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•
DISSERTATIONS
ON THE

PR·OP HECIES,
Which have remarkably been fulfilled,
ancJ at this time are fulfilling in
the world.

By THOMAS NEWTON, D.D.

Now Lord Bifhop of BR 1 s To L,

I N T H R E E V 0 L U M E S.

V o L u M E the F I a. s T.

T H E T H I R D E D IT I 0 N.

L O N D 0 N:
Printed for J. and R. To N s o N in the Strand.
MDCCLXVI.
 ~·
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....
~ ... ....,
~ ~. "'/
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·'JI.

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 To HIS GllACE the

L.ORD ARCHBliHOP

OF

CANTERBURY.
~ it-pleefe Tour GRACE,

W ITH Your wonted

fton and ,goodnefs,
condcf~n­
to accept
this olfering from my hands, -as a tef-
timony of my veneration for Your
G ll Ac E, an4 of my gratitude for y~
favon to me. A work of this kind I
could not indeed addrefs to an7 one fo
properly as to Your Ga. Ac E, on ac:count
of your eminent ftation, ~d much
more on account of your amiable qua-
.A
. 2 lities,
.
 ·. D E D· I.'C .. A:T I 0 .N.
lities, and. more f\iU as I have the hap-
pffiefs t? _live: under your pt.!culiar ju-
rifdic9::on :T and Your GR Ac E is very
kirid in p~nnitting me to iufcribe it to
Your Name, which kindnefs I will not
abufe with the ufual fiile of dedica-
tions. Your GRAcE's virtues are fo well
known; .and fo ·univerfally efteemed, as
to fiand in l1eed of no commendation,
and much lefs of mine. ·
I would rather beg leave to apprife
Y;obf G.iA <; ~>. 3;n~ .·t~e rcitder, of, tfie
defign ot thefe diff'ertations: which is not
to treat of the prophecies in general,
nor even of thofe ·prophecies in· particu-
lar,.: w.l:iich were fulfilled iQ. the perfon
;and ~Cti~ns ~f our Saviour; bqt only of
fuch.. as,rela~e more immediately to. thefe
.~~ ag~, and are. in fome nieafure re-
ce~viJ?.gthe~r ac~omplifhment at this ,tim~.
"Wh~ ~~ft fuggdh;d the. defigµ, w~re
fome.cc;p.verfati~ns f~n.nerJy wit~ a. .great
Ge9~ra~ .~ho ha~· for n1an y years the
chief c~~mand~.~P the army,. and W;\S
& w~ .~f ,good -underftanding 1• and of
· . ~ fome
 D E- 0 l C A ·T 1 .0~ N'.
fomt reading, ·but .unhappily. had nt>
great regard for· revealed religion or the
Clergy. When the prophecies· were. urged
as a proof of revelation, he con~antly
derided the· notion, afferted · that. ·there
was no fuch thing, and that the pro-
phecies which wqe pretended were writ-
ten after the events. He was informed;
that tho' fuch a thing might with lelS
fcruple and more confidence· be affirmed
of iomc prophecies fulfilled lon·g ago;
yet it could never be proved of ariy, the
contrary might be proved almoA: ·to -a.
dcmonftration : but it could not be fo
much as affirmed of feveral prophecies
without manifefi: abfurdity ; · :for there
were feveral prophecies in fcripture,
which were not .fulfilled till thefe. later
ages, and were fulfilling even ndw, · and
confequently could not be: framed· after
the events, but undeniably were written
and. publifbed many ages .before.· . a~:
was fiarrled at this, and faid he muff
ackn(1Wfege, that if this point. could be
proved to fatisfattion, there. would be no
A 3 argu-
 'b I· D I g. & T 11 0 N.
arguing againft .fuch plain matter <L
fact: ; - it would certainly convince ·him,
and ·he believed would be· the readial
·'Way to convince every reafOnable man,
-or the truth of revelatic>n. · ·
. It was thm occafion, my Lo Rn, d1tilt
·;fi;ft gave fife to . thefe diACrtationt,
.which wcte originally drawn up in the
·fbrm 6f fome fermons. Btit ftnce t&at
time they haYe been ncw-mockled;' much
_altered· and much in1arged, and 1tif>n-
.:fumed by proper authorities. And· ~'
Tome of them only are here publilhed,
·'-yet ~h dUfertation may be toofufert*l
· as a di~nB: trcatife by itfelf. It is hop«d
.. indeed, that the whole, like an arch, .
will aad fl:rength and funmeli !o' eitch
part ; ·but at the fame time care: hath
been taken, that the parts fuould have
·. ftrcngth in :themfelves, as well as a re-
. larion .to the whole, and a connexion
with each other.. The publication there-
fore· of fomc parts cannot be imPft>pet ;
·and the others fliall' go ·to the prefS, fo
(~µ as ·an indifferent fuare of health,
conftant
 D :I> D t · ~ A T 1~ () Jl,
~t· prea~ tMct-e. d91,.tnd. (1ther
MOdfary ducits And a.voeatlons will .pei:'- .
mit me U> put th&? ~g hand tot~tni.
: : Bvery.readtr ~uft k~QIW'1 ~our OaA~
~ every fcholar mu.ft know m~ tf~
ciaily, .that .fuch -.w~s are not t<f be·
fretipitate4. T~y require tiihe :8114.
~d, leifure, great ieiding anf:I pat
. . . . . ., being difqaifitioas of. Corne (£
~ ll)oft .curious . p9ints of ·hiftory, aa
well 1a·explications of fome of the moft
.cifficult p~ag~s of ~cr~pt~e.. And I
9-ould liot prefumc to .f£er any of t~
. to Your GaAcB, or to fubmit ·t];le~ t.o ·
thf: public ~re, ifthey W *>t bCc;n
full: perufed and correB:ed .by fom.•·: ~f
my friends, a11d partic~laJly. by three of
the ~ fcholars, and ableft critics of this
age,._Biih9p .Pearce,. Dr..Warbur~p~ arid
Dr. J9rtin; who were a.Jio my· friendly
coadjutors in my edition of Milton; and
as ~bey .excel· in all. good learnins ~h=­
~l'•~ fo the.y are very ready ·to pi;o-
m~ ~d affiR: the well-meant end~vors
-of «hers.
. .. ..,...•'... . •A 4 When
 ]) E D 'I e A T ·1; 0: N.
· ·when the other · part! fhall appear.,
. they .iliall likewife beg Your GR Ac E.'s
patronage and proted:ion. ~nd in the
µiean time may Your G R·A c E's health
be re~eflablilhed, and continue many
years for the good of this church and
nation I It is nothing to fay that it i,s
my.earnefl: wHh: It is the wilh of all
mank.ii;ld : but· of none more ardently
~an,

· ..M4] ~t pleafl .rour GR A c E,

r°"" G R. A c E, s mo.fl dutiful,

·and o/Jliged,

and obedient Servant,

~a. S· 1754.

THOMAS" NEWTON.

-
 't.H E

.C 0 ·:N~ T .E ·?-f..T.· S.

I N T R 0 D U CT I- 0 N.

p. 1-8.
Prophecies one of the ftroqgeft proofs of revelation;
p. 1. A hiftory of prophecy dcfir.ed by Lord
Bacon; p. 2. The confequence plain from the
believing of prophecies to the believing of reve-
lation; p. 3. The objection that the prophecies
were written after the events, groundlefs, and be-
trays great ignorance, or fomething worfc ; p. 4.
The truth of prophecy may be proved by in-
ftanccs of things fulfilling at this very time; p. 5.
The evidence drawn from prophecy, a growing
·evidence; p. 6. Miracles th<! great proofs of
revelation to the firft ages, Prophecies to the laft;
p. 7. The ncceffity to which infidels are reduced,
either to renounce their fcnfes, or to admit the
ttuth of revelation; p. 7, 8. Moil: of the princi-
pal prophecies of fcripture will be comprehended .
in this work, as well as "fev~ral of the moft matc;-
rial tranfaaions in hiftory; p. 8.

I DIS-

....
 e Q N· ·T · 2 N 41' &
. .
)).{. s.s.E· RT AT I 0 N· . I •. .~i
No Au's prophecy.
P· 9-36.
Very few propwcs till Noah; p. 9; 10. Noah's
drunkenncfs, and the behuiour fif his lbos there-
upon i p. 11. Iµ' confeqnence al their different
behaviour he was enabled to forctel the different
..•·i.rEYees of meif..farnilies; p. It. The ptoplk!Cfi
p. I 3. Not to be underftood of particular pctfons,
' but Qf nok rr.ttions1 p. ·14' 15. The:curfe upon
... Canaan, a curfe upon the Canaanites for theirwick-
ednefs; p. 15. The wick.ednefs.of the Canaanites
very great; .P· 16; 17. The curfe partic1.;1lar:ly im-
plies.the fubjeCbicmof the defcendents of'.Canaan to
.:•e defccoden~~ ,of Shem and Japlldte, p1 17, 18.
The completion of this fhown from the time of
Jolbua co 'hi1.da,; p. ,19, -20. ,A di.f'erent ttad-
.ing-propofed.of Ham the father of.Canaan in.ftead
.-Of Canaan; p. ~u, ma. The C\Jrfe in this lirger
. . ifnfe alt() .thown to be fulfilled from the earlieft
· ·tiineS·to the prefcnt; p. 23, 2+. The ptomifC to
S!;iem of the ,Lord bciag hi~-G-Odt how-fultilJed;
p. '24, 125, 26, The promife of· inlargement to
. Japhe1h, an allufion to his name; p: -z6, 27.
, How fulfilled both in former and in later times ;
· p. 17, t.8. The fullowing c~Yfe, ·and he 1fhall
dwell in the. tints of Shem,. capab~ of two fenfcs,
ahd in .both punCl:ually f4illfiUed s p. 28, 29. Con-
cluion; p, 29. . A m~ake 6f Mr. Maie cor-
·ll:Cted; p•. go, ·.31, · Loni B~ingbroke c~m-farcd
for his indec:ent re&ltthons on cltis propliecy ;
p. 32... His ignorance about the Cudcx Akxan-
dUi1us; p. 33. His blunder about the R~man
hiftorians ;
 e CP H T I H it. S.
hiftorians • J>· 33, 34· His fnecr about believers
refutc4; y. ff· ~ Gondeirmtd by bimftlf;- p. 34.
35, 36. Had great talents but mifappfied them;
~3~ /
D I S S E RT A T I 0 N II.
.· ·1.6t p~et:ki . ~ncerlll11g_·~ ~ u ~ ~:~ -~i"t. ·
J.,:;.
. . ·• I' . ·>p. J~J- . ;r
~~m 1r~• Witb ti.erat ~latienil·; -p..·37.
· · Ttofe cencemlng Itltmtw!l -Or tlut llhmffltties;
'P· 37, !I• Theipromlleof• numerous poidity;
IM>w (alfRled; p. j8, g9. Yb~' promifc -4 12
·prinas, howlf\iHill~; p. 39, ·+e>...The;fWD~ of
·li'~l' .Mtion,· &tow fulfilled~ p. 40. Thi-faying
· 'that·hefilodld heil-wild men, h04f fulfilk!dq>. 41 1
·4t.. The fitying thee hit' hlfRI· ·aiould -be againft
· e\r~'1 man, and-eftP)' man's hand'llg'Mnft hint, how
1\tl&Jled • p. lf.2, 43. The faying- that he fhould
· · dweD in the prefenee of all his brto!thttn, how ful-
&Ded·; ·p. 44, 45. The libinaelites of. A.nthians
hffe from fir(\: to laft ·rmint-eined theftl·indcpen-
iency i ·p. 46. Againft the Egyptians «Rd Afi'y-
riatts; p. 46, 47. Againfl: the Perfiam i ,p; 47,
48. Againll: Alcxand~-and ·his fua:eft'ers; p. 48,
49, 50. Againft the lto1nans ~ p. 50, 51,. '5 :z..
Their ftate· untkr Mohammed, -arid fUl<."e h~ time,
and now under the Turks; p·. 52, 53, 54. Dr.
Shaw's acea.tnt of them; p. 54, 55. Dr. Po-
. cockc'~; p. 56, 57. And Mr. Hanway's; p.. 57,
5S. Conclufion; p. 58. Wonderful, that they
· fhould rcrain the fame manners for fo many ages;
p. 58, 59, 60. More wonderful that they fuould
ftill remain a free people ; p. 60, 61, 62. The
Jews and Arabs in fomc refpc:lts refeomble :each
othcr9 p. 62, 63.
DIS-

'\
 C 0 N· T E N T S.

D I S S E R T A T I 0 N . III.
CJ'he prophecies concerning JA c o B and E s A u.

·p. 64.-84.
More prophecies concerning the pofterity of Ifaac
than of Hhmael ; p. 64. The promife of the
bldfed foed, how fulfilled; p. 64' 65. The pro-
·mife of the land of Canaan, how fulfilled; p. 65.
The promife of a numerous pofterity, hqw fulfil-
led; p. 66, 67. The promifes concerning Efau
and Jacob• p. 67, 68. Not verified in them-
.. ielves, but in their pofterity; p. 69. Compre-
hend feveral particulars; p. 70. I. The families
of Efau and Jacob two different people and na-
tions' p. 70---.:..7 3. II. The family of the elder
fubject to that of the younger; p. 73, 74, 7·5.
Ill. In· fituation and other temporal advantages
much alike, p. 75--:...78. IV. The elder branch
delighted more in war and violence, but fobdued
. by the younger; p. 78, 79. V. The elder at
one time fhook off the dominion of the younger;
P.· 79, Bo, 81. VI. In all fpiritual gifts and graces
the younger fuperior~ and the happy inftrument
of conveying the bleffing to all nations ; p. 8 1,
Sz, 83. Conclufion; p. 83. The prophecies
fulfilled in the. utter deftruttion of the Edomites;
P• 8+

DI s..
 C ·0 N T. E. N·' '1' · S:J
,.
D I S S E R T A T I 0 N IV.

JA c o B'~ prophedes concerm"ng his fa11s11

p4rtz~ularly J
u D A H.
. ,
P· 85-u~.
An opinion of great antiquity, that the foul near
deach grew·prophctiq p. 85, 86, 87. Jacob up0n
his death-be.d foretold his fons what fuould befull
them in the lait days, che meaning of that phnifc ii
p. 87, 88, 89. · Jacob bequeaths the temporal
blefiing to all his fons, the fpirirual to Judah ;
P· 89. The . prophecies concerning feveral
tribes, how fulfilled;. p. 90, 91. The temporal
bleffing how fulfilled to Judah; p. 92, 93•. The
fpiritual blcffing; p. 93. I. An ~xplanation of
the words and meaning of the prophecy ; p. 94
-103. The fcepter :fhall not depart from Judah
explained; p. 94, 95, 96. Nor a lawgiver from
between his feet, explained; p. 96, · 97, 98.
Shiloh iA all the various fenfes of the word thown
to be the Meffiah; p. 99, 100. Le Clerc's fin-
gular incerpretation ; p. 101. Jews as well as
Chriftians lrave by Shiloh generally underftood
the Meffiah; p. 101, 102. And unto him fhall
the gathering of the people be, capable of three
different confirulHons; p. l 02, 103. II. The
completion of the prophecy ; p. 104- I I 3. Ju-
dah hereby conftitu~ed a tribe or body politic, and
fo continued till the coming of the Meffiah and
the deftruction of Jerufalem; p. 104-107. The
)atter claufe fulfilled in the firft fenfe, and the
people

- _...
 c.· o.· N· T l!l If1' TJ $.;
people gathered to Judah i p. 108, Jo9.·: Fulfilled
in the fCcond fonfe, and the peo.Plc eathered to
the Mofliah i p~ ·11 o... Ful6lled m the· lift\• fenfe,
.. and tbe people gathered to the Meffiah ·before the
. !cept~r's:clepar.rure; .p.. 1 10, 1 u. 1· ~ pro1htcy
. wiLh regud to Bcrjaiuin fulfilled·; p. 112, 113 •
...Conclulion ritat Ic'fus is the Meffiah· -s p. 113•. '
' l

D ts SE a·T A "t·t-O·N 0 • • I • •
V.
• 0 'i O
:·
!
~ . ..
':. . . . ~ .
.. i . . B "-~-~.A M'.r /rOp.6«ia • .
'
... .

p. 114-155·
The gift of prophecy not always confined to the cho-
fcn feed, or co . good_ me~' p. 114f.t 15- Balaam
both a Heathen, and an immoral man ; p. 1 15, a6.
A ceremony. ~~~g the ~achene to curfc their
enemies ; p. 117. The ftory of:Balaam's afs con-
fidered; p. q 7~.- u 1. A p~ope_r fign ~ Balaam,
and the prophecies render ihe miracle more credi-
ble ; p. J 21. The ftile of his prophecies beautiful ;
p. 12 2. His prophecy of the f.ingular charaaer of
the J~ifh naticn, how fulfilled even to this .day I
p. u3, t4, i5. His praphr:cy of their vietories
muc:h ihc famt as Jacob's and.IUw:'s; p. 125, 26.
His proplitcy of a king higher than Agag, how
&lfilled; p. u6, 27, 28. His l>rtface·ro his.lat-
ter prophecies explained ; p. J i·9, -go. His pro-
. 'P':~ of a fi:ar and fcepter to '°1ite the princes of
; ·· M , how fulfilled by David i p. 1 go, .31. Who
incant by the ·fons of Sheth 1 p. 13·1-·~ 134. His
prophecy againft the Edomites, ho\f fulfilled by
David l p.. 134, 35.. This prophecy offhe-ftar and
" 4 the
 C' <Y· w· 'r E. 1'f' T· S.
·--a.tfrfct~ J1.PWit4:hy :llMlft JowiGP&ad ..Ohrit~n
· . .nta-s '°the Mom.a;, ·p.· '35"-•~· Bot pria-
)cipally to ·be ,undeftlbDd of David; P• ., 3g, .fD·
Hispopheop ·itgainft the Ama.lckica, he.w iultil-
• Wrt P& r~1·43 . .His preph«y apet claeiXc-
. ait~1,~diw~etheKenitaw~re1 p.i43~4+. How
fullilltd;i p. •44t .of.5·.of.6~ H• i-phecy of !hips
iro1'1 tlie coaftof ChittilJl ~ p. 146. The land of
Chittim fhown to be a general uame for. -(ireece,
Italy, and the countries and ilands in the Mcditer-
rancau; f· 147-1·51. HowafftiLCC Aslhur; p. 151.
Howtfma: Eber, and •ho mtantbfEbe'r; p. t 5 1 -
154. How perifh for ever ; p. 15+ Conclufion i
p. 15.J, §5·

·n IS S· E It .T A >'t I 0 N VI.
M"o·r K_ .s'1 proplJtty ·
\

;j II proj/Jtt Jilt lllJto himfi!f.

P· 156-175.
Mofcshath aotonly preferved feveral ancient prophe-
cies, but bath likewifc inferted feveral of his o•n•
p. 156. His prophecy of anothtt prophet .like
unto la.imfClfa. p. 156, 57. I. What prophet· was
. here partiaalariy intended 1 p. · 157-164. The
.. Mcffiah priodpally,. if not folely; p. 1-58- Proved
l·. from the.cooduion of thobook of Deutei::ono.'11}';
p: 159; 60. From G.od's declaration to Miriaos.tnd
_ ·Aaroa; p. 160, 61 •. From ehe text ideli • p. 161 •
. · From. dlis prophet's being a lawgiver' P.· 162.
. Fam fa& i p. 163, 6+ · II.. The ,great bkenefs
berween
 C 0 N 't' E' N T; S~
between Mofes and Chrift; p. 164-riz2. Cll1'ift
refembled Mo!es in more· refpeth than any other
· perf.on ever did; p. 165. The Comparifon between
them as drawn by Fufr:bimi; p. 165, 66, 67. As
inlargcd and impro~ed by Dr. Jonin; p .. 167---
. 1"71. His tonclu!ion from thence;• ·p. 171, 72.
-Ill. The .~un.ilbme?t of the peof>le for their· in-
fidelity and d1fabed1ence to tlus prophet; p. 172
--- 1 75~ . •

p I $ S E. R T A T I 0 N VII.
Prophecies ef Mo s Es concerning tbt_ JE w s.
P· I7.6~20~.
Prophecies of Mofes abound moft in the latter part
of his ~riting!I; p. 176. The- 28th of Ceur::-ro-
nomy a lively pitl:ure of the ftate of che Jews at
prefent i ·p. r76, 77. Prophecy of their. enemies
coming from far, how fulfilled; p. 178, 79. Pro-
phecy of the cruc~ty. of their enemies, how fulfil-
led; p. 179, 1.80. Of the ficges of cheir cities;
p. · 1 So, 81. Of .rheir diftrefs and famin in the
lieges; p. 18 r, 82, 83. Of women earing their
own children; p, 183, 84, 85. Oftheirgreatea-
lamities and Oaughters; p. 18.s, 86. Of their be-
ing carried into Egypt, and fold for Oaves at a J9w
price; p. 1 86, 87, ~8. Of their being plucked
from off ·their own land ; p. 18 8, 89, 90. Of their
being difperfed irlto all nations; p. 1·90. Of their
ftiIHubfi~t:ing as a diftinct people; p. 191. Of their
finding nJ reft; p. 191, 92, 93. O(their being
oppre1kd and fpoiled ; p. 19 3, 9+ Of their chil-
dren
 C O" N 'l' R H T s:
dren tlikta trom dwtm' pi; 194.. Oftht'lt·ibadhefi
and defperation; p. 194, 9 :~~ 96.- Of their· ferving
0ther geds;. p. 196., 97, 9s. ·.or their heccming
· a proverb, and by-word; p. ~98, 99. Of the long
c:ont~nce oi their plagues ; p. 199. Co~du-
fion ; p: 199; 200. · . , · ' :

D r·s:s E R'T A'T 1·0 N VIit ·.·

Prophecies-ofother proph~ts concerning the J~ '".' s.

p. 201-245.
Other prophecies relati•e to the pre.fent ftar~ of the
Jews r. p. 2.01. I. The prophecies concerning the
rcftorationofthetworribtsC>f]ttdahandBenjamin,
and the diffolutiOQ of the ten tribes~ p. ~01:..-J4-t 5,
The rcftoration of the two tribes for~t&fd to· be
after 'JO years; p. 202. Fulfilled at chree petiods;
p. M>~. ;z'he ten tribes to ceafe from bti.ng· a·peo..
pie withm 65 years ; p. 204. The propheey how
fulfilled; p. 2.05, 06, 07. What is become of them
Jincc, and where are they al prcfeot; p. 207. Vain
conjeaurts of the Jews thereupon; p. 207, 08, 09.
Not all returned with the two tribes; p. 209, 10,
11. Not all fwallowed up and loft among the hea-.
then nations; p. 21 r, 12. Whether they remained,
or whether they returned, they ceafed from being a
diftin~ people, and were all ~ompreheooed under
or
the name Jews; p. 212, l 3, 14. The reafon of
this diftinllion between the two tribes and the ten
tribes, p. 214, 15. II. The preferv'ation of the
Jews, and the deftru.!tion of their enemies ; p. 2 15 .
--2u. The prefervltion of the Jews one of the
VoL. I. ·b moft
 C 0 N T E ·N T S.
. mo4 illuftrioua acb of divine providence ' p. 216,
17, 18. Nor-lefs the providence of God in the de-
~ruaion of their ~nemies; p. 218, 19. Not only
.- nations bu~ Lingle p~rfons; p. 219, io, 21. UL '{he
dcfolation of Judca another memorable ioftance of
the truth of prophecy; p. 221--230. Foretold
by the prophct;s ; p. 2 2 1, 2 2. The prefent ftate of
Judea anfwerable to the prophecies; p. 222, 13.
No'objeCt:ion from hence to its having been a )and
.tlowing with milk and honey; p. 223. The an-
cients, Heathens as well as Jews, teftity it to have
'been a good land; p. 223, 24. Mr. Maundrcll's
account of its prefent ftate; p. 225-.-228. Dr.
Shaw!s; p. ·u8.. 29, 30. IV. The prophecies of the
. :·infidelity and reprobation of the Jews, how ful-
, . ·filled; p. a30-z3+ V. Of the calling and
obedience of the Gentiles VP· 234---238. This
.revolution effected by incompetent perfons, and in
·a fhort time·; p. · 237, 38. The prophecies.con-
.. cerning theJews and Gentiles have not yet received
· t)leir entire complctior>·; p. 239. What hath
. been accomplifhed a fufficient pledge of what
.:is to come;· p. 240. Conclufion diffuading .all
perfe'cution, and re<:oinmending humanity and
charity to the Jews i p. a+1--245.

D I S S E RT A T I 0 N IX.
'l'/Je prophecies conctrning N I N E v E H.
p. 246-275.
Some prophecies relating to other nations, which had
conneelions with the Jews; p. 246. Want of an-
cient
 ..
C 0 N T R N· T S.
cient eaftcrn hiftorie1 to clear up the prophecies;
· 'p. 146, 4 7. The-Affytians terrible enemi~ to both
Ifracfand Judah; p. 247, 48, +9· lfaiah's·pro ..
phecy againft rhe AO"yrians ; p. 249, 50. Nineveh,
the capiral of the Alfyrian empire, a moft ancient
city; p. 250, 51, 52. An exceeding great city
likewife, and the fcripturc-account confirmed· by
'heathen authors; p. 252---256. Like other great
'eides very corrupt, but king and people r~nted;
at the preaching of Jonah ; p. 2.56. Some' inquiry
who this king was~ and at what time· Jon~ pro-
pheficd; p. 256, 57, 58. Thcirrcpentance.arfhort
continuance, for N ahuin not long after. foretold the
· deftruClion ofihe city; p. 258. Some inquirf..when
Nahunrprophcfied; Pr 258--:-261. Nineveh ac-
cordingly deftroyed oy the Mcdes and· Babylo-
nians; p. 26r. Some inquiry, by whort(~tticu-
·.. larly; p. 261---264. Nahum's prophecies of the
·· manner of its dcftruB:ion exaB:ly fulfilled liccotd·
ing to the ·accounts of Diodorus Siculus· ~' ~· 2'6-4
-2,8. Nahum and Zephaniah fo~told its.total
dcftruaion contrary to all probability; p: 268,
6q, 70. Thefe predittions fulfilled according to
the accounts of the ancients; p. 270, 71, 72. J\c..
cording to the accounts of the moderns; p. a72.
73, 74. Conclufion; p. 274, 75. ···

DIS-
 ~ O· ~ T: E· N T s.
1, ,,

.! ·' · .DISS
. . ER TAT I 0 N · X.

. ... - ....
P· 276_..:..3.13.
BabyJ~" a$ well as Nineveh aJJ eneqiy, to the p~ople
' of G.9d • .p. 2 76. .A. y<:i;y great a,1;1C\ very ~l)cient
'. ciry i P·. 2.77·· CQnfiderably improved by Ncbu-
- cl\adri.~~.ar; .p•. :218. One of the wonders <?f the
·. world; ·1>. 279. Ifai~h and Jeremiah f'ortetold its
·· de'ft:ruetion • p. i So, 8 t. Pr.opbccit:s 'of Cyrus the
n conqueror oE 5abylon, fulfiilcd; p: 28.1~ 82 •. The
-"time of the rcduetion of Babylon foretold; p. 282,
-· 83~ Several circu~es of the fi.Cg'e foretold;
: ·E.. 283. Bdieged P,y the Mede~ ar:i,d Efamites or
. J:'crfiaps-; p. 28g, 84, 85. ~rmenians and o.tber
·: JJ.ation.s united ag.ainft it;. p. 285,. 86. The B4Lby-
;: lOnit.0~ hide: ~bemfolvcs 't\'iUlio their. ~alls ; p. 2~ 6,
"· 87:~:Tbc rivi;r drj~ up.; p. 2R7, 8&. The city
·.taken during a feafl; p. '288, 89. ·TJae·faCl:s related
"':by ·~eroootus and Xenophon, and ..the.refore no
·; rqo111 ·t:Qr ,fccpcicif~; p. ~90· The· prophets fore-
.•· told.lits total defolation; p. z91,-s~2 .. Tbefe pro-
phecies to be- fu1filled b.y degrees; p. 2·9 3. Its
ftate under Cyrus; p. 293, 94. Under Darius;
p. 294---297. Under Xer:x:es; p. 297, 98. Under
Alexander and afterwards; p. 298, 99, 300. The
accounts of it fince that time, by Diodorus; p. 300.
Strabo; p. 300,01. Pliny; p. 301. Paufanias;
p. 301, o~. Maximus Tyrius and Lucian' p. 302.
Jerome; p. 302. Accounts of later authors, of
r • • • Benjamin
 C 0 N T. E' N . T- S~ ··
Benjamin di Tudeola; p. 303. Texeira; p. 303,
04. · Rau•dlf; p. 304, 05, Peter de la Valle;
p. 305, o6. :: Tavernier j p. 307. Mr. Saln1on;
p. 307., ·08". Mr1 Han·ny; p. 308, 09. By thefc
account1o it ~ars how punet:uatly the prophecies
• have btcn· fulfilled; p. 309, 10. Conclulion;
fuch prophecies a conyincing argument of the
divinity "f -the fcripturcs, and Ukewife inftanccs
qf line .wr.iting, ahd of the fpirit of lil!terty ; p. 3 l(J
--91~ . .

D t S S E R T AT I 0 N XI~

Z'he prop~eciu concerning T Y I. E,

•
.,
I

P· 314-351.
Tyre, another enemy of the Jews, ics·fall predicied
by If•h and Eiekiel; p. 314. The prophecies
nlate DD both old and new Tyre; p. 3 t 4, r5; 16.
A very aMient dty;·p. 316; 17, 18. The daugh-
ter of Sidon, but in ·time excelled the mother, and
~me a mart of nations ; p. 318, 19, ~o. In
this florifhing condition, when the prophets foretold
her deftruffion for her pride, and wickednefs, and
crue~t~ to the Jews; p. 320--323. Several par-
ticulan included in the prophecies; p. 323, 24.
I. The city to be taken anddeftreyed by Nebuchad-
nezzar and the Chaldreans, p. 324---327. II. The
inhabitants to pafs over the Mediterranean, but to
find no re&;. p. 327- ..•332. III. The city to be
re!'Ored after ·70 years 1 p. JJ2, g 3, 34. IV. To
betaken anddeiroyed again; p. 33+~-339. V. The
people
 C 0 N T EN T S.
people to forfake idolatry, and become converti to
the true religion; p. 339---343. VI. The city at
)aft co be totally deftroycd, and bccom~ a place
fo~ 61hers to fpread their nets upon; p. 343. Thefe
prophecies to be fulfilled by degrees; p. g43, 44.
A fuort account of the place from the time of Ne-
buchadnezzar to the prefent; p. 345, 46, 47.
Huetius"s account of it; p. 347, 48. Dr. Shaw's;
p. 348, 49. Mr. Maundrell's; p. 349, 50.
Conclufion with fome reflections upon trade ;
P· 450, 51.

D l S SE RT AT I 0 N .XII.
'!'he prophecie~ concerning E ·G Y ~ T.

p. 352-398.
Egypt famous for its antiquity; p. 352, 53. No
. -leis celebrated for its wifdom; p 353, 54· The
parent ot fuperftition ~ well as the miftrcfs of
learning; p. 354. Had fucb connections with the
Jews, that it is made the fubjeCl of fcveral propbc-
cies; p. 354, 55. The phrafcofthcburdenofEgypt
confidcred and explained; p. 355, 56. 57. J. Its
conqueft by ~ebuchadnezzarforctold by Jeremiah
and Ezekiel~ p. 357, 58, 59. How fulfilled;
p. 3~9---363. II. Its conquc11: by the Pcrfians
foretold by lfaiah, and how fulfilled; p. 363--370•
. III. Its conqucfi by Alexander foretold by lfaiah,
and at the fame time die fprcading of the true re-
ligion in the land.; p. 370, 71, 72. How ful-
filled; p. 37:i-~378. IV. The: prophecy of
Ezekiel
 CONTENTSi·
E~l that it fhou\d be.a.bafe tributar1.king.;
- domi p. 378, 79. The truth of it 1hown by a
.lhort deduction of the hiftory of Egypt from that
time to this; p. 380~--394. Its ftatc under the
.. Babylonians ; p. 3 So, 8 1. U Ader the Pcrfiaas;
p. 381---385. Under the Macedonians; p. 38 5,
86, 87. Under the Romans; p. 387, 88 •
.Under the Saracens with the burning of the
Alexandrian library ~ p. 3 88-·- 391. U oder the
· Mamalucs; p. 391, 92, 9 3. Under the Turks ;
p. 393, 94- No one could have foretold this
upon human conjetture; p. 394, 95. Conclufion
with fome reftetl:ions upon the charaeter of the
Egyptians as drawn by ancient and modern au-
thors; P· 395--398. :

D I S S .E R T A T I 0 N XIII.
N EBUCHADNEZZ.AR's dream ofthegreat empires.
P· 399-440.
Some prophecies relating to more remote nations;
p. 399. The genuinnefs of Daniel's prophecies
denied by Porphyry, and Collins, but fufficicndy
'Vindicated; p. 400, 01. The credit of Daniel as
a prophet eftablifhed by prophecies fulfilling at this
time;. p. 402. Daniel's firft prophecy, his uiter-
prctation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, with the
occaf10n of it; p. 4oa---406 •. A great human
figure n<>! an improper emblem of human power,
and the various parts and metals fignify various
..kingdoms; p. 406, 07. I. The head of fine gold~
or the Babylonian empire; p. 408. The extent· of it
1hown
 C 0 N T 'E N T ·s.
fhown. from heathen at!ithors ;' p. 409, 1 b.· II. The
breaft: and arms of 6lver, or the Medo-Perfian
empire.; p. 411. Why faiq to be inferior, and
how long ir lafted; p. 412. III. The belly and
· thighs of brafs, orthe Macedonian empire; p. •ti 3.
Why iaid to bear rule over all the e.trth; p. 413,
14. The kingdom of.Alexander and of his fuccef-
fors not two different kingdoms ; p. +• 4' 15, 1 6.
Spoken of as one and the fume by anci~nt authors;
p.416, 17. IV. The legs of iron, and feet part of
a-0nand part of clay, orthe fourth empire; p. •P7·
Farther proofs that the kingdoms of the Seleucida::
and Lagida! cannot be the fourth kingdom; p. 418,
19. This defcription app~icable only to the Roman
empire; p. 419, 420. So St.Jeron:ie explains. it,
and all .ancient writers both Jewi!h and Chriftian;
p. 420, '2 r, 22. V. The fton.e that brake the
image, or the fifth empire; p. 422, 23. Cannot
be the Roman,; p. 423. Can be underilood only
of the kingdom of Chrift; p. 424, 25. Repre-
fented in two ftates, as a ftone, and a6 a mountain;
p. 426, 27. This 'interpretation confirmed by an-
cienr writers, both Jews arid Chriftians, and parti-
cularly by Jonathan Bea Uziel, who made the
Chaldee puaphrate upon the prophets; p. 427,
28. The fenfe of Jofophu,s with Bp. Chandler's
refte&ions upon it; p. 4·28-431. The ancient
Cbriftians give the fame interpreration; p. +31.
St. Chryfoftom's oomment; p. +32, 33, 34. The
expofition of Sulpicius Severus; p. 434, 35, 36.
Conclufion; p. 436. Hence we ·are enabled to
count for Nebuchadnezzar's prophecy, and the
Delphic oracle; p. 437, 18. Hence the diftinc-
tion of four great empires, and why only tbcie
four predicted; p. 439, 40.
4 DIS-
 ' ' .. , II ~' I '! ' ..,

1 o : i • o• i . . •. • ' r. • • o' ~ J ! •;: : O ' 1 ' ' O 1 J ~ o ~ I o

. ' , . : . . " . ~ : ' p•. 441 .........498. .. ..... !

~~·~ \i~-~~~i~iccd t~Nc.b~~h~dne·z~~r.iri:~~ (qrm

:,riJ~f ~ gr.ca; iri}~e, was rej>r(if9n~d to·Daofe~ i11 :che
.. Iha~ qf,.~~ .wild ~a~~'" :and why.; p, ~4-4'J!J 42 •
. •i I. Th~ ~10nian. .~mpi~· w~y .~omp¥e~ ..tp a
•. :µRq.ILiJ>·, 4-tU•.. 4i4o · W~Y ,with. ~'ile'f) .. w\ggs;
. .:. p. ~-1'-.5· :Wliy wit~ a rpa11's heart,. P·-++.~~6.
: ·. U. -;I;'~~- P~tjiap, c1p,pj1~..'flu c~pared ip.a ~ar;
L -, p. +f-~r.. ~)Y r~feA up, :itfqlf on one fide, apd had
•'' th~! ,PP.~,i~;cpc m_pucl,i_;, ~,,......,6., .~q .. ,l~~jc~eky;
• . p. 447 ,, .•tr. l ur. '.liht: ))O:acedoman,c;mp1rc~ why
. compar~ ~ ,,lc;opard,~ µ. 449, 50.· ·Why with
: · f.o~ 'in~ four he;ac\11, a.o:d;domin_ion.g~vc~ to
: , Jt; p. 450,. 51. IV. l'h~ :Romaa empirc ..cqm-
.parcd to a .r.crrible be~ w~thoµt a mmc; ;. p. :+6'•
-~ , 52.· t'lic;kiqgdoms· of.the Scleµcida: au.d Lagidm
• can i~C,r~p.e~ anfwer_to thisdcfcription.; p.. 453,
54. l'Jie Ro.man. cmpirr::.~w!t.s cxaCtly.; P·"64-s
: SS• ~ "memorab!c q~o~tion t~.this. pw:p~fe t~om
Dionyfius.of fWicarnA(I"LJS • j>· 455-,+58. This
bcaft had' ten hQms o~ ~gel<>~ ·and. Fhe.king-
~ dams. of ~gypt aod Syri~ ~'" ncyer (~4i~idcd'
p• .f.~8. ~he noti~ns.of ,f9rphyry, 9r9~~-and
Collins, rCfur,ed; p. +~· 59, 6o. T~~ _tep king-
. .doms to be (oµght anud the b~ken p~c:s of !the
. Roman Empµ-c .i P'! 4~p.. The tcn.~qgdo~.~­
, . VoL. I. c . t6rdmg
 c o· N 'F-~ E. N ~: s.
· eording to Maohiavel; 1r6o, ~1. According to
· Mr.-Me~e; p. 461.-- ~ccording to .Bp.-Lloyd;.
1

p. -461, ·6'1.- Acc!oraing to Sir Ifaac Ncwtop;.

p. 461. The fame number fince ;_ p. 463. How
they ~ood· in tbe ~ightb century i P·. 46.4· A little
horn to rife up among the ten ; p. 464, 65. The
. notion of Grotius and Collins, that Antiochus Epi-
phanc:s was the little hon!; refuted; p. 465, 66, 67.
An i,nquiry propofcd into the fenfc of the ancients_;
p. 467. The opinion of lrcna:us; p. 467; 68. 0f
St. Cyril of Jerufalcm; p. 469, 70. Of St. Jerome
witll Thcodorct and St. AuO:in; p. 470, 71. the
fathers had fome miftaken ·notions concerning ~n­
tidirift, and how it came to pafs l!hey hall futh ;.
p. 471,'7z, 73. The little horn to be fought among
the· ten ~ingdoms af the wdtcrii Rbrnan: emt>?-rc;.
l?· 473, 7+ 75. Machiavel himftlf points oiit a
_little horn fpringin~ dp among thC' 'ten ; p. 4;6,
.,7. · Three of th~ firll .horns' to fat\ before him;.
p. 477. The three according m Mr. Mette ;
p. +18'. · According to Sir lfaac Newton' p. 479.
~mething to be appr<)ved, and furhefhihg tO be
·difapprOVeti in both 1heirplans; p. 479~ 80,.81.
The- firft of the three horns, the datchart of
Raveri_na·; p. 4h, Si. The fccond, the k~g­
dom Of the Lombards; p. 482, 83. The third,
the ftate of Rome; p. 4'8 3, 84, 85. The cha-
nder anfwers in all other refpeds' P·. 486, 87,
BS. How long Ariliehriil to co!\'tinite', p. 4-88,
B9, 9o~·: ·V. AD thcfe kingdoms to -Oe fucccctied
by tht! ·kingdom of the 'Meffiah~ p. 490-49+
This and the former prophrcy compared tage·
ther; p. 4-94, 95, '96~ ·They extend from .. the
·-reign of the Babylonians to .the 'confummation of
:& • all
 CO:NTENTS.
al ·things;· ·P· .f96, 9~. Will ai ligbs u~ ~e
fubfcquent prophecies, and di~ fub~t pro-
• ~ refteB: light upon them ag~; p• .+97•
COnclWion-;- p~ 497, 98. · ·
.,.. ._. .. . . r · .: · ..1·tr-11 : • rr ...
'''· . ........... ,,. .
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• ~ •••• .... •• 'olo . . . I,<(~, "

1 (,, &.)
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1 f •' \1f1.,1 I j

Secunda pars (hiftoriz ecclefiafticz) qu:r ell: hiftoria

ad prophctias, ex duobus relativis conftat, prophe-
tia ipfa et ejus adimpletione. Quapropter tale
effe debet huJUS opcris inftitutum, ut cum fingulis
ex JC:ripturis prophetiis cvcntuum vericas conjun-
gatur; idque per omncs mundi ztates, tum ad
confirma.tionem fidei, tum ad inftitucndam difcipli-
nam quandam cc pcritiam in intcrprctationc pro-
phetiarum, quz adhuc reftant complendz. At-
tamcn i_a iaa~ _re,.acbi'riucnda,cft·il:la,latirndo, quz
divinis..~ic:'iniis propria cft ct familiaris ; ut
adimpl~iklp~ .eorum· POn fiant·ec contincnter ct
pund:ualiter.;. referunt.enim authoris fui naturam,
ttd "11US dies tt1tlf/""'1J fllil/e anni, et mille anni la11ft1•111
1mus dies: Atquc licet· plciiitudo et faftigium com-
plemcnti eorum, JICrurique alicui ccrtz ztati, vcl
ctiam ccrto momenta deftinctur ; attamen habent
interim gradus nonnullos et fcalas complemcnti,
per divcrfas mundi ztates. Hoc opus defiderari
ftatuo, verum tale eft, ut magna cum fapicntia,
fobrietate, et reverentia traCtandum fit, aut om-
nino dimittcndum .
.Bacon de Auamcntis Scicadarum. Lib. z, Cap. 11,

.. ....,
...........
~

DI'S-
DISSERTATIONS
ON THE

P R 0 PH E C I E S,
Which have remarkably been fulfilled,
and at this time are fulfilling
in the world.·

I N T R 0 D U C T I 0 N.

O NE of the firongefi evidences for the

truth of revealed religion is that feries ·
of propheci~s which is preferved in the Old
and New Teftament; and a greater fervice
perhaps could not be done to Chriftianity than
to lay together the feveral prediCtions of fcrip-
iure with their completions, to !how how
VoL. I. B parti-
2 f:Ji!Jertations on the Pao Pa E c 1Es.
particularly things have been foretold, al)d how
exaCl:ly fulfilled. A work of this kind was
defired by the Lord B~con in his ( 1) Advance-
ment of Learning : and he intitleth it the
hiflory of prophecy, and therein would have
" every prophecy .of the fcripture be forted with
'' the event fulfilling the fame throughout the
" ages of the world both for the better confir-
" matian of faith," as he faith, " and for the
" better illumination of the church, touching
" thofe parts of prophecies which are yet un'ful-
" filled: allowingneverthelefs that latitude which
" is agreeable and familiar unto divine prophe-
" cies, being of the nature of the author with
" whom a thoufand years are but as one day,
'' and therefor~ they are not fulfilled punctually
" at once, but have fpringing and germinant ac-
" compliili.ment throughout many ages, though
" the highth or fulnefs of them may refer to
r. ,,
" iome one age.
Such a work would indeed be a wonderful
confirmation of our faith, it being the prero-
gative of God alone, or of thofe who are com-
miffioned by him, certainly to foretel future
events;
(1) Bo~k the 2d. iii Englifh.
 Di.ffertatibn1 on tlie PkoP H 1c11 s. · 3
ewnts ; and the c0nfcqucnce 'is fo plain and nc-
¥ary, from the believing of prophecies to the
believing of revelation, that an infidel hath no
way of evading the conclufion but by denying
the premifes. But why lhould it be thought
at aJ) incredible for God upon fpccial occafions
to furetel fature events ? or how could a divine
revelation (only fuppofing that there was a di-
vine revelation) be better attcftcd and confirmed
than by prophecies? It is certain that God hath
petfeC\: and moft exact knowledge of futurity,
and forefees all things~ come as well as com-
prehends ev~ thing paft or prcfent. It is cer-
tain too that as he knowcth them perfectly him-
fclf, fo he may reveal them to others in what
degrees and proportions he plcafeth ; and that he .•
aaually hath revealed them in feveral inftances,
no man can deny, every man muft acknowlcge,
who compares the feveral prophecies of fcrip-
ture with the events fulfilling the fame.
But to many ages have paff'ed fincc the fpirit
of prophecy hath ceafed jn the world, that
kveral per{ons are apt to imagin, that no fuch
thing ever exifted, and what we call predic-
tions arc only hiilorics written, after the events
B 2 had

.llll!!!!i
4 Dif!ertations on the P llOP ·HE c 1 Es- •
had happened, in a prophetic ftile and man-
ner: which is eafily faid indeed, but hath
never been proved, nor is there one tolerable
· argument to prove it. On the contrary there
are all the pro<;>fs and authorities, which can be
had in cafes of this nature, ·that the prophets
prophefied in fuch and fuch ages, and the
events happened afterwards in fuch and fuch
ages ; and you hav~ as much reafon to believe
t11efo, as you have to \lelieve any ancient .mat-
ters of fatt whatever ; and by the fame tule
that you deny thefe, you might as well deny
the credibility of all anc.;~ent hiftory.
. But fuch is the temper and genius of infi-
dels ; they unde1fand ne1iher what they Jay, nor
•whereof they '!/firm ; and fo betray their own
ignorance, rather than ack.nowlege the force of
divine truth; and a1fert things without the leaft
!hadow or color of proofs rather than admit
the firongeft proofs of divine revelation. It
betrays ignorance indeed, altog~ther Wlworthy
of perfons of liberal education, not to know
when Cuch and fuch authors floriG1ed, and fuch
_and Cuch remarkable events happc?ned j and it
mu ft be fomething worfe than ignorance to af-
fert
 Dijfertations.on the PR0PHEC1Rs. S
fert things without the leaft iliadow or color of
proof, contrary to all the marks and charaCl:ers
by which we judge of the· truth and genuin-
nefs of ancient authors, contrary to the whole
tenor of hiilory"both fac~ed and profane, which
in this refpeCl: give wonderful light and affif-
tance to each other : and yet thefe are the
JQen, who would be thought to fee farther and.
· to know more than other people, and wilt
~lieve nothing without evident proof and
demonftration.
The facts,. fay they, ·were prior to the pre-
diCl:ions, and t4e prophecie~ were written after
the hiftories. But ~tat if we lhould be able
to prove the ttuth of prophecy, and confe-
qu.ently the truth of revelation,. not by an in-
du4ion of particula~s long ago foretold and long
ago fulfilled, the predietions whereof you may
therefore fuppofe to have been written after the
hiftorics.. but by inftances of things which have
confe1fcdly many ages ago been fotetol-0, and
have in thefe later ages .been fulfilled, or are
fulfilling at this very time; fo that you cannot
poffibly pretend the prophecies to have been
written after the events, but muft acknowlege
B 3 the

__J
·6 Dif!ertations on the PaoPHECJBS.
the events many ages after to correfpond exaaly
with the prcdietions many ages before ? This
province we will now enter upon, this tafk we
will undertake, and will not only produce in-
ftances of things foretold whh the greateft clear-
nefs in ages preceding, and fulfilled with the
greateft exaCl:nefs in ages following, if there is
any truth in hiftory facred or profane; but we
will alfo (to cut up the objeetion entirely by
the roots) inftft chieBy upon fuch prophecies,
as are known to have been written and pub-
lilhed in books many ages ago, and yet are re.
ceiving their completion, iµ part at leaft, at
this very day.
For this is one. great excellency of the evi...
dence drawn from prophecy for the truth of
religion, that it is a grO'Wing cvidenc;e ; and the
more prophecies arc fulfilled, the more tefti...
monies there are and confirmations of the truth
and certainty of divine revelatio11. And in this
refpect we have eminently the advantage over
thofe, who lived even in the days of Mofcs
and the prophets, of Chrift and his apoftlcs.
They were happy indeed in hearing .their dif,.
coqrfe$ and feeing their miracles, and doubtlefs
matlJ
 . Dif!ertation1 on the P Ro PH n c 1 ES.· 7
mar.~' righteous mm have dejired to fee thoje things
'll:hi'ch they Jaw and htrVe not flen them, and to hear
i/Jofl things which they heard and have not beard
t/;em : (Mat. XIII. 17.) but yet I fay we have
this advantage over them, that {everal things,
which were then only foretold, are now ful-
6lled ; and what were to them only matters of
faith, arc become matters of fact and certainty
·to us, upon whom the latter ages c1f the world
arc come. Miracles may be faid to have heen
the great proofs of revelation to the firil ages
who faw them performed, Prophecies may be
faid to be the g~eat proofs of revelation to the
lafi: ages who fee them fulfilled. All pretence
too for denying the prophecies of fcripture iS
bythcfe means abfolutely precluded; for how
can it be pretended that the prophecies were
written after the events, when it appears that
the latcft of thefe prophecies were written and
publHhed in books near 1700 years ago, and
the events have, many of them, been accom-
plllhcd. fcvctal ages after the· prediCl:ions, or
perhaps are accomplifuing in the world at this
prcfcnt time? You arc therefore reduced to
this ncccffity, that you muft either renounce
B 4 your
8 Di.ffertations on the PR o PH E c 1 E s.
your fenfes, and deny what you .may read in
your bibles, together with what you may fee
and obferve in the world : or elfe muft ac ...
Jmowlege the truth of prophecy, and in
confequence of that the truth of divine re--
velation. ·
· Moft of the principal proph~cies of fcripture
will by thefe means come under our confide-
ration, and. they may heft be confidered with a
~iew to the feries and order. of time. The
fubject is curious as it is important, and will be
very well worth my pains and your attention :
and though it turn chiefly upon points oflearn-
ing, yet I lhall endevor to render it as intelli.-
gible, and agreeable, a~d edifying as .I can to all
forts of readers. It it is hoped the work will
prove the more generally acceptabk, as it will
not confifi: merely pf abftractive fpeculativ~
~ivinity, bqt will be inlivened with a proper
inte~mixture ofhillary, and will.include fevcral
pf the moft material tranfactions.from the pe_
gjnQing of ih~ worl~ !-" this day.

PISSER-
· n·1 SSE RT A'T I 0 NS

P R 0 P H·EC I E S.
. . ' ..
I.
N 0 A H's PR 0 P H E CY.

T H E - fir11: prophecy that occurs in

fcripture, is that · part of the fen ...
tence pronounced upon the · ferpent, ·which
is, as I may fay, the .fidl:" opening of Chrifti-
anity, the firfr promife of our ·redemption.
We read in Genefis (Ill. I 5.) I will put
(1lllllfJ /Jetween thee. 4nd the woman, an.d 6etw,en
thy fled and her fled; it foal/ bruffe thy /mu/,
1111d t6tJ1' jhalt bruffa his heel, If you under-
~ . ftand
JO Dijf1rtations on the P.RoPHECIE3.
fiand this in the fcnfe which is commonly put
upon it ·by chriftian interpreters, you have a
remarkable prophecy, and remarkably fulfilled.
Taken in any other fenfe, it is not worthy of
Mofes, nor indeed of any fenfible writer.
The hiftory of the antediluvian times is very
filort and concife, and there are only a few p·ro-
phecies relating· to the deluge. As Noah was
a preacher of righteoufnefs to the old ~orld,
{o be was a prophet to the new, and was en-
abled to prediet: the future co1i°dition of his pof-
t~rity, which is a fubjeCl: that upon many
accounts requires a particular difcuffion.
It is an excellent charatl:er that is given of
Noah, (Gen. VI. 9.) Noah was ajujl man, and
peifeS iM lli.r generatio111, 11nd Noah wa/Red with
· God. But the heft of men are not without their
~firmities; and Noah (Gen.IX. io, &:c.)having
pkmted a ,;ineyard and drank if t~ tzvine, be-
came inebriated, not knowing p~rhaps the na-
·ture and ftrength ?f the liquor, or being through
age incapable of bearing it : and Mofcs is fo
faithful .

( 1) l~i? lattu1, parvas, mi- (3) Vid. Origen. inGenelim',

"'°''(z) Hinc:.P.robabiliter c:olligi.
BllUJD\Qt, P· 33• vol. z. Edit. Bem;did.
Operose qaa:ritur, cur Chami
tur eum flldl'c ·patern~ iniqui- maledi~Uonem in caput filii
tati1 foc:ium. Pifcator apacl Chanaan contorferit. Rcfpon-
Pnlum. clet Theodoreta1 in Genef.
qucft.
 Dijfertations on the PaoPHBc1as. -r1
faithful an hifiorian, that he records the fail-
ings and imperfedions of the moft venerable
patriarchs, as well as their mc~its and virtues.
Noah in this condition lay uncO'Uertd within his
~ent: and Ham tht father ef Canaan fll'ID tk
naledn!ft ef his f lllher; and inftead of conceal-
ing his weaknefs, as a good-natured man or
at leaft a dutiful fon would have done, he
cruelly expofed it to his two brethren without.
But Shem and Japheth, more compaffionate to
the infirmities of their aged father, took a gar,..
mmt,' and went backward with fuch decency
and refpeet, that they faw not the nallednefs '!{
their father at the fame time that they covered
ti. When ZvO.ah awoke from his wine, he was
informed of what hir younger fan had done unto
/Jim. The ( 1) word in the original fignifies
his little fan : and fome ( 2) commentators
therefore, on account of what follows, have
imagined that Canaan jo~ed with his father_
Ham in this mockery and infult upon Noah;
and the (3) Jewiili rabbins have a tradition,
that Catiaan was the nrfi who faw Noah in this
pofiure,
••zft. ~7· ab Hehr.a qaodam q11id legitor in Berenth R.altbc
fe didicifl'e primom Chanaan fea. 37. qui liber fcriptus fuit
diu ante ] heodoret11m. Bo~
ari {qi vercada animadvertifl'e,
et patri oftcntd'e, tanqiiam ~ charti Phale,. Lib.+· Cap. 37•
"8e ridcnr.cm. Et vtt"o sale Col. 308. .

<+> The
.1.2
I
Dijfertatt"ons tJn tbe PR o PH E c 1 Es.
pofture, and then went and called .his father
liain, and concurred with him in ridiculing
and expofing the old man. But this is a very
arbitrary method of interpretation ; no mention
was made before of Canaan and of.what he had
done, but only of Ham the father of Canaan;
and of him therefore muft the phrafe of little
fan or youngefi Jon be naturally and neceffarily
underftood.
In confequence of this different behavior of
his three fons, Noah as a patriarch was in-
ligh tened, and as the father of a faqiily who is
to reward or puniib his children was impowered~
to fore tel the different fortunes of their: fami-
lies : , for this prophecy relates not fo much to
'themfelves, as to their pofterity, the people
and nations defcended from them. He was not
prompted by wine or refentment ; for neither
the one nor the other (fould infufe ·the know-
lege of futurity, or infpiie him with the pre-
fcience of events, which happened hundreds,
nay thoufands of years afterwards. But God,
willing to manifeft his fuperintendence- and
government of the world, indued Noah with
the fpirit of prophecy, and enabled him in fome
mcafure to difclofe the purpofes of his provi-
dence
(4) The rcades may fee this very ingenious irnd learned Mr.
point proved at largC' in the Archdeacon Lowth's poetical
Pl'IL'lcttion1

,
 Differtations on tb1 p ll 0 p. H E c I E s~ I J
dence towards the future race of mankind. At
the fame time it was .fome comfort and reward
to Shem and Japheth, for their reverence and
tenderPefs to their father, to hear of the 6/ej/ing
and inlargemtnt of their poftority; and it was
Come mortification and punilhmcilt to Ham,
tor his mockery and cruelty to his father, to
hear of the m.ledicli()n and f ervit11de of fome of
his children, and that as he was a wicked fon
himfelf, fo a wicked race lhould fpring from
him.
This then was Noah's prophecy: and it was
delivered, as (4) mofi: of the ancient prophecies
were delivered, in metre for the help of, the
memory. (Gen. ·ix.
25, 26, 27.)

Curfld /Je Canaan ;

A fervant offervants foal! he he unto his hrethrttr~
Bleffad /Je jebO'llab"' · the G()d of Shem;
And Canaan jhall be ther"rjeruant.
God jhall inlarge Japheth,
AndjhaO dwell in the tents of Shem,
• .And Canaan jha/J be their ftruant.

