations
whither I have driven thee, but I will not make a full end
of thee."

The preservation of the Jews is really one of the most
sii^nal and illustrious acts of divine providence. They are
dispersed among all nations, and yet they are not con-
founded with any. The drops of rain which fall, nay the
great rivers which flow into the ocean, are soon mingled
and lost in that immense body of waters : and the same
in all human probability would have been the fate of the
Jews, they would have been mingled and lost in the com-
mon mass of mankind ; but on the contrary, they flow
into all parts of the world, mix with all nations, and yet
keep separate from all. They still live as a distinct peo-
ple, and yet they no where live according to their own
laws, no where elect their own magistrates, no where en-
joy the full exercise of their religion. Their solemn feasts
and sacrifices are limited to one certain place, and that
hath been now for many ages in the hands of strangers
and aliens, who will not suffer them to come hither. No
people have continued unmixed so long as they have
done, not only of those who have sent forth colonies into
foreign countries, but even of those who have abided in
their own country. The northern nations have come in
swarms into the more southern parts of Europe; but
where are they now to be discerned and distinguished ?
The Gauls went forth in great bodies to seek their for-
tune in foreign parts ; but what traces or footsteps of them
are now remaining any where ? In France who can sepa-
rate the race of the ancient Gauls from the various other
people, who from time to time have settled there ? In
Spain who can distinguish exactly between the first pos-
sessors, the Spaniards, and the Goths, and the Moors,
who conquered and kept possession of the country for
some ages ? In England who can pretend to say v/ith
certainty which families are derived from the ancient
Britons, and which from the Romans, or Saxons, or
Danes, or Normans ? The most ancient and honourable
pedigrees can be traced up only to a certain period, and
beyond that there is nothing but conjecture and uncer-
tainty, obscurity and ignorance : but the Jews can go up
higher than any nation, they can even deduce their pedi-

148 DISSERTATIONS ON

gree from the beginning of the world. They iTiay not
know from what particular tribe or family they are de-
scended, but they know certainly that they all sprung
from the stock of Abraham. And yet the contempt with
which they have been treated, and the hardships which
they have undergone in almost all countries, should, one
would think, have made them desirous to forget or re-
nounce their original ; but they profess it, they glory in
it : and after so many wars, massacres, and persecutions,
they still subsist, they siill are very numerous : and what,
but a supernatural power could have preserved them in
such a manner, as none other nation upon earth hath
been preserved ?

Nor is the providence of God less remarkable in the
destruction of their enemies, than in their preservation.
For from the beginning, who have been the great enemies
and oppressors of the Jewish nation, removed them from
their own land, and compelled them into captivity and
slavery ? The Egyptians afflicted them much, and de-
tained them in bondage several years. The Assyrians
carried away captive the ten tribes of Israel, and the
Babylonians afterwards the two remaining tribes of Judah
and Benjamin. The Syro-Macedonians, especially An-
liochus Epiphanes cruelly persecuted them : and the
Ivomans utterly dissolved the Jewish state, and dispersed
*he people, so that they have never been able to recover
their city and country again. But where are now these
great and famous monarchies, which in their turns sub-
dued and oppressed the people of God ? Are they not
vanished as a dream, and not only their power, but their
very names lost in the earth ? The Egyptians, Assyrians,
and Babylonians were overthrown, and entirely subju-
gated by the Persians ; and the Persians, (it is remarka-
ble) were the restorers of the Jews, as well as the destroy-
ers of their enemies. The Syro-Macedonians were swal-
lowed up by the Romans : and the Roman empire, great
and powerful as it was, was broken in pieces by the in-
cursions of the northern nations; while the Jews are
subsisting as a distinct people at this day. And what a
wonder of providence is it, that the vanquished should so
many ages survive the victors, and the former be spread
all over'the world, while the latter are no more ?

THE PiiOPlIECIKS. 149

Nay, not only nations have been punished for their
cruelties to the Jews, but divine vengeance hath pursued
even single persons, who have been their persecutors and
oppressors. 1'he first born of Pharaoh was destroyed,
and he himself with his host was drowned in the sea.
Most of those who oppressed Israel in the days of the
Judg-es, Eglon, Jabin and Sisera, Oreb and Zeeb, and the
rest, came to an untimely end. Nebuchadnezzar was
stricken with madness, and the crown was soon transfer-
red from his family to strangers. Antiochus Epiphanes *
died in great agonies, with ulcers and vermin issuing from
them, so that the filthiness of his smell was intolerable to
all his attendants, and even to himself. Herod, who was
a cruel tyrant to the Jews,t died in the same miserable
manner. Flaccus, governor of Egypt, who barbarously
plundered and oppressed the Jews of Alexandria, | was
afterwards banished and slain. Caligula, who persecuted
the Jews for refusing to pay divine honours to his statues,^^
was murdered in the flower of his age, after a short and
■wicked reign. But where are they now, since they have
absolutely rejected the gospel, and been no longer the pe-
culiar people of God, where are now such visible mani-
festations of a divine interposition in their favour? The
Jews would do well to consider this point ; for rightly con-
sidered it may be an effectual means of opening their
eyes, and of turning them to Christ our Saviour.

III. The desolation of Judea is another memorable in-
stance of the truth of prophecy. It was foretold so long
ago as by Moses, Levit. xxvi. 33. ' I will scatter you
among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you ;
and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.* It

* See 2 Maccab. ix. 9. See also the Fragments of Polybius in
page 997, of Casavibon's edition.

■j- See Josephus' Antiquities, Book XVII. Chap. vi. Sect. 5,
page 768. See also his Jewish wars. Book I. Chap, xxxiii. Sect,
5, in page 1040, of Hudson's edition.

^ See Philo upon Flaccus.

§ See Philo's Embassy to Caius Cxsar. See Josephus' Anti-
q^lj:ies. Book XVIII. Chap. ix. and Book XIX. Chap. i. See
Suetonius' life of Culigula, Chap. lix. who tells us that Caligula
lived thirty years, and reigned tlu-ee years, ten months and eight
days.

N 2

150 DISSERTATIONS ON

was foretold again by Isaiah, the prophet, speaking, as
prophets often do, of things future as present : i. 7, 8. 9.
' Your country is desolate, your cities are burnt with fire ;
your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is
desolate as overthrown by strangers. And the daughter
of Zion is left as a cottage in a vineyard, as a lodge in a
garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.* This passage
may relate immediately to the times of Ahaz and Heze-
kiah; but it must have a farther reference to the devas-
tations made by the Chaldeans, and especially by the Ro-
mans. In this sense it is understood by Justin Martyr,*
Tertullian, Jerome, and most ancient interpreters : and
the following words imply no less than a general destruc-
tion, and almost total excision of the people, such as they
suftered under the Chaldeans, but more fully under the
Romans ; * Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a
very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom and
"ive should have been like unto Gomorrah.' The same
thing was again foretold by Jeremiah ; for speaking af-
terwards of the conversion of the Gentiles, and of the
restoration of the Jews in the latter days, he must be
understood to speak here of the times preceding, xii. 10,
H . * Many pastors (princes or leaders) have destroyed
my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot,
they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wildei'ness;
they have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourn-
eth unto me ; the whole land is made desolate, because
no man layeth it to heart.*

The same thing is expressed or implied in other places ;
and hath not the state of Judea now for many ages been
exactly answerable to this description ? That a country
should be depopulated and desolated by the incursions and
depredations of foreign armies is nothing wonderful ; but
that it should lie so many ages in this mjiserable condi-
tion is more than man could foresee, and could be revealed
only by God. A celebrated French writer f in his history

* See Justin Martyr's Apology, page 70, in tlie edition of
Thirlbius. See Ihe Dialogue with Tryphon, pages 160 and 143.
See Tertullian against the Marcionites, Book VIII. Chap, xjhiii.
page 411, in Rigaut's edition printed at Paris In 1675, and Je-
rome on the passage. Vol. III. page 12, of the Benedictine edi-
tion,

t See Voltaire's History, not far from the beginning.

THE PROPHECIES. 151

of the Crusades, pretends to exhibit a true picture of
Palestine, and he says that then " it was just what it is at
present, the worst of all the inhabited countries of Asia.
It is almost wholly covered with parched rocks, on which
there is not one line of soil. If this small territory were
cultivated, it might not improperly be compared to Swis-
serland." But there is no need of citinp: autliorities to
prove that the land is forsaken of its inhabitants, is uncul-
tivated, unfruitful, and desolate ; -for the enemies of our
religion make this very thing an objection to the truth of
our religion. They say that so barren and wretched a
country could never have been a land fionvuig with 7nilk
and /toncij, nov have supplied and maintained such multi-
tudes, as it is represented to have done in scripture. But
they do not see or consider, that hereby the prophecies
are fulfilled ; so that it is rather an evidence for the truth
of our religion, than any argument against it.

The country was formerly a good country, if we may
believe the concurrent testimony of those who should
best know it, the people who inhabited it Aristeas and
Josephus too* speak largely in commendation of its fruit-
fulness : and though something may be allowed to nation-
al prejudices, yet they would hardly have had the confi-
dence to assert a thing, which all the world could easily
contradict and disprove. Nay there are even heathen
authors who bear testimony to the fruitfulness of the land :
though we pi*esu me, that after the Babylonish captivity
it never recovered to be again what it was before. Strabo f
describes indeed the country about Jerusalem as rocky
and barren, but he commends other parts, particularly
about Jordan and Jericho. HecatseusI quoted by Jose-

• See Aristeas, pag-e 13, 14, in the edition of Hody. See Jo-
sephus* Jewish Wars, Book VHI. Chap. iii. page 1120, of Hud-
son's edition.

t See Strabo, Book XVI. pa^e 761, of the Paris edition, and
pa,^e 1104, of that of Amsterdam. See pag-e 755, of the Paris
edition and page 1095, of (hat of Amsterdam. See page 763, of
the Paris edition and page 1106, in that of Amsterdam printed
in 1707.

i See Josephus ag-alnst Apion, Book I. Sect. 22. where it is
called a country the best and most productivov page 1348^ ii\
Hudson's edition.

152 DISSERTATIONS ON

phus giveth it the character of one of the best and most
fertile countries. Tacitus* saith ; that it raineth seldom,
the soil is fruitful, fruits abound as with us, and besides
them the balsam and palm-trees. And notv/ithstanding
the long- desolation of the land, there are still visible such
marks and tokens of fruitfulness, as may convince any
man that it once deserved the character, which is given
of it in scripture. I would only refer the reader to two
learned and ingenious travellers of our own nation, Mr.
Maundrcll and Dr. Shaw ; and he will be fully satisfied
of the truth of what is here asserted.

The former-f- says, that " all along this day's travel
(Mar. 25.) from Kane Leban to Beer, and also as far as
we could see around, the country discovered a quite dif-
ferent face from what it had before ; presenting nothing
to the view in most places, but naked rocks, mountains,
and precipices. At sight of which, pilgrims are apt to be
astonished and baulked in their expectations ; finding that
country in such an inhospitable condition, concerning
whose pleasantness and plenty they had before formed in
their minds such high ideas from the description given
of it, in the word of God: insomuch, that it almost star-
tles their faith when they reflect how it could be possible
for a land like this, to supply food for so prodigious a
number of inhabitants, as are said to have been polled in
the twelve tribes at one time ; the sum given in by Joab,
2 Sam. xxiv. amounting to no less than thirteen hundred
thousand fighting men, besides women and children. But
it is certain that any man, who is not a little biassed to
infidelity before, may see, as he passes along, arguments
enough to support his faith against such scruples. For it
is obvious for any one to observe, that these rocks and
hills must have been anciently covered with earth, and
cultivated, and made to contribute to the maintenance of
the inhabitants, no less than if the country had been all
plain : nay, perhaps much more ; for as much, as such a

* See Tacitus' History, Book V. where he salth, that in this
country they have but few showers, the soil however is fertile, and
producelh in great abundance the same fruics as are to be met
with in Italy, and besides these, it abounds with Balsams and
palm trees.

t See Maundrell, page 64, fifth edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 153

mountainous and uneven surface, affords a larger space of
ground for cultivation, than this country would amount
to, if it were all reduced to a perfect level. For the hus-
banding of these mountains, their manner was to gather
up the stones, and place them in several lines, along the
sides of the hills, in form of a wall. By such borders
they supported the mould from tumbling or being washed
downi ; and form many beds of excellent soil, rising gra-
dually one above another, from the bottom to the top of
the mountains. Of this form of culture you see evident
footsteps, wherever you go in all the mountains of Pales-
tine. Thus the very rocks were made fruitful. And
perhaps there is no spot of ground in this whole land, that
was not formerly improved, to the production of some-
thing or other, ministering to the sustenance of human
life. For than the plain countries, nothing can be more
fruitful, whether for the production of corn or cattle, and
consequently of milk. The hills, though improper for
all cattle except goats, yet being disposed into such beds
as are before described, served very well to bear corn,
melons, gourds, cucumbers, and such like garden stuff',
which makes the principal food of these countries for
several months in the year. The most rocky parts of all,
which could not well be adjusted in that manner for the
production of corn, m.ight yet serve for the plantation of
vines and olive trees; which delight to extract, the one
its fatness, the other its sprightly juice, chiefly out of such
dry and flinty places. And the great plain joining to
the dead sea, which by reason of its sahness might be
thought unserviceable both for cattle, corn, olives, and
vines, had yet its proper usefulness for the nourishment
of bees, and for the fabric of honey: of wliich Josephus
give us his testimony, De Bell. Jud. Lib. 5. Cap. 4. And
1 h'ave reason to believe it, because when I was there, I
perceived in many places a smell of honey and wax, as
strong as if one had been in an apiary. Why then, might
not this country very well maintain the vast number of its
inhabitants, being in every part so productive, of either
milk, corn, wine, oil, or honey, which are the prijacipal
food of these eastern nations; the constitution of their bo-
dies, and the nature of their clime, inclining then\ to a
more abstemious diet than we use in England, and other
colder regions."

154 DISSERTATIONS ON

The other asserts, * that " the Holy Land, were it as
well peopled, and cultivated, as in former time, -would
still be more fruitful than the very best part of the coast
of Syria and Phcenice. For the soil itself is generally
much richer, and all things considered, yields a prefer-
able crop. Thus the cotton that is gathered in the
plains of Ramah, Esdraelon, and Zebulun, is in greater
esteem, than what is cultivated near Sidon and Tripoly ;
neither is it possible for pulse, wheat, or any sort of grain,
to be more excellent than what is commonly sold at Je-
rusalem. The barrenness or scarcity rather, which some
authors may either ignorantly or maliciously complain
of, does not proceed from the incapacity or natural un-
fruitfulness of the country, but from the want of inhabi-
tants, and the great aversion there is to labour and indus-
try in those few who possess it. There ai'e besides, such
perpetual discords, and depredations among the petty
princes, who share this fine country, that allowing it was
better peopled, yet there would be small encouragement
to sow, when it was uncertain, who should gather in the
harvest. Otherwise the land is good land^ and still capable
of affording its neighbours the like supplies of corn and
oil, which it is known to have done in the time of Solo-
mon. The parts particularly about Jerusalem, being
described to be rocky and mountainous, have been there-
fore supposed to be barren and unfruitful. Yet granting
this conclusion, which is far from being just, a kingdom
is not to be denominated barren or unfruitful from one
part of it only, but from the whole. Nay, farther, the
blessing that was given to Judah, was not of the same
kind with the blessing of Asher or of Issachar, that his
bread should be fat^ or his land should ^e/z/t^a^an^, but that
his eyes should be red rjith \vine^ mid his teeth should be
lohite with milk^ Gen, xlix. 12. IVIoses also maketh milk
and honey (the chief dainties and subsistence of the ear-
lier ages, as they continue to be of the Bedoween Arabs)
to be the glory of all lands :j all which productions are

* Shaw's Travels, page 365, &.c.

t As Bishop Pearce observes, is not tills a mistake in Dr.
Shaw? The words are not of Moses butof Ezekiel,xx.6, 15. and
he does not seem io call tiie milk and honeij the glory of all Umds ;
but the land which did abound with milk and honeij^ he rather
CuUs the r^lory ofal!la?uL:

THE PUOPHECIES. I55

either actually enjoyed, or as least might be, by proper
care and application. The plenty of wine alone is want-
ing at present; yet from the goodness of that little, which
is still made at Jerusalem and Hebron, we find that these
barren rocks (as they are called) might yield as much
greater quantity, if the abstemious Turk and Arab would
permit a further increase and improvement to be made
of the vine, Sec.'*

IV. Nothing can be a stronger or clearer proof of the
divine inspiration of the prophets, than their foretelling
not only the outward actions, but even the inward dispo-
sitions of men, many ages before those men were in be-
ing. The prophets were naturally prejudiced in favour
of their own nation ; but yet they foretel the infidelity
and reprobation of the Jews, their disbelief of the Mes-
siah, and thereupon their rejection by God. We will not
multiply quotations to this purpose. It will be sufficient
to produce one or two passages from the evangelical pro-
phet Isaiah. The 53d chapter is a most famous prophe-
cy of the Messiah ? and it begins with upbraiding the
Jews for their unbelief, ' Who hath believed our report ?
and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?' which
St. John, xii. 38. and St. Paul, Rom. x. 16. have express-
ly applied to the unbelieving Jews of their time. The
prophet assigns the reason too, why they would not re-
ceive the Messiah, namely, because of his low and afflict-
ed condition: and it is very well known that they reject-
ed him on this c.ccount, having all along expected him to
come as a temporal prince and deliverer in great power
and glory.

The prophet had before been commissioned to declare
unto the people the judgments of God for their infideli-
ty and disobedience, vl. 9, &c. < And he said, Go ye and
lell this people, (this people, not my people) Hear ye in-^
deed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive
not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their
ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they see with their
eyes and hear with their ears, and understand with their
heart, and convert, and be healed.* In the style of scrip-
ture the prophets are said to do what they declare nvill be
done; and in -like manner Jeremiah is said, i. 10. to be
' set over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root out.

J 56 DISSERTATIONS ON

and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to
build, and to plant ; because he was authorised to make
known the purposes and decrees of God, and because
these events would follow in consequence of his prophe-
cies. * Make the heart of this people fat, is therefore as
much as to say,,Denounce my judgment upon this people,
that their heart shall be fat, and their ears heavy, and their
eyes shut : lest they see with their eyes, and hear with
ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and
be healed.' This prophecy might relate in some mea-
sure to the state of the Jews before the Babylonish capti-
vity ; but it did not receive its full completion till the days
of our Saviour : and in this sense itis understood and ap-
plied by the writers of the New Testament, and by our
Saviour himself. The prophet is then informed, that
this infidelity and obstinacy of his countrymen should be
of long duration. * Then said I, Lord, how long ? And
he answered. Until the cities be wasted without inhabitants
and the houses without man, and the land be utterly deso-
late, And the Lord have removed men far away, and there
be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.' Here is a
remarkable gradation in the denouncing of these judg-
ments. Not only Jerusalem and 'the cities should ^be
wasted without inhabitants,' but even the single houses
should be without man ; and not only the houses of the
cities should be without man, but even the country should
be utterly desolate ; and not only the people should be re-
moved out of the land^ but the Lord should remove them,
far away ; and they should not be removed for a short pe-
riod, but there should be a great or rather a long forsak'
ing in the midst of the land. And hath not the world seen
all those particulars exactly fulfilled ? Have not the Jews
laboured under a spiritual blindness and infatuation in
hearings but not understandings in seeing, but not perceiv-
ing the Messiah, after the accomplishment of so many
prophecies, after the performance of so many miracles ?
And in consequence of their refusing to convert and be
healed, have not their cities been wasted without inhabi-
tants, and their houses without man ? Hath not their land
been utterly desolate? Have they not been removed far
away into the most distant parts of the earth ? And hath
not their removal or banishment been now of near 1700

THE PROPHECIES. 137

years duration ? And do they not still continue deaf and
blind, obstinate and unbelieving ? The Jews, at the time
of the delivery of this prophecy, gloried in being the pe-
culiar church and people of God : and would any Jew of
himself have thought or have said, that his nation would
in process of time become an infidel and reprobate nation,
infidel arid reprobate for many ages, oppressed by men,
and forsaken by God ? It was above 750 years before
Christ, that Isaiah predicted these things; and how could
he have predicted them, unless he had been illuminatedby
the divine vision ; or how could they have succeeded ac-
cordingly, unless the spirit of prophecy had been the spi-
rit of God.

V. Of the same nature are the prophecies concerning
the calling and obedience of the Gentiles. How could
such an event be foreseen hundreds of years before it hap-
pened ? but the prophets are full of the glorious subject j
and speak with delight and rapture of the universal king-
dom of the Messiah ; that ' God would give unto him the
heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for his possession :' Psal. ii. 8. that < all the ends of
the world should remember and turn unto the Lord, and
all the kindreds of the nations should worship before him,*
Psal, xxii. 27. that ' in the last days the mountain of the
house of the Lord should be established in the top of the
mountains, and should be exalted above the hills, and all
people should flow unto it,* Micah iv. 1 . which passage is
also to be found in Isaiah ; ii. 2. that from the rising of
the sun, even unto the going down of the same, my name
shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place in-
cense shall be oftered unto my name, and a pure offering ;
for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the
Lord of hosts,' Mai. i. 11. But the prophet Isaiah is
more copious upon this as well as other evangelical sub-
jects : and his 49th and 60th chapters treat particularly
of the glory of the church in the abundant access of the
Gentiles. » It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my
servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the
preserved of Israel : I will also give thee for a light to
the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the
end of the earth, xlix. 6. Arise, shine, for thy light is
come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. The
VOL. I O

1,38 DISSERTATIONS ON

Gentiles shall come to thy lig'ht, and kings to the bright-
ness of thy rising. The abundance of the sea shall be
converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come
unto thee,' Sec' Ix. 1, 3, 5, Sec.

It is as absurd as it is vain in the Jews to apply these
prophecies to the proselytes whom they have gained
among the nations ; for the number of their proselytes
was very inconsiderable, and nothing to answer these pom-
pous descriptions. Neither was their religion ever de-
signed by its founder for an universal religion, their wor-
ship and sacrifices being confined to one certain place,
whither all the males were obliged to repair thrice every
year ; so that it was plainly calculated for a particular
people, and could never become the religion of the whole
world. There was indeed to be a religion, which was de-
signed for all nations, to be preached in all, and to be receiv-
ed in all : but what prospect or probability was there, that
such a generous institution should proceed from such a
narrow-minded people as the Jews, or that the Gentiles
who hated and despised them should ever receive a reli-
gion from them ? Was it not much more likely, that
ihey should be corrupted by the example of all the na-
tions around them, and be induced to comply with the
polytheism and idolatry of some of their powerful neigh-
bours and conquerors, to which they were but too much
inclined of themselves ; was not this, I say, much more
Jikely than that they should be the happy instruments of
reforming the world, and converting some of all nations
to the worship of the one only God in spirit apd in truth ?

But the prophet farther intimates, that this great revo-
lution, the greatest that ever was in the religious world,
should be effected by a few incompetent persons, and ef-
fected too in a short compass of time. * A little one shall
become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation : I
the Lord will hasten it in his time, Ix. 22. Our Saviour's
commission to his apostles was, ^ Go teach all nations :*
and who were the persons to whom this commission was
given ? those who were best qualified and able to carry it
into execution ? the rich, the wise, the mighty of this world ?
No, they were chiefly a few poor fishermen, of low pa-
rentage and education, of no learning or eloquence, of no
policy or address, of no repute or authority, despised as
Jews by the rest of mankind, and as the meanest and worst

THE PROPHECIES. 1J9

of Jews by the Jews themselves. And what improper per-
sons were these to contend with the prejudices of all the
world, the superstition of the people, the interest of the
priests, the vanity of philosophers, the pride of rulers, the
malice of th Jews, the learning of Greece, and the power
of Home ;

As this revolution was eftected by a few incompetent
persons, so it was effected too in a short compass of time.
After our Saviour's ascension 'the number of disciples
tog-ether was about an hundred and twenty :' Acts i.l5.
but they soon increased and multiplied : the first sermon
of St. Peter 'added unto them ' about three thousand
souls,' ii. 41. and the second made up the number 'about
five thousand,' iv. 4. Before the destruction of Jerusa-
lem, in the space of about forty years, the gospel was
preached in almost every region of the world then know n :
And in the reign of Constantine Christianity became the
religion of the empire : and after having suffered a little
under Julian it entirely prevailed and triumphed over pa-
ganism and idolatry : and still prevails in the most civil-
ized and improved parts of the earth. All this was more
than man could foresee, and much more than man could
execute: and we experience the good effects of these
prophecies at this day. The speedy propagation of the
gospel, could not have been effected by persons so une-
qual to the task, if the same divine Spirit %vho foretold
it, had not likewise assisted them in it, according to the
promise, ' I the Lord will hasten it in his time.' We may
be as certain as if we had seen it, that the truth really
was, as the evangelist affirms, Mark xvi. 20. ' they went
forth and preached every where, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following.'

But neither the prophecies concerning the Gentiles,
nor those concerning the Jews, have yet received their
full and entire completion. Our Saviour hath not yet
had 'the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession :'
Psal. ii. 8. ' All the ends of the world' have not yet ' turn-
ed unto the Lord :' xxii. 27. ' All people, nations, and
languages,' have not yet ' served him :' Dan. vii. 14. These
things have hitherto been only partially, but they will
even literally be fulfilled. Neither are the Jews yet made
* an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations,' Isa.
Ix. 15. The time is not yet come, when 'violence shall no

160 DISSERTATIONS ON

iTierebe heard in the land, wasting nor destruction within
their borders,' ver. 18. God's promises to them are not
yet made good in their full extent. ' Behold, I will take
the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither
ihey be gone, and will gather them on every side, and
bring them into their own land. And they shall dwell in
the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, even
they and their children, and their children's children for
ever, and my servant David shall be their prince forever,'
Ezek. xxxvii, 21, 25. ' Then shall they know that I am
the Lord their God, who caused them to be led into cap-
tivity among the heathen ; but I have gathered them unto
their own land, and have left none of them any more there.
Neither will I hide my face any more from them, for I
have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith
the Lord God,' xxxix. 28, 29. However what hath al-
ready been accomplished, is a sufficient pledii^e and ear-
nest of what is yet to come : and we have all imaginable
reason to believe, since so many of these prophecies are
fulfilled, that the remaining prophecies will be fulfilled
also ; that there will be yet a greater harvest of the na-
tions, and the yet unconverted parts of the earth will be
enlightened with the knowledge of the Lord ; that the
Jews will in God's good time be converted to Christianity,
and upon their conversion be restored to their native city
and country : and especially since the state of aifairs is
such, that they may return without much difficulty, hav-
ing no dominion, no settled country, or fixed property to
detain them mu<:h any where. We have seen the pro-
])hecy of Hosea, iii. 4, 5. fulfilled in part, and why should
we not believe that it will be fulfilled in whole ? ' The
children of Israel shall abide many days without a king,
and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without
an image or a/tar, and without an ephod' or priest to
wear an ephod, ' and without teraphim' or divine mani-
festation. ' Afterwards shall the children of Israel return,
and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and
hhall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days."

We have now exhibited a summary view of the pro-
phecies of the Old Testament more immediately relative
to the preifent state and condition of the Jews ; and what
stronger and more convincing arguments can you require

THE PIIOPHECIES. 161

of the truth both of the Jewish and of the Christian reli-
gion ? The Jews were once the peculiar people of God :
and as St. Paul saith, Rom. xi. 1. ' Hath God cast away
his people ? God foibid.' We see that after so many
ages they are still preserved by a miracle of providence
a distinct people ; and why is such a continual miracle
exerted, but for the greater illustration of the divine truth,
and the better accomplishment of the divine promises, as
well those wducli are yet to be, as those w^hich are already
fulfilled ? We see that the great empires, which in their
turns sul)dued and oppressed the people of God, are all
come to ruin : because though they executed the pur-
poses of God, yet that was more than they understood ;
all that they intended was to satiate their own pride and
ambition, their own cruelty and revenge. And if such hath
been the fatal end of the enemies and oppressors of the
Jews, let it serve as a warning to all those, who at any
time or upon any occasion are for raising a clamour and
persecution against them. They are blameable no doubt
for persisting in their infidelity after so many means of
conviction; but this is no warrant or authority for us to
prescribe, to abuse, injure, and oppress them, as Chris-
tians of more zeal than either knowledge or charity have
in all ages been apt to do. Charity is greater than faith ;
and it is worse in us to be cruel and uncharitable, than it
is in them to be obstinate and unbelieving. Persecution
is the spirit of popery, and in the worst of popish coun-
tries the Jews are the most cruelly used and persecuted :
the spirit of protestantism is toleration and indulgence to
weaker consciences. Compassion to this unhappy people
is not to defeat the prophecies ; for only wicked nations
were to harass and oppress them, the good were to show
mercy to them ; and we should choose rather to be the
dispensers of God's mercies than the executioners of his
judgments. Read the eleventh chapter of the Epistle to
the Romans, and see what the great apostle of the Gen-
tiles, who certainly understood the prophecies better than
any of us can pretend to do, saith of the infidelity of the
Jews. Some of the Gentiles of his time valued them-
selves upon their superior advantages, and he reproves
them for it, that they who ' were cut out of the olive-tree
which is wild by nature; and were graffed contrary to na-
o 2

162- DISSERTATIONS ON

ture into a good olive-tree,* should presume to * boast
against the natural branches;' ver. xxiv. 18. but what
would he have said, how would he have flamed and light-
ened, if they had made religion an instrument of fac-
tion, and had been for stirring up a persecution against
them ? We should consider, that to them we owe the
oracles of God, the scriptures of the New Testament as
well as the Old; we should consider, that Me glorious
comfiany of the afioatles^fV^^WQW as the goodly fellow shifi of
the firofihets were Jews ; we should consider, that of them
as concerning the f/'sh Christ came^ the Saviour of the
world : and surely something of kindness and gratitudp
is due for such infinite obligations. Though they are
now broken off, yet they are not utterly cast away. * Be-
cause of unbelief,' as St. Faul argues, ver. 20. ^ they
were broken otF, and thou standest by faith ; Be not high
minded, but fear.* There will be a time, when they will
be gralFed in again, and again become the people of God ;
for as the apostle proceeds, ver. 25, 26. '1 would not
brethren that ye should be ignorant of this mystery (lest
ye should be wise in your own conceits) that blindness in
.part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in ; and so all Israel shall be saved.* And which
(think ye) is the most likely method to contribute to their
conversion, which are the most natural means to recon-
cile them to us and our religion, prayer, argument, long-
suffering, gentleness, goodness ; or noise and invective,
injury and outrage, the malice of some, and the folly and
madness of more ! They cannot be worse than when they
crucified the Son of God, and persecuted his apostles :
but what saith our Saviour ? Luke xxiii. 34. ' Father,
forgive them, for they know not what they do :* what
saith his apostle St.' Paul? Rom. x. 1. 'Brethren, my
heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they
might be saved.* In conformity to these blessed exam-
ples our church hath also taui^ht us to pray for them :
and how can prayer and persecution consist and agree to-
gether ? They are only pretended friends to the church,
but real enemies to religion, who encourage persecution
of any kind. All true sons of the church, all true pro-
testants, all true christians will, as the apostle adviseth,
Eph. iv. 3 ! . ' put away all bitterness, and wrath, and an-

THE PROPHECIES. I53

ger, and clamour, and evil r.pcaking;, with all malice ;' and
will join heart and voice in that excellent collect — Huve
mercy ufion all Jcnvs, Turks, injidtda, and heretics, and
take from, them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and con-
tempt of thy ivord .- and so fetch them home, blessed Lord,
to thyfock, that they may be saved among the remnant of
the true Israelites, and be made one fold under our Shefi^
herd, Jesus Christ our Lord.

IX.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING NINEVEH.

AS the Jews were the peculiar people of God, the pro-
phets were sent to them chiefly, and the main subjects of
the prophecies are the various changes and revolutions in
the Jewish church and state. But the spirit of prophecy-
is not limited there ; other subjects are occasionally in-
troduced ; and for the greater manifestation of the divine
providence, the fate of other nations is also foretold : and
especially of those nations, which lay in the neighbour-
hood of Judea, and had intercourse and connections with
the Jews ; and whose good or ill fortune therefore was of
some concern and consequence to the Jews themselves.
But here it is greatly to be lamented, that of these east-
ern nations, and of these early times, we have very short
and imperfect accounts ; we have no regular histories,
but only a few fragments of history, which have escaped
the general shipwreck of time. If we possessed the As-
syrian history written by Abydenus, and the Chaldean by
Berosus, and the Egyptian by Manetho ; we might in all
probability be better enabled to explain the precise mean-
ing, and to demonstrate the exact completion of several
ancient prophecies ; but for want of such helps and as-
sistances we must be glad of a little glimmering light,
wherever we can see it. We see enough, however,
though not to discover the beauty and exactness of each
particular, yet to make us admire in the general these
wonders of providence, and to show that the condition of

1G4 DISSERTATIONS ON

cities and kingdoms hath been such, as the prophets had
long ago foretold. And we will begin with the instance
of Nineveh.

Nineveh was the metropolis of the Assyrian empire,
and the Assyrians were formidable enemies to the king-
doms both of Israel and Judah. In the days of Menahem
king of Israel, Pul the king of Assyria invaded the land,
and was bought off with a thousand talents of silver, 2
Kings XV. 19. A few years afterwards 'in the days of
Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assy-
ria, and took several cities^ and Gilead, and Galilee, all
the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria,*
2 Kings XV. 29. The same Tiglath-pileser was invited
by Ahaz king of Judah, to come and assist him against
Rezin king of Syria, and Pekah king of Israel : ' And
Ahaz took the silver and gold that was found in the house
of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's house, and
sent it for a present to the king of Assyria,' 2 Kings xvi.
8. The king of Assyria came accordingly to his assist-
ance, and routed his enemies : but still, as another sacred
writer saith, 'distressed him, and strengthened him not,'
2 Chron. xxviii. 20. A little after, in the days of Hoshea
kin • of Israel, ' Shalmaneser the king of Assyria came
up thrpughout all the land,' and after a siege of three
years ' took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria,
and placed them in Halah, and in Habor by the river of
Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,' 2 Kings xvii. 5,
6. It was ' in the sixth year of Hezekiah,' king of Ju-
dah, that Shalmaneser king of Assyria carried Israel
away captive : and 'in the fourteenth year of king Heze-
kiah, did vSennacherib king of Assyria come up against
all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them,' 2 Kings
xviii. 10, 13. And the king of Assyria exacted of the
king of Judah, ' three hundred talents of silver, and thirty-
talents of gold ; so that even good king Hezekiah was
forced to ' give him all the silver that was found in the
house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king's
house,' ver. 14, 15. Sennacherib notwithstanding sent
his captains ' with a great host against Jerusalem,' ver.
17. but his army was miraculously defeated,* and he

[* Herodotus mentions this destruction, but ascribes it to a
large number of field mice devouring in i'. night their shield-

THE PROPHECIES. IGJ,

Jiimself was afterwards slain at Nineveh, 2 Kings xix. 35,
36, 37. His son Esarhaddon compleated the deportation
of the Israelites, 'and brought men from Babylon, and
from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from
Seph^rvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria,
instead of the children of Israel ; and they possessed Sama-
ria, and dwelt in the cities thereof/ 2 Kings xvii. 24. Ezra
iv. 2. We see then that the Assyrians totally destroyed
the Kingdom of Israel, and greatly oppressed the king-
dom of Judah : and no wonder therefore that they are
made the subject of several pro])hecies.

The prophet Isaiah denounceth the judi2:nients of God
against Sennacherib in particular, and against the Assy-
rians in general.' ' () Assyrian, the rod of mine anger,*
or rather, JVoc to the Jhsyrian^ tin rod of mine ani^er^ x»
5. God might employ them as the ministers of his
wrath, and executioners of his vengeance ; and so make
the wickedness of some nations the means of correcting
that of others : ' I will send him against an hypocritical
nation ; and against the people of my wrath will I give
him a charge to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and
to tread them down like the mire in the streets,' ver. 6.
But it was far from any intent of theirs to execute the
divine will, or to chastise the vices of mankind ; they
only meant to extend their conquest, and .establish their
own dominion upon the ruins of others : ' Howbeit he
meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so, but it is
in his heart to destroy, and cut oif nations not a few,' ver.
7. Wherefore when they shall have served the purpo-

straps, quivers and bow-strings — Herapollo says that the Eg^'p-
tians to signify destruction painted a mouse. — Ijoswell in his lite
of Dr. S. Johnson observes, tiiat it was a subject of conversation
between them, in what manner so great a multitude of Sennache-
rib's army was destroyed. "We are not to suppose," says the
doctor, " that the ang-el went about with a sword in his hand
stabbing them one by one, but, that some powerful natural agent
was employed, most probably the Samiel." The Samiel accord-
ing- to Mr. Bruce consists of a meteor ** appearing- like a thin
smoke and passing with a gentle ruffling wind. It is peculiarly
fatal to persons sleeping. It is felt and is compared to a suffo-
cating fire. Its extent is •very considerable ; and it often happens
in the night." God says, Isuiah 37. 7. "Behold 1 will send a
BLAST upon him."]

166 DISSERTATION'S OX

ses of divine providence, they shall be severely punished
for their pride and ambition, their tyranny and cruelty to
their neighbours; ' Wherefore it shall come to pass,tliat
when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon
mount Zion, and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of
the stout heart of the king- of Assyria, and the glory of
his high looks,' ver. 12. There was no prospect of such
an event, while the Assyrians were in the midst of their
successes and triumphs ; but still the word of the pro-
phet prevailed ; and it was not long after these calamities
brought upon the Jews, of which we have given a short
deduction, that the \ssyrian empire properly so called
was overthrown, and Nineveh destroyed.

Nineveh, or Ninus, as it was most usually called by
the Greeks and Romans, was, as we said before, the capi-
tal city of the Assyrian empire ; and the capital is fre-
quently put for the whole empire, the prosperity or ruin
of the one being involved in that of the other. This was
a very ancient city, being built by Ashur, or as others
say, by Nimrod; for those words of Moses, Gen. x. 11.
which our translators, together with most of the ancient
versions render thus. Out of that land went forth Ashur ^
and builded Mneveh^ others translate it, as the Chaldee*
paraphrast translates them, and as they are rendered in
the margin of our bibles, Ont of that land he., that is,
Nimrod, the person spoken of before, ivnit forth into
Assyria^ and builded A'ineveh. It is well known that the
word Ashur in Hebrew is the name of the country, as
well as the name of the man, and the preposition is often
omitted, so that the words may very well be translated, he
iverit forth into Assyria. And Moses is here giving an
account of the sons of Ham, and it may seem foreign to
his subject to intermix the story of any of the sons of
Shem, as Ashur was. Moses afterwaids recounts the sons
of Shem ; and Ashur among them ; and it is presumed
that he would hardly relate his actions, before he had men-
tioned his nativity, or even his name, contrary to the series
of the genealogy and to the order of the history. But this
notwithstanding, I incline to understand the text literally
as it is translated, out of that land luent forth Ashur ^ be-

* " Out of that land he went into Assyria," See Onkclos-»

THE rUOFIlEClES. 167

ing expelled thence by Nimrod, a7id builded Kincveh^
and other cities, in opposition to the cities which Nimrod
had founded in the land of Shinar. And neither is it for-
eign to the subject, nor contrary to the order of the his-
tory, upon the mention of Nimrod's invading and seizing
the territories of Ashur, to relate whither Ashur retreat-
ed, and where he fortified himself against him. But by
whom soever Nineveh was built, it might afterwards be
greatly enlarged and improved by Ninus, and called after
his name, whoever Ninus was, for that is altogether un-
certain.

As it was a very ancient, so was it likewise a very great
city. In Jonah it is styled that great city^ i. 2. iii. 2. an
exceeding great city., iii. 3. In the original it is * a city
great to God ; in the same manner as Moses is called by
St. Stephen, in the Acts of the Apostles, vii. 20. <asteios
to Theo,* fair to God, or exceeding Jhir, as our transla-
tors rightly render it, and so t/ie 7noiintains of God, Psal.
xxxvi. 6. are exceeding high mountains, and the cedars
of God, Psal. Ixxx. 10. are exceeding tall cedars. It was
therefore an exceeding great city ; and the scripture ac-
count is confirmed by the testimony of heathen authors,
Strabo f says, that Nineveh was much greater even than
Babylon : and t Diodorus Siculus from Ctesias affirms that
"its builder Ninus proposed to build a city of such mag-
nitude, that it should not only be the greatest of the cities
which were then in all the world, but that none of those
who should be born after that time, attempting the like,
should easily exceed it ;" and a little after he subjoins,
that " nobody afterwards built such a city, either as to the

* * Gnir Gedokh Lelohlm,' a city great to God. 'Polls me-
gale to Theo.' See Septiiagint.

f It was much larger than Babylon. See Strabo, Book XVI.
page 7ii7, of the Paris edition, and page 1071, of that of Amster-
dam, printed In 1707.

i, Also he (Ninus), made quick dispatch to build a city of suck
magnitude, that it should exceed in greatness, not only all that
were then in the world, but that no person afterwards to be born

engaging in a like work should go beyond it For since, none

hath ever built a city mclosing- a larger space, or with walls
more magnificent. See Diodorus Siculus, Book II. page 65, in
Stephanus' edition, and page 91, 92. in that of Rhodomauus.

Ig^ DISSERTATIONS ON

greatness of the compass, or as to the magnificence of the
walls." It is added in Jonah iii. 3. that it was * ' an ex-
ceeding great city of three day's journey,' that is of three
days journey in circuit, as St. Jerome and the best com-
mentators expound it. Strabo, as it was observed before
hath said that Nineveh was much larger than Babylon ;
and a little afterwards he says, that t the circuit of Baby-
lon was 385 furlongs: but t Diodorus Siculus asserts,
that the v/hole circuit of Nineveh was 480 furlongs;
•which § make somewhat more than 60 miles, and 60
miles were three days journey, 20 miles a day being the
common computation of a foot traveller. It is farther said
in Jonah, iv. 11. that in Nineveh ' there were more than
sixscore thousand persons, who could not discern between
their right hand, and their left hand, and also much cat-
tle.* I think it is !i generally calculated that the young
children of any place are a fifth part of the inhabitants ;
and if we admit of that calculation, the whole number of
inhabitants in Nineveh amounted to ^bove six hundred
thousand : which number will appear by no means incre-
dible, if we consider the dimensions of the city as given

* A large city, and of so extensive a chxuit, that it could
scarcely be travelled round in the space of three days. See Je-
rome's Commentary on the passag-e, page 1486. Vol. III. of the
Benedictine edition.

f Its walls were three hundred and eighty-five furlongs in cir-
cumference. See Strabo, page 738 of the Paris edition, and
page 1072, of that of Amsterdam, published in 1707.

t The whole circumference (of Nineveh) measured four hun-
dred and eighty furlongs. See Book II. page 56, of Stephanus'
edition, and page 92, in that of Rhodomanus.

§ The circumference of Nineveh measured four hundred and
eighty furlongs, that is sixty miles, wliichwill require tlnee days
to travel round it, allowing twenty miles for each day. A day's
journey was considered by the Roman lawyers, and by the an-
cient Greeks, as extending to this number of miles. Ilerodotus,
in Book V. Chap. xxxv. saith they marched an hundred and fif-
ty furlongs each day. — Now an hundred and fifty furlongs, make
twenty miles. The Stadiaii or furlong among the Greeks being
larger than ours. See Bochart's Phaleg, Book IV. Chap. xx. —
Col. 252.

II See the same work of Bochart, Col, 253. Lowth*s Commew-
tary and Calinet's.

THE PROPlIECIfiS. 16y

by Diodorus Sicnlus, * that it was in length 1 50 furlongs,
in breudth 90 furlongs, and in circuit 480 furlongs, that
ia 20 miles long, about 12 miles broad, and above 60 miles
in compass. A city of such dimensions might easily con-
lain such a number of inhabitants, and many more : and
at the same time there might be, as there are in most of
the great cities of the east, large vacant spaces for gar-
dens or for pasture ; so that there might be, as the sacred
text asserts there was, also much cattle. But according to
the modern method f ot calculation the number of Nine-
vites is reduced much lower. For allowing that the num-
i)er of infants was one hundred and thirty thousand, as the
scripture saith that they were more than one hundred and
twenty thousand ; yet these making but three tenths of the
inhabitants, the number of the citizens will appear to have
amounted to four hundred and twenty-three thousand. —
London and Paris stand not upon one quarter of the
ground, and yet are supposed to contain more inhabi-
tants ; London even more than the former calculation,
und Paris more than the latter ; it being computed + that
in London there are about 725,943 persons, and about
437,478 in Paris.

The inhabitants of Nineveh, like those of other great
cities, abounding in wealth and luxury, became very cor-
rupt in their morals. Whereupon it pleased God to com-
mission the prophet Jonah to preach unto them the ne-
cessity of repentance, as the only means of averting their
impending destruction : and such was the success of his
preaching, that both the king and the people repented
and turned from their evil ways, and thereby for a time
delayed the execution of the divine judgments. Who
this king of Assyria was, we cannot be certain, we can
only make conjectures, his name not being mentioned in
the i3ook of Jonah. Archbishop Usher § supposeth him
to have been Pul the king of Assyria, who afterward in-

* Each of the two longer sides measured one hundred and
fifty furlongs, and each of the two shorter ninety . See Diodorus
Siculus in the same place.

f See Maitland's History of London, BooklHChap. li. page 543.

4: See Maithmd, page 541 and 548.

§ See Usher's Annals, year of the world 32.13^ page 5^, and
Lavvth's Comme^itary.