Canaan was the fourth fon of Ham according

to the order wherein they are mentioned in the
enfuing
Pr21et\ions (parricalarly Prz. die Hebrew laaguage, and of
leCl. 18,.)&c.aworkthat merits the clcru efpecially. •
the attcntioD of all who fiudy . (5) Noah

•
14 Differtations ()11 th1 PR. o P n t c 1 £ s.
enfuing chapter. And for what reafon can yoti
believe that Canaan w.as fo particularly matked
out for the curfc ? for his father Ham's trahf-
grefiion? But where would be the juftice or
equity to pafs by Ham himfelf with the reft of
his children; and to punifu only Canaan for
what Ham had committed ? Such arbitrary
proceedings are contrary to all our ideas of the
divine perfections; and we may fay in this cafe
what was faid in another, (Gen. XVIII. 25.)
Shall not the judgeof aU the earth do right f The
curfe was fo far from being pronounced upon
Canaan for his father Ham's tranfgrcffion, that
we do not read that it was pronounced for his
own, nor was it executed till feveral hundred
years after his death. The truth is, the curfe
is to be underftood not fo properly of Canaan'
aa of his defcendcnts to the fateft generations. It
is thinking meanly of the ancient prophecies of
fcripture, and having very imperfetl, very un-
worthy conceptions of them, to limit their
intention to particular perfons. In this view
the ancient prophets would be really what the
Dcifts think them, little better than common
fortuae·tellers ; and their prophecies would
hardly be worth remcmbring or record-
ing, efpecially in fo concife and compendious
a hiftory as that of Mofes. We muft affix a
larger
 Differt11tiMs·fM tha PaorHICIEs. IJ
larger meaning tQ them, and underftaod th• .
.not of fingle pcrfons, but of whole. na·.
tiona ; and thereby a nobler fcene of things,
and a more atcnfive profpett will be opcncd-
to us of the divine difpcnfations. The twfa.
of ftrUitlltil pronounced upon Canaan, aDll
fo Jike>Vife the promife of hldfing and i~
tnmt made to Shem and Japheth, are by no
means to be confined to their own pcri:m.s,. bac. ·
extend to their whole race ; as afterwards tbo
prophecies concerning lthmael, and th* con~
ceming Efa.u and Jacob. and thofe relating to
the twelve patriarchs, were not fo properly Ycri•
ficd in themfelvcs as in their poftcrity, and thl..· ·
tber we muft look for their full and. perfcet
completion. The curfe therefore upon Ca.t
nun was properly a curfe upon the Can&.o:
mites. God forcfceing the wickedac!s of tbir
people (which began in their father Ham, aad
greatly increafed in this branch of his family) "
commift.ioned Noah to pronounce a curfe upon
them, and to devote them to the furvitudc and
mifcry, which their more than common Yica
and iniquities would defem:.. And this account
was plainly written by Mofes, for the ellCCJlll'l806
ment of the Ifraclitea, to fupport and animat8
them in their expedition. againft a peQple, ~ho
by their fins had forfeited the. diYine protecnon,
· and
 Di/fertations on the PR o PH E.C i :l! s.
and were deftined to flavery from the days of
Noah.
' we fee the purport and meaning of the pro- .
.phecy, and ·now let us ·attend to the comple ...
tion of it. Curfld 6e. Canaan J and the Ca-
naanites appear to have been an abominably
wicked. people. '.The fin and puniiliment of
the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah and
the cities of the plain are too well .known to be
particularly f pecified : and for the other inhabi-
tants of the land, which was promifed to
Abraham and his feed, God bore with them
till their iniquity was /111/. (Gen. XV. 16.)
They were not only addieted to idolatry, which
was then thecafe of the greater part of the world,
but were guilty of the worft fort of idol3:try ;
for. every a/Jomination to the Lord, which he hatetb,
/Ja'Ue they. titJne unto their gods; for even their [otU
'• IJ1lli their daughters they have burnt in the fire to
their gods. (Deut. XII. 3 i.) Their religion was
bad,, and their morality (if poffible) was worfe;
for corrupt religion and corrupt morals ufually
generate each other. Read the I 8th and the
~oth chapters of Leviticus, and you will find that
un~awful marriages and unlawful Jufis, witch-
craft, .adultery, inccft, fodomy, beafriality, and
the like monftrous enormities were frequent and
common among them. And was not a curft
m
 lJi./fertalion$ on the p R Of H .E'C'l Es." f. 7.
in the nature of things, as well as in :the jaft
judgment of God, detervcdly illtailed upon fucl1
~ ~ople and nation as this? It .was not for tbtir
l!UJn rigbttoufnefs that the Lord lwtmgbt the 1fl'IC..
lites in to pojifs the /4nd: butJor. I.« witlednefo
of tbtfl nations Jid the !Ard Jriu tbnn out:
(Dcut. IX. +) and he · woukl have driven out
the lfraclites in like manner fGr the very famo .
abominatipn~. (Levit. XV Ill. 24, &c.) ·Defile wot
yqu yowftlws in""' ~ltbtfa things; for in ml tbtfa
the 1111tions f!re defiled which. I &'!/I out. before JW~
.And the land is defiled; tbtrefore I do 1lijit the·;";,;,
fUilJ tbueof upon it, 4nd the land it}e/f wmiteth
IUt m inhabitants. U jba/J therefore Jutp "'J
jJatutes and my jutigmmts~ lllld jhll/J n« c011lfflit
any of thtft abomi1111tions-'Ibat tbe liUJd Jpue not
1"" uut a!fo when ye <le.file it, as. it /p11td out t'/ie
nations that were before you. For wht>foew: jbail
ummit any ef thefe a/Jominations, ro~n the fou/1
that commit them,jha/J be e,ut offfrom 111/iong thtir.
peojle.
But the curfe particolarly. implies fervitudc
and fubjeaion. Curfed be Canaan; 4 ftrDant of
jlrVlhzts jhall he he unto hi~ !J.retbren. It is very
well known that the word brethren in He-
brew comprehends [!\ore dift~nt relations; The
dcfccndcnts therefore of Canam were to be
fubjcB: to t~e dcfcendenta of both Shem and
VoL. ·I. · C ·· · Japheth:

d
 18 Jl#/fertatiom on the P1toP HB CI!~.
j.pheth: and the natural con!equencc of vice,
in .a>mmunities as well as in Jingle pcrfons, is
&very.. Tbc fame thing is repeated again and
~ in the two following vcrfes, 1Jnd Canatm
foMI k.jlr'U4Jlt to tbetn, or their /eruant; fo that
this is as it were the burdca of the prophecy.
Some .( 5) · aitia take the phrafc of firvant of
firmnb ftriatly .and litterally, and fay t·hat the
JDdia.ion wu enaly folfi~led, when the Ca-
muita .became ferv-ants to the Ifraelitcs, ·who
bad been fcnranu to the Egyptians. But this
it refining too much; the .phrafe of (6) flrvant
of f,maznt s is Df the fame tur.n and caft as boly of
boliei, iing of Rings, fang. of fangs, and the like.
esprdliom in fcriptute; and imports that they
O:muld be.the loweA: and bllfeft of fcrvants.
We cannot- be certain as to the time of the
delivery of this prophecy ; for the hiftory of
~·
Mofes · is fo concife, that ·it hath not gratified
u1 in thil particular. If tho prophecy was
delivered foon after the tranfaltions, which im-
mediately pre.cede in the hiftory, Noah's /Jegi11-
mng ,, /Je ti bufo1111tlman t and planting " 'UiNJard,
it was foon after the deluge, and then Canaan
WU
(S) N• CM.. . exeerat•• tarDlll j•gmn qoi .i£gyptii1 di11
prad,iural fosc ut eja1 pofleri ferviuant. Boc:hard Pb&loc•
feni dent fervoru• : atq ue id Lib. 1. Cap. 1. Col. 3, 4.
~ m. Chanaazil, tu• (6) S. Pompeiu1, ftudiil .-.
ca• fabirt coaai fuat Ifracli· cli1, libcrtwum faorum libcrta11
firwrtlllfW
 ' .
J;Jijfertations on the PROPHECIES~ 19
was prophcfied of before he was born, as it was
prophcfied of Efau and Jacob (Gen. XXV. 23.)
·the elder jhall flrrie the younger, bcfurc the chil·
'dren were /Jorn and had done eitbtr good or ml, as
St. Paul faith. {"Rom. IX. 11.} If lhe prophecy
was delivered a little before the tranfattions,
which immediately follow in the hiftory, it was
·a little before Noah's death, '
and he was
. in·
lightened . in his laft moments as Jacob was, to
f orete/ what jhould befall his poficrity in the lat-
ter Jays. (Gen. XLIX. J .) However this matter
be determined, it was feveral centuries after the
delivery of this prophecy, when the Ifrae)ites,
who ·were defcendents of Shem, under the
command of Jofuua invaded the Canaanites.
fmote above thirty of their kings, took poffeffion
of their land, flew fcveral of the inhabitants,
made the Gibconitcs and others fervants and
tributaries, and Solomon afterwards fubdued
the reft. (2 Chron. VIII. 7, S, 9.) As for all
tht peopk that were left of the Hittites, and the
.Amarites, and the Perizzites, and the Hi'Vites,
•ntl tht Je¥es, which were not of lfrael~ ht
ef their childrm 'Who were lejt after thnn in the
land,
/'"10fTllllf111/trtlfll; fpecio61 in- ius 11. 83. Infra fcrvos client.
ridcns ut parent humillimi1. -From fome M. S. notes of •
Vcllcias Patcrc. II. 73. Hie Mr. Walfe's in the hands of
YCl'O valet pojlr~ ftT'Vfll'""'· Dr. Jorrin.
Vid. Salluft. Fragm. Id. Vcllc-
C z (7) ~ede'a
:zo Df/!ertations on the .PR o P .HE c r Es.
land, whom the children of !frael confumed not;
them did Solomon make to pay tribute until this
4ay. But of the children qf !frael did Solomon
make no fervants for his worll : but they were men
of war, and chief of his captains, and captains ef
bis chariots and hoifemen. The Greeks and
Romans too, who were defcendents of Ja-
pheth, not only fubdued Syria and Palefiine,,
but alfo purfued and conquered fuch of the
Canaanites as were any where remaining, as
for infianc~ t~e Tyrians and Carthaginians, the
former of whom were ruined by Alexander and
the Grecians, and the latter by Scipio and the
Romans. cc This fate," fays (7) Mr. Mede,
" was it that made Hannibal, a child of Ca-
te naan, cry out with the ~mazement of his
" foul AgTJojco fortunam Carthaginis, I acknow-
,, /ege the jQrfune of Carthage." And ever
fince the miferable remainder of this people
have been fiaves to a foreign yoke, firft to the
Saracens, who defccnded from Shem; and af-
terwards to the Turks, who defcended from
Japheth;
(7)Mede'sWorks B.1. Dire. corrumpu. Calmeton the. text.
50.p.zS+.Livy.Lib.27.in fine. So Ainfworth too.
(8) M:ileditliu pater Canaan
&c. Arab, · (r) ~idam fubaucliunt '~M
. jater, qaod paulo ante bis cx-
(9) Lea Septante dam quel- preB'um.eft:, Malcdidus Cham
qoes exemplaires, au lieu de ·pater Chanana:orum. :Vatab.
Canaan, Hfent Cham, comme fi 1a locum.
le tcxto ciui porcc C&Dun ctoit
(2) M7
 Dijfertations ·on tlie PR o PH E c r E $:~ 2I
.•
Japhetb; and they groan under their dominion
at this day~ . '
Hitherto we have explained the prophecy
according to the prefent copies of our bible :
but if we were to correct the text, as we iliould
any ancient. claffic author in a like cafe, the
whole perh_aps might be made eafier and·
·plainer. Ham the jathtr of Canaan is menti-
one~ in the preceding part of the ftory ; and
how then came· the perfon of a fudden to be .
changed into Camzan? The {8) Arabic verfion
in thcfe three vei'fes hath the father of Canaan
inftead of Canaan. Some ( 9) copies of the
Septuagint likewife have Ham inftead of Canadn,
as if Canaan was a corruption of the text.
Vatablus and others ( J) by Canaan underftand
the fatbtr of Canaan, which was e:xpreffed twice
bcfo;e. And if we regard the metre, this
line C.Urftd /Je Canaan, is much lhorter. than the •
reft, ( 2) as if fomething was deficient. May we
not foppofe therefore, {without taking fuch li-
berties as Father Houbigant bath with the
Hehrew
(a) My f11fpicion bath fince lege and judgment in thent
been conlir~d by the reverend matters, in his new traufiation
and learned Mr. Green, Fellow and commentary on the! fong of
of Clare-Hall i11 Cambridge 1 Deborah, the prayer C!f Haba-
wboia admirably wc:ll fkilled in
bk, &c. He afi'erts, that ac-
thc Hebrew language and He- cording toBifuopHare's metre,
brew metre, and hath given the words ham ahi are ilecdfary
abuDClaDc proofs of his k:now- to fill up· the vcrfe, He pro-
C 3 · pofcp;
 ·22 Dijfertation1 Dn t& P1.0PirKcrE s.
Hebrew text) that the copyifl: by milbke wroh!i
only Canaan infl:ead of Ham the father of Canttan-,
and that the whole paffage was· originally thus l
And Ham the jather oj Canaan faw the mrludmfl
ef his jather, antJ told his two brethren without.-
Ana Noah awoke from bis wine, tz11d knew wbd
bts yo"ng,·r Son hatJ time unto him. And he .Jaid·
Cuifed be Ham th~ father of Canaan; 11 flrvant
oj fi'rvants fhali he be unto his brethrm. ·And h1
faid, Bidfad 6e tbe Lord God of Shem ; and Ham
the father. of Canatlll foal/ he Jervant to them..
God jhall inlarge j11pheth; and he foal/ d<Well ilt
the tmts ·of Shem ; and Ham the f~ther of C4•
nao11 Jhall bt jtrriant to them. ·
By this reading all the three fons of Noah
are included in the prophecy, whereas other.
wife Ham, who was the offender, Is excluded.,
or is only puniihed in one of his children. Ham
• is characterized a5 tk j atber of Canaaa partieth
larly, for the greater encouragement of the 1'.
riclitts, wl'io wer~ going t9 h1vaj~ the land of
· ~anaan;

pafc1 a f"1'ther ~endation of asiother, and would read t.h~

fhe text, 6y the omi8ion of one • whok prophecy ~us. ~ord'!
pne, aud the µanfpofltion of ilig to ~c ~cp-e,
And ?iloa~ wd.
Curfed be Ham the fjtbu ol Claman ;
• A. ferva11t of fcnanta ji~l he be to hi1 bretlQa.
And he faid,
lJlc(ed be Jehov~ $he Qod ~ ~licm ~
 •
Diff1"tllitlu On tAe
P1t0PHBCIES. 2j
C-1MaA : l'nd when it iB faid Cu,.~4 k 8Mt tk
fathw If~ ; "fervtm1 ef ./trU41ttl ,!Jldl IN ""'
_,, bi's j,-111,ra; 'it is impliea that hie wholcr
~ was d~ to fcrvitude; but panic:ulart,
die CaaamitA Not that this wu to rake ef&a
immtdiarely, but was t\l be fulfilled in proccft
of time, when they lhould forfeit their liber-
ties by dJeir wiekednefs. Ham at firft fubduetl
me of the polb:l!ity. of Shem,. as Canaan fame·
time& conqucrtd Japheth .; the CartbGgini&n.a
who were originaHy Canaanites, did partic0Jarl7 .
in Spain and Italy: but in time they were to.
be fubdued, and to become fcrnnts to Shem
and Japhetb; and the change of their fortURC
from good to bad would render the curk; SI
more •i'1ble. Egypt was tlw kmd of Hizm, M
it is often called io fcripture; and fur many
years it wn a great and ~ing kingdom-t
but it waa fobdued by the· PeriaDi, who de.. •
feenclcd from Shem, and afterwards f)y the
Grecian~, who defcended from Japbeth; ~nd 1
from that time to this it hath coniantly been
in
For he 1ball dwelt in the tents of Shea~
God ftlall inlarge Japheda ;
And Canaan ihl.11 be their krvaat.
Ifyoa will not allow this emen. to reader tile {eafe dearer and
dation to be right and ceruiil, plainer, add to irive u nery
yec I thi~oa maft allow h put ita jdweislirud·propor·
10 be pr le and ingeniour, tioa, ·
C + (3) Chun
 ~+ Dijfertations 'on 1& Paoi>Hl'cr1s;
·: j.n Jubja.'tion to fome ·or other of the pofterity
Of Shem or Japheth. The whole conrincnt.
of, (3) Africa .was : pac>pled principally by the
children of. Ham : and for how many ages have
the better parts of that country lain ·under tba
dominion· of the Romans, and then of the Sa-
r~cens, and now of the Turks? in what wick..
~dnefs, ignorance, barba~ity, Oavery., miiery, livQ
moft .. of the inhabitants? and of the poor ne-
groes };low many ~undreds every year are fold
a~d bought like. ~afis ip. the mar}<..et, and are
~<;mveyed from .one quar~r of the w<;>rlQ to ~­
~he ~od~ of beafis jn a~h~r ?
. Nothiqg f:iilD .be: ~or<; coniplete than the exc"
~ution .vt. the: feptence upon Ham a, well as upoq
(J(lnaan; and now let us -confider .the promife~
niade to Shfm andJaphet~. ,dnd he faid (ver.26.).
'13/effad. he: tb.e Lo~J .G9_d. pf Shem; .atid Canaan
,, {hall Ct ~is firvan~: Qr rath~r, 1111d c,naan foal'
/;e jervpnf to them, .. or .thez'r farv".nt. that is to his
hrethren.,., fof ihat, ~s: w~ obfervcd before, is
tµ~ ..~~in, part; Qf tJ?e ;prophe~y~: aQd theref9rq
j~ fo frequently repeate"d. A learned (4) critic
in the Hebrew la!Jguage, w_ho hath lately pub'."
~filed fome · rt:Ulark~. <m. tpe .~tinted ti~brew
text1
. (J) Pam l~cet -~lediau~ in muodi divifio~e, illi p;zter
pon tamen fait exclqf111 a tcrre- ..!Egyptum alq 11e Africam uni~
~s beni:di~onibua;_~ip,rf ve~fam, Syria:.magnapars ~~~
Ug1t.
 Dijfert11titlm on tb. PROPHECIES• 25:.
text, faith that " if it Oiould be thought prcfe- .
'' ·rable to ·refer the word 6lt81d diredly to ·
" Sbmi, .aa .the .word t1Jrfad is to Canaan; the
" words may be (and perhaps more pertinent..
~ ly) readercd-blefi'ed of Jehovah, my God,
u .be Shem! Sec Gen. XXIV: 3 1 ." Or if we
choofe (a$ moft perliaps will choofe) to .follow
our own as well· as all the ancient verfions, we
may obferve ·that the old patriarch doth not fay
BleffoJ·/Je Slit,,,,· as he faid, Curfed 6t Con8t:in J for
mens evil f pringeth of tticmfelves, but their
good from .God : and therefore ·in ·a ftrain of
dcvotiQn he breakcth forth into thankfgiving to
God as tho author of all good to Shem. Nei..
IBer doth he fay the fame to Japhath; for God
eertaioly · may. d;fpenfe his particular favors ac...
c0rding to his good pleafur~, and· falvation was
to be derived to mankind thro' Shem and his
poftcrity. God prcf.crs Shem to his c-lder br~
ther Japheth, as Jacob was- afterwards preferred
to Efau, and David. to his elder brothers, to
ibow that. the order of grace ia not always tho
jiune ~ U.e 9rd~ of natur~. T~ Lord ~ein&
~c4 the God of Shem particularly, it is plainly
intim~ted tli~t the ~~'1 W0'1ld ~ ~is God in a
.. - • . particular
ugit aro. Bocharti PJialeg, (4) ~ JC.enni~tt'a Diifcr.
~· + Cap.~· Q>l. ao3. C.UO.Jl~ P• 561.
Cs> DoCbart
s6 Differtatiola Oii i/,, Pao-r H·:1c111~
particular 'manner. And· accordingly the churcll:
of God was among the pofterity G>f Shem fol"'
feveral generations; aod of 'bem ( R.om. IX. 5.}
as tfJllcenting ibt Jefo Cbrifl camt. ·
But frill Japbeth was not difmiS"cd without a
promife. (ver. 27.) God j/Mll i11/a,gt Japhttb,
allll he fld/J dweJJ i11 tbe lntts ol Sbe111 ; and Qr..
naan jhlill ./JI .faruanl to tbem, or tbeir ·jtnJatrt.
God jha/J inlarge Japbetb. Some render tho
word (it is fo rendered in the margin of oui
bibles.) God lhall ptifU4tk or 11/lure Japhcth, fo
that· he lhall come over to the true religion,
and dwtll in the tents of Sbe111. But the (5) bcfti
<Zritics in the language have remarked, bcfidca
other rctafons, that they who tran1late the word
by perfuade or allure> did not. confider, that
when it is fo taken, it ii ufed in a i:aci fenk.
and governs an accufative cafc, and not a datiYC
as ia this place. GoJ foall m/drge :Japhnh is the
beft rendririg ; and in the original there i& • mar.
. raifeft aUufi0n to Japheth'a name, '1ch as. ii
fimiliar to the Hebrew wriRn. As ia Wiii faid of
Noah, (Gen. V. 2 9.) This famt fl"" eolll}irt us., tho
nam•
(5) Bochart Phaleg. Lib. 3. dM6one amplitimma illi por-
Cap. 1. Col. 149. Cleric111 ia tionem habitaadam De111 di~
loc. &c. net. Quad Deam abuacie pnJ.
(6)--iis omnino aa'entier, tt&iS"• btim •1aotc:et. q,aifcplil.
qui per hzc verlla'voJant J•· pre• Kwo,.aqllAIUll qa-.
Jlaccbo proaitti fore 11tin tm'Z cft, ad Japhcchi ponioncm per·
4 tinere
 - -,

DiffertlltiMll iJ• ihl Pa M 11'aci B...

0
•1 .
ldme of Noa/I being·thought to fignm, ~S'
As it is &id. of Judah; (Ori. XL'IX. &. ) 'Iholl m
IN uhm th] lwt1brm jMJJ ;raife, and dw dllH
of Judah fignines praifo: As it ii fafd ef Ditty
(vcr. i 6.) Dilfl f>m/I faJg~ Dis Jilllk:, and th• ·
name of IM1' fignifies je:JgitJg : As it ·is faid ef
Gad, (vier. t9-} .4 trooJ fh"'J. M;utw bi111; and
the name of Giid ignifies a tr-0, CJ11 company:
8oir•&~h~eGodjlMHi7'1tlrge-:1dlJll1etb, Mid
the name ef yapjetb Ognifies in/arK""""· Was
Japheth then more inJart1J thaD lbe rcft P Ya
be Wal OOth in tmiliory and m driJclren.. The
territories af Japhdh's poicriey wtre indeed
very large, for (6) beides all Earapt, g~at
and elltenfi~ M it is, tbC1 petrefftd the Ic6cr:
Atia, Meda, part of Armenici, Iberia, Albania.
and tbofe vaft regions towardl the north, whiE:~
;mcStntly- ~e Sey~iaM Inhabited, and JIOW ct.
Tartars inhabit J and it Ni not improbable that
the ·new world was peopled t,, i>mc· of .hia
northern dcfcendents .,afi"mg thither by the
ftraits of Anian. The in/11rgllllt1lt· of Japh«h
may alfo dcn«e a aumerous progeny at wtll at
amplo
daere • bit. Alam llllao- Ut de IMtYG orbe &a~m,- in
rem, e~am, ~t Armeniie qiaem per &etmn Alrieis mi-
l
,.nea. ec Iberia, et Alba. ra5e Scythia NrG aoa el ab..
ma., et va4iiimu illu regio- mj}e. BOcharti Phaleg,Lib. J•
_. Id Boream. quaa olim Scy- C•P· , • c.i. 1 ~·
dle, JaQdic Tanari ebcilaent.
(7)Et
I·
:a 8 D_ijfertations on i!Je P .Ro PH E c 1 E s;
ample territory : and if you conftllt the genca.;
logics of· the ·three brothers comprifed in the
fOJlowing chapter, you will find that Japheth
had ft'Vtn. ions~ whereas Ham had only four,
and Shem only foe: and the northern hive
·(as Sir William Temple denominates it} was
always remarkable for its fecundity, and hath
been continually pouring forth f warms, and
fending out colonies into the more fouthem
parts, both in Europe an~ in Afia, both in
former and.in later times.
The following claufe, """ he jhall dwell ;,,
the tents ef Shem, is capable of a double con-
:firuetion,; for thereby may be meant either that
G.od or that 'Japbetb foal/ dwell in the tents of
Shem ,; in the tents of Shem, faith he fpeaking
acoording to the .fimplicity of thofe tiµies,
when men dwelt in tents and not in houfes.
They who prefer the former conftruetion, feem
to. have the authority of the original te:xt on
their fide ; for there is no other noun to govern
the verb~ in the period, bot (Zod ; there is no
pronoun in the Hebrew, anfwcring to the be
which is i'nferted in our Englith tranflation :
an·d the whole fentence would run thus, God
viii inllzrge 'Japbetb, and will d'IPtll in Jhe tents
ef Shem : and the Chaldcc of (7) Onkelos alfo
' thus
(7) Et Jiabitare faciet gloriam f11am in tabernac11lia Sem.
(8) See
 Dijfertations on ·t!Je Pao'P HICtl s. .a9
thus paraphrafeth it, 1111d will make his glory ~
hell in the t1Jhrn11clts of Shem. . T~cy whq
prefer the latter confirullion, feem to have
done it, that they might refer ~s 27th· vcrfe
wholly to Japheth, ~s they refer the 26th
.whoJJ1 to Shem: but. the other appears to me
the more nalural and eafy conftr.ucµon. Tak~~
in either fcnfe, the prophecy hath been moft
punetually fulfilled. In the former fcnfe it waa
fulfilled litterally, when the Sbttmnab or.divine
prefeoce refted on the ark, . and dwelt in the
tabernacle and temple of the Jews; and whc11-
tbt Word 'Who was 'With God 1Jnd was God (Joh~
I. I.) 1n,,11t110-r11, pitched his tent, tmd Jwe(t
11111rmg us. (ver. 14.) In th~ latter fenfe it was
fulfilled firft, when the Greeks and Remans,
who fprung originally from Japhcth, fubduecl
and poffdfcd Judea and other countries of Afia
belonging to Shem; and again fpirituaUy, whe~
they were profelyted to the true religion, an4
they who .were not lfraclites by birth, bccamo
lfraclites by fajth, and lived, as we and many
others of Japheth's poftcrity do at this day,
within the pale of the church of Chrift.
What think you now ? Is not this a moft ~x­
traordinary prophecy ; a prophecy that was deli"'.'
vered near four thoufand years ago, and yet hath
been fulfilling thro' the feveral periods of
time
30 DilfertatiOltl Ml tbe p R OP H ! CI ES.
time to this day r It is both wonderful and in·
RruClivc. It 18 ·the ·hlllory of the world as it
were in epitome. And hence we arc enabled
to corrcCl ·a miftake of one author, and expofc
the petulance of another.
J. The firft is the learned and excellent Mr.
Mede, an author 2lways tO be read with im-
provement, and to be correfted with reverence :
but yet I conceive, that he hath carried matters
too far in afcribing more to this prophecy than
really belongs to it. For difcourfing of the dit:.
pcrfions anti habitations of the fons of Noah,
he (8) faith that u there hath never yet been a
re fon of Ham, who hath lhakcn a fcepter over
" the head of Japbeth; Shem hath fubdued
cc Japneth," and Japheth hath fubdued Shem,
cc but Ham never fubdu~ either :.. and this
pafrage hath been cited by feveral (9) commen-
tators to illuftrate this prophecy. But this
•orthy pci:fon furcly did not recolleet, that
Nimrod, the firft 'monarch in the world, was
the fon of Cufh, who was the fon of Ham·.
(Gen. X.) Mifraim was another fon of Ham:;
he was the father of the Egyptians, and the
Egyptians detained the lfraelites in bondage fe-
\leral years. Shilhak ·king of Egypt ·ru~dued
Rehoboam
«- (l}sCeMedc'sWorks B. 1. DifC•.if-9 and 50. p. 283. Edit. 1672.
· (9) P&tnck.
 Dijfertrztitms on the PaoPH~CIEs. 3·1
llehdx>am king of Judah. {1 Kings XIV.)
Seilftris king of Egypt (the fame probably as
Shdhak) conquered great part of Europe and of
Aiia,, if there is any faith ·in ancient hiftory.
The .Carthaginians ·too, woo defcended from
tlte Canaanitas, as we noted before, gained fe&-
veral viaories over the Romans in Spain and
· Italy. Jt is a ·mift:akc tbetefure to fay that
Ham never fubdued Shem or Japheth. It is
enough if ·he hath generally and for much the
greatefi: part of time been a fervant to·thcm, as
be realty hath been fur two· or three thoufand
years, and ·(:Ontinues at prcfcnt. This fuffici..
~y vermes the prediaion; ·and WC 1hould CX•
ceed the limits· of truth, if we thonld extend it
&rtber. W c might almoil as well fay (as fome
have faid) that the complexion of the blacks was
in confcqucncc of Noah's curfe. But though
Ham hath in fome ioftances and upon fome oc-
cafions been fuperior, yet this is memorable
enough, that ofthe four famous monarchies of the
world, the Afi'yrian, Perfian, Grecian, and Ro-
man, the two former were of the defcendents of
Shem, as the two latter were of the fonsof Japheth.
2. The other is the famous author of the
~ · on the ftudy and ufe of hiftory, who
. hath

(9) Patrick, Ice.

(1) Letter
 32 Dijfortations on .the Pa. o PH 1 c IE s.
hath firangely abufed his talents in abufing this
prophecy. For the true. meaning and exact
completion of it rightly confidered, what room
js there for ridicule 'i and how abfurd and im-
pertinent as well as grofs and indecent are his
tcfiettions ? " The curfe, fays ( 1) he, pro-
" nounced in it contradicts all our notions ·of
cc order and of juftice. One is tempted to
er' think, that the patriarch was fii~l drunk ;
cc and that no man in his fenfes could hold
cc fuch language, or pafs fuch a fentcnce.''
But fuch will be the cafe, when men of more
parts than judgment ta1k a~d write about things
which they do not fufficiently underftaod; and
efpecially in matters of religion, whereof they
are by no means competent judges, ·.having
either never ftudied them at all, or. frudied them
fuperfi.cially and with prejudice. All that he
bath written relating to thefe fubjects betrays
great weaknefs in a man of his capacity, wcak-
ncfs great as his malice ; and we might have
an eafy vielory over afi"ertions without proofs.,
premifes without c01:1clufions, and conclufiona
without premifes. But I love not controverfy,
and will only make two or three rcflcetions,
juft to give a fpecim~n o( the boafied learning
and abilities of this writer.
His
(1) Letter the 3d. P• 110.
(.z) Lett..-
•
 }ji!fariations tm the PR o PH Ec r Es. 33
His lordfuip feemeth to take a particular
pleafure in railing at pedants, at the fame time
that be is himfelf one of the moll: pedantic of
writers, if it be pedantry to make a vain oftcn-
tation of learning, and to quote authors without
either reading or underfianding them, or even.
knowing fo much as who and what they arc.
u The Codex Alexandrinus, ( 2) faith -he, we
" owe to George the monk.'' We are in·
dcbtcd indeed to George the monk, more ufu-
ally called Syncellus, for what is intitlcd Ytttll
CbroRicon or an old chronicle. But the <Ade:t
,,A/e*11/1rimu is quite another thing ; it .i,, ae
all the learned know, tbe firmous Greek MS.
of the. Old and New T eftamcnt, brought ori.
ginally. from Alexandria, and prcfented to
Charles I, and now remaining in the King's li-
brary, of which it doth not appear that George.
the monk knew any thing, and it is evident
that his lordlhip knew nothing. If he meant
to fay the Chronicon Alexan'lirinum, that is fiill
another thing, and the work of another author.
His lordlhip is of opinion, (j) that " Virgil
" in thofe famous verfes Excudent alii &:c
I"
cc might have juftly afcribed to his countrymen
" the praife of writing hifiory better than the
~ " Ore-
(a) Letter the aft. p. 8. (3) Letter the 5th. p. 158. &c.
Voi.. I. D • (+) Virail
•
34- Di.f!ertatirms on the P aoP H ic Is s.
cc Grecians," But which are the Roman hif-
cc tories, that are to be preferred to the Grecian f
Why, " the remains, the precious remains,,,
fays his lordlhip, cc of Saluft, of Livy, and of
" Tacitus." But it happened that (4) Virgil
died, before Livy had written his hiftory, and be-
fore Tacitus was born. And is not this an ex-
cellent chronologer now to correct all ancient
.hiftory and chronology facred and profane?
His lon:Hhip is likewife pleafcd to fay, (5)
that '' Don Q!!ixote believed, but even Sancho
" doubted :" and it may be afi"crted on the
other ide, that Sir lfaac Newton believed the
prophecies, though bis lordiliip did not, the
principal reafon of which may be found perhaps
in the different life and morals of the one and
the other. Nay the wifeft politicians aEd hifto-
rians have been believers, as well as the grcateA
philofophers. Raleigh, and Clarendon believed;
Bacon, and Locke believed ; and where then is
the difcredit to revelation, if Lord Bolingbrokc
was an infidel ? ./1 {corner, as Solomon faith,'
(Prov.XIV. 6.) fieketh wifdom, lllld jintlnb it not.
But there cannot be a fironger condemnation
-of his Jordlhip's conduB-, than his own words
upon another occafion in his famous Difi"erta- ··
tion upon parties. " Some men there arc, the
Cl peftt
(4)Virgildied.A. U.C.735. biJh1d J.ia hi.ftery in 745'•
Livy acc:ordin1 eo l>odW'clJ Tacitu•
 .
b!fferiaiioni on the PaoPH!CIES; S.>
h peas of fociety I think them, who pretend
h a great regard to religion in general, but
re who take emy opporturii~ of declaiming
" publicly againA: that fyA:em of; religion, or
t 1 at leaft · againft that church•eftablilhment,.
" •hich is received in Britain. Juft fo 1hc
1~ nitn,. o; whom I have been fpe"aking, aff'cll.
" ·a: great regard· to liberty in gcnerai ; ·but they
cc diOike (o much the fyfiem of Ii~ efia~
11 blHhed in Britain, that they are in~eiltnt' in

cc their tneeYors to puzzle the plaineff thint

-· ift. the world, and- to refine and diftingei~
tc away the life and ftrength of· our cfodllirui.
ll' tion, in favor o~· the li1tle;· prerent, mbnlc~

"' tary tums; which· they· are retained ~o krvt'.

" W&at now would be the confequence, if an
'' thcfe cndcvors fuould fuccecd? I am per-
•• fuaded that the great phifofophers, divind,
11 lawyers, and politicians, ·who ciert them,,

• have not yet prepared and . agreed upon the

" plans of a new ·religion, and of new ·con"ffi-
cc tutions in church and ftate. We fhouid ind·
" ourfelvea therefore without any form ,of re-
., Jigion, or civil government. The 6rfi: fet of
cc thefe miffionaries would take off all the: re-
" ftraints of religion from the governed ; and
" the
Tacltu wu con(al in 850. (s) Lener the 4th. p. uo.
See Fabricias. ·
.D a (6) R11fll-

-
 Dijfertations ~n tlie PR. o PH E c IE 3.·
Cl the latter {et would remove, or render in--
Cc cffedual, all the limitations and controlls,
cc which liberty hath prefcribed to thofc that
cc govern, and disjoint the whole frame of our
cc confiitution. Entire diffolution of manners,
cc confufion, anarchy, or perhaps· abfolute mo-
cc 11archy, would follow ; for it is poffible,
" nay probable, that in fuch a ftate as this,
er and. amidft fuch a rout of lawlels favagcs, men
" would choofe this government, ab!urd as it
" is, rather than have no gqvernment -at all."
It is. to be lament~d that fuch a genius lhould
be {o 'employed : but the mifapplication of thofc
.excellent talentS: with which God had intruftcd
him, was his reigning fault through every ftage,
.through every fcene of life• That which Lord
( 6) Digby faid of the great Lord Stafford, may
with more truth and .juftice be affirmed of him,
that -Jh~ ma1ignity of his praClices was hugely
agg~avated by thofc rare abilities of his, whereof
God had given him the ufe, but the devil the
application.
{6) llufhworth. Vol. 4. p. :u5.

II. 72rt
 D!lfertations on the Pa.or H :acuu. 37

II.
71.Je propheci~ concerning .Is HM AB L·
. .

A BRAHAM was the patriar~h of grcateft

renown next after the times .of Noah.
He was favored with feveral revelations; and
from him two very extraordinary nations de-
{ccndcd, the Ilhmaelites and Ifraelites, conccrp-
ing each of whom there are fome remarkable
prophecies. Ilhmae], tho' the fon of the
bond-woman, and not properly the child of
promife> was yet diftingui1hed by fome cX-
prcfs prcditlions for the comfort and fatisfaetion
of both his parents. In the 16th chapter of
Genefis, when Hagar fled from tht face if htr
mijlrtfi wbo had dealt hardly with btr, the angel
ef tht Lord found her in thl 'Wildernefs, and /aid
111110 her, Return to ihy mij/f'efs, 1Znd fohmit tby-
fi!J under her hands. And tbt angel of tht Lord
faiJ unto her, I will multiply th, fled tX&1tdingly,
that it foal/ not he numhereJ for multitutll. A"rJ
the 11ngel of the Lord faid unt1 ber, &hold thou
art with child, and jhalt ·/Jear a. Jon, and jhalt
&all his name ljhmael (that is God ihall bear)
· D3 /Jecaufo
 l)ijfarta#ons 01J t/Je PR or H xc I 1 s.
/Jecdufe tbe Lord hatb heard thy ajliilion. ~
bt 1Dill /Je a wil~ ""'" ; /,;s h(lnd will 01 againjl
t'IJtty """' , and every (IJan's banJ againft bi111;
1md be jhall dwell in the prefence of all his !Jre-
thren. (~~r. 6, y, 9, 10, u, 12.) In the fol~
Jowing chapte~, ·when Ifaa~ was promifed tq
Abraham._ God ftill r~ICrvcd a blcffing for Iili-
m~el, ·aeho4J I havt /Jle.ffed hi111, and wi/J 111alle.
him .fruitfal, an~ 'l!Jf!I m1:1ltiply him exceedingly :
t'l(J!l'Ut prince~ Jhall be 6eget, t1nd I will make bin
(I gru!i ~4tiDn. (ver. ~o.) Afterwards when Ha-
gar an~ Hh~ael were fent forth into the wil":'
dcrncfs, God faid ·unto Abraham, (Oen. XXI.·
13.) .And fi!fa of the Jon of the hond-'Woman 'Will .f
f!la'e '! #a(#on, hec(luje he is ibJ .foe~. Th~
farhe is repeated to Haga~, (ver. J 8.) I 'Will
make him a great n(ltion. And if we arc;
carious to trace th~ courfe of even~, we 1haU
fee ~o~ cxa¢lly thcf~ particulars h~vc bceq
f~Uilled f~om th~ e~rli~ft ~o~~ ~ ~e prefcn~
times. ·
1;,
~ "'!;// fll!J/tiply fied e~feedi,,gly, tl;at it jhaO
n~t he 11u111./Jtred far ·multitude: and again, Bt~
bold I have /Jleffed bt'm, ""' 'llJi/I lf!llA~ hi,,, fr:uitf"I,
4nJ 'Will m~lt;p&, b(111 ~~e'e(lingly. T~cfe P&tragea
evince tbat the prop~ecy doth ~ot fo ·properly
relate to Ilhma~l~ ~s. t~ bis pofrerity, ~ich ia
~er~ . ~or~told to ~ verr ~u~ero~~· l(hmacl
." .
marric<t
• I "'4
 Differt1'iom on 1/je PaoPHEcn:s.·· 39
mamed an' Egyptian .woman, as his mother
was 11ikewife an Egyptian : (Gen_. XXJ. 21.)
and in a few years his family was incrcafed fo, ·
that in the 37th chapter of Genefis we read of
.lthmaelitcs trading into Egypt. Afterwards
hia feed was multiplied exceedingly in the Ha-
garencs, who probably were denominated from
Dil mother Hagar; and in the Nabatllzan1,
wlao had their name. from his ~n Ncbaioth 1·
aod in the ltarcans, who were. fo called from
his fon Jetur or ltur; and in the Arabs, .cfpe· _
cially the Scenites, and the Saracens, who over-
ran a grea~ part of the world : and his de.fee~
dcota, the Arabs, arc a very numerous ·people
at this day.
'Tflltlw ;rincts foal/ hi htgtt. Thia circuµi-.
ftaace is very particular, · but it was puntl~lly
fulfilled ; and Mofcs hath given us the names
of thcfe twelve princes. (Gen. XXV. 16.)
'ibtfo are tbe Jons of ljhmael, a111i thtji are thlir
aa111ts, /Jy their tDWns, and /Jy thlir cajlles; tf/Jtlw
tnnces according to thtir nations : by which we
are to underftand, not that they were fo many
diftina fovrao princes, but only beads of clana
a- tribes. Strabo frequently mentions tbe Ara-
Wan 111J"1rtbs as he denominates them. or
rulen of tribes: and Melo, quoted by Eufebiot
from Akander PolyhiRor, a heathen hift~· ·
D 4 rian,
I 40 Dijfertations on the PR o PH E c 1 E s~
rian, relates ( 1) that " Abraham of his Egvp-
" tian wife begat 12 fons (he lhould have !~id
" one fon who begat 12 fans) who d~part;ng ·
cc into Arabia divided the region between thtm,
" and were the firfi kings of the inhabitants J
" whence even to our days the Arabians have
" twelve kings of the fame names as the 6rft."
And ever fince the people have been governed
by phylarchs, and have lived in tribes ; and fiill
continue to do fo, as ( 2) Thevenot and other
modern travelers tefiify.
And I will make him a great nation• . This is
repeated ·twice or thrice; and it was accom-·
plifhed, as foon as in the regular courfe of na-
ture it could be accompliihed. His feed in pro-.
cefs of time grew up into a great nation, and
fuch they continued for feveral ages, and foch .
they remain- to this day. They might indeed
cmphaticaJJy be fiiled a great nation, when tho.
Saracens had made thofe rapid and extenfiva
ccnquefis, and ereCted on~ of the largcft em..
pires that ~ver were in the world•
.dnJ ht will /Je a wild.mpn. In the original it .
.is
(1) •• ~· 'l'Yf ~1~ a"'*' "f'M' ....,..~. Ex A:gypti•
91tnt100.• tiir1< 1fJ, ~ I.. "' Ae- liberos d•odecim geuuilfc:, 4111.i·
I!••• •r~'"'lllC l ..~~1111 .,,,, in Arabiam .profefli eam int'{
')(.t1pa• aciu fJ-•>-111-• {e diviferint locique hominibu1
•{*'Tiii
,...,, •fX"'P"'L .Sn ;.i, -9 fil"'C principcs·imperariiat: ex .qJlft
~,t,~ "'"' ~,,v1>-•1J W"'' fatlum fit, ut reges Araburq
cl11odc~i~
 Diffsrtations on the PROPHBCIBS~ 4~.
is a wifd-a{s man, and the learned (3) Bocbart
tran1lates it tam-ferus quam onager, as wild u a
wild ai6 ; fo that that thould be eminently true .
of him, which in the book of Job (:XL. 12.) is
affirmed of mankind in genera), .M4tz is bom
/ilu a wl/J 11.ffes colt. But what is the nature of
the creature, to which Jfhmael is fo particu..
Jarly compared ? It cannot be defcribcd better
than it is fo the fame book of Job. (XXXIX.
5, &c.) WhtJhlltbfint1uttbevJi/J afsfruf or
who hdtb loofid the /JanJs. of the wild afi? W/x;ft·
Jxmfl 1 haw lllllM the ·vikkrnefs, and the /J11rrm
/t111d llis tltMl/ings. He faornetb the multit11Je ef
tbl &ifJ, anther regardetb be. tbe cryi11g of tl:Jt ·.
i/riwr. 'l1N r1111ge of the mountains is his paflurt,
and be flare/Jeth aftef' t'V"J grttn thing. · Ilhmael ·
therefore and bis. pofterity were to be wild,
Jierce, favage, ranging in the deferts, and not
dafily foftened and tamed to fociety : and who;.
ever _bath read or known any thing of thie peo-
ple, knoweth this to be their true and gcnllil\
cbaraBer. It is fajd of Hbmacl, (Gcn.XXI. 20.)·
shat be tiwelt in the 'llJiiJernefi,. and /Jecam~ ·4n
arcbtr:
\:. ··.
daodecim primis i ··· (2) See Part 1. B. 2.· C. 32.
mines ad noftra 11 ~ ,likewife Harris's Voyages
aamerencur. Ea : . ol. z. Book 2. Ch•P· ·9.
Evang. Lib. 9. Cap. I~ .. (3) Hlcrmoit. Pars prior.
ldit. ViJcri. · Lib. 1- Cap. 16. Col. 878.
(4) Am-
4a Di.ffertations on lbe PROP H 1c1 B s~
areber : and the fame is no lefs true of hia de..;
fcendents than of himfelf. He t/vJelt in tlM
'llJil•rntfi; and his M>ns ftill inhabit the fame
wildernefs, and many of them neither fow nor
plant (4) aa:ording to the beft accounts ancient
and modern. .AnJ he /Jtcamt an archer ; and
(Q.Cb were the Itureans, whofe ( 5) bows and
~ows arc famous in all authors; fuch were the
mighty men of Kcdar in Ifaiah's time; (If. XXI.
JJ7,) and fuch the Arabs have been from the
beginning, and are at this time. It was late
before they admitted the ufc of fire arms among
them ; (6) the greater part of them are ruu tlran-
gers to them, an~ ftill continue flcilful archers.
His band viii k again.JI e1Jtry man, and rvt'1
'1flltl's band again/I him. The one ia the natural,
and almoft nece1fary ~onfcguanf:e of the other.·
Ithmacl lived by prey and rapin iµ. th~ wilder.·
nefs 1 and his pofterity have all along iofefted
·Arabia and tha neighbouring ~ountries witb
their robberies and inc:urfions. They live in •·
ftate of continual war wi~h the reft of tho
world, and arc. both robbers by land, and
pirates by fca. As they have been !u~h en~.
mica
(4) Ammiana1 Marcellinus. Ct)-ltyreos taxi tor,uentar
L~b. 14. Cap." 4. p. 14. Edir. in arc us. Virgil. Georg. I. 448.
Valefii Paris 1681.Harria.Vol. -Itureis carfus fuit indc fagit~
s. llook a. Chap. 9. . tis. ~ucan. VII. 230.
. (6) Thcnaot
 IJiJ'irttJti#ll on t/M ·PROPH&CllB., 4f
mies to mankind, it is no ~ that man'!'
ltind have been caemies to the~ ag~n, th• fe,.
tetal attcmpt1 have been ~ to e~tirpatc:
them i a,nd CYeD now as well .as formerly trh
vclera ar~ fo~,:ed to 'go ~itb arpls apd in cam,
wan1 or large coiDpa,iic-, am.I tp JD~ an4
~cep watch anfi guard lib a little ~y, tD .._
fend thcm~lvca 'fro~ tbc afi"a~ltJ of sa.f~ free-
booters, who ~D about i~ troops, -1. rob and
flandcr ~ whom '1iey ~n by any QlC:IQI fub.-
duc. Thefe robberies they~ (7) juftify cc by
~' alleging tlic h~ ufap of ~cir father llh-
f' m~l, who bei~g tUqJcd 0'1t of c:Joon by
cc Abraham~ ~ tbe ope'1 plain• and dc:{ert1
" given him by God fo~ his patrimony, with
·~ pcrmiffion to take w~tever he ~Jd find
~' there~ ~fl on tbia account they think
~ they may~ with ~ faf~ amfcien~, inc!emnify
f' tbcmfelvct, u well as they ~, not only on
~· the pofterity of lilac, but alfo on every body
~· elfc ; always fuppofina ~ fort of kindred be-
~· tween· dicmfclvei and thofc they plunder.
'f And in relating their adventures of this kind,
!' ~ t~~ i,t fuflicic~ to ~~n&,~ t~~ e:rpref-
" fion,

(6)ThenutqaHarri1.vo1. to tlw goran. &ea. 1. p. ,o.

2. Bqolr:. z. Chap. 9• · JI· wbae he alfo qaoca Voy-
(7) Sale'• P~lim. ~~ ... 4aaa la Plltl. p. 220. arc.
(8) Sale'•
 ++ Dif!ertations on tlie P .Ro PH E c IE s.
·~ fion, and ·inficad of I ro/J/Jed a man of fach or
"fucb a thing, to fay, I gained it." .
And he jhall dwell in the preflnce of al/ bis /Jre-
thrm ; fhall ta/Jernack, for many of the Arabs
dwell in tents, and are therefore caUed Scenites.
This is v~ extraordinary, that his band ~uld
k again.ft roery man, and every man's hand againjl
him, and .yet that he fl1ould be able to hell in
the prefince of all his brethren: but extraordi-
nary as it was, this .alfo hath been fulfilled
both · in the perfon of Ithmael, and in his
poficrity. As· for Ilhmael himfelf,. the facrcd
hillorian afterwards relates (Gen. XXV. 1711
J 8.) that the years of the life of Ijhmae/ •were
an hundred and thirty· and /roin years, mziJ he
died in tbe prefince of all his /Jrttbrm. As
for his poftcrity, they dwelt likewife in the
prefence of all their brethren, Abraham's fone
by· Keturah, ..the Moabitcs and Ammonites dc-
fcendent11 .of Lot, the Ifraelites defcendcnts of
Abraham Jfaac and Jacob, and the &lomites
defcendents of Abraham Ifaac and Efau. And
t\ley .fiill fubfift a diftintl people, and inhabit
the country _pf Jheir progenitors, notwithftand-
i~g the· perpetual enmity between them and the
reft of mankind. It may be faid perhaps that
the ~ou~t.ry was not wt>rt-h conquering, and its
barrenncfS wa~ its _pr~fervation : but this is a
mifiakc,
•

.... .
r
Dijfertations on the PaoPHECIEg. 4S
miftake, for by all accounts, tho' t~e greater
part of it be fandy ·aed barren de forts, yet here
and t}:lere are, interfperfed beautiful fpots !lfld
fruitful valleys. One par:t of the country was
anciently known and diftinguilhed by the name
of .Ara/Jia tht happy~ And now the proper Ara..
bia is by the oriental writers generally divided
into fi.ve provinces. 01' thefe the ohief it_ the
province of ·Yaman, which; as ~ (~.) learned •
writer aifcrts upon gOQd aothorites, cc has ~en
" famous from all antiquity for the happinefs
cc of its climate, i~s f~rtility and riches. Tho
cc deliJEhtfulnefs and plenty of Ya.man . are ow~
er ing to its mountains; for all that pWt which
" lies along the R:e~ ·Sea, is a dry barren de~
" fert1 ill fome places I 0 or I Z leagues OVCTti
" but in return bounded by thofe. mountains•
cc which being well watered, enjoy an. almeft:
" continual fpring, and bcfides co1fee, the pc-
" culiar produce of this country, yield. gre~t
cc plenty and variety of fruits, ~nd in particu-
cc Jar excellent corn, grapes, and fpices. The
cc foil of the other provinces is much more bar-
cc rcn than that of Yaman ; the greater part ~f
cc their territories being covered with dry fands,
cc or riting into rocks, interfperfed • here and
~c there with fome fruitful fpots, which receive
· " their
(I) Sall'• Prclim. Due. i~itl. p. 1, 3. (9l Diod.
 1Ji/,,.tatiom °" the PROPHECIB s.
tJ their greateft advantages from their watet
•• and palm trees." But if the country was
et"er lo bad, one would rbink it tbould be for
the- intereft of the neighbouring princes and
Aatee at any ha7Jal'd to foot out fuch a peR:ilent
~e of robbei-s: and attuatly ·it hath feveral
times been attoq>te<f, but never aceompJifued·.
They have from firft to laft maintained their
indepeadency:, and notwithfianding the moft
powerftil efforts for their deftruClion, am dwelt
iA the prcfence of all their brethren, and in the
~nee u elltheir enemies. .
We find that in the time of Mofcs, they
were grown up into "1Jil'Ot prmcts according to
t/Jtir ndt;f111S; (Gen. XXV. r6.) and thty thvtlt
(faith Mofes, Yer. 18.) from Ha'lli/ah unto Shur,
t64t ;, /Jtfort E17Pt, Ill thou got.JI tfJ'll)tJrm 4fhrfa:
hit yet we do not find tliat they were ever fuo-
jetl to either of their powerful neighbours, the
Egyptians or Aifyrians. The conq aeffs of Sc-
loftris,. the great king of Egypt, are much mag•
nified by Diodorus Siculur; and probably he
might fubdue fome of the weftcrn prOYinces
of
(9) Diod. Sic. Lib. 1. p. 36. Ar-Pm ~ wJ'.,,.. ...,...
P.41t. Steplau. P•-5 z.Bdit..Rho- ..,.,(2.) (llNI
~
,.., ~~ n.,.,_.,
domani. .,..,.,..., •llf"""C
{') Diod. Sic. Lib. z. p. 79· KM,..S1111V1 '1r A1,.-1er•. a1a..-
0

E.clitiSccphan.p.111 Eclii.llhod. 11•r '!If. Ac-'Hdt '°" ·till

•
ll(l.A-
.>.oiu
 Dijfertationt on the P1tOPH!c11s. .47
cf Arabia bordering upon Egypt, but he was
obliged, aa (9) Diodorus informs ua, to dravr
a lint from Heliopolis to Pelufium, to fccure
Egypt from the ~ncurfio~s of the Arabs. The~
were therefore not fubjeCb, but enemies to the
Egyptians; as -they were IJkewife to . the Affy-
ruans, for they affifted' ( t.) Belefis and Arbaces
in O\ferturning that empire; afiifted them liot
as fellow-rebels, bu~ as an independent 1tatc
with their auxiliary forces. · ··
The next great conquerors of the eaft · \iver'e
Cyrus and the Pcr6ans ; but neither he nor any
of his fucccffors ever reduted the whok
body of the Arabs to fubjeetion. They .might
conquer fomc of the exterior, but never reached
the interior parts of the country : and Heroda-
tus, the hiftorian who lived neareft to thofc
times, faith exprcfiy, that (2) the Arabs were
never reduced by the Perfians to the condi-·
tion of fubjcc9s, but were confidered by theih
u friends, and opened· to them a. paffage into
Egypt, which without the affiftance and per-
mi1J"10n of the Arabs would have been utterly
impraCticablc ;

a.. ~ •ic ~... Ara- qaibm ·in.itil ha•dqaiqQllD

bu naoqaam a Perm in fcryj. failleat iapii Perfie &gyp-
llltclll redaai wot, fed hofpita tum, H...od. Lib. 3. sea. Si.
a:titer1111t; qaum Camb76 adi- P• 198. Edie. Qal,.
laal in &gyptum pcnni6Kcnc:
+ (3) Ibid.

-
48 Dijfertations on tlie Pao PH E c 1 n s~
impraeticable ; and in ( 3) another place h1
faith, that while Pbamicia, Paleftine, Syria and
the neighbouring countries were ta.xed, the:
Arabian t~rritories continued free from paying
any tribute. They were then regarded as
friends, but afterwards they affifted with their
forces (4) Amyrtams king of Egypt againll: Da-
rius Nothus, and (5) Euagoras king of Cypru&
againfi Artaxerxes Mnemon ; fo that they aCted
as friends or enemies to the Perfians, jufi: as
.they thought proper, and as it fuited their hu-
mor or their intereft.
Alexander the great then overturned the
Perfian empire, and conquered Afia. The
neighbouring princes fent their embalfadors to
make their fu bmiffions. The ( 6) Arabs alone
difdained to acknowlege th.e conqueror, and
. fcorned to fend any embalfy, or to take .any
notice of him. This flight provoked him to
fuch a degree, that he meditated an expedition
agaiofi them ; and the great preparations which
he
(3) Ibid. Sea. 91. P· 199.- (5)Diodorus Siculus. Lib.1 S•
-~... "°'"'•T•"••)-pra::ter
,.. '>'°'P .,
T11'Ae•~'"'' p. H9· Edit. Stephani. Tom. 1.
(T11111-
p. 328. Edit.Rhodomani.Pride-
Arabum partem (hzc enim crat auxConnctl.Part1.B.7.An.386.
immunis.) (6) Strabo. Lib. 16. p. 1076.
(4) Diodorus Siculus. Lib. & 1132. Edit. Amftel. 1707.
'J3. P· 3S5· Edit, Stephen·i. Arrian. Lib. 7. p. 300. Edit..
Tom. :z. p 171. Edit. Rhodo- Gron<'vli.
mani. Prideaux Connett Part (7) Diodorus Siculus. Lib.
1. B. 6. Anno. 410. · 19. p. 7u. &c. Edie. Stephani.
Tom.
 Di.ffertatiom on· t/Je Pa.op H 1c11 s. 49
.he made for it, £bowed that he thought them
.a 'llelY formidable enemy : but death intervened,
aGd put an end to all thac his ambition or res•
fentment h~ formed againft ·them. Thus they
rhappily ekapcd ·the fury of his arms, and were
never fubdued by any of his fucccff'ors. Antigo-
nus, one of the greateft ·of his focceifors, ( 7)
-IQade tw~ ~•~Jilpts upop th~m, one by h.i,s general
Atbcmeus-, and the other by his own fon Deme-
trius, but both without fuccefs ; the former was
defeated, and the latter was glad to make: peace
.with them, and leave them at their liberty.
Neither would they fu1fer the people. employed
by Antigonus, to gather the bitumen on the
lake Afpbaltite1, whereJ:>y he h9ped grcady to
increafe his revenue. l'hc Arabs £ercely at-
tacked the workmen and the guarc)s, and
forced them to dc:fifi: from their undertaking.
So true is ·the afi"crtion of (8) Diodorus, that
" neither the Affyrians formerly, nor the kings
" of the Medea and Pcdians, nor yet of the
" Macedonians,
Tom; :a. p. 730. &c. Edit. Rho- nee Affyrii olim, nee Medi ac
domani. Perfe, imo nee Macedon11m
(8) rd' .: ~r ... .,.,..,. re~es fubigere illos ·potuere J.
•• wt' el M~•• iw· °'~"'' qui lie.et magnis in eo1 coP.¥s ·
rn Iii 11...&,,.,,- ~" ~- mover1nt, nunqaam tamen 10-
,,.&..o.. ..-nir ...,.JwM,.116!.., ceptaad finem perdaxere. Diod. ·
~ I'" u1 ~ ~- ·Sic-. Lib. a. p. 91. Edie. S~epl&.
"°' ,..·
Ai ..9( -~
mmff .,...,• .,.,,, ~.
• .mr.~~·
p. 131. Edie. Rb.od.
~
Vor.. I. B , (9) PJatazQ
50 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIES.
~'· Macedonians, were able to fubduc them ;
·~' nay tho' they led many and great forces
cc againft them, yet they could not accomplilh
cc· their attempts." We find them afterwards
fomctimes at peace, and fomctimcs at war with
the neighbouring fi:ates ; fomctimes joining the
Syrians, and fomctimes the Egyptians ; fome-
timcs affifiing the Jews, and fomctimes plun-
.dering them ; and in all refpeels aCling like a
free people, who neither feared nor courted
any foreign power whatever.
The Romans then invaded the eaft, and fub-
dued. the countries adjoining, but were never
able to reduce Arabia into the form of a Ro-
man province. It is too common with hifto-
rians to fay that fuch or fuch a country. was
conquered, when perhaps only part of it wds
fo. It i~ thus that ( 9) Plutarch affcrts that the
Arabs fubmitted to Lucullus; whereas the moft
that we can believe is, that he might fubduc
fome particular tribes; but he was recalled, and
the comn1and of the Roman army in Afia was
given
(9) Plutarch in Luculto paSim. millake .iElius Largu1.
( t) Plutarch in Pompeio. p. ~
640 &c. Edit. Paris. 16:z+. '
.. (•,
w.,.._ .
~- -..
(3) l'J'fNllft ~. ~tri111, ...
.-ea.......
,.._
. (:z) Strabo, Lib. 16. p. 1116. ftlf p,,,..,.,06{ ,,....,..,,, ....,..
Edit.Amftel.1707 .DionCaffi111. -~·· 11&1 MO'S'I.,. ~.
Hanov.1606. Diou ~alb him by ..cwy,.... ~ ......
. ..
Lib. 53. p. s16. Edit. Leuncl:iv. 1&11i·a1 "'" SpllfltlWI .., nae ..,,....
 l

• I

.1

Df/lertations on the P ROP.H :E c 11 s. 51~

given to Pompey. Pompey, tho' he triumphed
over the three parts of the wotld, cou,lq .n9~ yet
~nquer Arabia. He (I) carried hi~ arms into
the country, obtained fome victories, and .eom-
pc,led Are~ to fubmit ; but other affairs foon
obliged him to· retire,· and ~y retiring he loft
all the advantages 1which he had gained. His
forces were no fooncr withdrawn, than the
Arabs made their incurfions again into the
Roman _provinces•. l.Elius Gallus in the reign
of Auguftu& .(2) pcnetra.ted far into the country,
but a ftrange· diftempcr made terribie ha.voe in
bis army, and after two years fpent in this un-
fortunate expedition, he was glad to efcape with
the Jmall remainder of. his forces. The empe-
ror Trajan reduc~ fame parts of Arabia, but
he could peye~ fubduc. it ·entirely; and when
he befieged the city of the Hagarenes, as ( 3)
Dion fays, his foldiers wer~ repelled by light-
nings, thunderings, hail, whirlwinds and other
prodigies, and were confiantly fo r_epelled, as
often as they renewed their affaults. At the
fame
•• •"'"f'•M•. ... Tc•i•... rent,mu(cietame(calcntisqaam
,... ,...., ..,.,, ~e..lbi c:c:ie-. poualcntia intidcatcs. ca11tta
laa tonitru c:ontrcmuit, iride• natafeaq_aad~implcba~t .•Ita-
Yife fant, falgura, procellz. 11ue TraJanuunde profic1fcitnr.
grudo, fulmina in Romano• Dionis Hift. Lib. 68. p. 78). ..
cadebut,qaotin in illosimpe- Edit. Leuadav. Hanov. 16®.
cuafaccrent; qaolirfqat(etaa-
E 3 C+> ...
5·2 /JiJfortations oh the PRoPHricx'Es';
fame time great fwarms of flies infeftcd hii
camp; 'fo tha~. he was fo!ced at laft to raifc thc-
ftege. and retired with difgracc· into his own·
dominions. About eighty years after the empe-
ror .Severus twice befieged the fame city with
a numerous army and. a formidable train of mi~
litary engins; but he had no better· fuccefs than
Trajan. ·God, (4) Cays the heathen hifi:orian,.
prefervecl the city by the· backwardnefs of the
emperor at one time, and by that of his forces
at another. He made fome affaults, but was
oa:ffled and defeated, and returned with preci-
pitation as great as his vexation for his difap-
pointrilent. And if fuch great emperors and
able warriors as· Trajan ·and Severus could not
fucceed in their attempts, it is no wonder that
the tollowing emperors could prevail nothing.
The Arabs continued their incurfions and ·de-
predations, in Syria and other Roman provll1ces.
with equal licence and impunity.
Such was the ftate a.nd condition of the Arabs
to the time of their famous prophet Moham-
med_; who laid the foundations of a mighty em-
pire:
. (4) _, ftll .s... ' .pow,... ltl'qlle Dc111 arbcm. liberavit.
,.. 'fl!' ·'lro)."• ir•r fA'' r f"T'M• ~Ri per Severam revocavit mi-
otoic l°ii~ll'TG( •• llC &u'nlf H• litea. qa11m pofi'cnt in ipfam in-
cr1>.9m. 111¥ '"' °E4"e" _... gredi; ct Sever11m c11pientem
).{/fli a&I 'rW £1~11pt Ml ~ oandempoftcacapere.permilitcs
SnT& °'""'' ,...,.. TllTO M/3m1 probibait. Ibid. Lib.l5.p.8s;.
.Jla ...,, rc•ntrrlll IUl>.!10'"• (s)Pliii.Nat.Hift. ib.6.Cap
sa.
 .DiJ!ertations on the PRoPaicra:s. _._$3
pire : ·ancf then for feveral .ccriturie8 they were
.bettar known among the European nations by
the name of the Sarr11ceni or S(Jracens, thc.k-
roctni ( s) of Pliny, . and the {6) Hagarenes of
holy fcripture. Their conquefts .were indeed
amazingly rapid ; they can be compared to
nothing more properly than to a fudden tlood
or inundation. In a few years the Saracens over-
.ran mocc -countries, and fubdued more people
than the Romans did in. feveral cent.pries. 'l'hqr
were then not only free and independent of the
reft of the world, but were thcmfelves mallers
of the moft con6derable parts of the. earth~
And fo they continued (or (7) about three.,cen.-
.turics; and a&er their. empire was dUfolved,
and they wcre·rcduced within the limits <?f their
native countty, they fiill ma,intained their
liberty againft the Tartars, Mamalucs, Turks,
and all foreign· enemies whatever. Whoever
were the conquerors of A6a, rhey were ilill un-
conquered, ftiH continued their incurfiqns, ..and
-preyed upon all alike. :The Turks have ..-ow
fOr feveral celltories. been lords of the adjacent
. . ~QUntries ;
J.2· 11bi vide.notJm lJ~dufoi.: ,-eig,i at J>amafcus A.,D. 637.
(6) 11Agll1'f•s, the defceadeats Their empire was llrolcen and
of Ithmw. They are called divided A. D. 936. ·See Dr.
aJfo lfhmaelite1 and Saracen•. Blair's Chront>I. Tables. Tab.
~. Calmet's Dia.. - • 5-3 ~ 39. and Sir Uaac Newton
(7) TheSancens began thoir on the Apocalyp(e, _Chap: J·
c.onqueJls A. D. 6u: and to p. 304, 30;. '
E J . (8) S~c
S+ Di.ffertations on the· Pao Pa E c 1 Es.
countries...; but they have been fo little able to
r.efirai~ the depredations of the Arabs, ·that they
have been (8) obliged to pay them a fort of an-
nual tribute for the fafe paffage and fecurity of the
pilgrims, who ufually go in great companies to
Mecca; fo that the Turks have rather been de-
pendent upon them, than they upon the Turks.
And they fi:ill continue the fame praetices, and
preferve the fame (uperiority, if we may believe
the concurrent tefi:imony of modern travelers· of
all nations.
Two of our own nation have lately traveled
into thofe parts, and have written and publifhed
their travels, both men of litterature, both
reverend divines, and writers of credit and cha-
raCler, Dr. Shaw and Dr. Pococke; and in
feveral infi:ances they confirm the account that
we have given of this people. " With regard •
cc to the manners and· cuftom9 of the Bcdo-
cc weens, faith ( 9) Dr. Shaw, it is to be. ob-
cc fcrvcd that they retain a great many of thofc
·" we read of in facred as well a~ profane hif.. ·
cc tory ; being, if we except their religion, the
cc fame people they were two or three thoufand
er years ago ; without ever embracing any of

" thofc
(8} Sre Thevenot in Harris the Othman empire in Ahmed.
Vol. i. Book i. Chap. 9. and JI. p. ~3·_.
Demetri111 Cantemir's Hifl. of
3 ~~w~
 Ptf!ertations on the PR o P a E c 1 E s-~ 55
·cc thofe novelties in drefs or behaviour, which
" have had fo many periods and revolutions in
cc the Moorllh and Turkiili cities." And after
giving fomc account of . tbeir hofpitality, he
proceeds thus; " Yct the outward behaviour
" of the Arab freque~tly gives the lie to his.
" inward temper and inclination. For he is
cc naturally thicviili and treacherous ; and it
" fometimes happens that thofe very perfons
cc arc overtaken and pillaged in the morning,
cc who were entertained the night before, with
" all. the inftances .of friendthip and hofpitality.
" Neither· arc. they to be accufed for ptunder...
" ing fi:rangcrs only, and attacking almoft
" every perfon, whom they find unarmed a~d
~~ dcfenfel~fs, but for thqfc many implacable
" and hereditary animofities, which continually
cc fubfift among them, iiuerally "fulfilling to
cc this day the prophecy, that ljhmae/ jhotJ/d /Je
" " 1Di/J ""'in; bis hand fhordd /Je again/I rvery
" man, and evtry man's band aga,in/i him." Dr.
Shaw himfelf (').was i:opbcd and plundered by
a party of Ar.abs in his journey from Ramah
to Jerufalcm, tho; he was efcorlcd hy four
bandt of Tur,kifh foldiers : and yet ti-le Turks
at
~9) Shaw's Travcla p. 300. ( 1 ~. Preface to his Trl\'els.
1i:c. · P· vu.
B +' • : · (z) Pocockc:'s
::. I •
56 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIES.
at the fame time paid a ftipulated {um to the
Arabs, in order to fecure a fafe paffage for their
caravans : and there cannot furcly- be a ftronger
proof, not only of the independency of the
Arabs, but even of their fuperiority, not only
of their enjoying their liberty, but even of their
abufing it to licentioufnefs. Dr. Pococke was
the laft who traveled into thofe parts ; and he
hath informed us, that the prefent inhabitants
of Arabia refemble the ancient in feveral re- ·
fpeCl:s ; that ( 2) they live under tent&, and
ftay in one place as long as they have water
and lhruhs, and trees for their camels to feed
on, for there is no tillage nor grafs in all this
country ; that all their ricbe& confift in camels,
a few goats, and fometimes lheep, fo that they
Jive in great poverty, having nothing bot 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, eacfi
obeying the orders of its great chief, and everj
incam pment thofe of its particular chief; and
tho' feemingly divided, yet they are all united
in a fort of league together ; that they ( 3) love
plunder, and the roving fort of life this difpo-
1ition leads them to, have good horfcs, and
· manago
(:a) Pococke'a Defcription of.~Eal.Vol.1. Book 3. Chap.1:
(3) Boole +· Chap. +- · C+.> Han·
 Differtatiom o# tlie 1' a o ~HE c1 Es: 51
manage them and their pikes with iJiQch ad-
drets ; thofe on foot ufe poles, with which
they knee off the fpcar, with great art. . ~
that authors 'both facrCd' and prof,ne, Jewi(b
and Arabian, G.reek and Romap, Chriflian ancl
Mohammedan, ancient and· modern; all agree
JD the fame account : and. if any are defirous of
feeing the matter deduced .more at large, they
may be referred to a differtatioi;i upon the inde-
pendency of the Arabs by the learned authors
of the Univcrfal Hiftory.
An author, who hath lately publilhe~ . an
account of Perfia, having occafion .to fpeak of
the Arabians; ( 4) ,fays, " their expertnef& in the
,, ufe of the Janee and fabre, renders them
" fierce and intrepid. · Their 1kill fo · horfe-
-u manlhip, and their capacity of bearing the:
" heat of their burning plains, give ·them. :lJ(o
" a fuperiority over thei~ ene~ies. Hepc~
cc every petty ,chief in his own dictrid: ~o.n~d~r$
11 himfclf as a fovereigti prince, arid. ~: ftjc~

" exalts· cuR:oms from all paff"engerS. ''TijCi(

'' condutt in this refpell has often occafione4
cc their being confidercd in no better light than
,, robbers &c. They · generally marry wit~in
" their· own tribe, &c. When ·they plunder
" caravans
(4) HauWI)''• Trttcl., vQ}. 4· P:rrt F Chap. 29: P· %% ' . ~c.
Ci) Anuci.
58 Dtffertations on the Pao P H E c i E s.
~c carava~s traveling thro' their territories, they
'' confider it as reprifals on the Turks and Per-
ce fians, who often make inroads into their .
" country, and carry· away their corn and
'' their flocks."
Who can fairly confider and lay all thefe par.-
ticulars together, and not perceive the hand of
God in this whole affair from the beginning to
the end ? The facred hifi:orian faith, that thefc
prophecies concerning Ilhmael were delivered
partly by the angel of the Lord, .and partly by
God himfel( .: . and indeed who but God, or
one .raifed and commiffioncd by him, could
defcribe fo particularly the genius and manners,
not only ·of a fingle perfon before ~ was born,
but of a whole people from the iirft founder of
the race to the prefent time ? It was .fomewhat
wonderful, and no~ .to be forefcen by human
fagacity or prudence, that a man's whole poftc-
rity lhould fo nearly refemble · him, and. retain
the fame inc:linations, the fame habits,. t'Je fame
cuftoms throughout all ages. Thf? w~ters of
the purcft fpring or fountain are f~~. changed
and polluted in their conrfe ;. and the farther
ftill they flow, the more. they ar~ inco~poratcd
and loft in other waters. . How have
' . the
. mo-
dern
(S) Antici• Lib. 1. Cap. u. Sea. i. p. 29. Edit, Hudfon.
· · Vide
 Di.ffertatiom on the.Pao PH 1 c r Es. 59
dcrn Italians degenerated from the courage and
virtues of the old Romana ? How -re the
French and Englilh polilhed and refined from
the barbarifm of the ancient Gauls and Britons ?
Men and manners change with times : but i11
all changes and revolutions the Arabs have ftill
continued the fame with little or no material
alteration. And yet it cannot be faid of them,
as of fame barbarous nations, that they have
had no commerce or intercourfe with the reft of ,
mankind; for by their conquefts they overran
a great part of the earth, and for fomc centuries
were mafi:ers of moft of the )earning that was
then in the world : but however they remained
and ftill remain the fame fierce favage intrad::..
able people, like their great anceftor in .every
thing, and different from ~oft of the world
befides. Ithmacl was circumcifed ; and fo are
bis pofterity at this day : and as Hhmael was
circumcifed when he was thirteen years old, {o
were the Arabs at the fame age according to
(5). Jofephus. He was born of Hagar, who
was a concubine; and they fiill indulge thcm-
felvcs in the ufe of mercenary wives and con-
cubines. He li'Ved in· tents in the wildernefs,.
lhifting from place lo place ; and !o do his
· de-
V-.Mle aiam Pocockli SpeQmta. Hitl. Arab . .p. 3rg.
· (6) $tcnite
60 Differtations on the. P &or H E c I t s.
defcendcnts, particularly thofe therefore called
( 6) Scenites for.merly, and thofe called Bcdo-
weens at this day. He was an archer in the
.wildernefs ; and fo 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 againft eyery man,
.and every man's hand againft him : and they
live in. the fame ftate of war, their hand again(l:
every man, and every man's hand againft them.
This, I fay, is fqmewhat wonderful, that
.the fame people lhould retain the fame difpofi-
tions for fo many ages ; but it is frill mote
wonderful, that with· thcfe difpofitions, and
Jhis enmity to the whole world, they lhould
.ftill fubfift in fpite of the world an independent
.aQd free people. It cannot be preten~cd, that
·nQ probabl~ .attempt& ~ere eyer made .to con-
.quer them.; fqr the gre~tcft conquerors in the
.wQrld· have almoft all in .their turns attempted
,it, and fome of them hUTe been v~ry near cf-
fec.ling .,it.. It cannot be pnete~ed that the
drynefs· or in~cdeffiblencfs "of their country hath
been th~ir prefcnation.; for their country hath
. b~en Qfic.n penetrated, . th91 never entirely fub-
. . dued.
"(6) Scenitz-vagi-a ta her- SeEt. 3z. Edit. Hard~in. Pococ-
J
nac.alia aeo .,., ....,,.,,] cog- kii Specimen Hill. Arab. P•
•7.· ·
nominau. ~lio.Lib.~. Cap.~, •. ;
• •
. ·
· (7 )' Diodor111
 D!lfe,.tations on ihe PR or a&ci ~ s. 61
ducd. I know that (7) ·Diodoras ~ Siculua ac-·
counts for their prefervation from the dryneft
of their country~ that they haw: wells digged
in proper places known only to themfelves, and
their ene.miea and invaderi through· ignorance
of rbefe places peridt ·for· want of :water·: but·
this ac~unt is far from being an adequate and
jaft rcprefentation of the cafe ; · large armies
have found the means of fubtiftence in their
country; none of their powerful invaders ever·
dcfifted on this account ; . and thercfoce that
they m~ not been· conquered, we .mufi: imputo
to fome "other caufe. When in all human pro-
bability they were upon the brink of-ruin, then·
(as we have before feen at large) they were fig-
nally and providentially delivere~. Alexander
was preparing an expedition againfi: them, wben
an inflammatory fever cut him off in the flower
of his age. Pompey was in the career of his:
conqucfi:s, when urgent affairs called him elfe-·
where. .IElius Gallus had. penetrated far into
the country, when a fatal difeafe dcfiroycd
great numbers of his men, a.nd obliged him. to
rtturn. Trajan beficged their capital city, but
was defeated by thunder and lightning, whirl-·
winds
(7)DiodorD1Si~la1.Lib.2. p. 7u. Edit, Steph. p. 730.
p. 91. Edit. Stephani. p. 131. Edit. Rhod.
Ed!:. R.hodomani. le Lib. 19.
62 D!f!ertatlons on the PROPH.ECIEs.
winds and other· prodigies, and that as often at
he renewed his a1faults. · . Severus beficgcd the
fame city twice, and was twice repelled from
before it; and the hiftorian Dion, a man of
rank and charaeter, though an heathen, plainly
afcribes the defeat of thefe two emperors to the
interpofition of a divine power. We who
know the prophecies, may be more affurcd of
the reality of a divine in~erpofition : and in-
deed othcrwifc how could a fingle nation ftand
out againfr the enmity of the whole world for
any length of time, and much more for near
4000 years together ? The great empires round
them have all ·in their turns fallen to ruin,
while they have continued the fame from the
beginning, and are likc1y to continue the fame
to the end : and this in the natural courfe of
human affairs was fo highly improbable, if not
altogether impoffible, that as nothing but a di-
vine prcfciencc could have forc(een it, fo na-·
thing but a divine power could ~ave accom-
plifued it.
Thefe are the only people befides the Jews.
who have fubfified as a difiintl: people from
the beginning ; and in fome refpeCts they very
much refemhle each other. The Arabs as
well as the Jews are defcended from Abraham,
and both boaft of their defc:ent from that father
of
 Dijfertation1 on. the PaoPH!CI!a. 6!
of the faithful. The ·Arabs as well as the
Jews ar~ cfrcumcifed,' and. both profc.1s to have
deriv~d that ceremony .:from Abraham. The
Arabs as well as .the Jews had originalJy twelve
patriarchs or heads of tribes, who were their
princes or governors. The Arabs as well as
the. Jews marry among themfelvcs' and in their
own tribes. The Arabs as well as the Jews
are fingular in feveral of their cuftoms, and are
ftanding monuments fo all ages, of the exact-
ncfs of the divine prcdicnons, and of the vera-
city of fcripture-hiftory. We may with more
confidence believe the particular& related of
Abraham and Iihmae], when we fee them
verified in their poftcrity at this day. This is
having as it ·were ocular demonftration for our
faith. This is proving by plain matte:'" of fad',
that tht mo.JI High ruleth in ·the kingdom1 ef mm,
and that his truth, as well as his merfJ, induretb
fw~.

III. 'Ibt
64 Di.lfortations on .1h1 PaoPHECJE9.
'

'Ill.
The prophecies concerning J A co B anrf
Es AU.
·AS it pleafed God .to difclofe unto Abra-
ham the fiate and condition of his
. pofl:er~ty by Ithmacl 1 who was the fon of tho
bond.worn~; it might be with rcafon e:x:-
pcClcd, that fomcthing fuould be prcdieted
concerning his poftcrity, alfo. by Ifaac, who was
the fon of the free.woman. He was properly
the child of promife, and the prophecies re-
lating to .him and his family are much more
11umerous than thofe relating to Ilhmael: but
we will feleet. and inlargc upon fucb only, a:&
have reference to thefe later ages.
It was promifed to Abraham before Ilhmael
or any fon was born to him, (Gen. XII. 3 •
.iz thet jhall all families of tht earth ht hltffed.
But after the birth of· Hhmael ·and Ifaac, the
promife was limited to lfaac1 (Gen. XXI. 12.)
for in Ifuc jha/I iby fled he called. And ac-
cordingly to lfaac was the promifc repeated,
(Gen. XXVI. 4.) In iby fled jhall all the nation!
of the earth he hltjfod. The Saviour of the
world therefore w.as not to come of the family
of
 .bi/ertatiqn1 Oil the p R 0 PH BCt B §, 6J .
of Ilhmael, but of the family of lfaac; which
is an argumen·t for the truth of the .Chriftiati
religion in preference to . the. Mehan\medan,
drawn from an old prop.liecy and p.to...tfe ID~
two thoutind years before. Chrift, . a..d...much
more
. ' befure Mohammed was born.·, ... ' ...
T:he land of Canaan was. proipifec;l _~ Abra-
har;n and his feed fopr h\lndred years befw:e
they took poEeffion of it. (Cen. XV.)· .
.
lt w~ ,
promifed again to lfaac, (Gen. X:XVI; 3.). So•
faurn in this land, and I will /Jt with lbte; anJ
will /Jlefs thee : far. u11tq thee and unto thy fled 'I
will gi'lJe aU.thefe countries, 11ni' I. ~ii/ J>4rform
the oath which I fal!Te ·unto ..Abnthaln t4r fot/Jtr~
Now it is .,very well lmo.wn, that it, was no.t
till.. ~te.r the death of Mofes who wrote .thef~ ·
things, that the. lfraelites gat po1fcffion of th~
land under the command of Jofuua.. They
i;-emained in po1feffion of ~t feve~l ages in pur-:-
fuance of thefe prophecies : and afterwards,
wh~ for their fins and iniquities they were to ·
be removed from it, their removal alfo was
foretold, both the carrying away. of the t~n
tribes, and the captivity of th~ two 'remaining
tribes for feventy years~ and likewife ·their final
captivity and difperfio~ into all natiops, till in
the, f ulne(s ot time they !hall' Ile· re!fored again
to the land of their inheritance,
VoL. -I. F. . . It
66 Dtffertlltiolls on tht·PtlOPHlc1zs.
'°
lt •as foretold Abraham that his poa:erity
-lhould be multiplied exceedingly above that of
others.; (Gen. Xll. 2.) I will tnah oj t/J1~ a
f"tdt llilliM1 ancl (XXII. 17.) in l>kfog lwill
•lrJi l/Jlt, MU/;;, "'""iJ>fling I will lll#ltiplJ U,.
jttd as tlJI .fllli"s ef ~, •11J as tilt flRltl
•hiill ii tJIMI t./w.fa•-jjor1. The fame prom~
·was continu~ to llaac, (Gen. XXVI .. 4·) I
.,,,;//
--~ ,,,,/M/ ti l,11Jtip/y Ill t/Je jM'I '.f ~ll-
11tM. Aad not to mention the vaft incrcafe of
their other poftcrity, how foon did their de-
{cencicnts by Jacob grow up into a tnighcy
'flation' and how numerous were they formerly
tn .the land of Canaan P how numerous w•
they -in other parts of the world according to
the accounts of Philo and Jofeph':'s P and afte~
=the innumerable ma1facres and perfocutions·
'whiCh they have ttndergonc, how numerous.
are they run in their prefcnt difperfion among
all nations ? It is computed that there are as
many Jews now, or more than ever there were,
fince they have betn a nation. A learned {1)
foreigner, who hath written a hiftory of the
Jews as a fupplement and continuation -of the
hiA:ory of Jofephus, fays that " it is impoffible
" to fix the number of perfons this nation is
"at
 ;Dilf1r11Jti(JfJ1 on t/Je. Pao P H :1-C r11. 61
" at prcfcnt compofcd of. l!ut y~t ~~ h~vt
cc rcafon to )lcltev~, there .ar.e fi:Jl near thrto
" millions of ~pie., who p.r<>fcfs thi1 rcllp.•
." and as their phrafc i~, pr' 'Wit,,~s oft~ "tDIJ.
~' of Got/ in 4i/ tht .natiom of tht 'llJOrkJ," Ani
.who couki forctel .iuch a wonderful ~nereafe
and propaglltion of a branch only of one .man's
family, but chc fame· d.tvUJ.c pewer .that Cf:».W.4
~cct itl ·
But Ifaac had two fons, :who(e lam.iii~ ~d
pot grow up a~<.l incorporate int~ one p.eople.
but were fcpar;ated into two ditfercnt natio~s: .and
th~rc(ore, as it ~ad been ncccaary before to .fpc-
c:ify whether Ifumael or l.faac wa11 to be heir of
the promifes, Co thc~e ~as a ncceffity. tor tho
ramc diftina~on now hctwc;en Efau and Jacob.
~ccordingly, when their mother bad conceiv~
tbt tbi/Jrm JruggleJ together within btr j (.QCll•
;xxv. 2z.) and it was rev.ealcd uuto her by t. .
Lord, (vcr. 23.) i°'WO nations tirt in tbJ fllOlll/J,
~ tfllO mtmnn" of ptoplt foal/ !Je. f tp<Jrattt/ f,Y,,
th] ""11Mls ; 11111' tbt OM ptoplt foal/ je /lr~tf'. thq.
t'1t otl1n- peoplt, anti tbt eltkr Jhall /erw tbt ,,,._
I"· The .fame ~ivine fpirit inftuen~ _-nd
dirc:Clcd their father to gi'!e his final benedittioo
-to die fame purpofe: for .. thus he ~letfed Ja-
cob, (Geo. XX.V~~· ~B; 29.) God giw tlJt1 ./
the .ikw et ~. """ ti¥ Jmt/s # ,tbt ~fl!tb,
F a · 11ntl
68 · Dij[ertations· ·dn the P1toPH!CIES;
t1nd plen'ty of corn and wine. Let people feriM
thee, ·.and nat~"ons how' down to thee; be lord over
t'hy "'/Jrethnh, and let thy mother's Jons bow down t"t>
thee ; · ~!Jr:fed he e-very one that curjeth thee, an.t.I
/Jle/fed h.e #e that hliffath thee: and thus he bldfed
E(au, (vcr. 39, 4o.) Behold, thy dwelling jl·a// he
the f atnefi of the earth, and of the dew ef hetl'Ven
from abo'IJ~. And hy thy /word jhalt thou live,
and jhalt ftrve thy brother ; . and it foal/ come ti>
pafs wben thou jhalt have the dominion, that thou
Jhalt /Jreall. his yoke from ojf thy neck. But for
greater clearnefs and certainty a more exprefs
revelation was afterwards made. to Jacob; and.
the land· of· Canaan, a..numerous progeny; and
the bleffing of all nations, were promifed to him
in ·particular, (Gen. XXVIII. 13, 14.)' I am
the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God
of" IfrqtJ i the land whereon· thou liij/, to thee will
I i;1'e it, and to thy fee~. And thy fled foal/" he
tzi. ~h; lt(/J of the earth ; and thou jha/t fpreat1
a!J~flad to the wejl, dl'ld to the eefl,. and to tbt
north,' and to the fautb; and in thee, and in thy
.feed, jhd/~ all the families of the earth be hldfed.
W ~ have here· a farther and more ample
proo(of. ~hat· .w~s a1ferted before, that thefe
ancient:· prophecies m:re meant nc;>t fo much of
fingle perfons, as. of whole people· and. nations
defccnacd from them. For what is here pre•
diacd
 D¥fertat10ns on the Pao Pit R·c I as.· 6·9;
dilled concerning Efau and Jacob was ~cit·
yer1fied in themfcl1es; b~t in their pofterity ..
Jacob wa8 fo far from bearing rule over Efau,
shat he was forced to fly. his country for
fear
of Efau. (Gen. XXVII.) He continued abroad
{everal years ; and when he returned· -to hi&
' .
native country, he fent a· fupplicatory: meff'age
to his brother Efau, (Gen. XXXII. 5 ~ that he
might find grace in bis fight. When he he~rd of
Efau's com.i!lg to meet him 'Ytth four ··hundred·
men, he was greatly afraid and dijlre.ffed,. (ver.
7.) and cryed unto the· Lor~·, (ver. i 1 .) "/)~/i­
~tr me, I pray thee, from the ·band of my· brother,
fr.om the ha~d oj' Efau. }{e fent a mag~ifiaenc
prefent before him to app.eafe his brother, call-
_ing Efau his lord, and himfelf Efau's .ferba~•.
(ver. 18!) When he met him; he· bp:Wed. bim;.
fe!f to the.gr~und feven times~ until ·he "came_ 'nea~
to bis hrot~fr. (Gen. XXXIII. 3.) And .after he
had found. a gracious reception, be acknow-
leged - (vcr. 1 o.) I hQ'l)t flen tk'f face, ~ai though
I hadfem tbt jizce of God, and thou w".ft. ·pleajed
VJitb me. Jacob then had no temporal fuperi-
ority over Efau ; and therefore we · m':lft look
for the completion of the. prophecy among their
poftcrity. The prophec) .it~clf refers us d1i-
thcr, arid mentions plainly ·1wu nations·and two
manner ef pt~le, tqd comprehends tJ:iefc {eve-
. F·3 r~
70 Dijfertationt on tbe p ll 0 pH! c I E s.
ral particulars ; that the fatniticl of Efau and
Jacob ihould grow up into two different peoplO'
and nations ; that the family of the elder fhould
be fu~etl: to that of the younger r that in fitua-
tion and other temparal advantages they lhould
be much alike J that the elder branch lhould
4clight more in war and violence, but yet
lhould be fubdoed by the younger ; that how-
ever there ibould be a time when the elder
filould have dominion, and £hake off the yoke
of the younger j but in all fpiritual gifts and
graces the younger lhould be greatly fuperior.
and be the happy inftrument of conveying the
oicffiog to all nations. .
J. The families of E!au and Jacob 1hould
grow up. into tw.o different people and nations.
lf'llJO nations art in t/Jy 'UJOmh, and t'llJO manner of
jtopk jhatl ht feparattd from th] 'mels. The
Edomites were. the ofsprfog of Efau, as the If..:
racli~es were of Jacob j and who but the author
and giver or life could forefee, tliat two chil-
dren inthe womb would multiply into two
nations~. Jacob had twel\'e fons, and their
oefccnde~ts all united and incorporated info one
hation j and what an overruling pto\?idtnce
then was it, that two· nations lhould adte frodl
the two fons only of Iiaac ~ But they were not
·ont,.
(i) air~ Sept. lmptex, 6ii Integer, peafe4.i..
(3)
V•lg. • iawcer, syr. Samar. PcrCec-
+ &a•.
 Di.f!11r1a1iltu on t~ PtlOPH1~11 sl! f I•
only to grow up into two nal;iona, but into tWQ
vu, dift"ercnt nations, ancj two s:nAAnar Qf peo.o
pie were to be ft/Jllr#ttd fTOQl her bowcle. And
have not the Eaomitcs and Jfrat:litea been Ill
along too •cry different people in tbdr imn-
aers aAd cuftoms and religions, which made
them. fQ be perpetually at va.ri~ one ~iJh an•
ubcr l Tac chU<ireo .fln'UJ,4 to,g6J#r .in. lb•
womb, which was ~n omen· •nd t~ken_ .()f Jheit
mturc diGagrecQ¥nt: allfJ whcsi *Y ·. W. .
grown up tq manhood, . they ~~~ ·Veq
dift"erent iacli~atioos. B'8u Wlit P PPl'lint
lllllattr, and ~ghted in the fpPrta 9f the icld :
Jacob ,,,_.· ~re ·mild pod ge.ade, tlvNl/i11g ;,.
tlllll, ud oaillllliog lais Qiqp .and bis ~.
(.Gen. ~V. 2 7.) Ow:. Boglidl trao8a.tion1..
tpcaWy to the (a) Sc~t aAd the V:ul..
gate, bath it th•t J-.cob w• • 14"• """' s buc
Jae appears ft9m bia who~ condua 1pd beha..:
vicMir to hav, been rather .aii "'1fal than a pkU,,
amn. Thc-(3) word in tbe ~gioal 6goificJ
l'efill, whidl '9 a gitncrel llnn J but being pPi
iu op~ tp ~be ·"•tb ailcl '"'~ manners fJf
£faa, it muil particularly *pgrt that JGll
more bu11111111andgmtk, 11 (4) Philo the Jew an-
w•
derftands it, and as Le Clerc tran4atca it. Efau
. n~&hted
..., o~ r.nea.. ~ . (•) vw.~aainlocaa.
Arab. 1inhl W• Wli1 t$.~. _tr..1'.
p + (S)--.••.

--
 '2 Dijfertations· on ihe p R ci p H Ec IE s.
flighted bis bidh ... right and thofe facred pri~i~
lcges of which Jaeon was defirous, and is there..
fores called (Hebr.: XU. 16.) the profane Efau 2
but Jaccib was a man :of better faith and reli.
gion •. ·The ltke·diverfity ran through their po~
ftcrity.' The l'Cligion of the Jews· is very weir
known; 'but whatever the Edomites were at
fiift, -in ·proccfs of time tbey became ·idolaters.
Jofephos ·( 5) mentions ·an Idu"mean deity named
'
Koze: ·. aDd Amaziah· 'kirig of Judah, after
he ·md ··ovcrtliowrt';tlie Edomite9, ('2' Chr~~
XX'~:·-ft1 /JrorJgfJt_ ·th~ir ~od1, and fit them up to.
he· bt~i gofls, and '/JOWed thwn hi"'.fe!f Aifore them,
·1l11d~/Jurnttl in(enft· 'Jlnto them; which was mon-
ftrooily ~bfurd, 'ts "the prophet ·rem'onffnites;
(ver. 15 ) 1 Wby.:hajl fhou'fougbl ofter the· gotli
Of the· p1ople; whicb •(oµ/{J no~ ~filv~r their. MJJil
ptip/1 "ONt' rf t/JjTN ~11J·? · Upon ·tnefe religious
differertces .9nd.. ·bth~ -~ounts':'•thcre was a
continual ·grud~ ·~ti ·;enmity ·between the two
nation.&.. tr"hie. ~kh1 g;-0( Edom wouldmot fuffot the
1frM.lites :iA.: tbeir:r6t:Uin out· of •Egypt, fo much
a~ .fo.:p1fg: thr()" his: terrltorle'S: •(N'Umb. XX.)
slid r~; biA:ory l(>f 1 tbei. Edomite~ -afterwards. iS
,.;•,f/ . · .. :_, •.•.•••
. ? •
• . • , • , ... . • 4• 'I. I .. ~ little
· •.. t
,
..1 .J.
. 1:r·1: .: ::;:. , · ..:
., _ .~
Jo. , :

""
•• , • .\.

, ,.. ..
••••• I(
• • •

I ••

i. (sl°~Ko(°•·}•or, 1•, ""'' tiq, Li~._15 .. Cap. 7. S;ea.9.

·J. . . ..,.,~1r.• ()Md;'1te~ ·p; 686. Eclit. Hudfon. ·
• Deum c.xlftunant ldubltei. Ail·
·"· ·• ' . (6) Fro~
 . J?ijf~rtations ~ t~e Pa_oP.HBc~1 s. ·'
73
little more than the hiftory of their wan with
the Jews.
Il. The family of the elder fliould be fubjea:
to that of the younger. And the one people }hall
6e jlrfmger than the other-people, and tht elder jhall
ftrve ·the ·;·oungir, or· as,. the words · may be
rendered, the greater /hall jer'Ve the leffer. The
family of Efau was the elder, and for fome time
~e gre_ater and more powerful of the two, there
having · oeen· dukes and kings in Edom, !Jefore
~bere /·ei'g~ed anj ki11g 'over. the children of Ifrael.
(Gen~ ~X~I.· 31 ) But David and his cap-
~ains made an entire conqueft of the Edomites,
.Pew feveral thoufan~s of them, ( 1 Kings XI.
16. ~- J Chron. XV1II. 12.) and compelled the
J~ft to ·become hia tributaries and fervants, and
planted · garrifons among them to fecure their
9~dienc~. . ( 2 Sam. VIII. 14.) And he put
garrifans, in .Edom; throug!Jout aU Edom put he
zarrijons: and .atl they of Edom 6ecame Da'V£d's
flrwinfi. Jn this ft;ue ~f fervitude t~cy continued
( 6) about an hundred :lnd fifty years; without
~ king of th~ir 9wn,. being governed by vice-
roi~ or deputies appointed by the kings of Judah.
. .. . In

f6) Prom· about the year ol world 311 s before Chrift 889.
th~ world 2960 before ChriA Sec UOlcr'• Allllalt.
f Off to abcnlt the year of the
(7) Jofeph.
.74- Dijfertations on i/Je PR o PH E c 1 :as.
In the ·reign _of Jeholhapbat king of Judah it ia
faid, that there was then no king in &lo111 .i tz
tkpllly was -!ting. {1· Kings· XXll. 47.) Bu' in
the days of Jehoram his fon, they revolted, and
recovered their liberties, onJ tnade a ling row
thnnfelws. ( 2 Kings VIII. 20. ) But afterwardt
Amaziah king of Judah ./kw y &Jo,. in tht
'1)11/ky of/alt tm thoufanJ, 111111 took &ltzh "1 f.041'1 •
and calkd the naw of it Jolaheel, unto this a.,1
fays the facred hiftorian. ( 2 Kinas. XIV. 7.) .4nJ
otbtr tm tboufand left a/foe, did the chi/tlrm fl
JUdah carry away captive. and /Jrouibt tbnn_ 111110
the top ofthe R.ock, whereon Selah was built, aJ
cajJ them down from the top of the rocj, th4t thtJ
were broken all in pieces. ( 2 Chron. XXV. 12. )
His fon Azariah or Uzziah likewi(c took frotn
them Elath, that commodious haven on the R.ed
Sea, and fortified it anew, and rt}lortJ it to ~·
(2 Kings XIV. 22. 2 Chron. XXVI. 2.) Judaa
Maccabreus attacked and dcf~tCd them (everal
times, killed nof t'UJer than tfDtnt1 thouftJill;/ at one
time and fllf)rt than twenty tboufand at an9tber,
and took their chief city Hebron, and tht tP'tJJhl
thereof, and pulled Jown tbt /ortrtfl of it, ll1ll

""""
(7) Jofepla. Antiq. Lib. 13. (I) ID piaauecliAe terlllj et
Cap. 9• Se~. 1. p. 58+. Edit. ia rore cali l"cfuper.
H11dfon. (9)Atcrrz J>U.JaiiacUaeabe-
. ric.
, Diff1rt11tiont ofl ~he PaorH1c11s. 7S
I, ftrittM t/Je.Xto'w)tr.A.., t/,le::efhirmdhca6nt.( ()1 HMacc. V.
2 ace. · • . t •n s Iiep w, 7 yrcan\19
the fon of Simon, took others of their cities.;
ancl ~ceid them to the neceffity of embracing
the· jewilh religion, or of leaving their country
and feeking new h«bitatiQns elfewhere, where'!'"
lij>OO they fubmittcd tt> be circumcifcd, and
became profelytea to the Jewifh religion, and
CYel' aft-er were incorporated into the Jewilh
churth and nation.
III. In utuation and other temporal adftft•
tages they fiiowd be much alike. For it waa
Wd to jacobt GoJ give t/Jte eftht Jtw of ht.,,m,
11114 of t/Jt /atntjs of tht tarth, IZNl plmty of'°"'
lliuJ wi11t: and much the &me is faid to Efau, •
Btholtl tO, ht/ling foal/ lie ef tbt JatMfl of t/Jt.
'11rlh, lllld of t/Jt tit'W of helZ'V,m from a/Jow. In
this manner the lattet claufe is tranfiated in
(8) Jerome'• and the old vedions; but ~.,
ntodtm commentatota ( (9) Caftalio, le Clerc,.
ltc) render it otherwife, that his dwelling lhould
1'e f11r .frm tht fathefs of the tt1f'l'1t andfrM11 the
.lrio 'If /Jt4'1m : and they fay that ldumea the
c0witiy of the Edomitca• wu a dry, barren,
and

rit. Cal. A piDJaedine qaidem Nee fane Idamea fecanda aat

terr& rcmota enc fcdca taa, ne- pingai foJo,aat tem petlirit pla- .
tJllC JOIC cu Tecuadabitar.- Yiiaripcafuia.ClcrinsinJoc•m,
(1) Ver•.
.7 6 Dfffertations 011 tbe P.R o P ir B c ui s.
and defert country. But it is not probable, that
any good author 1hould ufe the ( 1) very fame
words with the very fame ·przpofitions in one
kn[e, and within a few lines after in a quite
contrary ·fenfe. Befidcs Efau folicited for a.
bleffing; and the author of the epiftle to the
Hebrew$ faith (XI. 20.) that !faac 6/ejfed Jaco6
1111d Efau; whereas had he configned Efau to
fuch a barren and wretched country, it would
have been a curfe rather than a bleffing. The
fp~ritual bleffing indeed, or the pro~ife of the
bleffed ··feed, could be given only to one ; but
temporal good things might be communicated
and imparted to both. Mount Seir and the
• adjacent country was at firft the poffeffion of the
Edomites; they afterwards extended themfelves
· farther into·Arabia; as they did afterwards into
the fouthern parts of Judea. But wherever
' they were fituated, we find in fact that the
Edomites in temporal; advantages were little
inferior to the lfraelites. Efau had cattle, and
'heafls, and faijlanc_e in abundance, ~d he went
to dwell in Seir of his own accord, . and he
would h~rdly. have removed thither ~ith fo
many cattle, had it been fuch a barren and defo.
late
(1) Ver. 28. r'IN.., • •~DltJD1 t:l1T:llVM ~Wo
terrz ping~ediaibaa de et, czli rore de.
• Ver•
I
I
DiJert~tiont on the PaoPff!ClES.
late coo ntry, as fomc would reprefcnt · it. (Gen.
77

:XXXIV. 6~ 7, '8.) The Edomitcs had dukct

and kings reigning over them, while the tfrae-
Jites were flaves in Egypt. · I~ thei~ retlim out
of Egypt when the lfraclites defircd )eave to
·pafs thro' the territories of Edom, it appears
that the country abounded with fruitful fields
and vineyards; Let us paft, 1 pray thtt, thro' tO,
country ; wt will tmt pafs tbro' tbt jit"1s, (If' .ibri
the 'Oineyards, ntitbtr will 'Wt drink of tbt wain- '!f
t/N·'IJJtJls. (Num. XX. 17.) And the prophecy
of Malachi, (I. 2.) which is commonly alleged
as a proof of the barrennefs of the country, is
rather an ·argument to the contrary: And I
IMttd Efau, and laid his mountains and his heri-
tage wajlt, for tbt dragons ef tht '111ildm«fs: for
this implies that the country was fruitful before.
arid that its prcfoot unfruitfulnefs was rather an
dfea: of war and devaftation, than any natural
defetl' and failure in the foil. If the country ia
barren and unfruitful now, fo neither i& Judea
what it was formerly. The face of any coun-
try is much chang~ in a long courfc .of y~ :
and it is totally a different thing, when a coun-
try is regularly cultivated by inhabitants living
under
7e JJi.ff1r1ation1 tm tlH Pao,a~c11s.
under a fctdcd govcmmmt, than when tyrannr
. preva,ils, and the land is left dcfolatc. lt is ali>
frequently fceo that QQd, as the Piillmift faitJ:t,
{CVJl. 34} tJJrnubaJruit/"1 ""'4 iato &zrrOlllffi
f w tlY wicu•11tfs ef tbt111 thlzt htO tbttti11.
IV. The elder branch 1hould delight more io
war and violc:JICC, but yet 1bould ~ fubd~
.J>y the younger. ArJd "1 tby f'WWd foaJt t~
liw, ll1lll jbtllt ftrue th] /Jrothtr. Etau himfclf
might be faid to live much by the .(word, fO(
he vm " &llnrUng hlmttr, " """' '/ .tbt jeJJ.
(Geo. XXV. 27.) He an4 bis children ga~ po&-
!effion of mount Scir by force and .violcoce, by
dcftroying and expelling from .thence the Ho-
rites, the former inhabit.anh. ( De~t. IJ. 2a.)
W c have no aCCQUot, and therefore ~llDQt
· pretend to fay, by what mea.oa they fprcad
&hcmfclvca farther among the Arabiane • b\lt it
( 2) appears, &bat upcin a feditiou and Cepa.racion
/cvaal of the Edomitcs OUDC, and fafed Upoll
die footh-wcft .parts of Judc:a during the Baby.-
lonilh captivity, and fettled there evet aftcc-
.ward~. Both before and after this .they wen:
alaioft
(I) Strabo. Lib. 16. p. 1103. .... ~' ~. '" ,,,.,...,Co' trrf .,..
Uit. Amftel. 1707. Priclcawc ..,.,.wm1, ... ,..,~ ;ie~
Conoca. Part 1. Book 1. Au. .,.. ~· Ai ~· .,.,,. > ..
74°· ,,,._,.,, T• l•M .....,, UI 11.$__,
II( lopn1• It( .,.#( W"(M-.!•lf ....-
·b) --~ .........:. ,......".. acpoce ientem tumul- ,
. · taofam
 DiffrtatiotJI _, the p .l 0 PH EC I E 9. 79
"1moft continually at war with the Jews; upon
. ~ <>ecallon ·they were ready to join with
-their enemies; and ·when Nebuchadnezzar be-
uegcd Jeru&lem, they encouraged him utterly
t<> deat-oy the dty, faying R":ft t"t, raft it, t"Vm
ro the f""""'1ion theref. (Pfal. CXXXVII. 7.)
·Even Jeng~ they were fubdued by the Jews,
1hey ftill retained .the fame martial fpirit, for
{3) Jofcphus in his time give~ them the cha-
racter .of ' a turbulent and difordcrly nation,
• always ctcd: to commotions and rejoicing in
• changes, at the leaft adulation of thofc who
• befcech them beginning war, and hafting to
• battles as it were to a feaft.' Agreeably to
.-his chara&r, a little~ before the laft fiege of
Jerofalem they came at the entreaty of the
'Rlots to aBift them againft the priefts and
people, and there together with the zclots.
·committed unheard of cruelties, and barbaroufly
murdered Ananus the high-prieft, from whofc
lieath Jofephus dateth the defl:ruaion of the city.
V. H~er there was to be a time when
lhe cider fhould have dominion, and thake oft
the