VOL. I. P

170 DISSERTATIONS ON

vaded the kingdom of Israel, in the days of Menahem ; 2
Kings XV. 19. it being very agreeable to the methods of
providence, to make use of an heathen king who was pe-
nitent, to punish the impenitency of God's own people
Israel. But it should seem more probable, that this prince
was one of the kings of Assyria, before any of those who
are mentioned in scripture. For Jonah is reckoned the
most ancient of all the prophets, usually so called, whose
writings are preserved in the canon of scripture. We
know that he prophecied of the restoration of the coasts
of Israel taken by the king of Syria, which was accom-
plished by Jeroboam the second : 2 Kings xiv. 25. and
therefore Jonah must have lived before that time ; and
is with great reason supposed by Bishop Lloyd, in his
Chronological Tables to have prophecied at the latter end
of Jehu's, or the beginning of the reign of Jehoahaz,
when the kingdom of Israel was reduced very low, and
greatly oppressed by Hazael king of Syria, 2 Kings x.
32. If he prophecied at that time, there intervened Je-
hoahaz's reign of seventeen years, Joash's reign of six-
teen years, Jeroboam's of forty and one years, Zachariah's
of six months, Shallum's of one month, and Menahem
was seated on the throne of Israel, before any mention
is made of Pul, the king of Assyria : and therefore we
may reasonably conclude from the distance of time, which
was above seventy years, that Jonah was not sent to Pul
the king of Assyria, but to one of his predecessors, though
to whom particularly we are unable to discover, for the
want before complained of, the want of Assyrian histories,
which no doubt would have related so memorable a trans-
action.

But this repentance of the Ninevites, we may presume
was of no long continuance. For not many years after
we find the pfophet Nahum foretelling the total and en-
lire destruction of the city ; though there is no certainty
of the time of Nahum's, any more than of Jonah's pro-
phecying. Josephus* saith, that he flourished in the time

* And there was a certain prophet at this time, whose name
was Nahum. — All these thing's which were foretold by him con-
cernuig Nineveh, were accomplished one hundred and fifteen

THE PllOPHEClES. 171

of Jotham kingoFJudah, and that ail the things which he
foretold concerning Nineveh came to pass one hundred
and fifteen years afterwards. St. Jerome * placeth him
under Hezekiah, king of Judah, and saith that liis name
by interpretation is a comforter ; for the ten tribes bein?.';
carried away by the kino- of Assyria, this vision was to
comfort them in their captivity ; nor was it a less conso-
lation to the other two tribes of Judah and IBenjamin, who
remained in the land, and were besieged by the same ene-
mies, to hear that these conquerors would in time be con-
quered themselves, their city be taken, and their empire
overthrown. Ail that is said of him in scripture is A^'ur
hum the Elkoshitt^ Nahum i. 1. which title in all proba-
bility was given him from the place of his nativity; and
St. Jerome f supposeth it to have been a village in Gali-
lee, the ruins wher.-of were shown to him, when he tra-
velled in those parts. Now we learn from the sacred his-
tory, 2 Kings XV. 29. that the people of* Galilee were ta-
ken by Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, and carried cap-
tive into Assyria.' It is notimprolmble therefore, that at
that time this prophet, who v^'as a Galilean, might be in-
structed to foretel the fall of Nineveh: and that time co-
incides with the reign of Jotham king of Judah, which

years afterwards. See Josephus' Antiquities, Book IX. C'lap.
xi. Sect. 3. page 422, and 423, of Hudson's edition.

* Nahum, which is by interpretation **a Comforter." For du-
ring" the reign of lie/ekiah the king of Judah, the ten tribes had
been led into captivity by the Assyrians, and at that very time
tlie prophet had a vision against Nineveh, for the comfort of
these captives. Nor was his vision calculated to afford small con-
solation only to such of the Israelites as were now in bondage to
tlie Assyrians, but to the remaining tribes of Judah and Benja-
min, under the government of Hezekiah, wlio were now attack-
ed by the same enemies; when they slioulil fearn that tlic Assy-
rians in their turn would be led into captivity by the Chaldces,
as will be shewn in the sequel of this book. Sec Jerome's pre-
face to the book of Nahum, page 1553, Vol. III. of the Bcuedic-
tine edition.

f Elkosh, at this veiy day is a village in Galilee, small indeed
and scarcely in its ruins discovering any vestiges of its ancient,
buildings. It is, however, wellknov/nto the Jews, and was point-
ed out to me by my conductor. See Jerome in the same place,
page 1559.

1T2 DISSERTATIONS ON

is the time assigned for Nahum's prophecying by Jo-
sephus. But if Josephus was right in this particular,
he was wrong in another ; for more than one hundred
and fifteen years intervened between the reign of Jotham
king of Judah, and the desti*uction of Nineveh^as it is usu-
ally computed by chronologers. There is one thing,
^yhich might greatly assist us in fixing the time of Na-
luim's prophecying ; and that is the destruction of No-
Amon or Diospolis in Egypt, which he mentions, chap,
iii. 8, &c. as a late transaction, if we could know certain-
ly, when that destruction happened, or by whom it wfts
effected. It is commonly attributed to Nebuchadnez-
Xar ; but tlmt time is too late, and the destruction of
No-Amon would fall out after the destruction of Nineveh
instead of before it. Dr. Prideaux * with more reason
believes, that it was eftected by Sennacherib, before he
marched against Jerusalem ; and then Nahum's prophe-
cying would coincide exactly with the reign of Hezekiah,
which is the time assigned for it by St. Jeron.e.

But whenever it was that Nahumprophecied, he plainly
and largely foretold the destruction of Nineveh ; his whole
prophecy relates to this single event ; and the city was
accordingly destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians.
This point I think is generally agreed upon, that Nineveh
was taken and destroyed by the iVIedes and Babylonians ;
these two rebelling and uniting together subverted the
Assyrian empire : but authors differ much about the time
when Nineveh was taken, and about the king of Assyria
in whose reign it was taken, and even about the persons
who had the command in this expedition. llerodotusf
affirms, that it was taken by Cyaxares king of the Medes ;
St. Jerome after the Hebrew chronicle | asserts that it

* See Brideaux' Connections, Part I. Book I. year 713, and 15
of Hezekiah.

f See also Herodotus, Book I. Chap. cvi. pag-e 45, in Gale's
edition.

^ Jerome on Nah. ii. 12. page 1574. Vol. 3, of the Benedictine
edition, saith, that Seder 01am liabba ascribes the taking- of
Nineveli to Xehuchodnosor alone, and fixes the time. For in his
first year, Nebuchodnosor took Nineveh, that is, soon after tlte

death of his father. This Hebrew Chronicle is followed by

Jerome, &c. See ulso Marsham's Chronicle of the XYHI. age,
pag-e 559.

THE PROPHECIES. I73

>vas taken by Nebuchodnosor king of the Babylonians :
but these accounts may be easily reconciled, for Cyaxares
and Nebuchodnosor might take it with their joint forces,
as they actually did according to that which is written in
the book of Tobit, xiv. 15. if the Assuerus in Tobit be
the same (as there is great reason to think him the same)
with the Cyaxares of Herodotus ; But before Tobiiis died,
he heard of the deslruction of J^inevrh^ which was taken
by JVebuchodnosor and Assiceriis ; and before his death he
rejoiced over Minevfh. Josepluis, * whosaith in one place
that the empire of the Assyrians was dissolved by the
Medes, saith in another that the Medes and Babylonians
dissolved the empire of the Assyrians. Herodotus him-
self saith t that the Medes took Nineveh, and subdued the
Assyrians, except the Babylonian portion ; the reason of
which was, the Babylonians were their allies and confede-
rates. Ctesias, and after him Diodorus Siculus:^ ascribe
the taking of Nineveh, and the subversion of the Assyrian
empire to Arbaces the Mede, assisted by Belesis the Ba-
bylonian. I know that Eusebius,§ and after him several
excellent chronologers, Usher, Pridej:ux, and others reck-
on this quite a diiFerent action, and fix it at quite a differ-
ent time ; but it is not likely that the same city should be
twice destroyed, and the same empire twice overthrown
by the same people twice confederated together. Diodo-

* The empire of the Assyrians was destroyed by the Medes.
See Josephus' Antiquities, Book X. Chap. ii. Sect. 2, page 4S5.
The Medes and the Bab3'lonians who had destroyed the empire
of the Assyrians. See the same, Chap. v. Sect. 1, page 441, in
Hudson's edition.

j They (the Medes,) took Nineveh, and subdued the Assyri-
ans, excepting that quarter which pertained to Babylon. See
Herodotus, Book I. Chap. cvi. page 45, in Gale's edition.

\ See Diodorus Siculus, Book H. page 78, in Stephanas' edi-
tion, and page 110, in that of Rhodomanus.

§ Eusebius (according to the plan which he had adopted,)
hath stated both these opinions. For following Ctesias he saith,
Arbaces the Mede, Num. 1197,) having destroyed the empire of
the Assyrians, transferred tlie sovereignty to the Medes. And
a^ain, (213 years afrerwards,) upon the credit of Heiodotus,
(Num. 1410,) he saith, Cyaxares the Mede destroyed Nineveh.
But these assertions are inconsistent. See Marsham's Chronicle
of the Xym age, page 556.

p 2

174 DISSERTAXrONS ON

riis, who relates this catastrophe, cloth not mention tJie
other ; but saith expressly,* that Arbaces distributed the
citizens of Nineveh in the country villages, levelled the
city with the ground, transferred many talents of gold
and silver to Ecbatana the royal city of the Medes ; and
so, saith he, the empire of the Assyrians was subverted.
If there is some difficulty in discovering the persons by
whom Nineveh was taken, there is more in ascertaining the
king of Assyria in whose reign it was taken, and more
still in fixing the time when it was taken, scarce any two
chronologers agreeing in the same date : but as these
kings are hardly possible to be known, so neither are they
necessary to be known, with precision and exactness;
and we may safely leave them among the uncertaiRties of
ancient chronology.

It is sufficient for our purpose, that Nineveh was taken
and destroyed according to the predictions : and Nahum
foretold not only the thing, but also the manner of it.
Herodotus promised to relate in his Assyrian history how
Nineveh was taken ;t the Medes took Nineveh, saith he,
but how they took it, I will show in another work. Again
afterwards he mentions his design of writing the Assyrian
history. Speaking of the kings of Babylon, he saith,:^ of
these I shall make mention in the Assyrian history. I3ut
to our regret, tins history was never finished, or is lost.
More probably it was never finished, for otherwise some
or other of the ancients would have mentioned it. If it
had been extant with his other works, it would in all pro-

* But Arbaces havin.^ collected the inhabitants of Nineveh,
dispersed them among the country villages. — He levelled the
city with the grotmd. — Then he conveyed the gold and silver, of
which there were many talents, to Ecbatana, the metropolis of
Media. In this manner the dominions of the Assyrians were
put an end to, by the Medes. See Diodorus Siculus, Book II.
pnge 81, in Stephanas' edition, and page 115, in that of Rhodo-
manus.

t And they also took Nineveh, (hut in what manner, I will
shew elscwliere.) See Herodotus, Book I. Chap. cvi. page 45,
m Gale's edition.

4 Of whom, in giving an accountof the Assyrians, I shall make
mention, Book I. Chap, clxxxiv. page 76, of Gale's edition. See
also Vossius' Grecian History, Book 1. Chap. iii. And also Fa-
i)ricius' Greek Library, Book II. Chap. xx.

THE PROPHECIES. 1^5

bability have been of great service in illustrating seve-
ral passages in Nahum's prophecies. It is however
something fortunate, that we can in some measure supply
this loss out of Diodorus Siculus. Nahum prophecies*
that the Assyrians should be taken while they were drunk-
en, i. 10. ' For while they be folden together as thorns,
and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be
devoured as stubble fully dry :' and Diodorus * relates^,
that " it was while all the Assyrian army were feasting
for their former victories, that those about Arbaces being
informed by some deserters of the negligence and drunk-
enness in the camp of the enemies, assaulted them unex-
pectedly by night, and falling orderly on them disorderly,
and prepared on them unprepared, became masters of the
camp, and slew many of the soldiers, and drove the rest
into the city." Nahum foretels, ii. 6. "that the gates of
the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dis-
solved :" and Diodorus f informs us, "that there was an

* While the whole (Assyrian) army was devoting itself to
feasting, Arbaces, by means of deserters, having learned their
negligence and drunkenness, attacks them suddenly by night.
And because his army was well arranged and prepared'for the
onset, and the case of the enemy the very reverse, he easily made
himself master of their camp, put a vast number of the soldiers
to the sword, and chased the rest into the city. See Diodorus
Siculus, Book H. page 80, of Stephanus' edition, and page 112,
of that of Tlhodcmanus.

f But there was a prophecy handed down by tradition from
their ancestors, that Nineveh could never be taken, till the river
had first become its enemy. — At length it came to pass in the
third year, that the Euphrates, (Tigris) increasing by the heavi-
est showers of rain, which were of long continuance, overflowed
a part of the city, and with its torrent, brake down about twenty
furlongs of the vs-all. Then the king thinking that the prophecy
was accomplished, and that the river M'as now evidentlj- become
an enemy lO the city, fell into despair. Lest, therefore, he should
fall into the hands of his enemies, he caused a large funeral pile
to be constructed in the midst of his palace. Into this he or-
dered to be conveyed all his gold, silver, and royal apparel.—
Then having shut up his concubines and eunuchs with himself,
in an apartment in the centre thereof, he set fire to it, all of
which, with the palace, was reduced to ashes. As soon as the
revolters from the king heard of his death, they entered by a
breach made in the wall, and took the city. Sec Diodorus Sicu-
lus, Book II. page 80, of Stephanus' edition, and paye 113, in
that of Rhodomaniis.

1 YQ DISSERTATIONS ON

old prophecy, that Nineveh should not be taken, till the
river became an enemy to the city ; and in the third year
of the siege, the river being swoln with continual rains
o.verliowed part of the city, and broke down the wall for
20 furlongs; then the king- thinking that the oracle was
fulfilled, and the river become an enemy to the city, built
a large funeral pile in the palace, and collecting together
all his wealth and concubines and eunuchs, burnt himself
and the palace with them all ; and the enemy entered
the breach that the waters had made, and took the city."
What was predicted in the first chapter, ver. 8. was
therefore literally, fulfilled, ' With an over-running flood
he will make an utter end of the place thereof.* Nahum
promises the enemy much spoil of gold and silver-, ii. 19.
' Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold ; for
there is no end of the store, and glory out of all the plea-
sant furniture :' and we read in Diodorus, * that Arbaces
carried many talents of gold and silver to Ecbatana the
royal city of the Medes. According to Nahum i. 8. iii.
15. the city was to be destroyed by fire and water; and
we see in Diodorus, that by fire and water it was destroy-
ed.

But Nahum is cited upon this occasion principally to
show, that he foretold the total and entire destruction of
this city. ' The Lord, saith he in the first chapter, ver.
8, 9. 'with an over-running flood will make an utter
end of the place there ;.he will make an utter end ; aflPiic-
tion shall not rise up the second time.' Again in the
second chapter, ver. 11,13.* Where is the dwelling of the
lions, and the feeding place of the young lions ?* meaning
Nineveh whose princes rfivaged like lions: * Behold, I
am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will cut
oflf thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messen-
gers shall no more be heard. And again in the third and
^ast chapter, ver. 17, 18, 19. * Thy crowned are as the
locusts, and thy captains as the great grashoppers, which
camp in the hedges in the cold day ; but when the sun

* Then having collected whatever gold and silver the fire of
the funeral pile had not cnnsiimcd. unmounting to many talents,
lie carried them oft' to Ecbatana of Media. Diodorus Sicuhis,
Book II. page 81, of Slephanus' edition and page 115, in that of
Ehodoman^s.

THE PROPHECIES. 177

ariseth, they flee away, and in tlieir place is not known
where they are,' or have been ; ' thy shepherds slumber,
O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust ;
thy people is scattered upon llie mountains, and no man
gathereth them; there is no healing- of thy bruise; thy
wound is grievous ; all that hear the bruise of thee shall
clap the hands over thee ; for upon whom hath not thy
wickedness passed continually ? The prophet Zephaniah
likewise in the days of Josiah king of Judah foretold the
same sad event, ii. 13, 14, 15. The Lord v/ill stretch out
his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will
make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness :.
and flocks shall Jic down in the midst of her, all the beasts
of the nations ; both the cormorant and the bittern shall
lodge in the upper lintels of it ; their voice shall sing in
the windows ; desolation shall be in the thresholds ; for he
shall uncover the. cedar work ; this is the rejoicing city
that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and
there is none beside me ; how is she become a desolation,
a place for beasts to lie down in ! every one that passeth
by her, shall hiss and wag his hand.' * But what proba-
bility was there that the capital city of a great kingdom,
a city which was sixty miles in compass, a city which
contained so many thousand inhabitants, a city which had
walls, according to Diodorus Siculus,t a hundred feet

* [" The entire desolation of Nineveh is in this prophecy most
expressly and particularly foretold, yet no event can be imagined
more improbable at the time when Nahiim wrote than this was.
The entire desolation of London, so that none could decide where
this great metropolis was situated, would not be considered by
uSj as more improbable than the desolations of Nineveh must
liave appeared at that day ; when it was the most populous and
powerful city in the known world. The discordant opinions,
^ relative to the spot where once it stood' is the completest proof
imaginable that the prediction has been most wonderfully ac-
complished, and that it was deliverd by the inspiration of that
God, known unto whom are all his works from the beginning."]

Scott.

f For its wall rose to the heighth of a hundred feet, its
breadth was so extended, that three chariots abreast could quite
easily be driven along. The number of its towers amounted to
fifteen hundred, and the heighth of each of them was two hun-
dred feet. See Diodorus Siculus, Book II. page 65, of Stephanas'
edition, and page 92, of that of lihodomanus.

1 78 DISSERTATIONS ON

high, and so thick that three chariots could go abreast
upon them, and fifteen hundred towers at proper distances
in the walls of two hundred feet in heighth; what proba-
bility was there, I say, that such a city should ever be to-
tally destroyed ? and yet so totally >va3 it destroyed, that
the place is hardly known where it was situated.

We have seen that it was taken and destroyed by the
Medes and Babylonians : and what we may suppose help-
ed to complete its ruin and devastation was Nebuchad-
nezzar's soon afterwards enlarging and beautifying of Ba-
bylon. From that time no mention is made of Nineveh
by any of the sacred writers ; and the most ancient of the
heathen authors, who have occasion to say any thing
about it, speak of it as a city that was once great and
flourishing, but now destroyed and desolate. Great as it
was formerly, so little of it was remaining, that authors
are not agreed even about its situation. I think v/e may
conclude from the general suffrage of ancient historians
and geographers, that it was situated upon tlie river Ti-
gris ; but yet no less authors than Ctesias and Diodorus
Siculus * represent it as situated upon the river Euphrates.
Nay, authors differ not only from one another, but alsQ
from themselves. For the learned Bochartf hath shown
that Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Ammianus Mar-
cellinus, all three speak differently of it, sometimes as if
it was situated upon the river Tigris, and sometimes as
if it was situated upon the River Euphrates. So that to
reconcile these authors with themselves and with others,
it is supposed by Bocharl :|: that there were two Ninevehs,
and by Sir John Marsham§ that there were three ; the Sy-
rian upon the river Euphrates, the Assyrian upon the
river Tigris, and a third built afterwards upon the Tigris

* See Diodorus Siculus, page 80, of Stephanas* edition, and
page 113, of that of Rliodomanus.

t See Bochart's Phaleg, Book IV. Chap. xx. Col. 248, 249.

4: I cannot see how to reconcile these thing-s, but by supposing
there were two Ninevehs; one of them situaled on the banks of
the Euphrates in Comagena, the other beyond the river Tigris
• In Assyria. See Bochart's Phaleg, and sanic place.

§ In the writings of the ancients, mention is made of three Ni-
rtevchs ; one in Syi-ia, another in Assyria, and a third in Pcrsiy.
See Mavsliam's Chroulclc of the XV III age, page 569.

THE PROPHECIES. 17<^

by the Persians, who succeeded the Parthians in the em-
pire of the east in the third century, and were subdued by
the Saracens in the seventh century after Clirist : but,
whether this later Nineveh was built in the same place as
old Nineveh, is a question that cannot be decided. 'Lu-
cian, * who flourished in the second century after Christ,
aftirms, that Nineveh was utterly perished, and there was
no footstep of it remaining, nor could you tell where once
it was situated ; and the greater regard is to be paid to
Lucian's testimony, as he was a native of Samosata, a
city upon the river Euphrates, and coming from a neigh-
bouring country he must in all likelihood, have known
whether there had been any remains of Nineveh or not.
There is at this time a city called Mosul, situate upon
the western side of the river Tigris, and on the opposite
astern shore are ruins of a great extent, which are said to
be the ruins of Nineveh. Benjamin of Tudela, t who
Avrote his Itinerary in the year of Christ 1173, infonns
us, that there is only a bridge between Mosul and Nine-
veh ; this latter is laid waste, yet hath it many streets and
castles. But another, who wrote in 1300, asserts that
Nineveh at present is totally laid waste, but by the ruins
which are still to be seen there, we may firmly believe
that it was one of the greatest cities in the world. The
same thing is attested by later travellers, and particularly
by Thevenot, I upon whose authority Prideaux relates

* Nineveh hath so perished, that no vestige of it at present
remaineth, nor can it be easily ascertained where formerly it
stood. See Lucian's Contemplations near the end.

t Benjamin of Tudela, who v/rote his Itinerary in the year of
our Lord 1173, sai h (page 62.) that between Moz,al and Nineveli
there is at present only a bridge. The latter place is in ruins,

yet it hath still many small villages and castles. But Haitoa

the Armenian in his book concerning the Tartars, Chap. xi.
page 406. (he wrote in the year 1300,) saith that the city of Ni-
neveh, is at present totally in ruins. Marsham in his Chroni-
cle of the XVHl age, observes, page 558, that by the ruins which
are still to be seen, one may be fully satisfied, that it was once
one of the greatest cities in the world. Sec this in Bochart's
Phaleg, Book IV. page xx. Col. 255.

i See Thevenoi's Travels, Part 2. Book I. Chap. xi. page 50.
See also Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book I. year 612, and
39thofJosiah.

i go DISSERTATIONS ON

that " Mosul is situated on the west side of the river Ti-
gris; where was anciently only a suburb of the old Nineveh,
for the city itself stood on the east side of the river, where
are to be seen some of its ruins of great extent even to
this day.'* Tavernier likewise affirms, * that " across the
Tigris, which hath a swift stream and whitish water,
whereas Euphrates runs slow and is reddish, you come
to the ancient city Nineveh, which is now an heap of
rubbish only, for a league along the river, full of vaults
antl caverns." Mr. Salmon, -j- who is an industrious col-
lector and compiler from others, saith in his account of
Assyria, " In this country the famous city of Nineveh
once stood, on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, op-
posite to the place where Mosul now stands There is

nothing now to be seen but heaps of rubbish, almost a
league along the river Tigris, over against Mosul, which
people imagine to be the remains of this vast city." But
it is more than probable that these ruins are the remains
of the Persian Nineveh, and not of the Assyrian. ///S'^
periere runa : Even the ruins of old Nineveh have been,
as I may say, long ago ruined and destroyed: such an ut-
ter end hath been made of it, and such is the truth of the
divine predictions!

This perhaps may strike us the more strongly by sup-
posing a parallel instance. Let us then suppose, that a
person should come in the name of a prophet, preaching
repentance to the people of this kingdom, or otherwise
denouncing the destruction of the capital city within a
few years; ' with an over-running flood will God make an
utter end of the place thereof, he will make an utter end ;
its place may be sought, but it shall never be found.' I
presume we should look upon such a prophet as a mad-
man, and shew no farther attention to his message than to
deride and despise it ; and yet such an event would not be
more strange and incredible than the destruction and de-
vastation of Nineveh. For Nineveh was much the larger,
and much the stronger, and older city of the two ; and
the Assyrian empire had subsisted and flourished more

* See Tavernier in Harris' Collection, Vol. 2. Book II. Chap.iv.
t Sec Salmon's Modern History, Vol. I Chap. xii. See present
slritc of the Turkish Empire. Quarto. , -

THE PROfllECHiS. 181

ages than any form of government in this country ; so that
you cannot object the instability of the eastern monar-
chies in this case. Let us then, since this event would
not be more improljable and extraordinary than the other,
suppose again, that things should succeed according to
the prediction, the floods should arise, and the enemy
should come, the city sliould be overflown and broken
down, be taken and pillaged, and destroyed so totally, that
even the learned could not agree about the place where
it was situated. What would be said or thought in such
a case? Whoever of posterity should read and compare
the prophecy and event together, must they not by such
an illustrious instance be thoroughly convinced of the
providence of God, and of the truth of this prophet, and
be ready to acknowledge, ' Verily this is the word that
the Lord hath spoken, verily there is a God who judge th
the earth V

X.

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING BABYLON.

AFTER Nineveh was destroyed, Babylon became the
queen of the east. They were both equally enemies to
the people of God ; the one subverted the kingdom of Is-
rael, and the other the kingdom of Judah ; the one car-
ried away the ten tribes, and the other the two remaining
tribes into captivity. No wonder therefore that there are,
several prophecies relating to each of these cities, and
that the fate of Babylon is foretold as well as of Nineveh.
As Jeremiah said, 1. 17, 18. < Israel is a scattered sheep,
the lions have driven him away ; first the king of Assyria
hath devoured him, and last this Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon hath broken his bones : Therefore thus saith
the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will punish
the King of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the
king of Assyria.'

Babylon was a very great and a very ancient city, as
well as Nineveh. It is indeed generally reckoned less

VOL. I. Q

1S2 DISSERTATIONS ON

than Nineveh ; for according to Strabo (who was cited in
the last discourse) it was only 385 furlongs in compass, or
:i60 according to Diodorus Siculus, * or 368 according to
Quintus Curtius: but Herodotus, f who was an older an-
thor than any of them, represents it of the same dimen-
sions as Nineveh, that is, 480 furlongs or above 60 miles
in compass; but the difference was, that Nineveh was
constructed in the form of a parallelogram, and Babylon
was an exact square, each side being 120 furlongs in
length. So that according to this account Babylon con-
tained more ground in it than Nineveh did ; for by the
multiplying the sides of the one by the other, it will be
found, that Nineveh contained within its walls only
13,500 furlongs, and that Babylon contained 14,400. It
was also as ancient, or more ancient than Nineveh ; for
in the words of Moses, speaking of Nimrod, Gen. x. 10.
it was Me beginning of his kingdom, that is, the first city,
or the capital city in his dominions. Several heathen
authors say that Semiramis, but most (as Quintus Cur-
tius \ asserts) that Belus built it : and Belus was very pro-
bably the same as Nimrod. But whoever was the first
founder of this city, v/e may reasonably suppose that it
received very great improvements afterwards, and Nebu-
chadnezzar particularly, repaired .and enlarged and beau-
tified it to such a degree, that he may in a manner be
said to have built it ; as he boasted himself, Dan. iv. 30.
* Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house
of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the
honour of my majesty ?' Nor is this asserted only in
scripture, but is likewise attested by heathen authors, Me-
gasthenes, Berosus, and Abydenus, whose words are quo-

* He threw about the city, a wall of three hundred and sixty
fiirlong-s. See Diodorus Siculus, Book II. pag-e 68, in Stephanus*
edition, and page 95, in that of Hhodomaniis. The circumfer-
ence of the wliole work measured three hundred and sixty-eight
furlongs. See Quintus Curtius, Book V. Chap. i.

t The city stood in a plain of great extent. It was in the
form of a square. Each of its sides was a hundred and twenty
furlongs, so that the measurement of all its sides amounted to
four hundred and elvjhly furlongs. See Herodotus, Book I. Chap,
clxxviii. pag^ 74, in Gale's edition.

i It had been built by Semiramis, or in the opinion of many,
by Belus. See Quintus Curtius in the same place.

THE PROPHECIES. 183

ted by Josephiis * and Eusebius. By one means or other
Babylon becanne so great and famous a city as to give
name to a very large empire ; and it is called in scriptures,
Dan. iv. 50. great Babylon ; Isa. xiii. 19. the glory of king-
domsi the beauty of the Chaldeca^ excelUncy ; Isa .xiv. 4, the
golden city ; Isa. xlvii. 5. the lady of kingdorns ; Jer. U. 13.
abundant in treasures : Jer. li. 41. the /traise of the whole
earth .• and its beauty, strength, and grandeur ; its walls,
temple, palaces, and hanging gardens ; the banks of the
river, and the anificial canals and lakes made for the
draining of that river in the seasons of its overflowings,
are described with such pomp and magnificence by hea-
then authoj's, that it might deservedly be reputed one of
the wonders of the world. The fullest and best account
of these things, in English, is to be found in the second
book of that very valuable and very useful work, Dr. Pri-
deaux's Connections. Though Babylon was seated in a
low watery plain, yet in scripture, Jer. li. 25. it is called
a mountaiTi on account of the great heighth of its walls
and towers, its palaces and temples : and Berosus f speak-
ing of some of its buildings, saith, that they appeared
most hke mountains. Its gates of brass and its broad
avail's are particularly mentioned in scripture : Isa. xiv.
2. Jer. li. 58, and the city ^ had an hundred gates, 25 on
each side, all made of solid brass : and its walls according
to Herodotus § were 350 feet in heighth, and 87 in thick-
ness, and six chariots could go abreast upon them, as Di-
odorus il affirms after Ctesias.

Such a city as this, one would imagine was in no dan-
ger of being totally abandoned, and coming to nought.
Such a chy as this, might surely with less vanity than

* See Josephus' Antiquities, Book X. Chap. xi. Sect. i. page
459, in Hudson's edition. See also Eusebius' Evangelical Pre-
paration, Book IX. Cliap. xli. page 457, in Vi,^erus' edition.

f To which he gave an appearance, very much resembling that
of mountains. See Antiquities in the same place.

ir See Herodotus, Book I. Chap, clxxix. page 74, in-Gale's edi-
tion.

§ See the same book of Herodotus, Chap, clxxvili. See also
Prideaux' Connections in the same place.

II So that the breadth of the wall was sufficient for passing six
chariots abreast. See Dlodorus Siculus, Book H. page 68, ia
Steph.^iuus' edition, and page 96, in that of Ithodomanus^

184 DISSERTATIONS ON

any other, boast that she could continue for ever. So she
vainly gloried, Isa. xlvii. 7, 8. 'I shall be a lady for ever ;
I am, and none else beside me ; I shall not sit as a wi-
dow, neither shall I know the loss of children/ But the
prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah, plainly and particularly
foretold the destruction of this city. They lived during
the declension of the kingdom of Judah ; and as they pre-
dicted the captivity of the Jews, so they likewise foretold
the downfal of their enemies: and they speak with such
assurance of the event, that they describe a thing future
as if it were already past, Isa. xxi. 9. ' Babylon is fallen,
is fallen ; and all the graven images of her gods he hath
broken to the ground,' Jer. li. 8. * Babylon is suddenly
fallen and destroyed ; howl for her, take balm for her pain,
if so be, she may be healed.' It is somewhat remarkable,
that one of Isaiah's prophecies concerning Babylon is in-
titled, xxi. 1. * the burden of the desert of the sea, 07'
rather the plain of the sea,' for Babylon was seated in a
plain, and surrounded by water. The propriety of the
expression consists in this, not only that any large collec-
tion of waters in the oriental style is called a sea, but
also that the places about Babylon as Abydenus * in-
forms us out of Megasthenes, are said from the beginning
to have been overwhelmed with waters, and to have been
called the sea.

Cyrus, who was the conqueror of Babylon, and trans-
ferred vhe empire from the Babylonians to the Medes and
Persians, was particularly foretold by name, Isa. xliv, 2 8.
xlv. 1. above an hundred years before he was born. He
is honoured with the appealltion of the Lord's anointed,
and the Lord is said to have holdcn his right hand., and to
have girded him: Isa xlv. 1,3. and he was raised up to
be an instrument of providence for great purposes, and
was certainly a person of very extraordinary endowments,
though we should allow that Xenophon had a little ex-
ceeded the truth, and had drawn his portrait beyond the
reality. It was promised that he should be a great con-
queror, should < subdue nations before him/ Isa. xlv. 1.

* It is reported that all these places were from t])e beginning-
covered with water, and called Sea. See Eusebius' Evangelical
Preparation, Book IX. Chap. xli. page 457, in Yigerus' edition.

THE rilOPIlKCIES. 1 85

*and I will loose the loins of kings to open before him
the two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut :*
and he subdued several kings, and took several cities, par-
ticularly Sardes and Babylon, and extended his conquests*
over all Asia, from the river Indus to the ^Egean sea. It
was promised that he should find great spoil and treasure
among the conquered nations ; Isa. xlv. 3. ' I will give
thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places :' and the riches which Cyrus found in his con-
quests amounted to a prodigious value in Pliny's account ;t
nor can we wonder at it, for those parts of Asia at that
time abounded in wealth and luxury : Babylon had been
heaping up treasures for many years ; and the riches of
Croesus king of Lydia, whom Cyrus conquered and took
prisoner, are in a manner become proverbial.

The time too of the reduction of Babylon was marked
out by the prophet Jeremiah, xxv. 11, 12. 'These na-
tions (that is, the Jews and the neighbouring nations)
shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years ; And it
shall come to pass when seventy years are accomplished,
that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation,
saith the Lord.' This prophecy was delivered, as it ap-
pears from the first verse of the chapter, 'in the fourth
year of Jehoiakini the son of Josiah king of Judah, that
was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon :'
and from that time there were seventy years * to the tak-
ing of Baby4on, and the restoration of the Jews. Nebu-
chadnezzar had transplanted the Jews to Babylon to peo-
ple and strengthen the place, and their removal from
Ihence must have weakened it very much ; and afler that
it was distressed more and more, till at last it was brought
to nought.

Several circumstances likewise of the siege and taking
of Babylon were presignified by the prophets. It was
foretold, that God would stir up the Medes and Persians
against it ; 'Go up, O Elam,* that is, Persia, Isa. xxi. 2.
' besiege, O Media ;* and, Jer. li. 11. ' The Lord hath

* The whole of Asia from India to the .^gean Sea. See Mar-
sham's Chronicle, XVIIT ag-e, page 587.

f See Pliny, Book XXXIII. Chap. xv. In Ilarduin's edition.
i See Prideaux and other chronologers.

q 2

>8d DISSERTATIONS OX

raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes, for his de-
vice is against Babylon to destroy it :* And accordingly
it was besieged by the united forces of the Medes and
Persians under the command of Cyrus the Persian, the
nepliew and son-in-law of the king of the Medes. The
Medes are chiefly spoken of, as they were at that time the
superior people. The Medes is too a general name for
both nations, and so it is used and applied by several
Greek historians as well as by the sacred writers. Elam*
was an old name for Fersia^ for the name of Persia doth
not appear to have been known in Isaiah's time ; Ezekiel
is the first who mentions it. And Bochart asserts,f that
the Persians were first so named from their becoming
horsemen in the time of Cyrus, the same word signifying
both a Persian and a horseman. Or if by Elam we un-
derstand the province strictly so called, it is no less true
that this also, though subject to Babylon, rose up against

* Elam is Persia, and is frequently mentioned alonj^ with Me-
dia. The name of the Persians, before the Babylonish captivity,
v/as scarcely known. Ezekiel Chap, xxvii. 10, and xxxviii. 5, is
the first who mentions them under that name, and ranks them
among- warlike nations, when the deeds of Cyrus were yet un-
known. From the time of Cyrus, who was a Persian by birth.
And celebrated for his victories, the glory of the Persians was
widely spread. See Marsham's Chronicle, XVIII age, page
564.

■j- But the Persians derived their name from their cavalry, in
which they were powerful. In horsemanship they were instructed
from their earliest years. Cyrus was the first that introduced
this kind of discipline among them. — ^^From a change so suddenly
brought in amongst them, it came to pass, that their country
was called Paras, and themselves Persians, that is, horsemen.
In the Arabic language, Pharas signifies a horse, and Pharis an
horseman, as Pharash doth in Hebrew. The same word Pharis
is made use of by them, to denote Persia. This is the reason
that neither INIoses, nor the author of the books of Kings, nor
Isaiah, nor Jeremiah, nor in short any one that lived before the
time of Cyrus, make mention of that people under this name.
But the name of Persians frequently occurs in the books of
Daniel and Ezekiel, who were contemporaries with Cyrus, and
in the books of Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, &c. which
were written after the time of Cyrus. Before his time, it is pro-
bable that the Hebrew names Chut and Gnelam, or Elam, took
in a large portion of Persia. See Bochart's Phaleg, Book IV.
Chap. X. Col. 224.

THE PROPHECIES. 1^7

it, and upon the following occasion. Abradates * was
vicei'oy or i2;overnor of Susa or Shushan, and SInishan
was tlie capital of the province of Elum, Dan. viii. 2. His
wife Panthea, a lady of e:<quisite beauty, happened to be
taken prisoner by the Persians. Cyrus treated her with
such generosity, and preserved her with such strict hon-
our, safe and inviolate for her husband, as won the heart
of the prince, so that he and his forces revolted to Cyrus,
and fought in his army against the Babylonians.

It was foretold, that various nations should unite against
Babylon; Isa. xiii. 4. 'The noise of a multitude in the
mountains, like as of a great people ; a tumultuous noise
of the kingdoms of nations gathered together ; the Lord
of hosts mustereth the host of the battle :' and particularly
it was foretold, that ' the kingdoms of Ararat, Minvi and
Ashchenaz^ that is, the Armenians,! Phrygians, and other
nations should compose part of his army ; Jer. li. 27.
* Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among
the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together
against her, the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashche-
naz :' And accordingly, Cyrus' army consisted of various
nations ; and among them were these very people,* whom
he had conquered before, now obliged to attend him in
this expedition.

It was foretold, that the Babylonians should be terrified,
and hide themselves within their walls ; Jer. li. 30. ' the
mighty men of Babylon, haveforeborn to fight, they have
remained in their holds, their might hath failed, they be-
came as women : And accordingly the Babylonians, after
the loss of a battle or two, never recovered their courage
to face the enemy in the field again ; they retired within
their walls, and the first time§ that Cyrus came with his
army before the place, he could not provoke them to ven-
ture forth and try the fortune of arms, even though he
sent a challenge to the king to fight a duel with him ; and

* See Xenophon'sCvropaedia, Book IV, V, VI, and VII.

t See Bochart's Plialeg, Book I. Chap. 3, Col. 16, and 20, and
Book HI. Chap. ix. Col. 174.

+ See Xenophon's Cyropxdia, Book V. page 77. Book VII.
page 111, in Henry Stephen's edition of 1581.

§ See Xenophon's Cyropsdia, Book V. page 75^ in Henry Ste-
phen's edition of 1581.

138 DISSERTATIONS ON

the last time* that he came, he consulted with his officers
about the best method of carryinvj on the siege, " since
saith he, they do not come forth and fight."

It '.vas foretold, that the river shoukl be dried up, before
the city should be taken ; which was very unlikely ever
to happen,t the river beinir more than two furlongs broad,
and deeper than two men standin£^ one upon another, so
that the city was thought to be better and stronger forti-
fied by the river than by the walls ; but yet the prophets
predicted that the waters shonkl be dried up ; Isai. xlv.
27. ' That saith to the deep and dry, and 1 will dry up thy
rivers?* Jer. 1. 38. 'A drought is upon her waters, and
they shall be dried up ;' Jer. li. 36. * I will dry up her
sea, and make her springs dry : And accordingly Cyrus ^f:
turned the course of the river Euphrates which ran
through the midst cf Babylon, and by means of deep
trenches and the canals and lakes before mentioned, so
drained the waters, that the river became easily fordable
for his soldiers to enter the city ; and by these means
Babylon was taken, which was otherwise impregnable,
and was supplied with provisions for very many years,
saith Herodotus,§ for more than twenty years, saitbXeno-
phon ; or, as Herodotus saith,|| if the Babylonians had

* See the same, Book VTI. * Since they do not go out of their
walls to fig'ht,' pag-e 112.

-j- See Xenoplion's Cyropsedia. Book VII. * The width of tlie
river is more than two furloiij^cs, and its depth such, that two
men standiiig the one on the other, the uppermost would not
appear above the water. And therefore the river afforded a bet-
ter defence to the city than its walls.'

+ See Herodotus, Book I. Chap. cxci. page 79, in Gale's edi-
tion. * They had amassed stores of provisions (which might
serve them) for many yeai'S.' See Xenophon's Cyropsedia, Book
VII. page 113, in Stephen's edition. * They had necessaries for
more than twenty j-ears.*

§ * Whom, if the Babylonians had heard or perceived before-
hand what had been done by Cyrus, they would not have suffer-
ed him to enter (the city,) but would have put them to the most
dreadful destruction. For by shutting all the sally ports that
ltd to the river, and by mounting the rampart, and standing on
the banks, they would have caught as in a trap, his soldiers as
they came forward.'

II See Herodotus, Book I. Chap. cxci. page 79, in Gale's edi-
tion. See also Xenophon's Cyropccdia, Book VII. page 113, in
Stephen's edition.

THE PROPHECIES. I39

but known what the Persians were doing, by shutting the
gates which opened to the river, and by standing upon
the walls which were built as banks, they might have
taken and destroyed the Persians as in a net or cage.

It was foretold, that the city should be taken by surprise,
during the time of a feast ; Jcr. 1. 24. ' I have laid a snare
for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou
wast not aware, thou art found and also caught,' li. 39.
* In their heat, I will make their feasts, and I will make
them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpe-
tual sleep, and not wake, saith the Lord, li. 57. « And I
will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her cap-
tains, and her rulers, and her mighty men, and they shall
sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the king,
whose name is the Lord of hosts :' And accordingly the
city was taken, in the night of a great annual festival,
while the inhabitants were dancing, drinking, and revel-
ling; and as Aristotle reports,* it had been taken three
days, before some part of the city perceived it ; but He-
rodotus'f account is more modest and probable, that the
extreme parts of the city were in the hands of the enemy
before they who dwelt in the middle of it knew any thing
of their danger. These were extraordinary occurrences
in the taking of this city : and, hov/ could any man fore-
see and foretel such singular events, such remarkable
circumstances, without revelation and inspiration of God?

But these events you may possibly thii}k too remote
in time to be urged in the present argument : and yet
the prophecies were delivered by Isaiah, and Jeremiah,
and the facts are related by no less historians, than Hero-
dotus and Xenophon ; and Isaiah lived above 250 years
before Herodotus, and near 350 before Xenophon, and
Jeremiah lived about 150 years before the one and near
250 before the other. Cyrus took Babylon, according to

* See Aristotle's Politics, Book ITT. Cliap. iii. 'which having
been taken three days, they tell us, that this was not known by
a certain portion of the city.'

f And by reason of the greatness of the city, as is related by
some of its ir.habitants, when tlie extremities of Babylon were in
the possession of the enemy, they who lived in the midst of it
were unacquainted with v/Iiat had happened. See Herodotus in
the same place.

190 DISSERTATIONS ON

Prideaux, in the year 539 before Christ. Isaiah prophe-
cied < in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah,
kings of Judah,' Isa. i. 1. which was at least 160 years be-
fore the taking of Babylon, for Hezekiah died in the year
699 before Christ. Jeremiah sent his prophecies con-
cerning Babylon, to Babylon, by the hands of Seraiah ' in
the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah,' Jer. li. 59.
which was 56 years before the taking of Babylon, for the
fourth year of Zedekiah coincides with the year 595 be-
foi'e Christ. There is therefore no room for scepticism :
but if you are still disposed to doubt and hesitate, what
then think you of the present condition of the place ? —
Could the prophets, unless they were prophets indeed,
have foreseen and foretold what that would be so many
ages afterwards ? And yet they have expressly foretold
that it should be reduced to desolation. Isaiah is very
strong and poetical: xiii 19, &c. ' Babylon, the glory
of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall
be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah :
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from
generation to generation ; neither shall the Arabian pitch
tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their fold
there : But wild beasts of the deserts shall lie there, and
their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls
shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there : And the
wild beasts of the island shall cry in their desolate houses,
and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is
near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.' —
Again, xiv. 22, 23. I will rise up against them,saith the
Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and
remnant, and son, and nephew (or rather, son, and grand-
son,) saith the Lord ; I will also make it a possession for
the bittern, and pools of water ; and I will sweep it with
the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.' Jere-
miah speakelh much in tlie same strain : 1. 13, 23, 39, 40.
• Because of the wrath of the Lord, it shall not be inliabit-
ed, but it shall be wholly desolate ; every one that goeth
by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues :
How is the ham.mer of the whole earth, cut asunder and
broken ? How is Babylon became a desolation among
the nations? Therefore the wild beasts of the desert, with
the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the

THE PROPHECIES. 191

©wis shall dwell therein ; and it shall be no more inhabit-
ed forever ; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation
to generation : As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah
and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so no
man shall abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell
therein.' Again, li. 13, 26, 29, Z7, 42, 43. 'O thou
that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures ;
thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness :
And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor
a stone for foundations ; but thou shalt be desolate for
ever, saith the Lord : And the land shall tremble and sor-
row, for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed
against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation,
without an inhabitant: And Babylon shall become heaps,
a dwelling place for dragons, an astonishment, and an his-
sing, without an inhabitant : The sea is come up upon
Babylon ; she is covered with the multitude of the waves
thereof: Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a
wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth
any son of man pass thereby.' We shall see how these
and other prophecies have by degrees been accomplished,
for in the nature of the things they could not be fulfilled
all at once. But as the prophets often speak of things
future, as if they were already effected ; so they speak
often of things to be brought about, in process of time, as
if they were to succeed immediately ; past, present, and to
come, being all alike known to an infinite mind, and the
intermediate time not revealed perhaps to the minds of
the prophets.

Isaiah addresseth Babylon by the name of a virgin^ as
having never before been taken by any enemy : Isa. xlvii.
1 . ' Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of
Babylon, sit on the ground :' and Herodotus * saith ex-
pressly, that this was the first time that Babylon was ta-
ken. After this it never more recovered its ancient splen-
dor ; from an imperial, it became a mbutary city ; from
being governed by its own kings, and governing strang-
ers, it came itself to be governed by strangers ; and the
seat of empire, being transferred to Shushan, it decayed

* * And thus indeed Babylon was taken for the first time.* See
Herodotus, Book I. Chap. cxci. page 79, in Gale's edition.

192 DISSERTATIONS ON

by degrees, tiil it was reduced at last to utter desolation,
Berosus in Josephiis * saith, that when Cyrus had taken
Babylon, he ordered the outer walls to be pulled down,
because the city appeared to him to be very factious and
difficult to betaken. And Xenophon f informs us, that
Cyrus obliged the Babylonians to deliver up all their arms
upon pain of death, distributed their best houses among
his officers, imposed a tribute upon them, appointed a
strong garrison, and compelled the Babylonians to defray
the charge, being desiious to keep them poor, as the best
means of keeping them obedient.

But notwithstanding these. precautions, i they rebelled
against Darius, and in order to hold out to the last extre-
mity, they took all their women, and each man choosing
one of them, out of those of his own family, whom he lik-
ed best, they strangled the rest, that unnecessary mouths
might not consume their provisions. "And hereby," saith
Dr. Prideaux,§ " was very signally fulfilled the prophecy
of Isaiah against them, in which he foretold. Chap, xlvii. 9.
That tivo thijigs should come to them in a moment^ in one
day^ the loss of children and rddowhood^ and that these
shall come ufion them in their perfection^ for the multitude
of their sorceries^ and the great abuyidance of their Inchant'
ments. And in what greater perfection could these cala-
mities come upon them, than when they themselves, thus
upon themselves, became the executioners of them ?" Or
rather, this prophecy was then fulfilled a second time,
having been fulfilled before, the very night that Babylon
was taken, when the Persians slew the king Jiimself and
a ^reat number of the Babylonians. They sustained the
siege, and all the efforts of Darius for twenty months, and
at length the city was taken by stratagem. As soon as

* * But Cyrus having taken Babylon, gave orders to destroy
the outer walls, both because he saw that the city was factious^
and difficult to be taken.' See Josephus against Apion, Book I.
Sect, 22. page 1344, in Hudson's edition.

f See Xenophon's Cyropaedia, Book VII. page 114 and 117, in
Stephanus' edition.

+ See Herodotus, Book III. Chap. clvi. page 220, in Gale's edi-
tion.

§ See Prideaiix' Connections, Part \. Book Ml. year 517, and
5 of Darius.

THE PROPHECIES. I9j

Darius had made himself master of the place, he ordered
three thousand of the principal men to be crucified, and
thereby fulfilled the prophecies of the cruelty, which the
Medes and Persians should use towards the Babylonians ;
Isa. xiii. 17, IS. Jer. 1. 42. and he likewise demolished
the wall, and took away the gates, neither of which, saith
Herodotus,* had Cyrus done before. But either Herodo-
tus or Berosus must have been mistaken ; or we must
suppose that Cyrus' orders were never carried into exe-
cution ; or we must understand Herodotus to speak of
the inner wall, as Berosus spoke of the outer : and yet it
doth not seem very credible, when the walls were of that
prodigious heighth and thickness, that there should be
an inner and an outer wall too ; and much less that there
should be three inner and three outer walls, as Berosus f
affirms. Herodotus :*: computes the heighth of the wall
to be 200 cubits ; but latter authors reckon it much low-
er,§ Quintus Curtius at 100, Strabo " who is a more ex-
act writer, at 50 cubits. Herodotus describes it as it was
originally ; and we may conclude therefore that Darius
reduced it from 200 to 50 cubits ; and by thus taking
down the wall and destroying the ^ates, he remarkably
fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah, li. 58. ' Thus saith
the Lord of Hosts, the broad walls of Babylon shall be ut-
terly broken, and her high gates shall be burnt with fire.'
Xerxes IF after his return from his unfortunate expedi-
tion into Greece, partly out of religious zeal; being a pro-

* He took away the wall, and removed all the g'ates, none of
which had been clone when first it was taken by Cyrus.' See
Herodotus, Book HI. Chap. clix. page 223, in Gale's edition.

f * He surrounded the city by three walls within, and in like
manner wiih tliree walls without.' See Josephus against Apion,
Book I Sect. 19, in Hudson's edition.

i ' The heighth was of two hundred cubits.' See Herodotus, '
Book I. Chap, clxxviii. page 74, in Gale's edition.

§ 'The heighth of the wall was more than a hundred cubits.'
See Quintus Curtius, Book V. Chap. i.

11 'The heighth of the wail between the tower.";, was fifty cu-
bits.' See Strabo, Book XVI. page 738, in the I'aris edition;
and page 1072, in that of Amsterdam, printed in 1707.

% See Herodotus, Book I Chap clxxxiii. page 76, in Gale's
edition. See Arrian's expedition of Alexander, Book VH. Chap,
xvil. page 296, in Gronovius' edition. See Usher's AnnalS; year

VOL. I. II

194 DISSERTATIONS ON

fessed enemy to image worship, and partly to reimburse
liimself after his immense expenses, seized the sacred
treasures, and plundered or destroyed the temples and
idols of Babylon, thereby accomplishing' the prophecies
of Isaiah and Jeremiah ; Isa. xxi. 9. ' Babylon is fallen,
is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath
broken unto the ground :' Isa. xlvi. 1. ' Bel boweth down,
Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and up-
on the cattle,' Sec. Jer. 1. 2. * Babylon is taken, Bel is
confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces, her idols are
confounded, her images are broken in pieces:' Jer. li.
44, 47, 52. ' And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and
I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath
swallowed up ; Therefore behold the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will do judgment upon the graven im-
ages of Babylon;' and again, 'Wherefore, behold the
days come, saith the Lord, that I will do judgment up-
on her graven images.' What God declares, ' I will pun-
ish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth that which he
hath swallowed,' was also literally fulfilled, when the ves-
sels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar had
brought from Jerusalem, and placed in the temple of Bel,
Dan. i. 2. were restored by order of Cyrus, Ezra i. 7.
and carried to Jerusalem again.

Such was the state of Babylon under the Persians,
when Alexander came thither, though Quintus Curtius *
says, that the whole circuit of the city was 368 furlongs,
yet he affirms, that only for the space of 90 furlongs it
was inhabited. The river Euphrates having heen turned
out of its course by Cyrus, and never afterwards restored
to its former channel, all that side of the country was
flooded by it. Alexander indeedf purposed to have made

of the world 3526, page 129. See Prideaux' Connections, Oart
I. Book IV. year 479, and 7 of Xerxes.

* Quintus Curtius, liook V. Chap, i, saith, * that all the space
within the walls was not occupied by buildings. Only the space
of ninety furlongs was inhabited, and even in this space, the
houses were not close to one another.'

f See Arrian's expedition of Alexander, Book VII. Chap. xvii.
page 296, and Chap. xxi. page 303, in Gronovius' edition. See
iiecatxus in Josephus against Apion, Book I. Sect. 22 page
1348, in Hudson's edition See also Strabo, Book XVI. page
?'38, in tlie Paris edition, and page 1073, in that of Amsterdam,
printed in 1707.

THE PROPHECIES. 19 J

Babylon the seat of his empire, and actually set men at
work to rebuild the temple of Jielus, and to repair the
banks of the river, and to bring- back the waters again in-
to their old channel : and if his designs had taken effect,
how could the prophecies have been fulfilled ? and what
providence therefore was it, that his designs did not take
effect, and that the breaches were never repaired ? He
met with some difficulties in the work, and death soon
after put an end to this, and all his other projects; and
none of his successors ever attempted it : and Seleucia *
being built a few years afterwards in the neighbourhood,
Babylon in a little time became wholly desolate. Seleucia
not only robbed it of its inhabitants, but even of its name,
being called also Habylonf by several authors. We learn
farther from a fragment of DiodorusSiculus, which is pro-
duced by Valesius, and quoted from him by Vitringa,| that
a king of Parthia, or one of his peers, surpassing all the
famous tyrants in cruelty, omitted no sort of punishment,
but sent many of the Babylonians, and for trifling causes,
into slavery, and burnt the Forum and some of the tem-
ples of Babylon, and demolished the best parts of the
city. This happened about 130 years before Christ: and
now let us see what account is given of Babylon by au-
thors after that time.

Diodorus Siculus § describes the buildings as ruined or

* See Strabo in the same place. And also Pliny's Natural His-
tory, Book yi. Chap. xxx. in Harduin*s edition.

J See the same place of Pliny; * which nevertheless is called
Babylon.* See Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book Vlll. year
'29'o, and 12 of Ptolemy Soter.

t Vitring-a in his Commentary on Isaiah, Chap. xiii. page 421.
Vol. 1. expressed himself thus. "Euemerus the king- of the Par-
thians, (Valesius from comparhig some passages of Justin and
Athnxus, and from the time in which he lived, hath clearly
shewn, that his name ought to be read Iliudrus) a native of
llyrcania, going beyond every tyrant in ]-igour, was inattentive
to no sort of cruelty. For lie sent into .Media, and distributed
in every family of that country, vast multitudes of Babylonians,
doomed to slavery. He also set on fire the forum, and some of
the temples at Babylon, and destroyed all the finest places of tlie
city. This calamity happened during the reign of the descend-
ents of Seleucus, about 130 years before the birth of our Lord."

§ ' Time in some cases, hath altogether destroytd, and in
otluers defaced the royal palaces and otlier stately edifices. Por

196 DISSERTATIONS ON

decayed in his time, and asserts, that now only a small
part of the city is inhabited, the greatest part within the
walls is tilled. Strabo * who wrote not long after Diodo-
riis, saith that part of the city the Persians demolished,
and part, time and the neglect of the Macedonians, and
especially after Seleucus Nicator had built Seleucia on
the Tigris, in the neighbourhood of Babylon, and he and
his successors removed their court thither : and now
(saith he,) Seleucia is greater than Ba1)ylon, and Babylon
is much deserted, so that anyone may apply to this, what
the comic poet said of Megalopolis in Arcadia, The great
city is now become a in-eat desert. Pliny in like manner
affirms,! that it was reduced to solitude, being exhausted
by the neighbourhood of Seleucia, built for that purpose
by Seleucus Nicator. As Strabo compared Babylon to
Megalopolis, so Pausanius| (who flourished about the
middle of the second century after Christ) compares
Megalopolis to Babylon, and says in his Arcadics, that of
Babylon, the greatest city that the sun ever saw, there is

at present, only a certain small portion of Babjylon is Inhabited,
the far greater part within the walls is under tillage.' See Dio-
dorus Siculus, Book II. page 70, in Stephanus' edition, and page
1)8, in that of Ilhodomanus.

* ' The Persians destroyed a part of the city. A part has
been consumed by time, and the neglect of the Macedonians.
But the chief cause of its decay, has been the building of Sck ucia,
on the banks of the Tigris, by Seleucus Nicator. at the distance
only of three hundred furlongs from Babylon. For both he, and
all his descendants, have laboured to the utmost, to^aggrandize
it (Seleucia), and have removed the court thither. At pre-
sent, it is greater than Babylon, so that one may boldly say,
that concerning it, which was said by a certain comedy writer,
concerning Megalopolis, a large city of Arcadia, Megalopolis is
now a vast desert.' See Strabo, Book XVT. page 738, in the Pa-
ris edition, and page 1073, in that of Amsterdam, printed in
1707.

f 'Surely it hath returned to a desolate and forsaken place, on
account of its vicinity to Seleucia, a city built for tliat very pur-
pose by Nicator.' See Pliny's Natural iJistory, Book VI. Chap.
XXX. in llarduin's edition. ,

+ * Babylon, the greatest of all these cities, which ever the
sun shone upon, has now nothing remaining besides its walls.*
See Pausanias, Book 111. Chap, xxxiii.

THE PROPHECIES. 197

nothing now remaining, but the walls. Maxinms Tyrius *
mentions it, as lying neglected and forsaken ; and Lucian \
intimates, that in a little time it ^You■.d be sou,:^ht for, and
not be found, like Nineveh. C.'onstantine the Great, m
an' oration preserved by Eusebias, saith, that he himself
was upon the spot, and an eye-witness of the desolate and
miserable condition of the city. In Jerome's time (who
lived in the fourth century after Christ,; it was converted
into a chase, to keep wild beasts within the compass of
its walls, for the hunting of the later kings of Persia. We
have learned,:}; saith he, from a certain Elamite brother,
who coming out of those parts, now liveth as a monk at
Jerusalem, that the royal huntings are in Babylon, and
wild beasts of every kind aie confined within the circuit
of its walls. And a little afterwards he saith, § that ex-
cepting the brick, walls, which after many years are re-
paired for the inclosing of wild beasts, all the space with-
in is desolation. These walls might probably, be demo-
lished by the Saracens, who subverted this empire of the
Persians, or they might be ruined or destroyed by time :
but of this we read nothing, neither have we any account
of Babylon for several hundred years afterwards, there
having been such a dearth of authors during those times
of ignorance.

Of later authors, the first who mentions any thing con-
cerning Babylon, is Benjamin of Tudela, a Jew who lived
in the twelfth century. In his Itinerary, which was writ-
ten almost 700 years ago, he asserts li that ancient Baby-

* * Babylon forsaken.'* See Maximus Tyrius, Dissertation VI.
near the end.

f ' Not long hence it will be searched for, like Kineveh.* See
Lucian's Contemplations, near the end.

t ' We have been informed, by a certain Elamite friar, who
at present, leads a monastic life in Jerusalem, but came from
that country, that Babylon is a royal hunting park, and that
wild beasts of every kind are shut up within its circuit.' See Je-
rome's commentary, on Isa. xiii. pag-e 111. Vol. 3. in the Bene-
dictine edition.

§ * For excepting the walls of brick, which aficr the lapse of
many years, are repaired, for confining the wild beasts, all the
space in the middle is gone to a wilderness.' See the same on
Chap. xiv. page 115.

II Benjamin in his Itinerary, page 76, saith, that men are afraid
K 2

298 DISSERTATIONS ON

Ion is now laid waste, but some ruins are sdll to be seen
of Nebuchadnezzar's palace, and men Tear to enter there
on account of the serpents and scorpions, which are in
the midst of it. Texeira, a Portuguese, in the descrip-
tion of his travels from India to Italy, affirms,* that of
this great and famous city, there is nothing but a few
vestiges remaining, nor in the whole region is any place
less frequented.

A German traveller, whose name was Rauwolf, passed
that way in the year of our Lord 1574, and f his account of
the ruins of this famous city, is as follows: " The village of
Elugo now lielh on the place where formerly old Babylon,
the metropolis of Chaldea, was situated. The harbour is a
quarter of a league's distance from it, where people go
ashore in order to proceed by land to the celebrated city
of Bagdat, which is a day and a half's journey from
thence eastwsrd on the Tigris. This country is so dry
and barren, that it cannot be tilled, and so bare that I
could never have believed that this powerful city, once
the most stately and renowned in all the world, and situat-
ed in the pleasant and fruitful country of Shinar, could have
ever stood there, if 1 had not known it by its situation,
and many aniiquities of great beauty, which are still
standing hereabout in great desolation. 1 irst, by the old
bridge which was laid over the Euphrates, whereof there
are some pieces and arches still remaining, built of burnt
brick, and so strong that it is admhable. — Just before the
village of Elugo is the hill whereon the castle stood, and
the ruins of its fortifications are still visible, tjiough de-
molished and uninhabited. Behind it, and pretty near to
it, did stand the tower of Babylon. — It is still to be seen,
and is half a league in diameter; but so ruinous, so low,

to enter into it, by reason of the serpents and scorpions, which
dwell in the midst of it. See Bochart's Phaleg, Book IV. Chap,
xv. Col. 234. See Vitringu on Isa. xiii. page 421. Vol. I. Pri-
deaux' Connections, Part I. Book VIII. year 293, and 12, of Pto-
lomy Soter. See Calmet's Dictionary on the word Babylon.

* * None but a few vestiges remain of this city ; nor is there
any place in that country less frequented.* See Bochart in the
same place, and Prideaux.

t See Babylon in Calmet*s Dictionary, and Prideaux as before,
fuid Raay's edition of these Travels in linglish, Part 2. Chap. 7.

THE PUOPilECIES. 199

and so full of venomous creatures, which lodge in holes
made by them in the rubbish, that no one durst approucli
nearer to it than within half a league, except during two
months in the winter, when these animals never stir out
of their holes. There is one sort particularly, which the
inhabitants, in the language of the country, which is I'er-
sian, call J'^glo, the poison whereof is very searching :
they are larger than our lizards."

A noble Roman, Petrus Valiensis, (Delia \'alle,) was
at Bagdat in the year 1616, and went to see the ruins, as
they are thought of, ancient Babylon ; and he informs
lis, * that " in the middle of a vast and level plain, about a
quarterof a league from the Euphrates, which in that place
runs westward, appears a heap of ruined buildinp:s. like a
huge mountain, the materials of which are so confounded
together, that one knows not what to make of it. — Its
situation and form correspond with that pyramid, whici\
Strabo calls the tower of Belus; and is in all likelihood
the tower of Nimrod in Babylon, or Babel, as that place
is still called. There appear no marks of ruins, with-
out the compass of that huge mass, to convince one so
great a city as Babylon had ever stood there : all one dis-
covers within fifty or sixty paces of it, being only the re-
mains here and there, of some foundations of buildings ;
and the country round about it so Hat and level, that one
can hardly believe it should be chosen for the situation
of so great and noble a city as Babylon, or that there were
ever any remarkable buildings on it ; but for my part, I
am astonished there appears so much as there does, con-
sidering, it is at least four thousand years since that city
was built, and that Diodorus Siculus tells us, it was re-
duced almost to nothing in his time.'*

Tayernier, who is a very celebrated traveller, relates t
that '^ at the parting of the Tigris, which is but a little
way from Bagdat, there is the foundation of a city, which
may seem to have been a large league in compass. There
are some of the walls yet standing, upon which six coaches

* See Viag-gi de Pietro della Valle, Part 2. Epistle xvii. See
Le Clerc's Commentary on Isa. xiii. 20. See A'^itringa's Commen-
tary on the same, page 421, of Vol. 1. See also Universal His-
tory, Book 1. Chap II. Sect. 4- Note N.

t See Tavernier in Harris's Collection, Vol. 2. Book 2. Chap. v.

200 DISSERTATIONS ON

may go abreast ; They are made of burnt brick, ten foot
square and three thick. The chronicles of the country
say, here stood the ancieni Babylon." Tavernier, no
doubt, saw the saaie ruins, as Benjamin the Jew, and
Rauwolf, and Peter delie Valhi did; but he thou54;ht them
not to be the ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's palace, or of the
lower of Babel. He adopts the opinion of the Arabs, and
conceives them to be rather the remains of some tower
built by one of their princes for a beacon to assemble his
subjects in time of war : and this in all probability was
the troth of the matter.

Mr. Salmon's* observation is just and pertinent:
*' What is as strange as any thing- that is related of Ba-
bylon is, that we cannot learn either by ancient writers or
modern travellers, where this famous city stood, only in
general, that it was situated in the province of Chaldea,
upon the river Euphrates, considerably above the place
where it is united with the Tigris. Travellers have
guessed from the great ruins they have discovered in
several parts of this country, that in this or that place
Babylon once s^.ood: but when we come to examine nice-
ly the places they mention, we only learn that they are
certainly in the wrong, and have mistaken the ruins of
Seleucia, or i-ome other great town."

Mr. Hanway f eoing to give an account of the seige
of Bagdat by Nadir Shah, prefaceth it in this manner j
*' Before we enter upon any circumstance relating to the
seige of Bagdat, it may afford some light to the subject,
to give a short account of this famous city, m the neigh-
bourhood of which formerly stood the metropolis of one
of the most ancient and most potent monarchies in the
world. The place is generally called Bagdat or Bagdad,
though some writers preserve the ancient name of Baby-
lon. The reason of thus confounding these two cities is,
that the Tigris and Euphrates, forming one common
stream before they disembogue into the Persian gulf, are
not unfrequently mentioned as one and the same river.
It is certain that the present Bagdat is situated on the

* See Salmon's Modern History, Vol. I. Present state of the
Turkish Empire, Chap. xi.

I See ihinway's Travels, Vol. IV. Part 111. Chap. x. page 78.

THE PROPHECIES. 201

Tigris, but the ancient Babylon, accordinpj to all histo-
rians sacred and profane, was on the Kuphrates. The
ruins of the latter, which ideographical writers place about
fifteen lea.^ues to the south of Bagdat, are now so nuich
ciTaced, that there are hardly any vestiges of Ihtm to i)oint
out the situation. In the time of the emperor 1 heodo-
sius, there was only a great park remaining, in which the
kings of Persia bred wild beasts for the amusement of
hunting.'*

By thc^e accounts we see, how punctually time hath
fulfilled the predictions of the prophets concerning Baby-
lon. When it was converted into a chase, for wiid beasts
to feed and breed there, then were exactly accomplished
the words of the prophets, that ' the wild beasts of tlie de-
sert, with the wild beasts of the islands, should dwell
there, and cry in their desolate houses.' One part of the
country was overfiowed, by the river's having been turn-
ed out of its course, and never restored again to its for-
mer channel, and thence became boggy and marshy, so
that it might literally be said to be ' a possession for the
bittern, and pools of water.' Another part is described
xis diy and naivcd, and barren of every thing, so that there-
by, was also fulfilled another prophecy, which seemed in
some measure to contradict the former. ' Her cities are
'a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein
no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass there-
by.' The place thereabout is represented as over-run
with serpents, scorpions, and all sorts of venemous, and
unclean creatures, so that ' their houses are full of dole-
ful creatures, and dragons cry in their pleasant palaces ;
and Babylon is become heaps, a dwelling place fo.r dra-
gons, an astonishment and an hissing without an inhabi-
tant.' For all these reasons, 'neither can the Arabian
pitch his tent there, neither can the shepherds make their
folds there.' And when we find that modern travellers,
cannot now certainly discover the spot of ground, where-
on this renowned city once was situated, we may very
properly say, ' How is Babylon became a desolation
among the nations? Every purpose of the Lord hath he
performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon
a desolation without an inhabitant :' and the expression
is no less true than sublime, that ' the Lord of hosts hath
swept it with the besom of destruction.*

202 DISSERTATIONS ON

How wonderful are such predictions compared with
the events, and what a convincing argument of the truth
and divinity of the holy scriptures ! Well might God al-
lege this as a memorable instance of his prescience, and
challenge all the false gods and their votaries, to produce
the like, Isa. xlv. 21. xlvi. 10. * Who hath declared this
from ancient time ? who hath told it from that time ?
have not I the Lord ? and there is no God else beside me,
a just God and a Saviour, there is none beside me ; De-
claring the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times, the things that are not yet done, saying, My coun-
sel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure,' And in-
deed, where can you find a similar instance, but in scrip-
ture, from the beginning of the world to this day.

At the same time, it must aflord all readers of an exalt-
ed taste, and generous sentiments, all the friends and lo-
vers of liberty, a very sensible pleasure, to hear the pro-
phets exulting over such tyrants and oppressors, as the
kings of Assyria. In the 14th chapter of Isaiah there is
an Epinikion, or a triumphant ode upon the fall of Baby-
ion. It represents the infernal mansions as moved,
and the ghosts of deceased tyi-ants, as rising to meet the
king of Bai)ylon, and congratulate his coming among
them. It is really admirable for the severest strokes of
irony, as well as for the sublimest strains of poetry. The
Greek poet AIcxus, * who is celebrated for his hatred to
tyrants, and whose odes were animated with the spirit of
liberty, no less than with the spirit of poetry, we may
presume to say, never wrote any thing comparable to it.
The late worthy professor of poetry at Oxford, hath emi-
nently distinguished it in his lectures f upon the sacred

* And O Alcaeus, — thee sounding thy notes more fully with a
golden bow, &.c. See Horace, Ode IJ.

Quintiliun in his oratoi-ial institutions. Book I. Chap. I, Saith,
that Alcxus in a pait of the woj-k is presented with a golden
bow, because he employs it against tyrants, &c.

f Lowtli in his thirteenth Prelection, page 120, &c. saitb,
tlu-oughout the wiiole, a free, sublime, and truly divine spirit
prevaileth ; nor is there any tiling wanting to add to tlie subli-
mity and perfect beauty of this Ode: to wliich if I should speak
freely what I think, there is nothing that equals, or indeed that
comes near to it, either in CJreek or Roman poetry.' See also
Prelection XXYIII. page 2772.

THE PROPHECIES. 203

poesy of the. Hebrews, and hath given it the character
that it justly deserves, of one of the most spirited, most
sublime, and most perfect compositions of the lyric kind,
superior to any of the productions of Greece or Rome:
and he hath not only illustrated it with an useful commen-
tary, but hath also copied the beauties of the great origi-
nal, in an excellent Latin Alcaic ode, which if the learn-
ed reader hath not yet seen, he will be not a little pleas-
ed with the peruijal of it. Another excellent hand, Mr.
Mason, hath likewise imitated it in an English ode, with
which I hope he will* one time or other oblige the pub-
lic.

But not only in this particular, but in the general, the
scriptures, though often perverted to the purposes of ty-
ranny, are yet in their own nature calculated to promote
the civil, as well as the religious liberties of mankind.
True religion, and virtue, and liberty, are more nearly re-
lated, and more intimately connected with each other,
than people commonly consider. It is very true, as St.
Paul saith, 2 Cor. iii. 17. that * where the spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty :' or as our Saviour himself ex-
presseth it, John viii. 31, 32. * If ye continue in my word,
then are ye my disciples indeed : And ye shall know the
truths and the truth shall make ye free.'

XL

THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING TYRE.

ANOTHER city that was an enemy to the Jews, and
another memorable instance of the truth of prophecy, is
Tyre, whose fall was predicted by the prophets, and par-
ticularly by Isaiah and Ezekiel. But it hath been ques-
tioned among learned men, which of the Tyres was the
subject of these prophecies, whether Palaetyrus, or old
Tyre. that was seated on the continent, or new Tyre, that
was built in an island almost over against it. The truest

* Mr. Mason hath since published this, with some other Odesi
in 1756.

OQ4 mSSERTATIOXS OX

and best answer I conceive to be, that the prophecies ap-
pertain to both, some expressions being applicable only
to the former, and others only to the latter. In one place,
Ezek. xxvii. 3, it is described as ' situate at the entry of
the sea :' in others ver. 4. and "25. as ' in the midst of the
seas,' or according to the original, *in the heart of the
seas.* Sometimes, Ezek. xxvi. 7, See. it is represented
as besieged * with horse sand with chariots ;* a/orr, a mount,
and engines of war ^ are set against it j at other times, Isa.
xxiii. 2, 4, 6. it is expressly called an island^ and the sea,
even the strength of the sea. Now it is said, Ezek. xxiv. 10.
* By reason of the abundance of his horses, their dust shall
cover thee, thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horse-
men, and of the wheels, and of the chariots when he shall
enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is
made a breach.' Then it is said, ver. 12. They shall break
down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses, and they
shall lay thy stones, and thy timber, and thy dust, in the
midst of the water;' andagain, Ezek.xxviii. 8. <• They shall
bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths
of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.' The in-
sular Tyre therefore, as well as the Tyre upon the conti-
nent, is included in these prophecies ; they are both com-
prehended under the same name, and both spoken of as
one and the same city, part built on the continent, and
part on an island adjoining. It is commonly said indeed
that when old Tyre was closely beseiged, and was near
falling into the hands of the Chaldeans, then the Tyri-
ans fled from thence, and built new Tyre ir\ the island :
but the learned * Vitringa hath proved at large from good
authorities, that new Tyre was founded several ages be-
fore, and was the station for ships, and considered as part
of old Tyre; andf Pliny speaking of the compass of the
city, reckons both the old and the new together.

Whenever the prophets denounce the downfall, and
desolation of a city or kingdom, they usually ascribe by

* See Vitringa's Commentavv on Isa. xxiii. Vol. I. pages 667
—671.

t * The circumference, including old Tyre, is nineteen miles.'
See Pliny's Natural History, Book V. Chap. xvii. in Harduin's
edition.

THE PROPHEeiES. 265

way of contrast its present flourishing condition, to show
in a stronger point of view, how providence shifteth and
changeth the scene, and ordereth and disposeth all events.
The prophets Isaiah and Kzekiel observe the same me-
thod, with regard to Tyre. Isaiah speaketh of it, as a
place of great antiquity, xxiii. 7. ' Is this your joyous
city, whose antiquity is of ancient days "r* And it is men-
tioned as a strong place, as early as in the days of Joshua,
Josh. xix. 29. ' the strong city Tyre,' for there is no reason
for supposing with Sir John Marsham,* that the name is
used here by way o{ /iroiefisis or anticipation. Nay, there
are even heathen authors, who speak of the insular Tyre,
and yet extol the great antiquity of the place. The Greek
geographer Strabo saith,t that after Sidon the greatest
and most ancient city of the Phoenicians is Tyre, which
is a rival to Sidon in greatness, and lustre, and antiquity.
The Roman historian Quintus Curtius saith,:j: that it is a
city remarkable to posterity, both for the antiquity of its
origin, and for its frequent change of fortune. Herodo-
tus§ who was himself at Tyre, and enquired into the an-
tiquity of the temple of Hercules, was informed by the
priests, that the temple was built at the same time as the
city, and from the building of the city, they counted two
thousand and three hundred years. The ironical expres-
sion of the prophet, ' Is this your joyous city, whose an-
tiquity is of ancient days V implies that the Tyrians were
apt to boast of their antiquity : and by this account of
Herodotus it appears that they did so, and much exceed-
ed the truth ; but there could have been no pretence, for

* jMarsham, in his chronicle of the XI age, salth in page 290.
* That name is given by way of anticipation.'

t Next to Sidon, Tyre is the largest and most ancient city of
the Phoenicians, and comparable to it in size, beauty, and anti-
quity,' See Strabo, Book XVI. page 756, in the Paris edition,
and page 1007, in that of Amsterdam, printed in 1707.

■^ *The ancient origin of this city, and the frequent changes
of its condition, have rendered it memorable to posterity.' See
Quintus Curtius, Book IV". Chap. iv.

§ ' For they said, that along with the city, the foundation of
the temple of the god (Hercules) was laid; and that from the
building of Tyre, they reckoned two thousand and three hun-
dred years.' See Herodotus, Book II. Chap. xliv. page 107, in
Gale's edition.

VOL. I. S

206

DISSEUTATIONS ON

their boasting of thousands of years, if the city had not
been built (as some contend) till after the destruction of
the old city by the Chaldeans, that is not one hundred
and thirty years before. Josephus asserts,* that from
the building of Tyre, to the building of Solomon's tem-
ple were two hundred and forty years ; but he is with rea-
son,! supposed to speak of the insular Tyre ; for the other
part of the city on the continent, was much older, was a
strong place, as we have seen in the days of Joshua, and
is mentioned in the fragments of Sanchoniathon,^ the
Phoenician historian, who is reckoned § to have lived
about the time of Gideon,|| or somewhat later.

But ancient as this city was, it was the daughter of
S'iclon, as it is called by the prophet Isaiah, xxiii. 12. and
ver. 2. 'the merchants of Sidon who pass over the sea,
replenished it.' Sidoti was the eldest son of Canaan,
Gen. X. 15. and the city of Sidon is mentioned by the
patriarch Jacob, Gen. xlix. 13. and in the days of Joshua,
it is called great Sidon, Josh. xi. 8. and in the days of
the Judges, the inhabitants of Laish are said, Jud. xviii.
7. to have ' dwelt careless and secure after the manner of
the Sidonians.* We have seen already, that Strabo af-
firms, that after Sidon Tyre was the greatest and most
ancient city of the Phoenicians; and he asserts likewise,^
that the poets have celebrated Sidon more, and Homer
hath not so much as mentioned Tyre, though he com-
mends Sidon and the Sidonians in several places. It may
be therefore with reason inferred, that Sidon was the

* ' From the building of Tyre to the raising oT Solomon's
temple, there were two hundred and forty years.' See Jose-
phus' Antiquities, Book VIII. Chap. iii. Sect. 1. page 341, in
riudson's edition.

t See Vitringa in the same place, page 669.

t See Eusebius' Evangelical Preparation, Book I. Chap. x.
page 35, in Vigerus' edition.

§ * Therefore he is properly thrown back to the time of Gi-
.deon.' See Eochai't's Canaan, Book II. Chap. xvii. Col. 776.

" See Stillingfleet's book, entitled Origines Sacrae, Book L
Chap ii.

^ ' Indeed the poets employ themselves more in celebrating
the praise of Sidon. Homer is silent with respect to Tyre.'
See Strabo in the place above quoted, page 1097.

THE PROPHECIES. 20.7

more ancient: and Justin,* the epitomizer of Trogus,
hath expressly informed us, that the Sidonians being be-
sieged by the king of Ascalon, went in ships and built
Tyre. But though Tyre was the daughter of Sidon, yet •
ihe daughter soon equalled, and in time excelled the mo-
ther, and became the most celebrated place in the world,
for its trade and navigation, the seat of commerce, and
the centre of riches, and is therefore called by Isaiah,
xxiii. 3, 8. < a mart of nations, the crowning city, whose
merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honour-
able men of the earth ;' and Ezekiel, as it were com-
menting upon the words of Isaiah, a mart of ?iatzo7is,
Chap, xxviii. recounts the various nations, whose com-
modities were brought to Tyre, and were bought and
sold by the Tyrians.

It was in this wealthy and flourishing condition, when
the prophets foretold its destruction ; Isaiah 125 years at
least before it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. An
extensive and beneficial trade, soon produces luxury and
pride. So it fared with the Tyrians ; and for these and
their other vices," as well as for their insults and injuries
done to the Jews, the prophets prophecied against them.
Isaiah mentions their pride as the great occasion of their
fall, xxiii. 9. < The Lord of hosts hath purposecj it, to
stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all
the honourable of the earth.' Ezekiel, xxvii. 3, 8cc. de-
scribes at large their luxury even in their shipping. Cle-
opatra's sailing down the river Cydnos to meet her gal-
lant, Antony, was not with greater finery and magnifi-
cence ; nor have f the historians and poets painted the
one in more livefy colours, than the prophet hath the
other. He censures likewise the pride of the king of
Tyre, in arrogating to himself divine honours, xxviii. 2,
Sec. * Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus
saith the Lord God, Because thine heart is lifted up, and
thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in

* * Many years afterwards, the inhabitants of Sidori being" dri-
ven from their city, by the king" of Ascalon, and conveyed by
their ships, went and built Tyre' See .Justin, Book XVlll.
Chap. i. Sect. 5. pag-e 362, in Gr.xvius' edition.

t See Plutarch's life of Antony, page 913, Vol. in the Paris
edition of 1624. See also Shakspeure aiid Dryden-

208 DISSERTATIONS ON

the midst of the seas ; yet thou art a man, and not God,
though thou set thine heart asj the heart of God : — With
thy wisdom and with thine understanding, thou hast got-
ten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy
treasures : By thy great wisdom, and by thy traffic hast
thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up,
because of thy riches; Therefore thus saith the Lord
God, Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of
God ; Behold therefore, I will bring strangers upon thee,
*the terrible of the nations ; and they shall draw their
swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall
defile thy brightness: They shall bring thee down to the
pit, and thou shait die the deaths of them that are slain
in the midst of the -seas/ 7'he prophets Jcel and Anios,
had before denounced the divine judgments upon the Ty-
rians for their wickedness in general, and in particular
for their cruelty to the children of Israel, and for buying
and selling them like cattle in the markets. Thus saith
the Lord by the prophet Joel, iii. 5, Sec. ' Because ye
have taken my silver, and my gold, and have carried into
your temples my goodly pleasant things : The children
alsoof Judah, and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold
unio the Grecians, that ye might remove them far from
their border : Behold, I will raise them out of the place
whither ye have sold them, and will return your recom-'
pense upon your own head.' Amos speaketh to the same
purpose, i. 9. ' Thus saith the Lord, For three ti ansgres-
bions of Tyrus, and for four I will not turn away the pun-
ishment thereof; because they delivered up t,he whole
captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly
covenant,' that is, the league and alliance between Hiram
king of Tyre on one part, and David and Solomon on the
other. The Psalmist reckons them among the most in-
veterate and implacable enemies of the Jewish name and
nation. Psalm. Ixxxiii. 6, 7. ' The tabernacles of Edom,
and the Ishmaelites of Moab, and the Hagarenes, Gebal,
and Amnion, and Amalek, the Philistines with the inha-
bitants of Tyre.' Ezekiel also begins his prophecy against
them with a declaration, that it was occasioned by their
insulting over the Jews, upon the taking of Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar, xxvi. 2, 3. ' Son of man, Because that
Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken,
that was the gates of the people; she is turned unto me.

THE PROPHECIES. 209

I shall be replenished, now slie is laid waste : Therefore,
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, 1 am against thee, O
Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against
ihee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.'

These were the occasions of the prophecies against
Tyre: and by carefully considering, and comparing the
prophecies together, we shall find the following particu-
lars, included in them ; that the city was to be taken, and
destroyed by the Chaldeans, who were at the time of the
delivery of the prophecy an inconsiderable people, and
particularly by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; that
the inhabitants should fly over the Mediterranean, into
the islands and countries adjoining, and even there should
not find a quiet settlement ; that the city would be re-
stored after 70 years, and return to her gain and mer-
chandize ; that it should be taken and destroyed again ;
that the people should in time forsake their idolatry, and
become converts to the true religion, and worship of God ;
and finally, that the city should be totally destroyed, and
become a place only for fishers to spread their nets upon.
We shall find these particulars, to be not only distinctly
foretold, but likewdse exactly fulfilled.

I. The city was to be taken, and destroyed by the Chal-
deans, who were at the time of the delivery of the pro-
phecy, an inconsiderable people. This, we think, is suf-
ficiently implied in these words of the prophet Isaiah,
xxiii. 13. 'Behold, the land of the Chaldeans; this peo-
ple was not till the Assyrian founded it for them that
dwell in the wilderness, they set up the towers thereof
they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to
ruin.' Behold^ an exclamation, that he is 5>^oing to utter
something new and extraordinary ; ' the land of the Chal-
deans,' that is, Babylon, and the country about Babylon ;
* this people was not,' was of no note, or eminence, ' till
the Assyrian founded it for them t^jat dwell in the wilder-
ness,' they dwelt before in tents, and led a wandering life
in the wilderness, till the Assyrians built Babylon for their
reception Babel or Babylon, was first built by the children
of men, after the flood. After the dispersion of mankind,
Nimrod made it the capital of his kingdom. With N'im-
rodnt sunk again, till the Assyrians rebuilt it, for the pur-
poses here mentioned ; ' they set up the towers thereof,
s2

210 DISSERTATIONS OX

they raised up the palaces thereof,* and Herodotus, Cte-
sias. and other ancieiu liistorians agree, that the kings of
Assyria fortified and beaulilied liabylon ; and he, that is
this people mentioned before, the Chaldeans or Babylo-
nians, 'brought it to ruin,' that is, Tyre, which is the
subject of the whole prophecy. The Assyrians were at
that time, the great monarchs of the east; the Chaldeans
were their slaves and subjects; and therefore it is the
iiflore extraordinary, that the prophet should so many
years before-hand foresee the successes and conquests of
the Chaldeans.

Ezeklel lived nearer the time, and he declares express-
ly, that the city should be taken, and destroyed by Nebu-
chadnezzar king of Babylon ; xxvi, 7 — 1 1. * Thus saith
the Lord God, Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus, Nebu-
chadnezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings from the
north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horse-
men, and companies, and much people ; — he shall slay
thy people by the sv/ord, and thy strong garrisons, and
shall go down to the ground.' Salmaneser, king of As-
syria,* had beseiged Tyre, but without success; the Ty-
rians had with a few ships beaten his large fieet; but yet
Nebuchadnezzar should prevail. Ezekiel not only fore-
told the siege, but mentions it afterwards as a past trans-
action, xxix. 18. * Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon, caused his army to serve a great service
against I'yrus ; every head was made bald, and every
shoulder was peeled.'

Menander the Ephesian, translated the Phoenician an-
lials into Greek ; and Josephus asscrtsf upon their autho-
Tity, that Nebuchadnezzar besieged Tyre 1 3 years, when
Ithobal was king there, and began the siege in the seventh
year of Ithobal's reign, and that he subdued Syria and all
Phoenicia. The same historian ^ likewise observes, that

* See Menander's Annals in Josephus' Antiquities, Book IX.
Chap, xiv. Sect. 2. page 428, in Hudson's edition.

\ See Josephns against Apion,Bock I. Sec. 20 and 21, in Hud-
son's edition.

t Philostratus, both in the histories of India and Phrcnicia, as-
serts, • tliat this king (Nebuchadnezzar) besieged Tyre for the
space of thirteen years, at the time that Ithobalus was its sove-
reign.' See Antiquities, Book X. Chap. xi. Seet, 1. page 460 in
l.ludson's edition.

THE PROPJIRCIES. 2ll

Philostratiis in his Indian and Phctnician histories affirms,
that tliis king (Nebuchadnezzar) beseiged Tyre 13 years,
Ithobal reigning at that time in Tyre. The siege conti-
nuing so lo)ig, the soldiers must needs endure many hard-
ships, so that hereby we better understand the justness of
Ezekiel's expression, that ' Nebuchadnezzar caused his
army to serve a great service against Tyrus ; every head
was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled:' sucli
light doth prophane history cast upon sacred. It farther
appears from the Phoenician annals, quoted by the same
historian,* that the Tyrians received their kings after-
wards from Babylon, which plainly evinces that some of
the blood royal must have been carried captives thither.
The Phoenician annals too, as Dr. Prideauxf liath clearly
shown, agree exactly with Ezekiel's account of the time,
and year, wherein the city was taken. Tyre therefore
according to the prophecies was subdued, and taken by
Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans : and after this we
hear little more of that part of the city, which stood up-
on the continent. It is some satisfaction, that we are able
to produce such authorities, as we have produced, out of
heathen historians, for transactions of such remote anti-
quity.

II. The Inhabitants should pass over the Mediterra-
nean, into the Islands and countries adjoining, and even
there should find no quiet settlement. This is plainly
signified by Isaiah, xxiii. 6. ' Pass ye over to Tarshish,'
that is to Tartessus in Spain, ' howl ye inhabitants of the
isle :' and again, ver. 12. * Arise, pass over to Chittim,'
that is, the islands ;ind countries bordering upon the
Mediterranean ; * there also, shalt thou have no rest.' —
What the prophet delivers by way of advice, is to be un-
derstood as a prediction. Ezekiel intimates the same
thing, xxvi. 18. * The isles that are in the sea shall be
troubled at thy departure.' It is well known that the
Phoenicians were the best navigators of antiquity, and
sent forth colonies into several parts of the world. A
great scholar of the last century, hath written a whole

* See Joseplnis ag-ainst Apion, Book I. Sect. 21. page 1344,
in Hudson's edition.

t See Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book II. year 573, and
32 of Ncbuchadneixar.

212 DISSERTATIONS ON

tieatise * of the colonies of the Phoenicians, a work (as in-
deed all his are) of iuimense learning and erudition.—
And of all the Phoenicians, the Tyrians were the most
celebrated for their shipping and colonies. Tyre exceed-
ed Sidon in this respect, as Strabo testifieb,-|- and sent
forth colonies into Africa and Spain, unto and beyond the
pillars of Hercules : and Quintus Curtius saith, t that -
her colonies were diffused almost over the whole world.
The Tyriuns therefore having planted colonies at Tar-
shish, and upon the coasts of Chittim, it was natural for
them, when they v/ere pressed with dangers and diflicul-
ties at home, to fiy to their friends and countrymen
abroad for refuge and protection. That they really did
so, St. Jerome asserts upon the authority of Assyrian
'histories, which are now lost and perished. ' We have
read, saith he;§ in the histories of the Assyrians, that
when the Tyrians were besieged, after they saw no hope
of escaping, they went on board their ships, and fled to
Carthage, or to some islands of the Ionian and Agean
sea.' And in another place he saith,5[ that when the
Tyrians saw that the works for carrying on the siege
were perfected, and the foundations of the walls were
shaken, by the battering of the rams, whatsoever preci-
ous things in gold, silver, cloths, and various kinds of
furniture the nobility had, they put them on board their

» See Boch art's Canaan.

■f * Rut the Colonies sent into Africa and Spain, to and be-
yond the pillars of Hercules, celebrated Tyre much in their
song-s'.' See Strabo, Book XVI. pag-e 1097-

^ t ' Surely its colonies were spread almost over the whole
world.' See Quhitus Curtius, Book IV. Chap. iv.

§ We have read in tlie Assyrian histories, that when the Ty-
rians being' besieged, perceived that no hope of escaping
left, went on board their ships, and fled to Carthage, or to the
islands of the Ionian and jEgean sea. See Jerome on Isa. xxiii.
6. page 144, in the Benedictine edition.

^ * Which (works for carrying on the siege,) when the Ty-
rians saw completed, and the foundations of their walls shaken
by the blows of the battering-rams, whatever precious commo-
dity in gold, or silver, in apparel or furniture, the Noblesse
Vrere first in possession of, they put it 0)i board of ships, and
conveyed it to the islands: so thut Avhen the city was taken,
Nebuchadnezzar found nothing in it to reward his toil.' See
Jerome on Ezek. xxix., page 909.

THE PROPHECIES. 213

ships, and carried to the islands ; so that the city being
taken, Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy of his la-
bour.' It must have been grievou.s to Nebuchadnezzar,
after so long and laborious a siege, to be disappointed of
the spoil of So rich a city; and therefore Ezekiel was
commissioned to promise him the conquest of Egypt
for his reward; xxix. 18, 19. ' Son of man, Nebuchad-
nezzar king of Babylon, caused his army to serve a great
service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and
every shoulder was peeled : yet had he no wages, nor his
army for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against
it. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will
give the land of E!;ypt unto Nebuchadnezzar king of Ba-
bylon, and he shall take her multitude, and take her
spoil, and take her prey, and it shall be the wages for his
army.'