1ll01ie et ord1nls ia~tientem. ventem, et ad przlia gaafi ·ad

ad motu ilateDWD fcmper et Feftum r,roperantem. De bell.
. .catioaibu c-lldencem, ad Jud. Lib.+ Cap. 4. Sea. 1•
moclicaa nro tOrUl qai fop- p. 1171. Edit. Hudfon. ~too
.pliaat ..~ACID arma mo. iH followlllg chapter•
<•>~
8o Dijfertations t/Je PR o PH E cII!: ~,
011
the yoke of the younger. And itJhall come to pq/J
when thou jhalt have dominion, that thouJhait breai
his yok.e from off" thy neck. The word which we
tranfl.ate have dominion is capable of various in-
terpretations. Some render it in the fenfe o£
laying dbwn or flaking off, as the (4) Septuagint
and the Vulgar Latin, And it Jhall come to paft
that thou Jhalt jhake off, and jhalt loo/e his yoke
fr()f!I off thy neck. Some again render it in the
fenfe of mourning or repenting, as the (5) Sy:-
riac, But if thou jhalt repent; his yoke foal/ p{lji
from off thy neck. But the moft -common ren-
dring and moft approved is, when thou jhalt have
Jominion; and it is not faid or meant, that they
1hould have dominion over the feed of Jaco1'
but Limply have do~nion, as they had when
they appointed a king of their own. The ( 6}
Jerufalem Targum thus paraphrafeth the whole,
' And it fhall be when the· fons ·of Jacob at:-
' tend to the law, and obferve the precepts.
c they lhall impofe the yoke of fervitude upo~
' thy n.eck; but when they lhall turn away
' themfelves from ftudying the law, and._neg;-
• ~ect the precepts, behold then thou thalt lhake
'off
(+) If"&& i1•n- ICU 1t.St'-t1, - · (s) >;.t,fi ~Ditepti_:im egeris,,
..0..UcNJi Tor CU')'or °'UTll °''11"0 T~ Tf°'• praiter1b1t JUgum CJUS a collo ·
X">.11~11. Sept.tempufquevenict tuo. Syr. . · · ·
cum cxcut1as et folvas jui7Urtl (6) Et erit cum operam da-
ejus de ccrvicibus tuis. VU'Ig. bun' filii Jacob legi, ct ferva-
buot
 pi!fert~tio~s on t~e PRo~H"flCIES. ~I
c off the yoke of fervitude from thy neck.' It was
Dayi<! who iµipofcd th~ y9ke, an~ at that tim~
~~ J~~i!h people obferve,d t,he law. But the yoke
~~~ yc;ry gall!ng ~o the ~d()mit~s (r<?~ the ~~:
at
;µid. ~o~ard th~ J.:i~.~~r _e;I?~ Solomo~'s reign,
~~d~d .t,he f 4<?~ite pf ~~ blood ioya)., who
1!~ p~~n·ca~~i.~d i_n~o Egypt in his childhood,
~ff~rnea ~~o ~i~ own co.up*ry, ~d .raif~~ fo~
~u.r~~~ce{i, ( 1 K:ings.. ~~-) ~u.t '!;~§. I\~ abl~
~9 ~c,coyer· hi~ ,th.rgr;i_e,· (7) his· fu.bjeets bcin1
Qverawed by .~e gai:r.~fo~& whi~b· l)avid had
pl~Cd a~ong .thc:m. :~l:lt. iµ · .tJie reign of Je-
~oi:~ ,the fon of Jeh~~pha;t king of Judah,
ihe ;p, ·omites .rrooltet:f from unr!er t/Je t/ominion ef
jutlflh, a_~ f!Zllde the,mfi~v(s a .kine. Jdioram
made .fqqie att~mpts to fubdue thc:m again, but
cou~d not p~evail. So tbe Edomites rroolted from
1lpdtr the hand ofJudah u_nto this day, faith the
author of the books of .Chronicles : ( 2 Chron.
XXI. 8, 1 o.) and hereby this part of the pro-
.phecy was fulfilled about nine hundred years
.af~cr it was delivered. · ·
.VI ..JiJut in all fpiritual gifts and graces the
yoWlger 1hould be greatly fuperior, and be the
happy
.hantmandata. imponentjugum abrumpes jugum fervitutis eoa
fervitutis fuper collum tuum : rum a collo luo. Targ. Hieros.
q11andoautemaverterintfofilii (7} Jofeph. Antit. Lib. 8·
J..cob, ut non lludeanc le~i, nee Cap. 7. Sea. 6. p. 361. Edit.
{ervavcrint mandata, cccc: tune Hu<li<.111.
· Vo i.. G (8) Qsif..
· 82 Differtations on the PROP HE c I£ S•
happy inftrument of conveying the bleffing to
all nations. In thee and in thy jeed foal/ all the·
families of the earth /Je /Jl~/Jed: and hitherto -are
to be referred in their full force thofc expref-
fions, Let people Jtrve thee and nations /Jow dO'W1f
thee; Cur.fad /Je roery one that curftth thee,
tfJ
and /Jklfad /Jt ht that /Jie.ffeth thee. The fame
promi!C was made to Abraham in the name of
God, I will /Wfi them that /Jltji thee, and curfa
jiin thttt curfetb thee: (Gen. XII. 3.) and it is
here repeated to Jacob, and is thus paraphrafcd
in the (8) Jcrufalem Targum, 'He who curfeth
' thee, lhall be curfcd, as Balaam the fon of Bcor;
·' and he who bletfeth thee, fhall be bleffed, as
' Mofes the prophet, the lawgiver of Ifracl.' It
appears that Jacob was a man of more religion, ,
and believed the divine promifes more than
Efau. The pofterity of Jacob likewife pre-
fervcd the true religion and the worfhip of one
God, while the Edomites were funk in idola-
try. And of the feed of Jacob was born at lafl:
the Saviour of the world. This was the pecu-
liar privilege and advantage of Jacob, to be the
happy inftrument of conveying thefc fpiritual
bleffings to all nations. This· was his grcateft
fuperiority over Efau ; and in this fenfe St.
Paul
(8) O!ifquis maledixerlt dUlas, Gcut Balaam "&tius Beor:
tiba Jacob fili mi, erit male- quifquia autcm bencdixcrit d-
. bi,
 Differtations on the PROP.ti E ~ o:.s: ~J-:
Paul underftands and applies the prophe~y, tht';
lltkr jhtJU frve the yo~nger. (Rom. IX. 12. )~
The Chrift; the Saviour. of t~e :world,. was to
~e born of fome one· family: .and )a.cob's ...,as.
preferred to Efau!s out of the good pleafure. oi
almighty God, ·who is ..certainly the bdl judge
of .titnefs and expedience, .and .bath. an UD7"
doubted right to difpcnfe his favors. as hc.1hall
H:c .pl"(>per; for htjoit/J.to Mo.fas (as the.,a.pc>ftlo ·
proceeds to argue· ver. I 5,) I will .htl'Ve fll<t"CJ Qll
~ I will Dll'Ut mer&y, an.d I wfll /Ja:v1 "'mpafa..
Jon on who111 I flJiJ( luroe Cflmpqf/io_~.. And wheq
~e Gentiles were converted ~:GhriftiaDity~ ~c
prophecy was folfilled litterally, Le~ p,efJjle
ftrVe t/Jee, and nations 6ow down to thee;. and
will more amply be fulfilled, when the fulntfl
ef the Gentiles jhall come in, and aU /frMI ./hall
k jll'Vei. ·
We have traced the accompliihment of the
prophecy from the beginning; and we find
that the nation of the Edomites hath at fe ..
Ycral times been conquered by and made tri-
butary to the Jews, but never the.. n~tion of
the Jews to the Edomites, and the Jews
have been the more conftderable people, more
known in the world, and more famous in
hiftory.
bi, erit benecli&us, ficut Mofes rum. Tarz. Hieros.
prophcta, legiilator lfr~lita-
G z (9) See
84 D1fertat"ilin$ on il.Je PR0PRl!!c1Ea.
hifl:ory. . W-e know indeed little mote of thd
hiftory of the Edomites than as· it ia eonheaed
with that of the Jews:. and where is the naril~
6r the nation now ? They were !wallowed ap
aiid loft, partly among .the Nabafba?an Ara~
and ~artly ·am<)ng the j ews ·; ruid the vdy
nurne·\\rat; ·(9) aboli1hcd and dilltfcd about the
end of the ·.firft centiiry after ChriB:. Thus
w'ire ~ey re'W'llraea for infnlting·and opp!'C41iug
their brtthren the Je'w's, and herehyrctther ·pto'-
ph~~ wctc t~lfilled of Jeremiah, {XLIX. 7.:
&c.) ofEze~iel, (XXV. ·12 &c·.) of Joel,·~111~
19.) Amos, (I. I I &c.) and Obadiah. ·And tt
this day vie fee the Jew's f ubfifling as a -di.inna
pe0ple, while Edom rs no more. F~r ~grec....
ably to the words of Obadiah (ver. 10.J Pdr
thy violence againfi thy brother Jac06,Jbamefoall
cover thee, and thou jhalt be cut offfor ever: and
again ( ver. I 8.) .there jha}/ not Oe any remmning
lf the h~ uje ef Efau, far the Lord hat-h jpolien it.

(9) See Plidea~ Connea. Patt 1. Baok.5. Anno~

IV. J Ac o B's
 w.
J A-co B~1 propheet"e1 concerning his f m11,
. · f ar#cular!:J Ju D A ~· · ·.

Ir AS ·"'l .Pp,ii)ip~ nf
great anti~Q.ity, ~at _thp
n~Cf qipi approach. ~o thci.r <;ljJfw9t.i.oq,
.tJi~r .(~s..grow ,more dll?o.e, and .d.ifce,ri;t _rnprr;
~;(u.tJ.Jritf.. ·:W.I! 6nd .t~is ,opinion ~.ea.rly ~
uJ ~ome~, for ·~e ~epr~nts ,the .dyiqg J>~rq-
1f;IU$ {qrq(e~ng. the ~at~ of He~or, ~~ -t~c
~in_g HeCtor donquncing .n~ Jefs ~ertain.ly the ,
..d~th of Achilles. Socrates in .h.i6 Apology to
.the Athenians a little before his death (2) afferts
the fame opinion. 'But now, faith he, I am
' .dc:f4"9u~ to ,Propltefy _to y~~ .~~o have ,cpn-
" 9emncd-~e, what will.W.ppenJicreaftcr. For
.
' .
··'now
1 • •

•(1) lfom.'Iliad.·XVI. 85'J. ea1"l reraa, qaa -.obis fant

et Iliad. ·XXII. ..,15S. e~.lfture; cia(aa Cf.Hi orac:alo
predk41re: in ill am enia tem•
•(2) To ·lt ~ iu1a T11To ...... porisfiatwnjampen'Ctli,inqno
·f.U,.., £""' xtW~"'!?'• "•.•T•· ·•ltonn.,...· .tiwi~ .fac:11ltace
~•o-al"Nl l&"·r x•• '1"P 1~ erwtrime pollent, qa..-do mmi
-"' an..S• •• ·¥ ~· ........... ·~ -'Gl0rit111f.faat. •P. . .ia
xro°~"• &Ta•~·· a-9- Apoli.=· Op.Vol.a. P• 39•
......!.•. ·Jam ftl'0,0 vos, qui Edit. . ·• ·
me C"ODdcandis, npio vobis · ·
G 3 (+H
86 lJ/.fferiations on the P .RoP HE c1 E si
' now I am arrived at that fl:ate, in which men
.' proj>~ery mofl:~. -~hen they arc aoout to die:
. lfis fcbolar (3) Xcnopho°- introduces the dying
Cyrus declaring in lik~ manner, ' that the foul
' of man at the hour of death appears moft
' divine,· and th~n fon;fecs fomething of future
' events.' Diodorµs Siculus (4) allegeth great
authorities upon this fubjed:; ' Pythagoras ~e
' Samian and fomc others of the ancient natu-
' ralifl:~ have demonfl:rated that the fouls of men
' ~~e immortal, and in confcquence of this opi-
' nion that they alfo foreknow future events, ·at
·' the time that they are making their feparation
' from the body iµ death.' Sextus Empiri~
. (s) ·confitms it ·1ikewife by the authority ·of
· 1\rifl:otle ~ ' the foul, ·faith Ariftotle, forefces
' and foretels future events, when it is going to
· 'be

C3) ~ J's 'I'll .,..,.,..11 "'"X'I •• •eo• ., .,,, '""'&IT" ,.., ...~ ,,,;
· "'"'" ,J,j,,. .9.wran -.-.qicoa- ""/U'Tf). X~r"/11" ,;....,,,,,.... pt•
. "'"" ... "'~1, "'' "'"' ~M•rrli.• tha~ras Samias, tt. gutd&m
trfO•~· ac hominis animua tum phyicorum vetcrua Jn, ia-
fcilicet maximc diviuus pcrfpi- mortalct cfl'e homi.num tnfmaa
confirmaruilt: et ~aod huj•
citut', ctot• kit.a:e>tam..U..uid
. profpich. Xcnoph. Cirop. Li.I>. fententill!S ~l?(eflari~m ~.
i. pcope iacm .. p. 14~ Edit. przn9fcere futura 1 cuip 1 im-
Hem, Sreph. 1sjl1. . Jllillcate vitle'exitu..JiUa~ a
,,... (4) nlil""9C o ~ ""' corporc tegregantur. 'In tailio
,..,,~ ""'9·"'¥'
·~'t·,~~....,,...o,.,..,,
~. '°""""'. Lib! 18. Tom. a. p. 5t~;!dit.
.1lhodomani.
• ;,• ..,~.,, ~•J<IJTifC ~"' ~
"'" )onum 'l'llT" 11~ ....,..'1"'C'fl" (5) 'H ..J.ux-e. frttr• A(•t9-
~r111fr &,.$' tr on?-ab S'fO~~T~ ~ t!°P-
'HIT•S TCIJ lfl
.,...
 Dt/fortations on the PaoPHECI&s: 87
• be feparatcd from the body by death: We
might prod'=1ce more tcA:imonics to this purpofe.
from Cicero, and Euftathius upon Homer, and
from other authon, if there was occafion ; but
tbefe are fufficient ~ 1how the great (6) anti-
quity of this opinion. And it is poffible, that
(7) old experience may in fome _cafcs attain to
"methiog like prophecy and divination. In fomc:
'1ftanccs atfo God may have been plcafed
.to comf9rt and inlightcn de~rting fouls with a
pre{ciencc of future events.· But what I con-
.c~ivc might principally give rife to this. epinion.
w:as the tradition Qf fome of the patriarchs bciµg
divinely infpired in their laft moments to forctel
the fiate and condition of the people defcendcd
horn the~ ; as Jacob upon his death-bed f~m­
nwned-his fons together, that ~e might inform
them

_.,.,..,.. ,.. J&eMorTa-ar ,.,,..,.. tias, and in clearne(s 111d ftrength

~,.., X"'t.C•l'.9 .. ,..,, ,..,...,..,,. of argument exceeds him. •
Ady. Mathe•. p. JU. Namque abi torpefc:untarta1
(6)SlaakelpevaJludC'ttothft jam morte propinqua,
_-jon in HeDry IV. Pirft Part. Acrior el acin tum mentis,
. ~. I cotllcl,proptiefy, et endleat ardor J
Bat t1aat the ear1h7 aA4l cold Tempore non alio facundia
...d .t~a ·ftaavior, atque ·
I.in Oil •r sonc... FaUdicz jam tum YOC:es mo-
: . ~lame ~tiea i;a aUb bappily rienti1 ab ore.
. . ~ .1• a ·aoa exc.elleac . · <?!._ g to dMifs liDes of
A U . d i•a .

Labo ~· D1 Alli#li /..,.,.. Mil......

lit1111, whic:h i1 defeniag o( a · Till old ex,,mence de attain
:rlace llllODg cl.tic aathon. Bao To fometaing like prophetic
iictaac(a ol poetry C'IWILaC~ of. lnha.
(i) Boyle's
88 Dif!ertations oli the PP.oPtu~ciis~
them Of' wliat '1iould befall tbeni in tbi? latter
Jays, ~ ilie /aft ilayq by which phrate 1~1iia
eommentatbrs underftand the rimes of the Ml t~
fiah, or the laa great periOd of the world; and
Mr. Whiftbn particularly. (~) afferts, that it it
genera.Uy, if not always, 11 char:ictehfi:ic and
xem1eiot1 of prophecies not to be fulfilled till the
coming of the Meffiah.; and accordingly h~
fupppfes that thefe prophecies of Jacob m·or..
properly ··~dong _to th~ fecund. co'ming o_f. the
Meffiah; at the reftoration of the twelve 'tribe$
hereafter. But th.e phrafe of the /alter. da11 ·or
lafl days in the Old Teftament ·fignilics any
time that is yet to cor!ie, th~: fometimes "it may
relc1te to ~he ·timcs·of the . Meffiah in particular,
as it comprehends afl 'future . time :in ··general~
and hence it 'is ufed in prophedes th'at rci.
fpeC\ different times and periods. I will adver..
tifl thee. faith Balaam to Balak, (Numb. XXIV.
14.) ·what this people ]hall do to thy ptopie in t~
.latter days: but .what 'the ttraclue~ did :to roe
M~~ite.s, .. w,s, dohe loKg ;Befor~·,tbc 'ti.rh_es...9!
_the Me~ab. ·! lm_OVJ, faith Mofes., ('Dedt. XXXI.
·29.) tbaJ aft.er ~. dtat~ 'ye 'fiiill.titterJ.i corrupt
Jowfilves,. .,, . ,and
~.•
turn
. '
bflde from ,1/Je "'til41 whith t.1
. . • l . . :, •
harut co1111111mdld ·"!dll, ~nJ evil wilJ INjaJJ you "'
the lalttr days: where·me.'/atter days are m~ch
' . the
(~)Boyle'• Lc&tres, VoL .z. F· 3u.
, (9) Traduc
 . ])~ 01/i' the Ptt~P"'tt1!t. 19
the Bnie d the time after ~!Je ilea!IJ of Moks.
!"here i.r il"Gbd tn htiiuen, faitli Dani·i, (II. 28.)
tbirt :,.n;ealith ftcret.r, tin'il ·makerh htotiJh .H rlJI
m
!ting NebucYJarlnezzar, .what Jhall l>t tbe ·bHter
ilny.r: bul: fc\reril partirulais are there .forcfota
of th'e four great monarclliesbfthe eaH:i1; Whicl\
w·ere fuliUled before the 'Coming of die Mef~
fiah. Ahd in like manner thefe pn,phedes "Of
Jacob wei~, ·many Or ~ft of th.em, accOm"-
pfiihdl. and~'r the Mofai'c ·o~conomy, feverai.
ages b~fdte die birth of ou·r Saviour.
Jacob, as we have feen, r~cc~ved a doubJc
b1efiing, "feni'pora1 and rpiritual, l1ie ·prothifc <:If
~e. fand 'o~ 'c~naan, and 'the ptonuYe :Cf the
Teed'in 'which all the ·nati6ns·of the eatth 1hoa1&
\,e 1fife'1fed'; whi~h 't'tOmifes W~te firft 'made to
-1\.bra1ra:tn,and 'then tepeated to ffaac, and ·then
-~dnfirirfcittto }~c6b; ·ana )acdb ·a ·little before
~s 'de'a:lh 1beq:uea_ ilis :tlie ~ f~rne ·t:o his ·c~il~rc~.
"rlie tempofal <f:,1efliiig or "inher~tance of.the ·fand .
·~rcan:aan·miglit :he ibared ·and· dlVi~ed_-alnwig
·JI his 'foils, out·tne 1bleifed feed ~Otdd H°tfceiid
'only from tone·: and1acob accordingly affigns
..to ·each a ·portiOh in the ·promiied land,
lmt 'liiriits the defceiit ·of the bleff'ed -feed ·t<>
·tlie tribe of Judah, and at the fame time
·1JCetches ·out ·thC·charaClicrs and ..furNl:fes 1uf all
·ihc ·tribes.
He
 90 Dif!er10ti01U on the P ttOP H ac 1 Es.
He adopts the two fons of Jofeph, Mana1fch
and .Ephraim, for his own, but foretels that
the younger lhould be the greater of the two :
. (Qen. XL VIII. 19.) and hath not the predic-
tion been fully juftified by the C?Vent r The
.tribe of E~i:aim grew to be fo numerous and
·powerful, that it is fometimes put for all
the ten tribes of lfrael.-Of Reuben it is
faid, (Gen. XLIX. 4.) Un.fla6/e as water, tho11
jhalt not excel: and what is recorded great or
excellent of the tribe of Reuben ? In number
(Numb •. t) and power they wer~ inferior to
feveral other .,-ibe.s.-Of Simeon and Levi it ii
{aid, (ver. 7.) I will divid{ them in Jaco/J, and
flatter them in Ifrael: and was not _this emi-
nently fulfilled in the tribe of Levi,, wh~ had
no portion or inheritance of their own, but
wcre·difperfod among the other tribes.? Nei·
ther had the tribe of Simeon any inheritance
properly of their own, but only a portion in
: the midft of the tribe of Judah; (Jo!h. XIX.
1-9.) from whence fcveral of them afterwards
went in· ·q~eft of new habitations, (I Chron.
IV. 39 &c;) and fo were divided from the re1t:
of their brethren. A c~nftant tradition tQO (9)
hath
(9) Tradaotqaoqaeffe~ gos. et doaoree JIWOl'IUD f'mt
fuibas, pzdotribas, pzdago- omaes" tribu Schimeon foi4"e,
'lai•

- __.
 IJifferlations' on the PROPHECIES. 91
bath prevailed among the Jews (which is alfo
con6rmed ..by tbe JcrufaJcm Targum) that the::
tribe of Simeon were fo ftraitcned in their fitua-
'tion and circumftances, that great numbert
were ncceffitated to {eek a fubfiftence among
the· other tribes b1 teaching and inftruaing
their ~hildren.-Of Zebulun it is .faid, (ver.
·13.) He· /hall tlwell at tht ~ of tht /ta, and
foaH 6e for an btz.vm of jhips : and accordingly
th~"'tfibc of Zebµlun extended from the fea of
Galilee to the Mediterranean, (J6flt. XIX. 10
&c.) ·where they had commodious havens for
fuipping. And how could Jacob have fore-
told the fitaation of ·any tribe, which was de-
termined 200 years afterwards by cafting of
lots, unlcfs he had been dircded by that divine
Spirit, who difpofc~ of all c'lents ?-Of Ben-
jamin it is· faid, (ver. 27.) Ht .fha/J rll'Vtn as a
'UIO!f: and was not that· a fierce and warlike
tribe, as appean in feveral infiances. and par-
ticu~ly in the cafe of the Lcvitc's wife,
Qudg. XX.) when they alone wiged war againft
all. the other Jrlbes, and overcame them in two
battles?
Jn this mannu he cbara&rizea thcfc and
the
qui, ut baberent unde vivereiat. tennz acUlipulatar et Thargaa
fparfim et oppidatim paeros in. Hieros. &c. P'agiaa.
furmare cogebaotar. Cai feia-
+ (1) Shaw'•
 92 J)ijfertatwns on t!ie PR o PH~. <;l B s•.
the otl~ct tribes, and foretels their b:tnJQral
Q>Dditioo, and that. of Judah as well as ~
reft : ~ing_ llis f~ '!fZIO tbe vim, (lnJ his ajfo1
cB/t Mto; the dloice· vi11e, IM .'llJ(Jjhed his gar*'lts i11.
flJiNe, .alld bis ·dotbes. in the JlooJ ofgr~s. l/li
9es jbtlli k -,eJ with JJJif'J(, aNJ biJ teeth wbiu'Wi.1/J
mi": .(v.er. ·t 1, 12.) .alld not ..to men.Uon the
valley ·of· Ethcol and other fruitful places. bf
the accounts·of the be.fr travelC'l"s the mODDtaim
about JeruCalein were par~ularly fiued for ~
-cultivation of th' -vin~, a-od for the ,{ceding .of
cattle. · " The bldling, !~ys ( 1 ) Dr. Shaw.>
" that -was· gi•en w .Jadah, w~ nf?t Qf t#
" fame kind, with the :GJ~nc .of. .AtPc;r ,Qr of
" Iifadhar •that his /Jrrad fhoWd ,;;,,._ f tit> :or !his
u Jandtfe4u/J 6e plt11fa1't, but th~t;his 'tlfl ~
'' he -red ~itb wine, .and bi'S teeth jl:OMld. pt ~b4t
" -with.f!Ji/k." Me farther ~bferves. th~~ ".tbe
cc ·mour1\aUPS. ·of Uiis 'fi:O,Dtry .al>qµ~. ~iUi
" ·1hrubs,and a ddliea•e ·Oi~t grafs, ~ whioJi
" the cattle. arc IIDOIC :fond :Qf, th•n .. Qf' .fuoh
·" plants 48 ·-1re•c0mltlpti.1tb f-allow gror.i~ds al\({
. " meacfo.Ws~ Ncishcr..w~s.this.method of.g~z­
" ing peculiar to this country; inafm~ AS it
" is dliU prainiccd .all X>tm mount 1Libftpus,, the
" Cafl:ravan mountains and Barbary; in all
." which . places the higher ground~ are {ct
" apart
. {1) Shaw'• Travels. p. 366, ·367. (~)Demon•

.... .
 f)ijfar.tlJtjsns OfJ the p R 0 p l;I E c I z: s. 93 .
~-' :apart for this ufe, · and the plains and valleys.
(.' f9~ 1 tiUage. For beudea the. good manage-.
cc Qe&\t·aoo.oecon<>qif.,. t~«e i~ thii further ad~
ec vantage, that the milk of cattle fed in diia
•• .maDilCl is far more rich and delicioU$, as iheir.
cc ..fie& is "10CC fweet aod.noor.nhiiig. -.-It may.
cc be ~willed like.wife, .diat .the vme was, rupt
cc.~ jn a k>il and cxpotitioa fo proper
cc for it .. to thrive in." He; Q'l~ntions f.3rti-
c&Jarly " "the many .tokens which are ~ .he
cc· IJlet with, of tbe ~ent vineyar4s about J~
cc rufalcm .and ·HebrqQ," and ".,he gr.eat-'}oan.
~' '.tity af grapes and raifins, .which ar~ from
•c thence bro~ght daily to the markets .Qf Je·
cc rufalcin, and fent year.Jy .t-0 Egypt." .
. &t Jeeob bequeaths to Judah .particub.rly
the fpiritual blcfiing, an~ delivers it in ·much
she Jame lorm of words that it was deliv.ered to
hilb. lirac ·had faid .to Jacob, (Gen. X.XVU.
29-) Ln ptuple Jerve thee, and tJt#ifJlls bow io..VJtJ
1'J tbte.; .'/Je lord "1Jtr thy /Jr.nhrm, and Jet thy 111o.
tber's fom Vtl!llJ datJJn to thee-: and here. Jacob
faith to Judah, (ver. 8.) 'Ihou art . be whom t~
ir.dhrenjha// praife; thy handjhal/be in the neck
'!/' thy ennnits ; thy father's children foal/ bow
ihwn /Jefore thee. And for greater certainty it .is
added (ver. Io.) 'fbejcepter jha/I not depart j11om
:ftJtlab, nw a llZ'l~giver from bet'Weetz bis ftet>
rtntil
• 94 · DijfortatitJlls on tht PaoPHECr.Es.
come, anti unto '1imjhall the gathmnt
IJlltil S/Ji/o/,
ef the people !Je. I will_ not trouble the reader
or myfelf with a detail of the various interpre-
tations which have been put upon this paB"age~
but will only offer that which appears to me
the plaineft, eafieft, and heft; l will firft ex-·
plain the words and meaning of the prophecy,
and then ihow the full and exact completion of
it. They who are curious to know the various
interpretations of the learned, may find an ac ...
count of them in ( 2) H uetius and ( 3) Le Clerc:
but no one hath treated the fubjell: in a more'
maiterly manner than the prefent (4) Lord Bi-
fhop-of London; and we fhall principally tread
in his footfteps, as we cannot follow a better guide.·
I. '!'he fiepter foal/ nflt depart from Judah.
The word io:11v Jhebet, which we tranilate a
fiepter, figni.6.es a rod or flaff' of any kind;
and particularly the rod or ~aff' which (5)
belonged to each tribe as an enfign of· their
authority; and .thence it is transferred to ·fign~fy
a tribe, as being united under one rod or fta1F
of government, or a ruler of a tribe; and in
this
(2) DemonllratioEvangelic:a (5) Bifhop Sherlock hath cl.
Prop. 9. Cap. 4. · ted to this purpofe Menochiai
(3) Comment. in locom. de .llepub. Heb. Lib. t. Cap.
(+) Sec tJle 3d Difi"ertation in +· Tradu8:um vero nomen el
Bia.op Sherlock'• Difcourfes of ad fignificand~m tribum--quo.l
the Ufe and Intent of Prophecy. una!l ua:q11c tnbos fuam pecu-
. · • ·· liarca
 Di}fettations on the PROPH:!CIE s. 95
~his fenfc ·it is ufed· twice in :~is very chapter,
(Vet; t 6.) Dan foal/judge his people, as one of the
~ri/Jes or rulers of !frael; and · again ( ver. 28.) ·
AD t/Jtfl are the t'!'Jelve tri/Jts or ·rulers of Ifroel.
It hath the fame fignification in ·2 Sam. VII. 7.
In al/~he places wherein I have walked with all tht
children if !frael, jjJ1zke I a word with any of tht
tri/Ju or rulers of lfrae/ (in the parallel p1ace of
Chronicles 1 Chron. XVII. 6. it is judges of
!frml) whom I commanded to jeed my peop/1
!frml, .faying, Why 6u11d ye not me an houje ef
cedar? The word doth indeed fometimcs fignify
a ftepter, but that is apt to convey an idea of
kingly authority, wh~ch was not the thing
intended here : and the (6) Seventy tranfiate it>
•ex""' ·a ruler, which anfwers better to a law-
giver in the following claufe. It could not
with any fort of propriety be {aid, that the
ftepur fhou/J not depart from Judah~ when
Judah had no fccpter, nor was to have any for
many generations afterwards: but Judah had
a rod or ftaff of a tribe, fo'r he was then con-
ftituted- a tribe as well as the reft of his bre-
thren.
&area rirgam haberec, nomiae fitjtrulll j11tris t•i /111111 tm1111,
(uo inkriptam, quam tribuum intellige fceptrum ipfum, et
principes-mana geftare coo- Cotam tribum quz.fceptro fig-
fQCYerant.--CamDominus Aa- . .Uficabauar, et regebatur.
ronem hi1 verbis alloqnitur,jiJ (6) Oilll 1ic>..1..f11 °'IX..,, •4 ts&.~
1,1 fr111rn t•1 w tri'• Lwi, 11 ~pt. • •
(7) •••

-
 1
Piffort11tions •tJ .the P a.o PH 1.c-1.E s~
thrcp. The vt;.ry ~m,~ exprcfiion ~u-=s ~
~echa1iah, (X. 11.) pn4 tiJe fttptl!' -of P,gypt.
fPIJll dep~rt away, wNch iO?-plies tP.~~ ;Egyp~·1:ia4_
a ~cepter, ~ th~t t4at fcep_te.r fl,ioyJ,4 be ~~
a~ay ; bu_t no gr;unr;nar _or J~g~~&F ~.®14
j~~ify .th~ faying tha.t 1udflll! fcepier- Jbou!t!
~epart or be ta~en a'Yay, before Jud~!i :o/as ~
Foffe~on of
~ny fcep_ter. \Vauld it n:o~ .there':'
f~r~ be qett.er, to [ubfr.itute ~ \VO_rd .Jialf .or
ruler ir;ifiead of jcepter, .1:1nl~fs ,we refr_r~ w
·Jlleaning of fc.epter to a rqd or .fia.ff .of a tribe,
.which
. .. 1s. .all that is here intended? 'l'he fiaff
,. . or
.r_til~r foal/ 1!ot dtpart Jro111 Jud.ah. T/Je _tribeiliii>
foal/ not J.epq.rt frof!J Judah. S~ch a~thority .as
~udah bad ~hen, was torem;iin:wi~h his po!terity.
lt is not faid or meant, that he fl1ould not ceafe
fr~rri bei.1_1g_a king or ha~ing a kingdom,' for he
·:was. tl\en .oo .lcing, and had no ~ingc_lom; but
only that he rhould not ceafe from being a tribe
or body politic, having rulers ~d governoi:s of
pis o~n, till a certain period here foretold.
: Nor a law-giver fro"! /;etwee~ his feet. . The
fenfe of the wordfcepter wi~l help us to fix ;md
determin the meaning of the other word ppno
·mec/Jokel, which we tranflate a lawgiver. For
·.if they are not fynon~mous, they are not very
different. · Such as 'he gqvern~ent is, fucp
muft be the lawgiver. The government was
only

'
 · D!/lertatiom on the P.a. o PH a c 11 s. 97
only of·a 6.nglc tribe, ~d the lawgiver could .
he of no more. Nor had the, tribe of Judab
at any tjme a legiflative 'authority o~~r all the
other tribes, no, not even in the reigns of Da-
· vid and Solomon. When David appointed th~
()fficcrs for the fervice of the temple; (I Chron.
XXV .. i. Ezra VIII. 20~) and ·when SOiomon
was anointed king·, and Zadok pricft; ( 1 Chron.
XXIX. 22-.) thefe things were done with the
confent and approbation of the princes arid
rulers of Ifrael. .Indeed the whole nation had
but one law, and one lawgiver in the ftrid: fenfe
of the word. The king himfelf was not pro..:
perly a lawgiver; he was only to have a copy of
the law, to read therein, and to turn n(Jt ajiJefrom
tbt commandment, to the right hand or to tht left.
(Deut. XVII. 18 &c.) Mofes was truly, as 116
is ftiled, the lawgiver: (Numb. XXI. ·18, Deur.
XXXIII. 2 1.) and when the word is ·applied ~o
any other pcrfon or perfons, as Judah is twice
called by the Pfalmift (Pfal. LX. 7. CYIII.
8.) my lawgruer, it is ufed in a lowe' fignifica-
tion. For it fignifies not only a lawgiver, but
a judge; not only one who maketh laws, \Jut
likcwifc one who exercifeth jurifdiltion: and in'
the (7) Greek it. is tranfiated tir•,v.•+ a leadlr or
prezjid,:_n.t,
(7) 11a1 .,..,..... 1ic ,..,, "'"'"' a11nr. Srpt.
Voa.. I. H (8) ncque
 I• \

98 Dffertatfons' on.the.PROPHECIES.
prtejident, in the (8) Chaldee a fcribe, in the
"(9) Syriac an.expqfitor, and in our Englith bible
it is elfe\vhere franflated ~governor, as in Judges
{Y. 14.) Out of Machir came down governors,
a!zd_ out ofZt'lm/un they that handle ~he pen of the
wrii'er. I The lawgiver 'therefore is 'to 'be i:akeri
fn. a ~refirafned f~nie as we'll as the fl:epte,.: and
perh~ps.i(~ant~C?.t be tranflated better thanjudgt',
N,or aj udgc:: fi·om bet1;:eeiz h1j feet. \Vhether we
f,;"derfta.n~ ;i~ tfiat a judge J:om bt·tween his feet
a
.f:af! not depart from Judah; .or judg~jhall not
tf.epartfrom bet.-.ceen hisfiet, 1 ~onceive the mean-
·ing to \Je.111u.cb the fame~· tbat there £hould not
p<( wan#'1i,.a judge of the race and pofi:erity of
JU~~l;i~ ·accqr~ing to. the Hebrew phrafe of chil-
.~;tq:s c~ri;J.i'figJ[om between. the feet. They who
~pc;}\lntritdjtting at.thefeet of Judah, feom
.~ot t~ h~y~ ~~h.dered that .this was the place of
f~pofars;. a,nd µcit ofjudges and d0Ctors9f the law.
·As' Dan·(ver. 1 6.) was to judge his peop(e as one

.ef the tribes or rulers of lfrael; fo was Judah;

and 1~ith this particular.Prero~ative, thatthe ftatf
or ruler jbo.uld ROI depart from Judah, nof a judge
from between hisfeet, until the time here 'foretold,
which we are now to examin and afcertain.
Until
(8) neque (criba a filiis filiorum ejus. Cha!d.
(9) et expofitor de inter pedes ejus. Syr.
( 1) As if St. Jerome had read m.,•w Sbiloarh inftead of rn~·~
Sbiloh,
 ./)iffertation1.:1t1 tk Pl\OP H Ec-1 E ~· 9-9 1
·.Until S/;J~loh. come, that is, u~tihhe corning of
~- )v:leffialh Jas. aim?~· all interpreters, . _bot}}
ancieot and mopern, agree... For howfoever
~ey may explain the word, and whence~oever
~y may d~rive it, the Meffiah is the_ perfon.
plainly intended.-J'he ( 1} Vulgar Latin tranf•
Jatos it ~i 111ittmdus efi, He who is to be Jent I
and to favor this verfion that paffage ·in St.:
Jo~n's Gofpel (IX. 7.) is ufually cited, ·()q,'lpq/b,
iJJ the pool of Siloam, which is by int1rpretation
fmt: And who was ever fent with fuch power
and authority from God as the l\1dliah, who
frequently fpeaketh of himfelf in the gofpel UR•
der the denomination. of him whom .tbe Father
bath Jent ? - The ( 2) Sevent¥ traniht.e it ""
..OIU''"~°' "UT~ the things referriJed for vim, OL'
according to other copies ~ e17roxm«1 he for
wlxmz it is rejerved: And what was the great
trcafure refervecl fur Judah, or who was the
pcrfon ·for whom all things were referved, but
the Meffiah, whom we have declaring in· th~
gofpel, (Mat. XI. 27.) All things are deli'Vtred
unto me ef my Father, and again (XXVIII. 18.)
All pO'wer is gi't•en unto me in heaven and in
'artb ?-The Syriac tranOates it to the fame
purpofe
SJ,ikb, and had derived it from (z) Deriving it. from W jh
the miftake 1uotl or f""' and ,., I<> ti.
n7L1 ShalMh 111ifit,
beiDg cafy ef n dt for n h.
H z ,3) As
1 oo Dijertations on the P 1. oI' H E c 1 E s.
purpofe is cujus'illud ejl, .he whofl it is, I ftippo(e
~eaning the kingdom; and the Arabic cuju.r
ipfe efl, 'u:hefe he ir, I fuppofe meaning Judal?·~
And ,.,;hofe was Judah, or whofe was the king-
dom fo properly as the Meffiah's, who is to
many times predill:ed under the character of
ihe king qflfrael?-Junius and Tremellius with
others (3) tranflate it filius ejus, his Jon: And
who could ~e this fon of Judah ·by way of emi-
nence, but the Meffiah, the feed in which aU
the nations of the earth jhould be bkjfed?-In ·the
Samaritan text and verfion it. is paciftnu; ·t/Je
peace-maker ; and· ( 4) this perhaps is the heft
explication of the word: And to whom. can
this or any the like title be fo jufi:ly applied as
' to the·Meffiah, who is emphatically ftiled·(If.
IX. 6.) the prince' of peace, and at whofe birth
wasfung that heuenly anthem, (Luke lJ. 14.)
Glory t~ God in the highefl, and on eart/J peace,
goad will towards men ? ·
· . ·Thefe ai;e the principal interpretations, and
which ever of thCfe you prefer) the perfon un-
derftood muft be the Meffiah. Bu learned

·~·.
''':
---~
. ""' '("; .
Mr
'--,, ...
(3) A~ if it w~ derived from (.~) I loo n the word
1nu Shi/ proflrvi11m/a11g#illi1, 1r ml;i•rt• Shi/1h to be derived (rom
j1';1!' Sbiltju fir•1rdi11a, that tile verb i!~iU Sba/M tr1111g•11-
wherein the infant is wrapped, lus, j1uifa"1 fuit, in the lame
and thence hy a metonymy the manN!r as -ill:!>i' lit~r f.-u is
infanc itfelf. formed from "IOj) '"'.,. fafo
tliit•'llil:
 .Dijfertations on the PROPHECI~s. 10.I
Mr._Le Clerc wowd explain the text i~ f~ch a
lJlann~ as utterly to exclude the Meffi~h : ~nd
he was a very able comll)entator, the befi: per-
haps. upo~ the .Penteteuch ; but like otl~er
learp.ed men,: he was fometimes apt to indulg.e
firange unaccountable fancies. Of this kind,
I conceive, is his interpretation of this pro-
phecy; for he (5) fays that Shi/ah fignifies finis
~Ill aut cefjatio, bis end or ceafmg, and that it
may be referred to the lawgi.rver, or to the flep..
ter, or eve~ to Judah himfelf. But if it be re-
ferred to the /awgi'IJer, or to thefcepter, what is
·it but· an unmeaning tautology, 'There foaJJ /Je a
la'fVgfoer as long as there jhail be a lawgiver, 'JlxF,e
jJ.¥11 not /Jt t1n end of tbe fcepter·till the end of the
J'i/I" mnt , If it. be referred to Judab or the
tribe of Judah, tb: thing is by no mc;ans true;
for the tribe of Judah fubfifted, long after ·they
had loft the kingdom, and were depriYCd of all
royal authority. Not many readers, 1 imagin,
will concur with this learned commentaJ'Qf.
The generality of interpreters, Jcwilh as· well
as Chriftian, have by Shi/ob always underftood
the
taitll'Vit : and there are other fame as itr,rV Sbalah, which in
word.a of that formation. Chaldcc fignifies. er/fare, dtji-
11trt-./i•is aut 'tffetio verti po-
(~) He fays that m'>•ttJ Shi- terit. Hoc pofito, finis ejus pote-
W IS the fame as ,;.'It! Shi/1, riud ltgi}latomuut ad fiep1r111t1
and r,.;v Shi/ may be derived referri, aut etiam ad ipfom Ju-
from r,,t Sb.I, and SbtJ is the dam. Comment. Mi locum.
ff 3 (6) See

•
 ~i02 Dijfartations on the PROP H Ec.rns.
the Mc.:Oiah. The Targum of Onkelos is oom-
monly ( 6) fuppofed to have been made before
our Saviour's time: and he (7) thus exprdfeth
·the fenfe of the paffage, ' There fl1all not be
' taken away one having the principality from
' the ho.ufe of Judah, nor a fcrihe from his
' children's children, till Meffias come whofe
' is the kingdom.' And with him agree the
other Targums or Chaldee paraphrafes, and the
authors of. the Talmud, and other ancient and
morlern Jews; whom the reader may fee cited in
Bti:acif upon the word. So that, I think, no
doai)t can remain, that by the eoming of Sbilrib
is meant the coming ef tht Mejjiah.
And unto him Jhall the gathering of tbc people
~e. or obedimce ef the people;· as it is otherwi~
. trantlated, Th~fe words are capable of three
different confirull:ions ; and ~ach fo -l>robabJe,
that it is not eafy to fay which· was ceiltainly
intended by the -author. For 1. they "may
relate to· Judab, ·who is the main fubjett of tho
prophecy, and of the difcourfe preceding an<J
following ; and by the people we may undcr-
'!:and the people of lfrael : and then the mean-
mg
. (6) s~e Prideaux <;:onnea. "H"' ;,, flculu"'; donec veniat
l'•:rt :. B. 13. Anuo 37. Mefiias, cujus eft rcgnum.
(;-} Non auf;;rc:ur habens (8) Et ipfe crit cxpctlatio
. rri1;cipatum a domo ju.l:c, ne- gentium. Vulg. follo~·ing tho
'llll! t:.riba a 4liis fili1m1m ejus, ::iept. 1tf1• •11rO. •(OO'.i'G.c1"' 111~"''·
WAQ

-
r
Dlfert.atiP?)s,. en th~ P_R 0 pH.~.~ 1.E s~ 3~
,I ing will be, tliat the other tribes fhould be
gathered to .the tribe of Judah; which fenfe j~
approved by Le Clerc and fome late commeD.:
tators. Or 2. they may relate to Shiloh, who is
the pcrfon mentioned immediately befo~e; and
by the people we may underfiand the Gentiles :
and ~en the meaning will· be, that t4<; Gentiles
1hould be gathered or become ob~di~pt t~ the;
Me.ffiah ; . ·which fenfe is confonapt to other
texts of fcripture, and is confirmed. by diC au tho.
rity of moll: ancient jnterpreters ; only ( 8) f01Ue
of them render it, and he foali be. the expe{l~tioN
fl tbe nations. Or 3. they may frill .relat~ to
Shiloh, al)d yet not be confidered ~~ ~. diftiot\:
claufe, but be joined in confiruCUon ~ith the
preceding words, until Sf?i/oh come, the ~o_rd until
being common to both parts: and then the fenT
tcnce will .run th4s, . until .Shiloh &ome ·and tq
him the glJ(ll/ring or' rlie.dience of the peQjJle., that i•J
until die l'tU:ffiah come, and UJ?til r)le ·peowe or
nations ~ gt1tbqed to .his obedience; w~ich: fcnft:
is preferred· by the moft l~rned -( 9) ~Mr, ~1e4'
and fome others. And tach of ·thefe ~~rpre(llT
tions may very weU·be jufti4ed by the event. . ,
. )l . .Having
who probably derived the word (ert. cui titulus. Pr1tor t lflMllio
fro'!l n'lj:' cxpeaavit. . (ivi11R1 ]11J. anlt_Mt.ffe.-e i11tJ>eri111t1
1111iverjalt nonabjrtffurus. Syllo~e
(9) Me Mede's Di(co111{e Dilfertat. V<>l. 1. Mann'' Cua.
\'JJ!, et Gothofr. \'alandi Dif- Note in locum.
H + (1) Bilhop
 r o+ Dijfertatio111 on Ihe P.R. o P HE c 1 E s:
·. II. Having thus explained the· words and
mtaniog of the prophecy, I now pr6ceed to
thow the full and exalt completion of it. The
twelve fons of Jacob are here conA:ituted twelve
tribes or beads of tribes, ( ver. 2 8.) AD tbife t1ri
the twelvt tribes oj Jfrael; and this is it that· theifi
father ./Palu unto them, and blejfod them; tvery
one atcorJinK to his bld/ing he 6kjfed them. · Tri
Judah particularly it was promifed, that thl
fttpter or·rod of the tribe Jhould not depart fro111
him, nor· a judge or lawgiver from bttwetn bi1
feet; his tribe thoold continue a diftind tribe
with ruJcrs.and judges and governors df its owtb
unti.1 the coming of the Meffiah. The people
of lfracl after this- fcttlement of their 1govtrn~
ment .were reckoned by their tribes, but nenr
before. . It _appears that they. were reckoned ·by
their 'ttjlx;s a~d according to their families, while
they fojourned in Egypt: and the tribe of Judah
made as confidcrable a figure as any of them. In
number it was fu.perior to the others: (Numk I.
and XXVI.) it had ·the 'lirft r.ank in the •rmies
of Ifrael : (Numb. II.) it marched firft againft
the Cana~nites.: (Judg. I.)' and upon aU oc..
cafiona manifcfied fuch courage as fully anfwered
. the chara~er given of it, (ver. 9.) JudtJb is "
lion's whelp; 'from the prey, my fan, thou art 1ont
"/' : ht jloopttl d(}'UJn~ be C01'ched as • iiona aRJ Ill
1111

..
 Differtatiom ~SI'S the p R".f) p-ff;£ c i E s:~ i:os·
11n. ~Id lioli~ who· jha// ro"!fe him "P? If the lit-&
king of lirael was of the tribe of Benjamin, w:
~d was of the tribe of Judah·; and from'
that time to the Babylonilh captivity Judah had
AOt only the fcepter of a tribe, but. liktwift the:
1Ccptcr of a kingdom. When it was ptom)fc\i
to Judah particularly that the fcepter ihould-
nat dq>art from him, it was implied that -it
fhould .depart from the other tribes : and ac·
cordingly the trihe of Benjamin became a·fol1
of appendage to the kingdom of Judah : and
the other tJm tr~ were after. a iime ·cruTied
away captive into.A1fyria, from· w.hencc they
never returned. The Jews alfo were· carried
captive to Babylon, but returned after fcVtnty
yeasa: and during .thoir captivity they \ftre·far
~-being treated u fiaves, as ·if appears from
the prophet's advice to them ; (Jercm~ .XXDC.:
5, -&e.) ·Bui/J Jt ho*fo1, a11d Ju:el/ fn them; '·mjk]
p/allt l"'Jms, 1111J eat tlN.fnlit ifthem, &c: and
may of them were fo weJI fixed and fetdeo ·at
Babylon, and lived there fn fuch' eafe fuid
dtw:nct, that they refufed to retaTn to· their
native country. In their captivity they were fiill
allowed to live as a diftinfi people, appointed
.fcafts and fafts for themfelves, and had ruler~
and governors of their own, as we may colleet
froni feveral pfaces in Ezra and Nehemiah. ,
When
106 Dijfertations on the PR o PH E c (E s.
When Cyrus had iffued his proclamation for t})c
rebuilding of the temple, then rofe up the chief
of the fathers, faith Ezra; (I. 5.) fo that they
had chiefs and rulers among them. Cyrus
ordered the veffels of the temple to be delivered
to the princeofJudah; (Ezra I. 8.) fothatthey
had then a prince of Judah. And thefe .princes
and rulers, who are often mentioned, managed
their ·return · and fettlement afterwards. It is
true that ·after the Babylonilh captivity they
were not fo free a people as befor~, living undev
the dominion of the Perftans, Greeks, and
·Romans; but frill they lived as a· diflinet people
under .tooir own laws. The authority of their
rulers and elders fu bfifted under thefe foreign
maftets~ as it had even while they were ia
Egypt.- It fubfifi:ed under the Afmonean
princeS, as it had under the government of the
JudgeS', and San:mel, and SauJ; for in the
books of Macca.bees t)let:e- is frequent mention
of the rulers and elders artd councilef the Jews,
and of'public aets and memmi"als in their name.
It fubfifted even in our Saviour~s time~ for
in the gofpels we read often of the chief priejls
and the ftribes and the elders qf the people~ Their
pawer indeed in capital caufes, efpecially fuch
.as related to the fiate, was abridged in fome
meafure; they might judge, hui -not ·execute
without
•
..
 Differtations l!n ·t'he PR.c;>P.H'~cuu.
without the confent .of the Rotnan governor,
sas I think ·we ~lJfJ: infc_r from this paffage,
·(John XVIII. 3 i.) · r.f~hfaid"Pihte unto them,
'2ale ye him, and judge him acc"ding to ~fll'. ·
'law : the Jews there.for:e jilid unto him., It is nut
lawful for us ·to put any 1111111 t1 death.· Thi:
fceptec was then departing, and in·about fort}'
years afterwards it .totally departed. Their
city w-as taken, their temple was dcftroyetl,
and they themfelvcs were either ihiin wid!
me {word, or fold for.flaves. And from that
time to this they hav.e 'ncv~r formed one body
or focieo/, but have been difperfed among aU
nations; their tribes and genealogies have ·be~
all confounded, and :they have liYcd withoot"-a
ruler, without a lawgiver, and without fuprcmt
authority and government in any~ part of th~
earth. And this a captivity not for feventy
years, kt ·for fcventecn hundred. · " Nor will
" they ever be able (as the lcarnqd ( J ) prelae:
u cxprelfeth it) after all :their pr.etenoes, to
" fuow any figns or marks of ·the Jcept1r
" 111Dong them, till they difcover the .unknown
" country, where nt11er man~inJ dwelt, and
'' wqere the apocryphal Efilras has placed their
'' brethren of~ ten tribes. ( 2 Efd. XUI. 41,)
We
(&) BHbop Sherlo,k's Pifi"C!rtat. 3d.

•
."'•.,.
P· 3SI· Edit. S•
(i) Th111
•
,

t
108 Dijfertations on the PRoPHECIES.
w c have feen .. the exact: completion of. the
former part of the prophecy, and now let us
attend to that of the latter part, And. unto him
Jl;tlll tbt gathering of the ptople De. If we uoder-
ftand this of Judah, that the other tribes fbould
be gathered to that tribe, it was in fome mcafure
fulfilled by the people's gojng up fo frequently
as they did to Jerufalem, which was. in the
tribe of Judah, in order to obtain juftice in
cllilicult cafes, and to worfuip God in his holy
temple. Whitbtr tht tri!Je1 go up, (faith th~
Pfalmift CXXII. 4, 5.) tht trih1s of the ·1..IJrJ;
111110 the tt}JimMZJ efJfratl, to give thanks Nnto tk
fllllllt <{ thl Lord. For there art flt thrt11es '!/"
jllligmmt; thr thrones oftht /xJuft ofD4'Vid. Upon
-the .divifion of the kingdoms of ffrael and
Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the pricfts and
Levites, and fevcral out of all the other tribes
(2 Chron: XI. 13, 16.) went over to Judah,
and were fo blended and incorporated together,
that they are more than once fpokcn of under
the notion of 01le tribe: ( r Kings XI. 1 3, . 32,
36.) and it· is faid exprefiy ( t Kings XII. -20.)
thtrt was nOM that fallowed tlJe houft of DIZ'fltd,
/Jut the tri/Je ef 1udab onljt; all the reft -were
fwallowcd up in that tribe, and confidcred
as parts and members of it. In like manner,
when the Ifraclites were carried away captive
. 'fu~

•..
••
 Dijfartations-Dn the P.1t-0.1.1a&c1 s.s .. · 109
into AftYria, it is ··.fad (2 ·Kln~t MVIt. 18~)
t/Jert «fDOS noM kjt /Jiii t/N tri/Jt. 'tJj' ~M/J ltllJ t
and yet ·we know that the tribe· Of Benjamiri,
arid man)' .of the other tribes remainm "too, buc
they UC reckoned as one ·and rthe fame tribe
with jodah. Nay ·at ·this wery time ·there wat
a remnant of lfrael, that cfcaped· f~ ~e ·A(.
fyriaos, .and· went· and adhered to Judah : fott
wc.jnd"afterwatds, that in the reign of Joiah ·
there were fome of Mlltltijftb 'dlld. BjihFai111 lmll
ff the· r1111t111nt ff !frMI, wh~ contributed money
to the repairing of the temp~, as well as 'Ju-
l#b ""4 -Bmja•i": (2 Chron. XXXIV. 91) and
at the folcmn celebration of the pa1fovcr {omc
1{ (fr11tl 'IMrt prtfmt as well as all 'Ja4"'1 tllUi t/M
ilrbaMt""1s ef Jn-ufakm. When the people
JClbmed from the Babylooilh captivity, then
agma fcvcral of the tribes of I!racl affociatcd
thcmfclves, and returned with Judah and -Ben.
jamin ; mzJ in Jtrlffolnn Jtu,tlt ef t/Jt cbt1Jrm of
:fiidllh, ani. of the cbiJJrm of Bmjamin, onJ of
the cbildt-111 of Ephraim tmd Mtzn'!ffo'1. { 1 Chron.
IX. l •) At fo many different times; and up-
on fuch different occafiona, the other tribes
w~ gathered to this tribe, . infomuch that Ju·
dab· became the general name of the . w_hole
aa&ion ; and after the Babylonifu· capJivity they
were
1·ro Dif!ertations on the. PROP HB:c.1 Es.
wer~ no loJ)g~r called the people of JfraeJ, buc
the .people of 1Ntiah or ·1e'U'S.
Again ·; if we underfbuad this of Shiloh or
the Mcffiah, that the people or Gentiles ihowd
be .gathered· to his. obedience, it i& ,no more
than is fur~told · in many other proph~jes of
k::riptute ; · and it began to be fulfilled in Cor~
J)eliui; the· centurion, whofe converfion (Ads
X.) was as) ·may fay the firft fruits of the Gen-
tiles, and th~ harvefr afterwards was very plen-
tec>US. In a few y-ears the gofpcl was diffemi-
nated, and took root downward, and iore jruit
upward in .the moft canfiderable parts Qf the
world then known: and in Confiantine's time.,
when the empire became Chrifiian, it might
with fome propriety be faid, the kingd1ms of tbiJ.
VJOrld are become the k.ingdoms of our Ltird, and of
'1is Chrifl, and he .foal/ reiga for roer and ever.
(Rev. XI. 15.) We ourfclves were of the Gen...
tiles, but are now gathered unto Chriil.
Lafily if we join thi' in conllrud:ion with the
words preceding until Shiloh. come, two eveob
are fpecificd as forerunners of the fccpter's de-
parting from Judah, the coming of the Mef..
fiah, and the gathering of the Gentiles to him ;
and thefe together point out with greater exaet-
nefs the precife time. of the fceptcr's departure.
Now it is certain that before the deftruction of
Jerufalem,
 Dijfertations on th~ PR o P.H E c 1 Es. rl i
J~ufaferrl,' and the .di1fo1ution of the Jewifli
commoflwe3\th by the Romans, the ·Meffiah
was not only come, but great numbers like-
wife of the Gentiles were converted to him.
The very fame thing was preditl:ed by our Sa-
viour Limfelf, (Mat. XXIV. 14.) 'Ibis gOJpel of
t/Je Aingdom jhall he preached in all the world, far
a witn~fi unto all nations, and then foal/ the enJ
tome, the deftrultion of Jerufalem, and end ol
the Jewifh conftitution. The Jews were not ·
to be cut off, till the Gentiles were graffcd into
the church. And in fad: we find that the
apoftles and their companions preached the .
gofpel in all'the parts of the world then known.
'Ihnr faunJ (as St. Paul applies the faying, Rom.
X. 18.) wmt into all the earth, and tbtir ·words
f111to the ends of tbe world. And then the mJ
tt1111e, then an end was put to the Jcwilh po-
lity in church and ftate. The government of
the tribe of Jadah had fubfifled in fome form
or other from the death of Jacob to the laft
dcftruaion of Jerufalem : but then it was ut-
terly broken and ru~ned ; then the fcepter de-
parted, and hath been departed ever fince. And
now even the diftinetion of tribes is in great
meafure loft among them i they are all called
Jews, but the tribe of Judah is fo far from
bearing rule, that ·they know riot (or certain
2 whiQO.
112 Dij[ertations on the PRoPHRCJE ~.
which· is the tribe of Judah ; and all th~
world is witncfs, that they ext.:rcifc domi..
. nion no where, ~ut liv.e in fobjecuon evef'J
· wbere.
Before we conclude, it may not be improper
to add a juft obfervation of the learned· prelate
before cited. .As the tribe of Benjamin annexed
itfelf to the tribe of Judah as its head, fo it ran
the fame fortune with it; they went together
into captivity, they returned home togcthe~,
and were both in being when Shi~oh came.
This alfo was foretold by Jacob,. (ver. 27.)
Benjamin foal/ raven ai.a wolf; in the morning
he jhall dtwur the prey, and at night be foal/ Ji-
'1ide the fpoil. The morning and night here can
be nothing clfe but the ( 2 ) morning and night
of the Jcwilh ftate; for this fiate is the fubjelt
of all Jacob's prophecy from one end to the
other : and confequently it is h~e foretold of
Benjamin, that he fhould continue to the very
laft times of the Jewilh ftate. This interpreta-
tion is confirmed by Mofes's prophecy, for the
prophecy of Mofes is in truth an elpofition of
Jacob's prophecy. Benjamin, fai_th Mofes,
(Deut. ·XXXIII. J 2.) foal/ dwell ~n fafety ; thl
Lord
(a) Thu romc Jewifh inter- anderftood the exprdion, Ma-
prctera referred to by Bochart, nc,i4 cft primislfraelitici ~gni
tanponbua
 JJl/forla.~io/U on tbe p R 0 pa E c IE s. t IJ
Lord jhall cover him all the day long. Wha:t is
this alt the day long?' 'l'h.~pf!Ie €er_tainly as the
tmrninn·
. 0
and night. Does not this import a
prom11e of a longer continuance to Benjamin,
than to the other tribes.? .And was it not ·moft
exattly: f uifilled ?" . . ·- .
To _conclude. This prophecy and the com ...
pletion of it will furnifh us with an invincible
argument, n_ot only that the Meffi.ah is cotne.11
but alfo tt!at Jefu~ Chrift is the perfon. For
the fcepte,r- was not. ta depart from Judah,,
until ·t h(Meffiah lhould come: but the _fcepter
hath long been departed, and confequently the
Meffiah hath been long come. The fceptor
departed at the final . deftruction of Jerufalem.11
and hath been ~eparted feventeen centuries ;
and. confequently .the_ Meffiah came . a little
before that ·period : and if the Me.ffiah came a
little befor_e that period, prejudice itfelf cannot
long make any doubt ce)ncernihg the perfon.
All confidetate men muft fay, as Simon Peter
faid to Jefus, (John VI. 68, 69.) Lord, to whom
jhafl we go? thou hajl the words of eternal life•
.And we' helie1Je fJTld are Jure that thcu art th1
Chrfll, the Jon of the li'TJi~g God,
v. BALAAM'•
temporibus-Sub vefperam, id tempora. Hieroz~rc. parsp1iot',
d po.ft captivitatis BabylOJ1ic2 Lib. 3. ~:i.p. lo. p. 8%8.
Vo a.. l. I (1) Sau1rnal
Jr 4- Dif!ertations on the PROP ff I. c I ·Es,

.• . ' .
V~
BAL A A M•s prophecies.

W .
ONDERFUL as the gift of pro-
·phecy was, it was not always con.fined.
to the ,chofen .feed,. _J;lor yet always imparted t~
the heftof men. ·God might fometimes, t~
convince the world of his fuperintendence and
_gov~r(Hpent of .the world~ difclofe the purpofcs
.of hi.s. · providenc~ to heathen nations. . Hie
revealed himfelf to Abimelech, (Gen. XX.) to
Pharaoh, (Geri. XLI.) and to Nebuchadnezzar;
· (D'an~ II.). and we have no reafon to deny all
the marvelous fiories which are related of
:divination among the Heathens; the poffibility
·.~n~ credibility of which is argued on both fidcs
by Cicero in his· two books of Divination, his
btother <l!!intus afferting it in the firft .book'.
·and himfelf laboring to· difprovc it in the
fecond; but I think all unprejudiced readcrsmuft
agree, that the arguments for it are· ~n~r
· and better than thofe urged againft it. Neither
was there any neceffity, that the prophets fhould
~ ilways be good men. Unworthy perfons may
fometimes be polfeffed of ·fpiritual gifts as well
·as of natural. Aaron and· Miriam, who were
:~ · infpired
 Djfar1ation.r on t/Je Pao PH x c 1 E. s~
infpired .upon fome occafi~ns,. yet upon <;>ther~
mdtinied againft '.Mofe~~-qnd rebelled ag~nft.
God. ·Jonah for his di{ob_edieace to God w~s.'
thrown into the fea. . Iii" th"e i 3th chapter· of
the firft book of Kings we read of twQ pro-.
pnett the one a lier and_ afterwards irifpir.e~
th~ other infpired and afterwa~ds difobe{ijenl\~·
the word of the Lord. Yea our· Saviour hlm~·
... • • - ... ·c."
I' - . ., "t

felf hath a1fured us:r (~fatt. Y]t: 22;_.iJ.J.t~~f

in the Jaji· day many will faj ·unto ~im:..=-~~{
Lord, htrVe we not proph!fiedin thy ·nani'i'I aiitJ.
bf. thJ name hime ciifl out devils? and in thy 1111~e
lif;,nt mmzy· 'llJOnJerful 'Works 1 anJ yet will he prefdi'
unto.ihem, I newr knt'W you; depart from me, ye. \

ihat 'Work i11igu1~. . . . .

B~ was a remarkable i~ce of both
k..iqd,s. both of a prophet who was 'a Heathen,
' I. '• •

~-of a prophet who was an immoral. man.

lf.c ca.\DC from .Aram or Mefapf!tamia, out ef the
lfllPl!'ll,llins of tk.eajl~· (Numb. XXIII. 7. Deut.
~1:1· 4.·) apd the eaft was infamous for footh-
~JWS and diviners. (If. II. 6.) However he wa~
a wodhippcr of the true God, (as were alfo
Mclchir.cdek, and Job, and others of the hea-
dien nations) and this appq.rs. by his applying·
to God, (Numb. XXII. 8.)' I 'llJiO bring jou
1110t:.J 4gllin. as the Lord foal/ Jpetd unto me?
and by his calling tbe Lord his God, ( ver. 18 S
.. I 2 I
x· 16 Dijfortations on tbe PR o P a~ c 1!5. s.
1 caitnQt gfJ /Jtjond'the word if.the L'ord·~y Ced
to "do· 1rji or m~re~ · But his worlhip was mixed
~nd deoafed with fupe!ftition, as appears by his
building ft"uen altars,· and facrific1ng on eadi
~l'tar: (N unib. XXUI. I, 2. ). and by his going
f(J fle"k far inchantmmts, whatever d1cy. were.
(Numb. XXIV. I.) He appn'.US too to hnve 111d
iom~· pious thought~ and refolutions, by" de-
claring I cannot go beyond the word of the L~;·d
mj' GDd, to do lejs or more; ahd by· fo earneftly
wilhing Let me die "the d~ath of t~e right~ou1,
~nilet my Jaj!'~nd be like· his. (XXIIl. IO.) But
his heart was tinfound, was mercenary~ was·
if
corrupt"; he loved 'the'u•dges unrr'ghteot{ftiefi,
• {~ .~et_. II. 1 5.) .and ran_ gre~dilj ·aft~r rt'WaYds:
.
CJiide
.
11.) his inclinations werl! ~ontrru-y to bis
. ' ' .. .
duty; he was ordered to·ftay, b4tyet he withed
' to g~ ;"he was commanded to blefs, bat yet'he"
longed to curfc; and wheii ·he found that he
was overruled and c~uld d~: :he!·eople n~ hurt.
as a prophet, he 1hll contrive 'to do 'It u z
politician, ~d taught Balak to cajl a jliJmhlmg
blodl b~(ore the children { !frael, ·fr; tat ·~hingr
faFTj/iced untr; 'idols, and to commit fartii'ration.
(Rev. II. 14.. ) so· that he was .indeed a ilriinge
mixture of a man; but fo is ~very man "hlore
or lefs. There are inconfifi:ences a.nd contra-
diClions in every character, tho' not fo great
perhaps
 Dif!ertation1 on the PR o P HE c·11 s.. 1 17
~rhaps and ·notorious as in Balaam. If h~
it aalled a .fofllb.-:fayer in -one ·part of fcciptuCC•
. (Jofh. XIII. z2.) · in another part be ia called a
'propbtt: ( 2 Pct. II.. ~ 6.) and his naane 111U;ft
have been .in high credit aod efiimatiqp, that
·the· king of Moab and the .elders of Miwan
·fhould think it worth their while to fend tWo
·-honorable embaffies to him · al ·a co4lftdct;ablc
diftance, to engage hi~ to· come and cur.Ce c?e
people of ffi:acl. It was a fu~dliliou• . cerc-
. mony in ufc among the. Heathens to .devote
their enemies to deftruBion at the begipning of
their wars, as· if the Gods would enter ·into
their .paffions, and were as unjuft and partial as
thcmfelves~ The Romans had public officers
.to perform the ceremony, and . .
bath prcferved the form of thefe execrations.
.
( I) Macrobius .

Now. Balaam.being a prQphet of great note and

eminence,. it .was belieted that he was more in-
-timate than qthers with the heavenly ~wers,.
.and. coufeqpeody that his impreca.tions would
~, more eff'eltual ;. for as Balak fa1d unto him
(Numb. llll. 6.) I 'llJOt that he whom thou
.""lft}I is./Jkjfod, and be whom thou curfejJ is cuefej.
. . B\lt the· ftrangeft incident of aJl is the part of
JWaam.'s·:if&. This ufua11y is made the grand
J>bje~n .CO .the truth of ·the ·ftory. The f~~k-
mg
(I} Saturoal. Lib. 3· Cap. 9•
l 3
· 11 8 Dif!ertations on the P .ll o PH E c 1 Es.
irig· nfs from that time to this hath been the·
ilartding jeft of-every infidel brOtbcr. Philo the
-Jew. feemeth to ·bav.e'. been aihamed· of this part
of. me ftory ; for in the firft book of his life ·of
-Mofes,. wherein he hath given an account· ot
Balaam,· he hath purpofeJy omitted this parties.:.
·tar. of the ·afs's fpeaking, -I fuppofc not to giTe-
. vffenfc: to .the Gentiles; but be needed not ·to
hcwe ·heien fo cautious of offending: them, for
-fin'lilar ftories were current among them. The
·,Jeamed ·( 2) Bochart hath collected fcveral in-
. fbnces, the afs of Bacchus,. the ram of Phr~,
· tht h6rfe of Achilles, and the like, not only
· fro~ 'the poets and mythologifts, but alfO from
the·gravefi hiftorians, fuch as Livy and PJu-
tar~h, :who frequently affirm ·t~at o:xcn have
fpoke·n. The proper ufc of citing {uch autho-
; rities iS' not to prove, that tho{c inftances and
· this of Balaam are upon an equal footing, and
equally true ; but only to prove, that the Oco-
i tiles believed fucb things to be true, and to Jie
•within the power of their: gods, ·.and .eonfe-
\quently could not object to the truth of faip-
'ture-hifiory on this account. Maimonides and
:others have conceived, that the . matter was
tranfaeted in a vifion: and it mutt be· coafe«ed
that many things in the writings Of the prophets
are
{z) Hierozoic. Pars prior. Lib;:. Cap. ••·
 Differtatirms on th,e P.ll o P ll E,c rB g-. 1i 1'
ar~ fpo.lten of. as .real tranfa~iqns~ w,l\i~h ~uq
onJy v.ifunary ;, ~d theie vifi~ .ruade .as fl:cOD8
icnprcffiona U,P.Qn th~ . miD~ of .the proph~s.a&
realities. But it appe~s . ra~~e~, QlOr~ ptob.ablo
from the .whoJe tenor· of the ,narration, ·tha•
this was' ~Q vifionary, bus -~ real. tranfaaioni
T~ words ot Lt. Peter ilio~., th~t it -is .to bQ
underftood, a& he·himftl( un4:rftood it, li~JI' 1
(2 Pc::t. JI. 14, 15, 16.) Curfttl cbilJrm: ."Jl(bjcfJ
lwua /orjdtn tht right uay, and ,are gon1 6/lriZYs
joi1'v-~1ng the way o Baklam tht f<m ofBefor., who
.'rJWd 1.br? 'UJ!lgts fl unrightdljoejs·; hut t.o•s .rt..
t .dwJ ft:r bi1 iniquity; tbe dumb lljj ~g Vlitb
'h'ii's-vfli&t, for~adthtm""'1ufiflf. the fw'lbct. Thd
;a:· "''as enabled to utter Cuch and fuch· fou1;t~
p:t i 1'.1ly, as parrots do, wilhout underftanding ·
ti~t.m: ~:nd fay what you will of the conftruffioa
'1f. Lc~ ,, !.t ·:, mouth, of the formation of the tongue
"''••• . 1\\ ~ b~;·ng unfit for, fpeaking, yet an ade~

qu .. tc. cauie lb afligncd for this wonderful eff'ett,

fo: it is faid cxprefly, that the Lord openeJ tbt
m~tb 6( the efs; -and no one who believes a God,.
can- d~ubt of hi& having power to do this, and
·-.udl more. If the whole tranfaetion was vi-
1ionary, no reafon can be given why it was faid
~Jarly that the Lord opened the mouth .o f the
•fi· But it· is. thought' frrange that Balaam
thould e:xprefs no furprife upon this extraordi..
I 4 nary
120 'Dijfertations on the ·PROPHECiEs·~
nary occ:W.on: but perhaps he had been accuf..
tonicd to prodigies with his inchantmcnts > ' or
perhaps believing the eaftcm doll:rin of the
cran{migration of Jiuman fouls into the bodies
u brutes, he might think focb a humanized
brute not incapable of fpeaking; or perhaps he
might not regard, or attend to the wonder~
· shrough excefs of rage 3nd matlnefs, as the word
is in 8t. Peter ; or perhaps (which is the moll
probable of all) he might be greatly diftutbed·
and ~oniilied; as (3) Jofephus affirms he was,..
and J~t Mofa in his .tbort hiftory might atnit
this cir(;umfiaQCe. · · The miracle was by no
means.. net:dlet& or ~ ·fuperfiu'ous ; it ·was ¥ory
prorr to convince Ba:laam, that the mouth
aod ~on.gue were .under .God'-s direetion, and
th~ . th,; fame :divine power which callfed · the
'il\~mb af.i; to ·fpeak contrary to its nature, could
u1ake him in like ·manner utter b)effings con-
. trary t() his iudination. And ac~ordmgly ho
was overruled to blefs the people, tho' he CJamo
prepared and difpofed to curfe them, w bich ac.
~~rdi~g to (4) Bochart was the gre~te.- mirac;l<t
. ' of

(3) A!\tiq. Jud. ~ib. 4. Gap. Edit. Hudfon.

~. Seet. 3· Ta~aT111-'IUI .} 1&11• (4) Ra/Jba ·in Nutllfr11 Sea.
Tl/ ~. T1jr T"' o•ll '"'"'' &•· 20. Dcum affczit 01 ainz icleo
~f'iTmir ~""• •· ,.. .>.. Dum apcruilfc, "' Balaa.muafi«mt•
vero ille voce humana ali.oz at- 01, tt iing111u11 /ellU jt tjfo, ~
4i:!qi~\lS ~qrbatuf'l;ue &c. p. 1 S~· fW_os ipjitU Balaami, Ji fUl'Vlt
lfr~U
 Dijfertations tm the PR0Pa1clts~ n1.
of the two, for the afs was· merely 'Pair~. ·bat
B1Iaam rcfiftcd the good.motions of·God. ·We
miiy be the more certain'thm be·was infttuml1:d._
to fpeak con~rary to his inclinatibn, becaufe after
he h:i.d done ]>rOphefying, though ·he had bem
ordered in anger to depart and fae to his pl«e J
(Nun.b. XXlV . J'o; 11.) yet he·had the m~n-
neti; to fiay, and gave that wicked coun'feJ~ wberel.
by the people wue in'ticcd -to cGlflnlit whoredfJ111
witb the daughters of Ma/I, and twmty andjbtir
thsufa1111 tiied in the plag11e. '(Numb. XXV.)
This mirade then ~as a proptr fign ·to Ba..
laam, and had a proper c1fcd J and we may
lbe 1nOCC eafily balievc it, when we 1ind Balaam
afterwards infpired with fuch know]ege of fu..
turity. .Jt was not more above the natural ca-
pacity of the afs to fpcak, than it was abtwc the:
natmal capacity of Balaam to forctel fo mllDJ
diftant events. The prophecies render the
miracle mor~ credible ; and we 1hall have .ldl
rnfon to doubt of the one, when we foe the
~complHhment of the others. His predil!-ions
are indeed wonderful, whether w• confider die
irtattcr

lfraeti •.lttfirn-t. Btvero Id do- ?ocuta cft, Alina enlm erat

cait ·- cvnuus, cum Balaa• iis c::c;r~ parichs, fed B11IMlll(I mo.
ipi• inirus Mnedixit, quibus "c" ti Dco pro virili obfiftebat.
••lcdiBaras tanro.apparatu vc- ut Saiil, cum propbetam egit.
nent, non minore oraculo, aut liierozoic. Pan ,prior. tib. 2:
pqa majore, qu:un cum afina Cap. •-t·
<s> Sec

.....
1~2 Dijfertatio1JS on tlJe PR o PH E c 1 Es.
matter or die ftile; as if the. fame divine fpir:~
that in~ed his thoughts, had alfo raifr--i his
language. They arc called para!Jles in the l~­
cred text : ht llJolt up bis parable> and faid. TL c
hme word is ufed after the fame manner in ti! e
book of Job, (XXVII. 1. XXIX. I.) Morc()'lxr
jo/J continued bis parable, and faid. It is com-
monly tranilated parable or prO'IJtrh. Le Clerc
tranfiates it jiguratam orationem: and. t~ereby
is meant a weighty and folemn fpee~h deliverni
in figurative and maje£Uc language. Such\ re-
markably fu<;h (5) are the prophecies or parab!c5
of Balutjl. You cannot perµfe them witbc:iut
being firuck with the beauty of them. ,Y<.:u
Wjll perceive u.ncommon force and Cf?e~gy, jf
you .read them only in our Englilh tranfla~~on.
we fuall felelt only fuch parts as are. more
immediately relative to. the defign of thefe
ciifcourfes.
After
(s) See to this parpo(e Mr. BaJaam's prophtcies into Latin
Lowth's poetic_al Pra:leai.~1, verfe, Pra:Jea. ~o. p. ao6. The
particularly Przlca. 4. p. 41. learned reader will not be dif-
Pnele&. 18. p. 173. and hia plcafecl to fee it Iler~ ..
iage11ioua vcr6on of part of
Tuis, Jacobe, quantus eft calri1 tlecor !
Twfqme 6gnis, Ifrael !
Ut rigua vallis ferrilem rudeas Ga. . ; ·
Horti ut {cat~tes nnJia J .
Sacris Edenz cofti ut in f7lvi1 virent~
Cedrique propter lumina.
Illi 11da mnlto rore liUut germina,,
f..nufque aluat jugcs aqua.
Sana!
 Differtationl on the PROPHECIIS• ·11-13
After he had offered his firft facrifice, (NU'm6.
XXIII.) he went to feek the Lord, and at his
return he declared among other things, Lo, t/Je
'/topk fhall dwell alone~ and jhallnot he nc~oneJ.
·among tht natiom~ (ver. 9.) And·'how could·
Bala~ upon a dill:ant view· only of a ·people~.
whom be had never ·feen or known before,.
have difcovered the genius and manners. not,
only of the people then living, but of their pol-
terity to the latefl: generations ? What renders ·
it more extraordinary is ·the fingularity 'of the
character, that they lhould -differ from aii 'the
.people in the world, and iliould dw~l~ by ~h'em­
felves among tile nations, ,witho_ut mixi~g and
incorporating with any. The time too when.
this was affirmed increafes the wonder, it be-
ing before the people were well known in the
worlct before their religion and government
were eftab1llhed, and even before they had ob-
tained
San8i ufqae fin~s promoYebit imperi
Rex ufciue viaor hoftium.
Jllum {uba& duxit ab Nilo Deas,
Novia laperbum Yiribus,
Q.2alis remotis li&er· fn jugis oryx
Fert cclfa C«Z!lo cornua.
Vorabit hofa ; oft ltanget ; irritu
Lacerabit ha&as dentibus.
Ut Leo, recambit; ut lezna, dec11bat;
~uil audeat W:e&re i
Q.ae~{que tibi precabitar, frmt bona!
a qoe prcdbitu, luac ! ·
(6}.See
1 a+ Dijfertations on the p R 0 p H E c I E s.
tained· a fettlement any where. But yet that
the cbaratl.er was fully' verified in the event,
not only. all hiftory tcftifies, but we have ~en
-ocular demonftration at this day. .The Jew& in
their religion .and laws, their rites and ceremo-
nies, their manne~s . and cuftoms, were. fo to-
tally different from ~1 other nations, . that they
had little intercourfe or commu.nion with th~.
An ( 6) eminent. author hath lhown, thiat ~~c
was a general intercommunity .amongft the G~
of P~ganifm ; but no fuch thing was allo~
bet~een the Goci of lfram and tho G~ of lJlc
nations. There was to be po fellow~ be-
tween God and Belial, tho' there migh~ _be-
tween Belial and Dagon. And hence the Jews
were branded for their inb umanity and unfo-
ciablenefs; and they as generally hated, a§ t~cy
were hated by the reft of mankind. Pther
nations, the conquerors and the conquered,
have often afIOciated and united as one body
under the fame laws; but the Jews i~ their
captivities have commonly been mQre bigotted
to their own religion, and· more tenacious of
their own rites and cufioms, than at other
times. And even now, while they are difper-
fed among all nations, they yet Jive diftintt and
· f~paratc

(6) Sec the Divine Legation of Mokl. Blok.!. Sea. 6. ad

: Book. s. Sea. z. ,
 Dij/trtations on. the ~ ll 0 p nc! IE s'.
. i"'J"S
feparate from all, trading only with others, but
·eating; marrying, and converfing chiefly among·
thcm{el~cs. We fee therefore how ~aaly and
wonderfully Balaam · charaCl:erized .. the whqle
race from t·hc .6rft. to the Jaa, when ·he faid,
Lo, the per#e flail ilwell a/on~, a,id jha/J nqt
,.eclo11ed a~g tbr . natifJ!ZS. . In the concluuqn
't
too when.he· pour~f forth that paBionate with,
me
Lei J;e thl Jeat~ of tbe righteous, lllJd let ~
lajl nuJ.".~_<lih his, (ver. IO.) he had in all pro-
bability: Tome forebpdings ot his ·own coming· to
an untimely end, as he r~ally did aftcrwa~s ,
being .il~in with the five kings ot Midian by die
fword· of Ifracl. (Nunib: xxxt ·s;) . · · .
. 4fter. !he .fccctn~ i~rifice he faid amortg
oth~ .things, (Numb. XXII. 24.) &l»lti, .tk
people j/Jall rife up as. a .great. lion, OJZd lift'•
bimj!ffl_S· a young lion : ~e foal/ not lie dO'llm until
be eat of the prey, and drink ef the 6/ood of the
jlain : a.nd again to the fame purpofc after the
third facrifice, (XXIV. 8, 9.) lhjhtJ// eat up the
nations bis enemies, and jhall 6reak their /Jones.
and fierce them thro' with bis arrO'Ws: He. eoucb-
d, IN lay down as a lion, and as a great .lion ;
tDb<J fhall jlir him 'If' t Bitjfed is ht that /Jlejfttb ·
thu, and curfld is he that cuifttb thee. Which
paffages are a manifcft prophecy of the victories
which the. Ifraelitcs filould gain over their ene-
4 · mies,
I' 26 Dif!ertations on the PR o PH E c 1 E s.
mies, and particularly the Qanaanites, and of
the.ir fecure potfcffion and quiet enjoyment of
the land afterwards, and particularly in the
reigns of David and Solomon. It is rcmark-
~ble too, - that God hath here put into the
mouth of B<\laarri much the fame things which
Jacob· h4\(l btfore predicted pf Judah; "(Gen.
~LIX. 9.) Jutlab fr a lirm•s wbrlp; from the
P,,e;y, my fan, thou art go11e up: he jJ10pd down11
lie, coU(htd as a lion, and as an old iion.; .'W~ Jhall
~fa 4im up? ar:id Ifaac had prcdieted ·.of Ja,cqb..
(Gen. XXVII. 29.) CurfitJ he e<l'"'J ·ont that
~urfi~~ ihee11 ,and bleffed ~e .he that ~lejfeth the~ :
iliere is fuch analogy a~d harmony between
~?.~ ·prophccies·..of fcripture. . . ·
, .'A~ ·the fame time Balaam declared, (vcr. 7.)
Bis iirzg Jhall he higher than .Agag, and his ling-
~°'!' jhal/ bt exahed. Some copies have Gog in-
ftead of Agag, which reading is embraced by
the (7) authors of the Univerfal Hiftory, who
fay that cc as the Samaritan, Septuagint. Sy-~
" riac, and Arab:c read Gog inftead of A.gag.
·" and

(7) See Univcrf. Hiit Book I. ~T. . lttr•t r6'>' S-~

Chap.7.Sctl. 2. Vol.1. p. S3+- "'""'· Symm. apud Grot.
J.l'ol. Edit. note Y. (9) Extolletar pre Agag re-
(S) Extolfcturque prz Gog gc, ct exaltabitur rcgnum. Syr.
rex ejas. Samar. Bxaltabitur plufquam Agar
x... j,,}"'911c7mu ~ r~ ~«4&­ r~ ejus, et cxtolletur regnum
>.c1.:i. Sept. ttjus. Arab.
Robora.
 ·Dijfortations 011 the Pao P H 1 c1:E S.
.
1·11
'" and G.g dath gcncraHy 6gnify the SCythiada~
". and northern nations, fcveral interpreters
~ have prcfel-rcd this latter reading to the fuft;
" and not: without good grounda." But ~ .js .:
mifi:ake to fay, that the Syriac and Arabic ·rca"
Gog: it is found only Ki tbe-(8) Samaritan . and
the Septuagint, and in Symmachns according
to Grotius: the (9') Syriac and Arabic have
Agag, as well as the Targum of Oqkelos aad
the Vulgate, tho' this latter with a different"
ienfe and · conflruBion of the words. Neither
have we .any account that Gog was a farlloul
king at that-time, and much lefs that the king
of Hracl was ever exalted above him; and
indeed the Scythians and northern nations Lly'too
re~dte to be the proper (ubjell: of a comp~foo.
The reading of the Hebrew copies, bis hng
flail lie /Jigher than Agag, is without doubt the
true reading : and we muft either ·fuppofe that
Agag was prophefied of by name particularly,
aa Cyrus and Jofiah were fevcral years before
they were born : · or we muft fay with ( 1 ) .
Mofes

R.o'borabitar magi• qnm randenfem, CJ.uilibet rex Ama- ·

Agag rcx ejas, et elanbitur
regnum illius. Onk.
Tolletur propter AgaJ. rex
tjas, ct auferetur regnom dlius.
Vulg.'
(1) Et fccandom Mofen Ge-
lekitaram fu1t vocatus Agal•
tranfitqae primi regis nomen m
omnes polleroa foliom regni oc-
cupantcs; ficuta Ca:fare primo
omnet ll~nnanorum reges C1-
fans appellaatur. Munfteru1.
(2) Et

--
12.8 Di.Ifertations on the Ptt o PH Ect B.g,
Mofcs 9erundcrrlis, a learned r-abbi quoted· bf
Munier, that ·A.gag was the general name of the
kings of Amalck., which appears very pwbable, it
being the cufiom :of thofc times and of diafe
couAtries .to give one certain name to· all their
kings, as Pbllraob was the general name .for tlte
kings of.Egypt, and Abimelecb. for the kings of
the .Philiftincs. Amal.ck: too was a neighbouring
country., and therefore is fitly introdu~cd. upon 4
the prefeIJt occafion : apd ,it was likewife ·at
that..tinie .a great and florilhing kingdom; for
(in ver.. ~o.) it is ftiled the jirji of .tht nations;
8 _.d. th~fore foi;.tl]e .l~ing of Ifrael ~o be ex•
~lted ;a.bd~ ~h~ king df Amalek was really a
wv~ndefl"fi..Jl CJC\~ltatio~. But wonderful as it was.
it w·as acc;omplilhed by Saul, who /mote thl
.Amalekltes from H(Jvilah, · unt#. thou comefl to
Shur, that is O'IJtr againP Egypt : and 9e took
Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utter!J
tlejlroyed all the ptoplt with the edgf of the f·u:orJ. •
· (1 Sam. XV. 7, 8.) The firfi: ki.ng of lfracl
fubdued A&ag the king Qf the Amalekites, fe
that _it might _truly and properly be faid,·_hi.r
ling foal/ be higher than Agag, and his llingdol#
foall be exalted, as ~t was afterwards greatly by
· David and Solomon.
His latter prophecies Balaam ufbers in with
a remark.able preface, Ba/11am tht fan of Bnr
.. . ""'"
 . Dijfer1111itmt on the P·a. o PH! c 1·E s. 129
"41jfoil, """· t/J~ """' who.fa f!tl art fJjJe11, "'11/J
jliJ; He hath faid, wbich hurd tht worlir of
GNI, •hkbfou> ~ 1Jifo11- ef tlN Alwlig/Jty, foll-
~ into 11 traM~, but ha*t.Jing /Jis t}ts opm. (vv.
3, 4; and 15,. 16.) Which ·hath occa1ioned
tnach perplexity and confufton,· but the wonts
righdy rendered will admit of an eafy .intcrpre;-
tation. Balaam tht /Ml of Btor hatb f4id, and
~ t~ man who.ft eyes art opm hatli /aid: It thould·
be the matt '11Jho.fo eye was jhut ; for the wotd
cn11 jhatam is rifed only here and in Lamenta-
tions, (III. 8.) and there it fignifies to fhut; and·
the word cno fatam which is very near of kin
. to it, I think, hath always that fignification.
St. Jerome tranfiates it cuju..~ obturatw tjl o'culus:
and in the margin of our. bibles it is rendered
who had his eyes fout, but with this addition /Jut
nlJ'W open. It plainly alludes to Balaam's not'
feeing the angel of the Lord, at the fame time
that the afs faw him. He hath faid, which
heard the words of God, which faw the vflion of
the .Almighty; for in this ftory we read feveral
times, that God came unto Balaam andfaid unto
him; and poffibly he might allude too to former
revelations. F'alling into a tranct, /Jut having
his tyts optn; in the original there is no men-
tion of a trance; the paffage iliould be rendeted,
/a/ling and his tytl wert open1J, allwling to
VoL. I. K. what
iJd Di/ertatzons on the PRo;H·Et1_£s1
what happened in the way, to .Balaam's fallirlg.
with his falling afs, and then ha\•ing his eye!i.
opened 2 And when the qfs jaw the angel ef thl
1;,ord, Jl..1e jell .down under Balaam--7:b.en tM:
~ord op(!11cd the eyes 9l Balaam, and he fow t/;8
qngel .ql the Lord fianding in t/Je way, and /JM.
jwor.d drawn in his hand; and he bowed thwn JN.I.
head; andfelljlat'fJ!l_hi.rjizce. 'XXII. 271 &c.)
A contraft is intended between having his ey~~
fout, and. ha~ing his eyes ope~ied; the one an-;0
fwers to the oth~r•. The. defign of ~his prefa~e
was to excite attention: a.nd fo Balaam pro-
teeds to advertfft Bala~ wh,zt this peopk jhall. do.
~(} htl pe~ple in the. latter days, by which phrafc
Is. meant ~he time· to·come, be it more or 1c18 .
remote; .
He_ b'eg:rts with what more immcdiate1y .con.e
cetns the_ l\1oabit~s, the people. to whom he is
fpeaking, (ver. 17, 18, 19.) ljl. allfee him, but
1

not now; t foal/ hehold him, but not nigh; or ~

ther I ji:e hiin, hut not now; I behold him, but
not nigh; the future tenfe in Hebrew being
often ufed for the prefent. He faw with th~
eyes of prophecy, and prophets ctre e-mp~ati~·
cally fiilcd Jeers. '{here jha/I come ajlar out oj
J..-zc~b, 011:/ a fcepterjhall rife out of f,ji-ad. The
jlar
'2> Et fob}ugabit omnts ~lios &~th.. Syrl
 Dfferlairolii bn the ·P itolii ef 1 f s, t 3i
/111r and the fceptcr are probably metaphor&
borrowed from the ancient hieroglyphics, which
much influenced ·the language of the eaft; and
they evidently denote fome eminent and illuf...;
trious king or ruler, whom he particularizes in
the followtng ·words, And·jhaU /mite the cor.1
""' qf Mo"'1, &r tht princn of MtJdJ aecordin~
to other Terfion~ This was execnted ·by
David, .for !Je_ }mote Moan; anti meafureJ them
'With a lint, ca}Hng them a(l'fl)n to the grr;und !
rum with two iin£1 meafared he, ro put to 6talhj
f!1ld with ()fie full lint, lo keep alive~ that js h6
defhoycd two thirds, and faved dne third alive i
11T1d· fa the Moa6itei becaine- Dmiid's jeN.JantJ1
and /;rought gifts. (2 Sani. VIII. 2.) ·
:.t111J deflr"Y ail the children '!l Sheth. if by
Sheth was meant the fC?n of Adam; then all thl
cbildren of Sheth are aH mankind~ the pofterity of
Cain and Adam's other fons having all pe:-ilhed
in the dduge, and the line only of Sheth
having bocm preferved in Noah and his family:
but it ,is v.ery haril1 to fay that any king . of
lfrael would dejlr9J all mankind, and therefore
the ( 2) Syriac and Chalqee foften it, that h~
fhall fubdue all the fons of Sheth, and rule o•i:er·
all the fona "f men, The word occurs enly.iri
this

it defit1.11ahiNt ofilnium ~liotdm hoininuin. Ch'ald:

~ 2 (3) Hine
J 32 Dijfortations oit tbe PR o PH E c 1 Es~
this place, and in Jfaiah (XXIJ. 5.) where it i9
ufed in the fenfe of /Jreaking down or Jejl,.oying:-
and as particular places~ Moab and Ed~m, are
mentioned both before and after; fo it is reafun-
able to conclude that not all mankind in gene-
ral, ·but fome particular perfons were intended
by the cxprefiion of the Jons of Sheth. The
(3) Jcrufalem Targum tranilates it the /Olis of
the ea.ft, the Moabites lying eafl of Judea. Rabbi
Nathan (4} fays that Sheth is the name of a
city in the border of Moab. Grotius (5) ima-
gins Sheth to be the name of fome famous king
among the Moabites. Our Poole, who is a
judicious and ufeful commentaror, fays that
Sheth " feerns to be the name of fome then
" eminent, though ·now unknown, place or
"· prince in 1\-foab~ where there were many
" princes, as appears from Numb. XXIII. 6.·
" Amos II. 3 : there being innumerable in-
·" ftances of fuch places or perfons fometi.D1Cf
" famous, but now utterly loft as to all monu·-
" .ments and remembrances of them." Vitringa
in

(3) Hine Jerofolirn. Para- Vide Liram. Drulius.

phrall~s . fili•s winitit vcrtit. Cs) Nibil "ero ~pju q ...
. Moab1tz CQim ~rant ad ortum Stth nominatum fuifi"e regem
J1j1dta:. Le Clerc. aliquem cximium iDter Moabi-
(+) R. Nathan dicit Seth no- tas. Grot. •
mcn llrb~sc«ein ccuninoMoab. (6) Noa dcHo ab bac fm-
'entiaa
 D!/fartations on the PR o PH E c 1 Es·. 133.
iq his commentary upon Ifaiah, (6) conceives
that the ldumeans were intended, the word
Sheth fignifying a foundation, or fortified place,
bece).ufe they trufted greatly in their caftles
and fortifiqtions. But the ldumeans arc men- ·
tioned afterwards; and it is pr.obable that as
two hemiftichs relate to them, two alfo relate
to the Moabites; ~d th.e reafon of the appel...
lation affigned by Vitringa is as proper to the
Moabites as to the Idumeans. It i5 common
in the ftile ·of the Hebrews, and efpecially in
th~ poetic parts of fcripture,, and we ~nay ob~
ferve it partic:ul~rly in the.fe prpphecie~ of Ba.-
)aam, that the fame thing in C?ffoct is repeated
in other w.ords, and the latter member of eacb.
period is .exegetical of the former, as in tl~e
pafiage before ~s ; I Jee him,, Ina not. now ; I be-
.bold him but, n9t m'gb: and then again,. then
Jboll tome· a Jim: 'out of j11co~~ anti a j&epter foal/
tife aid of ffe11el: and. again afterwards,_ Ar.d
Ello• jhall /Je " poj/ef/ion, Stir alfo jha/J 61 a pof-
faj/i1n for hu 01enzit1• . There is great reafo11
therefore

tntia, Y«elll "'\j)"'lj) lllrkAr in

M'i?:'appell1ti11efumptaprof•ir-
verbis Bilcami certo lignilicar~Ja:;1mto, five lo(o nu'"ito, quod
••r:ftr•lli1111111, t'Vtl'jio,,m1, 'Vlljll1-
illi maxime 1n:ibas ac m'uni-
1io•ni; etfi h:ereqm in phran mentis fuis fiderent. Vitring.
l'l;tt 'l:l filiortt111 Stth, ~r quos
in Jefaiam. Cap. u. ver. S•
fecuadum circumftantias loci p. 641. Vol. 1.
illtelligi puto ldumaeos, voe:. J
a {7) Caa
J 34 Dijfertations tm the PR or HE c 1 Ea,
therefore to think, that the fame manner of
(peaking was continued here, and confequently
that Sheth muft be the name of fome eminent
place or perfon among the Moabites; and {hall
/mite the princes of Moah, and (lejlroy p/J t/18
.fans of Shetp. ·
· AnJ Edom /hall be a po.Jldfion. This was alfo
fulfilled by David i for 'be put garrifom in Edom~
throughout all Edom put he garrifons, and all they
ef Edom became David'sftrvants. (2 Sam. VIII.
14.) David himfc:lf in two of his pfalms hath
mentioned together his conqueft of Moab an4
Edom, as they are alfo joined together in this
prophecy; Moa!J is my •u:ajh~pot, 0•1.Jer Edom 'Wi0
[ cajJ out my fooe. (Pfal. LX. 8. CVIII. 9.)
$eir alfo jhall ht a pojfdfion far !?is enemies, tha~
is for the Ifr:telites. Seir is the name of the
Piountains qf Edom, fo that even their moun-.
tains and fa(lneffes ~ould not d~fend th~ Idu,.
pleans from l>Clviq aqd his captains! .Anti
·!frae/ jha// do vali~ntly, as ihey did parti~ularJ1
µoder the command of David, fcveral of whofe
victories ar~ r_ecorded iQ ·this fame 8th ~haptct'
pf the zd book , of Samuel togeth~r with his
conquefi: of Moab and of Edom. Out ofj•cob
fhal/ come he that jhall have t$qminio11, andJhall
(iejlroy him that rnnaineth of t/M city ; not
~plr 4efe~; ~<;m iP. tll<! field, bµt ~~~roy them
~v~
 Differtalitm3 1111 the Pao.r H ec118, IJJ
e¥en in their ftroAgeft cities, or perhap& fO«ne
pirticular c,ity was i~tcnded, as we may iqfer
from Pfal. LX. .9. CVIII. 10, Who. will bring
r
file into the jlrong city w:bo will 'kad tn/. it*'
Edom ? And we read particularly that~ Joabt
David's genera], /mote t'Very male in Edom: .fo'-.
jix months did Joah remain tht're 'ltJ~·11; qi/ lfrad,
"ntil he had (:tit off e'llery 111a/( In Edrmz. ( 1 King~
Xt •s, 16.) .-
we fe~ how exaaty thi& prophecy hath i!C~
fulfilled in the perfon and actjo1lS of David t
but nioft Jewilh as wc:ll as .Chrifiian wr~ter~
;apply i~, primarily ~rhaps to David, but ulti,.
JDately to the Meffiah, as the perfon chiefly io..
tended, ip whom it wa$ to rc~eiv~ its full an<l,
entire completion·. OnkeJos, who is. the O¥J~
ancient and valuable of the Chaldec parap~atb,
ipterprets it of the M~ffi!ili. ',·When a princ=e,
f (7) fays he, thall arife of the boµfe of Ja~
f and Chrift iliall be anointed of the bQUie. of
, lfrael, be aiall both flay the princes of Moab,
fand rq)e .over all the funs_ _of men ;.' an4 •
with hirn agr~e the other Tar~ums Qr para..
phrafes. Maimonides, who is one of the mo{\
•~~d and famo"s pf the Jewith dp~ors, un"'
d'ertlano$
(7) CJJm confurgtt rex de princlpes Moab, et domlnabi.,.
'otn~ Jacob, ct u11ge1ur Chrif- tur 01nniu!ll filipfµm homin"um,
Jg.s de domo Jfrael i et occidet On~,
. ~ • (~l ~~~
1 36 Dijfertations on the PR o P ·a E c 1 Es. ·
dcrftands it partly of David, and partly of tho
Mcffiah : and with him agree other rabbies, ·
whom you may find cited by the critics and
commentators to this purpofe. It appears·~
have. been ~enerally underftood by the Jews, as
a prophecy of the Meffiah, becaufe the falfc
Chrift, who appeared in the reign of the Ro-·
tnan emperor Adrian, (8) affumcd the tide Qf
Barchocbehas or tbt Jon of the jlar, in allufion
to this prophecy, and in order to have it be-
lieved· that he was the fiar whom Balaam had
fcen afar off. The Chrifiian fathers, l think,
are unanimous in applying this prophecy ·to our
Saviour,. and to the ftar which appeared at his
nativity. Origen in particular faith, that ( 9) in
~e law there are many typical and enigmatical
referc1,1ces to the Meffiah ; but he produceth
this as one of the plaineft and clearcft of pro- ·
phccics : and both ( 1 ) Origen and Eufcbius af-
firm, that .it was in confequencc of Balaam·s
prophecies, which were ~nown and believed in
the cafi:, that the Magi, upon the appearance
of a new ftar, came to Jcrufalcm to worlhip
him
(8) See Bafnaite's Hit. of the ..,.,.., ...>.alfW w• ,,.., ..,,....
Jews. Book 6. Chap. 9. Sea 1 %. 'IU/l'"Tlf• 11 IUU 0'4-l"ff• 1,,111
lfX a,., IW'I Tll W'Cllf0"9o ~
(9) 'l'llW'IUI( ,.., I" 111&1 •1- Tu• W'l&f• T1&11T-. <l!!amobrem
.,.,.....Tel>elC .,.,,(O,.tr• 11( Tff q11~m pl11rima invcn~re licet
Xf'S"., 'l'al• lliM)'l'>'f•f"l"•lll• U Tf fcnpta 10 lege tam typ1ce, tum.
obfcure
 D!lfertaiions on 'the PttoPH!CIBS. 131
him who was born king of the Jews. The
ftream 'of modern divines and comtnentators
runneth the fame way, th1:t is they apply .the
prophecy principally to our Saviour, ·and.·by ~
Moa/J and Edom underftand the enemies- ~nd
pcrfecutors of the church. And it ·muft be ac~ "
knowJeged in (avor of this opinion, that many .··
prophecies of ibripture have a double meaning; ~
litteral and myftical, refpeCl: two events, ancl :
receive a twofold completion. David too wdS · ·
in fcvcral things a type and figure of the Mef~
fiab.. . If by dt/lr0Jing ·all tlJe chiidren of S6et1',
be meant ruling <>Ver ·at/" manld11J, ·this was never·· ·
fulfilled in David. · A ftar did really · appear at
our Saviour's nativity·, ·and in fcdpfure he is
ftiled the Jay-.Jlar, (2 Pet. I. 19.) the morning
/lar, (Rev. II. 28.) the 6right and'morningjlt1r1 -
(XXll. 16.) perhaps in allufion to this very
prophecy. Dr. Warburton, who improves every
fobjca that he handles, affigns a farther
rcafon. Speaking of the two forts of meta-
phor in the ancient afe of it, the popular
and common, and the bidden an? tnyfterious.5
he

obfCare, quie relerantur ad Numeros Hom. IJ· Sea. 7._:

Chrltlam. Apertiora vero alia,
et manifeftiora przter hzc, ego
in przfentia non video.
(1) Oris. cont. Celf. Lib. 1.
Sea. 6o. p. 37+· Vol. 1. lJl
p. 32:1. Vol. z. Edit. Beneditl.
Eofc:bii Demonftrat. Enniel.
Lib. 9. Sea. 1. p. +17. Edit.
Parh. 16z8.
(a) See

'
 Dif/'ert~tlon1 on the PR o P H E c 1 Ea.
he ( 2) fays that '' the prophetic writings arcs
'' full of this kind of metaphor. To inftanca
'' only in the famous prediCl:ion of Balaam--r
f' t~re jhall come. (I Jlar out ef Jarob, and a
~' fcepter jhall rift Otd of Ifrael. TPis prophecy
~' may poflibly in fome fenfe relate to David•
q but without doubt it ~longs principally tQ ·
'' Chrift. Here tlie metaphor of a fcrpter Wa$
!' common and popular to denote a ruler, like
cc David; but the Jlar, tho' like the other, it
•' fignifi~d in the prophetic writings ~ temporal
" prince er ruler, yet had a fecret and hiddell
'' meaning likc:wifo. A ftar in the Egyptiaq
'' hieroglyphics denoted (3) God 1 (and bow
'' mJJch hieroglyphic writing influenced tho
'' Cflll~rn. languages we lhall fee .prefentJy)
u Thµs Ood. in the propµet i\.m0&. reproving
•r "· e lfraelites for their idolatry on their .firft
re coming out of Egypt, fays, , Ha1Je ye '!/ftrtd
fC unto me facri.fa:es an4 Wferi11gs in the wiltkmefi
fc forty yeprs, 0 hou.fa <Jf Ifrael? B141 )'t ha-v•
f' /Jorne the tabernacle of 1o~r Molo&b at¥i Cbi111t
t• yo11r images, the ftar of your God 'Which y1
tc made ro· yourfe/ves. (Amos V. 25, 26.) 'I~
''/lar ofJf!fff"_ <;o4 t~ li~r~ @ nohle fi$urative ex..
f' prea.io&\
(i) ~ ~e ~iviae ~,a«i9ii ~. 'ook t ~a. ~

..

l
 Dijfertations on 1he Pao PH E c 1 El. 13 9
ri preffion . to fignify the imagt of your God; for
'' a fipr being cmploy.cd in the hieroglyphics
'' to fignify God, it is ufcd here with .great ele~
'' gance to fignify th~ m~terial image of a God i
~' the words .tbe Jlar ofyour God being only ~
" repetitiQn (fo ufual in the liebrew tongue)
'' of the precediog-Gbiun J'ONf! i11uzges 1 an<l
'' not (as fome c~ti~s {uppofe) the. fame with
'' your God flar, jidus IJcum ve.Jirum. Renee.
~' we conclude that the metaphor here. ufed
'' by Balaam of a /Jar was of that abfirufe my ..
" fierious kind> and fo to ·be underftood; and
'' confcquently that it related only to Chrijl,
" the eternal Son Qf God." Thus far this ex.:.
~Uent writer, But tho' for thefe reafons tho
Meffiah might ~ rcsmote.ly in_tcadcd~ ye.t we
~annot allow that hf: was intended folely~ be,
,:aufe David might be called a· fiar by Balaam,
as well as other rulers or governor& ~re by Da... ·
piel, {VIII. 10.) ~od by St. John; (R,ev. I,
20.) and we mull: infift upon It, that the pr).
mary iaten~ion, the litter~.l meaning. of the
prophecy rcfpects the petfon and adions of
David; and for this reafon particularly~ becauft;
Baba~ is ~r<r ~qvertifln..~ ijala1', lfh1# thi,
' ptopl,
i '*o Dijforia1ion1 on the PR o PH E c I E s.
people jhould Jo to his people in the latter Ja;•s,.
that is what the lfraclitcs iliould do to the
Moabites hereafter.
From the Moabites he turned his eyes more
to the fouth and weft, and loohd on their
neighbours, the Amalekites ; and took up his
parahk, and fa.id, (ver. 20.) Amalek w41 the jirjl
of the nations, /Jut his la1ter end jhall he that ht
perijh jor ever. Amalek was the jirjl of the na-
tions, the firft and moft powerful of the neigh-
bouring nations, or the .firfi. that warred againfi
Ifrael, as it is in the margin of our bibles. The
latter interpretation is propofed by ( 4) Onkelos
and other Jews, I fuppofe becaufe they would
not allow the f'\.malekites to be a more ancient
nation than themfelves : but moft good critics
prefer the former interpretation as more eafy
and natural, and for a very good rcafon, bc-
caufe the Amalekites appear' to have been a
very ancient nation. Th~y are reckoned among
the moft ancient nations thereabouts, ( 1 Sam.
XXVII. 8. )-the Gefhurites~ qnd the Geirites,
11nd the Amalekites ; jor thofi nations were of o/J
tht inbahitants oj the land, as thou goejl to Shur.,
t'IJm unto the land of Eg;'fJt. They are men-
tioned

(+) Principiam bellorum IUacl faic Amalcda. Ook.

...
<s> See
 Dijfertatims on the Paovu11c1xs... 14~
tioned ·ai early as in the wars· of Cbe.lorlaomer : '
(Gen. XIV. ·7.) fo that they muft have been a·
nation before the times of Abraham ·and Lot,'
and 'confequtntly much .o~der than··· the Moa-
bites; or Edomite&, or any of the nations def.11 ·
ccndcd from tbofe 'patriarchs. And: this· ia a
demonftrative ·argument, that the~ AµWekitd
did not defccnd from Amalck, the·. fon :of Eli•
phaz and\ grandfon of Efau; as in~Y. have fup-
pofcd only for the fimilitudc of names·; ·(Cen.
XXXVI: 12.) but • fprung from rfbtile other
ftock, and probably, ·as the Arabian·· writcri
affirm from Amalck 'or Amlak:, the· fon of
}Jani and grandfon of Noah: 'Am/al & Atli·
lilt, fils de Cham, 'fils de Noe-C'eft c~luy que
les Hebreux appellent Amalee pcrc des Amale-
citcs: (o faith Herbclot ; but it is to be wifhed
that this· valuable and ufeful author ·had cited
his authorities. According to the (5) Arabia11
· hiftorians too, they were a great and powerful
nation, fubdued Egypt, and held it in fubjec..
tion feveral years. ThcY.· muft certainly have
been more powerful, or at leaft more courage-
ous, than the neighbouring nations, becaufe
thq ventured to attack the lfraclites, of whom
tho

<s> See UaiYed. ma. Book L Cbap. 3• P· dr. Folio Ed.it.

\'ol. •· . 3 (6) Hie
1+~ Differtaiiilns rm the PR o Pax· c it § ~
the cdtet nations war~ tfraid. But tho' thef
were the tirfi, the moft undent and powerfu1,
Qf the neighbouring nations ; yet their latter ewJ
jball he that thty ptrijh for roer. Here Balaam
\lnWitti_ngly confirms what God had before dc-t
aoanccci. by ·Mofes, (Exod. :XVII. 14.) .Antl
tht Lord foij ato Mofes, "J/?rite this far a 111nRO-.
rial in a /Jook, and fthtarfo it in- the tars. ~f 'jojhU4 1
far [ 'llJiJI (ot rather that I will) tdterlj put Old
tht f't~.Jrance of. Amaltk from undtr hetl'TJm,
l3alaam had before declared, that the king o(
Jfracl iliould prevail ov~r the krng of Amalek 1
but here the menace is carried farther; and
Amalek is configned t.o utter defuuCl:ion. This
fentence was in great meafure executed by
Saul, who f mott tk .A.111alekites, ant/ utterly de•
.flroyed oil the people wit./J the edge ef the fworJ,,
(1 Sam. "XV. 71 8.) When they had recovered
a little, Dtl!Vid and his men went up t1nd i11'VatkJ
them ; and Da<Vid [mote tb1 /1J11J, and lift neither
m11n nor woman alive, and t()()k. away the jheep,
and tbe 6xen, ond the ajfa1, and the cmnels~ anl
tbt apporel. (I· Sam. xxvn. 8, 9·) David made
a farther ilaughtet and ~onqueft of ,them at
.Ziklag 2 ( ~ Sam. XX1C) an.d' at laft tk Jons of
:8imeon, in the Jays of Hezekiah king of" Judah,
.Jlnote the reji of the Amaltllites that 'llJere ejcaped.,
'1
·""' hilt· in li1ir IM/Jit11tio11s. Chron. l V. 41.)
4a,
'.
bi/ertatlohs on tbe ltk 0 p H'tt t t £ 9.
4-~~ 43.) And where is -the name o~ the nati~n·
t this day~ What hiftory,
of Amalek· fubfllling a_
what tradition concernJrig .them is rem.ai11ing·
any where? They are but juft enongh kpown~
lnd ~niemhred to ~ow, that what Gotl had
threatened he hath punClually fulfilled ; 1 'WIN
11tterly put out the remembrance of Amalell frofli-
tlnder l1etl'btn; and bis latter.end ]hat/ ;lie that~
perijh Jor ·. ev-er. .· · · ;.
Then '/Je lool1etl on the 1&11i1n ; . tihd totJll up hit
para,IJ/e~ =a11d faid, (ver; 21, 22.) Strong· is t!JJ
dru;e/fing place, and thou putte/t thj= tiejl in a nJC~
Ne'Vertbelefl the Kenite · jhal/ ~e .WtJjled., · until
.Aifhur jhall carry thee away captiit.Je. ~ Commen~
tators are perplexed, and much at a lofs to fat
with ~ny certainty· who thefi Kenites were~
There ate Ktnites mentioned (Gen. XV. 19.)
am~~g the Canaanitifh nations, ~~arc:· land wa•
promifed unto Abraham; ·and (6) Le Clerc
imagins that thofe ·k_enites were the ·people· he~~
Intended : But the Canaanitiih nations -are not
the (ubj.ect of Bala~in's prophecie~ ;~·and th~
Canaanitilb nations were to be rooted out, but
tbtfi K.e'(lites were .to continu~ ~.s : long as th~
lfraelites themfelves, and· to be carried captive
with

(6) Hie antiquiores i!ii Keiue~ iutcfiiaendi. Le Cletc_in loeun:'·

•· · · · ·• (7) Honua
x44 Dijfartat.iom on the PR o P H ! c l E s~
with them by the Aifyrians ; and in the opi..
nion of (7) Bochart, thofe Kmites as well as
die Kenizzitcs became extinlt in the interval of
t.ime which pllfcd between Abraham and
1\1..:>fes, being not mentioned by Jolhua in the
divifion of the land, nor reckoned among the
nations conquered by him. The moft probable
account of theft Kenites I conceive to be this.
Jethro, the father in law of Mofeii,. is called in
one place the priejl of Midian, (Exod. Ill. 1.)
and in another the Kenitc. · (Judg. I • . 16 ) We
~ay infer therefore that the Midianites and the
Kenites were the fame, or at leaft that the Ke-
nites were fomc of the tribes of Midian. The
Midianites are faid to be confederates with the
Moabites in the beginning of the ftory, and the
elders of Midian ~s well as. the elders of Moab
invited Balaam to come and curfe Ifrael J and
one would naturally expect fome notice to be
taken of them or their tribes in the. courfe of
thefe prophecies. Now of the Kenites, it
appears, that part followed lfrael: (Judg. I. 16.)
but the greater part, we may prcfume, re-
mained among the Midianites and Amalckites. .
We read in 1 Sam. (XV. 6.) that there were
Kenites
(7) Honam ego nomen dr- Abrahami &Mo6sanamia~
Jccum fui& putaverim in eo ccBir. · Id "rte aecdit cl. ia
acmporil iatcnallo, q.od iAc~r obfc11ro latlli& cempore Jof'ut•
••
 Df/farliltifllll rm-· the PR o·fl ff Rc uu. · 1 415
Lnites dwelling among the Amalckites, and
~ .the Kcn.itcs are nt1y mentioned here next
:after tbe·Amalckites. Their fituation is faid to bC
ibrong -and fecure among the mountains, Str_oflg
is th] JtotOing p./11ct; and thou putttjl thy nejl in
4 ro&lt; wherein is an allufion to the name, the
fame word in Hebrew fignifying a nejl and ·a
KmiN. · Nrotrthelefs tht Kenitt foal/ 6e . wajleJ,
lllltil Asfour ~arry thet aWllJ captivt. The
Amalekites were to be utterly dcftroyed, but
the Kenites were to be carried captive. And
-1CCOrdingly when Saul was fQit by- divine
commiffion to dcftroy the Ama1ckites, he ordered
the Kcnites to depart- .from among them.
( r Sam. XV. 6.) .And Saulfaid unto tht Kenites•
Go, tkpt11't, get 1ou dfJ'Wn from among tht Ama-
l~llifrs, kjl I dt/lrO'J you with them: for yr
~J iindnefi to all tht children of Ifrael wbeR
thty camt up out ef Eg,,vpt; for the kindnefs
which· 6>me of them fhowcd to Ifrael, their
poftei'ity was faved. . So the Kmites departed
from among tbt Amalekites. This fuoweth that
they were 'IJJ(l}lttl, and reduced to a. low and
weak· condition: and .as the kings of Afi"yria
canied captive not only the Jews, but alfo the
. · . Syrians
._m .nee ia derifft>ae teme, nrc Phleg. Lib ..... Cap. 36. Co~•
.ia ceafta.ptiam a fe devifla· 3c7.
,__ illooam meminic aCpiam.
Vo i.. L L (8) Noldii
.146 Dijfertations on the P&OPHECIEI.
Syfians (2· Kings XVI. 9.) and fevcral other
nations ;· ( 2 Kings XIX. 12, 13. ·) it is moft
highly probable that the Kenites fuarcd the
fame fClte' with their neighbours, and were car-
ried away by the fame torrent ; and efpecially
as we find fome Kenites mentioned among the
Jews after their return from captivity. ( 1 Chron.
II. SS·) .
The next vcrfe, (v~r. 23.) .dn4 be toolt. up /.Ji1
parahJe. and faiJ, .dlas, _tqJbo fo•ll live 'llJbm GOif
tloth. this! is by feveral cqmrpentators ref~rred
to. what precedes, but it relates rather to wJlai
follows. .And he tooA up bis parabk, and /izid:
this prefaoc is ufcd, when he enters upoQ fomc
pe.w fu~eCl:. 4/as, -who foal/ /iyq '!JJ~ GJj
.J«tb thiJ ! this excla.m.atioµ implies,_ that he is
now prophcfying of very ditlant, apd v~ry cal~­
·mitous ti~~· And /hips,· Qr r~ther for fops,
.as th~ particle , oft~q figQifics, and ttiis inftan~
·among others is cited l;ly (8) N<:>ldi'¥• For
Jhips foall comt from the coajJ of Cbittim> al
fodl/ a.fflitl 4sfhur, an.ti jhall aJ./iS E/Jtr, 11,,J ht
a!fa foal/ ptrifo for tver. (ver. 24.)
Cbittim was one of the fun~ of Ja,ap, who

(8) Woldii Part. 1 37.

...
Cap. ~. et Vitringa in tefaiam.
(9) Grotiusinlocu111et Cleri- xxm. 1. .

t'.
~lll in loc1U11, et in Gene(. X. 4. "·"{:z) ••, .,,· ~ ....... 9!'
(a) Bocharti Phaleg. Lib.·~ ...4WaJ1 P l W'Alltr

•-c-
TW
 l)fferlf.f~~ f/fJ ~~e .. f".O.P.;H~C 1l1l~.• . ~~
~. qnc of the ~ of Japh1('h.,. by. who.f~ pof..
ef
~tf ti/# iles #Pe. Gentikrf (C¥Q. X. £·.) ;wpr:e.
j,iwit/ed. and .~pie~,. tb~t. -~s ;Europe,:.an~ ,thCl
~°'triq to ·w.hic~. U.e A'!atla pai'fed
by ka~
IOr .fudi the }Ieh.r•w.• called i/4,µ/s.. Cbit#tn. i~
u{ed for the ~fccrndcnts .of .Chi.tti~, as ·Ai/bur
it put for dw defccndent& Qf A01\lr, th~ is tbQ
Mfy(iJ!is: but what peo.p\e ~r.c. th~ <J*-4n-,
dortts of Chittifll, or what- .~oqnlry -was ·Q)l!,nct
bJ t1J,, CfNl,/J1 of.Cbittim; it i& D~ fo ~afy tQ d~'cr~
mio. The critics-and COIJlqlCJ}tators arc ae-1,.,
reJl&1 divi<kd into two opioioss~ the one. ~.tr~rt"'\
iog that Macedonia, and the , other th~t Ital~
waa the country here intended: · a.od . ~I\
apitlion is r.ccomnJcnd~d and aQthorif¢d byt fofi>o
of the irft and · gr~ateft narl.\qs in learnh>g ; wt
1"Jt tq mention any. Ci>thers, ( 9} Grotius a11d Le
Clcr.c contend for the former, ( l) Bochart a.od
V.itringa. are ftrenuous for the .latter. But therQ
is. no roafon .. why we. may not adopt both
opinions; and efpecially as it is very well known.
ad agre~d on all hands, ·that!· coloni~ cainc
from qreccc to ~y ; ~nd -a& ( 2) Jofephufi
(fir.b, chac. all iland1 and l\lo{t .maritim pl~ce~
are
- , . $~.,. .Y.~ i.-. ·~ Ch4~dkuntur. Antiq. J..ib .
...- ~•T•· it ah•• 'Che· 1 •. Cap::,. P· 17. Edit. Hud~n.
tbima] 1nfDlz ou1ne$, ct plerii- Y.ol.. 1. •
• uc l9ca 411ar~tim~ ab Hcbf~is
. ..
.
L :z •• '(' I •. '(3) Vide
i 48 . Dijferttitions .HZ the p .ROP HI! c IE Se
are called Chethim by the Hebrews ; and as ma-
nifeft traces of the name are to be found in
both countries, ·the andent name of Macedonia
having been (3) Mocetiia, and the Latins
h9ving before been called Cetii. What appears
moft. probable is, that the· fons of Chittim fet-
tled fir.fl: in Afia ·Minor, where were a people
called Cetei, and ·a -river called Cetium, accord-
ing to (4) Homer and Strabo: From Afia they
might pafs over into the. iland Cyprus, which
{5) Jofephus faith was poffetfed by lhttbim, and
called Chethima; and where was atfo the city
Cittiu111, famous -for ·being the birth-pboe of
Zeno, . the founder .f>f the fett of the Stoia,
who~ was therefore . called the .Cittiean. And
from thence they might fend forth colonies into
Greece and Italy•. This plainly· appears, that
wherever the /4tul of Cbittim or the ilts of Cbit-
tim are mentioned in fcripturc, there arc c.vi...
dently meant fome countries. or ilands in the
Mediterranean.
. Ifaiah prophefyiog of the deftru8:ion of Tyre
by· Nebuchadnezzar, faith .(XXIII. 1.) 'Htltw/,
ye }hips of '1'arjhijh, that is · the lhips 'tr~ding
from
(3) Vide Bochartum 'ibid. Vol. i: ~dit. Amftef. 1707. ·
(4) Hom"r. Odylf. X'I. S20.et ()}' X1.9•1A• • JU!y&. ""'
Scholiaft. ibid. Strabo. Geo- "'O'°' · •O:X'•. K~T(.. itml ""
sraph. Lib. 13. p. 91s, 91~. . allXal'taa.· · Chethimos · auteta
Cheti·
 DifftrttJ1it»l1. 'on 'th~:,P1.·op·a 11-Ci E\!. .1.49
from Tyre to .Tartefi'us. in. Spai11 i .fw ~}'(~
is kid ~a.flt.: {ror11 the land of c:bitti~: i.t: ~s. re.
'Plfl/rJ. to. tbtm ;; the ECW$ is . brou g\lt · firft .~ the
~pttjn an4 ~~n~ in .~Jle: M~it~rr~R.C:P.~V ~d
froip. th.enc~- jt:~ .C9~vqy~ 1 t9;;~pajn: ~•nd after-
wards, (vcr. -:l ~·~"!4".fe., .Pefs,;o;;er, .(o. Ckittim,
there llfo }halt ~- ~' tzo r~ ;, the ·inhabitants
might. fly fwm. Ty.re, .aoq pafs over.. to ·the
~~t~~S·$\\9 ..iJ.a~s-.
. \ .
in the .Medi~rranean,.
.
~co tJ;lere ~y, ~uld fin.d-. n.Q fCcure plac~ of
·bu·t

refuge; : God's, .judgmcn~s 'hould ftill purfue

them. Jer~miab. COcPQftulatiilg with · the Jews
(OOcern.ing th~ir caufelcffi revQJt, faith (lf. ~9·)
fafs-~r to the ilts 1/ Chittim, pndfie, thaJ i~;.the
~s in the Mediterranc~n whi"tjt lay. well:~ard
ef Judea; a11d find unto Ktdar,- w~ ~~ in
~abia and lay ~ward of j.udea; ·flnif.5pn.f!"rJer:
Jiligmtly, and"f!~ ij tbtre he fucb a thing:;- .go_
fcarch eaft and weft,. a_nd· (ee if you ca!l find
any fuch in lb nee of . ap<>ftafy· aa this'. ·of the
Jews. Ez~l de~r~bing-. ~he lµxury ¢ · the
Tyrian& even in their Chipp,ing, ·faitlr {~XVll.
6.) according to the {6) true reading·.a~d inter:...
pretatioo of the. words, tbty madt t~e_ir .}~~s,
. ef
Clattimam ia(abm occupavit: (6} Bocbart ibiJ .. e~ Hiero-
ipfa nr.o mine Cyprua v~atur. ~ic, par' prior. Lib, i. <;ap.
)ofepbqa ibid. 2•
L 3 . .. (7) \'ide
:_1·50 ·Diffitutionr on the Paor·a£c.1Es~
&{'t'.Vory inlaid oit /JltJx, hrotJgh,-our of tbt' ilts of
Chittlni; · that is oU-t of the. ilea of the Mediter-
ra~eab,: and ·rltoft probably frodi Cortica, which
tvn f«tnoos·above an place's for box, as Boehm
hath'·proved by the teO:imonies of Pliny,: neo..
phraffus, and Diodo'rus. Damct foretelling the
exploits· of Antioch us EpiphaMt&;· faith (XI. 29,
30:) ·that he ihould tomt trMarJ tbe fouth, thel
is inYatJe:·Egypt, ·/,ut ·the (hips if Ghittim ]hall
come --again//' him, therefore he· foal/ /Jt gMrl
'and return·: ·the '/hips ef Chitti,,, ·can I>' n&n\!
other th:tn the lhip6' df the RotnaRS) '4rhoft (i)
tmbafitadors coming from ·Italy to Greece, and
from thence .to Alexandria, obiiged Antiochus;
to· hi$ great grief ·and ·difappointment, to depart
from ·Egypt· wit~out 1lCcompJHhiiig his defigns.
The author of die "firft book of Maccabec•;
fpcalCin·g of Alex'anjer fan of Philip tbl Matt..
Joniun, faith (I. 1.) that he camt d"t of thr lmuJ
i>f Cbettiim : and· afterward~ {VIII. S.) Ptrfeiu,
the laft king of Macedon, he caHeth iillg !I t~
Cittims. By lhefe inftanccs it a~ars; that the
land of Chittim was a general name f6r the
countries and ilands in the Mediterranean : and
therefore •

(7) Videtivii Lib. H• Cap. (8) Tam Jat' p~tult hoc no.
10, 11,u, · Polyb. Legat, p. men qa&fQ late patuit impe-
915, 916, Edit. Cafaubon. · riuaa.-multi veicrum Syrot Is
Myrioa
 Dflfartalions on t/Je PROPHECIES. t51·
• therefore when Balaam· faid that jhips· foou!d
t:fJme from the coo.fl of Cbittim, he might mean
either Greece, or Italy, or bath, the particu-
lar names of thofe conntries being at that time
perhaps unknown in tn~ eafl:: and ·the paffage
may be the hetter underflood of b6th, 'becaufe
it was equally true of both, and Greece and·
Italy were alike the fcourges cf Afia.
Anti.fhtill ajfliCI .Asjbur. · As/bur, as we ·noted ·
before, fignmcs properly· the defcendehts of
Astbur, the Atfyrians': but (S) their name was
of as large extent as their empire~ and the
Syrians arid Affyrians are often confounded
tbgetber,. and mentioned as· one arid die farrie
people. Now _it is fu we.il:known. as to require
no particular pro&f, that 'the Grecians under
the command of AlCTander the great fubdued
all tbofe countries. The· Romans afterwards
extended their empire into the fame regions;
and as ( 9) Dion informs us, A1fyria properly fo-
called was conquered by the ,emperor Trajan.
And jhall ajflitl Eher. Two interpretations
arc propofed of the word Eher, either the
pofterity of a man fo called, or the people who
·dwelt

Atryrios pro ii(dem habent. (9) Dionia Hift• .R.om. Lib.

BoChart. Phaleg. Lib. z. Cap. 68. p. 783. Edit. Leundav.
l· Col. 7z. Hanov. 1606.
L + (1) Et
I 52 Dijfertations on the PROP HE c1-is.
dwelt on the other fide of the river Euphrates.
If by Eber we underftand the pofierity of Eber,.
as by Ayhur the pofterity of Aslhur, which ap-
pears a very natural conftrultion ; then Balaam,
who was commiffioned to blefs lfrael at firft,.
prophefied evil concerning them at lafi, though
under .another name: but men ·and manners
ufually deg~nerate in a long courfe of time;
and ~s the virtues of the progenitors might
intitlt' them to a bleffing, fo the vices ~f the
defcendents might render them obnoxious to a
curfe. However we may avoid this fecming.
inconfiftence, if we follow the other interpre-
tation, and by Eber under{µnd the· people who
dwelt on the other fide of the river Euphrates,
which fenfe is given by (I) Onkclos, and is
approved by feveral of the ancients, as well as
by many of the moft able commentators among
the moderns, and is particularly enforced by a
I.earned ( 2) profc1for of eminent fkill in the
oriental languages. The two members of the
period would then better connect together, and
the fenfe of the latter would be fomcwbat exe-
getical .of the former; and foal/ ajjliS Arjhur,
and jhal/ qjfliS .Eber, thall affiict the Alfyrians
and other neighbouring nations bordering upon
the
(1) Et fubjicient trans f!umen Euphratem. Onk.
(:z) Hyde
 Difertati011s on the PR o PH E c r Es~ 15 3
the river Euphrates. And this interpretation. i
would readily embrace, if I could fee any in-.
ftancc of a -p-.rallel exprcffion. Beyond the ri'L·er,
meaning ~uphrates, is indeed a phrafe that
(ometimcs occurs in fcripture, and the concor-
dance will fupply us with inftances: but where
doth /Jtyond alone ever bear that fignification ? ·
I know Gen •. X. 2 1. is ufually cited for this
pirpofe ; but that text is as much controverted
1J this, and the qucftion is the fame there as
here, whether E/Jtr be the proper name of a
man, or only a prepofition fignifying /Jeyoml,
and 6tyonJ fignifying the people beyond the
mer Euphrates ; er in other words, whether
the pa1fage lhould be tranfiatcd the father of all
t6t cbiltirm of E/Jer, or tbt fatbn- of all the cbil-
Jrm of tbt people on the other fltit of the ri'IJrr ·
Euphrates. lfaiah's manner of fpeaking of the
fame people is "1 them /Jtyond tbt river, /Jy tbt
ling of Ajfjria : (yII. 20:) and one would ex-
pea the like· here, foal/ ajli8 Asfour, and Jhall
ajliil tbtm 't)'011tl the riwr. But which ever of
thcfe interpretations we prefer, the prophecy
was alike fulfilled. If we underftand it of the
people bord~ring upon the Euphrates, they as
well as the Aff'yrians were fobducd both by the
Grecians
(2) Hyde Hitl. Relig. Vet. Perf. Cap. a. p. s.i-57.
(1) Seo
.i.$4 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIES.
Grecians and Romans. If we underftand it of
the pofterity of Eber, the Hebrews were affiidcd,
tho' not much by Alexander himfelf, yet
by his fucceffors the Seleucidre, and particu-
larly by Antiochus Epiphancs, who fpoitcd
Jerufalem, defiled the t1.1mple, and A<!w ·an thofe
who adhered to the law of Mofes. ( 1 Maccab. I.)
They were worfe afflicted by the Romans, who
not only fubduc:d and oppreffed them, and
made their country •· province ot. ·the empire,
but at laft took away their place and nation,
and fold and difpcrfed. them ·over the face of
the• earth. ..
./1111/ be a!fo jh11/I perijh for ever, that is Asihui'
:ind Eber mentioned as one and the fame peo-
ple, or· rather Chittim : and be a!fo follil k n;m
tfJ perdition, he alfo lhall be detlrc:>yed as well
as Ainalck, for in the original the words are.
the fame· concerning both. If Asfour be meant,
tho Atryrian empire was de.A:royed and perilhed
lbng ago. If Chittim be meant, the Grecian
empire w:is entirely fubvertcd by the Roman,
and the Roman in its turn was broken into
pieces, .fome fragments .only of which are now
remaining.
It appears then that Balaam was a prophet
divinely infpircd, or he could never have fore-
told fo many diil:ant events, fomc of which are
· fulfilling
 Dijf61al.iom on .·the P aoP "i cl 1u. i jJ
fulfilling in the world at this time : and what
a ~~itobOT ~"!19''tht ~of lfracl,
that a prophet called from another country,
and at the fame time a .wicked man, fuould be
obliged to bear teftimony to their righteoufnef1
and holinei ? · T~ commend~ns of an
enemy; among cnc~ies, . arc commendations
indeed~ · And Mofcs did juftice td himfelf as
wel~ as to his nation in recording tbeG: tranf...
ad:ions.. 'they arc not only ~ m'ate,rial p~rt of
his hillory, ·blft ate likewife a ilrong confirma-
tion o(jhe 'truth of his religion .. Balaam's.
\Jearlog ·witriefs to Mofes is fomewhat like j udas~s
attofting the innocence of Jefus.

0.
~56 Dijfertations. on the PaoPH&cut's•
•

VI.'
Mos s's prophecy
P.
of a prophet lilie u.nto himfe!f.

M OSES is a valuable ~~iter, as \lpbn many

accounts, fo particularly upon this, that
lie hath not only preferved ·and tranfmitted fo
pofierity feveral ancient prophecies,' .but hath
likewife lhown himfclf a prophet, and' inferted
fcveral predietions of his own. Among thcfe
none is more memorable than that of another
prophet to be raifed like unto himfclf. He
was now about to leave his people, and com-
forts them with the promifc of another pro-
phet. Deut. XVIII. 15. 'Ibe Lord thy God wiO
raife up unto thee a prophet from tht midjl of thee,
of thy hretbren, like urrto me; unto him ye jhall
hearken. The fame is repeated at ver. 18, in
the name of God, I wiH raifl thtm up a propbtt
from among thtir brethren, like unto thte, anJ
.,,,;11 put my 'WOf'ds in his mouth, and be foal/ fpeai
unto them all that I jhall command him. It
is
(1) See Maotlcr, Drufiua, Fagius, Calmet &c.
(z) See

•
 Dijfertations on .the PRoPHECJEs·~ r57
is farther added at vcr. 19, And it jha/J comt to
pdfl that w/Jofitver "cJJi// not btarkm 1 unto f1IJ
'llXlraS' 'Which he jhall JPeall in my name, I will
require ·it ef him. Plain as this prophecy is, it
hath ftrangely been perverted and mifapplicd:
but I oonceive nothing will ·be wanting to the
right underfianding both of' the prophecy and
the completion, if we can fuow firll what pro..
· phet was here particularly intended, if we !how
fecondly that this prophet rcfcmbled Mofes ·in
more ·refpeds than any other perfon ever did,
and if we ilioyv thirdly that the ·people
have · been and ftill are feverely punithed
for their infidelity and difobcdience to this
prophet.
I. We will endevor to Chow what prophet
was here particularly intended. Some have
been of opinion, ( I) that Jo<hua was the perfon;
becaufe he is faid in Ecclcfiafticus (XLVI. 1.)
to have been faccejfor ef Mofi~ in prophecies: and
as the people were commanded to hearken un-
to this prophet, unto him ye jhaJI hearken; fo
they fsiid . unto Jothua (t 17.) .According as 'Wt
htarktneJ unto Mofls in all things, fa 'WiU 'Wt
htarhh 'unto thee. Some again have imagined,
( 2) th.at Jeremiah was the pcrfon; bccaufe he fr~
qucAtlj
(i) See M11nlcr, Fagiu, .Patrick, Calnaet &c.
(3) See
 . .
Di}fortal-ions on the PROP H B c 1 tt s~
quently applies (fay they) the words of Mofes .i
,nd Abarbinel in the preface to hii commcn~
"8ry ~p~m.Jeremiah reckons up fuwteen parti~·
~u!ars w~ef~a th~y refcmplc each o~c~., am~
( opferves ~~at Jercrniab prophencd forty y~,
~ Mof~s alfo did. Others, and tho(e ~ll~DJ
piorc in number, (3) µnd,rCland this neith~r of
Joiliua, . ~or of Jcr.c!Jliah, n~r pf any i)ngJ~ .·~~
fon, bu~ of a fuc~effion of prophets to bcu~i(~
pp like Qnto Mafes; becaufe (fay thfy). t\1~
people being here forbidden to follow aft~r- ;~
&unters and diviners, as other nations di4, pq-
thing would have fccured them effedjually fr91l)
following after them> but having trae ~~phc~ ,
of their own, whom they might conf~lt upon
ccaaGon ; and the latter are oppofe4 JO ·the
former. But fiill the propounders and f~ore~
<;>f thefe diff'crent opinions, I thin;k, agree gene~
~aUy in this, "that tho' Jolhua, Qr Je~e~, Ol7
a fucce~oo of prqphcts wa~ primarily in~~.
yet the main enu and ul9maie (cope of tbCi
profhecy .was th~ Me.ffiah: and ind~ tficr4'
appf1ar fomc vcry·good rc;afons for under.llaodifta
it of him principally, if not of lli~ fol4:ly_
~fidcs the prefcrc11cc of a lit~cr~ to a ~
interpretation.
· There
(3} Sec Fagiui. PooJc, Lo Clerc:. Calaet lie.
(4) E11febii
 '
Dijfu1111ioll1 an the PR. o P H E c f B s... J J.t
There is a paffage in .the conclufiQn of_ this
hook of Deuteronomy, which plainly refers to
this prophecy, and entirely refutes the notion..
pf Jo1hua'~ being the prophet like uI)tp Mofes.
4n4 Jojh'fla t}Je fan ef Nun VJ.as full ef tbe /pirif
ef wf!dom; for Mofis had laid his ~anJs 11/0lf
him: and the chi/4ren of /fra(I petµ"ltene4. ant~ !Ji~,
aRt/ di4 as tbe Lord co111manded Mfi,ft~. 4,z4
there llrefe not a pt:ophet jince in Ifrae/ {i~e untp
M'!fts, whtJm the Lord lmrw f(lce to f~f!: [TJ al(
t/Je jigns and th, wont/er.t rzphi'ch t/Je ~firt/Jerz.t Fil .
to Jo &c. W~ can.not b~ certai~ .at w~ ~e~
9l' by w~at hand this ad4ition was ~* tq thq
facred volume: but it muff have beet? made after
!he death of Mofes; and confequen~y J~ua
:wa$ not a prophet li~e unt<? l\1ofes i~ th~ opiy
pion of th~ J~wiili church, both 9f thqfe .w~
~and of thofe who receiv~d lJii~ ~4iW?n af
canol)jcal (criptµ~e. There aro.fa not 4 r,p;f!ef
6ncc;,, lfrt1el; th~ maqner of e~preffii;m plaiqly
iµ;lpJj~, th~t ~is ad9jtioa:i ,mµjl \lay~ IJ~c;n
P.J¥d~ · ~t . (oni~ cQQfi~ra.blc; dj.ftan~ of tjm~
f.fi:Ar th~ A~th qf ~Qf$!S ; and oonf~)lc.ntly
the Jewllh chµrch h~d. M con~c;ption. qf p. ~r-, ·,
~ual f-u:c~jlion Qf proph~t~ fq bq raif~ up Ji~'
l1QlO l\1ofes ; 911~ if this ;ul~ti9'l \\'~. i»ad~.. ~~
it is c::omm~nly. beli~ve4 Jo..~av~ J>ecr~ ~¥.~•.
by ~~ri #~r t~ ~bylopj~ ~~P.~ivity, $.en ~~
. h
160 Dijfertations on the PR o PH E c 1 Es.
is evident, that neither Jeremiah nor any of ~ •
ancient prophets was eftecmed like unto Mofes.
Confider what w~re the peculiar marks arid
charatlcrs, wherein it is faid that none other
prophet had ever refembled Mofes. '!'here arefe
not a prophet jince in lji·ael like unto Mo/es, whom
the Lord knew /ace to face, in all the jigns -mzd
the wondtrs which the Lord Jent him to do. And
which of the prophets ever converfed fo fre.-
quently and familiarly with God, face to fact?
which of them 'ever wrought fo many and fo
great miracles? No body was ever equal or
comparable to Mofes in thefe refpects~ but Jcfus
the Mcffiab.
God's declaration too, upon occafion of Mi-
ciam 's and Aaron's {edition, plainly evinces that
there was to be no prophet in the Jewilh
church, and much iefs a fucceffion of prophets
like unto Mofcs. M!riam and Aaron grew jea-
lous of Mofes, and muti~ied againtl: him, fay...
ing Hiltb the Lord indeed fpolun only 6y Mo/es 1
Ntb 'he ·n(JI f}>oken a!fo hy us? (Numb. XII. 2.)
The controvcrfy was of fuch importance, that
God 1iimfclf intcrpofcd'; and what was his de-
termination in the ~afc ? If tbtrt he a prophtl
among you, I the Lord wiO makt myfttf kllOWll
"nto bim·in·a viffe11, anti willfpeu tJ1/to him in a
dr:tam. ~ ferotmt Mofas is nit fa, •who isfaith-
2 · ~ul
 lJ!lfortations on the p R 0 pH E c I I s. I 6I
fa/ in 110 mine boufa. With him will I fptlll
OIOllth to mouth, tven apparent/1, lmd not in dari
.ffieecbes ; anJ the fimilitutfe of the Lord jhaO he
hbo/J: 'UJbtrefare then 'llltrt ye not afraid to fptai
again.JI "')' firvant Mofes 1 (ver. 6, 7, 8.) We
fee here that a great difference was made be-
tween Mofes and other prophets, and a)fo
wherein that difference lay. God revealed
bimCclf unto other prophets in dreams and 'Vi-
fons, but with Mofcs be converfed more open-
ly, 111Duth to mouth, or, as it is faid elfewhere,
face to face: and Mofes Jaw tbt fimilitude of
tbt Lord. Thefe were fing'1lar privileges and
prerogatives, which eminently diftiriguithcd
Mofes from all the other prophets of the Jcwllh
difpcnfation : and yet there was a prophet to
be raifed up like unto Mofes : but who ever
refembled Mofes ·in thefe fuperior .advantages,
but Jefus the Meffiah?
It is likewife no inconfiderable argument,
that the letter of the text favors our interpreta-
tion. The word is in the fingular number,
'1bt Lord tby God will raifi up unto tbtt " pro-
pbtt; and why then lhould we underftand it of
a fuccefiion of prophets 1 why lhould we de-
part from the littcral conftrutlion without any
apparent ncceffity for it ? Other nations heark-
ened unto incbantcr& and diviners, but the Lord
Vot. I. M would

·----
J6~ Dif!ertaJions oPJ I~ PRofHICIEs.
would not fuffcr them fo to do ; he had givdl
them a better guide already, and would riife
up unto them another prophet fupcripr to -di
the inohanters and diviners in the world : unto
him they fuQtJld hearken:
Moreover it is implied, that this prophet
lhould be a lawgiver. A prophet lilt unto thee 1
not fimply a ·prophet, but a prophet h"ke unto
Mofes, that is a fecond lawgiver, as (4) Eute.
bius explains it. The rea~on too that is afligned
for fending this prophet, will evince that be
was to be veftcd with this charaCter. The
people had rcquefted, . that the divine laws
might not be deliverc;d to_ them in fo terrible
and aw£1.11 a manner, as -they were in Horeb.
God approved their requeft, ·and promifed
therefore, ·that he would raife up unto them
a prophet like unto Mofes, a lawgiver' who
ihould fpcak unto them his commands in a
familiar and gentle way. This propact there..
· lore was to be a lawgiver : but none of the
jewifu prophets were lawgivers, in all the
ill-
(.f.) Eufcbii Demon(. Evan- aonide1, that Mor"'• infpira·
~J; Lib. 1. Cap."3. p.-6. Lib. tion excelled all others in £our
Pam.
9· Cap. 11. P· ++S· Ectit. particulars. 1. All o~er pro-
1628. pliett prophefied ill a dream or
vifion, but Mofes waking and
(s) See Smith's Difcourfc of landing. :z. All other prophets
'Prophecy. Chap. :z. and 11, prophefiecl by the help or mi-
.whercia it is 1howa &oa Mai.. Diaiiy ot aa •gel, bot Mofea
pro-
 l}~~i~1'!."'f ~~ ~ill-Q.~M~J'E~ J~J
qt:r~¥c. ..W,nc ~t~4eii .1'fo(e& al)~~ CJui'l';
.. lf w4 (Mthq, ~PtP.J \f ntq f~ct, we thi~ flild
~t t1herc ~V9f: .w~s .aqy, tP.ff?P~~ .•P.c\ .'»~
)~~.a fµ~Rqf~; of prq~eW 1 V1'10lll -t~ .Jew.•
e~eipc4, li~ .AA~9 .. ~s~·· ~J;ic -P:ig~~'t de:.
V,e~ Qf infpfr•tiwi they ~~~ 1 the (5 ): l\;l;of~al,
~ml ~pu,mcrace /ey~r~ .. eir.\lfUl~r.s, w.her.e~n ~
!\~ the prceD)i.p<w~e a.W.. ~apta~- ~~b9~e . aij
~Cl'f. T:l:i~~ \f.?S i,u~e~d,, -~ · c:onk.que~ .. c{
~~ JJrop~ccy>. a gener~l · e~etlation .of fomq
atraordinary prophet .to ~~~f~,; 'flhicb prcJ~i\ed
f?~ularly af>Y.ut .the ..tiQl~ . of .our ~~yiour.
1°'~ J~w~ ~Cl)i "8 W~Jl ~ .~ ( 6)_ tt~C~ ~~der_:
~Ocid·and ap~ic9 ihJs prQp\l~cy to tho;M~
the QnJy prophe~· wJiom .they. \yill ever :~10~. t9
be as~ grc;·at .or g~ter th.an M!>fcs. ~P'iA..Qu.r
S~v~ur ~d. ·~d five thoµ(~n·d.' men, by ~.; ~.i~
racte ' like that or
. Mofcs, w\la. fed the Ifraehtes.
in the wildernefs, th.co thofe men faid '{hi, i1
'/a .trut~ tbat f'r:'/btt tht!t . foould fome in~o .th~
Wtt-IJ. (J~lin .VI: i 4.) St•. Peter aqd St .$~­
pbcn dirFaly · 'pply the prophecy t~· .~hi~:
. .. ' .
. .
0~
.
prophriecl witho~ttheminiftry at 'wh?-Ltill)C they wo141d, fa~c
of ID anccl. 3· All other pro- Moks. '
plaetuyere•f?ij.•llAti'f>11Wcd, .. I . ·' ;
and fainted, but Jdofes was not (6). S•e authorities cited ip
{o, fol' tbe fcriptbro faidl that Bilhf:lp Chandler's Defence Of
C¥ //di 11 bi,,, "' c l"4" Cb4ilif:Oiq. C..p. 6. ~. a.
/ftabb to his frinrtl. 4. None p. 307. Edit. 3d. .
of Ibo ptpp~ts ,llN.~eff · c• ·
M a (7) E11fcbii
t 6 4 . Dijfertations· 0,, 'the P'Rw;·.ff'1fc i 1u..
(Alt&- 111. 22~ · 2·3. 'VII: 37.r and they· tnat
yeiy well- be juftiMd for fo doing; for he fully
anf'Wers all the :marks and' chirit~ers;· wiiidi
are here given ·of the ·prophet · like -µ~to Mofes~
He had immediate communicatfon · with the'
deity, and God '_fpa:ite to him face to )act, al
. he did to Mofcs. ··He performed jignr and' won·
Jerj:.as ·gr~ or· grc~ter than thofe of Mot~~:
·He ·:was a lauigir&t'r ·as well as· Mofes. · t wil!
raife them up ·11 'prophet, faith· God;·· and the
people : glorified God·, faying, ih~ia great prO-
phet is tiji.n !'P ·among m. (Luke VU. 16.) t 'll:iN
put_ my .wordj m' 'his. mouth, faith God, i~ He-
f>rew will give in'j_ ~ords.1 ~nd_ o~r Savi~u~
'faith, 1 ha'Ue given u,n~o ~hem t~ .''fi!or~s which thou
gaveJ!. me. (Jo~n-;vir:·s.r~e.·foaU fpe4 un·
to them "// tlat I foal/ command him,· faith God ;
:and .our Saviour fai~'h, .1 bav,e not /pohn of 111)'-:
/c!f; but the Father which Jent 11_1r~. h', ga,,i me a
command,,,ent, what 'I fhould foy, "1uJ what I
foou/J [peak. And I /m()'U) that· ·his commarldment
is lift everlajll~g: °whatfoever ·i JPtak tbN-e/ort,
tve"' 4S the Father faid unto "!t, fa I /ptflllt.
(John XU 49, 50.)' · , . . ··
II. We lhall be piore and more confirmed in
this: opinion, when we confider ahc great and
ftriking likenefs·_ ·bttwcen. ·Mofes aod Jcfus
Chrift, and that the latter refQnblcd the formtt
in
 Dtlfartatiom °" the P .Ro Pa E c 1 its;. 16 s
in more ·ref~tb· than 'any· oth_er perfon :Cvei
did.,. Notice hath been ·uk.M a\rcad}i of·foine:
inllances, · whtirc4n they rt1(emble .eacb othei:, of
God. .fpeaking to. both·· face io /ace; of botli
pcrfouriing ,ffe.,111 tl1lli 'UlfinikrJ,- of bo~h. being·
laWgiuri: arid ·in 'thefe. rdfpeBs ndne of:.rhe·
ancient prophe·ts·werc like un-to Mofcs·•. None of.
chem .. were. Ja '1r~ivers ·i ·cthef -00) y: ioterpreced
and inforced the law. 0£ Mbfn:· None' of them·
performeti>foL many: and::.u, ·gt-cit! wooder8.~
None. of them \hacl fuch! ·clear communieations·
with God 1: tlaej .. aH.·fiw1 vi&ns 1 and ~feam~a:
dreams... ·Mares and .. J~fud Chrift ar.ecl'!le '. on~y:
tiw, . whci pene~ly retemble ·:each 'oiher iii~
~fe;req,eas.: :.BQt ·a:: moi:e·:aad:·arid. particu..!
Jar c0mpiviroi> . may bC ·dra.wn between· them,·