But though the Tyrians should pass over to Tarshish,
and to Chittim, yet even there they should find no quiet
settlement, ' there also, shalt thou have no rest.' Me-
gasthenes, * v/ho lived about 300 years before Christ,
and was employed by Seleucus Nicator in an embassy to
the king of India, wrote afterwards a history of India,
Avherein he mentioned Nebuchadnezzar with great honor.
I'his historian is quoted by several ancient authors, and
he is cited particularly by t Strabo, Josephus, and Aby-
denus in Eusebius for saying that Nebuchadnezzar sur-
passed Hercules in bravery and great exploits, that he
subdued great part of Africa and Spain, and proceeded as
for as to the pillars of Hercules. After Nebucliadnezzar
had subdued Tyre and Egypt, we may suppose that he
carried his arms farther westward ; and if he proceeded
so far as Megasthenes reports, the Tyrians might well be

* See Arrlan's' expedition of Alexander, Book V. Chap. vi.
page 203. See also his Indian histor}^ Chap. v. page 318, In
Gronovius* edition. See Vossius' Greek History, Rook I. Chap,
xi. See also Prideaux* Connections, Part I. Eook YUI. year
298, and 7th of Ptolomy Soter.

f See Strabo, Ro(jk XV. pag-e 687, in the Paris edition, and
page 1007, in that of Amsterdam, printed in 1707. See Jose-
phiis' Antiquitie.s, Hook X. Chap, xi. Sect, 1. page 460, See
him against Apion, Rook I. Sect. 20. pag-e 1343, in Hudson's
ed'^tion. See also Kusebius' Evanc;-elicul Preparation, Book IXt
Chap. xvi. page 456, in Vigerus' edition.

214 DISSERTATIONS ON

said to have no rest^ their conqueror pursuing them from
one country to another. But besides this, and after this,
the Carthaginians, and other colonies of the Tyrians
lived in a very unsettled state. Their history is made
up of httle but wars and tumults, even before their three
fatal wars with the Romans, in every one of which their
affairs grew worse and worse. Sicily and Spain, Europe
and Africa, the land and their own element the sea, were
theatres of their calamities and miseries ; till at last not
only the new, but old Carthage too was utterly destroyed.
As the Cai'thaginians sprung from the Tyrians, and the
Tyrians from the Sidonians, and Sidon was the first-born
of Canaan, Gen. x. 15. so the curse upon Canaan seem-
eth to have pursued them to the most distant parts of
the earth.

III. The city should be restored after 70 years, and
return to her gain and her merchandise. This circum-
stance is expressly foretold by Isaiah, xxiii. 13, 16, 17.
* And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall
be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one
King,' or kingdom meaning the Babylonian which was
to continue 70 years : ' after the end of seventy years,
shall Tyre sing as an harlot. Take an harp, go about
the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten, make sweet
melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remem-
bered. And it shall come to pass, after the end of seven-
ty years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn
to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the
kingdoms of the world, upon the face of the earth.' —
Tyre is represented as an harlot, and from thence these
figures are borrowed, the plain meaning of which is, that
she should lie neglected of traders and merchants for 70
years, as long as the Babylonian empire lasted, and after
that she should recover her liberties and her trade, and
draw in several of all nations to deal with her, and par-
ticularly the kings of the earth to buy her purples, which
were wore chiefly by emperors and kings, and for which
Tyre was famous above all places in the world.

Seventy years was the time prefixed for the duration
of the Babylonian empire. So long the nations were to
groan under that tyrannical yoke, though these nations
were subdued some sooner, some later than others, Jer.

THE PROPHECIES. 215

XXV. 11,12. < These nations shall serve the king of Ba-
bylon seventy years : And it shall come to pass, when
seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the
kint^ of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Loid, lor their
iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans and will xnake it
perpetual desolations.' And accordingly at the end of
seventy years, CyiHis and the Persians subverted the Ba-
bylonian empire, and restored the conquered nations to
their liberties.

But we may compute these 70 years after another man-
ner,* Tyre was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, in the 3 2d
year of his reign, and in the year 573 before Christ. —
Seventy years from thence will bring us down to the
year 503 before Christ, and the 19th of Darius Hystaspis.
At that time it appears from history,! that the lonians
had rebelled against Darius, and the Phoenicians assisted
him with their fleets : and consequently it is reasonable
to conclude, that they were now restored to their former
privileges. In the succeeding reign, we find + that they,
together with the Sidonians, furnished Xerxes with se-
veral ships for his expedition into Greece. And by the
time of Alexander, the Tyrians were grown to such
power and greatness, that they stopped the progress of
that rapid conqueror, longer than any part of the Per-
sian empire besides. But all this is to be understood of
the insular Tyre ; for as the old city flourished most be-
fore the time of Nebuchadnezzar, so the^new city flou-
rished most afterwards, and this is the Tyre that hence-
forth is so much celebrated in history.

IV. The city should be taken and destroyed again. —
For when it is said by the prophets, Isa. xxiii. 6. ^ Howl
ye inhabitants of the isle;' Ezek. xxvii. 32. * What
city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the
sea ? xxviii 8. * They shall bring thee down to the pit,
and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the
midst of the sea :' these expressions can imply no less
than the insular Tyre should be destroyed as well as that

* See Prideaux' Connections, Part I Book II. and Book IV.

f See Herodotus, Book V. Chap, cvili. &c. page 330.

i: See Herodotus, Book VH. Chap. Ixxxix, Sec. page 412, in
Gale's edition. See Dlodorus Siculus, Book XI. page 244, in
Stephanus' edition, and page 3, Vol. 2. in that of Khodomanus.

216 DISSERTATIONS ON

upon the continent ; and as the one was accomplished by
Nebuchadnezzar, so was the other by Alexander the
Great. But the same thing may be inferred more direct-
ly from the words of Ze<^hariah, who prophecied in the
reign of Darius, Zech. i. 1. vii. 1. pi-obably Darius
Hystaspis, many years after the former destruction of
the city, and consequently he must be understood to
speak of this latter. His words are these? ix. 3, 4. —
' And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped
up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the
streets. Behold the Lord will cast her out, and he will
smite her power in the sea, and she shall be devoured
with fire.' It is very true that Tyrus did build her a
stronghold; for her situation was very strong in an
island, and besides the sea to defend her she was for-
tified with a wall of 150 feet in height, and of a propor-
tionable thickness. * She heaped up silver as the dust,
and fine gold as the mire of the streets,' being the most
celebrated place in the world for trade and riches, ' the
mart of nations,' as she is called, conveying the commo-
dities of the east to the west, and of the west to the east.
But yet ' Behold the Lord will cast her out, and he will
smite her power in the sea, and she shall be devoured
with fire.' Ezekiel had likewise foretold that the city
should be consumed with fire, xxviii. 18. * I will bring
forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee,
and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth, in the sight
of all tiiem that behold thee.' And accordingly Alexan-
der besieged, and took, and set t the city on, fire. The
ruins of old Tyre contributed much to the taking of the
new city : for + with the stones and timber and rubbish
©f the old city, Alexander built a bank or causey from
the continent to the island, thereby literally fulfilling the
words of the prophet Ezekiel, xxvi. 12. < They shall

* See Arrian's expedition of Alexander, Book II. Chap. xxi.
page 96, in Gronovius' edition. * The height was an hundred
and fifty feet, and of a coiresponding thickness.

t See Quintus Curtius, Book IV. Chap. iv. * And he orders
fire to be thrown into the houses.'

\ See Quintus Curtius, Book IV. Chap. il. See Diodorus
Siculus, Book XVII. page 583, in Stephanus' edition, and 219,
Vol. 2. in that of Rliodomanus.

THE PUOPIIECIES. 217

lay thy stones, aud thy timber, and thy dust in the midst
of the water.' He was seven montb.s in completing this
work, but the time and lai:)0ur were well employed, for by
means hereof he was enabled to storm and take the city.
As in the former siege, the inhabitants according to
the prophecies, fled over the Mediterranean, to the islands
and countries adjoining ; so they did likewise in this latter
siege; for Diodorua Siculus, * and Quintus Curtius, both
testify that they sent their wives and children to Carthage ;
and upon the taking of the place, the Sidoniansf secretly
conveyed away fifteen thousand more in their ships. Hap-
py were they who thus escaped, for of those who remained
beliind, the conqueror + slew eight thousand, in the storm-
ing and taking of the city, he caused two thousand after-
wards cruelly to be crucified, and thirty thousand he sold
for slaves. They had before sold some of the captive
Jews, and now it was returned upon thena according to
the prediction of Joel, iii. 6, 7, 8. ' The children also of
Judah, and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold; Be-
hold, I will return your recompense upon your own head,
and will sell your sons and your daughters.' This is the
main of the prophecy, that as they had sold the captive
Jews, so they should be sold themselves : and having seen
this so punctually fulfilled, we may more easily believe
that the other parts were so too, though at this distance
of time, and in this scarcity of ancient historians, we are
not able to prove all the particulars. When the city was
taken before, the Tyrians received their kings afterwards
from Babylon; and now their § king held his crown by

* 'They determined to send their children and wives, and
aged people to Carthag-e, They prevented a part of their cliil-
dren and wives from falling into the hands of the enemy, by
sending tliem away secretly to the Carthaginians.' See Diodo-
rus Siculus, Book XVII. — 'They delivered their wives and chll-
dren to be conveyed to Carthage.' See Quintus Curtius, Book
IV. Chap. iii..

f See Quintus Curtius, Book IV. Chap. iv.

:^ See Arrian, Book II. Chap, xxiv page 100, in Gronovius'
edition. See the same place of Quintus Curtius.

§ See Diodorus Siculus, Book XVII. page 587, in Stephanus*
edition, and page 524, Vol. II. in the edition of Hhodomanus.
* He appointed one named Byllonymus, king of the city of the
Tyrians.'

VOL. I. T

218 DISSERTATIONS ON

Alexander's appointment. The cases are parallel in
many respects ; but the city recovered much sooner from
the calamities of this siege than from the fatal consequen-
ces of the former. For in nineteen years* time, it was
able to withstand the fleets and armies of Antigonus, and
sustained a siege of fifteen months before it was taken :
a plain proof, as Dr. Prideaux observes of" the great ad-
vantage of trade. For this city being the grand mart,
where most of the trade, both of the east and west did
then centre, by virtue hereof it was, that it so soon reviv-
ed to its pristine vigour."

V. It is usual with God, to temper his judgments with
mercy : and amidst these calamities it is also foretold, that
there should come a time, when the Tyrians would for-
sake their idolatry, and become converts to the true re-
ligion and worship of God. The Psalmist is thought to
have hinted as much in saying, xlv. 12. ' The daughter
of Tyre shall be there with a gift,* and again, Ixxii. 10.
" The kings of Tarshish, and of the isles shall bring pre-
sents.* Zechariah, when he foretels the calamities,
which the Tyrians and neighbouring nations should suf-
fer from Alexander, ix. 1 — 7. at the same time, predicts
their conversion to the true God ; but he that remaineth,
even he shall be for our good.' But nothing can be plain-
er than Isaiah's declaration, that they should consecrate
the grains of their merchandise, for the maintenance
of those who minister to the Lord in holy things,
xxxiii. 18. ' And her merchandise, and her hire shall
be holiness to the Lord ; it shall not be treasured, nor laid
up ; for her merchandise, shall be for them that dwell be-
fore the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.*
Here particularly we must be much obliged to the learn-
ed Vitringa,t who hath fully shown the completion of
this article ; as indeed every one, who would rightly un-
derstand the prophet Isaiah, must be greatly obliged to
that able commentator, and will receive more light and
assistance from him, than from all besides him.

* See Dlodorus Siculus, Rook XIX. page 704, in Stephanas'
edition, and page 703, Vol. II. in that of Kliodomanus. See Pri-
deaux' Connections, Part I. Book VIII, year 313, and 4, of Alex-
ander.

t See Vitringa's Commentary on Isa. xxUi. Vol. I. page 704.

THE PROPHECIES. i>19

The Tyrians were nuich addicted to the worship of
Hercules, as he was called by the Greeks, or of Baal, as
he is denominated in scripture. But in process of time,
by the means of some Jews and Proselytes, livini^ and
conversing among them, some of them also became pro-
selytes to tlie Jewish religion ; so that ' a great multitude
of people from tlie sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, came to
hear' our Saviour, Luke vi. 17. ' and to be healed of their
diseases :' and our Saviour, who was ' sent only to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel,* yet came ' into the
coasts of Tyre and Sidon ;' Matth. xv. 21, kc. IVlark vii.
24, &c. and the first fruits of the gospel there, was aTy-
rian woman, ' a woman of Canaan,' as she is called, a
Syro-phcenician by nation.' When St. Paul in his way
to Jerusalem came to Tyre, he found disciples there, who
were inspired by the Holy Ghost, and prophecied, Acts
xxi. 4. and with them he 'tarried seven days.* The Ty-
rians were such sincere converts to Christianity, that in
the time of Dioclesian's persecution, they exhibited several
glorious examples of confessors and martyrs: this Euse-
bius * himself saw, and hath amply testified in his book of
the martyrs of Palestine. Afterwards, when the storm of
persecution was blown over, the Tyrians under their
Bishop Paulinus, built an oratory or rather a temple, for
the public worship of God, the most magnificent and
sumptuous in all Palestine and Phoenicia, which temple
Eusebiusf hath described, and celebrated in a handsome
panegyrici whereof he hath inserted a copy in his history,
but modestly concealed the name of the author. Euse-
bius therefore commenting upon this passage of Isaiah,
might very well ^ say that ' it is fulfilled in our time. For
since a church of God hath been founded in Tyre, as well
as in other nations, many of its goods gotten by merchan-

* See Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, Book VHI. Chap. vii.
See the Palestine Martyrs, Chap. v. and vii.

t See Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, Book X. Chap. iv.

i ' Which we see accomplished in our time. For since a
church of God hath been established in the ciiy of Tyre, in like
manner as in ot)ier nations, much of its wealtli procured by mer-
chandise, offered to its church, is consecrated to the Lord. This
he soon afterwards exj)lains by saying", that it is applied to the
use of tlie ministers of the altar, or of the gospel, according to
the liord's appointment, that they who serve at the altar, shocild
live by it.*

220 DISSERTATIONS ON

disc are consecrated to the Lord, being offered to his
chiipch ;' as he afterwards explains himself, " for the use
of the ministers of the altar or gospel, according- to the
institution of our Lord, that they who wait at the altar,
should live of the altar." In like manner St. Jerome:*
'' We may behold churches in Tyre built to Christ ; we
may see their riches that they are not laid up, nor treasur-
ed, but given to those who dwell before the Lord. For the
Lord hatfi appointed, that they who preach the gospel,
should live of the gospel." And how liberally, and munifi-
cently the bishops and clergy were at that time maintained,
how plentifully they were furnished with every thing, * to
eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing,' no man can want
to be informed, who is ever so little conversant in eccle-
siastical history. To the«e proofs we will only add, that
as Tyre consecrated its merchandise and hire unto the
Lord, so it had the honour t of being erected into an arch-
bishopric, and the first archbishopric under the patriar-
chate of Jerusalem, having fourteen bishops under its
primacy ; and in this state it continued several years.

VL But after all, the city should be totally destroyed,
and become a place only for fishers to spread their nets
upon. When the prophets denounced the destruction of
a city or country, it was not intended that such denun-
ciation should take eff'ect immediately. The sentence
of condemnation, (as I may say,) was then passed upon
it, but the execution might be respited for some time.
When it was threatened that Babylon should become a
desolation without an inhabitant, there were, yet many
ages before it was reduced to that condition ; it decayed
by degrees, till at last it came to nothing ; and now the
place is so little known, that you may look for Babylon
in the midst of Babylon. In like manner, Tyre was not
to be ruined and desolated all at once. Other things were

* We may behold in Tyre, churches built to the honour of
Christ, and may see that the wealth of all its inhabitants is not
lioarded or treasured up, but given to them who dwell before

the Lord. For so hath the Lord appointed, tliat they wiio

preach the gospel, should live b} tlie gospel. See .Terome on
Isa. xxiii. page 146, Vol. 111. in the Benedictine edition.

t See Sandy's Travels, Book III. page 168, sixth edition,
printed in 16f0. See Hoffman's Lexicon, S;c.

THE PROPHECIES. 2x2 i

to happen first. It was to be restored after 70 years; it
was to be destroyed and restored again, in order to its be-
ing adopted into the church. These events wet e to take
place, before Ezekiel's prophet^es could be fully accom-
plished: xxvi. 3, 4, 5, 'Thus saith the Lord C^od, Be-
hold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many
nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his
waves to come up : And they shall destroy the v»'alls of
Tyi'"s, and break down her towers; I will also scrape her
dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock : It
shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of
the sea : for I have spoken it. saith the Lord God.' He
repeats it to show the certainty of it, ver. 14. ' I will make
thee like the top of a rock ; thou shalt be a place to spread
nets upon ; thou shalt be built no more ; for I the Lord
hath spoken it, saith the Lord God :' and again, ver. 21.
* I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more :
though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found
again, saith the Lord God.*

These prophecies, like most others, were to receive
their completion by degrees. Nebuchadnezzar, as we
have seen, destroyed the old city ; and Alexander employ-
ed the ruins and rubbish in making his causey from the
continent to the island, which henceforwards were joined
together. '* It is no wonder therefore," as Bishop Po-
cock * observes, " that there are no signs of the ancient
city ; and as it is a sandy shore, the face of every thing is
altered, and the great aqueduct in many parts, is almost
buried in the sand," So that as to this part of the city,
the prophecy hath literally been fulfilled, * Thou shalt be
built no more ; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou
never be found again.' It may be questioned, whether the
new city ever after that, arose to that height of power,
wealth, and greatness, to which it was elevated in the
times of Isaiah and Ezekiel. It received a great blow
from Alexander, not only by his taking apd burning the
city, but much moreby his buildingof Alexandria in Egypt,
which in time deprived it of much of its trade, and there-
by contributed more effectually to its ruin. It had the

• See Pocock's Description of the East, Vol. II. Book I. Chap.
XX. page 81, 82.

2 T

002 DISSEUTATIONS ON

misfortune afterwards of changing its masters often, be-
ing sometimes in the hands of the Ptolemies kings of
Egypt, and sometimes of the Selucidae kings of Syria,
till at length it fell under the dominion of the Romans.
It was taken by the Saracens * about the year of Christ
639 in the reign of Omar their third emperor. It was
retaken by the Christians,! during the time of the holy-
war in the year 1 124, Baldwin the second of that name,
being then king of Jerusalem, and assisted by a fleet of
the Venetians. From the Christians, it was taken* again
in the year 1289, by the Mamalucs of Kgypt, under their
Sultan Alphix, who sacked and razed this and Sidon and
other strong towns, that they might not ever again afford
any harbour or slielter to the Christians From the Ma-
malucs, it was again taken § in the year 15 16 by Selim,
the ninth emperor of the Turks ; and under their domi-
nion it continues at present. But alas, how fallen, how
chani^ed from what it was formerly I For from being the
centre of trade, frequented by all the merchant ships of
the east and west, it is now become a heap of ruins, visit-
ed only by the boats of a few poor fishermen. So that
as to this part likewise of the city, the prophecy hath li-
terally been fulfilled, ' I will make thee like the top of a
rock ; thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon.

The faiiious Huetius|| knew one Hadrianus Parvillci

* See Ockley's History of the Saracens, Vol I. pag-e 340.

\ See Abul-i'hraj ills' History, Dynasty 9. pag-e 250. See Po-
cock, and Savag-e's Abridgment of Knolles and Rycaut, Vol. I.
page 26.

1: See Savage's Abridgment, Vol. I. page 95. and Pocock's De-
scription of the East, Vol. II. Book I. Chap. xx. page 83.

§ iiee Savage's Abridgments, Vol. I. page 241.

II I remember to liave been told by Hadrianus Parvillerius, a
Jesuit, a man greatly distinguished for his candour, and for his
skill in the Arabic language, and who spent ten years of his time
in Syria, that long ago, when he drew near to the fallen-down
ruins of Tyre, he beheld at a distance, the rocks stretching out
towards the sea, and the stones scattered in different directions
upon the shore, waslied and smoothed by the sun, the waves and
the wind, and only \iseful for drying the fishermen's nets, which
tlien happened to be spread upon them, it brought to his recol-
lection, these words of the prophet E7.ekiel. ' It shall be a place
tor the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea, for 1 have
6pokcn it. saith the Lord God. — And I will make thee like the

THE PROFHECIRS 22 J

riiis, a Jesuit, a very candid man, and a master of Arabic,
who resided ten years in Syria : and he remembers to
have heard him sometimes say, that when he approach-
ed the ruins of Tyre, and beheld the rocks stretched forth
to the sea, and the great stones scattered up and down on
the shore, made clean and smooth by the sun and waves
and winds, and useful only for the dryinij of fishermen's
nets, many of which happened at that time to be spread
thereon, it brought to his memory this prophecy of Eze-
kiel concerning- Tyre; xxvi. 5, 14. 'I will make thee
like the top of a rock ; thou shalt be a place to spread nets
upon ; thou shalt be built no more; for I the Lord have
spoken it, saith the Lord Ciod.'

Dr. Shaw* in his account of Tyre, thusexpresseth him-
self, "I visited several creeks and inlets in order to dis-
cover what provision there might have been formerly
made for the security of their vessels. Yet notwithstand-
ing, that Tyre was the chief maritime power of this
country, I could not observe the least token of either co-
t/ion or harbour, that could have been of any extraordina-
ry capacity, '{'he coasting ships indeed still find a tole-
rable good shelter from the northern winds under the
southern shore, but are obliged immediately to retire,
when the winds change to the west or south ; so that
there must have been some better station than this, for
their security and reception. In the N. N. E. part like-
wise of the city, we see the traces of a safe and commo-
dious bason lying within the walls ; but which at the same
time is very small, scarce forty yards in diameter. Nei-
ther could it ever have enjoyed a large area, unless the
buildings which now circumscribe it, were encroachments
iipon its original dimensions. Yet even this port, small
as it is at present, is notwithstanding, so choaked up with
sand and rubbish, that the boats of those poor fishermen,
who now and then visit this once renowned emporium,
can with great difficulty only be admitted."

But the fullest for our purpose is Mr. Maundrell,whom
it is a pleasure to quote as well as to read, and whose

top of a rock ; thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon : thou
shalt be built no more : for I the Lord have spoken^t, saith the
Lord God.' See Chap. xxvi. 5, 14.
• See Shaw's Travels, page 330.

22 4. DISSERTATIONS ON,

journal of his journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, thougli
a little book, is yet worth a folio, being so accurately and
ingeniously written, that it might serve as a model for all
writers of travels. " I'his city, * saith lie, standing in
the sea upon a peninsula, promises at a distance some-
thing very magnificent. But when you come to it, you
find no similitude of that glory, for which it was so re-
nowned in ancient times, and which the prophet Ezeki^
describes, Chap. 26, 27, 28. On the north side, it has
an old Turkish ungarrisoned castle; besides which you
see nothing here, but a mere Babel of broken walls, pil-
lars, vaults, &c. there being not so much as one entire
house left ; its present inhabitants are only a few poor
wretches harbouring themselves in the vaults, and sub-
sistii^g chieliy upon fishing, who seem to be preserved in
this place by divine providence, as a visible argument,
how Ciod hath fulfilled his nerd concerning Tyre, viz.
that it should be afi the tofi of a rock^a place for fishers to
dry their nets on.'*''

Such hath been the fate of this city, once the most fa-
mous in the world for trade and commerce. But trade
is a fluctuating thing : it passed from Tyre to Alexandria,
from Alexandria to Venice, from V^enice to Antwerp, from
Antwerp to Amsterdam and London, the English rival-
ling the Dutch, as the French are now rivalling both.
All nations almost are wisely applying themselves to
trade ; and it behoves those who are in possession of
it, to take the greatest care that they do not lose it. It
is a plant of tender growth, and requires sun and soil,
and fine seasons, to make it thrive and floiirish. It
will not grow like the palm-tree, which with the more
Aveight and pressure rises the more. Liberty is a friend
to that, as that is a friend to liberty. But the greatest
enemy to both is licentiousness, which tramples upon all
law and lawful authority, encourages riots and tumults,
promotes drunkenness and debauchery, sticks at nothing
to supply its extravagance, practises every art of illicit
gain, ruins credit, ruins trade, and will in the end ruin li-
berty itself. Neither kingdoms nor commonwealths, nei-
ther public companies nor private persons, can iDng car-
ry on a beneficial flourishing trade without virtue, and

» See Maundrcll, pa^e 48, 49. fif.h edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 225

what virtue teacheth, sobriety, industry, frugality, modes-
ty, honesty, punctuality, humanity, charity, the love of
our country, and tiie fear of God. The prophets will in-
form us how the Tyrians lost it; and tlie like causes will
always produce the like eftects, Isa. xxiii. 8, 9. * Who
hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city,
A\ hose merchants are princes, whose tiafiickers are the
honourable of the earth ? 'I'he Lord of hosts hath pur-
posed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into
contempt all the honourable of the earth.' Ezck. xxvii.
5, i. * Thus saith the Lord God, O Tyrus, thou hast
said, I am of perfect beauty. Thy borders are in the
midst of the seas, thy builders have perfected thy beauty.'
xxviii. 5, &c. * By thy great wisdom, and by thy traffic
hast thou increased thy riches, and thy heart is lifted up
because of thy riches. By the multitucle of thy merchan-
dise, they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and
thou hast sinned; therefore, will I cast thee as profane,
out of the mountain of God. Thine heart was lifted up
because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom
by reason of thy brightness. Thou hast defiled thy
sanctuaries, by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the
ini(iuity of thy trafhc ; therefore will I bring forth a fire
from the midst of thee, it shali devour thee, and I will
bring thee to ashes upon the earth, in the sight of all them
that behold thee. All they that know thee among the
people, shall be astonished at thee ; thou shaltbe a terror,
and never shalt thou be any more.*

XII.

THE "PUOPHECIES CONCERNING EGYPT.

EGYPT is one of the first and most famous countries
that we read of in history. In the Hebrew scriptures, it is
c^Utd Mi zrai?n and f/ie land of ff a fn ^hawing htt^n first inha-
bited after the deluge by Noah's youngest son Ham or
J-Tammov^ and by his son Mizruhn. The name of F.gufit
),3 of more uncertain derivation. It appears that the rivef

826 DISSEUTATIOXS OX

was so called in Homer's* time ; and from thence, as He-
sychius imagines, the name might be derived to the coun-
try. Others more probably conceive, that the meaning
of the name ^gyptiusf is am Cuphti, the land cf Cuphti^
as it was formerly called by the Egyptians themselves,
and their neighbours the Arabians. Ail agree in this,
that the kingdom of Egypt was very ancient ; but some
have carried this antiquity to an extravai^ant and fabu-
lous height, their dynasties being utterly irreconcilable
to reason and history both, and no ways lo be solved or
credited, but by supposing that they extend beyond the
deluge, and that they contain the catalogues, of several
contc*.,porary, as well as of some successive kings and
kiniL,doms. It is certain that in the days of Joseph, if not
before those in the days of Abraham, it was a great and
flourishing kingdom. There are monuments of its great-
ness, yet remainin,^ to the surprise and astonishment of
all posterity, of which as we know not the time of their
erection, so in al! probability we shall never know the
time of their destruction.

This country was also celebrated for its wisdom, no
less than for its antiquity. It was, as I may call it, the
great academy of the earlier ages. Hither the wits and
sages of Greece, and other countries repaired, and imbib-
ed their learning at this fountain. It is mentioned to the
commendation of Moses, Acts vii, 22. that he * was learn*
ed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians :* and the highest
character given of Solomon's wisdom, 1 Kings iv. 30. is,
that it ' excelled all the wisdom of the children'of the east
country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.' But with this
wisdom, and this greatness, it was early corrupted ; and
was as much the parent of superstition, as it was the mis-

* * On the fifth day we came lo the beautifully flowing Egypt,
and I equipped in the rivei- F.g-vpt, vessels rowed on both sides.'
bee Homer's Odyssey, Book XIV. Lines 257, 258.

The fifth fair morn we stem the Egyptian tide.

And tilting o'er the bay, the vessels ride. See Pope's Trans-
lation.

Hesychlus saith, that Egypt is the river Nile, and ber.ce tlie
country by later writers, hath been called Egypt.

t See Mede's Works, Book I. Discourse 50, page 281. See
also Hoffman's Lexicon.

THE PROPHECIES. 227

iress of learning ; and the one as well as the other, were
from thence propagated and diftnscd over other countries.
It was indeed the grand corrupter of the world, the
source of polytheism and idolatry, to several of the east-
ern, and to most of the more western nations ; and dege-
nerated at last to such monstrous and beastly worship,
that we shall scarcely find a parallel in all history.

However, this was the country, where the children of
Israel, were in a manner born and bred ; and it must be
said, they were much perverted by their education, and
retained a fondness for the idols of Egypt ever afterwards.
Sieveral of Moses* laws and institutions, were plainly cal-
culated to wean them from, and to guard them against
the manners and customs of the Egyptians. But still in
their hearts and aflfections, they were much inclined to
return into Egypt. Even Solomon married his wife from
thence. And upon all occasions they courted the friend-
ship and alliance of Egypt, rather than of any of the
neighbouring powers. Which prejudice of theirs was
the more extraordinary, as the Egyptians generally treat-
ed them very injuriously. They oppressed them with
most cruel servitude in Egypt. They gave them leave
to depart, and then pursued them as fugitives. Shishak
king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, 1 Kings, xiv.
25, 26. and plundered it. And in all their leagues and
alliances, Egypt was to them as ' a broken reed,' Isaiah
xxxvi. 6. ' whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand,
and pierce it.' Upon all these accounts, we might rea-
sonably expect that Egypt would be the subject of several
prophecies, and ue shall not be deceived in our expecta-
tion.

It is remarkable, that the prophecies uttered against
any city or country, often carry the inscription of the bur-
den of that city or country. The prophecies against Ni-
neveh, Babylon, and Tyre, were inscribed Nahum i. 1.
'the burden of Nineveh,' Isa. xiii. 1. 'the burden of Ba-
bylon, isa. xxiii. 1. 'the burden of Tyre:* and so here
likewise, Isaiah xix. 1. the prophecies against Egypt
have the title of 'the burden of Egypt.* And by bur-
den is commonly understood a threatening burden, some
prophecy, big with rum and destruction, which like
a dead weight is hung upon a city or country, to sink it.

228 DISSERTATIONS ON

But the word in the ori,qinal, is of more general import
and signification. Sometimes it signifies a prophecy at
large : as the prophecies of Habakkuk and Malachi are
entitled ' the burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see,
and the burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by Ma-
lachi :' and it is rendered a vision or /irophecy, in the Sep-
tuagint, and other ancient versions. Sometimes it signi-
fies a prophecy of good as well as of evil : as it was said
of the false prophets, who prophecied peace when there
was no peace, Lament, ii. 14. * Thy prophets have seen
vain and foolish things for thee, they have seen for thee
false burdens;* and Zechariah*s prophecy of the restora-
tion and triumphs of the Jews in the latter days is enti-
tled, Zech. xii. 1. 'the burden of the word of the Lord
for Israel.' Sometimes it is translated a /irofihecy, where
there is no prophecy, but only some grave moral sayings
or sentences, as Prov. xxx. 1. * the words of Agur the
son of Jakeh, even the prophecy ;' and again, Prov. xxxi.
1. ' The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his
mother taught him.' We may farther observe that the
word is used of the author of prophecy, as well as the
subject of it : and there is ' the burden of the Lord, and
the burden of the word of the Lord, as iveltas the burden
of Babylon, and the burden of Egypt.' We may be cer-
tain too, that this title was affixed to the prophecies by
the prophets themselves, and not by the scribes who col-
lected their writings afterwards, because it appears from
Jeremiah, xxiii. 33, Sec. that the scoffers and infidels of
his time made a jest and derision of it; and therefore they
are forbidden to mention it any more, as being a term of
ambiguous signification ; and instead of inquiring ' what
is the burden of the Lord,' they are commanded to say,
* what hath the Lord answered ? and what hath the Lord
spoken?' The word * in the original, is derived from a
verb that signifies to take up, to lift up, to bring forth,
and the like; and the proper meaningof it is any weighty
important matter or sentence, which ought not to lie ne-
glected, but is worthy of being carried in the memory,

• The Hebrew word Masha, a burden, is derived from Nasha,
which signifies, he carried, lie took up, he lifted up, he brought
forth. See Buxtorfs Lexicon.

THE PROPHECIES. '22^

and deserves to be lifted up and uttered with emphasis.
Such, eminently such, are all these prophecies, and
those relating to Egypt as well as tlie rest. For they
comprise the principal revolutions of that kingdom from
Uie times of the prophets to this day.

I. The first great revolution that we shall mention,
was the conquest of this kingdom by Nebuchadnezzar,
%vhich was particularly foretold by Jeremiah and EzekieJ.
These two prophets have both employed several sections
or chapters upon this occasion. Jeremiah was carried
into Egypt, and there foretold, Chap, xliii, the conquest
of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon: and some
of his prophecies are entitled, xlvi. 13. ' The word that
the Lord spake to Jeremiah the prophet, how Nebuchad-
nezzar king of Babylon should come and smite the land
of Egypt.' Ezekiel also declares, xxx. 10, 11. 'Thus
saith the Lord God, I will also make the multitude of
Egypt, to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon. He and his people with him, the terrible of
the nations shall be brought to destroy the land ; and
they shall draAV their swords against Egypt, and fill the
land with the slain :* and the conquest of this kingdom
WHS promised to Nebuchadnezzar, as a reward for his
services against Tyre, which after a long siege he took
and destroyed, but was disappointed of the spoil, as was
observed in the foregoing dissertation ; Ezek. xxix. 18,
19. ^ Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, caused hin
army to serve a great service against Tyrus : every head
was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled : yet had
he no wages, nor his army for Tyrus, for the service
that he had served against it. Therefore thus saith the
Lord God, Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take her
multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey, and it
shall be the wages for his army,'

Now for this early transaction we have the testimo-
nies* of Magasthenes and Berosus, two heathen histori-

* * For they say, that he (Nebuchadnezzar) reduced into his
obedience a great part of Africa.' See MegaKthencs in Jose-
phus' Antiquities, Book X. Chap. xi. Sect. 1. in Hudson'.';
edition. * But Nebucliadnezzar, not lonj^ after, having heard

VOL. I. U

230 DISSERTATIONS ON

ans, ^vho lived about 300 years before Christ, one of
-vvhom affirms expressly, that Nebuchadnezzar conquered
the greatest part of Africa, and the other affirms it in
effect, in saying, that when Nebuchadnezzar heard of
the death of his father, having- settled his affairs in Egypt,
and committed the captives whom he took in Egypt to
the care of some of his friends to bring them after him,
he hasted directly to Babylon. If neither Herodotus nor
Diodorus Siculus, have recorded this transaction, what
Scaliger* said of one of them may be very justly applied
lo both, that those Egyptian priests, who informed them
of the Egyptian affairs, taught them only those things
which made for the honour of their nation ; other particu-
lars of their idleness, servitude, and the tribute which
they paid to the Chaldeans they concealed. Josephus,
we may presume, had good authorities, and was support-
ed by earlier historians, when he f asserted, that Nebu-
chadnezzar, having subdued Coelo-Syria, waged war
against the Ammonites and Moabites ; and having con-
quered them, he invaded Egypt, and slew the king who
then reigned, and appointed another.

It is indeed most highly probable, that Apries was de-
throned, and Amasis constituted king by Nebuchadnez-
zar ; and I think, we may infer much from Herodotus
himself. The name of the king of Egypt, at that time,
according to Jeremiah, was Pharaoh- Hophra^ and he

of the death of his father, and having set in order his affairs in
Egypt, &c.* See Berosus as quoted by the same author. Sea
also Eusebius* Evangelical Preparation, Book IX. Chap, xl,
und xli.

* AVhat is plainly related by Jeremiah, Herodotus was igno-
j'ant of. For these Egyptian priests, who answered his ques-
tions concerning the affairs of Egypt, candidly told him, that
they only made mention of these things, which tended to the
honour of their nation, but that they concealed every thing re-
lating to their idleness, their servitude, or the tribute which
they paid to the Chaldeans. See Scaliger's Fragments, page 11.

f ' He (Nebucliadnczzar) invaded Calo-Syria, and having
made himself master of it, he fought against the Ammonites
and Moabites. When he had reduced these nations under liis
power, he made an incursion into Egypt. There he slew the
reigning king, and appointed another.' See Josephus' .fewish
Antiquities, Book X. Sect. 9. page 454, in Hudson's edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 251

ciin be none other than the Afiries of Herodotus. Eze-
kiel represents him as an arrogant impious prince, xxix.
3. as ' the great dragon or crocodile that lieth in the
midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is my own,
antl I have made it for myself:' and agreeably hereto *
Herodotus informs us, that Apries proudly and wick-
edly boasted, of having established his kingdom so sure-
ly, that it was not in the power of any god to dispossess
him of it. However Jeremiah foretold, that he should
be taken and slain by his enemies, xliv. 30. ' Thus
saith the Lord, Behold, 1 will give Fhaiaoh-Hophraking
of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand
of them that seek his life, as I gave Zedckiah king of
Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
his enemy, and that sought his life :' and accordingly
Apriest was taken and strangled by Amasis, who was by
Nebuchadnezzar constituted king in his room,

Ezekiel foretold, that the country should be desolated
forty years, and the people carried captive into other
countries: xxix. 12. ' I will make the land of Egypt
desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate,
and her cities among the cities that are laid waste, shall
be desolate forty years j and I will scatter the Egyptians
among the nations, and will disperse them through the
countries.' We cannot prove indeed from heathen au-
thors, that this desolation of the country continued ex-
actly forty years, though it is likely enough that this, as
well as the other conquered countries did not shake oft*
the Babylonian yoke till the time of Cyrus, which was
about forty years after the conquest of Egypt by Nebu-
chadnezzar: but we are assured by Berosus,t that Ne-

* It is reported, that Apries was fully persuaded, that no one
of the gods was able to put an end to his kingdom, as it seeiu»
ed to him to be so firmlv established. See Herodotus, Book
n. Sect. 169, in (bale's edition.

f See Herodotus in the place above quoted. See Diodonis
Siculus, IJook I. page 43, in Stephanus' edition, and page 62,
in that of llhodomanus.

^ Berosus as quoted by Josephus, Book X. Chap. xl. Sect. 1.
page 459, in Hudson's edition, saith, * that having joined the
ligyptian prisoners, with those whom he had taken irom other
nations, their (Eg-yptian) allies, he sent them to Buijylon,'

232 DISSEllTATIOKS ON

buchadnezzar took several captives in Egypt, and carried
them to Babylon ; and from Megasthenes* we learn,
that he transplanted and settled others in Pontus. So
true it is, that they were ' scattered among the nations,
and dispersed through the countries,' and might upon
the dissolution of the Babylonian empire return to their
native country.

II. Not long after this was another memorable revolu-
tion, and the country was invaded and subdued by Cam-
byses and the Persians, which is the main subject of the
19th chapter of Isaiah. Son)e parts indeed of this pro-
phecy have a near affinity with those of Jeremiah and
Ezekiel, concerning the conquest of Egypt by Nebu-
chadnezzar, and St. Jerome and others apply it to Ne-
buchadnezzar: but this prophecy, as well as several
others, might admit of a double completion, and be ful-
filled at both those periods. For this prophecy of Isaiah,
is a general representation of the calamities of the na-
tion ; it includes various particulars ; it is applicable^ to
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians, as well as to Cam-
byses and the Persians. They might therefore be both
intended and comprehended in it : but tlie latter, I con-
ceive, were principally intended, and for this reasoa ;
because the deliverance of the Egyptians by some great
conqueror, and their conversion afterwards to tli€ true
religion, which are foretold in the latter part of this chap-
ter, were events consequent to the dominion of the Per-
sians, and not to that of the Babylonians.

The prophet begins with declaring, that the conquest
of Egypt should be swift and sudden, and that the idols
of Egypt should be destroyed; ver. 1. * Behold the Lord
ridcth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt,
and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence,
and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.* —
The same thing is foretold of Nebuchadnezzar by Jere-
miah, xliii. 11, Sec. * And when he cometh he shall
smite the land of Egypt — And I will kindle a fire in the
houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them,

* * He c.iused a colony of them to be settled on the right
hand side of Pontus. See Megasthenes in Eusebius, in tlie
place above quoted, Chap. xli. page 456, in Vigerus' edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 233

and carry them away captives — He shall break also the
images of Bethshemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and
the houses of the gods of the Egypiians shall he burn
with hre:* and again by Ezekiel, xxx. 13. ' Thus saith
the Lord God, I will also destroy the idols, and I will
cause their images to cease out of Noph,' or Memphis.
We are not furnished with ancient authors sufficient to
prove these particulars (however probable) in the history
of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians ; but we have
ample proois, with relation to Cambyses and the Persians.
The first attempt made by Cambyses was upon Pelusium,*
a strong town at the entrance of Egypt, and the key of
the kingdom ; and he succeeded by the stratagem of
placing before his army a great number of dogs, sheep,
cats, and other ani!nals, who being held sacred by the
Egyptians, not one of them would casta javelin, or shoot
an arrow that way ; and so the town was stormed and
taken in a manner without resistance. Met treated the
gods of Egypt, with marvellous contempt, laughed at the
people, and chastised the priests for worshipping such
deities. He slew Apis, or the sacred ox, which the Egyp-
tians worshipped, with his own hand ; and i)ur!it and de-
molished their other idols and temples ; and v/ould like-
wise, if he had not been prevented, have destroyed the
famous temple of Jupiter Hammon. Ochus too, who was
another king of Persia, and subdued the Egyptians again
after they had revolted,* plundered their temples, and
caused Apis to be slain and served up in a banc;uet to him
and his friends.

The prophet foretels, that they should also be misera-
bly distracted with civil wars; ver. 2. ' And I will set
the Egyptians against the Egyptians ; and they shall fight

• See Polyjenus' Stratagems, Book VII. Chap. is. page 620, in
Maasvicius' edition.

f See Herodotus, Book HI. Sect. 27, &c. page 172, and Sect.
37, &c. pa^e 176, in Gale's edition. See Stiabo, Book XVH.
page 805, in the Paris edition, and page 1158, m the Amsterdam
edition of 1707- See Justin, Book 1. Chap. ix. page 29, in Grx-
vius' edition.

4: See Diodorus Siculus, Book XVI. page 537, in Stephanus'
edition, and page 448 of Vol. 2. in the edition of Rhodomanus.
See Plutarch upon Isis and Osiris, page 355, in the Paris edition
cfl62i.

u 2

234 DISSERTATIONS OX

every one against his brother, and every one against his
neighbour, city against city, and kingdom against king-
dom ;' iiGJnos epi nomon as the Seventy translate it, pro-
vince against province, Egypt being divided into nomoi^
prefectures or provinces. Vitringa and others apply this
to the time of the dodtkarchia * or the reign of the twelve
kings, the anarchy that preceded, and the civil wars that
ensued, wherein the genius and fortune of Psammitichus
prevailed over the rest. But it may perhaps be more
properly applied to what agrees better in point of time,
with other parts of the prophecy, f the civil wars between
Apries and Amasis, at the time of Nebuchadnezzar's in-
vasion, and the % civil wars between Tachos, Nectanebus,
and the Mendesian, a little before the country was finally
subdued by Ochus.

It is no wonder, that in such distractions and distresses
as these, the Egyptians being naturally a cowardly peo-
ple, should be destitute oi counsel^ and that ' the spirit of
Egypt should fail in the midst thereof,' as the prophet
foretels : ver. 3. and that being also a very superstitious
people, ' they should seek to the idols, and to the charm-
ers, and to thepti that have familiar spirits, and to the wi-
zards.' But their divination was all in vain : it was their
fate to be subdued and oppressed by cruel lords and ty-
rants ; ver. 4. ' And the Egyptians will I give over into
the hand of a cruel lord ; and a fierce king shall rule over
them,saith the Eord, the Lord of hosts.' This is the most
essential part of the prophecy ; and this Grotius and
others understand of Psammitichus ; but it doth not ap-
pear from history, that Psammitichus was such ?i fierce
and cruel tyrant ; on the contrary he § re-established the

* See Herodotus, Book II. Sect. 147 — 154, page 146 — 150, in
Gale's edition. See Biodorus Siculus, Book 1. page 41, &c. in
Stephanas' edition, and page 59, &.c. Vol. I, in that of Rhodo-
xnanus.

f See Herodotus, Book II. Sect. 169, page 155, in Gale's edi-
lion. See Diodorus Siculus, Book 1 pag-e 43, in Stephanus' edi-
tion, and page 62, Vol. I. in that of Rhodomanus.

\ See Plutarch's life of Ag-esilaus. Sec Diodorus Siculus,
Book XV. page 506, in Stephanus' edition, and page 390, &c.
Vol. 2, in that of Rhodomanus.

§ See Herodotus, Book II. Sect. 153—157. page 150. 151. in
Gale's edition. See Diodorus Siculus, Book 1. page 42, in Ste-

THE PROPHECIES. 255

government, and reigned long and prosperously for Egypt
in many respects. It may'with greater truth and proprie-
ty, be understood of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians,
whose dominion was very grievous to the conquered na-
tions : but with the greatest propriety and justice, it may
be applied to the Persians, and especially to Cambyses
and Ochus ; one of whom put the yoke upon the neck of
the Egyptians, and the other rivetted it there ; and who
are both branded in history for cruel tyrants and mon-
sters of men. Tlie Egyptians said that Cambyses, after
his killing of Apis, was stricken with madness ; but his
actions, saith Dr. Prideaux * after Herodotus, showed him
to have been mad long before. He could hardly have
performed these great exploits, if he had been a dowa-
right madman : and yet it is certain, that he was very
much like one ; there was a mixture of barbarity and
madness in ail his behaviour. Ochus was the crudest
and worst of all the kings of Persia, and was so destruc-
tive and oppressive to Egypt in particular, that his favour-
ite eunuch Bagoas, f who was an Egyptian, in revenge of
his injured country, poisoned him. The favours shown
to himself could not compensate for the wrongs done to
his country. None other allegation is wanting to prove,
that the Persian yoke was galling and intolerable to the
Egyptians, than their frequent revolts and rebellions,
which served st'U but to augment their misery, and en-
slave them more and more.

The prophet then proceeds to set forth in figurative
language, ver. 5 — 10. the consequences of this subjection
and slavery, the poverty and want, the mourning and la-
mentation, the confusion and misery, which should be
entailed on both them and their posterity ; and afterwards

phanus' edition, and page 60. Vol. I. in that of Rliodomanus.
See also Marsham's Clironicle, a.^e XVIIT. pag-e 505.

* See Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book lU. year 525, and
5 of Cambyses. See Herodotus, Book HI. Sect. 30. page 173, in
Gale's edition. * But Cambyses (as tiie Egyptians say,) on ac-
count of this wickedness, was immediately stricken with mad-
ness, but before that, he was not in bis right senses.*

t See Diodorus Siculus, Book XVI. page 564, in Stephanus*
edition, and 490, of Vol. 2. in that of Rhodomanus. See Aelian's
Various history. Book VJ Chap. viii.

236 DISSERTATIONS ON

he recounts ver. 11 — 17. the immediate causes of these
evils, the folly of the princes and rulers who valued thera-
selves upon their wisdom, and the cowardice, and effemi-
nacy of the people in general. These things will plainly
appear to any one, by perusing the history of the nation,
but it would carry us beyond ail bounds, to prove them
by an induction of particulars. In general it may be said,
that Egypt would not have become a prey to so many
foreign enemies, but through the excessive weakness of
the Egyptians, both in counsel and in action. They had
not the courage even to defend themselves. They trusted
chiefly to their Grecian and other mercenaries, who in-
stead of defending, were often the first to betray them.

III. The next memorable revolution was effected by
Alexander the Great, who subverted the Persian empire
in Egypt, as well as in all other places ; and this event, I
entirely agree with Vitringa, is pointed out to us in this
same 1 9th chapter of Isaiah. It is also foretold, that
about the same time several of the Egyptians should be
converted to the true religion, and the worship of the God
of Israel. And as these events, which are the subjects of
t'ne latter part of the chapter, ver. 18 — 25. followed upon
the subversion of the Persian e rtpire ; we may be satisfied,
that our application of the former part of the chapter to
the Persians in particular, was not a misapplication of the
prophecy. In that clay, that is, after that day, after that
tinie, as the phrase signifies, and should be translated in
several passages of the prophets, ' shall five cities in the
land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan,' profess the
religion of the Hebrews ; as in Zephaniah iii'. 9. * I will
turn to the people a pure language,' signifies, I will re-
store to the people a pure religion, * that they may all
call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one
consent. And swear to the Lord of hosts : one shall be
called the city of destruction,' or of the sun, as it is in the
margin of our bibles, meaning Heliopolis, a famous city
in Egypt, ' In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord,
in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the bor-
der thereof to the Lord,' such as Jacob erected, Gep.
xxviii. IS. at Lethel. ' And it shall be for a sign, and for
a witness unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he
shall send them a saviour and a great one, and he shall

THE PROPHECIES. 237

deliver them. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt,
and the Eijyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and
shall do sacrifice and oblation, yea, they shall vow a vow
unto the Lord, and perform it.' The propliet describes
the worship of future times, according to the rites and
ceremonies of his own time. ' And the Lord shall smite
Egypt, he shall smite and heal it, and they shall return
even to the Lord, and he shall be intreated of them, and
shall heal them.' The pi'ophet then proceeds tp show,
that Assyria or Syria in Egypt, which used to be at great
enmity with each other, shall be united in the same wor-
ship by the intermediation of Israel, and they three shall
be a blessing in the earth. * In that day shall there be a
high way out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall
come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the
Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day
shall Israel be the third with Egypt, and with Assyria,
even a blessing in the midst of the land : Whom the
Lord of hosts shall bles.s, saying, Blessed be Egypt my
people, and Assyria the work of my hands, aiid Israel
mine inheritance.*

Here is clearly foretold, that a great prince, a saviour
aent by God^ from a foreign country, should deliver the
Egyptians from their Persian op.Jiressors^ and heal their
country, \vhich was smitten of God and afiiicted : and who
could this be, but Alexander, who is always distinguish-
ed by the name of Alexander the grtat^ and whose first
successor in Egypt was called the great Ptolemy, and Pto-
lemy Soter or the saviour ? Upon Alexander's first com-
ing into Egypt, the people * all cheerfully submitted to
him out of hatfed to the Persians, so that he became
master of the country without any opposition. For this
reason, he treated them v/ilh humanity and kindness,
built a city there, which after his own name he called
Alexandria, appointed oneof their own country for their
civil governor, and permitted them to be governed by
their own laws and customs. By these changes and re-

* See Diodorus Sicukis, Book XVII. p.ig-e 588, In Stepbanus'
edition, and pup:e 526,'of Vol. 2. in that of Rhodomanus. See
Arrian, Rook lit. Chap, i, 8cc. See Quintiis Cuvtius, Book lY.
Cliap. vii. and viii.

23S DISSERTATIONS ON

gulations. and by the prudent and gentle administration
of some of the first Ptolemies, Egypt revived, trade and
learning nourished, and for a while peace and plenty
blessed the land.

But it is more largely foretold, that about the same
time the true religion and the worship of the God of Is-
rael, should begin to spread and prevail in the land of
Egypt : and what event was ever more unlikely to hap-
pen, than the conversion of a people so sunk and lost in
superstition and idolatry of the worst and grossest kind?
It is certain that many of the Jews> after Nebuchadnezzar
had taken Jerusalem, fled into Egypt, and carried along
with them Jeremiah the prophet, Jer. xliii. he. who there
tittered most of his prophecies, concerning the conquest
of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. From thence some know-
ledge of God, and some notice of the prophecies might
easily be derived to the Egyptians. It is said that this
alteration should be effected principally in Jive cities. If
a certain number be not here put for an uncertain, I
should conclude with Le Clerc, * that the ^/ive cities,
wherein the worship of the one true God was received,
were Heliopolisy which is particularly named in the text,
and the four others, which are mentioned in Jeremiah,
xliv. 1. as the places of the residence of the Jews, Migdol
or Magdolus, Tahjianhes^ or Daphne, JVofih or Memphis,

* 'If one might form a conjecture, concerning the names of five
(four) other cities, I would say that they are these mentioned by
Jeremiah in Chup. xliv. 1. namely Migdol, called by Herodotus,
Magdolus, Tahpanhes, called by the same author Daphne, Noph,
or Alemphis, and the fourth, in the country of Pathros, or Pa-
thyrisjthe name of which is not mentioned, perhaps Ammon — No,
orDiospolis. In these cities dwelt the Jews, who through fear of
the Chaldeans, migrated into Egypt, and who forced Jeremiah
to accompany them thither. Although these men were very
wicked in general, on which account, the prophet denounced
against them very heavy calamities, yet amongst them there
might be a few godly men, who made known to the Egyptians
liis predictions. And these last, when they saw them accom-
plished, embraced the Jewish religion. This however is not to
he understood of all the inhabitants of these places, but only of
some. For that is a sullicient reason, why mention should be
juude of five cities, that were to speak the language of Canaan,
and to swear by the name of Jehovah. See his Commentary on
the passage.

THE PROPHECIES. 239

and the fourth in the country of Pat fir os or Thebais, not
mentioned by name, perhaps Ammon — No, or Diospolis.
There the Jews chiefly resided at that time : and though
they were generally very wicked men, and disobedient to
ilie word of the Lord, and upon that account the prophet
Jeremiah denounced the heaviest judgments against
them : yet some good men might be mingled among
them, who might open his prophecies to the Egyptians,
and they themselves, when they saw them fuh'illed, might
embrace the Jewish religion. But this is to be under-
stood not of all the inhabitants of those places, but only
of some; which is sufficient to justify the expression of
' five cities speaking the language of Canaan, and swear-
ing by the Lord of hosts.'

Alexander the Great * transplanted many of the Jews
into his new city of Alexandria, and allowed them privi-
leges and immunities, equal to those of the Macedonians
themselves. Ptolemy Soter f carried more of them into
Egypt, who there enjoyed such advantages, that not a few
of the other Jews went thither of their own accord ; the
goodness of the country, and the liberality of Ptolemy, al-
luring them. Ptolemy Philadelphusjt redeemed and releas-
ed the captive Jews : and in his reign, or his father's, the
books of Moses were translated into Greek, and after-
wards the other parts of the Old Testament. The third
Ptolemy, § called Euergetes, having subdued all Syria,
did not sacrifice to the gods of Egypt, in acknowledgment
of his victory ; but coming to Jerusalem, made his obla-
tions to God, after the manner of the Jews ; and the king's
example, no doubt, would influence many of his subjects.
The sixth Ptolemy, I| called Philoraetor, and his queen

* See Jewish wars. Book H. Chap, xvlii. Sect. 7. page 1098.
See his work against Apion, Book l\ Sect. 4. page 1364, in
Hudson's edition.

t See Josephus' Antiquities, Book XII. Chap. i. page 508. See
Hecatxus in Josephus. See him against Apion, Book I. Sect.
22. page 1347, in Hudson's edition.

t See Josephus' Antiquities, Book XII. Chap. ii. page 508. See
liim against Apion, Sect. 4. page 1365, in Hudson's edition. See
Hody on the Greek version, Book H. Ch.ap. ii.

§ See Josephus against Apion, Book H, Sect. 5. page 1365, in
Hudson's edition.

tj See Josephus against Apion in the same place. See his An-

240 DISSERTATIONS ON

Cleopatra committed the whole management of the king-
dom to two Jews, Onias and Dositheus, who were their
chief ministers and generals, and had the principal direc-
tion of all aftairs both civil and military. This Onias ob-
tained a license from the king and queen to build a tem-
ple for the Jews of Egypt like that at Jerusalem, alleging
for this purpose this very prophecy of Isaiah, that there
should 'be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land
of Egypt :' and the king and queen in their rescript, make
honourable mention of the lav/ and of the prophet Isaiah,
and express a dread of sinning against God. The place
chosen for the building of this temple, was in the prefec-
ture of Heliopolis or iht city of the sun^ which place is
likewise mentioned in the prophecy. It was built after
the model of the temple at Jerusalem, but not so sump-
tuous and magnificent. He himself was made high priest ;
other priests and Levites were appointed for the minis-
tration ; and divine service was daily performed there, in
the same manner as at Jerusalem, and continued as long ;
for Vespasian, having destroyed the temple at Jerusalem,
ordered this also to be demolished.

By these means the Lord must in som.e degree * have
been known to Egypt, and the Egyptians must have
known the Lord :' and without doubt there must have
been many proselytes among them. Among those who
came up to the feast of Pentecost, Acts ii. 10. there are
particularly mentioned ' the dwellers in Egypt, and in the
parts of Lybia about Cyrene, Jews and proselytes.' Nay,
from the instance of Candace's eunuch, Acts.viii. 27. we
may infer that there were proselytes, even beyond Egypt,
in Ethiopia. Thus were the Jews settled and encour-
aged in Egypt, insomuch that Philo * represents their
number as not less 'than a hundred myriads, or ten hun-
dred thousand men. Nor were they less favoured or re-
warded for their services, by the kings of Syria. Seleu-

tiquitles, Book XIII Chap. iii. page 562. Sec his Jewish wars.
Book 1. Chap. i. Sect. 1. page 958! Book VJI. Chap. x. Sect. 2.
page 1325, in Hudson'^ edition.

• * They were not sliortof a hundred myriads. ' See him against
Flaccus, page 9/1, in the Varisediiion o'f 1640.

iiiE rnoriiECiES. 241

c;us Nicator * made them free of the cities, which he built
in Asia and the lower Syria, and of Antioch itself the ca-
pital of his kingdom ; and granted the same rights and
privileges to them, as to the Greeks and Macedonians.
Antiochus the Great, -j- published several decrees in fa-
vour of the Jews, both of those who inhabited Jerusalem,
and of those who dwelt in Mesopotamia and Babylonia.
Josephus \ saith, that the Jews gained more proselytes at
Antioch. And thus by the means of the Jews and pro-
selytes dwelling in Egypt and Syria, Israel, Egypt and
Syria were in some measure united in the same worship.
But this was more fully accomplished, when these coun-
tries became Christian, and so were made members of
the same body in Christ Jesus. And we piously hope and
believe, that it will still receive its most perfect comple-
tion in the latter days, when Mohammedism shall be
rooted out, and Christianity shall again flourish in these
countries, when ^ the fulness of the Gentiles shall come
in, and all Israel shall be saved.'

IV. But there is a remarkable prophecy of Ezekiel,
Avhich comprehends in little, the fate of Egypt, from the
days of Nebuchadnezzar to the present. For therein it
is foretold, that after the desolation of the land, and the
captivity of the people by Nebuchadnezzar, xxix. 14, 15.
it ' sliould be a base kingdom : It shall be the basest of
the kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above
the nations ; for I will diminish them, that they shall no
more rule over the nations :' and again in the next chap-
ter, ver. 12, 13. * I will sell the land into the hand of the
Avicked, and I will make the land waste, and all that is
therein, by the hand of strangers : and there shall be no
more a prince of the land of Egypt.' Such general pro-
phecies, like general rules, are not to be understood so
strictly absolute, as if they could not possibly admit of
any kind of limitation or exception whatever. It is suffi-
cient if they hold good for the most part, and are confirm-
ed by the experience of many ages, though perhaps not

* See Josephus' Antiquities, Book XII. Chap. iii. page 519, iti
Hudson's edition.

f See the same place of Josephus.

t See hiB Jewish wars, Book VII. Chap. iii. Sect. 3. page 1290,
in Hudson's edition.

VOL. I X

24,2 DISSERTATIONS ON

without an exception of a few years. The prophets ex-
hibit a i^cneral view of things, without entering into the
particular exceptions. It was predicted, Gen. ix. 25. that
' Canaan should be a servant of servants unto his brethren ;'
and generally his posterity were subjected to the descend-
ants of his brethren ; but yet they were not always so :
upon some occasions they were superior ; and Hannibal
;^.nd the Carthaginians obtained several victories over the
Romans, though tliey were totally subdued at last. In
like manner, it was not intended by this prophecy, that
Egypt should ever afterwards, in every point of time, but
only that it should for much the greater part of time, be
a base kini{dom^ be tributary and subject to strangers.
This is the purport and meaning of the prophecy ; and
the truth of it will best appear by a short deduction of the
history of Egypt, from that time to this.

Amasis was left king by Nebuchadnezzar ; and as he
field his crown by the periiission and allowance of the Ba-
bylonians, there is no room to doubt that he paid them
tribute for it. Berosus, the Chaldean historian,* in a
fragment preserved by Josephus, sptaketh of Nebuchad-
nezzar's reducing Egypt to his obedience, and afterwards
of his settling the affairs of the country, and carrying cap-
tives from thence to Babylon, By his constituting and
settling the affairs of Egypt, nothing less could be meant
than his appointing the governors, and the tribute that
they should pay to him; and by carrying some Egyp-
tians captive to Babylon, he plainly intended not only to
weaken the country, but also to have them as hostages to
secure the obedience of the rest, and the payment of their
tribute. If Herodotus had given no account of these
transactions, the reason is evident, according to the obser-
vation cited before from Scaliger : the Egyptian priests
would not inform him of things, which were for the dis-
credit of their nation. However we may, I think, confirm
the truth of this assertion even by Herodotus' own narra-
tion. The Persians succeeded in the right of the Baby-

* * And having settled his aflTuh'S in Eg-ypt, and in the rest of
the country, he sent the prisoners which he hud taken therein,
to Babylon. See Josephus' Antiquities, Book X. Chap. xi. SeeL
1. paje 459, in Hudson's edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 243

lonians : and it appears* by Cyrus' sending for the best
physician in Egypt to Amasis, who was obliged to force
one from his wife and children ; and by Cambyses' de-
manding the daughter of Amasis, not for a wife but for a
mistress ; by these instances, I say, it appears that they
considered them as their tributaries and subjects. And in-
deed no reason can be assigned for the strong resent-
ment of the Persians against Amasis, and t]u:ir horrid
barbarity to his dead body, so probable and satisfactory,
as his having revolted and rebelled against them. Hero-
dotus himself t mentions the league and alliance, which
Amasis made with Croesus king of Lydia against Cyrus.
Upon the ruins of the Babylonian empire Cyrus erect-
ed the Persian. Xenophon hath written the life of this
extraordinary man : and he affirm s,t both in the intro-
duction and near the conclusion of his history, that Cyrus
also conquered Egypt, and made it part of his empire ;
and there is not a more faithful, as well as a more ele-
gant historian than Xenophon. But whether Cyrus did
or not, it is universally allowed that his son Cambyses (s
did conquer Egypt, and deprive Psammenitus of his
crown, to which he had newly succeeded upon the death
of his father Amasis. Cauibyses purposed to have made
Psammenitus administrator of the kingdom under him,
as it was the custom of the Persians to do to the conquer-
ed princes : but Psammenitus forming schemes to recov-
er the kingdom, and being convicted thereof, was forced
to drink bull's blood, and thereby put an end to his life.
The Egyptians groaned under the yoke near forty years.
Then they revolted,!! towards the latter end of the reign
of Darius, the son of Hystaspis : but his son and succes-
sor Xerxes, in the second year of his reign, subdued them
again, and reduced them to a worse coiiditiou of servi-
tude than they had been in under Darius, and appointed

* See Herodotus, Book lU. Sect. 1. page 161, in Gale's edi-
tion.

f See Herodotus, IJook I. Sect. 77 page ?yl', in Gale's edition,

% See Xenophon*s Cyropredia, Book !. pag-e 2^ Book YHf. pag^
127, in Henry Stephens' edition of 15r^:I.

% See Herodotus, Book HI. Sect. 10 — 15. page 164 — 167, in
Gale's edition.

II See Herodotus, Book Yll. Sect. 1, and 7. page 382, and 584,
in Gale's edition.

244i DISSERTATIONS ON

his brother Achxmenes governor of Egypt. About four
and twenty years after this, when * the Egyptians heard
of the troubles in Persia, about the succession to th«
throne after the death of Xerxes, they revolted again at
the instigation of Inarus king of Lybia ; and havhig drove
away the Persian tribute-collectors, they constituted Ina-
rus their king. Six years were euQployed in reducing
ihem to obedience, and ail Egypt submitted again to the
king Artaxerxes Longimanus, except Amyrtaeus who
reigned in the fens, whither the Persians could not ap-
proach to take him : but Inarus, the author of these evils,
was betrayed to the Persians, and was crucified. However
they t permitted his son Thannyra to succeed his father
in the kingdom of Lybia ; and Egypt continued in sub-
jection all the remaining part of the long reign of Artax-
erxes. In the ± tenth year of Darius Nothus they revok-
ed again under the conduct of Aniyrtxus, who sailed out
of the fens, drove the Persians out of Egypt, made him-
self master of the country, and reigned there six years;
but his son Pausiris,$ as Herodotus informs us, succeeded
him in his kingdom by the favour of the Persians; this
argues that the Persians had again subdued Egypt, or at
least that the king was not established without their con-
sent and approbation. It is certain, that after this, Egypt
gave much trouble to the Persians. Artaxerxes Mnemon|j
made several efforts to re-conquer it, but all in vain. It was
not totally and finally subdued till the ninth ^ year of the

* See Thucydldes, Book I. Sect. 104— 110. pa^e 57—60, m
Hudson's edition. See Diodorous Siculu.s, JJook XI. page 279,
in Stephanas' edition, and page 54, &.c. of Vol. 2. in that of Rho-
domanus.

t See Herodotus, Book III. Sect. 15. pag-e 167. in Gale's edi-
tion.

t See Etisebius' Chronicle. See Usher's Annals, year of ilic
norld 3590, page 146. See Prideaux* Connections, Part I. ]5ook
\ 1. year 414.

§ See Herodotus, Book III. Sect. 15, in tlie same place.

Ij See Diodorus Siculus, Book XV. page 478, in Sttphanns'
edition, and pag-e 357, &c. of Vol. 11. in that oilihodomanu.«.

If See Diodorus Siculus, Book XVI. page 5373 i'^ the edition
of Stephanas, page 448, of Vol. H. In that of Ilhodomaniis. See
Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book VII. and }eiU 330. See
Usher's Annals, year of the world 3654.

THE PROPHECIES. 245

Mlowlnij; reign of Ochus. about 3 50 years before Chn>»t ;
when Nectanebus the hist kinj^ fied into Elhiopici, and
Ochus became absolute master of the country, and liav-
ing appointed one of his nol)it's, named Fherendates, lo
be his viceroy and [governor of Ej^ypt, he returned with
p:reat t>lory, and iinmense treasures to Babylon. E.t^ypt
from that time liath never l)een able to recover its liber-
ties. It hath always been subject to straniijers. It hath
never been g;oveined by a king of its own. From this
last revolt of the Egyptians in the tenth year of Darius
Nothus, to their total subjugation in the ninlh year of
Ochus, I think there are computed sixty-four years ; and
this is the only exception of any significance to the gene-
ral truth of the prophecy. But what are sixty-four years,
compared to two thousand, three hundred and twenty-five.''
for so many years have passed from the con-^uest of
Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar to this time. They are really
as notliing, and not worth mentioning in comparison : and
during these sixty-four years, we see, that the Egyptians
were not entirely independent of the Persians; Paiisiris
succeeded his father Amyrtxus in the kingdom by their
consent and favour ; and during the rest of the time the
Egyptians lived in continual fear and dread of the Persi-
ans, and were either at war with them, or with one ano-
ther. And perhaps this part of the prophecy, was not in-
tended to take effect immediately: its completion might
be designed to commence from this period, when the
Persians had totally subdued Egypt, and then there
should 'be no more a prince of the land of Egypt."

After the Persians, Egypt came into the hands of tlie
ISIacedonians. It submitted to Alexander the Great,
v.'ithout striking a stroke ; made no attempts at that fa-
vourable juncture to recover its liberties, but was content
only to change its master. After the death of Alexander,
it fe ! to the share of Ptolemy one of his four famous
captains, and was governed by his family for several ge-
nerations. The two or three first of the Ptolemies were
^vise and potent princes, but most of the rest were prodi-
gies of luxury and wickedness. It is Strabo's * observa-

* 'All af.er the third Ptolemy, governed the stale Tory ill^
being debauched by luxury; but of all, the worst were the fourth.
X 2

246 DISSERTATIONS ON

tion, that all, after the third Ptolemy, governed very ill,
being corrupted by luxury ; but they who governed worst
of all were the fourth, and the seventh, and the last called
Auletes. The persons here intended by Strabo, were *
Ptolemy Philopater or the lover of his father^ so called
(as Justin conceives,) by way of antiphrasis, or with a con-
trary meaning, because he was a parricide, and murdered
both his father and his mother ; and Ptolemy Physcon \
or the big-bellied, who aiiectcd the title of Eiiergetea or
the benefactor^ but the Alexandrians more justly named
him Kakergetes or the malefactor ; and Ptolemy Auletes?
or the fii/ier^ so denominated because he spent much of
his time in playing on the pipe, and used to contend for
the prize in the public shows. This kingdom of the Ma-
cedonians § continued from the death of Alexander 294
years, and ended in the famous Cleopatra, of whom it is
not easy to say, whether she excelled more in beauty, or
wit, or wickedness.

After the Macedonians, Egypt fell under the dominion
of the Romans. The Romans had either by virtue of trea-
ties, or by force of arms obtained great authority there,
and were in a manner arbiters of the kingdom before, but
after the death of Cleopatra, jj Octavius Csesar reduced it
into the form of a Roman province, and appointed Corne-
lius Gallus, the friend of Virgil, to whom the tenth ec-
logue is inscribed, the first prefect or governor : and so it

»ntl seventh, and last, called Auletes.' See Strabo, Book XVTI.
page 796, in the Paris edition, and page 1146, in the Amster-
dam edition of 1707.

* See Justin, Book XXIX. Chap. T. Sect. 5. page 466, in Grx-
yius' edition. ' Ptolemy had gotten possession of Egypt by slay-
ing his father and mother. He had the simame of Philopater,
by way of irony given to him, that is, the lover of his father.*

f See Athenseus, Book XII. page 549, in Causabon's edition.

■^ See Strabo in the same place.

§ See the Stromata of Clement of Alexandria, Book I. page
143, in the Sylburgh edition, and page 396, in Potter's edition. —
See Prideaux' Connections, Part ]I. Book VIII. }ear 30, and 8
of Herod.

II See Strabo, Book XVII. page 797, and 819, in the Paris
edition, and page 1147, and 1175, in the Amsterdam edition of
5707. See Dion Cassius, Book LI. page 455. in Leunclavius*
«<lition.

Tflfcl PUOPflEClES. 24r

aoniinued to be governed by a prefect or viceroy sent fiotn
Rome, and from Constantinople, wben after tbe division
of the Roman empire, it fell to tbe share of the eastern
emperors. It was first made a province of the Roman
empire in the year * 30 before Christ, and in this state it
remained without much variation till the year 6-1 1 after
Christ, that is 670 years in the whole, from the reign of
Augustus Caesar, to that of the emperor Heraclius. ^

Then it was that the Saracensf in the reign of Omar
their third emperor, and under the command of Amrou
the son of Aas, invaded and conquered Egypt, took Mis-
rah (formerly Memphis, now Cairo) by sto^ m, and also
Alexandria, after they had besieged it fourteen months,
and had lost twenty-three thousand men before it : and
the rest of the kingdom soon followed the fortune of the
capital cities, and submitted to the conqueror. There
is one thing which was effected partly in the v.ars of the
Romans, and partly by the Saracens, and which no lover
of learning can pass over without lamentation ; and that
is, the destruction of the library at Alexandria. This
famous library was founded by the first Ptolemies, and
was so much eularged and improved by their successors,
that it amounted t to the number of seven hundred thou-
sand volumes. It consisted of two parts,§ one in that
quarter of the city called Baruchion, containing four
hundred thousand volumes, and the other within the Se-

rapeum, containing three hundred thousand volumes .

It happened, that v.'hile Julius Cicsar was making war
upon the inhabitants of Alexandria, 1i the library in Ba-
ruchion, together with other buildings was burnt, and the

* See Usher, Prideaux, and others, vmder that year.

f See Elmacinus' History of the Saracens, Book I. page 2o,
24. See Abul-Pharajius' History, I>yT\. 9. pag-e 112, Pocock's
version. See Ocklev's History of the Saracens, Vol. I. page
344.

4: See Ammianus Marcellinus, Book XXil. Chap. xvi. page
343, in Valesiiis' edition of 1681, and tlie note of Valesius on
tbe passage. See Aldus Gellius, Book VJ. Chap. xvii.

§ See Epipbanius on measuits and weights. Vol. 11. page 168,
in Petravius' edition, printed at Paris in 1622. See Chryso-
stoni's iirsl oration against the Jews, page 595. Vol. I. in the
Benedictine edition.

'% See Plutarch's life of Julias C?esar, Vol. I. page 731, in the

248 DISSEUTATiONS ON

four hundred thousand voUmies* which was kept tiiei C'-
in were all consumed. But this loss was in son^e mea-
sure repaired by the Pergamean library,! consisting oi
two hundred thousand volumes, which Antony presented
to Cleopatra, and by the addition ot other books after-
wards,* so that this latter library was reckoned as nuine-
rous and as famous as the other ever was; and it came
to the same fatal end, this being also destroyed by fire.
For John the Grammarian,^ a famous philosopher of
Alexandria, being in great favour with Amrou, the Sara-
cen general, asked of him the royal library. Amrou re-
plied, that it was not in his power to give it him, without
leave first obtained from the emperor of the faithful. —
Amrou therefore wrote to Omar, and acquainted him
with John's petition, to which the caliph returned this
.answer; that if what was contained in those books, was
agreeable to the book of God or the Koran, the Koran
Avas sufficient without tbem ; but if it was repugnant to
the Koran, it was no ways useful ; and therefore he com-
manded them to l)e destroyed. Amrou in obedience to
the caliph's commands, ordered them to be distributed
among the baths of the city, and to be burnt in warming
them, whereof there were no fewer at that time in Alex-
andria than four thousand : and yet there passed six
months before the books were all consumed ; which suf-
ficiently evinces how great their number was, and what
an inestimable loss not only Egypt, but all the learned
•world hath sustained. Egypt before this ^[ was frequent-
Paris edition of 1624. See Dion Cassias, Book XLII. page 203,
iii Leunclavius' edition.

* See Seneca on the tranquillity of the mind, Chap, ix. Vol. I.
page 362, edition varior. See Oroslus' history, Book \l. Chap.
XV. page 421, in Havercamp's edition.

f See Plutarch's life of Antony, Vol. I. page 94, In the Paris
edition of 1624.

t See TertuUian's Apology, Chap, xviii. page 18, in Rlgaut's
edition of 1675.

§ See Abul-Pharajius' liistory, ninth Dynasty, page 114, Po-
coek's translation. See Dckley's history, of the Saracens, Vol.
1. page 359, ix.c See Prideaux' Connections, Part II. Book L
year 284, and first of Ptolemy Philadelpiius-

1[ Sulijnmianus Marcellinus, Bof-jk XXH. Chap. xvi. page 344,
£tc. in Vrdcsius' edition at Paris of 1681.

TflE PROPHECIES. 249

ed by learned foreigners lor the sake of this library, and
produced several learned natives ; but after this it be-
came more and more a base kingdom^ and sunk into
g;reater ignorance and superstition. Mohammedism was
now established there instead of Christianity, and the
government of the Caliphs and Sultans continued till
about the year of Christ 1250.

About that time it was that the Mamalucs* usurped
the royal authority. The word in general,! signifies a
slave bought with money, but it is appropriated in par-
ticular to those Turkish and Circassian slaves, whom the
Sultans of Egypt bought very young, trained up in mili-
tary exercises, and so made them their choicest officers
and soldiers, and by them controlled their subjects, and
subdued their enemies. These slaves perceiving how
necessary and useful they were, grew at length insolent
and audacious, slew their sovereigns, and usurped the
government to themselves. It is commonly said, that
none but the sons of Christians were taken into this or-
der ; and there are other popular mistake^ about them,
which are current among European authors, and which
Sir WiHiam Temple,^ among others, hath adopted and
expressed, as he doth every thing, in a lively and ele-
gant manner. " The sons of the deceased Sultans en-
joyed the estates and riches left by their fathers, but by
the constitutions of the government no son of a Sultan
was ever either to succeed, or even to be elected Sultan :
So that in this, contrary to all others ever known in the
world, to be born of a prince, was a certain and unalter-
able exclusion from the kingdom ; and none was ever
to be chosen Sultan, that had not been actually sold for

* See Abul-Fharajius' History, Dynasty IX. pa^e 325, &c. and
Pocock's Supplement, page 8, &c.

t See l*ocock's Supplement, page 7. * Mamaluc, (and in the
plural Mamalic,) signifies a purchased slave, or one that be-
comes the property of a master by a price told down.' See
llerbelol's Oriental Library, page 525, on the word Mamlouk..
• This word, of which the plural isMemalik, signifies in Arabic,
R slave in general, but in particular it hath been applied to
Turkish and Circassian slaves,* Sec.

t See Sir William Temple's works. Vol. I. iMiscellanieS^
X'art II. Essay on Heroic Virtue, Sect. 5. page 224.

250 DISSERTATIONS OX

a slave, brought from Circassia, and trained up a private
soldier in the Mamaluc bands," But they* vt^ho were
better versed in oriental authors, assure us, that these
are vulgar errors, and it appears from the Arabian his-
torians,! that among the ^^lamalucs the son often suc-
ceeded the father in the kingdom. Their government
is thus characterised by an Arabic author,^ quoted by
Dr. Pocock ; " If you consider the whole time that they
possessed the kingdom, especially that which was near-
er the end, you will find it filled with wars, battles, in-
juries and rapines." Their government § began with Sul-
tan Ibeg, in the 648th year of the Hegira, and the year
of Christ 1250; and continued through a || series of 24
Turkish and 23 Circassian Mamaluc Sultans, 275 Ara-
bic and 267 Julian years ; und ended H with Tamanbai in
the 923d year of the Hegira, and the year of Christ
1517.

For at that time Sclim,** the ninth emperor of the
Turks conquered ihe Mamalucs, hanged their last Sultan
Tumanhai before one of the gates of Cairo, put an end
to their government; caused five hundred of the chiefest
Egyptian families to be transported to Constantinople, as
likev/ise a great number of Mamalucs' wives and chil-

* See Pocock's Supplement, page 31. From what has been
said, it is manifest that they are mistaken;, who tliink that the
Mamalucs are the sons of Christians only. They have also been
mistaken, who have written concerning- the riglit of succession
among them, and concerning their discipline. Herbelot in his
Oriental I^ibrary, pag-e 545, saith ; It appears from what we
have seen, that the Mamalucs were not the sons' of Christians,
(though perhaps there may be some such among them,) as some
of our historians have asserted.

t See Pocock's Supplement, page 8, 10, 11, 13, 18, 20, 22,
23, 24, 25.

^ Al-Janabius in Pocock's Supplement, page 31, saith, * if
}od take a retrospective view of tlie whole time in which they
possessed the kingdom, especially that which approached to
the termination of it, you will find it filled with a detail of wars,
ligiits, iiijuries, and plunderings.'

§ See Pocock, page 8. See Herbelot, page 479.

ii See Pocock, page 8—30. See Herbelot, page 5i5.

*[ See Pocock, p:iL,'-c 30. See Herbelot, page i;.>31.

** See Pocock's Supplement, page 30 and 49. .See Herbclot's
Oriental Library, png-c 545, and 802, and 1031. See also Sa-
vage's Abridgment of KiioUes and llycaut's Turkish History,
Yo). I. page 241.

THE PROPUFXIES. 251

dren, besides the Sultan's treasure and other immense
riches ; and annexed Egypt to the Othman empire,
whereof it hath continued a province from that day to
this. It is governed as prince Cantemir informs us, by
a Turkish Basha,* with twenty-four beg,s or princes un-
der him, who are advanced from servitude to the admi-
nistration of public affairs ; a superstitious notion posses-
sing the Egyptians, that it is decreed by fate, that cap-
tives shall reign, and the natives be subject to them.—
But it cannot well be a superstitious notion, being a no-
tion in all probability at first derived from some tradi-
tion of these prophecies, that ' Egypt should be a base
kingdom ; t/iat there should be no more a piince of the
land of Egypt, and that Ham in his posterity should be
a servant of servants unto his brethren.'

By this deduction it appears, that the truth of Ezekiei's
prediction is fully attested by the whole series of the his-
tory of Egypt from that time to the present. And who
couid pretend to say upon human conjecture, that so
great a kingdom, so rich and fertile a country, should
ever afterwards become tributary and subject to stran-
gers ? It is now a great deal above two thousand years,
since this prophecy was first delivered; and what likeli-
hood or appearance was there, that the Egyptians should
for so many ages bowAmder a foreign yoke, and never in
all that time be able to recover their liberties, and have a
prince of their own to reign over them ? But as is the
prophecy, so is the event. For not long afterwards Egypt
was conquered by the Babylonians, and after the Baby-
lonians by the Persians; I and after the Persians it became
subject to the Macedonians, and after the Macedonians
to the Romans, and after the Romans to the Saiacens,
and then to the Mamalucs ; and is now a province of the
Othman empire.

Thus we see how Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre and Egypt,
the great adversaries and oppret^sois of the Jews, have
been visited by divine vengeance for their enmity and-
cruelty to the people of God. Not that we must think
God so partial as to punish these nations only for the

* Se e Piince Cantlmlr's History of the Othman empire. Part
I. Book ni page 156, in the No'.es.

f See Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book J. ycwir 589, and 1^,
'of Zedekiah.

252 DISSERTATION ON

sake of the Jews; the}- were guilty of other flagrant sins^
for which the prophets denounced the divine judgments
upon them. Egypt in particular was severely threa^
tened by the prophet Ezekiel,Chup.xxix.xxx.xxxi. xxxii.
for her idolatry, her pride, and her wickedness. And the
Egyptians have generally been more wretched, as they
have generally been more wicked, than other nations. An-
cient authors describe them every where as superstitious
and luxurious, as an* unwarlike and unserviceable people ;
ast a faithless and fallacious nation, always meaning one
thing and pretending another, as^ lovers of wine and
strong drink, as § cruel in their anger, as || thieves and
tolerating all kinds of theft, as^ patient of tortures, and
though put to the rack, yet choosing rather to die than
to confess the truth. Modern authors paint them still in
blacker colours. The famous Thevenot** is very strong
and severe : " The people of Egypt (generally speaking)
are all swarthy, exceeding wicked, great rogues, coward-
ly, lazy, hypocrites, buggerers, robbers, treacherous, so
very greedy of inoney, that they will kill a man for a 7naid'
at or three halfpence.'* Bishop Pocock'sft character of

* See Strabo, Book XVII. page 817, in ihe Paris edition, and
page 1175, in the Amsterdam' edition of 1707. See also Juve-
*al's Satire XV. line 126, * An unwarlike and useless rabble.*

f See Lucan, V. line 58th. * a faithless nation.* See Hirtius'
Wars of Alexander, Chap. xvi. ' A treacherous nation, always
slcsfgning one thing, and pretending another.*

i Athenxusin Dion, Book I. page 34, in Casaubon*s edition,
* iriuch addicted to wine and strong drink.'

§ Polybius, Book XV. page 719, in Cusaubon's. edition, saith,
'That this seems to be constitutional with the Egyptians, that
they are wonderfully irascible and cruel.'

ij Auhis GcUius, Book XI. Chap, xviii, 'on the authority of
Aristo, saitli, lliat all kinds of theft were suifered to pass with
impunity.' See Diodorus Siculus, Book 1. page 50, in Stephanas*
edition, and page 72, in that of Rhodomanus.

^ Aciian in his Various History, Book VII. Chap, xviii. has
thest words; 'It is said, that the Egyptians endure torture with
the greatest patience ; and that an Egyptian -svill rather die, when,
examined upon the rack, than tell the ti'uth.' See Aminianus
Marcelliiiui., Book XXJI. Chap. xvi. page 347, in Valesius' edi-
tion of 1681.

*• See Thevenot in Harris's Collection, Vol. IT. Chap. viii. page
429.

ft See Pocock's Description of the E^st, Vol I. Book IV. Chap,
iv. page 177.

THE PROPHECIES. 253

them is not much more favourable, though not so harsh
and opprobrious ; '' The natives of Egypt are now a sloth-
ful people, and delight in sitting still, hearing tales, and
indeed seem always to have been more fit for the Cjuiet
life, than for any active scenes. — They are also malicious
and envious to a great degree, which keeps them from
uniting and setting up for themselves ; and thou-h they are
\ ery ignorant, yet they have a natural cunning and artifice
as well as falsehood, and this makes them always suspicious
of travellers. — The love of money is so rooted in them,
that nothing is to be done without bribery — They think
the (greatest villanies are expiated, when once they wash
their hands and feet — Their words pass for nothing, ei-
ther in relations, promises, or professions of friendship,
Sec." Such men arc evidently born not to command, but
to serve and obey. They are altogether unworthy of li-
berty. Slavery is the fittest for them, as they are the
fittest for slavery. It is an excellent political aphorism
of the wisest of kings, and all history will bear witness to
the truth of it, that, Prov. xiv. 34. ' righteousness exalt-
eth a nation, but sin is a reproach and ruin to any people.'

XIII.

XEBUCIIADNEZZAU'S DREAM OF THE
G1?EAT EMPIRES.

WE have seen how it pleased God to reveal unto the
prophets the future condition of several of the ncigh-
l)0uring countries ; but there are other prophecies which
extend to more remote nations, those nations especially,
and their transactions, wherein the church of God was
particularly interested and concerned. It pleased God
too to make these revelations, at a time when his people
seemed in other respects abandoned and forsaken, and
did not so much deserve, as stand in need of light and
comfort. Isaiah and Jeremiah prophecied in the declen-
sion of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Ezekiel and
Daniel prophecied during the time of the Babylonish
captivity. And the prophecies of Daniel are so clear

VOL. I. Y

J 54 DISSERTATIONS ON

and exact, that in former as well as in later times, it hath
confidently been asserted, that they must have been writ-
ten after the events, which they are pretended to foretel.

The famous Porphyry (who flourished at the latter
end of the third century after Christ) was, I think, the
first who denied their genuineness and authority. He
wrote fifteen books* against the Christian rehgion, the
twelfth of which was designed to depreciate the prophe-
cies of Daniel ; and therein he affirmed, that they were
not composed by Daniel whose name they bore, but by
somebody who lived in Judea about the time of Antiochus
Epiphanes ; because all to that time contained true his-
tory, but all beyond that were manifestly false. This
work of Porphyry together with the answers of Euse-
bius, Appolinarius, and Methodius, is wholly lost, except-
ing a few fragments and quotations, which are preserved
in Jerome and others of the fathers. But as Jeromef
rightly observes, this method of opposing the prophecies
is the strongest testimony of their truth. For they were
fulfilled with such exactness, that to infidels the prophet
seemed not to have foretold things future, but to have re-
lated things past.

The celebrated author of the Scheme of Literal PrO'
nhecy considered^ hath followed the steps of Porphyry.
He hath collected every thing, that in the course of his
reading he thought could be turned to the disparagement
of the book of Daniel. He hath framed all that he had
collected into eleven objections against il ; and upon the
whole concludes with much positiveness and assurance,
that it must be written in the days of the Maccabees.
But his two learned opponents,:^ both of the same name,

* See Cave's Literary History, Vol. I. page 156. See Jerome's
Preface to the book of Daniel, Vol. 111. page 1072, in the Bene-
dictine edition.

t The opposing of which (prophecies) Is a testimony of their
truth. For so great was the truth of iheir words, that even to
men that were not credulous, the prophet seemed not to be
speaking of future events, but to be iclating such as were past.
See the same place of Jerome.

+ See Bp. Chandler's Vindication of his Defence of Christia-
nity, and Mr. Samuel Chandler's Vindication of the Antiquity
and Authority of Daniel's Prophecies, in answer to the Scheme
of Literal Prophecy considered.

THE PROPHECIES. 255

have solidly and clearly refuted his eleven objections, and
shown them ail to be mere cavils or direct falsities,
groundless assertions, wrong quotations, or plain contra-
dictions.

And indeed it may be proved, it hath been proved to
a demonstration, as much as any thing of this nature can
be proved to a demonstration, by all the characters and
testimonies both internal and external, that the prophe-
cies of Daniel were written at the time that the scripture
says they were written, and he firosfiered on account of
these prophecies, Dan. vi. 23. < in the reign of Darius the
Mede, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian :* that is
between five and six hundred years before Christ. It is
Very capricious and unreasonable in believers to object,
as Colins doth, to the piophecies of Daniel, sometimes
that they are too plain, and sometimes that they are too
obscure. Bui it will entirely overthrow the notions of
their being written in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes
or of the Maccabees, and will establish the credit of Da-
niel as a prophet beyond all contradiction, if it can be
proved that there are several prophecies of his, which
have been fulfilled since the days of Antiochus Epiphanes
and the Maccabees as well as before, nay, that there are
prophecies of his, which are fulfilling in the world at this
very time.

Daniel's first prophecy, and the ground-work as I may
say of all the rest, was his interpretation of Nebuchad-
nezzar's dream. This monarch ' in the second year of
his reign,* Dan. ii. 1. according to the Babylonian ac-
count, or the fourth according to the Jewish, that is in
the second year of his reigning alone, or the fourth from
his first reigning jointly with his father, having subdued
all his enemies, and firmly established his throne, was
thinking ' upon his bed,' ver. 29. < what should come to
pass hereafter,' what should be the future success of his
family and kingdom, and whether any or what families
and kingdoms might arise after his own : and as our
waking thoughts usually give some tincture to our dreams,
he dreamed of something to the same purpose, which
astonished him, but which he could not rightly under-
stand. The dream affected him strongly at the time ;
but awaking in confusion, he had but an imperfect re-

256 DISSERTATIONS OX

niembrance of it, he could not re collect all the particu-
lars. He called therefore, ver. 2. ' for the magicians and
astrologers; and, as absurdly as imperiously, demanded
of them, ver. 5. upon pain of death and destruction. Ho
jnake known unto him both the dream and the interpre-
tation thereof.* They answered very reasonably, that no
king had ever required such a thing, that it transcended
all the powers and faculties of man ; God alone or only
beings like God conld disclose it ; ver. 10, 11. ' There is
not a man upon eaith, that can show the king's matter ;
therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such
thin;j;s at any magician, astrologer, or Chaldean : And it
is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none
other that can show it before the king, except the God,
whose dwelling is not with flesh.' Eut the pride of ab-
solute power cannot hear any reason, or bear any con-
trol ; and the king greatly incensed, presently ordered
all the magicians and wise men of Babylon to be destroy-
ed ; ver. 12. 'For this cause the king was angry and very
furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of
]3abylon.'

Daniel and his fellows would have been involved in the
same fate as the rest ; but by their joint and earnest
prayers to the God of heaven, ' the secret was revealed
unto Daniel in a niglit vision ;' ver. 19. ' and Daniel bles-
sed the God of heaven.' Daniel thus instructed was de-
sirous to save the lives of the wise men of Babylon, who
Avcre unjustly condemned, as well as his own : and he
' went unto Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, whoni
the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Baby-
lon : he went,' ver. 24. 'and said thus unto him. De-
stroy not the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before
the king, and I will show unto the king the interpreta-
tion.* The captain of the guard immediately introduced
him to the king, and said, ver. 25. 'I have found a man
of the captives of Judah, that will make known unlo tlic
king the interpretation.' ' I have found a man' said he,
though Daniel had voluntarily offered himself; where
Jerome remarks the manner of courtiers, qjd (juvm bora
'iumciant^ sua vid'/riy volunt^ who when they relate good
tilings, are willing to have them thou.^ht their own, and
to have the merit ascribed to themselves. But Daniel

THE PROPHECIES. 257

was far from assuming; any merit to himself, and said
vciy modestly, that 'this secret,' ver. 27. 'which the
wise men, astrologers, magicians, and soothsayers, could
not show unto the king, was not revealed to him,' ver.
30. ' for any wisdom that he had more than others : but
there is a God in heaven, ver. 28. 'that revealeth secrets
and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar, what
shall be in the latter days ; or ' what shall come to pass
hereafter,' as it is expressed, ver. 29, and 45, twice af-
terwards. The impious king, as Jerome* justly observes,
had a prophetic dream, that the Saint interpreting it, God
might be glorified, and the captives and those who served
God in captivity might receive great consolation. We read
the same thing of Pharaoh, not that Pharaoh and Nebu-
chadnezzar deserved to see such things, but that Joseph
and Daniel by interpreting them might be preferred to
all others. And as St. Jerome farther observes, that Ne-
buchadnezzar might admire the grace of divine inspira-
tion. Daniel not only told him what he saw in his drean.',
but also what he thought within himself before his dream,
ver. 29. 'As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into
thy mind; upon thy bed, what should come to pass here-
after: and he that revealeth secrets, maketh known un-
to thee what shall come to pass.'