and hadi l>cen drawn f>y· two cmineni hands,
by one of; the ·ben and. ableft of tbe·:~l\Cien! '.
fathers; and by one of the moft learned and· .
ingenious.af..modern.div.iires.:-, and as We CUHtot.
to
pretend add any thing .rci them, we. mun be.
"content to c:Opy from them~· '· · ' ·· ··: ·
Eufebius ·treating of ·the ·'prophecies: con-·
cerning Cbrift, (7) produaellh· firR: this of MOfes;
and thcsi ailceth, whicli d ~he_ pro~hota . . after .
... ··
r
... . · .: . . :-: Mofes
~ .• .' ·~·

(7) !u!°ebii De11MH1f. Evangel. Lib. 3. Cpp~ ~~; ~ go-i-949.

E~hc.Pana. 16a8.
· M 3 (8) Remark1
:{ 6'6 Dijfetttatians ·.61/, t'be :R &aP.ll & c 1 & s.
Mofes,. Ifai~h (ot !n£l~~ Pt· J~~iah,·or Hza+i
~iel,:: os:. Daniel, or :any . othet c:l .die twelv~
'!as .. a· IAwgiver, tnd. performed. things .like unto
MoQ:s ?: .1\1of~ firft re{cued . the .fewllh . natiod
from.Egyp~n fupprfiition·andidolatey 1~na tatigh~
them .. the .. ti:ue theplogy , ·JefUs J-Cliritl: in. !ilt6
maDnCr· was -the ,firft &cacher· of trµe .religion·
aod·.. v.it-'tuoi to :crbe -.~hltiles. .~s ·confinmd
his mligion··by miracles.;:.- and iJ r likewile did
Chdft,. :'fl Mo~ .ii,cred ·: the Jcwifh nati~
fionl1E&fptj1tn .~rvifuda J arii Jafus :Chrift all
il}ank~ !frOOl rth¢·: powct· ·of~eyi\ 'Gamons..
1'(14>fcs promifod ·i ; holy· land; . -W; therein t
happy 'life .lo .thdtC. :w.ha kept· '.the law ; amt
J~fus· ~till.a bctter~omitry,1tmt is Ii. h~nenly~;
tQ·all=righteous foult.i .. :Mofc~faicd. fOrtJ.. dafs~.
a.nd :fo.lik.t>"9'ife flid. ctirifl. ·. Mor.cs:lufi>llr.d'. tba;
psopk with1 bread in .. the wDddrrm'9; tand• ~uc·
S.aviottr fed five thoufand;at one ti~cL.·and fout'
t1'®(~1)d., at another. !,,jth: a.f-cw Joans .... Mofes
w,ept_'himfol~, ~nd ~dpt~~ ~oP..c thto~ the mida.
of the fea; and· Jefm. Chriftuwelked;on the.
f~, and;.~tl.a.\1kd· Peterito: walk likcwifr. :Mores
ftretc}Ml ~·fJ~t· his h•ad, ..over the fCa., a1td the.
~d. caµ~4 the felt ~ .go bac~trard ·; and· our
S~yj"1f rebuked the wind and the fea, and
there was a great calm. Mofes's face lhone,
whm -hcr1 dtfceeded · ftotn the mount,' and our
• ;
Sav1ou1
..1 :. ,_.1 , , , s
 Dijfortati,fJ1U 011 1'b1 PRoP a•c·•'B.:-s~ iot
Sav~'s· did lhine att the· ;fun in · hi• trans4gu-
~ion. . Mofca by his pray.ers cured Mitsiam of.
her leprrify ·; ·and Ch rift· with greater power by
a word healec,i levcral lepers-·. Mofes· pcrfurmcd
tronders by Jhe finget .Of ·God·;·· ·aad Jefus ·
Chrid by tic noger. of God did ·catl' oat ~evils~
¥Ob ch8i11Fd Othea's name to 'Jolhua ;. and·
GUr Saviour did Simon's to Peter. Mo{es con-;
fi:itumd fcv~nty rulcra ~er .tbc .pe~pl" ; and -09r·
~vioar appofotai feyenty difciplts. · .'Mofe& {ent
fi>rth .~ in.en .to fpy wt.the land j and. oor
Saviour· twcl'1e apodlcs to -.Hit all natk>ns~
Mofea pv.e fc.cml .C1qJeUmt moral- precept&;
and ~r ~aridur ca~d· ~ io th1 hlghcft:'
pcrfe~~ , ,', '· \ ' I •

· 'Dr. Jo~titi {8) hath. iniarged ~<>ti \thefel

Wn,ts of Eu~biua, aad madct feveral· improve-'
IQIDtl, llnci , a&ditians ID. :ibem~ · Mofea :m :hi9'
infaacy .•., wander!Ullr pccfcnred from ~
dcimd:ion: ·.f>f ~,ti the-:-malc: l~ildrmi.; .-: fa• waii
Chtift. .Mc*s .Bed from -his oottntry' •to fl"~
IM. haatk -of' the king.; fo .did Cbrift, whdi .lii.9
~11 carric:si mm ioto Egypt : Afcenvuds
U,, I.Ar.ti jtiiJ Jo. Mt>/tf' i1J Milii1111, Go, Nlunr
intp EgJpt ; ftr .all tbe ,.,, ,/JN tWtJ 'Which JGghtr
t/Jy lift~ .(&od. IV. 19.) .-'> t8c aagcl Df the
... Lord
(8) Remark's on Ecclefi:rflical Hiftoty. Vol. ~. ~. ao'].:....2u~
M 4 (9) 1'18'

..
168 Di.ffertatifJfls °" ·the P .llO P..HECJ Es~
Lord ~ tQ jofeph in almoft the fame ·,,ords,
Arife,. llfld tah .the young child,· and go into tbl
la!ld ti" Jfratl; f OF tbty tire dead which foud,» ""-•
young. chi,JJ'J lift, (Matt. II. 20.) pointing him:
out u, ,jt were for that prophet. who· ih0ulc;l.
arifc like; unto Mofes. . Mofcs .refu{ed t.o : l>c·
called the fon,of.Phanoh's daughter,:-~
rather to fu.ff~ affiiClion ; Chtift tcfafcd. tol
be made king, choofing rather 19 fuffeN&ffiic:··
tion. .Mofcs, fays St. Stephen, va~ karw4
...~,11Q.,, in a/J tbt wifd(Jlll ~[ t!M Btg1f1ti1111s, and;
J~phus (Ant. Jed, II. 9.) fays that. he-.was--1'
very forward and accompliilicd youth, ·~d ball· ,·
wifdom 1nd knowlcge bcyoad his year&; ~.
Luke obferves of Chrift, that ht incrtt1.foJ (bo-
timcs.) in wif@m tRUJ jllltlu"t, 4nl/ ;,, fll'Ullf"·fllitb
GoJ (Inti 1114n~ amt. his difcourfea in the tcmpic1
wich. the doClors~ when he .was twelve yean·
old, were a.proof of. it.:. Mofcs contended with:
the. mJgiciam, who· wen: forced· to ackm>w- ·
legc the divine power by which he was aaift-
cd ; :Ch rift cjctlai evil fpirit1 11 and receind the
fa~ ·uknowlegement1 &om them. Mofa wu
not only a lawgiver, a prophet, and .a worker
of miracles, .but 11 ·"king and a pricft: in· all:
thefe office& the refemblance · betwetn: Mofea
. ancl Cbrift was fmgular. Mofcs brotight dadt·
non over the land·; the fun withdrew hie fight
.' at

-
 DIJirtations ~ t ~ 'P l'o P :a ! c:· 1 E-~ ~ : 1f9
it. Chrift'1:·~ifixloh: :And:;·ls--'the· dartndt
which: wu fpread <>Ver Egy~ ·•as feHow"1, lwy
ti.•deftruftion · -~ their firft born," and of P.ha...'
raoh ·~nd his- hoft-; fo the darkn~fs at Chri1l'S'
de2tla •as the forenmocr of. the .ddftruction• df
the Jetts. · ~ Mofes foretold the calamities which ·
would btfall ·the nation· for ·their difobcdiencc;
fo di~:ChtiR. The fpirit which Mis in·~Mol'et
waticonferred ih fome degree' tip<m ·the teft.nty-.
tldettl,-·and they prophefied; Chrift conferr~
mltacu1bds pc)Wcrs ·upon · his · tevcnty difciplc!f:
MDkl''WIS vidorious· over P<>wmuJ k'.ints 1 and;
great· oaticns ; fO wa'· Cbrift · by the dPc& of
his·· Teligioo, and by the ·fall of thefe who ~r­
kcucm \hi• charch. · Mo(es· conqutl'ed Amalee ·
by hcldlrig up both hi9· hand";· Chriit over~
camt ·his "and ·our·· enemies- Whtll • ~ 'handtl
were .. falh:ned to the craft; · Mofcs interceded
for ·tranfgmfon, ·and caufed· an atonement to
~ ma for than; and ftopped the wrath: of.
Goa;· Co ·did · Chri~. Mofes rati66d a cove•
nant bctweca God and the people by fprinkling-
tbem with "blood ; Chrift with his own blood. ·
Mofes defircd to die for cha people, and ·prayed·
that God would forgive them, or blot him·
oat of bis book ; Chrift did more, he died for.
finoc:n. Mofcs ipftituted the paff'<Wer, ·whea·
a lam w• M&aificcd, none of wbofc bones were
a CG
l'O DijfortatitJm ·~ t"1e PRoP~Ect.~9~
to· be brokan, and whQf~ blQOd pr~ed:the
people from deftrud:ion ; Chrift .Wai . that pa('~
chal 1-.mb. . Mofea lifted up th~ ferpent1 ..W.
they who· l~ed upon him mig'1t be h~ed. o{
their niortal wqunds; Cbrifi: was. t~at ferpent.
All Mofes's ·aff"eaion. towards the ~J all
his carei .and toils Or\ their acco\lnt.werc repa,id·
· lty them ·with ingotittide, murmw-ing1 ~
rebellion.J the fa111e r~urns the; Ji;~ ,spade to
Chrift f9r ~l his ·J>cnefits. Mofes .w~ iU
ufcd by, !}is own f~nlily, his brother. an<i. fi(..
ter rebelled againLJ: him ; ther.e w~ .a . f.imt.
whca Chritl's own brcthrca believed. n~ ..iQ
h~ .Mofe&i JJ,ad ·a· viery wick~ and ~r(q_
generatiop ~maiitted to bis ~re apd .con§:ltid;.
aa4 tQ .enable hiQl tQ rule. them,, .mir~ui~
powcts ~r• giv.en IQ, him, an<\ l;\c .\lfcc\ ,his.
uiQIQO efldevor to make the· p~plc; pbcdicnt ~
(,ipd, ~ to faff them £rom ruin; but iA ~;.
in the fpaoe of forty y~rs they. all. feij: in .~
wil.decnafs except two : Chrift alk> w~ givF' IP.
a gtAeratioa no~ lefs wicked and pervf'"f4, hia
iruuudt:ions and his. tnirades wqre loft UfOD
them, and in.about the :fame fpace <>f dme, after
they had rejclled him. they were <teftroyed..
Mores was \'cry me$ al;ipvc all men· that wtro
mi the face of the earth ; fo was c,hrift. Th~
~le co'dd not enter into the laild of pr~ife. •
. till
 Dij}tr-tatiom ·Ofl ihe -PR o ~- U. £·c i a's~ i' I
till:M~Ea:wn·dead~ by thb dotth ..of Chrift th'~
kiogdam tif l:tea<Y~n 1.Vas aptn to bd(cftllt:·": ld
tbe;dalh· of Moii:s··and Chrift:. thtr~~:is alf6
a ~lance al ~me .cir"1nalbb~~· .M<>ft§
tlicd, . ia orie ftnk, fot the iniqultw~ t>f th~
people,.,. it :wa& thdit tcbelliori 1wliiCh· ..wit th~
caa600 !of.it; ·w.bic:R drcw·do\vn ·tlM Oifpltafut~
jf Gqd.. upen 1:hcm arid. npon him ; Mofes wertt
... in. the "i fight of d1C people, to th~ cop of
mount Nebo, and there he died, 'Whet\ h' was
in pdrfc6l Yigor, when ·JM lJ' 1fias.. .flor· Jim, nor
ih _..II). j.ra llhtiJ.:. CliriA fu.:gijrdrl· for the
4na of ~en;.. and wm le& lip; in ·the prefene~ of
Utd. ptQpl•• .to' mouht Calvzry, whm-c. ho dMd
ip slit 'ioW« of bis ag~• and whdrt' he wis in
a~ fulJ ._,__uril ftrcngth. N oithtr· ·Mofes not
@rift, as far ae we may a>Hea ftom.. faotccl.
ltiftory1' were ,ever fidt; ot felt any bodily
decay Qr in.itmity, wniab, would bao rcadercd
them 11Jtftt for the toils ·du:y.underw~t}. their
fil&ringt ;vt"le of another· kind.= · tdofdl \Vu
buied, :uti· Jlo maa kndw whe~ ~ tbcidy ·f&JY ~
Del' ~uhl 'tho Jews find· the bodY ·of ChriftJ
l.,a{ijy ·aa M.ofds a little before dei.Sh·~lf~
lll#Jtbtr pr;phtt; fo Clirift 1111ot1'et- tWAforter•
. A fruitful. imagiution :may find out a like..
Defs where there ie 1101\C• But II& the fltmtf
~llent writ~r concludes, " Is this fimilitude
"and
•'
17i Df/fortatio111 .otz tOe PR.o.Pae.c;IE,9...
~':a11d correfpoodc~ i~. Co many ·things be-
" tween Mofcs and Chrift the cffett ·of ~ere
.~~~t~'nce? Let us .fearch all the· records of
" univerfal hiftory, and foe if we can.1find a
cc 1min who was fa like to Mofcs a& Chrifi:
..
" was... and {o like to Chrift as Mofea; was. : ·If
cc we cannot find fuch a one, •then ·have we
"·found hlm of whom Mofee in the :law, and
cc the prophets did wnte, Jefus of Nazareth,
" the Son of God."
tII. There is no want of many· words. tn
prQve,. for it is vi6hle to.all the worl~ .~at.·the
people h~ve been and ftill are fcvercly panifued
(or tb~r·.. infidelity and .difobcdience :to . this.
prop~t~ The prophecy is clear and exp~f&;
·Unto hi111. ye jhaD htarken; And it jhtl/I °cotM to
/>"ft tbat NJDofotWr vii~ not ~arkm llflto ~ wth
'"!bich he }hall ]peak in f/l'1 .•a1111,. I vi/J:rtfJ1Urt it
ef him, that is I will feverely pun·Uh him· {Qr it,
. as .the phrafc figoifies elfewherc." The ante-
cedent is put for the confcquent; judges fin\.
inquired, tben punilhed : and the feventy tranf-
latc it, (9) ~ will tllkt 11tngeMK~ rf hi•. This
·prophecy, as we have proved at large, evidently
relates to jcfus Chrift. God himfclf .in ,. man-
ner applies it to him : for when he was ·tranf-
figured, {~t. XVII, 5.) there came•· 'Witt Old"
. of
(9) ..,,, ~l!Vtl •f tfllTll· Sept.
 .
.Dlffe'i:tafions ·ois 'the P 116 ~ ii it c:i £ ·s: .17 J
Of ihi cloull, ··which faiJ; 'Ii»s ;'1 :nmj ~t/t1vrJ ·Son
liz·;iiJbJM l dm .Wet/·p/eafld; bear ye him ;:·alluding
platnty· to' the words of Mofes, Unto him yt }JM/I
hearllen; and . fo .pointing him: out for the pro-
phet like unto Mofts." · St.' Peter, a~ we ~otcd
'before, 'diretlly applies· it' to our Saviour,' (Acts
JD. 2z~ 2 3.) FtJr Mofls t'ru!j faid unto· thef~thers,
4· prdphet Jha!I the .Lord }our G:iJ r'!ffe. up unto
'JOu, ·of your brethren~· like unto me; him )hall yt
1¥ar in iz/f things wbatfaroer /Jt foa// faj unio JOU:
And it jhaU tome to pafs, th11:t every foul' w~icb
'UJill not bear that prophet; jha(I lie acjlroy~d from
"/lmong tbt people ;. whic.h· is' the (enfe rather than
the words of the prophecy. Arid hath no~
this i tcrril>lc denunciation been fully executed
OpOD the Jews p-·Was not the tompfctC:c·xcifion
of tti. irictedulous nation, . foon after . Jcfus
had fihfihetl his miniftry 'among them~ .and his
apoftJeis· had likewife ·preached fo· vain, the
fulfilling of the threat upon · them for not
hearkening unt!l him ? We ~ay be tbe more
certain of this' application', as our ·~avfour him-
(clf not ·only denounced the fame deflruClion,
but alfo foretold the ·figns, th;c mann~rl and the
cirtutbftances of it, with a partitularity · and
cxatlneB that will amaze us, as we thall fee in
a proper place: and· thofe of the· Jewll who
believed in his name, by rcmembr.ing 'the caution
·~nd
 . Dijfo(f.(lljtJni. thf t.~ r.-R 9-P. n~~.c I'S.~ .
:tnci· following dl.C lldv:ice wh~h he ~ given.
~. 4{<;apQP f~ th.e ~eral. r.Yin. fJf t~.
~tf~t Jik.c jr~br:~nd.s plµc;:k.ed ~L of. the
6.re. Th9 '.Q.)tllQ body .qf tbi: natwn . ~thez
perilbed iii their infidelity, or were ~arriccl
~ive .into all .na,tio~s: ·aud have they not
ever fincc perfifting in the fame iofidelity! .bomi
obnoxious ta tbe fam~ punithment, .a¢ been
.a vagabon~, diftreffed,·and mi.ferable peoplefo ~
~arth? The band of.God was 1Carce ever more
vifible in aAy of his difpenfations. We maft
be blind JlOt to fee it :: and feeing, we cannot
, but admire, a¢ adore it. What other p~
bable acto'1nt ~an th~y tbemfe~ves gi~ ~f their
loog captivity, _difperfion, ·and mifery? '(heh'
. former captiviq for the punithmeot d all -their
.~ickedncfa and i~l~try laft.cd only Mwenty
years: but they have }i~ti in their prdcint difP'
perfion, cvc;n tho' thc;y hav~ ~qn .na idolatcn,
pow theU: fe:venteen h.undred ye=-rf, . ..apd y•
without any immediate profpetl of their rcft9ra.-
.tion : ~ . w\lat . . crime . coul~
enormous
. . ha~
d.rawn down, and unry:pentcd of {ijll coptin"1e&
io draw dawn, thefc b~vy judgments u~
them ? We lay that they were cut oif for their
i.afidelity ; and that when they £hall turn to t~
faith, they .will be gratfed in again. 0Ae would
think, it Chould be worth their while to try th~
expcri..
r Dijfortamm otJ tbe Pl:OI'Hl!~I.U.
experiment. Sure we are, that they have long
been moaument1 -ef G:>G's. ;dtiette,1 we believe,
that upon their faith and repentance they will
become again objeCts of his mercy : and in die
mean time with St. Paul, (Rom. X. 1 .) our
btilrls tkjirt ad 11WJer to God for g,ael is, tbllt
t"9 ""'1 /Jt fawd.

VII. p,.,_;.

. ... . .
r.·rfJ Dijfvtatims ·on the Pa or H £c1z s.

VII.

Prophecies of M o s E s
concerning the Jews.

I
\
T is obfcrvable that the prophecies ofMofC$
abound moft in the latter part of his wri-
tings. As he drew nearer his end, it plea.fed
God to open to him larger profpcd:s of things.
As he was about to take leave of the people, he'
was enabled to difclofe unto them more parti-
culars of their future ftatc and condition. The
defign of this "90rk will permit us to take notice
of fuch only as have fome reference to thefe
later ages ; and we will confine. ourfelves prin-
cipally to the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, the
greater part whereof we may fee accomplilhcd·
in the world at this prefcnt time.
This. great prophet and lawgiver is here
propofing at large to the people the bleffings
for obedience, and the curfes for difobcdiencc:
and indeed he had foretold at. fcveral times and
upon feveral occafions, that they iliould be
happy or miferable in the world, as they were
obedient or difobedient to the law that he bad
given
 Di.f,rllll#lls (JI/I . the p ltO p H B cl E ~· 17 7
given tMID· J\1>4 cQUld. tberp be any firimger
era are of.· tw djyitM ........... of ...~ ~tic:al.
law ? and hath ~ t~~ int~rpqfi~j911 Qf provic}cnce.
hec.n w®derfuJly rcpi~k_a~ in their good or
~d f<tr"WC ? and ;, .not the truth of the predic•.
tion f11lly attcAed by the whole feries. of ~heir
ltiftory from (~eil' iiri fctdcmcn.t in Canaan to
-s very day ? But he • larger and more par..
~.,.. ill r~cpµqting tho curfcs than the bk&.
6o11t .as if ~e-bacl a p.refcicnce of the peoplc'1
d~~cc, ~ fordaw. tJ:iat a larger portion
ui4 ~ga- con~atioD of the evil would fall
t!) lhe\r Uwo, than .C tbe · good. I know that
(O.o Q'~ ,.kc a divifion .. of thcfe: prophe.. ,
t:i& and im~gin· that ope part relates to the
r..ner c:eptivjcy· of ~e Jews, aod to the . caJa..
mitiel wbich tbcy fu.tfcr.cd under the Chal-
41.aJM; ~ that the ·oth¢r part relat~s to ~e
1-cr captivity of the Jews, aad to the ·calami..
tice which they fuffered under the Romans : but
there is no need of any fucb diftinffiori ; there
is ao rcafon to think that any fuch was intended
bJ the author ; fevc:ral prophecies of the one
ptrt a& well as of the other have been fulfilled
•t ~h periods, but they have all more amply
been fulfilled during the latter· period; and
1hcre cannot be a more lively pitlure than they
exhibit, of the ftatc of the Jews at prefent.
Vot. I. N 1. We
i78 Dfl!ertations tin the PRoPFiic1£s.
I. We will confider them with a view to the
order of time, rather than the order wherein
they lie ; and ·we may · not improperly begin
with this paff'age, · ver. 49, '!'he Lord jhaU bring
a nation again/I thee from far, from lhe md of
the earth, as [Wift as ·the eagle jlieth, a nation
whoft tongue thou jhalt not untkt:Jland: and the
Chaldreans might be faid to i:omc from far, in
comparifon with the Moabites, Philitlines, and
other neighbours, who ufed to infeft Judea.
Much the fame defcription is given of the Chal-
d<!!ans by Jeremiah, (V. I 5.) Lo, I will /Jring"
nation upon you from far, . 0 houft of !frael, faith
the Lord: it is a mighty· 1llltion, it is a11 lll'ldetd
nation, a nation •uihofa language tbou ltnfJ'fMjl -not,
ntitber underjlandejl what they fay. He· com.
pares them in like manner to eagles, (Lam;
IV. 19.) Our perfecutors are fwifter tbtm U.
tag/es of the he(l'Ven; they purfaed us ·upon the
· mountains, they laid wait for us in tht 'Wiltlernefs.
But this defcription cannot be applied to any
nation with fuch propriety as to the Romans.
They were truly brought from far, from tbt
tnd of tht earth. Vefpafian and Adrian, the
two
( I ) Kiii ....,.,..•.,, 111111, 'l'lll,. . lf&I f4"1f4'1 'rlK UTll nr tt.r- '
. "" -'~• .,..,.,, ,_..,).,..U&f a11T11• ..;.,;..ro,..••,.
et deinde
-r1111 p..,,.....,, ;.;...,., 1~0• ...,.,. jn eam ingrelfas, pubera om-
f"-• F" T• 'll"P'f n 1.9"" nes interlici juSit, Romania
· "nalli
 /Jijff4!1alirm1 ~bn ·.tbe PR_o·P HECI_E s. ·179
lwo great :c~nquc;ron and dcftroyers of the
Jews,. both · came from commanding here in
Britain.: The :Romans too for the rapiqity of
their conque~ Di:iw.it very well be .compared
to eagles, and perhaps not. without an allufion
to the fian<l~d of the Roman armies, which
was an . eagle : and their . language was mqra
unknow~ to the Jews t~.n the .Chal~ce•
. 2. The enemies of the Jews are farther cha-
raCl:erized in the next vcrfc1 A n11tio11 of fierce
which jhtz/J not regard tbt perfon of
cDll1ltt1illllCt,
the old, nor jhow fa'1Jor to the young. -Such wc:re
the Chaldzans ; and the facred hifioriar,i. faith.
exprdly, {2 Chron. XX.XVI. 17.) that for the
~ickcdneiS of the Jews God hrought upon them
the ling of the CJJa/Jees, who flew their young men
with tbe Jurd, ·in the houfa ef tbtir faneluary,
tmd bat.I no compajfion upon young man or maiden,
~Id man, w him that jiooped for age ;· be ga'IJt
iht111. all into his hand. Such alfo were the Ra..
mans : for when Vefpafian entered Gadara, { 1)
Jofepbus faith, that ' he flew all man by ma11,
' the Romans ihow.ing mercy to no age, cut
' of hatred to the nation, and remembrance of
· ' their

naUi ztati. mifcricordiam adhi- illOl'am in Ceiiam, .Bel. Jud.

bentibu1, tam ex odio in gen• Lib. 3. C. 7. Sea. 1. p. 112i.
tcm,_qnam mcmoria iniqnitatia. Edit. Hudfon.

N:t (z) 111

~ I
180 Diffortations on t~e P10PR£c11s..
• their formeF injuries.' The like laughter was
made tt Gama1e, ( 2) • For no body efcaped
' befidcs two women,· and they efeaped by con-
' cealing themfdves from· the rage of the Ro-
' mans. For they did not fo much as 4>are young
' children, hut every one at that time fnatching
~ up many caft them down from the cittadel:
3. Their enemies ·were a)fo to befiege and
take their cities, ver. 52, And he foal/ /Jtfagt!
.thee in. all thy gates, until thy high 1111tl fmceJ
'Ula/ls come down, wherein thou trujle4fl, through-
out aU thy land. So Shalmanefer king of A/Jjri•
came up againjl'8_amaria, and kjeged it, anti at
the end of three years they took it. {2 Kings XVIII.
9, 1 o.) So did Sennacheri/J king of AJ/jria '°""
up againjl all the fenced 'cities of judab, t1ntl tool
them: (lb. vet. 13.) and Nebuchadnezzar and
his captains took and fpoiled Jerufalem, burnt
the city and temple, and /Jrah Jorwn the waUs of
jerufa/em round a'/Jout. (lb. XXV. 10.) So like-
wife the Romans, as we may read in Jofe-
phus's hiftory of the Jcwith war,· demolilhcd
feveral fortified places, bofore thc;y befiegcd and.
deftroyed
( z) ~.,,...s., It ~-· >w
?'WA•llllr ~If• - ~• ...s.,., a,,., ••• '"'' ..,." Nemo
aatem przter duas malieres in-
"· ~
p.,,.._•••• .,.;,; ;,,..,,.,
.,. ~O'... •r
J, .,.,
teritam ef"agit.-nafenant a11-
'J'A{ te11,1, qood ire Rom1111eram ia
rllW'll" , ,.. torn, ~ ~ ezcidio _fcfe 1iabdaxerint. Nee
iJU&f'Gf "1'1 a;.r.c..,.., .,,,... eaim infantibu pcpcrccn•t.
malto.
 ·Differtl#itJll1 on -t/Je f 1. o P H E c ·11 s. • ~1
ddlroyed jeruf~\cm. Anci. the. Jews .may. very
well be faid to hav~ tra/Jed ,in· tbtir bigh tlfll:I
jm&td walls, for t!Jcy feldom vepturcd a battle
iD the open· Dcld. They confided in the ftrcngth
. and fi•siqn 0£. Ja:ufal:~IJl, ;w~_ thc Jcb.i6'"• t~ . I!
former inhabltanta ·of,~ -plM!c:, had donp
Wore the:~: (z Sain~ v. 6•.7.) infomUfli th't
1h•y aro r•prefcntcd faying (Jer. XXI. 1.3'.} Wip
p,.lJ c11111 tkwn "gain/I us f or .vbo jhaO ~·~ i~o
_our Wi1111_i#l.1 Jcruf~ was ind~ a vory
ftrong pl~, an9 _wonderfully fortified both b.y
nature and art according to the defcription qf
(3) Tacitus as well as of jpfephus: and yet
(41-) bow many times was it taken ? It was
taken by Sbi1hak king of Egypt, by Nebuc™1d-
nezzar, by Antiochus Epiphanes, by Pompey,
by Sofiwi and Herod, before its final deftruetion
by Titus. '
4. In thefc fieges they were to fuffer much.,
and efpccially from famin, in the Hrflitn1fi whtn-
'lllitb thnr t111111i1s foould diPrefs. thtlll, vcr. 53
&c. And accordingly when the king of Syria
bcfieged Samaria, tbtre 'Was " great famin in ~a-
mana;
•altot vero 6ng1ali eo tcaipore pbas de Bell. J11d. Lib. Cap. s.
~ptoa a; arcc projiciebant. 4 & ) •
Bell. Jad. Lib. 4. C. 1. Sea. C+) Sec Jofephas de Bell.
lo. p. 1165. Edit. Hod.Con. Jaci. Lib. 6. Cap. ult. p. I :9a.
(J) T aciu Hitt'. LUl· l· Jofc- 1:4ic.Hedfon.
I

N" J (3) ')11•-.S

"'l 82 Dijfertations on the PR. o ia-ii 1 Es. c
marta j and behold they 'be.fieged it,_· u~tt1 an aft~
·head 'Wll.f fald far faurfcore" pieces' Ofjifver, anJ the
fourth paiT ofa cd6 efd(J'Ue-s ilimg far foe pieces q1·
fllver. ( 2KingsVI 25.) And ~hcnNcbuchadncz"-
zar befieged.Jerufalem, thefamin ;~a_iled in·t~
(ity; and there'lfJasno-6Feaijortht foOP/t"r:f fbe lanJ.
( 2 Kings XXV. ·3.) · Arid in the laft fiege of Je-
rufalem .by the Romans there was a ntoft terri:_
hie fainin in the 'city,· and Jofephus hath givca
fo melancholy an aceount of it. that we cann<>t
read itwithout £huddring: He&ith, earticularly,
(5) that c wonien fnatched the foOd· o~t of the
' verv mouths of their hufbands antl {ons of their
c fathers, 'and (what is moft miferable) mothers
·' of their infants:'·_ and in ( 6) anqthe~ place he
faith, that ' in every houfe, if thette appear~
' any femblance of food, a battle enfued, and the
' dearefi: friends and relations foug~t- with. one
' another, foatchirig away· the miierablc provi-
' fions of life:' fo _litterally 't\~erc the words of
· Mofes fulfilled~ ver. ·54 &c> the man's eye jhall
: be evil ffJWard his brot~er7 and toward tht, wife tJ,l
his /Jojom, ·and towards hir c!Jildrm, Gee,aufe '1e hath
nothing
(5) ;n..s:111; -'Ylrf &•~""• ·.., me miferabile erat, Diatres ia-
..21.t., .,,....T'F"'" •4• TO ...~F'""""'' fantibus cibum rx ipfo on: ra-
,..rTlfl~ 11J11"Hll f~'lf""«t•• 1~· IWTM• piebant. BeD. Juel. Lib. S• Cap.
=•
· ™' !"Of<'.ZT:.:>• Tf•~a.,
dem u'\ores viris, et fiJii paren-
Siq ai- 10. &ea. 3. p. u45. ·•
(6) K.S' iun• ,.., - • •
ti1:>us, e~, q uod omnium maxi- II f t "rfliK ~ ,,...._
treAI~
 Dijfortations on ihe·PRoPHECIEs: · 183·
nothing left him in thefiege,_ and in the Jlrai'tne.ft
'lllhertwi'th thtn~ enemies jhall l#Jlrefi thee in all thf
gates, and' in like manner·the woman's eye jhall
6e e<Vil towards the .6ufoanJ of her 6ofom, and to•
flJards herfon; and towards her daughter. '
· · 5. Nay it was expr~fly foretold, that·not only
the men, but even the wom~n lhould eat their
own children. M·ofos had furet:old· the ·fame
thl~g before,- Levit.. XXVI". 29, T~jholl eat the
jlefo 'of your .fo.m, and thejlejh of your da~ghters
jhall ye eat. He repeats·i~. here ·ver. 53, And
thou ]halt eat the frt!it ofthine own body, the jlefh
of thy fans and of thy daughters: -and ~ore ·parti-·
cularly ver. 56 &c, 'Ihe tender and delicate Woman
among you, who would nut venture to fat the fale
of her foot upon the ground; far. delicatenefs and
tenderndi--Jhe foal! eat her l'hildren far want ef
aU thingiftcretly in the.fiegeandjlraitnefi, where- .
'lfJith·thine enemies foal/ dfftrefs thee in thy gates.
And it was fulfilled about 600 years after the
time of Mofes among the Ifraelites, when Sa-
maria was befieged by the ki~g of Syria, and
two women agreed together' the one to give up
· her
..>..IDf .,, IE. . .ta. x-•,-• •'X!'r'' &, cifiimi qaiqae intu fe acriter
~T•T•• ..f"'(~••(ap.('om, dimicabanr; fibiinviccm mifera
e.. '"' ..i-ux.,,
T1& Ta>..., .... ,~J,.. vitz fubiidia eripientes. Lib. 6.
Per fingulas qaippc domos fi- Cap. 3. Sett 3. p. UJ+. Edit.
cubi vel umbraapparailfetcibi, Hudfon. .
bclluJll i1lic;o gcrcbatar. ct ami-
N 4 (7) ~..
1.84' J)ijfer1a1iom on- the PROP ~E cl Es~_
her tbn· to be ~eQ ~d eaten to day, and the
othet to deliver l:\p, her fon. to be drcKcd and
ca.t«n to _morrow, ·and one of them was eaten
a®Qfdingly. (2-Kings VI. 28, ~-) It .was fol.-
filled ag.in about 900 ycan after the time o(
Mofa .amcutg the Jews in the flC.\p of Jerufa..
lem "before the Babylonifu captivity J aftd. Baruch·
tihua :expr:e(eth .it,. (U .. l.t &c.) '['/,, Lori/ I.Mii>
1Mtit §OOd his worJ, 'IJ)j#}J ht polloutl&td.6gai/ljl.
us, to bring "/HJ11 ta gretlt plagues, fach as 1lefJtr
!JtippenNi-undtF t/Je 'llJM/e htaven, a1 it ctllM 111 pq/i
in Jerrtfokm, dCCl'Jillg to tht things that were
-written;,, t/Jt itlw ef Mofts, that a 1116R foou/J ti.It
the JleJh ef his o'Wll-fl11, and the Jle.fh of bU 0'&'11
tiattgl!ter: and Jeremiah thus laments it in his
Lamentations, (IV. 1 o.) 'The hanJs efthe pitffrll
,,J,o,,,ni htnN.fatldtn their O'Wn chiltlrm, they VJer~
their meat iR the .lkflruBitm ef the d.ughter ef
my peopk. And again it was fulfilled above 1 500
years after the time of Mofcs in the laft ~ of
Jerufalell) by Titus, and we read · in Jofephm
particularly of a noble ~oman's killing and ca,t..
ing her own fucking child. Mofcs faith, 'I'h1
tender and delicate woman among you, who .IUJ(J"''
not
(7) .t.. ,..rte •., tr~TOt nn- •· "· J,. Hujus ilias quidrm
~.generc atq ue opibu1 illuf. facu hates jam tvranni 4'1ri pue.
tris__.;__ Tl'lfnK +. ,.... _&».,., rant &c:.-•w~.,.· ~O'su& T•
H 'lllf..rft , •.,...,..t, ~ 1141>Tf6~!11i ff e\ . ...,.._
IC'"fO"lf (A-IJ
....
 IJf/i_rttJlimu In__ th~
.PR 0 P HE Cl ES. 18 S
IMll llliumtlll"e to flt the fok of Mr fiot upon ik
groutul~ for JelicautNfi mu/ tmiiernefa: and there.
aanot .be a more- natur.al ~ lively defcription
of a woman, who w~· according to .(7) Jofe-
phas illuftrious for her fauiily and riches. Moles
faith • ./« j/Hlf/ mt tht111 for 'UJanl '!{all. things:
and according to. Jofephu.s ilic lwl been plun:-
dcred '?f all. her fubftancc and provmons by
tho.tyrants aod fuldiua. _Mofc;s faitb1 that fue
'1wuW do it jm-tl/.1: and acq>rding to Jofe..
phus.-.$ n lbc bad boiled an4 ~ten half.. 1hc
ccw~ ap the· r~ an~ kept it for another
&im~. :At~ many diffcrCl'lt times.and ~
pc:rioda ¥ this pt~hecy been fulfilled; and
O?C would have thought that fuch diftrcfs and
hoaw had almoft tranfccnckd imagination.
and ~~h lcfa that any perfon. could certainly
have forefcen and foretold it.
6. Y..eet numbers of them were to be de-
ftloycd, ver. 6:a. Ami ye jhall IN left.few ia
-..ber, -'llJ/Jer11U y1 wert 1JJ tk }Jars of hetl'llen
for lflllkit'lllk. Now not to mention any other
of the calamities and fiaughtcrs which they
hue undergone, there was in the laft fiege of
Jeru-
._ ._.~,,. 11fv~T1tt. tam -.ero reliqaam fervabac.
"cotl11m deindP ipfa qaidem di. Bell. Jud. Lib. 6, Cap.· 3. Se&.
aUdium eju1 C01Atdi11 adopet· +· We. Hadfoa.
(8) T•1
1 86 Dijfaritttions rm the· PR o PH E c 1 E s.
Jerufalem by Tit11s an infinite multitude~ faith
(8) Jo~phus, ~ho pcrifbed by famin : and he
computes, that during· the whole fiege, the
number of tho{c who were deftroycd by that
arld by .the war amounted to eleven hundred
thoufand, _the people being affembled · from all
parts t9 celebrate the paffover : and the fame
author hatn given ·us an account of 1 240490
deftroyed in· Jetufalem and 'Other i)arts of Judea,
betides 99260 made prifoners ; as {9) Bafnagc
has rccko!Jed them up from that hiftorian's
account.; 'Indetd the~ .~s not a na~on upon
earth, ~hat· hath: been·'Cxpofed to·~ many
ma1facres ·and· perfecutions. Their· hiftory
abounds with them. · If God had not given
them a. promife of a ntimcrous pofterity, the
whole race would many a. time have been
extirpated.
7. They were to be carried into Egypt, and
fold for fl.aves at a very low price, ver. 68, .Anti
the Lord jhall bring thee into Egypt agai11, "with
foips ~
(8) T111r ~· i,ro Tll >-•!"' ~II·
tius autem oblidlonis tempore
,.,..,,,,,, 1tATIS '1"1• undccie• ceutenahomin•m mil-
,....,.,. Cl'S'I.,..
,,.., ,.,,..-1, T• tr>..Sor. Eorum lia perierunt. Jb. Cap. 9. Sea.
autem qui rer civitatem fame 3· p. u91. Edit. Hudfon.
perierunt in1inita qoidem cecidit (9) Hifl. of the Jews, B. r.
multitudo. Bell. Jud. Lib. 6. Ch. 8. Sea. 19. See too the
Cap. ·3. Sea. 3. p. 1274. cenclu6on of Ulh.er's Annals.
Tiii' 1 &ToAU,....,.,, KAT• W'•- (I) Jofeph. Ant. Lib. u.
'""' TllJ 1l'Ohllf'"•<&• • [ •f~!"',] Cap. 1 & z.
"'"'e'~'' ixan• •a• :•••. · tO- (z) - T i f f LTIC iw1-.11'riria
r.~
 . .
Differta#ons on the PROP HECIE s. 187
foipJ: and there ye jhall be fald Uflfo yo~r enemlesfor
~ndmen and bond-women, and no man foal/ buy you:
rhey had come out of Egypt triumphant, but
now they lhould return thither as-1laves. Thef
had walked thro' the fca as dry land at their
coming out, but now they lhould .be carrie4
thither in lhips. They might be ~arried thi-
ther in ·the lhips of the Tyrian · or Sidonian
mei-charit-s; or by the Romans who had a fleet
in. ·the·Mediterranean: and this was a· much
fafer way of conveying fo many pri.fun~s, tha~
fending then:-. by land~ It appears: from (I)
:Jofephus that in the reigns of· the two firft
Ptolemies many of .the Jews were fiaves in
Egypt~· And when Jerufalem w~s taken' by
~itus, (2) of the captives who. were above 17
years he fent many bound to the works in
Egypt; thofe unqcr ·17 were fold·: but fo little
.care was taken of thefe captives, that eleven ·
thoufand .of them periilied for want. And we
learn from (3); St. Jc~me, that ' after their
. .\ '1~

•1- -~ ... ,...i,.. llf ,...
~"lft"ff lft•• - .i ~· HT~
i.1......t..... 1Tt11 ....~··· 1tp9&-
,_.. ,. ..,,."' " ••, :.•..,..., 0
.f<IWrtll . .("IC ir.r' U~ljff, x1-
Ato1 ·~ 'l'~f ""I"'~· annis XVII
majorcs vin~os ad metalla a-·
ercenda in A::gyptum mi6t;
-<l!!ic:nnquc vcro infra XVII
a.nnum ~tfllis or~t, fa/; c.rotta
/lll/J.T. venditi font. lifdem aut.em
dicbus, dum aFrontonc fcc:crnc-
bantur, ex incdia pcricrunt XI.
millia. Bell. Jw:I. Lib. 6. Cap.
9. sea. 2. p. u91. F.dit. Hud-
fon.
(3)-poll ultimam evcrfio-
11cm quam fuftinucrupt ab Adri-
ano, multa hominum millia vc-
nundata {int; ct qu:e vendi ~':'ft
potucnnt;
18 8 Dijfertations on the P 1. o PH E c 1 Es.
• laft overthrow by Adrian, many thoufanda
• of them were fold, and thofe who could not
~ be fold, were tranfported into Egypt, and
' pcrilhed by lhipwrack or famin, or were
• ma1facred by the inhabitants.
8. They were to be rooted 9ut of t:heir own
land,. ve.r. 6 3, .AJU/ ye jhtz~I he pluclleJ fro111 of
the land whither thou goejl to pojfefi it. They-
"'erc indeed .plucked from off their O'llln 1muJ.
when ~e ten tri.bes were carried into captivity
by ~e king of Affyri.a, and other n~ were
planted _in their ftead; ~d when the \wo other
tribes were carried away captive tq ~bylon;
.and when the Romans took away their place
and nation ; befules o~er captivities and tranf-
portations. of the people. Afterwards, when
the E_mpcror Adrian had fubdued the rebelli-
ous Jews, h~ publilhed an(+) .editl: forbidding
them upon pain of death to fct foot in Jerufalcm.
ar·cvcn to approach the country rouml about it.
-T,ertullian and Jerome fay, (5) that they were
proliiibited from entring into Judea. From that
time to ~his .their coun~ry hath been in-~
poffcffion

pGtamnt, tnnftata in .1£gyp- (4)J ufHn.Martyr. Apal. r.. ma.

tam; ct ta~ naufra1io & fame p. 71. Edit. Thirlbi1. Eufeb.
quam gcnuum czd~ truncata. Ecclef. Hift Lib. 4-· Cap. 6.
Hieroa. in Zachariam Cap. 11. (s) Tertull. Apol. Cap. 21.
J" '774-· Vol. 3. Edit. Bcnedia. p. 19. idit. Rigaltii. Par. 167s.
HicrQQ.
 Di.feriatioils on the PROPHECIES. t8g
poffeffion of foreign lords and mafters,· few ~f
the Jews dwelling in it, and thofe only of a
low fervitc condition. Benjamin of Tudela in
Spain, a celebrated Jew of the twelfth century,
traveled into all parts to vifrt 1hofe of
his own
nation, and to learn in cxaa ftate of their af-
fairs: and 'he (6) hath reported, that Jerufalem
was· aJmofl: emirely abandoned by the Jews.
He found there not above two hundred perfons,
who were for the moft part dyers of' wool, and
who every· year pnrchafcd the privilege of the
monopoly of that trade. They lived aH together
under David's tower, and made there a very
little figure. If Jcrufalem had fo few Jews in
it, the reft of the holy land was ·mu
more de-
populate. He found two of them in one city,
twenty in another, moft whereof were· dyer!'.
-In other places there were more perfons; but
in upper Galilee, where the nation was in
greateft repute after the ruin of Jerufalem, he
found hardly any Jews at all. A YCrY accurate
and faithful (7) traveler of our own nation,
who was himfelf alfo in the holy land, faith
that

Hieroa. in Ifaiam. Cap. 6. p. Bafnage's Hift of the Jews. ll.

~·in Dan. Cap. 9. P· 1117. 7. Chap. 7,
\ ol. 3. Edit. Bencdia. (7) Sandys Traycls. Book 3.
(6} Sec Benjamin. ltin. and p. i 14. 7th Edit.
(8' Bafnagc's

-
 Dijfer_tations 01!. the :PR o P"H E c 1 E s 6
that " it is for the. moft eart now inhabited by
" Moors and Arabians ; thofe · poffefl1ng the
" valleys, and thefe the mountains. Turks -
" there. be few• but many Greeks with other
" Chriftians of all feCls and nations, fuch as
" impute to the place an adherent holincfs.
" Here be alfo. fome.Jews, yet inherit they no
" part of ·the land, but in their own ~Ollntry dG
'' li¥e as aliens."
9. But µicy were not only to be. plucked off
frc;>m their .own land, but alfo to be difpcrfe<l
into all nations, vcr. 25, .And thou foaJt be 't-
lllO'lJtd into ail the kingr)Mm of the earth i and again
vcr. 64, .Alu/ the Lord jhaO fca~ter. tbtt lllllong
an people,. frqm one end of the earth even unto tlx
ot~. Nehemiah (I~ 81 9.) confefteth that thefc
words w~re.fulfilled in the ~abylonilh captivity•
but they have more amply b~en fulfilled fincc
the great difperfion of the Jews by the Rom~ns.
\Yhat . people indeed have been fcattered fo far
and wide as they? and where is the nation,
which _is a il:ranger to them,. or to which they
are ftraogers? They fwarm in many parts of the.
Eaft, are fpread thro' moft of the countries of
Europe and Afric, and there are feveral familiC9
of them ·in the Weft Indies. They circulate
through all Farts, where trade and, money cir·
culate; and are, as I may fay 1 the brokers of
tbe whole world. 10. But
 Dijfertations on the· PROP H-E'c1 Es:. 1·9t
1 o: But tho' they· iliould be fo difp~fed, yet:
they fhould not be ·totally deftroyed, but fiill'
fubfift as a diftinCl: people, as Mofes had before ·
foretold, Levit. XXVI. 44, A11dy.etfor. all that,
when t'1ey /Je 1n the lllfld ef their tnt1J1ies, I wi/1-
not cafl them ll'Wtiy~ n~tber '11Jt1/ I a/Jhor. them, tfJ
Je}JroJ tonn 11ttn-ly, · lllld Jo beak :,my· cO'fJe1'111Zt
with them.· The Jewi1h ·nation·,-· {8}°-like th~
bath of Mofcs, hath been always·bur~g, but.
is nevei; confumc<i Aad ~hat a µlarvelous.
thing is it, that after J.O many waaj, .. battleE.;
and fieges,· after fo many fires, ·famins, andt
pcftilcnas, ·after fo many rcb~; m.a1facres.:
and ptrfecuti~na, .after fo many ..years: of cap ...._
tivity, tfavery, '.and mifery, they are not. de-!.
Jl"'led uttn-IJ, and tho" fcattered ·among all
people, yet fubfift as a diftinCl: people by them...
klves? .Where is any thing comparable .to Alis
to be found. in all the ~oJ;ies, and.in all th•
nations under the fun ?·
I I. However, they lhoul~ frift"et much i11
tbeirdifpedion; and 1bould'not refi l~mg.in·an1
place, vcr. 6 5,·Ami among thefe TU.Ztions jhalt _thou
foul 110 iafl, ·neither jhaO the fale ef thy foot haw
r!fl.. They have bee~ fo far from finding reft,
that they have been bani!bed from city to city, I

from
(S} B'afaage's Hift. of the Jews. Book 6. Char- 1. Seel. 1:
· (9) See
192 Dijfm11tions ""' t'he PRoPHEc1.Es.
from country to country. Io many places they
have been banifucd, and recalled, and banilhcd
again. We will only juft mention tb:.ir great
bantthments in modern times, and from couia-
tries very well known. Li the latter CDd of
the thirteenth century ~ ( 9) were banHhed.
from England by E;dward I, and wcr,; not..1ic:r-
mitted to return and fettle again till CromwGll'e
time. In the latter end of the fourteenth cm-
tury they ( 1) ·were banifued from Frana: (for.
the- fevcnth time; fays Mczeray) by Chanes VI~
and ewer fuice they have ~en only ~eratcd 11
th~ have not enjoyed cmirct liberty. acept at :
Metz where they haYe .a. .fyQagogw:. lo tbe
latter end of the Jifm:nth ccniury (s) .th~
wore baniilied from Spain ·.by Ferdinand ~
lfabella i · and ·acCOliding to Mariana, there
were a himdud and !cventy tbotmnd fami-
lies, or .as fomc ;fay -eight hundred · ch.ufend
perfons who left the= :kingdam : . Moft tJi
them paid dearly to John JI
for .a u:f.igc
kt Portugal, but within a few years were .cc-
pelled from thence alfo b1 bis ·f ucoctfor Ema-
nuel. And io our own .time, .wjt{iin ..tbafe
few

· f9)·SeeKennet,Ecbard,and (1) On epjoignu uxJui&

Bafnage's Hift. of the Jews. B. pour la feptie_fmc-fois &c~ See
7. Chap. 19. t4euray A~gc C"'9apJ. &
Jiafu.a~
 D!lfertations 011 the PR o PH E c 11 s. I 9.3
le" years, they: were bani!hed from Prague by
fhe queen of Bohemia.
12. They iliould be oppt'tffeti·and fpoileJ .t'iJer-
#IOrt; and' their boufas and 'Vineyards, their oxen
and alfes iliould be taken !To~ them, and they·
thould k only oppre.ffed and··crrt/hed alway. ver.
29·&c. And what frequent feizures ha~e been
made of their dfetts in almoft all countries ?
how often have they been· fined and flee!=ed by
almoft aU governments ? bow often have they
been forced to redeem thc;ir lives with what is .
almoft as dear as their lives, their treafure ?
Inftanccs· are innumerable. We will only cite
.an {3) hiftorian of our ovyn, who fays ¢at
Henry Ill " always polled ~he Jews ,~t. every
'• low ebb of his· fortunes. One AbraA1a~
" who was .found· delinquent, was fqrced t9
" pay fevcn hundred ·mar~s for .his redemp~
" tion. Aaron, another JewJ proteftcd, thai
.. the king h~ t~ken from him at times th.irty
.. .thoufaad. mar~s .of filyer,. befides two .him-
cc deed mar~~ of gold, which he had prCte~tcd
" tp the queen.· And In Hkp' manne~ he ufe.d
cc iµany others of the Jews." And when they
were

lafnage. B. 7. C. at. and Ba.fnage. B. 7. C. 21.

(z) See Mariana'• H'ift. of (3) Daniel in Kennet. Vol.
Spain, B. 26. Chap. 1. a 6. 1. p. 179.
VoL. J. 0 (4) Seo
19+ Pif!ertatiom rm th1 P.aatHBCI.ES·
were baoUhed in the reign of Ed~ard I~ tlmhs
eftatcs were confifcated, and .. immaafc fu~
thereby accrued to the. crown.
3. _'Ibeir fans and their Jaug~s jhtJulJ IM -
J
givtn unJo another., people, vcr. 32. ·And. in
feveral countries, in Spain and Portugal . ~
cularly., their children have been taken ii-om
them by order of the government to be ed~
cated in the popifii religion. The (4) fourth
council of Toledo ordered, that all their chiL
drcn a1ould be taken from them for fear they
Jhould partake of their errors, and that they
fuould be 1hut up in. monafteries, to- be ln-
ftrueted in . the chriftian truths. And when
they were .baoilhcd from Portugal, cc the king/'
fays (5) ·Ma~na, ordered. all :their childreo.
" under 14 year& of ag~, . to . be taken .frQIJl
·" them, and baptized: a· .pracuce not at all
'' juftifiable," adds the hifiorian, " bcCaufe none
'' ought to be forced to beco~e Chriftians. ~
cc c~ildren to be, taken from tlieir parents.•• ·
. 1 +·
'Ibey Jhould be mad }or the ftgbt t{ tbti,.
~~s whi,h they foould fee, ver.. 34·. Aod into
what" madnefs. fury, · and defperation have
they
(4) See B.Unage. B. 7• C. 13. (6) Jofephas de Bell. Jud.
Srfl. •-+· . . · Lib. 7• .C. !j,& 9. Edit. ffud.
(S) Mariana B. z6. C. 6. . fon, ·' ·
·-· (7)B.-f.
 I>i/fer#M•ns Oiz the p R,<) pH !.CI ~. s. :f 95
iiay; t.en ;pnfhed. by:·.tbe-:cr•l utigi=,. ·e.itor-
_,, aoci. opp-cftions wbith. they have .under-
gone.?· W~·wj}l alleg~ opJ~!IWO:fi.lllili\r wfta'1ces,
tpe· fl'Ofll attcieau., and one( from o;iodern hiftory.
After rbe deitnittion of Jetufalcm by Tjtus (6 )~
~ of- dM :worft of the Jews took ,rcfoge in
tho .caftJo -of .Mafaaa, where being· cl~y be-
fac§Od ·lly Jlsc: ·RomaQs, ·~hey at the perfuafion
f>f .Ele• .~~ir leader. fidl murdt;rc:d their
w~es aod · chiJdeo ; .then ten men were chofcn
·by lot, 19 Q~y th~ reJ1 ; .this being dont:t one of
.the.ten was.
~ . c;bofeo
. in . like manner
. . to kill the
other ~ne,.,.\vbich ~vipg executed he fet fire
10 . the:. p~ace, ._.and tben' fiabbed . bimfelf.·
~ ~ nine hundred and .fixty _.who _pc..
~- ,m
this. miferablc cn~ner;. and ~~y two
~"7 and five ·boys _efcaped by. ~~ding
daemfel~s in the aqacd~tts · unde~.: ground •
.Such anot~ci: infra~ ~ have in our Englifh
_hiflory. · f '?r. (7 ). in. ~e. n:igq of. Richard ·the
firft, · w~~n: th~ ~oplc=:: were in arms t<?' make ·
a general ~atTacre .of. t~~m, fift~en hundred
of them fcifcd on. th~ tj.ty of, Yo~~ to defend
lhemfel~et ; · bot being ~fiegcd t~c:y . offered
to

(7) Bafnsge. B. 7. Chap. 10. p. 111. & Polrd. Virgil. I. 14:

Sctl. 20. who ci,ea Mais. Paria. p. .z48.

Oa (8) Baf.
J 96 Dijfertations Oh ihe p 1lO P-lr~ cl Es•
to capitub.te, and mnfomc: their lirea wit&
:to
money. The o!i:r ·being .reflifed, ·on• •of ct.ad
cryed in defpair, that- ·it was bctfei-· tb · did
couragt-oufly fur the law, :than t&-faU: into tht!
hands of the Chriftians, Evtty we · tmmeJ..
diatcly took bis knife, anti ftabbed his Mfc·ed
childtcn. The men afterwards retired in~ tb6
king's palace, which they fct on fire, ill flhkH
they confumed themfelves· with -the paitce 'artd
furnitllre. : · '
15. 'FEefjbou/J fe~e ·,lhtr gods,: wlll nil
]lone, ver. · J6; and again vcr. 64,' t!Hy jblulJJ
Jerve other grxls, which niii!Jtr· tbly: ,_.:thtir fll!..
t/m-s had ltnovm, · e'Vm "'flJood atJtJ JIOtit. And is it
'nOt too common for·
the Jews 1ri P<?pifh -murt-
'tries to comply with the idolatrous ·wodhip cE
die ·churdi of Rome, atJd 'to bow doWn to iocb
'Ind ftoncs ·Tither 1han. their cffcas fh0uJd bt:
feifed and confifcated l Here again -WC muft
cite the author,. wfio::hath· mofl: ·fl:adiea, and
bath heft mitten :their- -inoclern : hiftory, anti
-whom ·we· have had ·oceaf10n ·to quote fc~at
·times in ~his difconrfe. ·! : " Th~ Spanilh and
" Portugal Inquifitions, (9) faith he, .reduce
" them to the dilemma of being either hypo-
~' critcs

L I..
 l

.,

D!/Jd'ldl#lls d1I tk "PROPHJ!cis·s. 1-91

•1 critcs or bumt. The number of thcfe clif..;.
'~ fern biers· is very oonfiderablo; and it ought
n not to be concluded, that there: ar#! no Jews
"iri Spain or· Par.tugal, becauk they .are not
w
" known: They are much ~e more dange-
" rom, for not only b?ing vety numerous, but
" cO:Dfoundtd with the ~cclefiaffics, and en-
• tring. into ail eccl~afm:a} digniti~s." In
another (9) place be ~, " Tl_ie moft
""furprifirig tiring is, that this religion' fF.cads.
'" from .generation to generation, and AfU fob-
!' Sis in the pcrfons of dilfCmblers in a rein:ote
"poftctity. In vain the great lordS' of Spain
·cc"(:r) mah a/litmas, change their naflln11 atrJ.
,,. tdh.1111Cimt/eutch'f!011s; they areflill known t.
""it '!f Yt'W!fb race, antl-Jtw.r thtmfirves. .The
.,. tolnltnts ef 111onlr anti nuns Bre fuH ef them.
" M'.fleftbu11ttons, ifffJuflitors, mzd'ijhflps proceed
0 fro111 thi1 nation. ·This ·is enough to mak~ die

'.H people and clergy of this country tremble,

•• fine& (~ch fort of chut~hmel'l caI'l only pro-

... fane the facfamen·ts, and want intention in
·'' confectating the hoft they adore. . In the
· c. mean time Orobio, who relates the faet,
" blew thcfe dilfemblers. He was one of
"them
(9) a. 1. C..p. 21. s.a. 36. ·
(•) Limborch Collat. cam Jud. p. 1oz.
0 3 (a) See
'
I 98 Diflertations otZ the PR or ll B c J E ~-.
cc them himfelf, and bent the kne.e ~efore the
" facrament. Moreover he bri~gs, proofs of his
" affertion, in maintainiµg, that there are in the
" fynagogu~ o{ Am~erdam, brot~ers and fill:ers
" and near relations to good fami~es of ~paia
" and Por~ugal; ~nd .even Francifcan mon~
" Dominicans, and Jefuits, who. _cam~ to .do
" penance, and make amends fo~ the crime
" they :have committed in di1fembl~ng/' .' · .
16: 'fhey Jhould becD• "'" aflonifo~., ~_pr0r
ver6, and a by-word. IJllJl)ng, 11// natioM~ v¢£. 37.
And do we not hear .and. fee ~ thi~ ·,prophecy
fulfill~ almoft every day ? is qot the avaria:,
ufury, and hard-heartcdnefs. of a J~w growo
•proverbial ? and are not tbei~ pcrfor.s gcn~~y
odious among ·all forts. of people 1. Mohamme.-
.dans, Heathen&, and c;hriftians.. however they
may difagrec in other points, yet generally agree
~ vilifying, abufing, and perfecuting the Jews.
In moft places where. they .are toler~tcd, chcy
are obliged to live in a feparate quarter by thc~­
felves, (as they did here in the; Old Jewry) and
to wear fame badge of diftinttion. Their very
countenances ·commonly diftinguilh them from
the reft of mankin~. They arc i'n all· -r~~as
treated, as if they were 9f another fpecies. And
when a great mafier of nature· would di:aw the
portrait of a Jevv, how dctcftable a charallcr
~th
 lJVfer~111~n.~ "fn-t/Je. l1R 0 pH H CI &:S. 199
~th he repn:fented in t~e ·perfon of his Jew of
Y,,,ice 1 ..
: · '7· . Finally their plagues foould he wonderful,
tW!l great plag~s, a11doflongcpntin11an'ce:, vcr. 59.
And have not their plagues continued now. thefc
I 700 years ? Their former captivities wett very
lhort in c~mparifon : and ( 2) Ezekiel aQd Pa-
nicl propheued in the ]and of the ChaldCEans: ·
but now they have no true prophet to fc?retel
an end of thei( calamities, they have only falfe
Meffiahs to delude them and aggravate their
~isfortunes. In their former captivities they
~ad the ~omfort of being conveyed _to the fame
in
place; they dwelt together the ]and of Gofhen,
they were carried together to Babylon: but
now they are difperfed all over the face of the
earth. What nation hath fuffered fo much,
and yet indured fo Jong ? what nation hath
fubfified as a diftinc9: people in their own
country, fo long as thefe have done in their
difperfion into all countries ? and what a ftand-
ing miracle is this exhibited to the view and
ob(ervation of the who]e world l
Herc are inftanccs of prophecies, of prophe-
cies dcJivered above three tboufand years ago, _
and yet as we fee fulfilling in the world at this
very tim~ : and what ftrongcr proofs can we
defirc
(2) See Bafaage B. 6. Chap. •· Sea. 2.
0 ..
 ' .

DiJ!ertatiO!':' .111· the P 1l or R ! c 1~" ·•

dcfir~ of ·the divine· legation of Mofes 1 H9wi
thef~_in{4iice' ~ay affed: other•, I kno~ ·n~;
but 1br myitlf r :muft acknowlege, "they ~not
ooly convince, but amaze and aftonitli me
beyond. exprcffion. They arc truly, as Mofea
a
foretold they would he, a pgn anJ 'lllon4er for
t'Vtr, ver. ·45, 46. MoretNer all thtfl airfes foal/
~0111e upon thte, 1111tl jhflllpur/ilt thtt mrl fl'lJtrtttle
tbtt, till tbou /Je tk.JlrOJtd; /Jecauft thou· he11rhnetfl
not unto tht"'10iclof the Lord thy GoJ, td 1tt7· ~ ·.
c0mmandment1, . anti his jlatutes whicS ht com-
matiJed thee : .And thtj jhaU 6e upon thee_ jor 11
jign arit!far '! u:onler, afili upon thy fe.eJfor roer.

VUI. P,,.
 ..•

•I ,.) • • II

..VIII. -: ... -; ·,· ..

o o I f" • • I

Prop/;ecie.r of otber prophets·.··

CIJllCtrning .t/Je J B W S•

B. E S I D E. S the praphecief of Mof-es-~

.there are others of other p~ophets, rela-
tive ~ tho prcf~nt ftatc and ~~~tion of ahc·
Jcw:s. ~~ are thofe particularl.Y, concerning
- the reftoratioa of the two tribes of Judah amt
Benjamin from captivity, and the dHfolution of
the ten tribes of Ifrael ,; and thofc concerning
the prefervation of the Jews, and the dcftruc-
tion of their enemies ; and thofe concerning
the dcfolation of Judea J and thofe conccrnUig
the infidelity and reprobation of the Jcws; and
thofe conccniing the ·calling and obedience. of
the Gentiles. And it may be proper to fay
fomethiog up>n each of thefe topics.
I. It was foretold, that the ten triJles of Ifrael
fiiould be carried captive by the kings of Afi"yria1
and that the two remaining tribes of Judah
and Benjamin thould be carried captive by the
ting of Babylon : but with this difference, that
the two cri~s fuould be reftorcd and return
z froip

L -· . . .
 Di.ffertqtio!Zl ''"·:the. ,Pap P 11ic1 g~.
from their captivity, but. the ten . tribes. fiiould
bq. ditfQlvc:d .. and loft jn theirs. Nay not ()nly
the captivity ·and reftoration of. the ~'? tri~s
were foretold, but the prccifc time of their
captivity and reftora~n .was alfo prefixed. a'1d
determined by the prophtt Jeremiah : . (XXV.
: 11.) Cf'his wbole land foal/ be a dffolation, · and
4R. aflonijhment; and thefi natioRs foal/ .farve
the !ling of Babylon feventy years.: an_d. •gain
(XXIX. 1 o.) 'Thus faith the Lord, that after
frvtnty years be. accomplijhed at Ba/JyltJn, I will
'Vijil you, anJ perform my gootl word IO'Wards JflU~
in caufing you to return to this place. T~is pro-
phecy was 6rft delivered (Jer. XXV. 1.) in tbt
fourth ;·ear of Jehoiakim the fan of JoJiah ling of
'Judah, that was the jir:JI ;·tar of Nebuchadn~r
!zing of Babylon. And this ( 1} fame year it
began to be put in execution; for Nebuchad-
nezzar invaded Judea, bcficged and took Jerufa-
Jcm> made Jehoiakim his fubjed: and tributary,
tranfportcd the fincft children of the ·royal fa-
mily and of the nobility ta Babylon to be bred
up there for eunuchs and fiaves in his pilace11
and alfo carried away the vrtfels of the houfc of
the Lord, and put them in the temple of his
God
(1) See UO.er, Prideaux, and XXIV. z Chron. XXXVI. ancl
the Co11unc11tacors on 2 Kings ~an. L
(1) Pri-
 PiJl'ertations ~ the P aop ~ E c~ Es. io3
Pod. at .Babflon. Se~ty_~ears frqm thi~ time
will_ bring us down to ~e firft ye~r of Cyrus,
~ Chron. XXXVI. 22. E~ra I~ 1.) ·when he
inade his ·prodarnation for the refi0ration of the
)eyvs. ~nd for. the rebuilding of .the ~mple at
Jerufalem, . This computat.ion of the . feventy
)iears ·~apdvity appears. to be the· truill, .and
·moft agreeabfe 'to fcrfpture. But if y~u fix the
~~ r • . ·
commencemeut of ~efe feventy ;x~ai~ · at the
f ·'. • ..

lime \vtien Jerufalem was burnt. ·and deltroyed,

their ( 2). .con du fion will fall about the time
when Datius iffoed his decree for. rebuilding
'die 'temple,·. after' the -work had been ftopt and
'fufpcnded. · Or if y,Ou fix their con~mence-
·merit at the. time when Nebuzaradan carried
·away the laft remainder of the 'people, ·and
complet.~d the defolation of the. Ian~, their (3)
conclufion wi11 fall about the time whe·n the
temple was finHhed and dedicate~, and the firft
'palfover was folemnized in it. So that,'' as
(C

·Dean Prideaux fays, " taking it which way .

'cc you 'will, and at what ftage you pleafe, the
" prophecy of Jeremiah will be fully and ex-
" adly accomplilhed concerning this matter."
·lt may be faid to have been acc~mplilhed at
three

(a) Prideaux Connea. Part (3) Prideauibid. Anno s1 s.

•· B. 3• Anno 518. J)arius +· Dari\U 7.
(+) Com111ent.
 ~04 m
/)i.ffertatirml tbe ·pKOl'lt~c.1~···
ft\l'«· dlltcrcnt times; and in three ditrerent mair.:
cm, -and therefore· poffibfy .all mi~t tiave bmft
intended, tho' the firl1: without doobt was .die
pincipal fubjeel of the prophecy. ..
But. the , cafC was different with' · the . tdt
tribes. of Ifracl. It is very· well ~own that
Ephraim f>eing the chief of the te'u tribes .ia
often put for all the ·ten tribes of Urael ;· =and
it waa predicted by.
~f~~a'h (Vlt. S.) 1P'J/jjh
threefcore ·~ti.five years jhall Ephrllim _le /JnMit,
that it le _not a 'fttdJk. Thia prcip~eey- was·: d~
• livered in· the fir11: year of Ahaz king of Judah·;
for in the latter eAd of bis fathc!r jotham'
reign, (2 Kings XVr 3.7·) Rezin king Of Syrii
and Pekah king of lfrael began· th~ir expedi-
tion 'againd Judah. They went up towards
Jerufalem to war again A:· it in the beginning Of
the· reign of Ahaz: and it was to comfort "him
and th~ hciuCe of David in thefe dlfl:icultics· and
diftrcffcs, tha• the ·pr~phet lfaiah was ~omDllt.
fioned to a1Ture Jiim, that the ~ings· of Syria
and lfrael fuould remain only the ~cads of their
refpcaive cities.. they lhould not prevail againft
Jerufalem, _and wi~hin fixty and. ~ve years
•frael lhould be fo broken. as to be no more a
people. The learned ( 4) Vitri~ga is of opi-
pion, that the text is c~rrupted, and that in·
~ 4ead
· (+). Comment. in locum.
<s> Set
 Bffnta/61111· Olt·.Me Pao.pn,rrii•
._.i of -)1it1 i21t._ rand fin
tnilecn1,._,,
it• tWa1 ··0rigialll1
~~-and. fiw •. Binn .J Jw•
a;-ho~, :ia ·• odd way .'4 compullltieo
for ae nil 'IW•f.J ;- but it defigns pOtf«tlj the.
,-rs·W' Abaz and· ·ffogekiah. Fcir ~ha reign·
ell fod--,.n; ~ and Hezekiah }Wt yean alone.-
hinillg r•ed bile year jointly with bis father:
IDtt. it Wat in ttbt faith ytar ofHt".Ul:itrh, .( 2' JGnga.
KWD~ 1 o~ i· J;) that· BIJIJlmim~{rr t«Ji Smnaritr,
._. "1'rir' imi.y lfr11tl tlnto :AJ!iria. Then in-.
deed -die ·kin~ of lfrael was broken : md.
'lhe GOftjeau:rc of V ltringa ~oukf ·appear much
a.e~prbbablc, if it c6uld be l'ftWcd that it.had
PU been· itfual te:wtite the numbcts or •at•
of ~ partly fa . word's at ·length, ~d pa~
il BH;l•'t-al · letters. But without reooarfe ,-~
b:h-an-oxpedient the thing mey bc·ell?plica.i
.-Cn•iit. For from· tht firft ·of· Aba2. (s)
compute .ficty and five yean in the· r~ "f
./Jw:;,, Hezekiah, and Mana1fdi, the end
~ .
·of
-~CID will fall .about the 22d year of Manafl.Ch.,
when Efarhaddon king of Atfyria made _the ·laft
Gc:portation of the lfraclites, and planted ·ethe.r
nations in their ftead i and in 1'1¢ fame ~pedi­
~ probably took Mandfeh ~aptivc, '(.a Chron.
XXXlll. 11.) and carried him to Babylon. _It
ii fa¥I exprefly that it was Efarb.addon ~
planted
(5) See Ufilcr, Prideaux &c.
(6) For
 Di!fer1111io,,s (111}/,e P.1tOtJ1ittcr~i~
plaated the ·.other nations in. thQ ·cirlel of .&nu..
\"~ :. but· it it- not faid exprdly in ';ri~ mat
b:e: ~rried Jw.ay the. remainder of .tbc• .people,.
bot it .ina, be inferred :frol)l fevual.: cin:lllllt4
fiancc;s. of the flory. Tllefe were other deport-
ta.ti~ of the Ifraelites made bJ Kie· kings of
Atfyria hefore this time. . 111 the reign· of-Abai
Tiglath-pilezer. took maoy of the Ifrae• t'la
the &ulmutes, .and the Gatlite1, 11,,J tflt ./Jdlf. tri!A.
of Ma1t11Jfoh, 4nd all tbe land of Nll/Jht-'i. - '
carried them capti.ve to 4/!Jria, .411J..-br011gl/J tbtlll
unto Ha/ah, awl .Ha/Jor, and Har11, .Qfld .m ·till
~iwr GoZfl"· (I Chroo-. V. 26. 2 l\iiogs · XY.
29.). . Bis fon Shalmancfer, . in the... reign ~
Hezekiah, took Samaria, and carried· awa1.-lli"Q
g~eater n~mbers unto .Ajfyrja, 1111d 'Jll't t/Jpfi ilf
Ha/ah and. in Hahor JJy the ri<uer ff~ (U.
fame pla_ce& whither ihcir brethren .had bcea
carried bef~e them) and in .the citia ef tbt
Medes. ( 2 )<.ings XVIII. J 1.) His fon Sclllla.
cherib came up alfo againft Hezekiah, and all
the ·fenced. cities of Judah; but ~is army. was
miraqiloufly defeat~, and he himfc)f was forcca
-tp return with lhame 11nd difgracc into . his
.own country, where be was murdered by two
. of his fons. ( 2 Kings XVIII. ·J 9.) Another
.of his fons, Efarhaddon fucccedcd
. . him. in the
throne, but it was fomc time before . - he could
rceovet
 Diffeaations ()ti tlJe PR o .Pa E c 11 s.
rccorcf!his kingdom from ·thefe '..difotders, and
daii* of::radacing .S~ and Paleftine again to
lD• 1~ :· and then it· was. 'and ·not till
thmJ, that· he completed .tht ruin · of the ten
sribcs,, canicd away the remains of the people;
and to prevent the _land from becoming defo-
lata, b#Jgbt men from Bab,lon, and frl»n C.thab,
aJ·ff'Olll lhua, and from Hamatb, 11ni from
~m,_ 1111d placed them in tilt cities ef Sa-
.,,;11, .i.;kaJ of the children of Iftatl. (Ezra IV.
a, 10. 2 Kings XVU. 24.y Ephraim \VU
broken. from being a kingdom before, but now
he was·brok~n from .being a people. And
&om chat time to this what accoU1lt can .bo
given of the people of lfrael as diftintt· from the
ptopla 9£ Judah ? w}:iere have they fubfilled all
this wh·iJc ? and where is their fituation, or what
is their condition at prcfent ?
We fee plainly tha~· t~ey were placed in Af..
fyria ~d Media; and if they fµbfifted ahy
where, one would imagin they might be found
there in the greateft abundance.· ·But aut1'lors
ha\.e · generally fought for them' eltewh~re: ·and
the vifionary writer .of the fecond book of Ef-
dr~ (XIII. 40 _&c.} hath. afferted that they
tOok a refolution of retiring from the Gentiles,
and bf ·go;ng into a count.-y, which llad never
been inhabited ; that the river Euphrates was
! ·n1iraculoufiy
.203 DiJ"tatims OfJ tit P tt or It a'c 1~ ' ·
•ilacubdly dividetl for their paffage, •nd tbcJ
prOcecded in th'cir journey a yaa. and a Wf,
~fore they .arrived at this country, which was
cailed Arfarech. ·But the wont: of it is~ as this
·country was unknown before, ~ it hath been
cquaUy unknown ever fince. It is to be found
oo where but in this apocryphal book, which is
fo wild and· febulous in other refpeth, that it
tlefcrvcs no credit in this particular. Benjamin
ofTudefa, a Jew of the twelfth century, {~)
hath likewifc affigned them Q large and fpecious
mantry ·with fine cities ; but no body knoweth
to this day .,here it is ·fitoated. E!dad, an•
echer. Jew of the thirteenth century, hath
p1accd them in Ethiopia· and I linow not
where, and hath made the Saracens arid twenty
4ive kingdoms tributary to them. Another
Jcwifh writer, Peritful of Ferrara, who lived in
the century before the laft, hath given them
·kingcloms ·in a country called Perricha, ioclofcd
by ~nknowo mountains, and bounded by Aifyria,
·and likewife in the defcrts of Arabia, and even
Sn the ·Eaft 'Indies. Manaffeh, a famous rabbi
-ol the laft century, . and others have a1fcrtcd,
that
_ · (6) For tbe(e particalan the (3) See Cdmet'• hlO.Di•-
ttader 111ay confult Bafnage's taUons. aft. Sar le paya oi let
.HUI. of tlae Jew1. ~ .6.... d,is triblfl.O'.IAiacl.(usaur..r-
Chap. a. and 3. portea, et fur celui oi dies
• .Oat
 /JijforlfP#m llZ the PaGPH&CI Er. 2~9
.tllM tlsy p~ int9 TUtUJ, ud capellcd the
~an&J awl others· again. f1om Tartary have
GdnYeyeci ta. intQ America. &t all tlvd"e
tiii'crina '6SOunts prove nothing. but the gre,t
~ocrtainty that ~ere is in- ~ ma~er. The
heft of them are only conjectures without ally
folid fou~dation, but moft C?f them are mani-
feft forgeriet1 t>f t?e Jews to acgrandize their
nation. ,._,
. The diflicuity ot finding oQt the habitation$·
~f the ten !I"ibes hath indu~d (.7) others tQ
maintain, that they rcturnoo into their ewq
~ountry with the other two tribes. afta th~
BahyICmi.di captivity. The decree indeqi of
Cjrus cxtenped to tdJ. the peopk of Goti, (Ezra.I~
1·) and th_~t of Artaxecxes to all the people of
lfrael,; (VII. 13.) and no doubt oiany of the
'1fraelites took advantage of thefe decrees, an~ re-
-turned with Zerubbabel and
Ezra to their own
·cities: but iEil1 the main body of the ten tribes
remained behind. Ezra, who !hould heft know,
faith that there rofl up the chief of the fathtrs ef
·judah and Benjamin, (I. 5.) and he calleth the
Samaritans tse atlverfariesefJ.udah andBmjamin;
. . (IV.

Mt •J.. rd'hai. CoMftlellt. de ~u captivitE, dans la terre

Vol.!· sci. 011 l'on Hamine d'Urael. Comment. Vol. 6.
· i In dix vi.bas font reTenui1
Vo 1.. I. P (8) n
210 Dijfertations on the PRoPHEC1Es.
(IV.. 1 •) thefe two tribes were the principals.
the others ~ere .only as acceffories. And if thoy
did not return at this time, they cannot be
fuppofed to have returned in a body at any time
after this : for we read· of no fuch adventure
in hifl:ory, we know neither the time nor occa-
fion of their return, nor who were their generals
or leaders in this expedition. Jofcphus, who
faw his country for feveral years in as florifhing
a condition as at any time fince the captivity,
affirms that (8) Ezra fent a copy of the decree
bf Artaxerxes to all of the fame nation through-
out Media, where the teh tribes lived in cap-
tivity, and many of them came with their effeds
to Babylon, defiring to r~turn to Jerufa1em:
but the main body .o f the Ifraelitcs abode in
·that region : and therefore it hath happened,
°faith he, that there are two tribes in Afia and
Europe, living in fubjeCtion to the Romans;
but the ten tribes are beyond the Euphrates to
-this ~imc : and then addeth with the vanity of
a
(8) TO f &rTl?'f+' ClllmK 818,,.., ,.,, n 1"f AC1111C act nc
'll'•r• ••n-. ...,,...i,, n1, .,....,,. E11f"""'h P111,.-.o•~ w-Wftl(· ..
Si.uc "'"' ••T• ,.,,, M.,JI., trT•~· .h li.. "',..., ...""' · - ~­
-•~>Jl.01 l' &llTlll•t _ , Ta( TV i111( 1111,., p,.,..t.~ _,.,...
XT'llO'l'C 1uocN4J01TI(, ti>J.r Ii(
~llMlflllt W'~ll>TIC '1'111 If(
la-
T•
~·· .,~/A'!' ,...,,s.....
,.,....... exemplar •ue -ejP1 ia
f&ll ,.,_

l•pPd"•1l111'• .oi$• .l'... • 3'1 ...( .Mediam ad omnes 1entis fue

>.a.o, "'"'' IO'fQ:'lhlTOI• ••T• x111par homines 111i6t.-:-multi v'ro u
l14'1flo ~.~ IUU 1'10 ~'1Mf 11>11.I ITllY.• iis c:u111 re fua familiari Baby-
• loucm
 .Di/fartations on th~ P 1l Q P H E c 1 E s. 211
tJ Jew fpcaking of his countrymen, that they
were fo many myriads, that they could not be
.numbered.
. Others, finding no good authority for admit-
ting that the ten tribes of Ifrael were reftored
·in the fame manner as the two tribes of Judah
and Benjamin, ( 9 ), have therefore aiforted,
that " the ten tribes of Ifrael, which had fe-
-" paratcd fi:om the houfe of David, were
" brought to a full and utter d~ftrutl:ion, and
·cc nev~r- after recovered themfelves again. For
" tpofe who were thus carrkd away (excepting
•
" onlf.fo~c few, who joining themfelves to
.cc the J~ws in the land of their captivity re-
.,~ turned with them) f~n going into the ufages,
cc and idolatry . of the nations, among whom
cc they were planted, ( t<:> which they ~ere too
cc moth addiB:ed while in their own land) after
er a while became wholly abforbed, and fwal-
,, lowed up in them, and thence utterly Jofing
·cc their name, their language, and their memo-
" rill,
loaem fe coatulerunt, ot qlli locaultraEuphratemcolant,in-
Hieroi>lyma rcvertendi ddide- finita hominum millia, nee nu-
rio tenebanhlr. Omn=s auteUI mero comprebendenda.Antiqu.
mulritudo Ifraelitarum in eue- Lih.11.Cap.s. sea .z.p. 482.
pne manfit. Q!apropter duz Edit. Hudfon.
tantam trihqs per Afiam atqae (9) Prideaux Connet\. Part 1.
Earopam fub Romano degunt Book 1. Anno. 677. Mandl"c:h
imperio. Decem autem rcli~uz 2.2..
uibal ufque in hodicrnum diem
p .z (1) See

-
212 Dijfertahons on the P1.0PHE<:n~·&.
" rial, were never after any more fpoken of.•
:But if the whole race of Ifrael became that
extina, and pe~ifhed for ever, how can the
numerous prophecies be fulfilled, which proltlifc
the future convertion and reftoration of Ifracl
as well as of Judah ?
The truth I conceive to lie between tbeie
two opinions. Neither did they all return to
Jerufalem, neither did all, who remained be~
hind, comply with the idolatry of the Gentiles,
among whom they lived. But whether they
remained, or whether they returned, this pro-
phecy of lfaiah was ftill fulfilled ; tnc king-
dom, the commonwealth,. the date of lfrael
was utterly broken ; they no longer fubfiffed ·as
a diftin8: people fr9m Judah, they no longer
maintained a feparate religion,· they joined
themfelves to the Jews from whom they had
been unhappily divided, theY. loft the name 9f
lfrael as a name of diftinClion> and were thence-
forth all in common called Jews. It appears
. from the. book of Efther, that there were great
numbers of Jews in all the hundred twenty and
kvco provinces of the kingdom of Ahafuerus
or Artaxerxes Longimanus king of Perfia; and
they could not all be the remains of the .two
tribes of Judah arid Benjamin, who had ·refufed
to return - to Jerufalcm with their · brethren J
they
 D!/fortati1J1J1 fJ!I tlie P ll o p·a E c 1 E s-. 21 3
tlaey mull many of them have been the de-
f.ccnq~nh of the ~n tribes whom the kings of ,
Myria had carried awiy captive ; but yet they
are aU fpokcn of a~ ~c and the fame people,
and &JI without. diftinttion are de'1ominatcd
Jews. We raad in the Ads ~f the Apoftles,
(II. 9.) th•t there came to J~rufalem to cele-
brate the fca~ of. Pcptccoft Partbimu, and
Mtil_s, ""'EJqp#tts, .,,; tbt tlwtllers in Mifopo-
t11111i11 : thcfc Qtcn came from the countries,
whpfin ~ha tcp tJiJ,:>es had been placed, and in
-11 pt91Mbility Jherefore were fome of their pof-
taity, ; bQt yet thc:fe as well as the rcft arc
. ruled (vcr. 5,) Jews, drvout mm, out ef roery
11Mi111 '"'"" bel'l)efl. Thofc Jikewife of the ten
Jri~ wbo returned to Jerufalem, upited with
die tw9 tril:>es of Judah and Be_njamin, and
fOlllled but one nation, one body of Jews·;
they pJight for fome ages perhaps prcferve their
genealogies ; but they arc now incorporated to..
gcthcr, flDd the diitinffion of tribes and fami-
lies is in great meafure loft among thern, and
they have all from the BabyloniOi captivity to
this day been comprehended under the general
P.llDC of Jews. Jn St. Paul's time there were
{evcral perfons of all the ten tribes in being ;
for he fpcakcth of tht twefut tri/Jts ho/Ji"K toot-
tain to tht promifa ef God; (Aas nvI. 7.) a!Jd
p 3 St.
214 Dijfertations on the PR.OP HE ctn S'.
St. James addreff'eth his epiftlc to tht ·t'llMltJt
tribes which are flattered ahroad. (Jame& I. ·J~)
And we make no queftion, that feveral perfuns-
of all the ten tribes are in being at prcfcot, tho~
we cannot feparate them from the reft ; they·
are confounded with the other Jews; there i1
no difference, no difiinaion between themJ
The ( 1) Samaritans indeed (of whom there al"C'
fiill fome remains at Sicbem and the neigh-
bouring towns) pretend to be the defcendents .
of the children of Ifrae1, but they arc really
derived from thofc nations, which Efarhadclon·
king of Afi"yria planted in the country, after ha
had carried thence the ten tribes into captivity.
And for tpis reafon the Jews call them t,,. no
other name than Cuthites (the name of one of
tho Ce nations) and exclame againA: them as the'
worft of heretics, and· if poffible have greater
hatred and abhorrence of them than of the
Cbrifiians themfelves.
Thus we fee how the ten tribes of IfraeJ-
were i11 a npnner loft in their captivity, while _
the tw~ tribes of Judah and Benjamin were
re~ored and preferved feveral ages afterwards.
And what, can you believe, were the rctfonl
of
· 11) See Pridean,x as before.
 . DijfertatifJ1U t/ie, p .R 01> H E c IE ~.
qn 2I5
of God~s making this difference and diftintlion
~een. them l The ten tribes had· totally
nwoltcd from God to the worlhip of the golden
calves in Dan and Bethel .; and for this, and·
their." other idolatry and wickednefs, they were
faifercd "to remain in the land of their captivity.
The Jews were rcftorcd, not fo much for their
own fakes, u for the fake of the promifes
made unto the_ fathers, the promife to Judah
that the Meffiah ihould come of his . tribe,
the promijc to David that the Meiiiah ··1hould
•born of hi~ family. It was therefore ne-
ceft"ary ·for the tribe of Jucfah, and the families
of tbat tribe. to be kept diftind:. until the -
Ollllfftg of the Meffiah. But now thefe ends
arc fully anfwercd, the tribes of Judah and
Benja111ia arc as much confounded as any of the
refi: : all diftinCl:ion, of families and genealogies
ia·le>ft among tbcm: and the (2) Jews them-
felves acknowlcge as much in faying, that when
the Mcffiah fuall come, it will be part of his ·
~ " to fort the~r families, reftorc the
" gencalog\cs, and fet afide ftrangcrs."
lJ •. The prcfcrvation of the Jews thro' [q
.-y ages, and the total deftruCtion of their
enemies
(z) -See Bifhop Chandler•• Defenfc ~f Chriftianity. Claap. 1.
·Sea. z. p. 38. 3d. Edit. ·
p 4' (3) z Mac.
216 Di.Jfort11tiont -on ti¥ PRo9use1~s:
cnemi~s are wonderful eyent&; ·aiul ue.. -made .
ftill=mo.re wonderful by being fignified.l>eforew..
hand .by the fpirit of prophecy, as ~ 6ed
particularly in the prophet Jeremiah, 1XLVI.
2 8.) F ellr thou 111Jt, 0 J.uo~ "'J flrumil• jdit6
the Lord, far I am wit/, thee, fw I viii IMl4t a
f 1111 end 'OJ" aO the nation1 'llJiJither I htllfJe' "'""""
thee, but I will 1101 make a full 611d eft/Ju.
The prefervation of the Jews ~ mally Oft9.
of the moft fignal and illuftrifNs atb of 4iYiao
providence. They arc difper~d · .--g .all
nations, and yet they are not coofoundtd··with ·
any. The drops ot r:tin which fall. ·U)' .a.·
great rivers which fl'ow into ·the ocean, arc."'-1
mingled and loft in that irhnwnfs bolly·of
waters : and. the fame m
all humea prohahilia,
would .have been the fate of tho J~, dlOf
would have been mingled and leA- in: the
common m.af& of mankind; but on the een~
they .flow into all parts of the world, mis:·with
all hations, and yet keep feparate fumt. aH.
Th~y t\ill live as a diftind: people, and yet tliay
no wh~re live according to th~ir OWR la.ws, .no
whtJre ele8: their own magiftratts, no whens
enjoy the full excrci{c of their rcligioo. -.Their ,
fol¢mn feafts. and fa<;rifices ar.c limited· to one ·
i;ertain p~e. and. that hath eecn now fQr ~Jl
PP, in .th~ hands of 1lrange11 and Jlicns, ~w.Jle .
. will
..
Di.fm1J1itlns "on tbl Pa o·p Ha c 1 E s. 117
.tfill ·not fu&r than to come· diither. No
pmpJe haive continuec.t unmixed 4() long as they ·
ha'llll done, not only of thoft 91ho· haV'e tent
forth-· «>Ionia into foreign couritri~, but cyen
of -thofe who have abided in their own country.
The aorthem 114ltlons have come ·in f warm1
i.ato· die m~re fout:hem parts of Europe ; but .
wbtre tre they -now to be difcetncd and' diftin...
guHbetf 1 The Gauls went fonh in greit bodies
to· ·fat thew fortu11e in foreign ptirts ; but
what· tl'aea or footfteps of them arc now
ranaiping .aay where i In Prance who can
.fepi1nce th4 ·nee of die ·ancient Gauls from tho
nrieu1 other peeplC. who from time to time
hue'=ttlcd there? In Spain who can diftinguitb
eJratily between the firft poffeft"ors the Spaniards,
aad dae Goths, and the Moors, who·conquered
pd bpt peffeffion of t8c country for fome
ages? In England who can pretend to fay
widt certainty whic:h families are derived from
the ancient Britons, and which from · the Ro.
11111111, w Saxons,- or Danes., or Normans ? The
moA ancient and honorable pedigrees can be
tnaad up only to a ce~in period, and beyond
that i:lcre is nothing but conjetture and uncer--
tainty, obfcurity and ignorance : but the Jews
can ·go up higher than any nation, they can . 1

eYCA deduce their pedigree from the beginning

a of
218 D!/fertarions on the Pao Pu a c uu·..
of the world. They may not know from. what
particular. ttibe or family they are dc:Xmdedi,
but they· know certainly that they all fprung
from· the frock of Abraham. And yet ·the
contempt with which they have been tr~
and the hardlhips which they have undergone
in almoft all countries, lhould one would think
have made them defirous to forget or .ftnouncc
their original ; but they profefs it, they glory
in it : and after fo many wars, ma1facres, .and
run
pcrfecutions, they frill fubfift, they are very
numerous : and what but a fupernatural power
could have preferved them in fuch a manner
as none other nation upon earth hath been
prcfervcd?
Nor is the providence of God lelS ranark"'
able in the deftruaion of their enemies~ ·than
in their prefervation. For from the beginning
who have been the great enemies and op.pref-
fors of the JcwHh .qation, removed than ~m
their own land, ~d col_}lpelled them into
captivity and 1lavcry ? The Egyptians ~
them much, and _detained them in ~
feveral years. The Affyrians carried away cap-
tive the ten tribes of lfrael, and the Babylonians
afterwa~ds the two remaining trihesofjudahand
Benjasnin. . The Syro-!Vlac:ed.onians, efpccially
A1J,tiochus Epipha~es, cruelly perfecuted.t~em;
and
 Dj_ffertatiOIJl Otz tbe. p ll 0 P_H EC j' E_ S. · 2 l 9
and· rhe Romans utterly diift>lved the Jewifli
ftate, ·'and difperfed the people fo that they have
ne.er been· able to recoJ'er their city and coun-
try again. And where arc now thefc great aad
famous · mooarcbica, which in their turns fub..
ducd and oppre1fed the pec)ple of God l Ate
they. .not vaBUhed as a ·dream, and not only
their power, but their very names loft in the
.arda ? The Egyptians, Affyrians, and Baby..
lonians were oHrthrown, and entirely fubju-
gated by the Perfians : and the Per1ian1 (it is
remarkable) were the reftorcrs. of the Jews, as
well as the deftroycrs of their enemies. The·
Syro-Macedoniant were f wallowed .up hy the
Romans: and the Roman empire, great and
powerful as it was, was bmken i~to pieces -'hy
the ·incurfiom of the northern nations ; while
the· Jews arc fubfifiing as a diftintt: people at
this day. And what a wonder of providence
is it, that the vanquilhed 1hould fo many agei
fnrvivc -the viaors, and the former · be fprcad
all cwcr the world; while the latter are no
more? ·
Nay not only nations have been punifi1ed for
their crudtics to the Jews, but divin,c ven-
geance hath purfued even fingle pcrfons> who
ba•e been their perfccutors and oppreffors. 'rht
firft 1¥>rn of Pbaraob was deftroyed, and he
himfelf

-
i20. Diffir~a#ons pn the PRQPUF;~IJ:.1-
himfeJf with ·his_ hoft was drowned m thp {c;a.
M~ft of ~fe who oppreikd Ifrael in .t4e _days.
• of the· Jµdges, Eglon, Jabin and Sifera, Oreb
and Zeeb,. and the reft, came to '*n ~ntimeJy
~nd. N ebuchtdQeziar was. ftricken with P)ad-
nefs, and ihe crown was foon transferred from
h_is family to t't:rangers'. Antiodius Epip.hanes
(3) died in great agonia, with qlc'rs end vermin
Hruing from them, fo that the filtbincd5 of
his fme1l was· intoler~blo to all hie Jlltcndcnts.
amf cvcp to himfclf.. Hqrod, who Wa$ • J:rucl
tyr~nt. to the Jews, (4) died iq the faQM
ini~rable manner. Fl~cus, goverpor qf Egypt.
Y1bo barbarolJily pluµdered and opprelfcd tho
Je-ws <»f Ale~andria, (5) was afterwards baniihc4
9nd flain. Caligµla, who pcr(ecutcd .the Jcwe
fo~. refy~g to pay diviIJc. honors t.o his ~ues,
( (>) .was m"1f(icrcd in the fiowcr of hi& age,
after..a lhort ,nd wicked reign. But \Yhcrc are
IJOW, fiiu;e they have. abfolutely rejcdcd tho
&Qfpcl, a.ad been no lopger the pc;culi~ pcoplc
of Gofl, w~rc are now fu~h v.ifib!e -~p.ifefta:
tions of a divine interpofition in their favor 1
The
(3) a Maccab. IX. 9. Poly- p. 1040. Edit. Hudton.
lii.i Fra1•· p- 997. Edit. Cafaa· (5) Philo i11 FlacCW..
bon. (<>} Philo de Legadone ad
(+) Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. 17. Caium. Jofepll. Andfl. Lib.
Cap. 6 Seti. s. p. 768. De ~11. 18. Cal"~· Lib. 19. Cap. 1.
Juel. Li~. 1. Cap. 33. Sect. 5. Suctonu Ca1ig. Cap. 59. Vixit
ania
 . I>i/er111tion1 011..the Pao·rHgc1t1. 221
The Jews wauld ~well to c:onfidor dais.pc>int:;
fcJr .Dghtly confidored; · it ma1 be an effed:ual
tneans of opening tbeif .eyes, and of turning
tbem to Chrift our Saviour.
III .. The dcfalatioii of Judea· is imothei'
mcmbra~ .intlalice of the . truih of ptophecy..
It was .foretold fo long ago as . by Mofes,
(Lavir. XXVI. 33.)" I will fc11tttr yo-. d111011g lbw
&atbm, and will Jra'lll oat 11 .fword after JOU 1
tmd J«lr Intl fotil! 11e· .Jtfalate, anti JOW: <cilfft
v111.flt. It WM foretold ·agaifi by Ifaiah.r. ~ pr.o-
phct {peaking, as prophets of~n ~o, of. ·Wings
fiature as-prafcnt; (J.. 7, g, 9.) nur &otmtry ;,
Jtfoklte, your cities llf't 611rf!t 'llJith fir:t f 'Jpl!,. Jan4
/Jr1111ger1. ~ it in joltt' prefence, a~ it ti
~Jo/Ille "' rvw/hr0'11111 /Jy jlrmigers~ AINl tht
'4-ghier of z;.,, is ltft as a eottagt in" .,,,;,,tJtdJ...
Ill 11 J..We in • garden of ctu:ambtrs, tis a -/J~tl
tilJ. This pafi"age may relttc immediately to
the times of Ahaz and H~kiah ; but it muft
ha-re ·a f arthcr reference to the dcvafta6ons
made by the Chaldzans, and efpec:iaJly by the
Romans. In this fcnfc it is undcrftood by ( 7)
Juftfn
llUlisXXIX.imperavit triennio tulJ. advert. Marc:ion. Lib. I.
• X menfibus, cliebafque VIII. Cap. z 3. p. 411. Edir• .llepltU
(7) Jllft. Mart. Apol. tma. Par. 1675. et alibi. Hieron.'ili
p. 70. &lit. Thirlbii. Dial. cum loc11111. Vol. 3. p. u. 'Edit. lh:-
1'')'phone. p. 1691 & ~43· Ter- noclia. •
(8) Vo.I,

I_
~22 .Dif!matiom on "the PtoPHl·ciBS.
Juftin· Martyr, TertulJian, Jerome, and ' moa
ancient inarpreters :. and· ·tho following words
imply no .ICfs than a general deftrudion, and
nlmoft total cxcifion of the people, ftich as they
fotTercd under the Cbaldzans, but more. fully
under the Romans ; E1ecept the-Lord of hojh hatl
kft u11to ut a 'Very /mall remnant, 'fllt j/Joulli IJa'Vt
ltm as Sodom, and we jl»uld ba'Ve /Jem Jifle ·utitt1
GDmorrah. Th~ fame thing .was again foretold
by Jerell\iah; for fpeaking afterwards of the
eonverfioR of the Gen~iles, and of the rdlora-
tion of the Jew"S in the latter days, be muft be
underftood to fpeak here of the tjmes pre-
Ceding, (XU. 10, I 1'.) MtlllJ pajlors (princes or
leaders-) . hll'Dt tkflrOJtti "" 'Vineyard; thty hlZ'OI
·trcden my portion wzder foot, ihey hriw 11111Je 11IJ
flleafant rriion a ikfolate 'llliklmtefi ; thty have
·made .. it tiefolute, anti oting tkfalaee it. lllflUl"lleth
lilto. me ; the 'IL·hole land iJ "!aJe dtfalate~ hecnp
·;,o "'""/~th it to heart. .·
·The fame thing is exprdfcd or implied in
other places: and hath not the fi:ate of Judea
now for. -many ages been exaltly anfwerablc to
this defcription ? That a country lhould be de-
pt>pulatcd and ckfolated by the incurfions and
:depredations of foreign armies is nothing won-
derful ; but that it fbould lie fo many ages in
this mif~rable condition is more than man
could
•
Di.fertations dn th.e PR o- P.H ! c i .E s. 2 23
•oqJd :·forcfee, and could be ·revealed : only by.
G<NL A celebrated French.. writcr·:(8}. in.hM
hiftory of tbe Crufades pretends, .to .exhibit .a
aru.: .pi~ure of Palcftioe, and :be fa.)s that then
" it· Wa$ · juft JN hat it is. at prcfent, the wbrft. Qf.
~' all 1he ipbabited countries of Afia ..· -It is al-
~c ~'f wbelly covered widr parched rocks, on
cc. .~~i~1' t~ro is noc one lice of foil. If tbjs
" ~t territory .wcr.~· cultivated, it might nQt
~i improperly be compared · to· Swiffedand.;"
Bot there is no need of Citing authorities to p10ve
that the land is forCaken of ias. inba.bitantst .is·
unculti~aicd, unfruitful, and defolatc; for tho
c~~es .,of q~r religion make this very· tbing an
obje4K>n to the truth of religion. They fay thrt
.fo barren and wretched. a count1-y could. never
haivc b,een a.~4nJ fawiwg with mi/A asJ bnq, ,nor
ti.~vc fupplied and· maiJ)tained fucb. mµltit~es;
@I it is reprcf~~tcd ~ · hav~ don, .. in -fcripture:
But they. do. not fee· or confi~er, thtt bereb)1
the ~op~tcies 81'e fulfilled; ~ ~hat ir •s r~thcr
an evidence · for the truth o( our religion, than
any argu~e~t agai~ft it •.
The country was formerly a good country,
if we may believe the concurrent tcftimony of
thofe w~ filould heft know it; the people who
inhabited
(8) Voltaire's Rift. not far from the beginnini.
(9) Ari·
11+ D!f!erMti.u on 1h1 Pllor112c11u.
lnhabit.etl it Ari.fi.tas and jo{ephus tto {9)
fpnk largelf ~ CGmmcndMion of its fruifrui..
nc!s: and .•ho' fomething may bo aJ'°"'4 to
national prejudices, yet .iMy wookt hardly -..,
had thl confi<knce to affert a thing, which all
the world could eafily conwadia Htt dl{prove·
Nay there arc even heathen aatbon who t.ell'
teftimony to the fruitfulnefs ol the JafKI : tho'
we prefum~, that after the Babylonilh captirity
it never. recQvcrcd to be agein what it was be-
fore. Strabo ( J) defcribes indeed· the mont11
about Jeru{alem as rocky and barren, but bd
Commends other parts, particularly about Jot..
dan and·. jcrricht>. Hecatama ·(a) quoteft by
Jofcphus. g~Teth it tho charadcr of one • fh•
bcft and mQfi; fertil countrie1. Tacitus (3) faiths
that.it raincth fcldom, the- h>il K (ntitfel, froitt
abound aa. With as, and befide• them the bl}.
farn ·and palm trees. And · notwithftanding the
long defoladoa of ahe land; .there ate am .a~
fuch marl~ and tokens of fruitfulne&, a may
con,iaco ai>y man that it once deferved' the
cbarad:cr, which is given of it in fcripture. I
· · would

(9) Atifteu p. 13, 14- Bdit, Edit. t>ar. p. uo4. !Wit. A•~
llody, Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. · ftcl. P·7SS· Edit. Par. p. 1095.
Lib. 3· Cap. J• p. 1 uo. Edit. Edit. Amftcl. p. 763. Edit. Par•.
Hudfon. . p. 1106. Edit. Am'ftel. 1~7.
(1) Strabo. Lib. 16. p. 761, (z) Jofepb. ~ncra A~.
Lib.
 Di.fert11tion1. fkz 1/Je·Pa:or-H1-c1~·s.. it.S
...,bufd ·onJy:rcfer the reader to· two:icarn"ed and .- ...
iltgenious traveler&· of our· own. ~ation, Mr.
-Maoodrell and -Dr. Sflaw; ·and he w111 fuHr bC
:fllisfied of the troth of what is here a:ffcned; : ·
• The . ( 4) former fays, ·.that ' H an 3100 g this
•• day's travel (Mar~ 2 s.) from Kane 'Leban· t~
" Beer; and alfo · as far as we could k'
M tOUhd, the CoUOtry difCQVCred a' quite different .
•• face from what it had before ; prefenting no~
•• thing to the view in moft places, but naked
'' rocks, mountains, and precipices". At fight
" of which, pilgrims arc apt to be inuch
" iftonillicd and baulked in their· ·e~pect:idons;
~' ·finding that country in fuch: an inhofpitabl~
,.,. c<JDdition, concerning whofc pleafantnefs an~
cc plenty they had· before formed in th~ir mind:~
c' fuch high Ideas from the defcription given of
is it, in the word of God : infomuch that it
cc almofr ftart1es: their faith when they reflet}
•' how it could be poffible for a land like this>
" to fopply food for fo prodigious a number of
" inhabitants, as arc faid to have been polled iµ
'' the twelve tribes at one time ; the fum ·given
Jn

Lib. 1. Sea. 22. -'"" •rtl'IK 11nt fruges noftrum ad morem,

_. ··~·~ x~-opti­ pntterq uc eu, balfamuJD &
• i et f~raciftimi foli.-p. palmz.
I 341. ·Eclit. liudfon. · (4) MaundrclJ, p. 6+ &c.
. (J) TICiri Hill:. Lib. S· rari sth. Ur.
iabrcs, abcr folum. £,¥ubc-
V OL. 1. · Q.,. (S} Shaw'•
·,16 DVfn-1111ims on .1/Je PaoP.HICiE:S.
• in by Joab a Sam. XXIV, amounting to ·.no
·~ lau than thirteen hundred thoufatid 6gUio&
" men, betides women and children. _But it
" it certain· that any man, who is not a liale
•• biafi"ed te infidelity before, may fee, ~ be
" patfea along, arguments enough to fupport
" his _faith againft fuch fcruples. For it- ii
'' obvious for any one to obfcrvc, chat thcfc rocb
·~ and hills muft have been anciently corcced
cc with ~art~,_ and cultivated, and made to
" -eontributc. to . the
~ - maintenance
. of the inhabi-
·~ ta~ts, ~o lcf~ :;than ifthe· country h~ beca...aU.
·~ _pl~n: nay_-perbap1 mut:ll.morc J forafmm::h
"-~ fuch a._mountainous· aod uneven furfacc
·~- .aff9rds a-:larger fpacc of sroo.nd for cultivarlon,
·~· &ban this country would.amount to, if it were
·~ .~l redbced to ~ perfeft level. · For the h'1f~
·~ }>anding ~f thcfc mountains, their manner
''., \y3S ~ gat~ up the ftoncs, and ·place tbtm.
n·.jn fcveral lin~, along the 6de1 of- the JUlls_
cc. in form of a ~all. By fuch borders they
" fupportcd the mold from tumbling or being
·~ wa1hed down 1 and formed many beds of
''. excellent foil, rifing gradually one aboTe
"~·another, from the bottom to the top of the
" mountains. Of this form of culture you fee
"· evident footfteps, wherever you go in all the
·~ mountains of Palcfiioe. · Thu$ the very rocks
WC"C
r
Difo11J1i1Jt11· rin i/Je·Pa:mtH-2·e·1_n. jtf
*' werc made fruitful. "And ·perlieps there if
" JIU' of
fpot ground· in this -Who~c. la_rid, .-.~at
'f, 1llU noc fortnerly improvdd"; to the produc• ·
'' tion_.of i>mething ot other, miniftring·to thd'
" fuftcnance of human life. · -Pot than t1it
cc •. pkin countries nothing can be more hitfol~ ·
cc whel!ber for the produBion of mrri en. cattle,
~ and COSlf"f'Kntly of milk. The hiJls, though
sc improper for all cattle except goctts, yet being
"'. difpofed into Cuch beds as are before de•
ci faibcd, fented very· well to bear corn, melons;
er goanls, cucu1nber1• and "Mlcb like garden
•• .iUft', which mlkta the principal food oi
,, mcie countries fGr fevcral months in the year.
" The moft. rocky parta of all; which could
u llOt well be adjaftcd in that manner for the·
" produaion of ant might yet ferv~ for th•
" plantation of Yiaa lOd olive trees; which
" delight to acratt, the one its f.atnefS, th~·
" adacr its fprigbt1y juice,· chiefiy out of fuch
''.dry and flinty places. And th• great- plaid
'' joining to the dead fea, which by·rcaim o(
•c ita flltncfs might be thought unfcrvi~bld
•c bath for cattle, mrn, oliYce and l'incs, had
cc yet ill proper ufefulneft for the nooriihl'IJellt
'' of bees, ud for tile ftbri~ of hoftey ; c(
1 • which Jofephus gives us bit tcftimony, Dai

11 .U.U. Jud. Lib. 5, Cap. 4• And I have reafoo

Q....• ... to

•
22 8 Dif!ertations on the Pao PH E ci E9•.
" to believe· it, becaufe when I was there, I
'' perceived in many places a fmell of honey
ts and wax, as llrong as if one had been in· an
" apiary. Why then might not this country
" very well maintain the va1l number of its
" inhabitants, being in every part fo produc-
!' tive of either milk, corn, wine, oil, or honey.
•• which are the principal food of thefe caftern
" nations ? the cooftitution of their bodies, and
cc the nature of their clime, inclining them to

~· a more abfiemious d_ict tban we µfe in England~

" and other colder regions:·
The (5) other aff'erts, that .c the Holy Land.
,, were ir at well peopled and cultivated, as in
'' former ·time, would frill be more fruitful
" than the very heft part of the coafi: of Syria
" 1md Phrenice. Fur the foil itfclf is generally
cc much richer, and all things confidered, yields
" a more preferable crop. Thus the cotton
' 1 that is . gathered in the · plains of Ramah.
" Efdraelon and Zabulan, is· in greater eftccm.
" than what is cultivated near Sidon and
" Tri poly; neither is· it·pofliblc for pultC, wheat
cc or any fort of grain, to be mon: excellent
" than what is commonly fold at Jc:rafalcm.
" The barrennefs ·or fcarcity. rather, which
, "fomc

{6) Aa

•
 D!ffertations on the P .R o P H E c 1 1 '!t - ..
229
·" fume authors :may either ignorandy or rriali~
'·' ciouily complain of, docs not proceed· from
~' the incapacity or natural unfruitfulnefs of the
u. countryJ but from the want of inhabitantsJ
~~ 3:,Dd the great Herfion there is to Jabor and
~' ind~.flry in thofe .few who pofiefs it. There
c~ .arc befides fuch perpetual difcords. and de:..
'-' predations among the. petty princes, : who
" fuare_ this fine country, that ·aJlowi11g it was
'.' better peopled, yet there would be fmall·en-
" couragcment to fow, when it was uncertain,
'·' who iliould gather in the harveft. Other-
'·' wi{c the land is a good land. and fiill capable
'' of .affording its neighbours the like fuppli~s
" of corn imd oil, which it is known to have
11 done in the time of Solomon. The parts
" particularly about Jerufalem, being defcribed
c~ 10 be rocky and mountainous, have been
" .therefore fuppofed to be barren and unfruit·
,, fui. Yet gr.anting this conclufion, which is
" far from being juft, a kingdom i& n.ot to be
~' denominated barren or unfruitful from one
" part of i~ only, but from the whole. Nay
~ farthcr111 the bldling that was given to Judah,
" was not of the fame kind with the _bleffing of
'~··Allier or of ItTachar, that his bread jhould 6e
cc fat, or his land jlx;u/J be plea.font, but that
'' bis eyes jhould /Je red with wi11e1 and his teeth
Q._ 3. cc jhouJJ

•
s3a Di/v.talions ffJ t},, P-1t.0P·HECJ !·S:;. .
-'.:fbc/J /JI .Vlbi11 witll 111ille, Gen. XLIX. I~.
". ~fes alfo makcth milk and honey (t~· chief.
'! Aaiotios an4 fubfiftcnce of the earlier ag<!s,
•' :a1 they continue to be of the Bodawftn~
cc Arabs) co be ( 6) tbt gltwy o/ all lanJI : ~·all
u which produaiom arc either attaally eajo~;.
" :or •' l~aft might be, by proper cattc att4·
'' application. The -plenty of wine alone -is
., wanting at prefent ;. yet from the goodaftfs ·
H. of that little, wbic;h is ftill made ar jerufa.;

•• lcm and Hebron, •c find that th~fe baMn

" rocks (as thc;y are ~led) might yield a mud\
"· · greater qu•ntity, ·if the ·abfiemious Turk an~
" ·Arab wofll4 petmic a fortltt-r iricmde aud
0 : improveancm.10 be made ·of the vine. &'£,~ ·

IV. Nothing can be a ftronger er dceret··

proof i:>f. the ..di fine: infpiration of the prophets.
than their fo~Uing not·. only tho outward ac. ·
tions,: but tven~tbc ·inward difpofitions of men, ·
many ag~ . 1*iore thofe men ·were in being.
The .prophets were naturally prejudiced in fawar·
of their O\'ID nation ; but yet they form:( the
infidelity and reprobation of the Jews, their
di1belic:f of the Mcffiah, and thereupon their·
rcjea-i~ ht GoQ. · W c will not· ~ultiply qu~ ·
cations
 Di.ffen111#tts t>il IAe P.a op H z.-c i ! ·~ · ~·
tat¥>n4' to· um .plfl'PC*.. It~ will-_ be fWficient\to·
produce one m tWo pdil~ from the~.;.·
c.al -propbr.t If~.· The 53d chapw- ia a:D.:lbff'
~ .. prophecy. ef the Mdiiab1 .ad~~ hepii'
w,itb t\pbiaiding t8e. Je:ws fQF dteitt unbelief,·
'11(1. *"'1 klitrrW "'!'N/ort1 dllf/_b whfllfls tht'
~ofJ/Jt. JM-J rru1oktif which,St. John .(XU;·
3i·l•d St. Paul (R..IQ. X. 16.) have·~Y:
llfJ•litd to tbc Qnbclieving Je~.of. their ttme~ ·
The prophet affigne the rcafun i.o. why th~y
.-ld not·rccciYC the·MeBiah, nam~ becmfe·
oi. Ju. low and aillictcd c;cndi~o.11: .and it~is'
~ well known tha~ they r~cd him ori
dU. account, having all aloog· "expe&xi mm··to
come aa a temporal prim:c and· deliverer in .
gl'CU power and. glory. ·
The prophet had before beea commiBiancd ·
to decla.rc unto the people chc jlldpieJlfi of God:
for their infidelity and diilbeclienc:e, (VI. 9 kc.}
""1IJ lie foitl, Go 1e 1111J ttll t/Jis ~. (tbir
l#Jlt• not 111J JllPk) Ht11,. ~ U.t/ltJ, Ind 11""1r-:
jl.,,J lllt ; liNJ fie ' ' iade1J, 6111 pwceiw 11ot.:
~ the /Je(zrt of tlm pttpl~/111, "1111. lll4l1 tki,
~s ·kfWJ, IRllifoul t/Jtir eps i le.ft tbty .foe witb
t/Jtir tftl-. m,(i /Je41' wil/J t/Jeir NTS, tlllJ •r-•
jimul
•. '
J'/1111J,; bani.. t..J. whicla. t.e rather calla I/fl ,i., -f ,,/l
did abo1,1ad whh .;/I lllJ /mrl),la•,
Q..4 (•) P.·
~32- . DijfertJJJi911s °" the PR o Pa a-c tit£
· JhvzJ.:uiit~ their: heart, and.coll'Otu, 8"' lie /MtJtJ.:
In the ftilQ of fcripture the.prophets arc~ tw·
~~hat.they declare wilf /Je done: and in .Jike.-
mann~r Jeremiah is faid (I. 10.) to bcfatftll:
the patiof!S, and over tlJe !Uagdottu., to rollt -tllll., ·
artd to pull down, and ~o de.ftroy; 111111. to·timRll
Jo.wn, to build anti to plant; becau{e he· w8$·
authorifed to make known the purpctfel and
decrees of God, and becaufe thefe eveats woUld
f9llow in copfequence. of his prophecies •. Mill•
the heart '!f tf.i's peoplejat, is.therek>te.aa m&Jdl.
as to fay, Denounce my judgments 14j>on t~ p.plt,,
that their heart foal/ ~~fat, 4nd their ears be~,­
~nd their qes fo.ut_; !efi they fie .-with their qu,
a_nd hear witb. theft" e.~r:s,. and wulerjlmltl Will· ·
· their heart, and convert, .and oe. heailt/:. . ~his
prophecy might . ~eia.te. in fome meafure to the
ftate of the Jews before the Babylonifu capti-·
vit}'; but it did not receive its full completion
till the days ~four Saviour: and in this feufe it.
is underftood and applic:d by the writers of the
New Teftament, ~nd by our Saviour himfdf.
The prophet is then info_nned, that this infide-
lity and obilinacy of his countrymen ihould be
of long duration. 9:/Jen faUJ I, Lord, /JoVJ long 1
4e
.Anti ~e anfwered, Until the cities wajk4 'llJitll.
out inhabitant, and the ho".fos •unihout 111411,.""'
the laflll 6~ f!tltrlJ tlrfolate,, ,And the Lord 'haw
rt-
 Dij1nations on the.PitoP'.ff E.ct1s. lj.j
r~ mm ·far away, t111tl thwe /Jt 11-grtat
fe.JMing in tht mit!fl of the land. · Here is· ~
ttn41Qrkable gradation in the denouncing of thefc
judgtn~nts. Not only Jcrufalem and tlH citiu
~IN ""'Jld witllout inhabitants, but even the
fM!1¢·•fls· fhould· be wit'hfJut man : and not"
<>nly: the hou.ft.r of the cities fhould be without
"""'' but eYen the country iliould 6t utterlf
Jlli*t• ; and not only the people lhould be
mneved eut of the land, but the Lord 1hould
~e thmtfar awt1.y ; and they· fhould not be
remm-ed ·for a lhort period, ~tit there fu.ould be
a great or rather a long fa!folling i'n the .midjl if
t/N /atl~ And hath not the world feen all thefe
particulars. exattly fulfilled ? Have not the Jews
labored under a fpiritual blindnefs ·and infatua-
Jion in /Jetuing /Jut not underjlanding, in fating·
Ind 11Dt ptrcmnng the Mefiiah, after the accom-
plilhment of fo many prophecies, after the per-
formance of fo many miracles ? And in confe-
quicnce of their refuting to convert and 6e healed,
have not thtir cities hem wajled wzihout inha6i-
tmd, anti their hoz!lt.r without man? Hath not
their ltmt/ km utterly defolate? Have they not
~n rnllll'IJedjar avJlly into the motl: difi:ant
parts of the earth l And hath not their remo-
•al or banifumcnt been now of near I 700 years
clt1ration? And do they not ftill continue deaf'
ancl
13+ DUfer~~il! "' ,f/Je P~of:H1~fas~
~d .bijnd, obftinatc. and. tmbel.ie9Uig 1 .The
Jews, at the ~ of.·.~ ~V4l'Y pf thit pro.-
phecy~ gloric:~ 4i ~g th.c.peculi_ar clqtrch·and
pC:oplc of God~- and would any Jew of hi.cdf.
have thought. or have.faid, ·that hie- nat.ien
would in procefs of time become an inidc.1 and.
reprobate nation, infidel and reprobate for imDJ
ages, opprefi"cd by men, and for!akcn by God i
It was above 7 50 years before Chrifta that
Ifaiah preditl:ed thcfe things; and how could
he have predifud them, unlefs he Jud been
illuminated by the divine viion J or how couW
they ha\Ce fucceeded accordingly. ualefs tllo
fpirit of prophecy had been the {pirit of God l
V. Of the Wile nature are the prophDcia
concerning the calling ancl obedience of the
Gentiles. How could fuch an event be fott-.
feen hundreds of years before it happmcdl bat
the prophets arc full of the glorious fubjea; and
fpeak with delight and raptui:~ of the DDivcrEd
kingdom of the Meffiah ; that GoJ vxndJ Pw·
unto him the heathen far his inhuitt111a, lllUI t&
utiermofl parts of the earth ·for his po.if!flon ;·
(Pfal. II. 8.) .that aU the ~Js of t/M 'llXJTIJj1xJulJ
remember and turn unto the Lord, 111111 al/ tie
i:!i.. ;··· ·dt j' the nations jhoMIJ worjhij kfor.~ ';,,,.;
: i'fti ~\.XII. 27.) that i11 the lajl days the 1111J1111-
.·..::: qf tL:c: hozt!e ef the Lord jhould /Je efia/Jlifht.d
,,,
 . DijfeHolim1 1111 ti.. P:wop R 1c11 •. ~ 3S
;,, t'I¥ to} ef tht #IOl#t,ttl#u, aJ hid k txaltNI
"'"1f lbt hi&, and .018/k fhou/JJaw rmt• it;·
~· IV. 1,) which pa&~ is aliO to be
din lfaiah; (II. 2.) tbatfamr t& ri.fing ef .
t6t. jiol nn "111• the~ thrmt ef tl.Jef a111e, 1117
1llllM 'f*UJ '1e ·great ll1lllJ1ll th' Gmtiks, aizJ i11·
ewnty-ti«e incmfa jbttll k '!/fereJ tm/fJ my 1U11M,
IUlll-4- pare offering J fr 111.f NnM fh11U /Je grea
altlsng t/M &ttthen,fait/J·tht Lord of hojls. (Mal.
I• -11-.} ·Bot the prophet:Ifaiah is more copious
upoa'.thi& as-:well as other evangelical fubjc&:
aMl. ·his 49th and 6otb chapters treat particu-
larly caf * glory of the church in the abun-
dane· ucefs .of the Gentiles: It is 11 Jight·thing
tlMlt-"'- j/lrnlUJI '1t lllJ f""11l111 to raift sp ihe
trilMI ~ ~, Md to rejlwt the priferveJ '!f
Ijhtll :- I .;JI 1J!fo giw thet ft1r a light to 1•
Gmtik1, t/,at thou lltllJe.fl be my fahiatirm IDlffJ
t&mJofthttarth. (:X:LIX. 6.) .Anfi,fbine,for
t":J light u camt, (1111/ tlM glory of the Lord is
rifm upon thtt. 'Ihe Gmtiks fo411 comt to th7
/ig/Jt, and lings to tht /Jrightn¢of thy rifoig. 'I/JI
alnm~t '!f tht jia jhaU k cfJll'Vtrtetl 1111to thtt,
theforces of the Gmtiks jball &DIM unto t/Jle, &c.
(LX. 1, 3, s &c.)
Ii· is ~ abfurd as it is vain in the Jews to
apply thefe prophecies to the profelytes whom
thc:y have gained ainong the nations; for the
Jl_wnber
 '
Dijfert41iolU Oil tbe P1tOP·HI: Cf E.&.
numbef <>f~crir p.rofel,_ WaJ'Vcry incron64cr-
able, and n®ling to an(wer thefc pompou5
defcriptions • ." Neither was their rcliwon- ewec
dcfigned by its founder for an 1_1niverfal religion.
their wodhip and fa,rificcs being confined to
one certain . place, whither all the ~ales .were
obliged 'to repair thrice every year ; fo 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 reli-
gion, which was defigned for all nations, to he
preached in all, and to be received in ~ : hut
what profpctt or probability was there, dµt
{uch a generous inftitution iliould proceed from
fuch a narrow-minded people a~ the Jews, or
that the Gentiles who hated and defpifed them
1hould ever receive a religion from them? Was
it not much more likely, that they fuauld be
co~ptcd by the example of all the ~atious
al'ound them, and be induced to comply with
the polytheifin and idolatry of fome oi their
powerful neighbours and conquerors, to which
they were but too much inclined of themfelvcs;
was not this, I fay,, much more likely than that
they iliould be the happy_ inftruments of re-
forming the world, and converting fome of all
nations ~o the w.or1hip of the on~ only God in
fpirit and in truth ?
·But
•
 Di.firlaliMls . on· ·the· P l_o f. H E:c llt t. a 37
· ··But the prophet farther intimates; that· this
great reyolution, "the greatcft· that ever was in
the religious world, thould be effeB:ed by a
few incompetent perfons, and eff'etted too in a
ihort compafs of time. A little one ]hall /Jecome
a thouft111d, and a /mall one a }lrong nation :·rr
'the Lord will hajfen it in his time. (LX. 2·~~)
Our Saviour's commiffion. to his_ apofi:les :was
'Go, teach all nations: and who ·were the ·per-
-Cons to whom this commiffion · was given ?
thofe who were heft ·qualified and able to carry
it into -execution ? the rich, the wife, the
mighty of this world?' No; they Were chiefly
2 few· poor filhernien; of low parentage and
education, of no learnirig or eloquence, of no
policy or addrefs, of no repute or authority,
defpifed as Jews by the reft of mankind, and
as the meaneft and worfi: ·of Jews by the Jews
_themfelvcs. And what improper perfon~ were
·thefe' to contend with the prejudices of all the
world, the fuperftitions of the people, the in-
terefts of the priefts, the vanity of philofophers,
the pride of rulers, the malice of the Jews, the
learning of Greece, an~ the power of Rome ?
As this revolution was effetted by a ·few
incompetent perfons, fo was it effed:ed too in a
fuort' compafs of time. After our Saviour's
aicenfion the numhr of the dffciples together was
3 about.
•38 Di.fw1~ tl1I t.k. PaoPttacJts.
oioMt a lnuulr1J and ~r (A& I. 15.). hoc
they foon increafed and multiplied ; the. Rnl
fcrmon of St. Peter added unao them d6tnd
three t/Jou/llllll /011ls, (II. 41.) and the Cccmd
made up the number alxmt jivt tlNJ1!f1111il. (IV. _
4.) Before the dcftruai.on of Jcrufalcm, in
the fpace of about forty years, the ppel WM
preached in almoft every region of the worW
then known : And in the reign of Coidbmtine.
Chriftianity became the religion of the· empire; ·
and after having fuft"crcd a little under Julian,.
it entirely prevailed and triumphcdcwei: paganifia
and idolatry; and ftill prevails -~ the mo&
civilized and improved parta of the earth.·· AU·
this was more than man could furdee, · and.
much more than man could execute : and wa
experience the good eif'ed:s of thcfc pr0phccioa
at this day. The fpeedy propagation of. the
gofpel could not have been cHCc.t.cd by perfoaa
{o unequal to the talk, if the fame divine Spirit
who foretold it, had not likewife affifted ·them .
in it, according to the promife, I the Lord viii
/Ja.ften it in his time. W c may be as ~ertain •
if we had feen it, that the truth really was, as
the evangelift affirms, (Mar. XVI. 20.) '[°~
went forth and preached roery where, the Loni
'llJOrRmg with t/Jem, aKd &Olffirming the worJ 'lllitll
jigns falhwing. .
. Bdt
 Difl"'"'ti"'' on 11.te Pll o.. n'l·c r 1 s. 13 9
But neither the prophecies concerning the
Oeotiles, nor thofe concerning die Jews, have
ya received their full and entire completion.
Our. Saviour hath not yet had t/1' uttN"mojl part1
g tlM tart/J for bis l'!ffefjion: (Pfat II. 8.) .All
tlN mJs ef tht flJtJ'/'ld have not yet turned unto the
Larti: (DOI. 27.) .Allptople, notions, anJ kzn-
fl'll6t1• have not yetferu1d/Jim: (Dan. VII. 14.)
Tbefe things have hitherto been only partially,
but they will even lit,terally be·. fulfilled.
Neither are the Jews yet made on eternal excel-
U.,, a~ ef--,gmwllliom. (If. LX. 15.) The
.time is not yet come, whcri 'lliolence fhall no
,.,.t k. DttJTJ in tie lmui, wafii11g Je/lru8ion
1lPr
Wlillmt tkir "'1rtlws. (vee.. 18.) God's promifes'.
to them are not yet made good in their full .
extent, Beholtl, l 1i1ill tallt' tht c/Jildrm of I.frat/
fiTlln mno11g tbe heathen, whither· they /Je gone,
ll1UI 1lli/I gather than on rony fak, 1111d 6ring
than into their 0'11111 lmtd. A•d they jhaO dweU in
tbt kmJ ~hat I htl'Vt given untfJ jaco/J my ferualll,
t'Vtn thty and their children, and their chi/Jrenr
c/HJdrm for t'Vtr, and 11ZJ fuvant DIJ'Vid .foall
ht thnr prince for t'Ver. (Ezek. XXXVII. 21,
a5.) 'l'hmjhaU the] /mow that I am the Lortl
their o.J, wl» cnfld them to 6t led into captiuity
"1111111 t/Jt &111/Jen ; blJ/ I Dtl'Vt glllhntd tht1" unto
thtir """" lam/, 111111 IHrvt left no11t ef tht• any_
4 111Drt

i
.2+0 DifferttJtitJ11S on the PaoP.KEc11t_~·
111Dre there. Naithtr 'WiO I hitk my face any 1llllT'I
f~ tbnn, for I haw pourtd Dllt 111J fpirit 1lf'01I
the houft '!f Jfrael, fait~ the LortJ God. {XXXIX.
28, 29.) However what hath already been
accomplllhed is a f ufficient pledge and atrncft
of what is yet to c~me: agd we have all· imagia-
able ·reafon to believe, fince fo many of thcfc
prophecies are fulfilled, that. the remaining
prophecies will be fulfilled alfO J that there will
be yet a greater ~arveft of the nations, and the
yet unconverted parts of the earth will. be in-
lightencd with the knowledge. of the Lord ; that
the Jews will in God's good time· .be converted
to Chriftianity, and upon· their conv~fion be
reftored to their native city and country; and
efpecially fince the li:ate of affairs is fuch, that
they may return without much difficulty, hav..
iog no dominion, no fettled country,· or fixed
property to detain them much any where. We
have ·feen the prophecy of Hofea (111. 4, 5.)
fulfilled in part, and why lhould we not bdieve
· that it will be fulfilled in the whole ? 'I'be dJi/_
Jrm of lfrael foal/ a/Jide many Jays 'Without a
king, and 'Without a prince, and without a facri-
jice, lltld 'Without an if!llJge or altar,. IZIU/ without
ll1I epboJ or prieft ·to wear an ephod, anti 'lllitb-
nt terapbim or divine manifeftations. 4fter-
marJ jhall tbt 'hi/Jrm of lfrael return, anti Jui
. ti¥
 Differtalio'hs ·on .tbe PitoPHl.CIEs. 2+r·
tit Lorri their God, 1111tl_Dll'Uid thnr ./Ung, tmd
JIMU fiar t!N LorJ 11nd bis gGOJnrfi in tht lattn-
'4]1. .
W c have now exhibited a fummary view 'of
the propheciei of the Old ·Tcftament more im•
mediately relative to the prefcnt fiate and con-
dition of the Jews : and what firongcr and more
convincing arguments can you requ.ire of tho
uuth both of the Jewifu and of the Chr..iftian
religion ? The Jews were once 'the peculiar
people of God : and as St. Paul faith, (Rom.
XI. r.) Hath God _cajl 4'WllJ bis people ? God
.for/JiJ. We fee that after fo many ag~ t,bey
are ftill prcferved by a miracle of p~videncc a
diftina people ,; and why is fuch a continual
miracle exerted, but for the greater illuftration
of the divine truth, and the better accomplHh-
mcnt of the divine promifes, a& well thofe which
are yet to be, as thofe which are already fuJ ..
tilled? We fee that the great empires, which
in their turns fubdued and opprefi'ed the people
ef God, are all come to ruin ; bCcaufe tho•
they executed the purpo(es of God, yet that
was more than they underftood ; all that they
intended was to fatia~e their own _pride and
ambition, their own cruelty and revenge. And
if fuch hath· been the fatal end of the ~nemics
.and opprdfors of the Jews, let it ferve as a
VQL. I. R warning
242 ' !)ij{srlf,J/ions- ~~n ~(ps P*'oP~~Crl(•.·
w.arhing ·to· all thofe, whe. at any time· or llpM
any occafion are for rai~ng. a clamor and per._
fecution againft them. They are blameabl• tlQ ·
doubt for perfifting in t'keir infidelity after fo·
mapy mea~s o.f convitlion; but that is no·Wll'• ·
rant or authority for us to profcribc, to abufe,
injure, and opprefs them, as ChriA:ians of more
ze.al than either .knowlege or charity have iu
all ages been too apt to do. Charity is grtater
rba11 faith : and it is worfe in us to be cruel·
;md uncharitable, than it is in them to be ~
ftinatc and unbelieving. Perfecution is the fpirit
of \'<>pery,. and in the worft of .popilb countries
~ Jews are the moft cruelly ufcd and pene-
Cllted : the fpirit of prateft:antifm is toleration
and indulgence to weaker confcicnccs. Com-
paffion to this unb~ppy people is not to defcat
the ·prophecies ; for only ·wicked nations were
to har~afs an~· opprefs them, the good were to
Oiow mercy to them ; and we iliould choofe
rather to be the difpenfcrs of God's mercies than
the executioners of his judgments. R~ad 'the
eleventh chapter of the Epiftle to the Romans;
and fee what the great apoftle of the Gentiles,
who certainly underftood the prophecies better
than any of ·us can pretend to do, faith of the·
infidelity of the Jews. Some of the Gentiles
of his time valued thernfcl\res upon tbeir fupc-
2 rior
 .Difet~'ifl!l!: on ·tk J>~0Ra.Ec1!~. 243
n. ,,.q~s, 4nd he repr.ovcs them fo~ it,
:~~t- thay ~ho were tfll fJ!ll of ~he o!ive-tr~e 'IJ!hi&p
u..;JJ .., T/(Jtltlf'f, """ 'Wtr• grllffid_ c~~r~ ~o .
fltlhm .;"'' " gw/ oiiw-trff, ~ prc.fu~e .tp
c""'A ·llgfli'!) tbt (l(Jt'lral flrf!flcl.w : { ver. ~~ I ~ .)
Put wh;it wpµl~ h~ hav(! f~id, how woajd .l\c
:ha.ve .fiamcd .nc;l lightenc;d, if. ~'\Y hag made
1eljgj.Qp an infu-qlllCnt of f ad~on, and ~ be~jl
lor 1lirriog up a. perfccutiQn agaipft µi~ ,
We: (bopld confider, .th;1.t to them we O\'Vf: Jbp
ara:les ·of God, tht: U:riptures of the New T cf
tament as well as the Old ; . we fhould conµ~
, that the glorious comjJdny tf the 11fXJ/Jlts as well ~
lht gaad/7 jeHO'Wjhzp. ~f tbt pr.opbfts were Jews; w¢
'1x>µld. confider, that ef tbem qs ffJncer(ling the
/efo .ClvijJ c11111e, the Savioqr Qf ~he. w.orld: iµd
fqrely fomcthing of kipdpc~ and .1ra:tiwde -~
1
~ for fuc;h iidioitc opligatiol)s. T.ho' .µi~
arc JlO\V .brokeQ. Pi,, yet they are not ~ttcrly
cal ,away. Bee. ef 11n/Jeliif, as St. Paul
trg'Jl;s, ( v~r. 20.) tbty were brohn off. Of!d th~lf
J,,,Je}J 6J faith; Be 1lfJf .hig~-minJed~ hut fear~
Th~re will be a time, .when they will qc gr~f­
fcd in again. aQd again become the people .of
God; ,for as. the apoftle proceeds, .(vcr. 25, 26.)
I 'UfOll/J 1lft 6rethrtn tbat JI foou/d be ignorant if
t/,;s. l/IJ.JlerJ. {lt/J ye jhou/J he wife in your own con:.
'tits) tbtd 6/indndi in part is happened to !Jrae/,
R .z untz1
·.. 24+ ·Dij[ertlltions 'On t/Je Pa·oP.·HBCI.£].
'flnti/ tbt fulnefi·tf tbe Gmti/n.'1t ~ i11J .tml/.jl
"aU l:fr11d foal/ k Jawtl, . And wbidJ (daink.,ye)
js the moft likely method to contribute to .fob~
couerfioo, which are the · m.eft n~ "1CaD8
of ~~nciling._ them to us. and .our- telia~,
prayer, argument, long-fdcring, ~,
goodne(s; or noifc and inveaive, Injury and
outrage, the malice of fome, and the folly and
madnefs of more ?' They cann~ be worfe than
when they cruc~fied the Son of God, and pet•
{ecuted his apaales : but what faith our Savi-
our? (Luke XXIII. 34.) Fatbtr, foriiw that,
far they lmuw not what t/Ny Jo: what faith his
apoftle St. Paul ? (Rom. x~ I.) B!Ytbrnr, ,,,.,
htart's de.fire am/ prayer to ODJ fw Jffatl is, th«
. they might !J, {ll'lltd. .In conformity to thc{e
blefied examples_ our church hath alfo taught
us to pray for them : and. hew can prayer and
perfecution confift and agree together ? They
arc only pretended friends to the church, but
real enemies to religion, who encourage pcrfc-
cution of any kind. All true fons of the church,
a.ll true proteftants, all true chriftians will, as
the apoftlc advifeth, (Eph. IV. 31.) put llVJllJ
all hitternefi, and wrath, anJ anger, a11J c/a111t1r,
a11J t'Vil jpeoking, 'With 11// ma/ict; and will join
heart and voice in that excellent collect-How
mercy upon all Jews, 2"'urks, infakls, anti hn-ttia,
"'"' \
 D!/.farllltifJlls on the PlttoP HE ~IE's.. 245:
.1tt1--111u fr- thm all ignortnitt,, hardnefs of
hmrt, ll1ld alltmzpt ef tll] wml: 4tld fo fetch
t&fn home, -bk.ffed LorJ, to th] flock; that ·the]
11111'1 & fneJ t1111ong tk re111nant of tht true Ifiw-
litts,, 1111tl k 11Hlde ont /old untkr ~ Jmpbird,
7tfm cmjl our Lord.

. ... : ..

•'

~I , (' •

R 3 IX '!'ht
 .
Differtatfrmt· 1m the PR"oi' iii c·r~;~1
\ ' :' \ ~ . ' . .. ~ \ .. ' . ~ . ; ..

- .. \ ' \ .
.- ... . - .
.
.'... .. . .IX.
..' \
.' •, I
.·
The prophecies concerning N 1·~ E 'v: n '!!~ ·

A S the Jews were the peculiar people of

God, the prophets were fcnt to them
chiefly, and the main fubjefis of the proplaccia
are the various changes and revolutions in tile
Jewifu church and ftate. But the fpirit of pro-
phecy is not, limite<!. there ,; ~ther f~~jetls arc
occafionally h1tradU'ced s and · for th'c greater
manifeftation of die ·divine prqvidcn'Cc, the fate
of other nations. $ a1fo foretold : .and efpacially
of thofe nations, \~~h lay i11 the neighbour-
hood of Judea, and had intercourfc and con-
nexions with the Jews ; and whofc good or ill
fortune therefore was of fome concern and con-
fequence to the Jews themfclves. But ·hem it
is gr~atly to be lamented, that of thefc eaftern
nations and of thefe early times we have nry
fhort and imperfetl accounts; we .have no
regular hiftories, but only a few fragments of
hiftory, which have efcapcd the general thip-
wrack of time. If we poffdfed the Affyrian
hifl:ory written by Abydcnµs, and the Chaldzan
: by
 DJffer~IJli:Pnl · ~n t/,e P 1. <>IP H·E c ~ ! s. 24-j
by Bcrofus, ~ad ~h~- Egyptian by Manetho.;
we µiight in aU _pr&ba~ility be better enabled to
csplain the · prccifo ma.anieg, . and . to de_Q2on_-
ftrate th~ cxac.t coPlPJetion pf feveral ~n~ient
propheciCa : wt for wa_nt of f~ch helps and
affiftancea.w~.~uft ~ g~d of ll li~tle gli~mering
¥r. w:h~~c~·"'!C.-C~-fee it._ Yf c fee ~ll:o~g~
h~wevcr,. t_~o' __not to·_ di(c~ver t.he ..~a.ufY:. _aa.d
.aa~ft·. _Df. •,C'f~. parti~ular, yet _t~=-- iµakj \JS
."1~e. in. ·d» gep~~al .iliefc wonders- Qf prpyi-
cicne~, and to ilio\V that ·the condition 9f ·_~it~s
. a~d ~g_d0ms .hatp._ ~~n. fuch 1 as t~e p~9p~~~
had lor,s agq..foietold.- And we ~m )Jeg(ii..~ith
the inftance ef Niiieveh. · - ·· : ... ·- ·.
· Nineveh ~~s the ~ei;.qp"olis_ ~f ipc :~xri~n
empire, awl th~'"· Afi"ycians wen~· (riro;.i4ab~e
encmica to ~h~ ]:tiogdoms both of ffia~l- arid
Judah. In the.days of Menahe_m.king of Ifn~~l
Pul the king of Afl:vcia invaded the Ian~,- a~~
was boug~t off with a thoufand ·talents· o.f filver.
(2 Kings· XV. 19.) ·A few years afi~war~s .in ,,
t/¥ i:l9s of P.ekab liing' :ef. Ifra~J tti11Jt ~iglatfa­
piltfir ling of Aj/j:ia, ana took feveral _c'itiel,
tnUl.GileaJ, tJna Galilee, .all the land o/ Naphtali,
and UlN"itJ them ctJpti'Ve to Aj/jria.~ · {2 ·Kin~
XV. 29.) This f~e Tigla~h:-pilefer_ ~a~ ili-
•itcd by Abaz king ()f Judah to come and
affift him againft Rczin ~ing of· Syria,
R+ and
 .24-8 Dffr1nati'1M. tm· the· ·Pa<:>PH"Ee1.gi.
.and Fekah ·~king Of. lfrael :·· A.tuJ,~ Ioli 1«
fi/1;er and gold tbtJI 'tQasfmtJIJ.;f, 1/J6·1atji '!ft/Je
~Lord, and in t/Je tr.e4.Jilr11 of the iiltt•f' htNfr, ·aiatl
fent it far i1 'prefant to tht !ting 'If ..A/jritl.
'(2 Kings XVI .. 8.) The king of AB"yria-.camc
~ccordingly t<;> his affift.ance, · an4 ··routed· ·his
enemies : . but ftill, as . another'. 'faCfed. .writ«
faith~ dfflr~/Jed him, 1Z1Zd .ftrengtkneJ /Jim lllJt.
( 2 Chron. XXVIII. 20.) A little after· in the
Wiys .of ~!hea king of lfrael Shalmantfa' tJ~
. ~!ng of A.ffyria ·came up throughout all tN /4nl,
an~afte~ a .1iege of three years took Samaria. ad
·.carrieJ· !fraef.11Way into Ajjria. and placed thtin
in Ha/ah, ~llfJli i11 Hahor by .tbe river ef Goisait,
.· ~nd :in the ·citie-~ of· the Met/eJ. ( 2 Kings XVI~.
».
~ 6,) _It, w:as ~" the.fixth yetv. t!{ Hnrii4/i ting
;:of.Judah,. that -.Sl:la]nlanefer king of Myria
· carri~ Uhel a"yv~y captive; ~din thefaur;_t.irld/J
1~,.__ 'of. 'king Ht:zekia_h, Jzil_ Sen~heri/J hng ef
~Ajjria, ~oine 'fP agtfinJI pl/ t~ fia&ed_ cities. 'If
.:Jl"i4k, ~nd took ,them. (2 Kings XVIII. 10; !.J~)
Aud th~· If.mg of Affyria, exalted. of th~ k.iog of
·;Judih 1J>ree l>1'!1dred ialent.r ef".J/•1.:er, allli t/Jirl]
.
·.tak1't~: of gpld; fo tha.t ~~e;i ;o®" .king Heze-
~

kiah. ~a~ forced to groe_IJ1111. all the jih:er. tlJ4t

.wa1 found in the. hor!fa ef th~ Lor,d, an1{i11. the
·!rrefure~, of ihl !ling"{. ~'!ft·:· (ver.. 1 4~ .1 5:.) ~.:
'.nacherib notwi~h1tan~i~J fe~t his captaius 'fl!it/J

"
 .Di.f~lltidltl ·an ·.Ni, .P1r0Pncik\. 24t
•..,,W.""fl•gtli#} jtr#faftm (ver. 17:} but his
mtity wu. miraculoufly defeated, and he him-
*1£ Was aftentards llain at· Nineveh. (2 Kings
.lffX~- 35, 36, 37:) His foti Bfarhaddon com-
).1~tcd the·· deportation of the lfraelitos, an4 -.
>/Jrougjtmt11from J!a/Jylon, andfrom Cuthaf!, mJ
fiw!t-A-va, 11nd":fro111 Hamaih, andfrom Stphar-
1111itn; i:mtl-placd them in the citie.r ~f Samatia
-itijlaul '![the thiltfrm <!l Tfrael; mu/ they pojfij/ed
·&mraria, anJ iJwelt in the cities there'!f. ( 2 Kings
XVII. 24, Ezra IV. 2.) We fee then.that.the
·Myrians totally dcftroyed the kingdom ef
Jfrael, and greatly oppreifed the kingdom of
Judlh: ·and no wonder therefore that they~·
madi the fubjeft of feveral prophecies.
' ·-.The prophet Ifaiah denounccth the ·judg~
merits of God againft Sennacherib in partieular~
"and againft the Affyrians in general. 0 Ajfjria11
t_ht_ 'l'Ofi · ef 1lli1ll angtr, or rather. Woe to t/Jt
.Jlffpitm, tlH roief miM angtr. (X. 5.) God
ln_ight employ them aa the miniftcrs of liis
~. and executioners of his veugeance; :aJMl
!o make the wickcdncfs of fome nations the
llleaDli Qf corrca:ing that of others : I wiO ftnd
lNm agai"!IJ an hypocriti&al 1111tio11; and agllinjl t!J,
people g my 'Wrath wiU I gro~ him a clNtrge to
tlli~ tlwJp.ii, .,J to tak~ tht pr9, anti to ·trt4'1
IMn drum lilt t/lt mire in the jlreefs, (ver. 6.)
But
aso Dijfertations qnthe Pao P HE c 11 •· .
But it was far from ariy intent o( tbeii:s tq ex-
·ecute the divine will, -or to chaftife · the vices
of mankind ; they <?nly meant ~o extend theµ-
conquefts, and cftablilh their own . douµmtjn
upon the ruins of others : How/Jeit ht mtll1!,dI,,
notfa, neither doth his heart think fa, ht it is in
hi.r heart to dejlroy, '!n~ cut of nati.piu 1lOf ':'few.
(ver. 7 ~) Wherefore wheo t~ey lhall have ferv_~d
the purpofes of di_vine providence, they lb:all
be feverely.punllhed for~Cir pride and ambition,,
their tyranny a~d cruel~ to the~ neighbours:
Wherefore it fhllll come to pafi, that whm t/,e
Lord hath performed ols whole work apm lfloui.t
Zion, and on Jerufa/8111,; 1 •u1il/ pt1nijh the fruit
ef the flout heart of the king of 4/Jjria, and t/Jt
glory of his high looks. (ver. 12.) There was no
prorpca: of Cuch. an event, while the AHyrians '
wci:e ih the midft of theit fuccefi"es ~d triumph&:
but.frill the word of the proph~t ptcvailed; and
it was not long after thefe calamitiee brought
upoh the Jew•, of whieh we have given a fhert
dcduaion, that the Affyrian empire pmpedy
tO called was ovctthr6wn, and· N:incveh de-
llroycd.. ..
Nineveh; or Ninus_, . as it· w~s moft ufuaUy
~led by the Greeks and. Romans, was, .as. we
faid before, the· capital city· ()f the Affyriaa
anpitc; and the ~ai}tlal is frequently put for the
.. whole
 Dtlflitiitiohs o?i 1h~ Pit oi1 H k. ci E s.. ·_ 2st
•hofe etnpirc, the _prefpc~ity or fu~n of.the one
being litvolyed in that of tile other. . Tliis was
a· very ~ci~nt city, ~ei.ng built by Aslhur or
ratner ~y Nimrod ; · ·ror thofe words_ of Mofes
(Oen. X: 11;) w~h· our tran11at&rs together
of
with inCfil tfie anCien.t verlions render thus;
btti if i'l>at land went forth Asfow-, anti ~ui/Je4,
Nin~e~, lhould ralher be tr2nflated, as thrcl
{.I} Oiddee parapm-aa tranflates them, ahd as
~ a,r~ rendered in the inargin of o\11" bibles~
Vrn ii' !ha~ land h~ that ~s Nimmd, the perfon
}Pokeit _of ~m:e, 'wt~t fart1J iizi'!' .A.ffjria, anJ
~8- N'mtveh. It tS well known that tht
We>di: #r:.r "in HeTirew is the name of th~
~~tty ·as -.:en
~ ~he nmi~ ?~ t~e _man, an~
lli~ p~tron is ·Oftc~ oimtteil, fo that the
\¥onls fuAy teiy Well be tranihi ted he went fartlJ
Mio ;:4/fjna~ And Mofes i~ h-ere giv-irtg in
account of the fonA ~of Ham, and it would b~
roteigii h> hiS rubjeli: td ihtetmiX ·the fiery· of .
any 6f the fons of Shem, as Asiliur was. Mofes
afterwards recounts the fons of Shem, and
Adhm &ld>ng them :1 and 9e· w.suld hmlly
Vela~ ·bi~ ~ffioils, bcfOre he had men~ioncd his
nti9ity, or cwa his n~ conu-aty to the
(cries of the gc~ogy aad to d1e cider of the
.• ! . ·hiftdry_.
. (J) De "tcrra i!la igrellias CA iia All'yriam. ·on}[.
2 52 piffertations; on the-- P-rt o P ll ! c 1 E ~;
hiftory. W c inay infer therefore that Nimro.l
rather than Aslhur wa1 the firft founder of driS
city; ·or he mtift have been another Asfhur
who built it, and not Aslhur the fon of Sheth,
but the fon of Nimrod, or the ·fun of Hartt.
But by whomf'ocver it was built, ·it -_might
a{terward& be greatly inlarged and improved
by Ninus, and called after his name, wlioe~
~inus was, whether the fon of Nim~. or any
~:me elfe. .
,As it was · a very ancient, {o was it .likcwifc
·a very great city. In Jonah it is ftiled that great
city, (I. 2, III. 2,) 11n.exceeding great city. {ffi
3.) In the odginal it is ( 2) a city gnat to GoJ!
j.n· _the fame m~1mcr as Mofes is called by St.
Stephen, in ~e Aets of_the Apoftles (VII. 20,)
•s;uo> T~ ~·f~ fair to God, or · exceeding ·fair,
as our tranflators rightly render it; and fo t~~
mountains ofGod (Pfal. XX'.XVI. ~6,) arc exceCCI;_
ing high mountains, and the cellars . ef GitJ
. (Plat .:~~ .

:,. .· :
~~~~
.. ~
(2) Ctn'>M'I r.ml...,,, • - ..,. ·~ ftM, «*
Deo ~ civitu. I'• , _ _... ••- ...,..,,.. •..,
· wollf ~;, T" ~ Sepe. nn wwr -T• ....,. :rw ...,_
. . (3} _ft)lw . . . .~ "''"" . _ ~· - - ~ _ . . ,....,...
~!AW~. 8a multo major erat ,,,..,.,, inr- a..s.>>.,. ... ~
BoylO'Oc. Strabo. Lib. ·16. ,. •- ~···. uas. , ....
137· Eclir• .Parit. p.1071, Edit. ·moJitarhaac:aadsreflli....,_
Alililcl. 1707. . ut non modo omniWD tune ia
(4-) _..,...,. n>.luvn• orbctcrrarnaaaximacxial:l'Cf.
feel
 Dilfn-tatiORr 1n the. PRo~a:&:.C11·~ •>J
(Plal. L~ .. ~~rl ~e ac=qing ~11 ce~~s~ · It
wu therefore- /111 1xceedi11g,gr4•: dty; and ·the
(cripturc-:a~An~ -a confirmed·_ by the ~PDJ
of heathen authors.· Strabo (3) fays, that
Nineveh was mudi greater e":en than Bab7lon :
and (4) Diodorus SicuJus from Ctt:fias ~ffiflJ?~
tba_t ' its builder ~inus propofcd to build a city
c of fuch magnitude, that it iliould not only be
c the greatcft of the cities which were then ·in
c 811 the world, but that none of .thofe who
c lhould be born after that time attemptins the
c like fbould eafily exceed it;, and a little .after
be fubjoins, that ' no body afterwards built·
c (uch a city, either as to the greatnefs of 'the
• compaa, or as to the magnificence of the
-' walls.' It is added in Jonah (III. 3) that It
wu '"' txceeJing ,great ~ity of· ihree days journt;~,
that is of three days journey in circuit, as ·st.
~S) Jero~ and the beft commentators exp~>UI)~
it. Strabo, as it was obfcrvcd before> ha&h faid-
that