Nebuchadnezzar's dream was of ' a great image. This
great image,' ver. 31. ' whose brightness was excellent,
stood before him, and the form thereof was terrible.' It
appears from ancient coins and medals, that cities and
people were often represented by figures of men and

* See Jerome's Commentary on verse 1. He saith, 'That the
wicked king had a prophetic dream, that by the saints making
kr.own and interpreting to him v/hat was revealed, God might
be glorified, and that great consolation might be imparted to
them who served God, and that were in a state of captivity.
The very same thing we read of in the case of Pharaoh, not that
Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar deserved to have such things re-
vealed to them, but that Joseph and Daniel were found worthy
to be preferred to all others, by tlie interpretation of them.' And
.afterwards on verse 29, he addeth, 'And that Nebuchadnezzan
might admire the grace of divine inspiration, he (Daniel) not
only told to him the dream, which he was lavoured with, but
even the secret thoughts of his heart, previous to the dream.*
See Vol. 111. page 1077, and 1080, in the Benedictine edition.

258 DiSSEUTATlOXS 0.V

Avonien. A great terrible human fif^iire was not an Impro-
per emblem of liuraun power and dominion ; and the va-
rious metals of which it was composed, not unfitly typify
the various kingdoms which should arise. It consist-
ed of four difterent metals, gold and silver, brass and iron
mixed with clay ; and these four metals according to
Daniel's own interpretation, mean so many kingdoms :
and the order of their succession is clearly denoted by
the order of the parts, the head * aiid higher parts signi-
fying the earlier times, and the lower the parts, the later
the times. From hence, as Calvin f conceives, the poets
drew their fables of the four ages of the world, the golden,
the silver, the brazen, and the iron age ; by which de-
clension in this place it is signified, that the world always
degenerates, and manners grow worse and worse. But
Hesiod, who lived about 2uO years before Daniel, men-
tioned the four ages of the world ; so that this vision was
formed agreeably to the commonly received notion, and
the comn^.only received notion was not first propagated
from hence. Whether this notion of the world's degene-
rating and growing worse and worse Ije true or not, these
different kingdoms will naturally constitute the different
heads of our discourse. And we shall follow the best
commentators from Josephus down to Sir Isaac Newton,
but we shall regard no commentator so much as the
truth of history, the evidence of reason, and the analogy
of scripture.

I. * This image's head was of fine gold,' ver. 32. which
Daniel interprets, ver. 38. * Thou art this hfcad of gold,'
thou, and thy family, and the representatives. The Baby-
hnian therefore was the first of these kingdoms; and it
was fitly represented by 'the head of fine gold,' on account
of its great riches ; and Babylon for the same reason was

* *The part of the statue which was higher, signifies what
was first in the order of time, and the parts lower downwards,
events that were to follow after in the same order.' See Grotius
on the passage.

. f * Fioni this passage of Daniel, poets have deduced their fa-
ble concerning- tiie four ages of the world, namely, these of gold,
silver, brass, and iron ; by which declension in this passage is
sipjiifijd, that the world is alwii.ys degenerating, and its manners
growing worse' See Culvin in pool's Synopsis.

THE PROPHECIES. 259

called by Isaiah; xiv. 4. ' the golden city.' The Assyrian
is usually said to be the tirst of the four p^reat empires ;
and the name may be allowed to pass, if it be not taken
too strictly. For the Assyrian empire, properly so called,
was dissolved before this time ; the Babylonian was erect-
ed in its stead ; but the Babylonians' are sometimes callccT
Assyrians in the best classic authors, Herodotus, Xeno-
phon, Strabo, and others, as well as in the holy scrip-
tures. Daniel addresseth Nebuchadnezzar, as if he was a
very powerful kins^, and his empire very large and exten-
sive; ver. 37. ' Thou, O king, art a King of kings.' He per-
haps might think, like some of his predecessors, that his
conquests were owing to his own fortitude and prudence:
Isu. X. 13. 'By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom, for 1 am prudent ; and I have rtm.ov-
ed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their trea-
sures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant
man ' But the prophet assures him that his success
must be primarily imputed to the God of heaven ; ver.
37, and 38. ' For the God of heaven hath given thee a
kingdom power, and stren;^th, and glory : And whereso-
ever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field,
and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand,
and hath made thee ruler over them all.'

All the ancient eastern histories almost are lost : but
there are some fragments even of heathen historians yet
preserved, which speak of this mighty conqueror, and his
extended empire. Berosus in Josephus* saith, that he
held in subjection Egypt, Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia, and
by his exploits surpassed all the Chaldeans and Babyloni-
ans who reigned before him. Josephus t subjoins, that
in the archives of the Phcenicians, there are written

* * He further saith, that this Babylonian king held in subjec-
tion to himself, Eg-ypt, Syria, Piioenicia and Arabia, and that by
his illus rious actions, he fi*..- surpassed all the Chaklean and Ba-
b Ionian kings, who had gone before him ' See Josephus' against
Apion, Book I. Sect. 19. page 1342, in Hudson's edition.

■\ * In the archives of the Phoenicians, are to be found things
written, which agree wiih what is related by Berosus, concern-
ing the king of the Babylonians. For in these it is affirmed, that
he subdued Syria and all PhcEnicia, And with them, Phllostra-
tus in his history exactly accords. — Nay, Megasthenes, in tlie

O(50 - DISSERTATIONS OS

things coiisonant to those which are said by Berosus con-
cerning this king of the Babylonians, that he subdued
Syria and all Phoenicia : With these likewise agree Phi-
lostratus in his history, and Megasthenes in the fourth
book of his Indian history, throughout which he attempts
to show, that the forementioned king of the Babylonians
exceeded Hercules in fortitude, and greatness of exploits :
for he affirms that he subdued the greatest part of Lybia
and Spain. Strabo likewise from the same Megasthenes*
asserts, that this king among the Chaldeans was more ce-
lebrated than Hercules, and led his army out of Spain
into Thrace and Pontus. But his empire, though of
great extent, was yet of no long duration ; for it t ended
in his grandson Belshazzar, not 70 year's after the delive-
ry of this prophecy, nor above 23 years after the death of
Nebuchadnezzar; wdiich luay be the reason of Daniel's
speakintr of him as the only king, ' thou art this head of
gold,' and ' after thee shall arise, 8<c.' the rest being to be
considered as nothing ; nor do we read of any thing good
or great that was performed by them.

n. ' His breast and his arms of silver,' ver. 32. which
Daniel interprets, ver. 39. 'And after thee shall arise
another kingdom inferior to thee.' It is very well known,
that tl\e kingdom which arose after the Babylonian, was
the Medo-Persian. The two hands and the shoulders,
saith Josephusjt signify that the empire of the Babylonians

fourth volume of his Indian history, attempts to show, that the
forementioned king of tlie Babylonians suj-passed 'Hereules in
bravery, and in splenJor of action, for he saith, tl\at he conquer-
ed a great part of Africa and Spain.' See Josephus against
Apion, Book 1. Sect. 2. page 1343.

* ' But Nebuchadnexzar, who is more extolled among the
Chaldeans than Hercules, marched to the pillars of Hercules —
and afterwards conducted his army out of Spain, into Thrace
and Pontus. See Strabo, Book XV. page 687, in tlie Paris edi-
tion, and page 1007, in the Amsterdam edition of 1707.

•|- See Usher's Annals, year of the world 3466, page 100. See
Prideaux' Connections, Part I. Book 11. year 539, and 17 of Bel-
shazzar.

^ * But the two hands and the shoulders, show that your
kinj^dom will be dissolved by two kings.' See .Tosephus' Anti-
quities, Book X. Chap. x. Sect. 4. page 457, in Hudson's edi-
tion.

THE PROPHECIES. 251

should be dissolved by two kini^s. The two kings were the
kings of the Medes and Persians, whose powers were united
under Cyrus, who was son of one of the kini;s and son-in-
law of the other, and who besieged and took Babylon, put
an end to that empire, and on its ruins erected the Medo-
Persian, or the Persian, as it is more usually called, the'
Persians having soon gained the ascendency over the
Medes. This empire is said to be inferior^ as beinj^ less
than the former, mitius te as the Vulgar Latin translates
it, because neither Cyrus nor any of his successors ever
carried their arms into Africa or Spain so far as Nebu-
chadnezzar is reported to have done ; or rather inferior
as being wor.^e than the former, deterius te as Castalio
translates it, for Dr. Piideaux * asserts, and I believe he
may assert very truly, that the kings of Persia were "the
worst race of men that ever governed an empire." This
empire from its first establishment by Cyrus to the death
of the last king Davius Coclomannus lasted not much
above 200 years. Thus far all critics and commentators
are agreed, that the two hi st kingdoms represented in
Nebuchadnezzar's dream were the Babylonian and the
Persian. As to the rest there hath been some contro-
versy, but with little reason or foundation for it, only that
some persons are troubled with the spirit of contradic-
tion, and will dispute about the plainest points.

III. ' His belly and his thighs of brass,' ver. 32.
which Daniel interprets ver. 39. ' And another third
kingdom of brass which shall bear rule over all the
earth.' It is universally known, that Alexander the
Great, subverted the Persian empire. The kingdom
therefore which succeeded to the Persian, was the
Macedonian ; and this kingdom was fitly represented
by brass ; for the Greeks were famous for their brazen
armour, their usual epithet being t/ie brazen-coated
Greeks. Daniel's interpretation in Josephusf is, that
another coming from the west, completely armed in brass

• Sec Prkleaux' Connections, Part I. Book II. year 559, and
first of Neriglissar.

f 'But another completely arracd In brass, coming from the
west, shall destroy their kingdom.' See Josephus' Antiquities,
Book X. Cliap. X. Sect: 4. page 457, in Hudson's edition.

262 DISSERTATIONS ON

shall destroy the empire of the Medes and Persians. —
This third kingdom is also said to ' bear rule over all the
earth' by a figure usual in almost all authors. Alexander
himself * coramanded. that he should be called ' the king
of all the world ;' not that he really conquered, or nearly
conquered the whole world, but he had considerable do-
minions in Europe, Asia, and Africa, that is in all the
three parts of the world then known ; and Diodorus Si-
culus,t and other historians give an account of ambassa-
dors coming from almost all the world to congratulate
him upon his success, or to submit to his empire ; and
then especially, as Arrian t remarks, did Alexander him-
self appear to himself and to those about him to be 'mas-
ter both of all the earth and sea.'

That this third kingdom therefore was the Macedo-
nian, every one allows, and must allow : but then it is
controverted, whether this kingdom ended in the person
of Alexander, or was continued in his successors. St. Je-
rome saith § expressly, that the third kingdom signifies
Alexander, and the kingdom of the Macedonians, and of
the successors of Alexander. Which is rightly named
brazen, saith he : for among all metals brass is more vo-
cal, and tinkles louder, and its sound is diffused far and
wide, that it portended not only the fame and power of
the kingdom, but also the eloquence of the Greek lan-

* * After he had received the empire, he gave orders that he
should be called the king of all lands, avid of the world.' —
See Justin, Book XII, Chap. xvi. Sect. 9. in Graevius' edition.

f ' At this time, ambassadors ft-om almost every part of the
world came to him, he. See Diodorus Siculus, Book XVII. page
623, in Stephanas' edition, and page 579, Vol. 2. in that of Kho -
domanus.

i * And then especially, Alexander appeared to himself, and
to them that were about him, to be master of every land and
sea.' See Arrian's expedition of Alexander, Book VII. Chap. xv.
pag-e 294, in Gronovius' edition.

§ Jliid another third kingdom of brass, -iohich shall bear rule over
all the earth, Dan. ii. 39. ' This means Alexander, and the king-
dom of tile Macedonians, and of the successors of Alexander.
They rightly may be said to be of brass. For among all the me-
tals brass is most sonorous, it tinkles loudest, audits sound is dif-
fused far and wide ; and so it shows not only the fame and power of
the kingdom, but also the eloquence of the Greek tongue.' See
Jerome, Vol. HI. page 1081, in the Benedictine edition.

THE PHOPHECIES. 263

g^iiage. Another commentator observes * that this king-
dom is compared to the belly, to denote the drunkenness
of Alexander, and the profuse luxury of his successors,
especially of the Ptolemies. It Avas a strange wild con-
ceit in Grotius and others, to think that the kingdom of
Alexander and of his successors made two different king-
doms. Grotius was indeed a very great man, and, for
the most part, a very able and useful commentator:
but the greatest and ablest men have their weaknesses,
and none hath betrayed more weakness, or committed
more errors in chronology and history than he hath done,
in explaining the Prophecies. His notions here are as
mean and contracted, as they are generous and enlarged
in other instances.

TheSelucidx who reigned in Syria, and the Lagidae
who reigned in Egypt, might be designed particularly
by ' the two thighs"' of brass. Of all Alexander's suc-
cessors they might be pointed out alone, because they
alone had much connection with the Jewish church and
ration. But their kingdom was no more a different king-
dom from that of Alexander, than the parts differ from
the whole. It was the same government still continued.
They who governed were still Macedonians. The me-
tal was the same, and the nation was the same : nor is
the same nation ever represented by different metals, but
the different metals always signify different nations. All
ancient authors too speak of the kingdom of Alexander
and of his successors as one and the same kingdom. The
thing is implied in the very name by which they are
usually called, 'the successors of Alexander.' Alexan-
der being dead, saith Josephus,t the empire was divided
among his successors; he doth not say that so many new
empires were erected. After the death of Alexander,
saith Justin, ± the kingdoms of the east were divided

* It is compared to the belly, to denote the drunkenness and
profuse luxury of Alexander, and of his successors, especially
the Ptolemies.' See Tirinis in Pool's Synopsis.

f ' Upon the death of Alexander, his empire was divided
among- his successors.' See Josephus* Antiquities, Book XI.
Chap. viii. Sect. 4. page 505, in Hudson's edition.

i ' After the death of Alexander the Great, whilst his eastern
'kingdoms were divided among hia successors,' &c. See Justin,

264 DISSERTATIONS ON

among his successors; and he still denominates them
Macedonians, and their empire the Macedonian; and
reckons Alexander the same to the Macedonians, as Cy-
lus was to the Persians and Romulus to the Romans.
Grotius himself acknovvledgeth,* that even now the He-
brews call those kingdoms by one name the kingdom of
the Grecicuis. There is one insuperable objection against
the kingdoms of the Lagidae and of the Selucidae being
a different kingdom from that of Alexander, because if
they are not considered as parts of Alexander's dominion,
they cannot be counted as one kingdom, they constitute
properly two separate and distinct kingdoms.

IV. ' His legs of iron, his feet part of iron, and part of
clay,' ver. 33, which is thus interpreted by Daniel, ver.
40, 41, 42, 43. ' And the fourth kingdom shall be strong
as iron? forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and sub-
dueth all things ; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall
it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest
the feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron ;
the kingdom shall be divided, but there shall be in it of
the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the
iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet
were part of iron, and part of clay ; so the kingdom shall
be partly strong and partly broken. And whereas thou
sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle
themselves with the seed of men ; but they shall not cleave
one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.'
Here are farther proofs that the kingdoms of the Seluci-
dae and of the Lagidae cannot possibly be the fourth
kingdom, because the marks and characters here given

rJook XLI. Chap. iv. Sect. 1. speaking of the Parthians, he saith,
' that be tiiumphing in the east, they last of all became subject
10 the Macedonians,* Chap. i. Sect. 5. They afterwards, tlie Ma-
cedonians, being drawn into a civil war, &:c. Chap. iv. Sect 2.
■J'he government of the nation, after their revolt fiom the Mace-
donian empire was monarchical. Chap. ii. Sect. 1. Thus Arsa--
ces having soug-ht and established his kingdom, was no less re-
nowned among' the Parthians, than Cyrus among- the Persians,
or Alexander among the Macedonians, or Itomulus among the
Romans. He died in an extreme old age, Chap. v. Sect. 5. in
Graevius' edition.

* * Even at present, the Jews call these kingdoms by one name,
that of the Greeks.' See Grotius on Dan. vii. 7.

THE PROPHECIKS. 265

of the rourth kingdom by no means af^rce with either of
those kint^doms. 'I'his fourth kingdoni is described a!>
stronger than the preceding. As iron breaketh and
bruiseth all other metals, so th's brcaketh and subdueth
all the former kingdoms: but the kingdoms of the Lagi-
dx and of the Sciucid^e were so far from being stronger,
that they were much weaker, and less than any of the
former kingdoms. This kingdom too is represented as
divided into ten toes : but when or where were the king-
doms of the I.agidae and of the Selucidoe divided into so
many parts ? Besides, the metal here is different, and con-
sequently the nation should be different from the pre-
ceding. The four different metals must signify four dif-
ferent nations : and as the gold signified the Babylonians,
and the silver the Persians, and the brass the Macedo-
nians ; so the iron cannot signify the Macedonians again,
but must necessarily denote some other nation : and we
will venture to say that there is not a nation upon earth,
to which this description is applicable, but the Romans.
The Romans succeeded next to the Macedonians, and
therefore in course were next to be mentioned. The Ro-
man empire was stronger and larger than any of the pre-
ceding. The Romans brake in pieces, and subdued all
the former kingdoms. As Josephus said, that the two
arms of silver denoted the kings of the Medes and Per-
sians; so we might say in like manner, that the two legs
of iron signified the two Roman consuls. The iron was
< mixed with miry clay,* and the Romans were defiled
with a mixture of barbarous nations. The Roman empire
was at length divided into ten lesser kin, doms, ansv/ering
to the ten toes of the image, as we shall see heieafler.
These kingdoms retained much of the old Roman strength,
and manifested it upon several occasions, so that ' the king-
dom was partly strong and partly broken.' They mingled
themselves with the seed of men ;' they made marriages
and alliances one with another, as they continue to do at
this day : but no hearty union ensued; reasons of state are
stronger than the ties of blood, interest generally avails
more than affinity. Some expound it of the secular and
ecclesiastical powers, sometimes agreeing, sometimes
clashing and interfering with-each other, to the weaken-
ing of both, and endangering their breaking to pieces-.

TOL, I. Z

066 DISSEUTATIOXS ON

Or if by ' the seed of men' we are to understand the same
as by ' the daughters of men,' Gen. vi. 2, those of a false
and different relit>ion, it nuiy allude to tlie intermarriages,
which several of the European nations, and particularly
the French, Spanish and Portuguese, have made with the
Indians, Africans and Americans. Thus some of the ten
kingdoms who call themselves ' sons of God,* and the
only sons of God by adoption, have mixed with ' the seed
of men,' with strangers to men ; and yet no solid union
ensues. \\ hich observation was sut^gested to me by an
unknown correspondent, J>ir. IJerciilus Younti,e, an inge-
nious clergymen of Carrick in Ireland. The Koman em-
pire therefore is represented in a double state, first with
ihe strength of iron, conquering ail before it, ' his kgs of
iron ;' and then weakened and divided by the mixture of
barbarous nations, ' his feet part of iron, and part of clay.'
It subdued Syria, and made the kingdom of the beleucidae
a Roman province in the * year 65 before Christ ; it sub-
dued Egypt, and made the kingdom of the Lagidae a Ro-
inan province in the year 30 before Christ ; and in the
fourth century after Christ, it began to be torn in pieces
J?y the incursions of the barbarous nations.

St. Jerome lived to see the incursions of the barbarous
nations ; and his comment t is, that the" fourth kingdom,
which plainly belongs to the Romans, is the iron that
breaketh and subdueth all things ; but his feet and toes
are part of iron, and part of clay, which is most manisfestly
proved at this time : Tor as in the beginning nothing
was stronger and harder than the Roman empire, so in
the end of things nothing is weaker; since "both in civil
wars, and against divers nations, we want the assistance
of other barbarous nations." He hath given the same
interpretation in other parts of his works; and it seemeth

* See Usher, Prideaux, and other cbronolcg-ers.

•j- * But the fourth kingdom, which evidently belong^s to the
Jlomans, is that of iron, whicli breaks in pieces, and subdues all
things. But its feet and toes are partly of iron, and partly of
clay, which is most manifestly proven at this time. For as in
the beginning, nothing was firmer and harder than the lioraaii
empire, so in the end, nothing is weakei-, seeing both in the ci-
vil wars, and against foreign nations, we require the aid of oUier
barbarous nations.' See Vol. III. page 1082, in the Jienedictine
edition.

THE i'ROPiit:cn:s. 26r

that he had been bl.unecl for it, as a reflection upon the
i^-overnmciit ; and there fore he n^aketh this apoloi^-y for
himself. ••' If,* saith he, in explaining the statue and the
ditfevence of his feet and toes, I have interpreted the iron
and clay of the Ro-nan kingdom, which the scripture
foretels should first be strong, and then weak, let theiu not
impute it to me, but to the prophet: lor we must not so
flatter princes, as to neglect the verity of the holy scrip-
tures, nor is a general disputation an injury to a single
person."

All ancient writers, both Jewish and Christian, agree
with .lerome in explaining the fourth kingdom to be the
Roman Porphyry, who was a heathen, and an enemy
to Christ, was the first who broached the other opinion :
which, though it hath been maintained since by some of
the moderns, is yet not only deslilute of the authority,
but is even contrary to the authority of both scripture
and history- It is a just observation of Mr. Mede,f who
was as able and consummate a judge as any in these mat-
ters ; " The Roman empire to be the fourth kingdom of
Daniel, was believed by the church of Israel both before
and in our Saviour's time ; received by the disciples of
the apostles, and the whole Christian church for the fiist
300 years, without any known contradiction. And I con-
fess, having so good ground in scripture, it is with me
tantum nan articulus Jidei^ little less than an article of
faith:*

V. Besides this image, Nebuchadnezzar saw, ver. 34,
35. till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay,
and brake them to pieces : Then was the iron, the clay,
the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces toge-

* * But if in expounding the statue, and the different mate-
riols of lis feet and toes, 1 have interpreted the iron and clay of
the Roman kingdom, which tiie scripture foretels should be first
strong, and then weak, let them not impute it to me, but to the
prtjphet. For neitb.er must we so pay adidation to princes as to
neglect the truth of the holy scriptures, nor can a general dis-
quisition be regarded as an insult offered to an individual.' See
his preface to Isa. xxxvi. Vol. III. page 283, in the Benedictine
edition.

t See Mede's Works, Book IV. Letter 6Lh. page 736.

268 DiSSF.RTATlOXS ON

ther, and became like the chaffofihe summer threshinj^-
fioors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was
found tor them : and the stone that smote the imape be-
cunie a threat tnountain, and filled the whole earth :*
Which is thus interpreted and explained by Daniel, ver.
4 t, 45. ' And in the days of these kings shall the God
of heaven set up a kint3;dom, which shall never be de-
stroyed ; and the kingdom shall not be left to other peo-
ple, but it shall break in pieces, and consume all these
kins^doms, and it shall stand for ever : Forasmuch as
thou sawest tiiat the stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the
biass, the clay, the silver, and the gold.' They who main-
tain that the fourth kingdom was the kingdoms of the Se-
leucid^ and of the LagidiE, do. many of them, maintain
likewise that this fifth kingdom was the Roman. But how
can these characters agree with the Roman empire ?
ilow was the Rom^m empire ' cut out of the mountain
without hands,* or formed without human force and hu-
man policy ? How was the Roman empire 'of God's erec-
tion' more than any of the former kingdoms ? How can
the Roman empire which is ' left to other peoj le,' be
said 'not' to be 'left to ether people,' and how can that
which is ' broken in pieces,' be said to ' stand for ever ;*
This description can with propriety only be understood,
as the ancients understood it, of the kingdom of Christ.
' And in the days of these kings.' that is in the days of
some of them. As ' in the days when the judges ruled ;*
Ruth.i. 1. signifies ' in the day when' some of.' the judges
ruled ;' so ' in the days of these kings' signifies ' in the days
of some of' these kingdoms :' and it must be during the
days of the last of them, because they are reckoned ybz^r
in succession, and consequently this must be the fifth
kingdom. Accordingly the kingdom of Christ was set
up during the days of the last of these kingdoms, that is
the Romans. The stone was totally a different thing from
he image^ and the kingdom of Christ is totally different
from the kingdoms of this world. 'The stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands,' as our heavenly body
is said, 2 ('or. v. I. to be ' a building of God, an house
not made with hands ;' that is spiritual, as the phrase is
used in other places. Mark xiv. 5 8. compared with John

TMK PJlOPflECIIiS. 269

ii. 2\. See also Coloss. ii. II. Tl»us the fathers * gene-
rally apply to Christ himself, who was miraculously horn
of a viri^in without the concurrence of a man ; but it
should rather be iniderstood of tiie kingdom of Christ,
which was lonned out of the Roman empire, not by num-
ber of hands, or strength of armies, but without human
raeans, and the virtue of second causes. This Idngdoni
was * set up by the Ciod of heaven ;* and from hence the
phrase of 'the kingdom of heaven' came to signify the
kingdom of the Messiah ; and so it was u^ed and understood
by the Jews, and so it is applied by our Saviour in the
New-Testament. Other knigdoms were raised by hu-
man ambition and worldly power . but this was the work
not of man but of God ; this was truly as it is called ' the
kingdo'u of heaven,' and, John xviii. 36. ' a kingdom not
of this world ;' its laws, its powers, were cdl divine. This
kingdom was 'never to be destroyed,' as the Babylonian,
the Feisian, and the Macedonian empires have been, and
in great measure also the Rouian. Thiskingdo;r\ was to
' break, in pieces and consume all the kingdoms,' to spread
and enlarge itself, so that it should comprehend within
itself all the former kingdoms. This kingdom was to
' iill the whole earth,' to become universal, and to ' stamJ
for ever.'

As the fourth kingdom or the Roman empire was re-
presented in a two-fold state, first strong and flourishing
' with legs of iron,' and then weakened and divided ' with
feet and toes, part of iron and of clay ;' so this fifth king-
dom or the kingdom of Christ is described likewise in
two states, which Mr. Medef rightly distinguished by
the names oi regnum lafiidis^ the kingdom of the stone,
and ng-num montis^ the kingdom of the mountain; the
first wljen, ' the stone was cut out of the mountain without
hands,' the second wheait became itself ' a mountain and
filled the whole earth. The stone was cut out of the
mountain without hands,' the kingdom of Christ was set
up first, while the Roman empire was in its full strength

* See Justin Martyr's Dialog-ue with Tryphon, pag-e 301, in
Thirlbius' edition. See Irenaeus against Heresies, Chap, xxviii.
page 258, in Grabe's edition See Jerome's Commentary on the
passage, Vol. 111. page 1081, in the Benedictine edition.

t See Mede's Works, Book IV. Letter 8. page 743.
z 2

270 DISSEUTATIONS OX

'with ' legs of iron.' The Roman empire was aficrwards
divided into ten lesser kingdoms, the remains of which
are subsis.ing at present. The image is still standing
upon his te^t and toes of iron and clay; the kingdom of
Christ is yet 'a sloue of stumbling, and a rock of offence ;'
but the stone will one day smite the image upon the feet
and toes, and destroy it utterly, and will itself * become a
great mount.;in, and fill the whole earth ;' or in other
words, Rev. xi. 15. ' the kingdoms of this world shall be-
come the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and
he shall reign ror ever and ever.' We have therefore seen
the kingdom of the sione, but we have not yet seen the
kingdom of the ivo-uitain. Some parts of this propiiecy
still remain to be fuliJlL d : but the exact completion of
the other parls will not suifer us to doubt of the accomp-
lishment of the rest also in due season.

As we may presume to say, that this is the only true
and genuine interpretation of this passage, so likewise is
it the r/iost consonant to the sense of all ancient writers,
both Jews and Christians; and its antiquity will be a far-
ther reco.nmendation and confirmation of its truth. Jo-
nathan Bel Uzziel, who made the Chaldee Targum or pa-
^phrase upon the prophets, * lived a little before our Sa-
viour, fie made no Chaldee version of Daniel, the grea-
ter part of this book being originally written in Chaldee,
or his version is lost : but however he applies the prophe-
eies of Daniel in his interpretation of other prophets.
Thus in his paraphrase upon Habakkuk he speaketh
of the four great kingdoms of the earth, f that they
should in their turns be destroyed, and be succeeded by the
kingdom of the Messiah. "For the kingdom of Babylon

* See Walton's Preface, XH. 10.— See Wolsius' Hebrew Li-
brary, Book \1. Ciiap. ii. Sect. 2. See alsoPrideaux' Connections,
Pari n. Book VIII. year 27, and first of Herod.

•j- Habak. iii. 17, 18. * For the kingdom of Babylon shall not
be permanent, nor exercise dominion over Israel. The kings of
Media sliall be slain, tlie brave men of Greece shall not prosper.
Tlie Romans shall be destroyed, nor shall they collect tribute
from Jerusalem. Tlierefore on account of the sign, and of the
ycdemption which thou shalt accomplish for thy Christ, and for
the residue of thy peuple, they who remain shall celebrate thy
praise saying,' 84c.

THE PUOPHKCIES. 271

shall not continue, nor exercise dominion over Israel ;
the kings of Media shall be slain, and the strong men oi'
Greece shal! not prosper ; the Romans shall be blotted
oiiU nor collect tribute from Jerusalem. '1 herelore be-
cause of tl^e sign and redeniption which thou shalt
accomplish for thy Christ, and for the ren.nant of thy
peo])le, they who remain shall praise thee, kc."

The sense of Josephus we will give in the words of
Bishop Chandler* together with his reflections upon it.
*' Josephus' exposition of this text is so full in the point,
that it ought not to be omitted. Josephus was born while
Jesus Christ lived, and was, as het says, skilful in the
knowledge of the sacred books of the prophets, being
himself la priest, and the son of a priest, and extrt ised
this way. Hear then his sense of that part of the dream
"we have been upon. Daniel foretold, :f that the second
kingdom shall be taken out of the way, by one that
should come from the west clothed with brazen aruis :
and also that the strength of this (en.pire) another should
put an end to, that should be like to iron, which from the
nature of the mineral is superior to gold, silver, and brass.
Daniel added his interpretation of the stone ; but I don't
think fit to relate that ; my business being only to give a
history ofpasl and neuiy dotie things^ not to write of fu-
ture thiuga. Yet if there be any one that is eager after

• Sec Defence of Christianity, Chap. ii. Sect. 2. page 104, &c.
third edition.

f See Josephus' Jewish Wars, Book IlL Chap. vii.Sect. 3. pug-e
1143, in Hudson's edition.

\ ' Bui their empire shall be destroyed by one coming fi otn
the west, equipped with brazen armour. 1 be strength of the
kingdom set up by him, shall be overcome by another power,
which maybe compared to iron, and shall bring all under its
power like that metal, which in its nature hath a firmer contex-
ture than gold, or silver, or brass. Moreover Daniel expounded
to the king, every thing relating to the stone. But ir is not be-
coming in me to relate these things, seeing I liave prescribed
these limits to myself, to commit to writing what has happened
long ago, or lately, without meddling with future events. But
if any person should be eagerly desirous to come at the truth,
and curious to push his inquiries into those obscure matters,
that are yet future, let liim carefully search tlie book of Daniel,
which he will find among the sacred writings.' Sec Josephus'
Antiquities, Book X. Chap. x. Sect. 4. page 457, in Hudson's
edition.

oj-o DISSERTATIONS 0^

truth, and will not give over inquiring, in order to learn
these obscure events that are to come, let him carefully
read the book itself, which he will find among our sa-
cred (or canonical) books. Upon this passage observe,
that the fourth empire is the Roman, in his judgment;
because the third kingdom, which he begins in Alexan-
der, was destroyed, not by the Greek generals, but by the
Romans. Again, the fourth euipire he reckons to be
past, i. e. to be set up in the room ot the Greek, and
therefore he gives an historical explication of that, among
the past events. But the kingdom of the stone being
future, he refuses to toucii on that. But he had a bet-
ter reason than he gave : he feared to oflend the power
in bein^j,-, whose protection he needed and which, he
foresaw, must be offended, if he should publish the hope
of his captive nation, one day to subdue their conquer-
ors. We see however, in this excuse for stopping sliort,
his sense of the prophecy that is yet unfuiiilled, viz.
that the kingdom of the God of heaven should break
in pieces the Roman ; and v/hich he must consequently
suppose will continue, till it gives place to the everlast-
ing kingdom of the Messiah. And in this belief Christ
confirmed the Jews, at the time he warned them of their
own excision. Th^ kbigdoin of God. saith he, Matth.
xxii. 43, 44. or all the advantages of the Messiah's com-
ing, shall.be taken from yon and given to a nation bring-
ing forth the ftuits thereof. For whosoever shall fall
against this stone, (as one of your prophets predicted,
Isa viii. 14, 15 ) shall be broken : but, I add from another
prophet, Dan ii. 34, 35. something more grievous for
those that shall break you, on ivhomsover it shall fall, it
ivill grind him to fioivder. The kingdom of the stone
shall bruise the Jews that stumbled at Christ's first com-
ing ; but the kingdom of the mountain., when manifested,
shall beat the feet of the monarchial statue to dust, and
leave no remains of the fourth monarchy in its last and
degenerate state.'*

Tht same notion was prevalent among the ancient
Christians, as well as among the Jews. St. Jerome and
all the fathers, who have occasion to comment upon this
passage, give the same interpretation: but we love not
to multiply quotations; it will be suflicient to produce

TilE PliOPHEClKS. 273

the testimonies of tluit eloquent prca -her St. Chrysos-
toni, and of that elegant historian Siilpicivis Severus. St.
C lirysostoni is too copiouy to be quoted at large ; we must
content oui'belves with some extracts out of him. "For
\Nluit reason,* saith he, doih he call Nebuchadnezzar's
kingdom of g;old, and that of the Persians of silver, and
tliat of the Macedonians of brass, and that of the Ro-
mans of iron and clay ? See the materials ri^^htly dis-
posed ; for gold represents richer, Sec ; so likewise was

that kingdom and it occupies the head, because it

appeared the first. But that of the Persianswas not so
wealthy, as neither was that of the Macedonians : but that
of the Romans was both more useful and stronger, and
later in time, therefore it occupies the place of the feet.
But some parts of this kingdom are weaker and others

are stronger. i7id in the days of those kings.^ shall the

God of heaven set ufi a kingdom^ ivhich shall never be de^
stroyed i and the kingdom shall 7ivt be It ft to other people,

* ' But why flolh he call his (Nebucliadnezzar's) kingdem, a
klng"dom of g'oUl, and that of the Persians one of silver, and
that of the Macedonians, of brass, and that of the Romans of
iron and clay? You may observe the mateiials well chosen and
arranged. For gold is an emblem of riches — and so was that
kingdom — and it holds the place of the head, because it was
first in the order of time. But that of the Persians was not so
opulent, nor that of the Macedonians. But that of ihe Romans
was more useful and stronger, and followed the rest in the order
of time, and tlierefore holds the place of the feet. But some parts
of this kingdom are weaker, and others stronger. — "And in the
duys-t)f these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left
to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Bring me hither the Jews,
what will they say concerning this prophecy ! For surely it is not
lawful to say of any kingdom merely hiunan, that it hath no
bounds.or termination. — *'hi the days of diese kingdoms," name-
ly of the Romans. But if they say otherwise. l>et them tell me,
how he could break in pieces and consume the kingdom of the
Babylonians, which already had been long ago destroyed? How
the silver, tiie kingdom of the Persians ? How the brass, tlie king-
dom of the Macedonians? For all these were kingdoms that

had been in former times, and then were no more. But hovr

can he destroy kingdoms which are already extmct? Tlie
reason is plain, he destroyed other kngdoms that swallowed up
and dv-'Stro;. ed those.* See Jc.lin Citrysoslom on Daniel, page
214, and 216, in the S'h Vol. of the Benedictine edition.

274 DISSERTATIONS ON

bh't it shall break in pifcts. and consume all tlh ae king'
(ioJ)ifi^ aiidit ahall Hiandfort^-oev. Bring hither to me the
Jews. What will they say concerning- this prophecy?
lor it is by no means right to say of any human king-
dom, that it shall be everlasting or without end. — In the
days of those kings^ to wit, the Hon)ans. But if they say
how can he break in pieces the gold, the kingdoin of the
Babylonians destroyed long ago ? how the silver, the king-
dom of the Persians? how the brass, the kingdom of the
Macedonians I for these are past long ago, and are come

to an end how can he destroy the kingdoms, which

are already destroyed ? But to destroy others in which
these are included, amounts to the same thing."

Sulpicius Severus having given an account of Nebu-
chadnezzar's dream, and of all the particulars relating to
it, subjoins an exposition* of it, agreeable to Daniel's in-
terpretation. " The image is an emblem of the world.
The golden head is the ei":jpire of the C haldeans: foras-
much as that was the first and most wealthy. The breast
and arms of silver signify the second kingdom : For Cy-

* Therefore, according to tlie interpretation of theprophqt, the
ij-nage seen is a picture of the wo^-ld. The head of gold is^ the
er.^pire of the Chaldeans, forasmuch as we have been told, it was
the fii'st and the most wealth)'. The breast and arms of silver
speak out the second kingdr-irt. F<>v Cyrus, when he had van-
quished the Chaldeans and Modes, transferred the empii-e to the
Persians. In the belly of brass is evidently foreshown the third
kingdom. This part of the piopljecy vve see fulfilled. For
Alexander having wrested the empire from the Persians, deli-
vered it up to the Macedonians. The legs of iron denote the
fourth empire, namely, the Roman, which was the strong-est of
all the kingdoms that had gone before it. But the feet, partly of
iron, and partly of clay, sig'nify that the Roman empii-e was to
he divided in such a manner, as never to be again united. I'his
also has been fulfilled. — For the Roman territory is now posses-
sed by foreign nations or rebels. — In our armies, cities, and pro-
vinces, we at present v/itness a mixture of barbarous nations. —
But in the stone cut out without hands, which brake in pieces
the goUl, the silver, the brass, the ii-on, and the cla}', we have an
emblem of Christ. For he will bring to nothing, that world in
which are earthly kingdoms, and shall establish another incor-
ruptible kingdom. Concerning which alone, some are still in
doubt, discrediting fu\ure things, though convinced of the past.*
See Sulpicius' Sacred History, Book II. page 66/67i in the EL
zivir edition of 1656.

TIIK IMIOPIIECIES. 275

rus, the Chaldeans and Medcs hcint^ overcome, transfer-
rt^d the empire lo the Persians. In the brazen heily the
third kini^dom is declared to be portcnderl ; and that we
see fulrtlled : Forasmuch as the empire taken from the
Persians, Alexander vindicated to Macedonia. The iron
legs are the fourth kingdom : and that is the Roman, the
strongest of all the kingdoms before it. But the feet, part
of iron and part of clay, prefigure the Roman empire to
he so divideds as that it should never unite again : which

is equally fulfilled Forasmuch as the Roman teri-itory

is occupied by foreign nations or rebels : and we see

(saith he, and he lived at the beginning of the fifth* cen-
tury) barbarous nations mixed with our armies, cities,

and provinces But in the stone cutout without hands,

which brake in pieces the gold, the silver, the brass, the
iron, and the clay, we have a figure of Christ. For he
shall reduce this world, in which are the kingdoms of the
earth, to nothing, and shall establish another everlasting
kingdom. Of which alone the faith of some is still
dubious, and they will not credit future things, when they
are convinced of the past."

Nay, Grotius himself, the great patron of the other
opinion, that the fifth kingdom is the Roman empire,
commenting upon those words, ver. 45. * it brake in
pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the
gold,' cannot but acknowledge thatf the sublimer sense
is, that Chi ist will put an end to all earthly empires, ac-
cording to I Cor. XV. 24. that ' he shall put down all
rule, and all authority, and power.'

Thus it pleased God to reveal unto Daniel, and by
Daniel unto Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest and most sig-
nal events of this world. As Daniel said unto Nebuchad-
nezzar, ver. 45. ' The great God hath made known to
the king what shall come to pass hereafter ; and the
dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof is sure.*
The king hearing his dream related with such exactness,
might, be better assured of the truth of the interpreta-

* See Cave's Literary History, Vol. I. page 374.

•j- ' The sublimer senst is, that Christ will put an end to all
earthly governments,' 1 Cor. xv. 21. See Grotius on the pas-
sage.

276 BTSSERTATIOXS ON

tion, and of the g-reat events which shouM follow. And
from hence we are enabled in some measure to accoiuit
for Nebuchadnezzar's prophecying a little belore he
died. Abydenus wrote the history of the Assyrians. —
It is not well known in what age he lived, and liis history-
is lost: but there is a fragment of it preserved by Euse-
bius, wherein it is asserted upon the authority of Me-
gasthenes, that Nebuchadnezzar was divinely inspired
and prophecied in this manner:* " I Nebuchadnezzar
foretel unto you, O Babylonians, an imminent calamity,
vhich neither Behis my progenitor, nor queen Beltis can
persuade the fates to avert : A Persian mule shall come,
assisted by your demons, and impose servitude upon
you ; whose coadjutor shall be a Mede, the boast of the
Assyrians.* And soon after he died. Herodotus, who
was a much older historian than Megasthenes, relates
that a Delphic oracle was given to Croesus king of Lydia,
that t when a mule should rule over the Medes, that he
should not be ashamed to fly away. Which oracle was
afterwards thus interpreted by the Pythian priestess ; Cy-
rust was this mule ; for he was born of parents of differ-
ent nations, the mother the better, and the father the
meaner ; for she was a Mede, and the daughter of the
king of the Medes, but he was a Persian and subject to
the Medes. If any credit is to be given to these stories,
if any such prophecy was uttered by Nebuchadnerzar a

• * (y Babylonians, t Nebuchadnezzar foretel to you an ap-
proaching* calamity, which neither Belus my prog'enitor, nor
queen Beltis could ever persuade the flites to turn away from
you. A Persian mule will come, aided by your demons, and
lay a heavy yoke upon your necks. He shall have for his assist-
ant a Mede, the pride of the Assyrians. See Eusebius' Evan-
g-elical Preparation, Book IX. Chap. xli. page 456, in Vigerus'
edition.

f * But when a mule shall be king of the INIedes, then, O Ly-
dian, be not ashamed to flee away.' See Herodotus, Book I.
(Jhap. Iv. page 21, in Gale's edition

^ • For Cyrus truly was ihis mule, being descended from two
pai'ents that belonged to different nations, and being of a nobler
extraction by the mother's side than by the fathei's. For she
was a Mede, the daughter of Astyages, a king of the Medes.
But he was a Persian, and under the dominion of the Medes,*
'See Herodotus, in the same place, Chap. 5;ci. page 39.

THE PROrHECIES. 277

little before his death, if any such oracle was received
and believed of Cyrus and the Persians subduinc^ Asia,
the notion, the tradition, may very well be supposed to
have been derived originally from this prophecy of Da-
niel, which being so solemnly delivered to a great king,
and pul)lished in Chaldee, might come to be generally
known in the east ; and the event soon afterwards evinced
the truth of it.

It was from this prophecy too, that the distinction first
arose of the four great empires of the world, which hath
been followed by most historians and chronologers in
their distribution of times. These four empires, as they
are the subject of this prophecy, are likewise the sub-
ject of the most celebrated pens, both in former and in
later ages, the histories of these empires are the best
writ, and the most read of any ; they are the study of
the learned, and the amusement of the polite ; they are
of use both in schools, and in senates; we learn them when
we are young, and we forget them not when we are old ;
from hence examples, instructions, laws and politics are
derived for all ages ; and very little in comparison is
known of other times, or of other nations. Not but there
have been empires as great or greater than some of these,
as those of the Tartars for instance, and of the Saracens,
and of the Turks ; and you may think perhaps, that
they are as well deserving of a place in this succession
of kingdoms, and were equally worthy to be made the
objects of prophecy, being as eminent for the wisdom
of their constitutions, the extent of their dominions, and
the length of their duration. But these four empires
had a particular relation to the church and people of God,
■who were subject to each of them in their turns. They
were therefore particularly predicted ; and we have in
them, without the intermixture of others, a line of pro-
phecy (as I may say) extending from the vt\ii:n of Ne-
buchadnezzar to the full and complete establishment of
the kingdom of the Messiah. He who is arbiter of king-
doms, and governor of the universe, can reveal as much
of their future revolutions as he pleaseth : and he hath
revealed enough to manifest his providence, and to con-
firm the truth of religion. What Daniel said upon the
first discovery of these things, well may we say after

\0L. 1, A a

278 DISSERTATIONS ON

the completion of so many particulars, verse 20 — 22.
' Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever ; for wis-
dom and might are his. And he changeth the times and
the seasons : he removeth kings, and setteth up kings :
he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them
that know understanding. He revealeth the deep and
secret things : he knoweth what is in the darkness, and
the light dwelleLh with him.'

XIV.

DANIEL'S VISION OF THE SAME.

WHAT was revealed unto Nebuchadnezzar, in the
second year of his reign, concerning the four great em-
pires of the world, was again revealed unto Daniel, Chap,
vii. with some enlargements and additions in the first
year of Belshazzar, that is. about eight and forty years
afterwards. But there is this difference, that what was
exhibited to Nebuchadnezzar m the form of a great
image, was represented to Daniel in the shape of great
wild beasts. The reason of which is ingeniously assign-
ed by Grotius, and after him by Mr. Lowth,* " that this
image appeared with a glorious lustre in the imagination
of Nebuchadnezzar, whose mind was wholly taken up with
admiration of worldly pomp and splendor ;• whereas the
same monarchies were represented to Daniel under the
shape of fierce and wild beasts, as being the great sup-
porters of idolatry and tyranny in the world."

Daniel dreamed, and the angel interpreted. * These
great beasts, which are four,' (says the angel, ver. 17.)
< are four kings,' or kingdoms, as it is translated in the
vulgar Latin, and the Greek, and Arabic versions, and
as the angel himself explains it, ver. 23. ' The fourth
beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth.' They
arise out of a stormy and tempestuous sea, that is out of

• See Lowth's Commentary on Chap. ii. 31. and Grotius on
the passage.