...
W etiam 11t bemo poft gmi- ta fait. Diod. Siculus. Lib. 2.
tonam tale quid agg~fl'aaipfum
6ci1e faperuet---r"1u-..•
"9f•. . . . i.t-ar- -
....... ,..,..a.c ft-~ ·-·
9tf' ... ""X-C ...,..,_,_...... A
atille . . - polmoc&am arb.
_,..-na fpu:io, taaraque
. . . . . . .-nta ulruc-
p. 6s. Edit. Steph. p. 91, 9z.
Edit. llbod. - . .
(s) Civitas magu, tt..tafiti
ambitus ; ut vix triwa di,:rum
poi"ct itinu~circaairi.Hieron.
Comment. ia locwn. p. 1~.
VoL 3. i.diL Bcnlldia•
(~_,.,
1$4- Diferltl!iOtJs (Jn ·l/J8 p,o, H~.c ut~~
that Nineveh. was much Jar~~ tba.n ~~ylo~ J
~nd • little afterwards he fay~, that (') ~ cir~
cui~ ~f Baby~on was 385 fur~: br.¢ (7)
Piodorus Siculµs affi:~ th~ the .w~oJc tj{cqic
()f ~iqeveh was 480 furlongs; w.bich ,(~) m~~
fomewhat more thap (lo miles, and !Jo ~
were three days journey, 20 ~ilcs a day .beiDg
the common comput~on for a f~t~~veJer.
It is fart~r fa.i.d jn Jonah (IV. J 1.) that in
Niocveh there were 1110re Jhan fu:fafW't tho1!forul
Jerfons vbo could not difcer11 h1IW«n tlMir righl
/JanJ, aRd their left bm,d, am/ a!fo. t/JU&D &attfe. I
diiQk it is (9) generally cal~ulated that .the young
children of any place are a fifth part of the in~
habitants; and if we admit of that ~ulation,
the whole number of inhabitants 'in Nineveh
amounted to above fix hundred thou~nd· :
which number will appear by no means in-
credible, if we confider the dimenfions 9f the
city as given by ( 1 ) Diodorus Siculus, that it
was
(6) :..or~ !Ulll).H I~ Tll '1'11~­ 2, l" 6;. Edit. Steph. p•. ~
'Tr'llCWl#r" •~• W'lrT.i r•- Edit. Rhodoman.
~.....muri ambitu CC(.XXCV (8J-NiAi circuitus ~
ftadiorum. Strabo. ibi~. J'· 738. fui.ffc CCCCLXXX. id.e.8:,mil-
Edit. PariJ. p. 1071. Edu. Am- liarium fcxa~iata' 41u;i: tridaa-
ile1. 1707. num iter fac1c11t, Ii lin..loru.
(7) Tll n,....e&rTtC frl(•(l.M dierum iter zftimc& vig.inti mil-
nr;;..&ane( •• rJ.aor Trr,.•-• liaribaa: quomodo d~ua
aa1 ~.t....ona. Ambitua totlll aon Jurifcunfulti fohua. fed ct
ladbs CCCCXXC conftat.Lib. Grccorum vetuftiffimi. Hero-
dotus .
 ])ifflf'ltlli<ms f!1' the P1t.9PHE~tx·•· IS§
:wp· in length J 50 furlongs, . in bre~d~ 90 .
furlongs, and in circuit -1:~ fulllongs,· tbat is 20
.mies long, about 1 2 mile~ brcSad, anc! abo:v~
60 miles in compafs. · A city of {uch 4imcn-
fion1 might eafily contain (uch a nu~ber of
inhabitants, and .many more : and at tfle fa~
time there might be, as there are in mpft ()f the
great cities in the caft, large vaaall!t .{paces for
gardens or for pafture; fo that- there might be,
as the: facred tea: .afferts there was, a!fo t1111&b
ell/tie. Bot according to the ( 2} modern me-
thod of calculation the number of the Ninevita
is ·reduced much lower. For allowing tliat &ho
number ef infants was ooc lwndred and thirty
thoµ(aod, as the fcripture faith chat .they wens
,.,.~ than one hundred and tweoty thoufad ; .
yet tbcfc ~aking hut three tenths of the inh""'
biriants, the number of citiZCDS will a_ppear ~4>
have amo\lnted to four hundred and twentr
three tboufand. London and P~is ftand noi
upon
Utas IA"b. S· Cap. S3· ll'HTI· · (I) · 1x11 Ji "'"'' f'o" f""•r-
··-,. - ........ f'~• ...•
,..,.. ..,..,.,, i!IA'l''flll' ;, ~
~ la-ry lu!11101, ~ n p ~1 1 'S'lllJ U• /J,.X,VTl/Ol't
plJp.firrM .l•ii• •1rOfllOIJW lrlf111C11Wlll· "· .... A. Latus utrin- .
JU l"oirlllllilnu. CL ftadia 1unt C\"° lo.ngius ad CL ftadia ~xcarr
'rigiati milliaria &c. Bocharti nt; rcliqua duo mino1a, XC
Pllialq. Lib. 4. Cap. 20. Col. obtiocnt. &c. Diod. Sic. ibid.
252.
(9} Bochart. ibid. Col. 253. (z) Maitland's Hifi. of Lon-
Lowt,b.•1 Comment. ud Cal- don. 80ok. J· Chap. z. p. s4z.
aet'•· (3) Mait-
2 56 Di}fortation1 on the Pao r HE c IE i.
upon one quarter of the ground, and yet. are
fuppofed to contain more inhabitants ; London
even more than the former calculation, and
Paris more than the latter; it being (3) com-
puted that in-London there are about 72 594 3
per.Cons, and about 437478 in Paris. . _
The inhabitants of Nineveh, like thofe ot
other great cities, .abounding in wealth and
luxury, became very corrupt in their morals.
Whereupon it pleafed God to commiffion the
prophet Jonah to preach unto them the n~f­
fity of repentance, as the only means of averting
their impending deftrucrion : and fuch was the
fuccefs of his preaching, that both the king and
the people repented and turned from their evil
ways, and thereby for a time ·delayed the
cxe~ution of the divine judgments. Who this
king of Affyria was we cannot be certain, we
can only make conjectures,. his name being not
mentioned in the book of Jonah. Archbithop
( 4) U fuer fuppofeth him to have been Pul the
king of Affyria, who afterward invaded tht
kingdom of Ifrael, in the days of Menahem i
( 2 Kings XV. 1 9.) it being very agreeable to the
methods of providence to make ufe of an hea-
then