THE PROPHECIES. 279

the wars and commotions of the world ; and they arc
called great in comparison of other lesser states and
kingdoms, as ihey are denominated beasts for their ty-
rannical and cruel oppressions and depredations. These
beasts are indeed monstrous productions ; a lion with
eagle's wings, a bear with three ribs in the mouth of it,
a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a beast
with ten horns : but such emblems and hieroglyphics
Were usual among the eastern nations ; a winged lion
and sucli fictitious animals may still be seen in the ruins
of Persepolis;* horns are attributed to beasts, which na-
turally have none ; and these figures were, as I may say,
the arms and symbols of such and such nations, and are
no stranger than several v/hich are still used in modern
heraldry. We will consider them m order, and take
notice only of such interpretations as carry in them some-
thing probable and plausible, to the end that we may
■ establish what is more certain. To recite all the various
opinions of commentators woidd be but heaping up a
monument of the absurdities of former ages. We may
collect something from one, and something from an-
other, and yet in all respects perfectly agree with none.
I. The first kingdom is represented by a beast, ver. 4.
that was * like a lion, and had eagle's wings : and I be-
held till the wings thereof were pluckt, and it was lifted
up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a
man, and a man's heart was given to it.' This is the
kingdom of the Babylonians: and the king of Babylon
is in like manner compared to a lion by Jeremiah, iv. 7.
* The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer
of the Gentiles is on his way ;' and he is «aid to fly as
an eagle, xlviii. 40. ' Behold he shall fly as an eagle,
and shall spread his wings over ^Nloab; and he is also
compared to an eagle by Ezekiel, xvii. :1, — 12. * "i'hus
saith the Lord God, a great eagle with great wings, Sec*
The lion is esteemed the king of beasts, and the eagle
the king of birds : and therefore the kingtijm of Baby-
lon, which is described as the first and noblest kingdom,
and was the kingdom then in being, is said to partake of
the nature of both. Instead of a lion, the Vulgar Latin,

* See Sir John Chard in, and other travellers,

j>80 DISSERTATIONS ON

and the Greek and Arabic versions have a lioness ; and
it is Jerome's^observation,* that the kingdom of Babylon,
for its cruelty is compared not to a lion, but to a lioness,
Avhich naturalists say is the fiercer of the two.

The euglv's wing}^ denote its swiftness and rapidity ;
and the conquests of Babylon were very rapid, that em-
pire l)eini^ advanced to the heighth within a few years by
a single person, by the conduct and arms of Kebiichad-
iiezzar. It is farther said, ' the wings thereof were pluckt,
-and it was lifted up from the earth,' that is, it was taken
away from the earth, as it is corsmionly understood, and
as it is translated in almost ail the f ancient versions : or
it may be rendered* thus, the nvivga thereof ivere pluckt
wherewith it ivas lified nfi from the earthy as Gfotius*
explains it, and as we read ir in the margin of our bibles,
the conjunction copulative sometimes supplying the place
of a relative. Its wings were beginning to be pluckt at
the time of the. delivery of this prophecy ; for at this
time the Medes and Persians were mcroaching upon it;
Belshazzar the king now reigning was the last of his race;
and in the § seventh year of his reign Babylon was taken,
and the kingdom was transferred to the Medes and Per-
sians.

' And it was made to stand upon the feet as a man. and
a man*s heart was given to it.* It is not easy to say what

• The Babylonian kingdom, on account of it3 ferocity and
cruelty, — is not called a lion, but a lioness. For they who have
written on the nature of beasts, tell us, that the lioness is the
most ferocious and cruel, &c. See Jerome's Commentary on
the place, Vol. III. page 1099, in the Benedictine edition.

-j- *And (he says) it was lifted up from the earth. This hap-
pened by the su!)version of the impious empire of the Clialdeans.*
Sec Jerome or\ tlie passage. 'Ami it was taken away from the
earth.' Sec the Scptuagiiit. * 1 beheld its wings plucked, and
removed from tl)e ground.' See the Syriac version. ' And it
went away from the earth.' See the Arabic.

t ' And it was removed from tiie earth ; namely by its wings ,
v;hich Jified It above the earth. For frequently in the Chaldee,
no less than in the Hebrew language, the copulative conjunction
has the power of the relative pronoun.' See Grotius on Dan.
vii. 4.

§ See Josepli'is' Antiquities, Kook X. Chap. xi. Sect. 4. page
462, in Hudson's edition. See also Usher, Prideaax, and other
Chronologers.

Tin: PROPHECIES. 281

is the precise mcaninp^ of this passage ; unless it be an
allusion to the case of Nebuchadnezzar, when in his mad-
ness, iv. 6. * a beast's heart was given unto him, and af-
ter he was restored to his senses, 'a man's heart' was giv-
en to him' again. What appears most probable is, thut
after the Babylonian empire was subverted, the people
became more humane and gentle ; their minds were
humbled with their fortune ; and they who vaunted as if
they had been gods, now felt themselves to be but men.
They were broiight to such a sense astlie Psalmist Xvish-
eth such persons to have, Psal. ix. 20. ' Put them in fear,
O Lord ; that the nations may know themselves to be but
men.'

II. The second kingdom is presented, ver. 5. by * ano-
ther beast like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side,
and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth
of it : and they said thus unto it. Arise, devour much flesh.*
This is the kingdom of the Medes and Persians : and for
their cruelty and greediness after blood they are compar.
ed to a dear^ which is a most voracious and ciuel animal.
The very learned Bochart * recounts several particulars,
wherein the Persians resembled bears : but the chief like-
ness consisted in what I have mentioned ; and this like-
ness was principally intended by the prophet, as 1 think
we may infer from the words of the text itself; ••■ Arise,
devour much flesh.* A bear, saith Aristotle, is an all-
devouring animal : and so, saith Grotius,! the Medo-Per-
sians were great robbers and spoilers according to Jere-
miah, li. 48, 5 6.

* And it raised up itself on one side,' or as it is in the
margin, it raised u/i one dominion ; for the Persians were
subject to the Medes at the conquest of Babylon, but soon
after raised up themselves above them. ' And it had
three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it;
these \ Jerome understands of the three kingdoms of the

* See Bocliart's Hierozoicon, Part I. Book III. Chap. ix. Col.
816, &.C.

\ * The bear is an all-devouring animal, saith Aristotle,' Book
YIII. Chap. v. So Grotius on Jer. li. 48, 56. suiih, ' that the
;&iedo-Persians were great spoilers and plundctxrs '

4: * Therefoi-e, the three rows (ribs) ii\ tlic mouth of the king--
dom of tiie Persians, and in its teeth, we must understand, the
A a 2

232 DISSERTATIONS ON

Babylonians, Medes, and Persians, which were reduced
into one kingdom ; and so likewise Vatabulns and Gro-
tius : but Sir Isaac Newton * and Bishop Chandler with
greater propriety explain them to signify the kingdoms
of Babylon, Lybia, and Egypt, which were conquered by
it, but were not properly parts and members of its body.
They might be called rib.'s^ as the conquest of them much
strengthened the Persian empire ; and they might be said
to be ' between the teeth of the bear,' as tliey were much
grinded and oppressed by the Persians.

' And they said thus unto it. Arise, devour much flesh :'
this was said, as it was before observed, to denote the
cruelty of the Medes and Persians. 'i'hey are also re-
presented very cruel by the prophet Isaiah, xiii. 18

' Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces,
and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb ;
their eye shall not spare children.' Cambyses, Ochus,
and others of their princes were indeed more like bears
than men. Inhtances of their cruelty abound in almost
all the historians, who have written of their affairs, from
Herodotus down to Ammianus Marcellinus, t who de-
scribes them proud, cruel, exercising the power of life
and death over slaves and obscure plel3eians. They pull
off the skin, says he, from men alive, by pieces or all to-
gether : and they have abominable laws, by which for
one man's olfence all the neighbourhood is destroyed*—
Well therelore might a learned French \ commentator

three king'doms of the Babylonians, Medes and Persians, which
were reduced inxo one kmg-dom.' See Jerome's Commentary,
Vol. III. page 1100, in the Benedictine edition. See also Yata-
l^iilus, and trotivis en the passage.

• See Sh- Isaac Newton's Observations on Daniel, Chap iv.
page 29. See alsoBp. Chandler's Vindication, Book I. Chap. ii.
Sect. 2. page 198.

f ' Haughty, cruel, claiming the power of life and death,
ever slaves and obscure common people, lliey pull the skin off
from men alive, either in piecemeal or altogether. Their laws
are to be detested, whereby for the fault of one man, all his
kindred are put to death .' See Ammianus Marcellinus, Book
XXIII. Chap. vi. page 384, in Valesius' edition, printed at Paris
in 1681.

\ 'The Persians have exercised a dominion, the severest and
most cruel which is known. The punishments inflicted by them
produce horror in those who read them.' See Cahnet on Daniel

THE PROPHECIES. 2g3

sa)', that the Persians have exercised the most severe,
and the most cruel dominion that we know of. The
punishments used among them beget horror in thoi>e
who read of them.

III. The third kingdom is represented, ver. 6. by
* another beast like a leopard, which had upon the back
of it four wings of a fowl ; the beast had also four heads ;
and dominion was given to it.' This is the kingdom of
the Macedonians or (jrecians, who under the command
of Alexander the Great, overcame the Persians, and
reigned next after them : and it is fitly compared to a
li-ojiard upon several accounts. The leopard is remarka-
ble for swiftness ; ' their horses' (saith the prophet Ha-
bakkuk, i. 8.) ' are swifter than the leopards :' and Alex-
ander and the Macedonians were amazingly swift and ra-
pid in their conquests. The leopard is a spotted animal :
and so was a proper emblem, according to Bochart, * of
the different manners of the nations which Alexander
commanded ; or according to Grouus.f of the various
manners of Alexander himself, who was sometimes mer-
ciful, and sometimes cruel ; sometiii es temperate, and
sometimes drunken ; sonetimes abstemious, and some-
times incontinent. The leopard, as Bochart \ observes, is
of small stature, but of great courage, so as not to be afraid
to engage with the lion and the largest beasts ; and so
Alexander, a little king in comparison, of small stature
too, and with a small army, dared to attack the king of
kings, that is Darius, w^hose kingdom was extended from
the iEgean seat to the Indies. Others have pu. sued the
comparison further, but v/ith more subtility than solidity;
for I conceive the principal point of likeness was design-

* 'The different manners and customs of the nations, over
which he bare rule, may have a reference to the spots of a leo-
pard.* See Bochart's Hierozoicon, Part I. Book III Chap, vii^
Col. 789.

■^ * The leopard is an animal of divers colours. So in Alexan-
der we discover a variety. For sometimes he was merciful, then
cruel, sometimes temperate, then drunken, sometimes chaste,
and then incontinent.' See Grotius on the passage.

^ • The leopard is a beast of small stature, but eminently dis-
tinguished for its courage and strength, so that it is not afraid
to engage with the lion, or any other of the largest beasts of

284 DISSERTATIOXS OX

ed between the swiftness and impetuosity of the one and
the other.

For the same reason the beast * had upon the back of
it four wings of a fowl.' The r>abylonian empire was re-
presented with tvjo wings, but this is described withybwr.
For, as Jerome * saith, nothing was swifter than the vic-
tories of Alexander, who ran through all the countries
from Illyricum and the Adriatic sea to the Indian ocean
and the river Ganges, not so much fighting as conquer-
ing, and in six years (he should have said in twelve) sub-
jugated part of Europe, and all Asia to himself. ' The
beast had also four heads:' to denote the four kingdoms
into which this same third kingdom should be divided, as
it was divided into four kingdoms after the death of Alex-
ander,! his four captains Cassander reigning over Mace-
don and Greece, Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia,
Ptolemy over Egypt, and Seleucus over Syria. ' And
dominion was given to it ;' which sheweth, as Jerome
saith, that it was not owing to the fortitude of xVlexan-
der, but proceeded from the will of the Lord. And in-
deed unless he had been directed, preserved, and assisted
by the mighty power of God, hov/ could Alexander with
thirty thousand men have overcome Darius with six
hundred thousand, and in so short a time, have brought
all the countries from Greece, as far as to India, into sub-
jection.

IV. The fourth kingdom is represented, ver. 7. by a
< fourth beast, dreadful and terrible ; and strong exceed-
ingly ; and it had great iron teeth ; it devoured, and brake

prey. In like manner, Alexander, though a little king and with
a small army, ventured to aUack a king of kings, namely, Dari-
us, whose KiiTipire reached from the JEgean sea to the Indies.' —
See B;>chii.rt in the same place.

* * Xo:hing was swifter than the conquests of Alexander. Fqi*
he ran dirough uU the countries, which extend from Illyricum,
and the Venetian sea to tlie Indian ocean, and the banks of the
Ganges, rather conquering than fighting- : And in the compass
of six years, he made himself master of a part of Europe, and
the whole of Asia.' See .Jerome's Commentary, Vol. III. page
1160, in the Benedictine edition,

t See Prideaux' Connections, Parti. Book VIII. year 301, and
foiurth of Ptolemv Soter.

THE PROPHECIES. ^85

in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it, and
it was divers from all the beasts tiiat were before it.* Da-
niel was curious to know particularly what this might
mean ; ver. 19. * Then I would know the truth of the
fourth beast, which was divers from all the others, exceed-
ing dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of
brass, which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the
residue with his feet.' And he was answered thus by the
angel ; ver. 23. ' The fourth beast shall be the fourth
kingdom upon earth, which shall be divers from all king-
doms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread
it down, and break it in pieces.* This fourth kingdom
can be none other than the Roman empire ; for it is as
absurd as it is singular, to pretend to reckon the king-
doms of the Seleucidie in Syria and of the Lagidae or
Ftolemies in Egypt as the fourth kingdom. Calmet him-
self* acknowledgeth, that this is usually explained of the
Roman empire ; and though for reasons of Church, as
well as reasons of state, he may prefer the other hypo-
thesis, yet it is, '' without pretending to destroy the sys-
tem which understands the fourth empire of the Roman,
and which, as he confcsseth, is the miost commonly re-
ceived among interpreters."

The kingdoms of the Seleucidae and of the Lagidse, can
in no respect answer to this description of the fourth
beast or kingdom. It is described as ' dreadful, and ter-
rible, and strong exceedingly : but the kingdoms of the
Lagidae, and of the Selucidse, were less terrible, and Irss
strong than any of the former kingdoms. It ' devoured,
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue,' that is, the
remains of the former kingdoms, 'with the feet of it;*
but the Lac^idas and the Seleucidse, were almost continu-
ally at war with each other ; and instead of subduing
other kingdoms, tore to pieces their own. It was 'divers
from all kingdoms that is. of a different nature and con-
stitution of government : but Egypt and Syria were go-
verned much in the same manner, as the former king-

* *It is ordinarily explained of the lloman emph-c. — Without
pretending: Hevertheless to overtui-n the system, whicli under-
stands the fourth empire of the lionian, and which is the most
commonly recei^cd among intevpreters." See Culmet on the
passage.

^90 DISSERTATIONS ON

doms, and were equally absolute monarchies. Of the
fourth kingdom it is said, ' that it shall devour the whole
earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces :* but
this can never be applied to the kings of Egypt and Sy-
ria, who were so far from enlarging their dominions, that
they could not preserve what was left them by their
ancestors.

Wherefore Jerome* rightly concluded, that " the fourth
empire which now possesseth the world, is the Roman,
whereof it is said in the statue, his legs of iro7i, his fret
fiart of iron, and part of clay ; and yet he mentions now
the iron in part, attesting that it had great iron teeth.
And I greatly wonder, saith he, that when he ha 1 before
placed a lion, and a bear, and a leopard in three kingdoms,
he should compare the Roman empire to no beast : un-
less, perhaps that he might make the beast more formi-
dab'e, he concealed the name ; so that whosoever we
could have imagined the most fierce in beasts, that we
should understand the Romans to be." The fourth beast
was so great and horrible, that it was not easy to find an
adequate name for it : and the Roman empire was ' dread-
ful, and terrible, and strong exceedingly,' beyond any of
the former kingdoms. It was ' divers from all kingdoms,*
not only in its republican form of government, but like-
wise in strength, and power, and greatness, length of du-
ration, and extent of dominion. ' It devoured, and brake
in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it ;*
it reduced Macedon into a Roman provincef about 168
years, the kingdom of Pergamus about 133. years, Syria
about 65 years, and Egypt about 30 years before Christ.
And besides the remains of the Macedonian empire, it

* * The fourth kingdom, which now bears rule over all the
earth, is the Roman. Concerning it, in the image it is said, Ma*
its legs tvere of iron, and its feet partly of iron, and partly of clay ;
and yet he now mentions the iron in part, and bears witness that
its teeth were of iron, and larg-e. 1 greatly wonder, that when
he hath put the lioness, the bear, and tlie leopard, in three king-
doms, he should not compare the Roman to any wild beast; un-
less perhaps he hatli omitted the name, to render the beast the
more terrible, that whatever we can think of, as being fiercest,
is to be understood of the Roman.' See Jerome's Commentary»
Vol. III. page 1100 in the Benedictine edition.

t See Usher, Prideaux, and other chronoloijers.

THE PROPHECIES 281

subtliied many other provinces and kingdoms, so that it
niighi by a very uset'ul figure be said, to 'devour the
whole earth, and to tread it down, and break it in pieces ;*
and became in a manner what the Roman readers delight-,
ed to call it, terrariim orbia imjicrhim, the empire of the
whole world.

A Greek writer too, and he a grave and judicious his-
torian, who flourished in the reign of Augustus Caesar,
hath a remarkable passage, which is very pertinent to our
present purpose. Speaking of the great superiority of
the Roman empire to ail former empires, he saith,that the
Persian was succeeded by the Macedonian, and the Ma-
cedonian by the Roman ; so that he had no conception of
Alexander's erecting one kingdom, and his successors
another, but considered them both as one and the same
kingdom. His words are, * "the Macedonian empire
having overturned the force of the Persians, in greatness
indeed of dominion, exceeded ail the kingdoms which
were befoie it : but yet it did not flourish a longtime, but
after the death of .Alexander it began to grow worse and
worse. For being iaimediately distracted into several
principalities by his successors, and after them having

* * The kingdom of the Macedonians, having" destroyed the
power of ttie Persians, exceeded in largeness of dominion ali
that had been before it. But even this kingdom did not lon^
fiourJsli. For after the death of Alexander, its ruin began, it
was then divided into many principalities by his successors, and
after them, it was contip.iied to the third and fourth generation,
but was weakened by itself, and at last overturned by the Ro-
mans. Nor yet did it reduce into its dominion all lands and
seas. It was not even possessed of Africa, which is of great
extent, excepting that part of it, which bordereth upon Egypt,
nor did it conquer the whole of Europe, but reached only to
Tiirace nortliward, and westward descended to the Venetian

sea But tlie Roman republic has obtained dominion over all

that part of the earth, which is not desert, but inhabited, and
is miSiress of the whole sea, not only of that within the pillars
of Hercules, but also of the ocean, as far as it is navigable. It
is the fust and only one, in the memory of man, which hath
made the east and west, the bounds of its dominion. Its power
bath not lasted tor a short time, but its duration hath been
greater, than luith fallen to the lot of any republic or kingdom.*
See the Roman antiquities of Dionysius, of Halicarnassus, Book
1. page 2, and 3, in Hudson's edition.

288 DISSEHTATIONS ON

Strength to go on to the second or third generation, it
^vas weakened by itself, and at last was destroyed by the
Romans. And yet it did not reduce all the earth and
sea to its obedience. For neither did it possess Africa,
except that part adjoining to hgypt ; neither did it sub-
due all Europe, but only northwards it proceeded as far
as Thrace, and westward it descended to the Adriatic
sea. But the city of Rome ruleth over all the earth, as
far as it is inhabited ; and commands all the sea, not only
that within the pillars of Hercules, but also the ocean, as
far as it is navigable, having first and alone of all the
most celebrated kingdoms, made the east and west the
bounds of its empire ; and its dominion hath not continu-
ed a short time, but longer than that of any other city or
kingdom.'*

2. Another remarkable property of this beast is, ver.
7. that 'it had ten horns :' and according to the angel's
interpretation, ver. 24. *the ten horns out of this king-
dom are ten kings' or kingdoms * that shall arise. Four
kings' a little before, ver. 17. signified 'four kinL;doms :'
and so here teji kings are ten kingdoms^ according to the
usual phraseology of scripture. And this is a farther
argument that the kingdoms of the Lagidae, and of the
Seieucidae, cannot possibly be the fourth kingdom, be-
cause they were never divided into so many parts. "^The
Macedonian empire was divided a few years after the
death of Alexander into four kingdoms, whereof Egypt
ar:d Syria were two ; but these two were never again
subdivided into ten lesser kingdoms. Porphyry there-
fore, who made two separate kingdoms of the kingdom
of Alexander and his successors, contrary to the received
interpretation of kingt,, for kingdoms^ reckons down to
Antiochus Epiphanes, whom he supposeth to be the little
horn,, ten kings who were n.ost cruel : but these kings,
as Jerome* observes, were not all of one kingdom, of
Macedonia for instance, or Syria, or Asia, or Egypt ; but
the list was made up out of the different kingdoms.

• And afterwards down to Antiochus, sirnamed Epiphanes, all
of whom were outrageously cruel. He places these kings, not
in one kingdom, for example, in that of Macedonia, or Syria, or
Asia, or Egypt. But he makes up his one list of kings, by tak-
ing them out of different kingdoms. See Jerome's Commen*
tary, Vol. III. page 1130, in the Benedictine edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 28f)

Grotiu;^* indeed, and Collins after him, form their cata-
logue of the ten kings, who were very oppressive and cruel
to the Jews, out oFtlie kings of Egypt and Syria: and they
thus enumerate them, five out of one kingdom, and five
out of the other : Ptolemy the son of Lagus, Seleucus
Nicator, Ptolemy Eupator, [I suppose they mean Ptolemy
Philadelphus, for he reigned next before Ptolemy the son
of Lagus, and next after Ptolemy Euergetes, being the
son of the former, and the father of the latter] Ptolemy
Euergetes, Seleucus Callinicus, Antiochus the Great,
Ptolemy Philopater, Ptolemy Epiphanes, Seleucus Phi-
lopater, and Antiochus Epiphanes. But it happens, that
some of these kings did not persecute the Jews at all, as
Seleucus Callinicus. Others were so far from persecut-
ing them, that they were their patrons and protectors.
Such were Ptolemy the son of Lagus, Seleucus Nicator,
Ptolemy Philadelphus, Ptolemy Euergetes, and Antio-
chus the Great ; and such they are reckoned by Josephus
himself t So that out of the ten kings, only four were
persecutors and oppressors of the Jews. The ten horns
too are represented as existing ail at once : they shoot
out and appear upon the head of the beast all together :
hut these kings were not all contemporaries, many of
them were successive, and one fell before another rose.
So forctd and arbitrary is this exposition, and so contrary
to the truth of history.

We must therefore look for the ten kings, or king-
doms, where only they can be found, amid the broken
pieces of the Roman empire. I'he Roman empire, as
the Romanists^ themselves allow, was by means of the
incursions of the northern nations, dism.embered into ten
kingdoms : and Machiavel, § little thinking what he was
doing, (as Bishop Chandler observes) hath given us their
names ; I. The Ostrogoths in Moesia, 2. the Visigoths in

* See Grotius on the passage. See also Scheme of Literal
Prophecy, &c. page 162.

f See AnUquities, Book XII. Chap. i. ii. iil. See him against
Apion, Book II. Sect. 4 and 5. page 1365, in Iludson's edition.

t See CahTiet upon Rev. xiii. 1. He refers to Berengaud, Bos-
suet, and Dii Pin.

§ See Machiavel's History of Florence, Book I. See Bp. Chand-
ler's Vindication, &,c. Book I. Chap. ii. Sect. 3. page 235.

VOL. I. B b

:a90 BiSSEllTATIONS ON

Pannonia, 3. the Sueves and Alans in Gascogine slu6
Spain, 4. the Vandals in Africa, 5. the Franks in France,
6. the Burgundians in Burgundy, 7. the Hueli and Tu-
ring! in Italy, 8. the Saxons and Angles in Britain, 9. the
Huns in Hungary, 10. the Lombards at first upon the
Danube, afterwards in Italy.

Mr. Mede, whom* a certain writer esteemed as a man
divinely inspired for the interpretation of the prophecies,!
reckons up the ten kingdoms thus, in the year 456, the
year after Rome was sacked by Genseric king of the Van-
dals : 1. the Britons, 2. the Saxons in Briton, 3. the
Franks, 4. the Burgundians in France, 5. the Wisigoths
in the south of France, and part of Spain, 6. the Sueves
and Alans in Galiicia and Portugal, 7. the Vandals in
Africa, 8. the Alemanes in Germany, 9. the Ostrogoths
whom the Longobards succeeded in Pannonia, and after-
wards in Italy, 10. the Greeks in the residue of the em-
pire.

That excellent chronologer Bishop Lloyd, exhibits the
following list I of the ten kingdoms with the time of their
rise : 1. Huns about A. D. 356. 2. Ostrogoths 377. 3. Wi-
sigoths 378. 4. Franks 407. 5. Vandals 407. 6. Sue-
ves and Alans 407. 7. Burgundians 407, 8. Herules
and Rugians 476. 9, Saxons 476. 10. Longobards be-
gan to rei£2:n in Hungary A. D. 526, and were seated in
the northern parts of Germany about the year 483.

Sir Isaac Newton enumerates them thus. § 1. the king-
dom of the Vandals and Alans in Spain and Africa, 2. the
kingdom of the Suevians in vSpain, 3. the kingdom of the
Visigoths, 4. the kingdom of the Alans in Gallia, 5. the
kingdom of the Burgundians, 6. the kingdom of the
Franks, 7. the kingdom of the Britons, 8. the kingdom of
the Huns, 9, the kingdom of the Lombards, 10. the king-
dom of Ravenna.

The few variations in these accounts must be ascribed
to the great disorder and confusion of the times, one

* See Mons. Jurieu's Preface to his Accomplishment of Scrip--
tUre Prophecies.

f See Mode's Works, Book III. page 661.

\ See the Addenda to Lowth's Commentary, pag-e 514.

§ See Sir fsaac Newton's Observations on Uie book of Daniel
Chap. vi. page 47.

THE PROPIIRCHiS. 091

kingdom falling, and another rising, and scarce any sub-
sisting for a long while together. As a learned writer *
remarks, "all these kingdoms were variously divided,
cither by conquest or inheritance. However, as if that
number of te7i had been fatal in the Roman dominions, it
hath been taken notice of upon particular occasions. As
about A. D. 1240 by Ebcrard, Bishop ofSaltsburg, in the
diet at Ratisbon. At the time of the Reformation they
were also ten. So that the Roman empire was divided
into ten in a manner, first and last." IMr. Whiston, who
published his essay on the Revelation of St. John in the
year 1706, farther observes, | "that as the number of the
kin:-do:Yis, into which the Roman empire in Europe,
agreeably to the ancient prophecies, was originally divid-
ed, A. D 456, was exactly ten : so it is also very nearly
returned again to the same condition ; and at present iu
divided into ten grand or principal kingdoms or states. —
For though there are many more great kingdoms and
dominions in Kurope besides, yet they are out of the
bounds of the oid Roman empire, and so not directly
%vithm our present inquiry.*'

We would, for reasons which will hereafter appear to
the attentive reader, fix these ten kingdoms at a different
aera from any of the foregoing ; and let us see how they
stood in the eighth century. The principal states and
governments then were, 1. of the senate of Rome, who
revolted from the Greek emperors, and claimed and ex-
erted the privilege of choosing a new v.'estern emperor ;
2. of the Greeks in Ravenna ; 3. ofthe Lombards, in Lorn-
bardy ; 4. ofthe Huns in Hungary ; 5. ofthe Alemanesiu
Cermany ; 6. ofthe Franks in France ; 7. of the Burgun-
diansin Burgundy; 8. ofthe (joths in Spain; 9. ofthe Bri-
tons; 10. ofthe Saxons in Britain. Not that there were con-
stantly ten kingdoms ; they were sometimes more, and
sometimes fewer ; but, as Sir Isaac Newton ~ says," what-
ever was their number afterwards, they are siill called
the teji kings from their first number."

* See Daubuz on Rev. xiii. 1. page 559.
•j- See Essay on the llevelation. Part HI, Vision IV.
+ See Sir Isaac Newton's Observations on the Book of Daniel^
Ghap. vi. page To.

292 DISSERTATIONS ON

3. Besides these ten horns or kingdoms'of the fourth
empire, there was to spring up among them another little
horn. *1 considered the horns, saith Daniel, ver. 8.
' and behold there came up among them another little
Jhorn, before whom there wei e three of the first horns
pliickt up by the roots.' Daniel was eager to know,
ver. 20. as ' of the ten horns,' so likewise 'of the other
which came up, and before whom three fell.' And he
Tvas informed by the angel, ver. 24. that as ' the ten horns
out of this kingdom were ten kings' or kingdoms ' that
should arise,' so likewise that 'another shall rise after
them, and he shall subdue three kings' or kingdoms. One
absurdity generally produceth another: and Grotius, * in
consequence of his former supposition that the fourth
kingdom was the kingdoms of the Seleucidae and the La-
gidae, supposeth also that 'the little horn' was Antiochus
Epiphanes, and that ' the three horns which were pluckt
up before him' were hh elder brother Seleucus, and
Demetrius the son of Seleucus, and Ptolemy Philopater
king of Egypt : and Collins adopts the same notion after
Grotius, for Collins v/as only a retailer of scraps, and
could not advance any thing of this kind of his own. But
surely it is very arbitrary to reckon Antiochus Epiphanes
as one of the ten horns, and at the same time as the Uttle
horn, when the prophet hath plainly made the little horn
an eleventh horn, distinct from the formier ten. There
were ' three of the first horns' to be pluckt up by the roots
before the little horn; but the three kings mentioned by
Grotius are not all in his first catalogue of ten kings, nei-
ther Ptolemy Philometer, (if Philometer be meant) nor
Demetrius being of the number. Neither were they
' pluckt up by the roots' by Antiochus, or by his order.
Seleucus wasf poisoned by his treasurer Heliodorus,
whose aim it was to usurp the crown to himself, before
Antiochus returned from Rome, where he had been de-
tained a hostage several years. Demetrius t lived to de-
throne and murder the son of Antiochus, and succeeded

* See Grotius, Collins on the same place.

t See Appian's History of the Syrian War, pag*e 11(3, in Sle-
phanus' (edition^ and page 187, in that of Tollius.

i See the same work of Appian, page 117, in Stephanus' edi-
tion, page 188, in that of Tollius. See Justin, Book xxxiv. Chap.

THE PllOPHF.CrcS. 293

him in the kingdom of Syria. Ptolemy Philopater* died
king of Egypt, almost thirty years before Antiochus came
to the throne of Syria: or if Ptolemy Philometor. Philo-
metor (as is most probable) was meant by Grotius, though
he suft'ered much in his wars with Antiochus, yet sur-
vived himf about eighteen years, and died in possession
of the crown of Egypt, after the family of Antiochus had
been set aside from the succession to the crown of Syria.
Neither doth Antiochus Kpiphanes answer to the cha-
racter of the little horn in other respects, and particularly
in this: the little horn continues, ver. 21, 22, 26. to
reign till the second coming of Christ in glory ; but An-
tiochus Epiphanes died about 164 years before his first
coming in the flesh. These are all farther arguments to
prove, that iho. fourth beast must needs signify the Ro-
man empire, and that the ten horns represent the ten
kingdoms into which that empire was divided, and there-
fore we must look for the little horn among them, and no
where else : and that we may not be led away by modern
prejudices, let us see whether the ancients will not afford
us some light and direction.

Irenjeus a father who flourished in the second centu-
ry, treating of the fraud, pride, and tyranny of Antichrist,
asserts, that Daniel \ respecting the end " of the last king-

iil. See Joscphus' Antiquities, Book xii. Chap. x. Sect. 1. page
548, in Hudson's edition.

* Ptolemy Philopater died Anno 204. Antiochus became king
Anno \7B before Clirist. See Usher, Prideaux, &c.

-j- Antiochus Epiphanes died Anno 164. Ptolemy Philometor,
Anno 146 before Christ. See Usher, Prideaux, Sec.

+ * For Daniel, considering the end of tlie last kingdom, that
is, tlie last ten kings, among whom that kingdom was to be par-
celled out, in whose time the son of perdition should come, saitli
that ten horns shall grow upon the beast, and another small horn
sliall grow up in the midst of them, and shall i*oot out three of
the former horns. — Of this the apostle Paul speaks, in his se-
cond epistle to the Thessalonians, when he mentions the son of
perdition and the wicked one, &c. John, the Lord's disciple, in
ins book of the Tlevelation, hath made us more fully acquainted
with the last time, and with the ten kings, among whom the
present empire shall be divided, declaring- plainly, what the tea
horns shall be, which were seen by Daniel,' &c. SeeTrenxuf,
Book V. Chap, xxv. xxvi. &c. in Grabe*s edition.
B b 2

294 DISSERTATIOX OX

dom, that is, the last ten kings, aniont^ whom that king-
dom should be divided, upon whom the son of perdition
shall come, saith that ten horns shall grow on the beast,
and another little horn shall grow up among them, and
three of the first horns shall be rooted out before him. —
Of whom also Paul the apostle speaketh, in his second
epistle to the Thessalonians, calling him ^^f" so7i ofperdi-
tion and the wicked one. St. John, our Lord's disciple,
hath in the Apocalypse still more plainly signified of the
last time, and of these ten kings, among whom the em-
pire that now reigneth, shall be divided, explaining
what the ten horns shall be, which were seen by Daniel."
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who fiourished about the mid-
dle of the fourth century, speaking of Antichrist's com-
ing in the latter times of the Roman empire,* saith, " We
teach these things not of our oivn invention, but having
learned them out of the divine scriptures, and especi-
ally out of the prophecy of Daniel, which was just now
read ; even, as Gabriel the archangel interpreted, say-
ing thus ; the fourth beast shall he the fourth kingdom
iifion earthy which shall exceed all the kingdoms ; but
that this is the empire of the Romans, ecclesiastical in-

* * But these thing's we teach, not with an affectation of elo-
quence, but m the way of gathering them out of the holy scrip-
tures, and especially out of the words of Daniel, which we have
just read, even as the archangel Gabriel hath interpreted the
matter expressing" himself in these words, " the fourth beast
shall bo the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be greater
tlian all other kingdoms," and that this is the empire of the
Komans, is the sentiment of Ecclesiastical writers. For the first
of these kingdoms that became renovmed, was that of the Assy-
rians. The second was that of ihe Medes and Persians. After
these came the third, namely, the kingdom of the Macedonians.
And the fourth is the present Roman empire. Afterwards Ga-
briel goes on to interpret, saying-, " Its ten horns are ten kings
that shall arise, and another shall arise after them, who shall
surpass in wickedness all that went before him ;** not only these
ten kings, but all others who have gone before him. *' And he
.shall subdue three kings." But it is manifest that out of the
iirst ten he shall subdue three, while he himself shall reign as
the eighth, and he shall speak great words against the most
High." See Cyril of Jerusalem's Catechcsis XV. Chap. vi. page
211, in Mill's edition of Oxford.

THE PROPHECIES. 295

terpreters have delivered. For the first that was made
famous, was the kingdom of the Assyrians ; and the se-
cond, was that of the Medes and Persians together ; and
after these, the third, was that of the Macedonians ; and
the fourth kingdom, is now that of the Romans. After-
wards Gabriel interpreting, saith, Its teyi hornfi are ten
king's that shall arise ; and after them shall arise another
I'ing-^ who shall^exceed in wickedness all before him ; not
only the ten he saith, but also all who were before him.
Ayid he shall de/iress three kings ; but it is manifest, that
of the first ten he shall depress three, that he himself may
reign the eighth : and he shall speak words, saith he, a-
gainst the most High.'

St. Jerome having refuted Pophyry's notion of Anti-
ochus lipiphanes, being the little horn, (where by the
way, the passage appears to want much emendation)*
concludes thus: " Therefore, let us say what all Ecclesi-
astical writers have delivered, that in the latter days, when
the empire of the Romans shall be destroyed, theie will
be ten kings, who shall divide it between them, and an
eleventh shall arise, a little king, who shall subdue three
of the ten kings, and the other seven shall submit their
necks to the conqueror." Theodoret speaketh much to
the same purpose, in his comment upon Daniel 5 and St.
Austin t expressly approveth of Jerome's interpretation.
" Those four kingdoms, saith he, some have expounded
to be the Assyrian, Persian, Macedonian and Roman. —
How properly they have done that, those who are desir-

* 'Therefore, let us mention the sentiment of all Ecclesiasti-
cal writers, namely, that at the end of the world, when the em-
pire of the Romans shall be destroyed, there will arise ten kings
who shall divide it among them, and an eleventh inconsiderable
king shall spring up, who shall conquer three of the ten kings.
These being slain, the remaining seven kings shall do homage to
the conqueror.* See Jerome's Commentary, Vol. HI. page 1101,
in the Benedictine edition.

f ' Some have expounded these four kingdoms to be the As-
syrian, Persian, Macedonian and Roman. How aptly this hatli
been done, they who are desirous of learning, may consult the
presbyter Jerome's book upon Daniel, which has been written
with considerable care and learning-.' See Augustine's city of
God, Book XX. Chap, xxiii. Vol. VII. page 457, in the Bene-
dictine edition, printed at Antwerp.

296 DISSERTATIONS ON

ous of knowing, may read the presbyter Jerome's book
upon Daniel, which is very accurately and learnedly writ-
ten.'*

The fathers, it appears by these instances, conceived
that the fourth empire was the Roman, that the Roman
empire was to be divided between ten kings, and that a-
mon£^ them would arise Antichrist, who sliould root up
three of the ten kings, and domineer over the other seven.
At the same time it must be confessed, that these same
fathers entertained strange wild notions concerning- this
Antichrist,* that he should be a Jew, that he should de-
scend from the tribe of Dan, that he should come from
Babylon, that he should fix his residence in the temple at
Jerusalem, that he should first subdue Egypt, and after-
wards Lybia and Ethiopia, which were the three bonis
that should fiiil before him. But it is no wonder that the
fathers, nor indeed that any one should mistake in par-
ticularly applying prophecies, which had not then receiv-
ed their completion. The fathers might understand the
prophecies so far as they were fulfilled, and might say
with certainty, which were the four great kingdoms of
the world, that the fourth was the Roman, and that the
Roman would be divided in the manner that Daniel had
foretold. So far was plain and obvious, and so far they
might proceed with safety : but wiien they ventured far-
ther, and would define particularly who were the ten
kings, and Avho was Antichrist, and who were the three
kiu'^s that should fall before him, then they plunged out
of their depth, and were lost in the abyss of error. Such

* Set; l!en?eus. Book V. Chap, xxv, and xxx. See C}ril of Je-
rusalem's Catechesis XV, Chap. vii. ' He shall conquer three
OUT of ihe ten kings, namely, the kings of Egypt, Africa, and
Etliiopia,' See Jerome's Commentary, page 1101. — ' He will be
descended fi-om the Jews, and he will come from Babylon, and
first subdue the king of Egypt, &.c. Afterwards he will subdue
those of Africa, and Ethiopia, which are the tliree liorns out of
the ten, that were to full before him.' — See the same in Chap,
xi, page 1128, and 1132, in the Benedictine edition. — ' ^Vhcn
Jacob blessed his sons, he spake such things concerning Dan,
that from thence it hath been thovight that Antichrist would
spj-ing from him.* Sec Augustine's Questions on Joshua, Book
\l. Question xxii. page 441, Vol. HI. in the Benedictine edi-
tion, printed at Antwerp.

THE PROPHECIES. 297

prophecies can be explained only by the events, andthese
events were yet in the womb ot time. Some other mis-
taken prophecies might lead the fathers into this inter-
pretation. There is not the least foundation for it in this
prophecy. On the contrary, this prophecy might have
instructed them better, and have taught them that as the
western empire was to be divided into ten kingdoms, so
the little horn should arise among tlievii, and subdue
three of them: and consecjuently, the little horn could
not arise in the east, he could not be a Jew, he couidnot
couie fiom Babylon, and neither could Egypt, Lybia, and
Ethiopia, be the three kingdoms which should fall before
liim. Antichrist then (as the fathers delight to call him)
or the little horn is to be sought among the tsn kingdoms
of the western Roman empire. I say of the western
Roman em])ire, because th:.t was properly the body of
the fourth beast ; Greece and the counti iec which lay
eastward of Italy, belonged to the third beast ; for the
forniei; beasts Vvcre still subsisting, though their domi-
nion was taken away. * As concerning i)\Q rest of the
beasts,' saith Daniel, ver. 12. 'they had their dominion
taken away ; yet their lives were prolonged for a season,
and a time.' "And therefore, as Sir Isaac Newton*
rightly infers, all the four beasts are stiil alive, though
the dominion of the three first be taken dv/ay. The na-
tions of Chaldea and Assyria, are still the first beast.-—
Those of Media and Persia, are st.ill the second beast.-^
Those of Macedon, Greece, and Thrace, Asia minor, Sy-
ria and Egypt, are still the third. And those of Europe,
on this side Greece, are still the fourth. Seeirig there-
fore the body of the third beast is confined to the nations,
on this side the river Euphrates, and the body of the
fourth beast is confined to the nation on this side Greece;
we are to look for all the four heads of the third beast, a-
mong the nations on this side the river Euphrates ; and for
all the eleven horns of the fourth beast, among the nations
on this side of Greece. And therefore, at the breaking
of the Greek empire into four kingdoms of the Greeks,
we include no part of the Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians

• See Sii- Isaac Xewton's Observations on Daniel, Chap., iv.
page 31, 32.

298 DISSERTATIONS ON

in those kingdoms, because they belonged to the bodies'
of the two first beasts. Nor do we reckon the Greek enn-
pire seated at Constantinople, among the horns of the
fourth beast, because it belonged to the body of the third."
For the same reason, neither can the Saracen nor the
Turk, be the little horn or Antichrist, as some have ima-
gined them to be ; and neither do they come up to the
character in other respects.

Let us therefore look for the little horn, as the pro-
phecy itself directs us, among the other ten horns of
the western Roman empire. If indeed it be true, as the
Romanists pretend, that this part of the prophecy is
not yet fulfilled, and that antichrist will come only for a
little time before the general judgment-, it would be in
vain to inquire who or what he is; we should split upon
the same rock, as the fathers have done ; it would better
become us to say with Calmet,* that " as the reign of
Antichrist is still remote, we cannot show the accom-
plishment of the prophecies with regard to him ; we
ought to content ourselves with considering the past, and
comparing it with the words of the prophet; the past is
an assurance of the future." But perhaps upon exami-
nation, we shall see reason to conclude with the general-
ity of the protestants, that this part of the prophecy is
fulfilled. We have seen already, that the Roman empire
was divided into ten horns or kingdoms, and among
them possibly we may find another little horn or king-
dom, answering in all respects to the character here
given. Machiavel himself, will lead us by the hand ; for
having shown how the Roman empire was broken and
divided by the incursions of the northern nations, he
says,t " About this time the bishops of Rome began to
take upon them, and to exercise greater authority than
they had formerly done. At first the successors of St.

* As the reign of Antichrist is yet far distant, we cannot
show the accomplishment of the prophecies witli respect to
him. AVe sliould content ourselves with considering what is
past, and compare that with the words of the prophet. The
past is a pledge of that which must one day happen.' Calmet
on the place.

t See Machiavel's history of Florence, Book I. page 6. of the
Eng^lish translation.

TilE PUOPJLECIES. 099

iPctev were venerable and eminent for their rairacles,
and the holiness of their lives ; and their examples ad-
ded daily such numbers to the christian church, that to
obviate or remove the confusions, which were then in
the world, many princes turned christians, and the em-
peror of Rome being converted among the rest, and
quitting Rome, to hold his residence at Constantinople:
the Roman empire (as we have said before) began to
decline, but the church of Rome augmented as fast." — .
And so he proceeds to give an account how the Roman
empire declined, and the power of the church of Rome
increased, first under the Goths, then under the Lom-
bards, and afterwards by the calling in of the Franks.

Here then is a little horn springing up among the
other ten horns. The bishop of Rome was respectable,
as a bishop, long before, but he did not become a horn
properly, (which is an emblem of strength and power,)
till he became a temporal prince. He was to rise after
the other, that is behind thern^ as the Greek translates it,
ofiis auton^ and as Mr. IVIede explains it,* so that ten
kings were not aware of the growing up of the little
horn, till it overtopped them ; the word in the original,
signifying as well btliind in place, as after in time ; as
also post in Latin is used indifferently, either of place or
time. Three of the first horns, that is, three of the first
kings or kingdoms, were to be pluckt tifi bij the roots,
Ziud to fall before him. And these three, according to
Mr. Mede, " were those, whose dominions extended into
Italy, and so stood in his light : first, that of the Greeks,
whose emperor Leo Isaurus, for the quarrel of image-
worship, he excommunicated, and made his sub;ects
of Italy, revolt from their allegiance : secondly, that of
the Longobards (successors to the Ostrogoths,) whose
kingdom he caused by the a'd of the Iranks to be wholly
ruined and extirpated, thereby to get the exarchaic of
Ravenna (which since the revolt from the Greeks the
Longobards were seized on) for a patrimony to St. Fe^er:
thirdly, the last was the kingdom of the Fro/:k,s^ itself,
continued in the empire of Geimf.ny ; whose en^peiors
from the days of Henry the fou, th, he excommun" rated,

^ See Mede's Works, Book IV. Epistle xxiv. pag-e 776^ &c.

300 DISSERTATIONS ON

deposed, and trampled under his feet, and never suffer-
ed to live in rest, till he made them not only quit
their interest in the election of popes, and investitures
of bishops, but that remainder also of jurisdiction in
Italy, wherewith, together with the Roman name, he had
once infeofied their predecessors. These were the kings
by displanting or (as the Vulgar hath) Immbling^ of whom
the pope got elbow-room by degrees, and advanced him-
self to that height of temporal majesty, and absolute
greatness, which made him so terrible in the world.