(4) Sft
 J'J!fertatifms ~ tbe PllOP li E cl£~ l S1.
then king who was penitent, to .puniai die ilniio ·
pcniteecy of GOd's ·own people lfrael. ~at il
lhould fcem more ps:obable, that this priaed
•as one of the .kings of Affyria, beft>re any of
thofe who are mentioned in fa-ipture. Fot
Jonah Ja reckoned the moft ancient ef aH the
propheta ufually fo calltd', whole writings are·
prefcrved in the canon of fmipture. W c know
that he prophefied of the ·reftoration of the
mafts of Ifrael taken by the king· of Syriat
-which w.as .accomplifhcd -by Jeroboam the
Kcond: (2 Kings XIV. 25.) and therefore
Jonah muft hue lived before that time J and is
:with great reafon fuppofcd by bifhop· 'Lloyd in
-bis Chronological Tables to have prophefied at
the latter end of Jebu~s, or the beginning or the
aigo of Jehoahaz, when the kingdom of lfrael
-was reduced very Jew, and grcady oppre1fed by
Hazael king of Syria. ( 2 Kings X. 32.) If he
pmphdied at chat time, there intervened Je•
.hoabaa's.. reign of fcvcnteen years, Joaili's reign
of fixteen yean, Jeroboam's of fo~y and one
fCIQ, . Zachaciah's of fix months, ShaUum.,s of
one month> and Mcnahcm was feated on the
lhrona of lfracl, before any mention is made of
Pul

(4, iee UJhttia AuW, A. M. 3233. P• 51. ancl lowth;s

.Comment.
VoL, 11 .i . (J) lb
 ..