Sir Isaac Newton reckons them up with some varia-
tion. Kings, saith he,* are put for kingdoms, as above;
and therefore the little horn is a httle kingdom. It was
a horn of the fourth beast, and rooted up three of his
iirst horns ; and therefore we are to look for it among
the nations of the Latin em.pire, after the rise of the ten
horns.- In the eighth century, by rooting up and sub-
duing the exarchate of Raocnna, the kingdom of the
JLojubards, and the senate and dukedom of Rome, he ac-
quired Peter's patrim.ony out of their dominions ; and
thereby rose up as a temporal prince or king, or horn
of the fourth beast." Again. *^ It was certainly by the
victory of the see of Rome over the Greek emperor, the
l<;ing of Lomhardy^ and the senate of Rome, that she
acquired Peter's patrimony, and rose up to her great-
ness.'*

In both these schemes there is something to be ap-
proved, and something perhaps to be disapproved. In
Mr. Mede's plan il is to be approved, that the three
kingdoms which he proposeth, are mentioned in his
first table of the ten kingdoms : but then it may be ques-
tioned, whether the kingdom of tiie Franks or Germans
in Italy, can be said proj erly to have been pluckt ufi by
the roots, through the power or policy of the popes. —
There were indeed long struggles and contests, between
the popes and emperoi s ; but did the pope ever so total-
ly prevail over the emperors, as to extirfiate and eradi-
cate them out of Italy, (for so the original word signi-

* See Sir Isaac Newton's Observations on Danielj Chap. vii.
page 74, 75, and 76.

THE PROPHECJES. 301

fies,)* and to seize «nd annex their dominionfe to his own ?
If all history answers in the atnnnative, as it hath been

said, it wovild be easy to point out the time or times

But for my part 1 recollect no period, when the pope
dispossessed the emperor of all his Italian dominions,
and united them to the estates of the chuich, and enjoy-
ed them as such for any time. The emperor possesseth
dominions in Italy to this day. In Sir Isaac Newton's
plan, it is to be approved, that the three kingdoms which
he proposeth, were pluckt. ufi by the roots^ were totally
subdued by the popes, and possessed as parts of Peter's
patrimony : but then it may be objected, that only two
of the three are mentioned in his first catalogue of the
ten kingdoms, the senate and dukedom of Rome being
not included in the number. There were not only three
hornsi to be pluckt up before the little horn, but three of
ihe Jimt horns. We have therefore exhibited a cata-
logue of the ten kingdoms, as they stood in the eighth
century ; and therein are comprehended the three states
or kingdoms, which constituted the pope's dominions,
and which we conceive to be the sanae as Sir Isaac New-
ton did, the exarchate oi Ravenna, the kircgdom oi xh^
Lombards, and the state of Rome.

First, the exarchate of Ravenna, which of right be-
longed to the Greek emperors, and which was the capi-
tal of iheir dominions in Italy, having revolted at the in-
stigation of the pope, was unjustly seized by Aistulphus,
king of the Lombards,! who thereupon thought of mak-
ing himself master of all Italy. The pope in this exi-
gency applied for help to Pepin, king of France, who
marched into Italy, besieged the Lombards in Pavia, and
forced them to surrender the exarchate and other terri-
tories, which were not restored to the Greek emperor as

* * Gnakar* to pluck up, to extirpate, to eradicate. See Bux-
lorf s Lexicon. See Dan. vii. 8.

f See Sigonius' kingdom of Italy, Book III. Anno 753 — 755.
See Mezeray's Chronological Abridgment, Art. Pepin, 23d.
king. See Platina's lives of the Popes, translated and con-
tinued by Sir Paul Rycaut, in Stephen II. See Sir Isaac New-
ton's Observations on Daniel, Chap. vii. See also Voltaire's
origin of the power of the Popes, in the first part of his gene-
?al history of Europe.

VOL. I. C C

302 DISSERTATIONS ON

in justice they ought to have been, but at the solidtaticm
of the pope, were given to St. Peter and his successors,
for a perpetual succession. Pope Zachary had acknow-
ledged Pepin, usurper of the crown of France, as lawful
sovereign ; and now Pepin in his turn bestowed a prin-
cipality, which was another's properly, upon Pope Ste-
phen II. the successor of Zachary. " And so, as Pla-
tina says,* the name of the exarchate, which had con-
tinued from the time of Narses to the taking of Ravenna
by Aistulphus, an hundred and seventy years, was ex-
tinguished." This was effected in the year 755 accord-
ing to Sigonius. And henceforward the popes, being
now become temporal princes, did no longer date their
epistles and bulls, by the years of the emperors reign,
but by the years of their own advancement to the papal
chair.

Secondly, the kingdom of the Lombards, was often
troublesome to the popes : and now again king Deside-
riust invaded the territories of Pope Adrian I. So that
the pope was obliged to have recourse again to the king
of France, and earnestly invited Charles the Great, the
son and successor of Pepin, to come into Italy to his as-
sistance. He came accordingly with a great army, being
ambitious also himself of enlarging his dominions in
Italy, and conquered the Lombards, and put an end to
their kingdom, and gave great part of their dominions to
the pope. He not only confirmed the former donations
of his father Pepin, but also made an addition of other
countries to them, as Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, the Sa-
bin territory, the whole tract between Luc<;jl and Parma,
and that part of Tuscany which belonged to the Lom-
bards : and the tables of these donations he signed him-
self, and caused them to be signed by the bishops, ab-
bots, and other great men then present, and laid them
so signed upon the altar of St. Peter. And this was the

* See Platina on tlie same, page 140.

f See Sigonius' kingdom of Italy, Book III. Anno 772 — 774.
See Platina's Adrian. See Mezeray*s Chronological Abridg-
ment, Article Charlemagne 23d. king. Anno 772 — 774. Sec
also Sir Isaac Newton's Observations on Daniel, Chap. vil.
page 80.

THE PROPl|KClES. 303

end of the kingdom of the Lombards,* in the 206th year
after their possessing Italy, and in the yeur of Christ 774.
Thirdly, the state of Romr^ though subject to the popes
in things spiritual, was yet in things temporal governed
by the senate and people, who after their defection from
the eastern emperois, still retained many of their old
privileges, and elected both the western emperor and the
popes. After Charles the Great,t had overthrown the
kingdom of the Lombards, he came again to Home, and
was there by the pope, bishops, abbots, and people of
Rome, chosen Roman patrician, which is the degree of
honour and power next to the emperor. lie then settled
the affairs of Italy, and permitted the, pope to hold imder
him the duchy of Rome with other territories : but alter
a few years, the.Roinans+, desirous to recover their liber-
ty, conspired against pope Leo III, accused him of many
great crimes, and imprisoned him. His accusers were
heard, on a day appointed, before Charles and a coui>*
oil of French and Italian bishops : but the pope, without
pleading his own cause or making any defence, was
acquitted, his accusers were slain or banished, and he
himself was declared superior to all human judicature,
And thus the foundation was laid for the absolute autho-
rity of the pope over the Romans, which was completed
by degrees ; and Charles in return was chosen emperor
of the west. However,§ after the death of Charles the
Great, the Romans again conspired aaamst the nope $ bu*
Lewis the pious, the son and successor of Charles, acquit-
ted him again. In the meanwhile Leo was dangerously
ill : which as soon as the Romans, his enemies, perceived,
they rose again, burned and plundered his villas, and

* * And here was the end of the kingdom of tlie Lon^bards
in Italy, in the 206th year after tiiey had gotten possession of
that counti y, and in the year of Christ 774.' See Sii^-onius ia
the end of his third Book.

f See Sjgonius' kingdom of Italy, Book IV. year 774. Sea
the above work of Mezeray.

^ See Sigonius in the same place, years 798 — 801. See Pla-
tina's life of Leo HI. See also the same work of Mezeray, year
799, &c. See Sir Isaac Newton's observations on Daniel. See
also Voltaire's revival of the empire of the west, in the first
part of his general history of Europe.

§ See Sig-onius in tha same place, years 814, 815..

'304. DISSERTATIONS ON

thence marched to Rome to recover what things they
complained were taken from them by force ; but they
>vere repressed by some of the emperor's troops. The
same emperor, Lewis the pious*, at the request of pope
Paschal, confirmed the donations which his father and
grandfather had made to the see of Rome. Sigonius has
recited the confirmation : and therein are mentioned
Home and its duchy coniainmg part of Tuscany and Cam-
pania, Ravenna with the exarchate and pentapolis, and
the other part of Tuscany and the countries taken from
the Lombards : and all these are granted to the pope and
his successors to the end of the world, nt in suo detincani
jiire^ firi7!cifiatu^ atf^ue ditione^ that they should hold them
in their own right, principality, and dominion. These, as
we conceive, were the three horuii^ three of the Jirat homs^
which fell before the little horn : and the pope hath in a
manner pointed himself out for the person by wearing
the triple crown.

4. In other respects too the pope fully answers the
character of the little horn ; so that if exquisite fitness of
application may assure us of the true sense of the pro-
phecy, we can no longer doubt concerning the person.
He is a little horn : And the power of the popes was ori-
ginally very small, and their temporal dominions were
little and inconsiderable in comparison with others of the

ten horns. * He shall be divers from the first;' ver.

24. The Greek and Arabic translate it, that he shall ex-
ceed in wickedness t all before him ; and so most of the
fathers who made usq only of the Greek translation^
understood it ; but it rather signifies that l>is kingdom
shall be of a different nature and constitution : And the
power of the pope differs greatly from that of all other
princes, being an ecclesiastical and spiritual, as well as a

civil and temporal authority. ' And behold in this horn

'vvere eyes like the eyes of a man :' ver. 8. To denote
h.is cunning and foresight, his looking out and watching
all opportunities to promote his own interests : And the

* See Sig-onius in the same place, year 817. See Sir Isaac
Newton's Observations on Duniei, Chap. vii. page 88.

t * VVlio in wicke dncss shall surpass all his predecessors.' Sec
ihe Arabic version.

THE PROPHECIES. 305

policy of the Roman hierarchy haih almost passed into
a proverb ; the pope is properly an overlooker or ovrr-
secr^ Efiuko/'os or bishop in the literal sense of the word
— ' He h id a mouth speakintij very great things:' ver. 8,
20, And who hath been more noisy and blustering than
the pope, especially in former ages, boasting of his supre-
macy, thundering out his bulls and anathemas, excom-
municating princes, and absolving subjects from their
allegiance? — * His look was more stout than his fellows:*
ver. 20. And the po[)e assumes a superiority not only
over his fellow bishops, but even over crowned heads, and
requires his foot to be kissed, and greater honours to be
paid to him than to kings and emperors themselves. —
' And he shall speak great words against the Most High :*
ver. 25. or as Symmachus* interprets it, * he shall speak
great words as the Most High ;' setting up himself above
all laws divine and human, arrogating to himself godlike
attributes and titles of holinesH and infalUhilHy^ exacting
obedience to his ordinances and decrees in preference to,
and open violation of reason and scripture, insulting men,
and blaspheming God. In Gratian's decretals the pope
hath the title of God given to him — ' And he shall wear
out the saints of the Most High;' by wars, and massa-
cres, and inquisitions, persecuting and destro)ing the
faithful servants of Jesus, and the true worshippers of
God, who protest against his innovations, and refuse to
comply with the idolatry practised in the church of Rome.
— ' And he shall think to change times and laws ;' ap-
pointing fasts and feasts, canonizing saints, granting par-
dons and indulgences for sins, instituting new modes of
worship, imposing new articles of faith, injoining new
rules of practice, and reversing at pleasure the laws both
of God and men. — * And they shall be given into his
hand, until a time, and times, and the dividing of time.
A time,* all agree, signifies a year ; and ' a time and
times and the dividing of time, or half a time,' are three
years and a half. So long and no longer, as the Roman-
ists conceive, the power of Antichrist will continue ; but

* Or, as Symmuchus hath translated, * he shall speak great
words as if he were God ' See Jerome's Commentary, Vol. III.
pag-e 1103, ia the Benedictine edition.

C C 2

306 DISSERTATIONS ON

it is impossible for all the things, which are predicted of
Antichrist, to be fulfilled in so short a space of time, and
neither is antichrist or the liitle horn a single man, but
a kingdom. Sin.-^le men are not the subjects of this pro-
phecy, but kingdoms. I'he 'four vings' ver. 17. are not
four single kings, but kingdonis ; and so the 'ten horns*
or ki-^tg-sy ver. 24. are not ten e-ingle kings, but kingdoms ;
and so likewise * the little horn is not a single king, but
a kingdom, not a single man, but a succebsion of men,
exercising such powers, and performing such actions, as
are here described. We must therefore compute the
time according to the nature and genius of the prophetic
language. ' A time,' then, ' and times, and half a time*
are three years and a half; and the ancient Jewish year
consisting of twelve months, and each month of thirty
days, " a time and times and half a time,' or three years
and a half, are reckoned in the revelation, xi. 2, 3. xii. 6,
14. as equivalent to 'forty and two months, o?- a thou-
sand two hundr;:d and threescore days :' and a day, in the
style of the prophets, is a year ; ' I have appointed thee
each day for a year,' saith God to Lzekiel ; iv. 6. and it
is confessed, that ' the seventy weeks' in the ninth chap-
ter of Daniel, are weeks of years ; and consequently 1260
daijs are 1260 years. So long Antichrist or the little
horn will continue; but from what point of time the
commencement of these 1260 years is to be dated, is not
easy to determine. It should seem that they are to be
computed from the full establishment of the power of
the Pope, and no less is implied in the expression ' given
into his hand.' Now the power of the pope, as a horn
or temporal prince, it hath been shown, was established
in the eighth century : and 1260 years from that time,
will lead us down to about the year of Christ 2000, or
about the 6000th year of the world : and there is an old
tradition* both among Jews and Christians, that at the
end of six thousand years the Messiah shall come, and
the world shall be renewed, the reign of the wicked one
shall cease, and the reign of the saints upon earth shall
begin. But as Irenaeus saith, in a like case, it is surer and

* See the Epistles of Barnabas, Chap. xv. with Cotelerius*
Jiotcs. See Burnet's Theory, Book III. Chap. v.

TflE PROPHECIEg. SOf

safer* to wait for the coiiiplelion of the prophecy, than to
conjecture and to divnie about it. When the end shall
come, tiicn we shall know better whence to date tlie
beginning.

V. x\Il these kingdoms will be succeeded by the king-
dom of the Messiah. *■ 1 beheld,' saith Daniel, ver. 9, lu.
* till the thrones were cast down,' or rather f ' tiil thrones
were set, and the ancient of days did sit, wliose garment
was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure
wool : his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels
as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth
from before him ■ thousand thousands ministered unto
him : and ten thousand times ten thousand stood beiore
him: the judgment was set,' or the judges did sit, ' and
the books were opened.' These netaphors and figures
are borrowed from the soleninities of eaithly judicatories,
and particularly of the gieat Sanhedrim of the Jew«,
where the father of the consistory sat, with his assessors
seated on each side of him, in the form of a seuiicircle,
and tlie people standing before hinj : and froni this de-
scription again was borrowed the description of the day
of judgment in the New Testament.

' 1 beheld then, because of the voice of the great words
which the horn spake : i beheld, even till the beast was
slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning
flame' ver. 1 1. The beast will be destroyed ' because of
the great words which the horn spake,' and the destruc-
tion of the beast will also be the destruction of the horn ;
and conse^juently the horn is a part of the fourth beast, or
of the Roman empire. ' As concerning the rest of the
beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives
were prolonged for a season and a time,' ver. 12. When
the dominion was taken away from the other beasts, their

* 'Therefore it is safer and attended with less danger, to
wait the acsonnplishment of the pxophecy, than to conjecture or
to divine about it.' See Irenxus, Book V. Chap. xxx. page 448.
in Grabe's edition.

f ' Till the thrones were set,' so the Vulg-ate, * Until the
thrones were placed,' so the Septuugint. ' I saw the benches
placed,' so the S}riac. * The seats were set,' so the Arabic.
And tlie same word is used in the Chakiee parAphraiie of Jei*. i.
15. * They shall set every one his throne.'

308 DISSERTATIONS OU

bodies were not destroyed, they were suffered to conti^-
nue still in being : but when the dominion shall be taken
away from this beast, his body shall totally be destroyed;
because other kingdoms succeeded to those, but none
other, earthly kingdom shall succeed to this.

* I saw rn the night-visions, and behold, one like the
son of man, came with the clouds of heaven, and came to
the ancient of days, and they broui;ht him near before
hira,* ver. l.S. How strange and forced, how absurd and
unworthy of Grotius is it to apply this to the Romans,
which hath always been, and can only be properly under-
stood of the Messiah ? From hence * the son of man,*
came to be a known phrase* for the Mei5siah anonp the
Jews. From hence it was taken and used so frequently
in the gospels : and our Saviour intimates himself to be
this very Son of man in saying, Matth. xxvi. 6 ;, 65.
* Hereafter shall ye see the son of man sitting on the right
hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven ;' and
thereupon he was charged by the high-priest * having
spoken with bhsphemy.'

* And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should
serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that M'hich
shall not be destroyed,' ver. 14. All these kingdoms shall
in their turns be destroyed, but the kingdom of the Mes-
siah shall stand for ever: and it was an allusion to this
prophecy, that the angel said of Jesus before he was con-
ceived in the womb, Luke i. 33. ' He shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be
no end.*

After what manner these great changes will be effect-
ed, we cannot pretend to say, as God hath not been pleas-
ed to reveal it. We see the remains of the ten horns,
which arose out of the Roman empire. We see the lit-
tle horn still subsisting, though not in full strength and
vigour, but as we hope on the decline, and tending to-
wards a dissolution. And having seen so many of these

* See Jewish authors cited even by Grotius, and Bp. Chandler
in his deftnce of Christianity, Chap. ii. Sect. 1. page 108, of th€
third edition.

THE PUOPHECTRS. ^9

particulars accomplished, we can have no reason to doubt
that the rest also will be fulfilled in due season, though
we cannot Irame any conception how Christ will be ma-
nifested in glory, how the little horn with the body of the
fourth beast will be given to the burning flame, or how
the saints will take the kingdom, and possess it for ever
and ever. It is the nature of such piophccies not to be
perfectly understood, till they are fulfilled. The best
comment upon them will be their completion.

It may yet add some farther li^'ht to these prophecies,
if we compare this and the former together ; for compar-
ing scripture with scripture is the best way to understand
both the one and the other. What was represented to
Nebuchadnezzar in the form of a ' great image,' was re-
presented again to Daniel by * four great wild beasts :* and
the beasts degenerate, as the metals in the image grow
worse and worse, the lower they descend.

•• This image's head v/as of fine gold/ and ' the first
beast was like a lion with eagle's wings :' and these an-
swer to each other; and both represented the powers
then reigning, or the kingdom of the Babylonians : but
it appeared in splendour and glory to Nebuchadnezzar, as
it was then in its flourishing condition ; the fUuckiug of
its uin:s, and its humiliation were shown to Daniel, as it
was then drawing near to its fatal end.

* The breast and arms of silver,' and ' the second beast
like a bear' were designed to represent the second king-
dom, or that of the Medes and Persians. The two ai^msdHQ
supposed to denote the two people; but some farther parti-
culars were hinted to Daniel, of the one people rising up
above the other people, and of the conquest of three ad-
ditional kingdoms. To Nebuchadnezzar this kingdom
was called iiiftrior^ or worse than the former ; and to
Daniel it was described as very cruel, ' Arise, devour
much flesh '

The third kingdom, or that of the Macedonians, was
represented by ' the belly and thighs of brass,' and by
* the third beast like a leopard with four wings of a fowl.*
It was said to Nebuchadnezzar, that * it should bear rule
over all the earth ;' and in Daniel's vision, ' dominion was
given to it.' The four htada signify Alexander's four
successors ; but the fwo thighs can only sigpnify the two

31© DISSERTATIONS ON

principal of them, the Seleucidae, and Lagidse, the Syrian^
and Egyptian kings.

* The legs of iron,* and ' the fourth beast with great
iron teeth,' correspond exactly ; and as ' iron breaketh in
pieces/ all other metals, so the fourth beast * devoured,
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the
feet ot it;* and they were both therefore equally proper
representatives of the fourth kingdom, or the Roman,
which was stronger and more powerful than all the for-
mer kingdoms. The ten toes too and the [enhornsj were
alike fit emblems of the ten kingdoms, which arose out
of the division of the Roman empue ; but all that relates
to ' the little horn/ was revealed only to Daniel, as a per-
son more in-med'ately interested in the fate of the church.

The ' stone' that was ' cut out of the mountain, without
hands, and became' itself ' a mountain, and filled the
■whole earth,' is explained to be a kingdom, which shall
prevail over all other kingdoms, and become universal
and everlasting. * In like m.anner, 'one like the son of
man came to the ancient of days,' and was advanced to a
kingdom, which shall prevail likewise over all other king-
doms, and become universal and everlasting.

Such concord and agreement is there between these
prophecies of Daniel, which remarkable as they are in
many things, are in nothing more remarkable, than that
they comprehend so many distant events, and extend
through so many ages, from the reign of the Babylo-
nians to the consummation of all things. They are tru-
ly, as IVlr. Mede t called them, " r/ie sacred calender and
great almanack of prophecy^ 'i a prophetical 'chronology

• [The Jews unanimously agree, that by the stone, is here
meant the Messiah. His kingdom, from small beginnings, should
proceed to fill the whole earth, as if a stone should grow into a
mountain. Mr. Mede has judiciously observed, that this king-
dom is described here in two states, the kingdom of the stone,
and the kingdom of the mountain. The small and progressive
success of Christianity is meant by the former, the universal
triumph of it by the latter.]

t See Mede's Works, Book III. page 654.

+ [The kingdom of Christ from small beginnings hath already
made a vast progress, it hath subverted, and will continue to
subvert Pagan and Antichristian kingdoms, and entirely to de-
«trOy and dispose them, and at length it will triumph over all

THE PROPHECIES. 311

©f times measured by the succession of four principal
kingdoms, from the beginning of the captivity of Israel,
until the mystery of God should be finished." They are
as it were the great outlines, the rest mostly are filling
up the parts : and as these will cast light upon the subse-
quent prophecies, so the subsequent prophecies will re-
flect light upon them again.

Daniel was ' much troubled,* ver. 28. ' and his counte-
nance changed in him,' at the foresight of the calamities
lo be brought upon the church by the little horn : *but
he kept the matter in his heart.' Much more may good
men be grieved at the sight of these calamities, and la-
ment the prevalence of popery and wickedness in the
world : but let them keep, it in their hearty that a time of
just retribution will certainly come. The proof may be
drawn from the moral attributes of God, as well as frora
his promise ; ver. 26, 27. * The judgment shall sit, and
they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to de-
stroy it unto th? end. And the kingdom, and dominion,
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole hea-
ven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most
High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all
dominion shall serve and obey him.

•pposition, become a great mountain, and fill the earth. This
latter part of the prophecy yet remains to be accomplished : s*
that we have in this dream a most extraordinary prophetical
abstract of the most signal events that would take place, througk
all succeeding ages, nearly to the consummation of all things.
As fur as the accomplishment hath proceeded, it hath been most
exact and undeniable, and future ages shall be filled with aston-
ishment and awe, by witnessing this stone cut out without hands,
destroying the remaining toes of this image, wid wiiversally-
•ti'iumphaat."] >Sc»rt.

INTRODUCTION

TO THE LECTURE FOUNDED BY THE HONOURABLE

EGBERT BOYLE,

JANUARY 5, 1756.

THERE is not a stronger, or more convincing proof
of divine revelation, than the sure wort/ oy/zro/i/ircy. But
to the truth of prophecy it is objected, that the predictions
"were written after the events ; and could it be proved as
well as asserted, it would really be an insuperable objec-
tion. It was thought therefore that a greater service
could not be done to the cause of Christianity, than by
an induction of particulars to show, that the predictions
•were prior to the events, nay, that several prophecies have
been fulfilled in these later ages, and are fulfilliKg even at
this present time: And for the farther prosecution and the
"better encouragement of this work, I have been called to
preach these lectures, by the favour and recommendation
oi the great prelate^ who having himself written most ex-
cellently of the use and intent of firof'hecy^ is also willing
to reward and encourage any one who bestows his time
and pains upon the same su!)ject. The ready and gracious
concurrence of the other trustees,* was an additional

* The Trustees appointed by Mr. Boyle himself, were Sir
John Rotheram, Serg-eant at law ; Sir Henry Ashurst of London^
Knight and Bart. Thomas Tenison, D. D. afterwards Archbi-
fibop of Canterbury, and John Evelyn Esq. ; ArchbishopfTenison,
the survivor of these, nommated and appointed for trustees,
Richard Earl of Durling'ton ; Dr. Edmund Gibson, then- Arch-
deacon of Surry, afterwards Lord Bishop of London ; Dr. Charles
Trimnel, then Bisliop of Norwick, afterwards Bishop of AVin-
chester; Dr. White Kennet, then Dean, afterwards bishop of
Peterboroug-h ; and Dr. Samuel Bradford, tlien Rector of St. Mary
Le Bow, afterwards Bishop of Rochester. The Earl of Burling-
ton, being the only surviving trustee, appointed to succeed him
in the said trust; William, then Marquis of Hartington, now
Duke of Devonshire ; Dr. Thomas Sherlock, lord Bishop of Lon-
don ; Dr. Martin Benson, Lord Bishop of Gloucester ; Dr. Thomas

THE 1*R0PHECIES. 313

honour and favour, and is deserving the most cjratcful
acknowledgments. Engaging in this service may indeed
have retarded the publication of these discourses longer
than was intended : but perhaps they may be the better
for the delay, since there have been more frequent occa-
sions to review and reconsider them; and time corrects
and improves works as well as generous wines, at least
it atfords opportunities of correcting and improving them.
This work hath already been deduced to the prophe-
cies of Daniel : and as some time and pains have been
employed in explaining some parts of his prophecies, and
iDore will be taken in explaining other parts , it may be
proper, before we proceed, to consider the principal ob-
jections which have been made to the genuineness of the
book of Daniel. It was before asserted, that the first who
called in question the truth and authenticity of Daniel's
prophecies, was the famous Porphyry, who maintained
that they were written about the time of Antiochus Epi-
phanes: but he was amply refuted by Jerome,* and hath**
been and will be more amply refuted still, in the course
of these dissertations. A modern infidel hath followed
Porphyry's example, and in his scheme of literal jirophecy^
hath heaped together all that he could find or invent
against the book of Daniei, and hath comprised the whole
in eleven objections, in order to show that the book was
written about the time of the Maccabees i but he likewise
hath been refuted to the satisfaction of every intelligent
and impartial reader; as indeed there never were any ar-
guments urged in favour of inlideUty, but better were al-
ways produced in support of truth. The substance of
hist objections, and of the answers to him, may with
truth and candour, be represented in the following man-
ner.

Seeker, Lord Bishop of Oxford, now Archbishop of Canterbury ;
and the Honourable Richard Arundcll, Esq. of whom Bishop
Benson died before, and Mr. Arundell since the appointment of
the present lecturer.

* See Jerome's Commentary on Daniel, Vol. III. in the Bene-
dictine edition.

t See Collins' Scheme of Literal Prophecy, page 149— isr
See Bp. Chandler's Vindication, pa^Ci 4 — 157. See also Saiti.
Chandler's Vindication, paije 3 — 6U.

VOL. I. D d

314. DISSERTATIONS 0^

1. It is objected, " that the famous Daniel mentioned
by Ezekiel, could not be the author of the book of Daniel ;
because Ezekiel, who prophecied in the ' fifth year of Je-
hoiakim* king of Judah, implies Daniel at that time to be
a person in years; whereas the book of Daniel, speaks of
Daniel at that time as a youth." But here the objector
is either ignorantly or wilfully guilty of gross misrepre-
sentation. For Ezekiel did not prophecy * in the fifth
year of Jehoiakim,' nor in the reign of Jehoiakim at all;
but he began to prophecy in the ' fifth year of king Je-
hoiakim's captivity,' the son and successor of Jehoiakim,
Ezek.i 2. that is, eleven years after. When Daniel was
first carried into captivity ; he might be a youth* about
eighteen : but when Ezekiel magnified his piety and wis-
dom, Chap. xiv. and xxviii. he was between thirty and
forty : and several years before that he had interpreted
Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and was advanced, Dan, ii. 48.
to be * ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and
chief of the governors over all the wise men of I3abylon ;'
and was therefore very fit and worthy to be celebrated by
his fellow-captive Ezekiel.

2. His second objection is, " that Daniel is represent-
ed in the Book of Daniel, as living chiefly at the courts
of the kings of Babylon and Persia ; and yet the names
of the several kings of his time are all mistaken in the
book of Daniel. It is also more suited to a fabulous wri-
ter, than to a contemporary historian, to talk of " Nebu-
chadnezzar's dwelhng with the beasts of the field, and
eating grass like oxen,' &:c. and then returning again to
the government of his kingdom." Here are two objec-
tions confounded in one. As to the mistake of the kings
names, there are only four kings n.entioned in the book
of Daniel, Nebvichadnezzar, Helshazzar, Darius the
IMede, and Cyius Of the first and the last, there was
never any doubt ; and the other two may be rightly
nam«'d. thoi:i^h they are named differently by the Greek
historians, who yet dii tr as mueh one Irom ftnother as
froni Daniel ft is well known that the eastern monan.hs
liad se\eral names ; and one mtght be n.ade use of by
one writer and another by aitither it is i liMoly beg-
ging the question, to presume without fai iher proof, tliat

♦ Sec Prideaux' Connections, Pai*t I. Book I.

THE PROPHECIES. siry

Daniel was not the oldest of these writers, and had not
better opportunities of knowing the names than any of
them. As to the case of Nebuchadnezzar, it is related
indeed in the prophetic ti;>^urative style. It is the inter-
pretation of a dream, and stript of its figures, the plain
meanino;' is, that Nebuchadnezzar should be punished
with madness, should fancy himself a beast, and live like
a beast, should be ' made to eat grass as oxen,' be oblig-
ed to live upon a vegetable diet, but after some time,
should recover his reason, and resume the government.
And what is there fabulous or absurd in this ? The dream
was not of Daniel's inditing, but was told by Nebuchad-
nezzar himself. The dream is in a poetic strain, and .so
likewise is the interpretation, the better to show how
the one corresponded with the other, and how the pro^
phecy and event agreed tos2:ether.

3. 5le objects, '*• that the book of Daniel could not be
written by that Daniel who was carried captive in the
Babylonish captivity, because it abounds with derivations
from the Greek, which language was unknown to the
Jews till long after the captivity." The assertion is false,
that the book of Daniel aboutids with derivations from
the Greek. There is an affinity only between some few
words in the Greek and the Chaldee language : and why
must they be derived the one from the other ? or if deri-
ved, why should not the Greeks derive them from the
Chaldee, rather than the Chaldees from the Greek ? If
the words in question could be shown to be of Greek
extraction, yet there was some communication between
the eastern kingdoms, and the Colonies of the Greeks set-
tled in Asia Minor before Nebuchadnezzar's time ; and
so some particular terms might pass from the Greek in-
to the oriental languages. But on the contrary, the
words in question are shown to be not of Greek, but of
eastern derivation ; and consequently, passed from the
east to the Greeks, rather than from the Greeks to tlie
cast. Most of the words are names of musical instru-
ments ; and the Greeks acknowledge,* that they receiv-

* ' And having- consecrated to Bacchus the whole of Asia,
all the way to India, they borrow from thence u considerable
part of their music' See Strabo, Book X. paije 471, hi th^
Paris edition of 1620. page 722, in the Amsterdam edition of
1707. Sec also Athcnaeus, Book XIV. pa^e 625.

316 DISSERTATIONS ON

€(1 their music from the eastern nations, from whence
Ihey themselves originally descended.

4.'" It doth not appear," says the objector, " that thfe
book of Daniel was translated into Greek, when the
other books of the Old Testament were, which are at-
tributed to the Seventy ; the present Greek version, in-
serted in the Septuagint, being taken from Theodotion's
translation of the Old Testament, made in the second
century of Christ.*' But it doth appear, that there was
an ancient Greek version of Daniel, which is attributed
to the Seventy, as well as the version of the other books
of the Old Testament. It is cited by Clemens Roma-
niis, Justin Martyr, and many of the ancient fathers. It
was inserted in c3rigen, and filled a column of his Hexa-
j^la. It is quoted several times by Jerome ; and he saith
expressly,* that the version of the Seventy was repudiat-
ed by the doctors of the church, and that of Theodotion
substituted in the room of it, because it came nearer to
the Hebrew verity. This version hath also been lately
published from an ancient M. S. discovered in the Chig-
hian library at Rome.

5. It is objected " that divers matters of fact are spo-
ken of with the clearness of history, to the times of An-
tiochus Epiphanes, who is very particularly dwelt upon,
and that with great and seeming fresh resentment for his
barbarous usage of the Jews : And this clearness deter-
mined Porphyry, and would determine any one to think,
that the book was written about the times of Antiochus
Epiphanes, the author appearing to be well acquainted with
things, down to the death of Antiochus, but not farther.'*
13ut what an argument is this against the book of Daniel?
His prophecies are clear, and therefore are no prophe-

* * The churches of our Lord .ind Saviour do not read tl-.e
prophecies of Uaniel according to the Septuagint, but iDuke use
of the version of Theodotion; that which is at great variance
with the truth, is rejected with great propriety.' See Jerome's
Preface to the Book of Daniel, Vol. I. page 987. — ' According
to the judgment of teachers in tlie church, the Scptuag'hU ver-
sion has been rejected, and that of I'heodotion is commonly
read. For it agrees better with tlie Hebrew and other transla-
tions,' &.C. See his Commentary on Dan. IV. Col. 1088. of Vo^,
III, in the Benedictine edition.

THE PROPHECIES. 31 7

cies: as if an all-knowing Cod could not foretcl thini^s
ckarly ; or as if there were not many predictions in other
prophets, as clear as any in Daniel If his prophecies
extend not low^rthan the times of Antiochus Kpiphanes,
his commission mii^ht be limited thcie, and he would
not f^o beyond his commission. But it hath been shown,
and will be shown, that there are several propliecies in
Daniel, relatin,^' to times long after the death of Antio-
chus, and these prophecies are as clear as those before
the death of Antiocluis. Neither is Antiochus so very
particularly dwelt upon as is commonly imagined ; nei-
ther is he spoken of with greater resentment, than other
prophets express towards the kings'of Assyria and Babv-
lon. All honest men, who love liberty and their coun-
try, must speak with indignation of tyrants and oppres-
sors.

6. His sixth objection is, " that Daniel is omitted
among the prophets recited in Ecclesiasticus, where it
seems proper to have mentioned him as a Jewish pro-
phet-author, had the book mider his name been received
as canonical, when Ecclesiasticus was published." Jt
might have been proper to have mentioned him, had the
author been giving a complete catalogue of the Jewish
canonical writers. But that is not the case. Ke men-
tions several who never pretended to be inspired writers,
and omits others who really were so. No mention is
made of Job and Ezra, and of the books under their
nanes, as well as of Daniel : and who can account for
the silence of authors in any particular at this distance
of time? Daniel is proposed, 1 Macc.ii. 60. as a pattern,
by the father of the Maccabees, and his wisdom is high-
ly recommended by Ezekiel : and these are sufficient tes-
timonies of his antiquity, without the confirmation of a
later writer.

7. It is objected, " that Jonathan, who made the Chal-
dee paraphrases on the pronhets, has omitted Daniel:
from whence it should seem, the book of Daniel was not
of that account with the Jews, as the other books of the
piophets were." But there are other books, which were
always accounted canonical amcng the Jews, and yet
ha' e no Chaldee paraphrases extant, as the looks of
Ezra and Nehcmiah. Jonathan might perhaps not make

D d2

518 DISSEllTATIOXS OX

a Targuin or Chaldce paraphrase on Daniel, because
half of the book is \vriuen in Chaldee. Or he might
have mtde a 'I'arL^um on Daniel, and that Targiim may-
have been lost: as other ancient Ta» gums have been de-
stroyed by the injury of time ; and there are good proofs
in the Misna, and other writers cited by Bishop Chan-
dler, that there was an ancient Targum on Daniel. But
though Jonathan made no Targum on Daniel, yet in his
interpretation of other prophets, he frequently applies
-the prophecies of Daniel, as fuller and clearer in des-
cribing the same events ; and consequently Daniel was
in his esteeir. a prophet, and at least of equal authority
with those before him. The ranking of Daniel among
the Hagiographa, and not among the prophets, was done
by the Jews since Christ's time for very obvious reasons.
He was always esteemed a prophet by the ancient Jewish
church. Our Saviour calleth him ' Daniel the prophet :*
and Josephus* speaketh of him as one of the greatest of
the prophets.

8. " That part of Daniel,*' says the objector, " which
is written in Chaldee, is near the style of the old Chal-
dee paraphrases ; which being composed many hundred
years after Daniel's time, must have a very different
style from that used in his time, as any one may judge
i\om the nature of language, which is in a constant flux,
and in every age deviating frorii what it was in the for-
aiier : And therefore that part could not be written at a
time very remote from the date of the eldest of those
Chakke para])hrases." But by the same argument Ho-
mer cannot be so ancrent an autlior, as he i« generally
reputed, because the Greek language continued much
the same, many hundred years after his time. Nay,
the style of Daniel's Chaldee difTei s more from that of
the old Chaldee paraphrases, than Homer doth from the
latest of the Greek classic writers ; and when it was said
by Prideaux and Kidder, whose authority the objector
alleges, that the old Chaldee paraphrases, came near to
tht Chaldee of Danitl, it was not said absolutely, but
comparatively, with respect to other paraphrases, which
«Ud not come near to Daniel's purity.

* S^ Josephiis' Antiquities, Book X. Chap, x, and xi.

THE PROPHECIES. 3ig

9. It is objected, " that the Jews were great compos-
ers of books, tmrler the names of their renowned pro-
phets, to do themselves the honour, and particularly
under the name of Daniel : and the book, of Daniel seems
composed lo do honour to the Jews, in the person of Da-
niel, in making a Jew superior to all the wise men of Ba-
bylon." If there is any force in this objection, it is this.
There have been books counterfeited under the names
of men of renown, therefore there can be no genuine
books of the same men. Some pieces iu Greek have
been forged under the name of Daniel, and therefore he
"wrote no book in Chaldee and Hebrew long before these
forgeries. In like manner, some poems have been as-
cribed to Homer and Virgil, which were not of their con^-
posing; and therefore the one did not compose the Iliad,
nor the other the iLneid. Som-e false writings have been
attributed to St. Peter and St. Paul ; and therefore there
are no true writings of those apostles. Such ar;_^uments
sufficiently expose and refute themselves. One wo\ild
think the inference should rather lie on the other side.
Some books have been counterfeited in the name of this or
that writer ; and therefore that there were some gcmjine
books of his writing, is a much more probable presump-
tion than the contrary.

10. The tenth objection is, "that the author of the
book of Daniel appears plainly to be a writer of things
past, after a prophetical manner, by his uncommon punc-
tuality, by not only foretelling things to come, like otl.er
prophets, but fixed the time when the things weie to
happen." But other prophets and other prophecies have
prefixed the times for several events; as 120 years for
the continuance of the antediluvian world ; 400 years for
the sOjOurning of Abraham's seed in a strange land ; 40
years for the peregiination of the children of Israel ; 65
years for Ephraim's continuing a people ; 70 years for
the desolation of Tyre ; 70 years for Judah's captivity ;
and the like : and therefore the fixing of the times can-
not be a particular objection against the prophecies of
Daniel. Daniel may have done it in more instances than
any other prophet : but why nnght not God, if he was so
pleased, foretel the dates and periods of any events, as
well as the events themselves ? Josephus, whom the ob-

320 DISSERTATIONS ON

jector hath quoted upon this occasion, differs totally from
hun. jtie * ascribes this punctuality to divine revelation,
not like the objector, to the late composition of the book.
lie infers from it, that Daniel was one of the greatest
prophets, not like the objector, that he was no prophet at
all.

Lastly, it is objected, "that the book of Daniel sets
forth factis very imperfectly, and often contrary to other
historical relations, and the whole is written in a dark
and emblematical style, with images and sy- ibols unlike
the books of ather proplicts, and taken from the schools of
the Greeks." As to Daniel's setting forth facts very imper-
fectly, he is perfect enough for his design, which was
not to write a history but prophecies, and history only so
far as it relates to his prophecies As to his writing
contrary to other historical relation!^, it is false. For most
of the main facts related by him are confirmed even by
heathen historians ; but if he contradicted them, yet he
would deserve more credit, as he was n.ore ancient than
any of them, and lived in the times whereof he wrote.
As to his emblems being unlike the books of other pro-
phets, and taken from the schools of the Greek-i, this is
also false. For the like emblems are often used by other
prophets, and are agreeable to the style und genius of all
the eastern writers of his time They were so far from
being taken from the schools of the Greeks, th^t on the
contrary, if they were ever used by the Greeks, the
Greeks borrowed them fiom the oriental writers. But
after all how dcih this last objection consist and agree
with the fifth and tenth ? There divrrs matters of fact
ivers sfiokcn of w:i.h th'- clearness of histor\^ and the au-
thor was convicted of forgery by his uncojnmon pimctU'
alit .. - Here all is dark and emblemaiical^ imperfct and
contrary to oihrr histories. Such objections contradict
and destroy another. Both may be false, both cannot be
true.

• ' For whatever books have been wi'itten and left by him, are
at piesen; leud among us; and fiom these ve ure persuaded that
D.aiicl enjoyedf;.miliar inUtcoiiisc wirhGod. For unl;keloo'her
proplietK, he not only foretold fuUire thing-.s, but he ;il^o fixes
the time of their accomplisJimeut.' See Josepiius' Ar.t;quitigSj
Book X. Chap. xi. Sect. 7. page 465, i)i Hudson's editigu.

THE PROPHECIES. 321

These objections bein^ removed, what is there want-
ing of external or internal evidence to ^)rove the genu-
ineness and authenticity of the book of Daniel ? There is
all the external evidence that can well be iuid or desired
in a case of this naluie ; not only the testimony of the
Avhole Jewish church and nation, who ha\e constantly re-
ceived this book as canonical ; but of Josephus particu-
larly, who commends him as the greatest of the pro-
phets ; of the Jewish Targums and Talmuds, wliich fre-
quently cite and appeal to his authority ; of St. I'aui and
St. John, who have copied many of his prophecies : of
our Saviour himself, who citeth his words, and styleth
him ' Daniel the prophet ;' of ancient historians, who re-
late many of the same transactions; of the mother of the
seven sons, and of the father of the Maccabees, who both
recommend the example of Daniel to their sons: of old
Eleazer in Egypt, who praying for the Jews then suffer-
ing under the persecution of Ptolemy Philopater. 3 Mace,
vii. 6, 7. mentions the deliverance of Daniel out of the
den of lions, together with the deliverance of the three
men out of the fiery furnace; of the Jewish high-priest,
who showed Daniel's prophecies to Alexander the Great)
while he was at Jerusalem ; and still higher, of Ezekiel,
a contemporary writer, who greatly extols his tiety and
ivisdom. Nor is the internal less powerful and convinc-
ing than the external evidence ; for the language, the
style, the manner of writing, and all other internal marks
and characters, are perfectly agreeable to that age ; and
he appears plainly and undeniably to have been a prophet
by the exact accomplishment of his prophecies, as well
those which have already been fulfilled, as those \\\\\q,\\
are now fulfilling in the world.

The genuineness and authenticity of the book of Daniel
being therefore established beyond all reasonable contra-
diction, we may now proceed in our main design : and
the vision of the Ram and he-goat, and the prophecy of
the things noted in the scripture of truth, and the trans-
actions of the kings of the north and the south, will find
sufficient matter for our meditations this year. Another
year will be fully employed on our Savio\ir's prophecies
of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the
Jews together with St. Paul's prophecies of the MiUi of

322 DISSERTATIONS OK

Sin, and of the apostacy of the latter times. The last and
most difficult task of all, will be an analysis or explication
of the Apocalypse or revelation of St. John. It is a haz-
ardous attempt, in our little bark, to venture on that dan-
gerous ocean, where so many stouter vessels and abler pi-
lots have been shipwrecked and lost: but possibly we
may be the better able to sail through it, coming prepar-
ed, careened and sheathed as I njay say for such a voyage,
by the assistance ot the former prophets, having paiticu-
larly Daniel and St. Paul as our pole-star and compass,
and bcRginj^ withal of God's holy Spirit to steer and di-
rect our course. The conclusion will consist of reflec-
tions and inferences from the whole. In this manner,
v/ith the divine assistance, shall be employed the three
years, which is the period usually allotted to these exer-
cises ; and it is hoped that the design of the honourable
founder will in some measure b'2 an^sweredby proving the
truth of revelation from the truth ol psophe' y It was
indeed a noble design after a life spent in the study of
philosophy, and equally devoted to the service of religion,
to benefit posterity not only by his ov,'n useful and nume-
rous writings, theological as well as philosophical, but
also by engaging the thoughts and pens of others in de-
fence of natural and revealed religion ; and some of the
best treatises on these subjects in the English language,
or indeed in any language, are owing to his institution.
This is continuing to do good even after death ; and what
^vas said of Abel's faith, may also be said of his, that ' by
it he being dead, yet speaketh.*

From the instance of this excellent person, and some
others who might be mentioned, it appears that there is
nothing inconsistent in science and religion, but a great
philosopher may be a good Christian. True philosophy
is indeed the handmaid to true religion ; and the know-
ledge of the works of nature will lead one to the know-
ledge of the God of nature, the invisible things of him be-
iJig clearly seen by the things which are 7nade ; even his
eternal flower and Godhead. They are only minute phi-
losophers, who are sceptics and unbelievers. Smatterers
in science, they are but smatterers in religion. Where-
as the most eminent philosophers, those who have done
honour to the nationj done honour to human nature itself,

THE PROPHECreS. 223

have also been believers and defenders of revelation, have
studied scripture as well as nature, have searched after
God in his word as well as in his works, and have even
made comments on several parts of holy writ. So just
and true is the observation of the Lord Bacon, * one of
the illustrious persons here intended ; " A little philoso-
phy intiineth man's mind to atheism, but depth in phila-
sophy bringeth men's minds about religion."

* Sec Lord Bacon's Essays, XVIT.

END OF TOL. I.

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