258 DijferJations on the PROPH£ciei.

Pul the king of Affyria : and therefore we may
reafooably conclude from the diftance of time:.
which was. above fevcnty years, that Jonah was
not fcsnt to Pul the king of A1fyria, but to ooc
of his predeccffors, tho' to whom partic11larly
we are unable to difcover, for the want before
complained of, the want of Affyrian biftorics,
which no doubt would bave related. fo memo-
nrble .a tranfaCl:ion.
B?t this ~epentance of the Ninevites> we may
prefume, was of no Jong continuance. . For not
many_ yea~s after we. find the prophet :Nahum
foret~lling..the total and cntil'.<: defuuttiou of the
-<;ity ; tho' there is no certainty of- the time of
Nahum's,. any more: tha.n of Jonah's prophefy-
ing· Jotephus (5) _faith that he B.oriilied in
the time of Jotham king of Judah, and that all
the things .which he foretold co_ncernin'g Nine•
veh ~·~n;e to pafs one ~µndred_ and fifteen ycam
afterwards. St~ Jcr~~e. ( 6), placcth .him under
Hezekiah

(5) Hr .t, 'Tl( xcr.ai T¥TOr· ~ tiq. Lib. 9. Cap. 11. Sea J•
lil"fo• or~·•r.> Na.11140' T'b•o- p. 4~2, +~3· EPit. Hltdfoa•
. ,,.... Erac autem. quidam eo· · (6, Naum, qui iDterpretatlll'
tempore ya~es, cu1 nomen Na- ."efolator. Ja!Jl. 4Jni~ decea
humus.· cri:~•P>1 · J'a · T1uT.s· Tia tribus ab Atfyriis ded11az for.
wi:o."f"i'-''"' 'Ir•~' Nu111tJ,, ,...T°' rant in capuvitatem fob Ezc-
•TII i1C1&Too xiu wuT11U11.cl',... eve- cbia rege j uda, f11b quo etiam
neruot autem omni~ quz de . nunc in _confolatioocm ~uli
Ninevt: pra:di~ f~nt ~Rtum ct tranfmigrati,: adverfum Nioe-
'luindccim poil annos. Jof, An- vcn viJio ceroit11r. Nee: erat
I parva
 Differtot~ONS on the· Pa_OlHHCllS;. as9
~ezek.iah ·king of Judah,· ·and faith _that liis
JMQle by interpretation- i~ /1 ctJmfirJer. i for.. the
.ten tribes boing carried aw11y bt the king of
.4-1fyria,. ~his. \!moo was to comfort them. in .their
c:aptiv.ity.... 110l" :was it a·
Jefs coofolatioil J:b. the
other two t~~ of Jud~--and Benjamin, who
_rcmain.ed in di~ land, aptj were bcfieged by
· Jhe fame enemies, to~~ that thefc conquerors
would io thne be conquered themfelver;, tjieir
~ity be t~en.a. and their empire o~erthrown. ·
·Au tha~· is faiq of him in fcripture is Nahum the
BMofoite, (N~hum. I. 1.) ~hich title ip_ all pro-
_bability. yv;i~ gjven: him from the p~ce qf his
nat~v~ty; an.a ·-(7) r St. Jerome .fuppo(eth. it to
have. t.>een a-_village in Galilee, the ruins whereof
•
,were fuown to him, when he traveled in thofc
• , • ' JJ• • • • •

.parts. Now·~~ Ieai:n from the facred hifroty. 1

(~ KingsrXV:~ .29.) t~at the people .. of Galilee
·~re. tafun hj 'l'iglath-pileflr king of .Aj/yria, and
·carried captive iflto Ajfjria. It is not improba-
·•
blc
. .
parva confolatio, tam his qui Naum. p. 1558."V~l. 3. Edit.
Jllm A4"yriis Wl"Viebant, · q uam Henedia. ··
ieliqllis qui fub Ezrchia de tri- (7) Elccfi ufq ue hodie In Gt.-
. bll Jada et .Benjamin ab iifdcm lilza viclllus, parvii.5-quidem,
holibas obfidebantur; ut audi- et vix ruinis vcterum zdificio-
rent Alfyrios quoque a Chal- rum indicans vcftigia; fed ta-
dzi1 eJI"• capiendos, neut in men notus Judzis ; et mihi
confequentibas laujas· libri dc- quoqtie a cin:udidii~iite mon-
moallrabitllr. llicroa. Prol. in iratas. Hicron. ibid~ p. 1s59.
S .a . . . .• • (8) . Prid.
260 Dijfertation1 on the P1t0Pancuu.
ble therefore, that at that time this· propb~
who. was a Galilean, inight be inftrutted to
foretel the fall of Nineveh : and that time coin-
. cidcs with the reign of Jotham king of Judah.
which is the rime affigncd for Nahum's pro-
phefying by Jofephus. But if Jofephns wall
i:ight in this particular, he was wrong in ano-
ther; for more than one hundred and fifteen
years intervened between the reign of Jotham
king of Judah, and the deftruttion of Nineveh,
as it is ufuaUy computed by chronologers.
·Thcte is one thing, which might greatly affill:
us in fixing the time of Nahum's prophcfying J
and that is the deftruCl:ion of No-Amon or
Di ofpolis in Egypt, which he mentions °tChae.
III. 8, &c~) as a late tranfaffion, if we coutd
know ~ertainly, when that deftruaion happen-
ed, or by whom it was cffed:cd. It is com-
monly attributed to Nebuchadnezzar; but that
time is too late, and the. deftruCtion bf No-
Amon would fall out after the deftruClion of
Nineveh inftead of before it. Dr. Prideaux (8)
with more reafon believes, that it was dkdcd
by Sennacherib, before he marthed againft Je-
rufalem:

(8) Prid. Conne&. Part 1. p. -4~. Edit. OW.

Book 1. Aano 'f13· Hezek. (1) Hiaoa in Naam JI. u.
15. p. 157+ Vol.3. Edit.Benedi&.
. (9) Heracl. Lib.1. Gap. 1o6. • Seder Olam Rabba foli Na-
. . blldlo.
 DiffertatiOIU on the p .R 0 pH E c I E s.· 2 6I
nifalemJ and then Nahum's prophefying would
coincide exaaly with the reign of Hezekiah,
which is the time affigned for it by St. Jerome.
·. But whenever it was that Nahum prophe-
fied, he plainly and largely foretold · the
~ftruaion of ~ineveh; his whole prophecy
relates to 'this fi.ngle event: and the city was\
accorffin~ly deftroyed by ¢.e Mcdes and Baby,
loniatls. This point I think is generally agreed.
upon, $at Nineveh was taken and defuoyed
by t~e M~des and Babylonians ; thefe two
rebelling and uniting together fubverted the
Affy~an empire: but authors differ much about
the time when Nineveh was taken, and about
the king~ Affyria in whofe reign it was taken.,
~d even· about the per!ons who had the
command in this expedition. Herodotus (9)
~rms, that it was taken by Cyaxares king of
the MedesJ St. Jerome after the Hebrew chro-
nicle ( 1) afferts that it was taken by Nabuclto..
donofor king of the Babylonians : but thefe
acc~unts may eafily be reconciled, fo_r Cyaxares
~d N abuchodonofor might take it with their
joiDt forces,, as they a&ally did according _to
that

bachoclonofor&remattribuit,ct tem patris. Ebraicuni hoo

ump•• poait. Ano primo CJuenicon fecoti funt S. Hiero.
NabucllodQno(orfabegitNiae- •1••• &c, Mar(hami Chro~.
'Ya. icl eft, aoa cliu pol mor- Sze. XVIU. p. 559·
, S J (a) .-vr•~
262 Differtations on the PROPH.ECIE.s.
that which is written in the bbok of Tobi~
(XIV. 15.) if the Affucrus in Tobit be the
fame (as there is great reafon to.think him the
fame) with the Cy ax ares of H crodotus; But /Jefore
'Iohias died, he heard of the deflruBion of Nint'lltb,
which was taken hy Nahuchodonofar and .A/fuerus;
and before bis death he rejoiced over Ni~eb.
Jofephus (2) who faith in one place that th.c
empire of the Affy_~~s was diffolved by the
Medes, faith in another that the Mcdes and
lJabylonians diffolved the empire of the A1fy-
rians._ Herodotus .himfclf ( 3) . faith that the
Medes took Ninev_eh, and fubdued the Affyri-
ans, except the Babylonian portion ; the reafon
of which was, ·the Babylonians were their
allies and confederates._.· Ctefias, and after hini
(4) Diodorus SicuJus -afcribe the taking of Ni-
neveh, and the fubverfion of the A1fyrian em-
pire,
( z) nn/h '"'' Tin Ao'lrl.r(wr lftlllCl'OTOt ~"' 'nlf 'Ba6u1'M-
arxll' iin M.,J'.,, xc&T&J.,,s,.,.... ,..,~ f'O'f'K· et Ninum expug-
A1I'yriorum imperium a Mcdis- naverunt, A.ffyriofque, except&
everfum iri contigit. Jofcph- Babylonic• portjooc, fobege-
Antiq. Lib. 10. Cap. z. ·sea: runt. Her?'1· Lib. 1. Cap. 1o6.
2. p. 4-H -M11~ Kor.i Tlrf. 'F· 4S· Ecbt. Gale.
Bc&liW...r111,, o& nr Aavv(•.,,,,...,,.-,,_ (4) Diod. Sic. Lib. z. p. 78.
~..• llfXtl•· Medos et B'abylonios, Edit. Steph. p. 110. Edit. RJaocl.
qui Alfyriorum everterant im- (siEufobius(morefuo)utram.-
pcrium. ibid. Cap. 5. Sea. 1, quc fententiam in Cano\lem re.
p. 4-fl· Edit Hudfon. tulit: ad mentcm Ctefiz, Ar-
- i111£a Mei•1, ait, Num. 1.197.
(3) •1111 .,.,, n N11Df • aOC.r, • .11f//jrion. imJl"io ilftWh, r11-
U1 -riir Avcrue•11t Unxa•C- ,,,,. ;,, M#IR trtu'}IJit. Dcia
. (poft
 Dtlfertations °" tl.Je PR o PH R c·r E s.. 263:
pire, to Arbaces the Mede affifted by fe~Jefis..
the Babyloni~n. I ~now that (5) Eufcbius,
a~d . after him feveral exce.llent chronolog~r$,
Ufher, Prideaux, and others reckon. this. quite
a different actl9n, and fix it at quite a different - t

time; but ·it is not likely that the fame . City

lhould be twice deftroyed, and the fame ·em-
pire twice overthrown, by the fame people
t\\'ice confederated together: Diodorus, . who
relates this cataO:rophe, doth not mention the
other,; but faith exprefly, ( 6) that Arbaces dif-
tributed the citizens of Nineveh in the country
villages, leveled the city with the ground, tranf-
ferred many talents of gold and 1ilver to Ecba-
tana the royal city of the M;ede~,; and fo, faith.
he, the empire of the ·41fyriacs . was fubverted.
If there is fome difficulty' in ·dilcovering th.e
perfons by whom Nineveh was taken, there· is
more

(pofl annOS 213) CJC aaaoritate llC E..IJaTa••· ··~· l!f ~~..
Herodoti, Nu .. :. 1.po. Cyax•- T.,, Avovr.,,_..;,..., M~... .,.._
rts M"l"s fabvtrtit Ni•-· Ifla T1>wS11 n. "P"'f"ll""'o'
'rf9...•
autem """"rorna font . . Mar- Similiqunquelenitateergacive1
fhami Chronicon. Sa:c. XVIII. ufas, qua.mvis in pages eOI clif.
p. 556. · traheret: - urbem autem lblo
.a:quav_it•. Tum argentum et
· (6) ; 'I »• ~"'f:'lt'I -r•.K .•.. T• aurum-(multa cene talenta
T,,. rG>..11 um""''' ...fOD''"X.$"'' erant) in Ecbatana Medorum
mrra.>, ,..., PTA . • -.,!'-"', l.,,a•cr•, tegiam tranllulit. Hoc c:rgo
~· ~ ...x., "' '~"'ii~ 1111T1~ modo Alr}"riorum 'impei'ium-
vu•.i,o. .;;.,,1ii .T•~ .,., oif'1"f°' a Medis everfum· ell. Diod •
...._ ')(P'O"O»--"J:"oAAll• o•Tfl' Sic, Lib. z. p. 81. 'Edi.~. ~teph.
-rllf'..:a•n1, 'ui~,,.WI 111; M.,:-'"'' o. l JC, Edit, !thcsl. .
$ +"" .~ .. .. (7}'K111

,
, ·264. Di.ffertations on t& P.1.0PH•c1:as;
mere in afcertaining the king of Aff'yria in whoCo
reign it was taken, and more ffill in fixing the
time when it was taken,, fcarce any two cbr.o-
nol~ agreeing in the fame date : but aa thefo
things are hardly poffible to be known, fo nci...
tber are they necelfary to be known, with ~
cifion and q:\d:nefs > and we may fafely leave
them among the uncertainties of ancicQt hiftory
~d chronology.
It is fu.fficicnt for our purpo(e, that Nine-
veh was taken and deftroyed according to the
~iB:ions: and Nahum foretold not only
the thing, but alfo dle manner of it. Hero.
dotus promifed to relate in his A1fyrian hiftory
bow Nineveh was takeni (7) the Medes took
Nineveh. faith he, but how they took it. I
will 1how in another work. Again afterwards
he mcntio~s -his defign of writing the AffyriaQ
hiftory. Speaking of the kings of Babylon h0.
ruth, · (8} of ~cfe I 1hall make mc:otion in the
Afi"yriaq
(7) 1C&& nr fyrlil mentionem faciam. Lib.
'l'I N iru 11>.or

f ~, .ta '"'"· .. ITlf9IO'I 1. Cap, 184. J>: 76. Edit. Gale..

>.,,,._.,,.
~.)et Ninwn expa_gnav~- Vo8i111 de Hill. Gr~c. Lib. •~
rWlt: (ut aatem cepennt, 111 ~ap. 3. Fabriciu1 Bib. Gr&c.
aliia moic fcriptis 10Clicabo,) Lib, z. Cap. :zo.
Herod, Lib. 1. Cap. 1o6, p. (9) ~sip TlK ~ A•
tS'· Edit. Gale. Ir~ aS-lMfW!Ko U lrfCI TU
(8) 'l'M• .. .....,. N""flOIO'I
Afll-· -~ "'"'° """',....
~' ~· ...,...,_.. qao- '1\Mr tn19.I'"°' ,.,., I• .,, tr&-
fqJD iil txponendis rcbtU ·Af. ,.~,
3 .
.....
~ c-s--
~
 Differtations on thi PROPHECIES.· 265 .
A.lfyrian hiftmy. But to our regret this hiftory
was never finithed," or is loft. More probably-
it was never finithed, for otheiwife fome or
other of the ancients would have mentioned
it. If it had been· extant with his other works~
it would in all probability have been of great
fervice in illuftrating feveral paffages in Na..
bum's prophecies. It is however fomething
fortunate, that we can in fome meafure (upply
this lofs out of Diodorus Siculus. Nahum
prophefies, that the Affyrians fhould be taken
while they were drunken, (I. Io.) For whil~
they be folden trigether tn thorns, and while thej
are drunken as drunkards, 'they foal/ 6e tkvoureJ
as jlu/J!Jle folly Jry ; ·and ( 9) Diodorus relates,,
that' it was while all the Affyrian army were
' feafting for their former viltorics, that thofe
c about Arbaces being informed by fame defer-
' tors of the negligence and clrunkennefs in the
' Can\p of the enemies, a1faulted them .unex-
' pcttroiy

/Ill&• ... ,....., t""le- ligentia et ebrietate ho&ium

nll&Tll( . . .
. .,."' T'llJ ,....su,., l'lhlt;O'Al'Tt, edoflus,notlu ex iJDDrovifo illos
......... ~ .t. ,,.,.,......,,,...... ,..,. opprimit. Et quoniam com-
--~. int,..I ~ •T"fA<F- pofiti incompofitos. parati im-
lJlllWC1 nc n ·~ •XfATW· peratos invadebant, facile et
""• - ... r,,,.TNWllP tr~ ca.lira exp11gnant, et valbm
~. ""'~ ,...XP' na; ..... ho.Ilium ftragem cdunt, et rdi-
~ ~t••· Toto igitur quos in urbem compcll11nr.
exercita ~viriis indulgcnre, Diod. Sic. Lib. :z. p. Sc. Edit-.
Arbun per cnu11fugas de neg- Steph. p. 1 u. Edit. Rbod.
• . (1) u
2Q6 Dijfertations ~ the PR~P~~CtEa.
' pell:edly by night,, and falling orderly on
' them diforderly,, and prepar~d on them un-
' prepared, became mailers of the camp.. and
' flew m~ny o~ the foldiers,, and drove the r!!ft
' into the city.' Nahum foretels (II. 6.) that
the gates ef the rivers foal/. be opened,, and the
_palace foal/ be dfjfalved: and (I) _Diodorus informs
us, ' that there was an old prophecy. that. Ni-
' neveh lhould not be taken, till the river
' became an eneiny to the city ; and in the
' third year of the fiege, the river being f w9ln
' with continual rainsoverflo~ed part thecity,, of
' and broke down the wall for 20 furlongs;
' then the king thinking that the oracle was
' fulfilled and the river become an ene~y to the
'city..

(t) •• .rfWT,. >.o,tor W'~•.to- ~°' xiu ,... Cll(1ClfO' &--.

y.t>•r •x W'fG')'•r111r, 0T1 ' " ' N 001 •t•• .. ,t, TllTo" ' " ' ~ll<O"IA1.....,
• i).~ KATA X~TG(, IU ,.,... ID'~TGI Cll&O'&J IW"I 1'auTIP U.-
•tflT.l(Ot a Gl'OT"l-'O; T]I Co>.il ')'I- fll/O't. T"IZ( :. W"a>.1.a&&Lc ...
HJT•I co>.a,....,. - - To/ TelT,, Tll' ltnllX~ '711')'11AllO'&( '" n•
l°•n• av11xlll( o,.,.Se111• (•,Ja.,.,, ., ,.,.ID'?' Ttt ...,,!' ••TU11<fr:rur-
x•Tai~•')'tn111r, D'tmJ/3'1 To• E~ea- ,_..,., ,01xor, 0.,... 'n!n" ;.,...,..
"' [Tinn] fU'Y•• ,..,.,.,..,., x•T•- iawT•• T• xa1 T• Sll&O'lAtua ••-
, Jl).ua'°"' Tl t'fe<'; T'l; W'OAllll;, 1<4' 11X4llO'IJ• ;1 f 4W'Of"&TIZJ, .V-
XaTaf]at).iu TO T"IJX•• .... f"I¥- . .s.,....... . "' •...,..... I«~
~~ 1ixoc:rir. trTa11.9c:< c
(31&0"V..111; ra.-a>.11, T'IC I'" •w~ rx,_-
••t'ID'A( TITIAl3.Sa1 TOJ Xf'I0',.,..1t 'nl0'1¥1t llCT'll'IO'OJTI( X&TA T'D 'll'ftr'-
llGll T"'l Gl'OAll TO• ~a,..ar ')'l')'O- ,..!e"( T'll Tll](Jlr• Atqui
T"lllXo;
"'~ '~""("'~ ... >.1,..1or, vaticinium a majeribus tradi-
art')-MI
"' 0"61T'lf14J, its ~ /Ao'I TOI( tom habebat; A nano capi
••o111,..,••, ·'Y'1"'"' irlrox11e1•'• wv- Nin om pofi"e, nifi ftoYios orbi
pi .. TOI( /31&0"1AUOI( X4TIO'Xlll- prius boftis cvaderet---T~rrio
1WU irir•ff"A'1'~• ~1 Tw T• · dcmom annoaccidit, utEophrz-
HI
 Di.ffutation.f on. tbe PROPHECIES. ·
• ·city, built a latge funeral pyle in the· palace,
' and colletting together all his "wealth. and his
1 .concubines and eunuchs, burnt himfelf·and

' the palace with them all ; · and the enemy

' entered atthe breach thatthewatershad made,
' and' took the city.' What was predicted in
r
the firtl: ·chapter (ver. 8. was therefore litterally •
fulfilled, With an overru!Jning .flood he wiU mah
an 11tter emfof the place thertof. Nahum -pro-·.
mifes the enemy much fpoil of gold and filvcr,
(II. 9.} 'I'ale ye the.fpoil ofjilver, tale theJPoil -
efgold; for there is no end oj" the jlore, and glory
out of all the lle":font furniture: and we read
in ( 2) Diodorus, that Arbaces carried many
talents ofgold arid filvcr _to Ecbatana the rOyal
city
tes [TigrisJ continais imbriam fent, qui uege def'ecennt, per
graviflimorum tcmpcftatibusex collapfam mori partemingrefli,
crefcens, urbis partem inunda- arbem ceperunt. Diod. Sic.
ret, et mur_um ad iad.\a XX de- Lib . .z. p. 80. Edit. Steph. p.
jiceret. Tum vero Jinem habere 113. Edit. Rhod.
oracalom, amnemque manifef~ ·
ti: 1U'bihollemcfi"e, re_xjudicans, (2) IS'l'7'15 '1'01 'l'I ~·
fpem fatutis abjedt. ltaqoe nc •«r Xe"ll'Or 'l'OJ I& n ( ~
ja'.Jaollium min• pe"cl!iret,ro- iise).1.q>91nlll, ..~ orrA T-
gum in regia iogentem extroxit; Aan,;r, «'lrlJ<Of4'<TI ...;,, MOJl1 ..(
quo aurom et"argeiitom omne, •I{ E..~,......... Tum quicquid
ctquiCfiuid aatregii Y<'.Jlimen- argenti aoriqueex pyra rcftabat
ti, congeffit. Tum concubiui~ (molta certe talen1t·eranr) ia
et -eonuchi1 in domuncubm, Ecbatana Medoram regiam
qoam in medio pyrz exftruxe- tranftolit. Diod. Sic. Lib. .z.
rat,conclous,fercgiamqoecum p. lh. Edit.Stcph. p.115. Edit.
Ulis omnibus incendioabfump- RhQJ.
6t. Cujua in"pUUP cwn .attdif-
(J) Te
268 Di.ffertatiom on t!M Pa or uac
city of the Mecles. According to Nahum (I. 8.
1• s;
III~ 1 s.) · the city was to be deftroyed by fire
and water : and we fee in Diodarus,. that by
fire and water it was deftroyed.
But Nabum· is cited upon this occafion prin-·
cipally to fiiow, that he foretold the total and
entire deftruaion of this city. C/'k Lort/, faith
he in the firft chapter, (vcr. 8, 9.) 'llJitlJ 1111 fJfJn"•
ttraming .lo# wiU 111alt an utttr nu/ of th• ~'
t&reef; /Je viii make an utttr entl; ajjli8ion jhaJI
ilot rift up tile jefOnd time. Again in the f«ond
diaptcr, (ver. 11, 1 3.) Whert is flH helling of
IM /ionr, and t.be feNling p/a&t ef tht y1ung
Jimut.meaning Nineveh whofc princes ravaged
lik-e lions : khaki, l a. 11gailljl tlw fait6 t/Jf
!Ari of hojls, '"''I w;o crd off thy prey .fr01ll tar
earth, and the wice of tbJ ·111ejfmger1 Jball •
llt(Jre !Je heard. ' And again ia the third and laft:
chapter. ( ver. 17, 18, 19.) C/'/Jy Cf'(Jf/)lled are di t/,(
hcujls, and thy captains 1JS the grtr1t gra.flJoHD i.
'f!Jhich camp in the hedges ;,, the cold ti"]; ""1 vlN1I
thefa" an]tth, they .fke away, and tbeir p/M.t u
'llOI illO'UJn where they are, or have bcaa; tb;y
jlJep/JerJs jlum/Jer, 0 king ef 41/jria; tlly lllJ!Jk_s
Jhall dwtU in the dujl; th] pe~k is Jcattered "I""
the

(3) T1 14" 'rlf ~c •ay,1 .,. <rC'ft' ~' i"1rUlfM• ••· 11

!''~ _.,.,, iu....,, To l. PM" -~ n11mms ~ ,.., f"'' .,,,,_

. ""'
 . . . . '
pifferiatiflfU an the Pao~.ll~CtE_~. . ~26g
IN 1/l/Jll1ltiZins, tznd 1H ""'" gatb1retlrth'tfn: then
iJ 110 &Illini ef thy ~uffe; thJ ~ounJ is grit'VfJUS J
all that hear t/Jr /Jruit of tkt µI clap t/Jt
- '/Jt.1111Js fttr t/Jet; fir upo11 flJIJolll "IJiltj nH thj
Vlick6"1rfi tm.ffeJ contin11411J f The ·prophet ze.:..
phaniah likewifc in the days of Jofiah · king of
Judah foretold the tame fad eVmt, (ti: 13, i4•
I 5.) 'l'h:t LwJ 'llJil/ }lrttch 011t /Ji.r /Jani/ a.ga/nJl.
'th~ nort/J, and Jejlr~ Ajfyria, and will malt Ni-
new/J a i/efolation. and dry like a fllJi/Jernefi : a11J
Jlock.rfoall lie. Jo.um in 'the ..ini4JI ·y·her, aU t/Jt
1Jeajl-1 Of the ·natifJIU; Ht/J t/Je CONllOrant amJ t~
·er
"lntttrn jbalJ lotlge ·in the upper H11te/1 it ; the#
-..xNct jlJizU ftng iii the windows; .Jtfalation jhJI
ilt mt"/Je t/Jrejbo/Js;for he foal/ ~(Jll)tr the cedar
uori: this is the rejaicing city that diutlt care#jly.
!biztfoiJ itJ her IJtart, I a111, and thn-t is none k-
fole 1'#1 hOfl1 i.t.fot 6«ome a ikfolation, a pla&e far
IN'!fls to Iii t/Dfl11I in] ruery one that pa/feth /Jy /Jer.,
foal/ bifi and""'&' IJis /Jantl. ·But what" probabi-
lity was there that the capital city of a great
· kingdom, a City which was fixty miles in com~
pa(S, a city which contained fo many tho~
inhabitants, a city which had walls. ~cording
to (3) Diodorua Siaalus. a hundred feet high,
and
,,. "'* ~ ............. n.Ham murdS ad c pechtm ahitd-
¥ '4-ts •x- ..>.. ~. ·diacm cxfvgcbat, et ad triui.a
latitl&Ciiaal

..t
, 27.0 Dtffertations fJn. t~e.P~o.P.z.f~(:l.R.l.
and.Co thick that.three charip«:s could.go abre2A:
upon them, and. fifte_en ~und.re~ towers at pro-
.per difiances .in th_e w~s .Df
two.h~~dr.ed f~
.in: h;gpt,h.; : w:P.at pr9bahility was there. I fay.
that foch ,a. city lbeuld· ·ever. be. totally de..
ftroyed ?.. and. yet fo totally was it deftroy~
th,at th~ place is hardly known where it was
·fituated. ·
we have feen that ~t was taken and ~fuoyed
by the Medes and Babylonians: and what we
may fuppofe helped_to complete its ruin and
devafi:ation· was Nebuchadnezzar's· foon ·after-
~wards .inlarging . and . oeau;tifying. of Babylon•
.From that time no mention . is made- Nine- of
veh by any of the facred ~r~ters; and the moft
ancient of the heathen autho~s, who have oc-
cafion ~o fay any thing about it, __fp~ak .of it as
a city t~at _once was gr~at a~d ~orilhi~g, but
now defuoyed and defolate,. . . 9-reat as it was
form~rly, fo little. of it :was remaining, that
.authors are not agreed _even about its fituation..
I think we may conclude from the general fuf-
frage o( ancient hiftorians and geographers, that
it
latitadinemcarruumjunflim agi- (s) Bocharti Phaleg, Lib.+·
candorum. porrcctua erat. Tum~s · Cap. :io. Col. &48, :i49.
in eo M D ducentos pedes
alta:. Diocl. Sic. Lib. :i. p. 6). (6) Non video hzc aliter
Edit. Stepb. p. 9z. Edit. Rhod. polfc c:onciliari, qaam A dica-
(4-) Diod. Sic. ibid. et p. So. tur duplex fuiil"c Nius9 uuad
Lilt. Steph. p.113. Edit.Rhod. Euphratcm. in'omaaen•• alce-
ra
 Differt(#ions on ·1he P1t0Pa~_c1-2i. '"2?'~
it was fituated ·upon the river Tigris·; but-yet
no lefs authors than {4) .Ctefias ·and. Diodorus
,Siculus reprefent it as fhuated upon the river
Euphrates. Nay authors differ not·only from
one another, but alfo from themfelves.- For the
-~earned (5) Bochart hath lhown that Herodotu8>
-Diodorus Siculus, and AmmiaIJus J\1:;ircellinus,
~ ~ree fpeaj<. differently 9f it, fometill}~S a~ if
it _w~s fituated upon ~ river Tigris,· and fome-
~imes as if _it was fituated upon the river
Euphrate~. .So that to reconcile thefe authors
with themfelves and with others, it is fuppofed
.by _(6) Bochart ~at there were two Ninevehs,
and by S_ir {7-} Johq l\1adham that there ·were
three; the-~yrran UPon the· rive~ Euphrates, the
A1fyrian upon the river Tigris, and a third built
.afterw~s. upon ~he Tigri§ by the Perfians, who
fucceeded · the Parthians in the empire of the
.eaft in the thirc~ century, and were fubd,ued by
the SaracC!ls in the fevcnth century after ChrH1::
but whet~er:this .later Nineveh was built in the
fame place.as old Nineveh is a queilion that
cannot be decided. Lucian, (8) who florifhed
m
·,. in Aff'yria. trans Tigrim &c. Xl&I "~" - 'X'°~ .~. >.~11ror 1111/T'IS•
Boch.rt. Ibid. u.t' ,., •111">1~ ~TU ....1· .,,_ Nin us
(7 I Eft igitar (in Yeterum fcrip- jam eft everfa. ira Dt ne reliq UUlll
ris) Ninns triplex, Syriaca,Affy- quidem fit ejus veftigiom, nee
riac:a, et Pedica. &c. Marfhami ubi olim ftta fuerit, facile dnc-
Chl'Qll. Sze. XVIII. p. H9· eris. Luciani Em<1">!. vd con-·
(8) H !'I'"" d'ti\AIA1r 11l11, templantcs, prope finem. ·
(9) Ben-
 Diffartationl /Jn the· PR o PIt E c 1 n s.
in the fetond century after ChriA, affirms that
Nineveh was utterly pcrilhed, and there wu no
footftep of it remaining, nor could you tell
where once it was fituated: and the greater re._
gard is to be paid to Lucian's teftimony, as he
was a native of Samofata, a city upon the rivet
Euphrates, and coming from a neighbouring
country he muft in all likelihood have known
whether there had been any rCmains of Nine-
veh or not. There is at this time a city called
Moful, fituate upon the weftern .fide of the
river Tigris, and on the oppofite caftcrn lhore
are ruins of a great extent, which are faid .to
be the ruins of Nineveh. Benjamin of Tudela,,
( 9) ·who wrote his Itinerary in, the year of
Chrift 1173, informs us, that there js only a
bridge between Moful and Ninevch.s this lattet
is laid wafte, yet hath it many ftrcets and
cafiles. But another, who wro.te in 1 300, a1Tcrta
that Nineveh at prefent is totally laid walle.
but by the ruins which are ftill to be feen
'Chere, we may firmly believe that it was one of
the
(9)BenJamin'tudelenils(qui C. fl. 11'. 406.) (anto iJoo)
fcripfit ltinerarium anno Xti I/la ti'Vitd.I (Ni.,,,.) ~#'If"-•
117 3) /.,,,. .Jba,ul, ait (p. 62.) '*""'""""1jl1U. Madbami
tjl
f5 Ai1U'r.11,, rm ttmt""' ;,,,,,.ctii.t: Chron. Sze. XVUI•. P• sSI•
H"' tlMJ':ftt1111 rft: 11t111t11111 m.J- S1i ptr 111, f"" llihac /at.,..
IQs /"l°' ti 11rtr1 Wei. At vero r1111i11U.111MM,.fir,.;ur cntfi ~
Hait9n Armcniua (De Tartar; 1tj1 f11U ferit ,,_ ,;r IUjori!.u
,;..,;.
 .J)i.fferti'Aldlu on t/Je P 1. a.r HE cl! l. ~ 'S
tlio greateA: cities in the world. Th~ {:ame
thing is ·attcfted by later travelers, anc;l particu-
larly by (i) "TheYenot; upon whofe authority
Prideaux r~lates that " Moful is fitu"atcd on the
•i vreff '!de· of ·th~ river ·Tigris, where was
· .J• anciently ~~ly a· fuburb-Of the old Nineveh,

~··f<>! the city· itfclf· ftood on the cafi-fide of the

" river, where·arc to be fecn fome of its ruins
to
~ ()f great exThnt even this day." raverniet
likewi_fc ( 2) ~rms, . that " crofs. the _Tigris,
" which hath- a {wift ftream and whitilli waterJ
• Cl whereas Euphrates . rt.ins; flow and is reddiqi, .

=" you come to the ancient 'city Nineveh, 'which

cc is now an "licap of rubDilli on.ly, for a league
· c.: along the river, full of vaults and caverns."
Mr. (3") Sftlmori, who is an induftrious col-
fttior and compiler from· others, faith in his
account of Affyria, " In this country the famous
'' city of Nineveh once ftood, 011 the eafiern
" bank of the river Tigris, oppofite to the
" place where Moful now ftands-There is
" nothing now to be fecn but heaps· of rul--
"· b:lb,

truitltlilu lmjru 1111t11Ji. • Idem Book 1. Anno. 612 . .Jofiah 29.

apacl Bocbart. Pbalcg. Lib. 4-- (z) Tavernier in Harris.Vot.
Cap. 20. Col. 2;s. 2. Book z. Chap. 4-·
( 1 i ~not'sTm•eh. Pnrt (3) Sar~on's Modern Hift.
a. Book 1. Chap. 11. p. so· Vol. 1. Chap. u. Prcfcot State
Prideau:i"s Conncft. Part i. oftheTurkiihEmfirc. <:t!!arro.

YoL. r. T
 DijfertatilJnl. dn .the p ASP.fl B C-1 E'J;
" bUh, almoft. a league alot\g the river Tigria.
" over again!l Moful, whjcb P'SOP.l~ · imagin i .
" be the remain.s. of this vaft ~ity." Bat· iii.is
.more than probable that :tbcf~ ruins are ~
remains of the Pcdian Nineveh, a~ not of.tho
Afi"yr~n. Even the ruins of ~Id Nineveh ~ave
~enJ as I may fay, long ago ruiµcd ao4 .dJ?--
.,.ftroyed : fuch an rater enJ hath been ~~ al
·it, and fuch is the truth of . ~ ~~inc· .Pa:o-
dietions ! ·
· Thi~ perhaps ·may ftrike us. ·t~e more ~1'
~y fuppofing only a parallel inft~• ...~,~.us
.then ,fuppofe, th~t a perfon thoul~ come ~~ the.
name of a prophet, preaching J"cpentan~ to. the
people of this kingdom, or othcrwife dcnosmc-
ing the deftruftion of the capital city withip a
few years ; with pn over-running .flood wil/. ~
11Jake an utter md of the place ·tbtreof, Pe 'llli!/
11-zake ar, utter end; its plac~ may be .fougl!t,. /J!d. it
Jl:all ner.:er be f ou'!d· I prefumc w~ thoµld b;ak
upon fuch a prophet as a madman, and lhow
. no farther attention to bis meffage than to
deride and defpife it: and yet fuch an event
would not be more firange and incredible than
the deftruetion and devaftation of Nineveh.
·For Nincve}) was much the larger, and much
. the fironger, and older city of the two ; and
the Affyrian empire had fi.ibfiftcd and .ftorilhed
3 more
 Di.ldlatilwn on the P.ttoPHICI_:Bs. 27;
111ote ages than any fo~ of government in
dJis. country·; fo . that you cannot objetl the
inlbbility - of the. eaftern monarchies in this
cafc. Let us then, .6.nce this event would not
be more imJ?fObable and extraordinary than
the bihtr~ fuppofe again, ·that things lhould
fuccced a~rding to the predittion, the floods
'1hotild arife, · and the enemy thould come, r
die· city iliould be. overflown and broken dow~
be taken and pillaged, and deftroyed fo totally,
that even the learned could not agree about the
plaee where it was ·firuated. What would be
. &id or thought in fuch a cafe ? Whoever of
poftcrity iliould read and compare· the. prophecy
.and event together, muff: they not by fuch an
illuftrious inllance be thoroughly convinced of
the providence of God, and of the truth of his
prophet, and be ready to acknowlege, YerifJ
tb,.r is the 'UX11"tl that the Lora hath JPolun, Yeri/1
tbtrr is a God who judgeth tlM earth !

... • T2 x. 'flt
 ,
276 Dijfortations,;, the Pll~PHBc1:as.

x.
The prophecies concerning ll A B v Lo N.

A FTER Nineveh was dcftroyed, Babylon

became the queen of tbe eaft. They
were both equally enemies ·to the people of
God ; the one fubverted the kingdom of Ifrael,
and the other the kingdom of Judah ; the one
carried· away the ten tribe~, and. the other the
, two remaining tribes into captivity. No wonder
therefore that there . are feveral prophecies
relating to each of thefe citi~s, and that the fate
of Babylon is foretold as well as of Nineveh.
As Jeremiah faid, (L. J 7, J 8.) lfrael is 11 Jc«terttl
jheep, the lions have driw11 him away; fir/I tk
king of AJ!jria hath devoured him, and 14.JI tbir
Nebuchadnezzar king of Bab;·lon hath /Jrotm his
hones : 'Therefore thus faith the Lord of hojls the
God of lfi ael, Behold, I will punijh t« /Ung of&-
/,:;Ion and his land, as I b(l'f)e punijhtd t« lipg af
Aj/jria.
Babylon
( 1} ..•e•~t&).no Tuxac T!J .,,. CCCLXVIII ftadia complec-
:>.11 ,J,.,, 'l'c1uxo.ri01• i~,,...;,"'· titur. Qi!int. Cart- Lili. S•
CCCLXftadiorummurourbem Cap. 1.
circumdedit. Diod. Sic. Lib. 2. (z} x1iLu ., . .~ ,.,.,..
p. 68. Edit. Steph. p. 95. Edit. ~· 141,,.S°' •-• ,..1- ~
Rhod. -Totius opcris ambitlD tlx001 .., eaa'lo. r.&.n, •llO'llr
n'lre-
 D!/fer~a.t~IJS Ml t~ PROPHECIES. 277
B~bylo~ w~s a very great and a very ancient
city '5 well 8$ Nineveh. It is indeed generally
reckt>ncd lefs than Nioev.eh ; for accorping to
Strabo (who was cited in the lafi: ·difcourfe) it
was s
only 3 8 furlongs in compafs, or 3 60 ac-
cordiqg .to ( 1) Diodorus Siculus, or j 68 ac-.
cording to ~ntus Curtius : l;mt ( 2) Herodotus,
who •as- an older author than any of them,
u:prefcnt.s it of the fame dimenfions as Nine-
veh, that is 480 furlongs or above 60 miles in ·
compafs; but the difference \Vas, that Nineveh
was cooftructed in the form of a parallelogram,
and Babylon was an exact fquare, each fide
being 120 furlongs in length. So that according
to tbis •ccount Babylon contained more ground
in it than Nineveh' did; for by multiplying the
Gdes the one by the other, it will be found,
that Nii}eveh contained within its walls only
13500 furlongs, and that Babylon .contained
J 4400. It was too as ancient, or more ancient
than Ninev~h ; for in the words of Moles
/peaking of Nimrod (Gen. X. 1 o.) it was t«
&ginning ef his kingdom, that is the iirfi city, or
the

""'~"· lrro1 rw:io, ""~ centen\im vicen\im ftadiorum,

..,e.Jir ,.~ C"O>.•~ ,..,.,'J.o cnma- in fumma quadringentorum et
-.i~ .,.t-••p uu 'l•Ts4· otloginta, m circuitu quatuor
uo...,. oppidu111 fitum cft in Jaterum uroi~. Herod. Lib. 1.
planitie ingcnti, forma quadra- Cap. 178. p. 74. Edit. Gale.
u, magnitudintqlloquo vcrfus ·
· T 3 (3) Semi·
278 Di.ffertations on. the Paoru11c1a"i'.
the capital city in his doorinions. Scmd
heathen authors fay that Semiramis, but molt
(as (3) ~intus Curtius afferts) that Belus boilt
it: and BeJus was very probably the fame as
Nimrod. But whoever ~as the firft founder of
this city, we may reafonably fuppofe that ·it'
received very great improvements afterward17"
and Nebuchadnezzar particularly rcpaircd, and·
inlarged, and beautified it to fuch a degree, that
he may in a manner be faid to have built it; as
he boafied himfelf (Dan. IV. 30.) Is 1llJt thil
great Babykn that I have huilt far the bou.fo ef the
llingdom, by the might of my power, and .for tbe
honor of my maje/ly? Nor is this afferted only
in fcripture, but is likewife attefied by heathen
authors, Megafchenes, Berofus, and Abydenus.
whofe words are quoted by (4) Jofephus and
Eufebius. By one means or other Babylon be-
came fo great and famous a city as to ·give
name to a very large empire ; and it is called
in fcripture (Dan. IV. 30.) great Ba/Jylfln; (If.
XIII. 19.) the glory of kingdoms, tbe kaulJ '!f
the Cha/dces excel!cnc)' ; (If. XIV. 4.) the goltkn
city; (If. XLVII. 5.) the lady of llingdoms; (]er.
LI.
(3) Semiramis eam condide- Cap. 11. sea. 1. P· 4~ Edit-.
rat: Y~I, at plerique crcdidere, Hudfon. Eufeb.Pnepar.£\r:mg.
Bthu. Q!!int. Cun. ibid. Lib. 9. Cap. 41. p. 457. Edit..
(4) Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. 10. Vigeri.
Cs> Y9
 DijfertalifJils-.rm the PR.o.P in:c·t~ i. 279. .
n
li: 13i} alnmtltmt "trea/urts ; {Jer. LI. 4 I.) tbt.
/Jrtli.fe of tht ~ mth: .and its beauty, ftren~
and grandeur ; its walls, temples, palaces, and
hanging gardens; "the banks of the river, and
ihc· artmcial canals :and lake made for the dr~in-o-
ing of that river in the feafons of its overflow•
ingti ire dcfcribed with fuch pomp and mag-
aificence by heathen authors, that it might
defervedly be reputed one of the wonders of the
world. The fullcft and heft .account of thefc;
things in Englith is· to be found in the fecond.
book. of that very valuable and very .ufefol work,
Dr. Prideaux's Conncffion. Tho' Babylon was
feated· in a low watry plain, yet in f<;ripturq
(Jcr. LI. 25.) it is called a mowain on account
of the great highth of its w~lls and towers, its
palaces and temples: and (5) Berofus fpeakirig
of Come of its buildings, faith that they appea.r.:·
~ moll like mountains. Its gates ofhrajS and·
its :/JroaJ Willis are particular) y mentioned in·
fqtj.pturc: (If. XLV. 2. Jer. LI. 58.) and the
drJ (6) had an hundred gates, 2 5 on each fide,
~.made of folid brafs : and its walls according
io· (7) Herodotus were 350 feet in highth, and
. 87
. Cs> ""· ..i,.. ~,a,...,... (6) Herod.Lib, 1.Cap.179•
lflt TOlf lfW' . quibus {pccic:m p. 7+ Edir. Gale. _
d.dit.mGDb.bi.1.s.pedimilcm. Jo- (7) Herod. ibid. Cap.11;,,
ilplL Aqlio. iPjd. . . Prideau: ibid. ,
~ T 4 . (S) :S-.
 ·280 Di.lfortations On the PasPHECtB9.
87 in thickeefs, . and fix chariot& could .p
abt:eaft upon them, as (8) Diodorm affirms after
~tefias. .
Such a city as this; on• would imagin, Wat
ii) ao danger of \>eing totally aband9n~, aocl
coming to nought. . Such a city as this ~ht
fl:J.rely. with lefs vanity than any other,. baaft
that. £he. iliould continue for ever, if any thln&
h.uman could continue for ever.. So fiie vaiDJ~
glorie~ (If. X~VII. 7, 8.)- Ifoali he a laJy for:
twr; I·am, and 11one e!fe he.fok ~; ljh'1/'1zot}4
4s. a widow, neither foal/ I hzO'W the /ofi if cbiJ..
Jren. But the prophets lfaiah• and Jere~
plainly and particularly foretold the deftru~
of this city. They lived during the declepUon
of the kingdom of Judah; and as they prcdid~
ed the captivity of ·the Jews, fo they lik.ewifo
foretold the dow.nfall of their enemies : and
they fpeak with fuch affurance of the. event.
that they defcribe a thing foture· as. if it were
already pail:. (If. XXI. 9.) Ba/Jy/01' isftdinr, u
f iJJkn ; 1md all the gr(l'l)en imagn ef htr .gods hB
hath broken U"lto the groutJJ. (Jer. ·LI. &) JH":!-
/on is JuddenJy jallen and dejirojet ; howl far btr,
· take
· ts)6/r-1 TO ""' ~,.o, '"'" Diod. Sic. ·Lib. 2. p. 68. Bclit•
.,.,, ""X"'' iE
ti:p~·· ift•ir•!M'· · Steph. p. 96. Edit. lthod. -
1lt~znium latitndo fex juxta (9} "'°>'"'• .h _,.,.. .,.... If
carribus vcheoclis fdiccret. ·~f ~ · _,_ .SW..-
~ .
I
 Differt4t#ms on t~ ~RpP.~.ct.:i:s. 181
ftk, /Jalm_far hv pa#r,. iffa. he foe 1Rtz,1 ~he healed._
·It· is fomewhat remarkable, that one of Ifaiah'1
prophecies concerni~g Babylon is. intitled
(XXI. 1.) the burden of the defert .of tbe fta, or
rather ef the plain·'!{ the fl(l, for. Babylon was
featcd in a plain, and furrounded by water.
' The propriety of the expreffion confifis in this,
· not only that any large collection of waters in
the oriental ftilc is called a faa, but alfo that
the places about Babylon, . as (9) Abydenus
informs us out of Megafthcnes, are faid from '
the beginning to have been overwhelmed with
waters, and ~o have been called the.fta, ;
Cyrus, who was the conqueror of Babylon~
ancl transferred the empire from the Babylo- ..
nians t~ the Medes and Perfians, was p~ticu..·
larly foretold byname (If. XLIV. 28. XLV •. i.)'
above an hundred years before he was l:>orn. He
is honored with the. appellatidn of t/Je Lord's.
anointed, and the· Lard .is {aid to htl'Ve hokkn hi1
right /Jand~ and to have girded him.: (It:. XLV.
1, 5.) and he wrut raifed up to be an illftrumerit
of providence for great P\Jf!>Qfes,. a.nd was ccc.;.
tainly a pc=rfon of very extraorf.{i~ endow-
1?ents1

•a>.t.,.....,,. Ferant, inquit, loca nomineappeltata.Eofeb.Pntp.

be oainia jam inck ab initio Ev~og. !--i~: 9. Cap. 41. P·+s7.
api1 obrat:i fiailfe-, ·marifqm: ~dlt. V1ger1. ·
· . • - • · {1)-omueai
 t 8j Dijfert{iti~fisr: on the ·PR 0 p lt'I~ c i E si
dibnts, tho- ·we' lhould allow that XenopK<)ii,'
h·a:d a littl~ exceeded the truth, and had drawd
Ins portrait beyond the reality. It was promifcd
that he 1hould be a great conqueror, {hould
.fo!Jdue· nations before him, (It XLV. 1. )" tlTlll I
wil! loofl the loins of kings to open /Jefore him the
ftwo-lea.Ved gates, and the gates fhall not be jhut :-
;ind he fubdued feveral kings, and took feveral
cities, particularly Sardes and Baylon, and ex.;
tended his ( 1) conquefts over all .Afia from the
river Indu_s to the JEgean fea. It was promifed
tlitt he lhould find great fpail and treafu~
among .the .conquered nations; (If. XLV. · 3.} ·
1 will give: thee the treafures of darlmtfl~ · and
hidden riches ·of flcret places: and the riches
which .Cyrus found in his cocquefis amounted
to a prodigious value in ( 2) Plinfs account ;
nor can we wonder at it, for thofe parts of Afia
at that time abounded in· wealth and luxury;
Babylon had been heaping up treafares for many
years; and the riches of Ctcefus king of Lydilli
whom Cyrus·conquered and took ·prifonet, are
in a manner become proverbial. ; :-. ". ·
· ··The time too of the reduction of ·Baf.yloit
was · marked out by the prophet Jerdnlah..
(XXV.
\ ·'' (i) -omneni Afi~m ab In~ Marfhtmi Chron. Sze. X"VIIL
~ia 11{q!l~ adIE&ecam mare. p. 587. ·
(.a) Plin.
 Di/[ertlllims the PaoPHBCi·~
OtJ s8j
{UV. II, 12.) . 'Il:Jefl •nstions (that is .the.
Jews and the neighbouring ·nations) jblzH ferw
-!& king of Bah,•loTJ {tvmty Jlars ; And it fhaQ
eame to f>'lfi when Jewnty years are 1Z&c0111plifoeJ.
tlMt I will p1111ifh tht king of Ba/Jylon, antl t~
uti:J11, faith tf?e Lord. This prophecy was ~
livered; as it appears from the firft verfe of the.
d>apter, in the fourth year of J1boiaki111 tbt .foti
of jojiab ling of Judah,. that 'IDllS thefir:JJ year ~f
Ne/Juchat1nt2zar king of Ba/Jylon : 1tnd from that
time there were (3) 70 years to the taking of
Babylon and the reftoration of the Jews. No.
buchadr-czzar had tranfplanted the Jews tQ
Babylon to people and ftrengthcn the place, ancl
their removal from thence muft have weakened
it very much ; and after th~t it was diftreffed
more and more, till at laft it ~as brought to
nought.
Several circumftanccs Ukewife of the ficgc
and taking of Babylon were prefignificd by the
prOphets. k was foretold, that God would
ftic- up the Medea and Pe~ 19ainft it • Go
up 0 Elam, that is Per6a, (It: XXI. 2.) ht/iegt
0 Mditl; and (Jei:. LI. u.) the. Lord bath
rllifo' up the Jiirit ef the kings of tk M~t/ts~
. for

(%) Pina. Lib. 33. C1p. rs. (3) See Prideaux and odia
Edit. Hardaia. chronoloscn.
(+) El11a
 Dijfertatiom ~ rhe ? Ro P HE c 1 i .s ~.
for bis de'Uice is agai,njl !Jllhylon to ik.JlnJJ·:!t:
And acco~di~gly it was. befieged by the united
forces of the Medes and Pedians under the
mmmand of Cyrus. the Perfian,. the nephe,,v
~nd fon-in-law of tbc: king of the Mcdes. T~c
l\fedes are chiefly fpoken of, as they were at
that time · the fuperior people. The Medes 1s
too a general name for both nations, and fo it
i~ ufed and applied by feveral Greek hiftorians.
as well as by the facred writers. Elam (+)
was an old na.me for Petjia, for the name of
Per/111 doth not appear to have been known in
Ifaiah's time; Ezekiel is the :fir1l who mentions
it. And (5) Bochart afferts, th:it the Perfuuu
were firft fo named from their becoming horfe-
tntn in the time of Cyrus, the fame word figni-
fying both a Perfian and a horfeman. Or if by
Elam we underftand the. province ftrialy fo
called, it is no lefs true that this alfo, tho' fub-
jcd: to Babylon, rofe up againft it, and upon
the
(4) Ela. dt Perfis, et cuni : ~s) At Perfis ip6s nomen f•it
Media fa:pius conjungitur. - ab equitatu, qua maximc walc-
Per/ar"• nomen, ante captivi- ban t, eq uitarc a teti'eris edoai.--
tatem BabyloniCam, obfcui'um Q.!!i cameo difcipliai .primu
fuit. Ezechiel primw, interbcl- illos imboil Cyros.-Iraqae ex
ticofas gentes, illos rccenfct, tam repenrina rnutatione fa8mn,
(117~ 10. & 38: 5.) quum non- at hzc ~gio D"'ID P•as• Cl in-
dum innotucrant res Cyri. A colz tND.,D Pw/1 clic:rrentur,
Cyro demum nationc Pcrfi, et id eft, equitcs. Arabia: enim
Titl:oriis inclyto, Perfarum glo- D"1E P•aru eft-tq uus. et O,..D
ria incrcbuit, Ma.dhami Chron. PJ,.,-;, equea (ut tldnici ilMD
•c. XV.III. p. 564•. P•aJ)
 _ Dijfertations 'on- the·PRoPnxciis. 2~~
tlie following occaliori. . Ahradates ( 6). was·
~eroy or governor of Sufa or Shu-'han, and
· Shulhan was the capital of the pro\lince of
Elam. (D.m. V.IlI. 2.} ~. wife Pantbea, a
"lady of exquifite bc~uty.- .happened to be taken
,.prifoncr by the Pcrfians. Cyrus. treated her
with !ucb generofityt and preferved her with
fuch _llrit't .honor (aft and i.nviol~tc:. fur h~r
hulband, as won the heart of the prhJCCs fo that
Ile and hie for~es !evdlted to Cyrus, ··and .fought
in bis army againfi the Babylonians•.
It was foretold, that varioµs nations (hould
unite againft Babylon; (If. X{JI. 4.) 'The· nclfl
of a multitude in the mountains~ lih. 4s of a great
.people i a tumultuouJ noife ef the kingdofll.S ef na-
tions gathered together; the Lord of"'1Js 1/lu}kretb
the '/JQjJ of the battle : and particularly it was
foretold, that the llingdoms of Ararat, MiRni, and
4flxh111az, that is the (7) Armenians, . Phry-
gians, and other nations fl10uld compofe part f>f
l\is
p,,,.,; Porro vox eadcm Pha- 'firnt,Perfarumcfifrequcnsmet-
,.;, etiam Perfam fignificat. Inde tio. Ante:i verifirnile efi He-
etl, qllOd neqae Motes, nee Ii- brza nominarn::i Ch11tet c'>'JI
bri Rcgwn. nee Ef~ aut Je- {'-'/ - magn:im Pe_rfidis part~m
· Ttmi:as, Perfarum memmerunt, rnclufiffe. BocharuPhaleg.Lib.
ne~oe qaifquam eoram, qui 4. Cap. 10. Col. 224. '
merunt aate C1rum. At in (6) Xenoph. Cyrop:ed. Lib.
banielc: d Ktcchiele Cyro co:i:- .f.• 5• 6, 7.
~i$', et in libris ParaJipomenon, (7) Vi~ Hochard PhaJ~.
er !Qra, ct Nehemia:, et Et: Lib. 1. Cap. 3. Col. 16. & Col.
ther, kc, qaiJ>0ftCyr11mfcripti -zo. Lib. ).·Cap. 9• Col. i74. ·
(8) Xe-
286 Dijfw11ztlon1·cn thtPaoraKcuts~
his army; (Jer. LI. 27.) Stt'ye up a.Jlmulard ;,t"
the lad, /Jlow the trtJfll/et among the iz4'tioiu"
prepare the nation.r againjl her, cizll tt1gethtr agll'ITifl
her· the kingdoms ef .ArarM, Mimli, tl'lld Ajh-
. chenaz: And accordingly Cyrus's army con~d
. of various nations ; and among diem were '(8)
th~fe very people, Whom h~· had conquered
before, and now obliged to attend him in: thiS
expedition. · ··
It was foretold, that the :Babyl0nians thould
be terrified, and hide themfelvc's within their
walls; (Jer. LI. 30.) :the mighty fllln of Ba/,y-
lon ha'Ve for/Jorn to fight, they have remaintjl in
thrir hold.t, their might hath failed, they /Jecaw
at· 'tlJOmm : And ·accordingly the Babylonians,
·after the lofs of a battle or two, never recovered
their courage to face the enemy in the field
again ; they retired within their walls, and the
(9) firft time that Cyrus came with hi& army
before the place, he could not provoke ·them
to venture forth and try the fortune of &nns;
even tho' he f~nt a challenge to the king to
fight
. (8) Xenoph-. Cyropzd. Lib. Xorl'IJI 1fior1'IS0 quia ad pugnui.-..-
J· P· 77· Lib. 7· p. 111. Edit. d!!m non exeunt. p. l l J •
. Henr. Stcph. 1581. . , (z.) )Ccnoph. Cyropccl. ~
(9) X'enoph. Cyropzd. Lib. 7.-.tr.>.csns •x•" •Al• "
5· P· 7S· Edie. Hetu'. Steph. "" &xi ,..J..· ... ~ ~ ...
1ss1 . .,, •• :llO .,.,.,., i ,_.,... ..•
. (1) Ib. Lib. 7. ""'ftf • fAll· 1'lf bys aniws ,.¥ ~"' W.-
PX.W,..
 D;.fwtatirms. on th.e .pa or H •.ct~ s.. 1 a87
Ag:ht. a duel with ·him; and the 1( 1} ~a.ft. time
thai he. came, heconful~d with ltjs ~c~rs
about the bdl ~t~ of carryjpg on ~c;. ~
' fince wth he they do not ~e. forth and
':.fight: . -
Ii was foretold, that the river !hould be dried.
.up. ~efof~ the 9ty 1hould be tak.en ; whi~h·
w~ very qnlikcly ever to happen, ( 2) the river
being more than two furlongs broa~, ~cl. dee.per
.tJi~~ ~o men ftanding one upon ano~er,. fo
that th~ c~ty ~as thought t.o be ;ft_ronger and
be~~Cf f~r~~fied by the river than by .the _walls~
but yet the prophets prediCl:ed th~ the water~
1houl~bedricd up; (If. XLIV. 27.) 'I~.faitb
ta, ~he dtep Be dry, """I will dry up thy rivers)
LJer. L. 38.) A drought i.t upon htr 'UJllter1, 4lld
thtyjhaU he dried up; (Jer. LI. 36 ..) ,I will dry
up·/Jer fea, and male her j}>nngs Jry: ·And ac~
.cordingly (3) Cyrus turned the courfc of th.e'
river Euphrates which ran thro' the midft ·of
Ba~ylon, and by means of deep· trenches and-
thc canals and lake before mentioned, fo drained.
· ; the
f 1Xo1"• Wrl .,.,. vaJidior eft !umifte qaam ~U­
tr.:L.f&f ITI ~XJJP,O•
Ti!pl lf1) i, tr~ 11 TO'{ TllXl~I.
ris. ibid. . •
(flamim' Jlaritudo eft plus quam (3) Herod. Lib. r. Cap. 19t.
id-duo ~:adia: et prof\mditu P• 79· Bdit. Gall:'. Xmopho•.
dntA·tut ne duo quidem viri Cyropa:d.Lib.7. p. 113. Edir..
aker~pn-alterum ftante• (upra StcpJi.
~~alb ~mineant. ltaquc urbs •
·· · (4} Heni.
 •\ - ' . . .
!·28B Difoldiions on ·1& ~~ROP~R CIZ.Sa
the waters, that the ~ver bc'came eafily fordable
for his foldiers tO enter the .City J and ~y thefe
~s Babylon was taken whic:h was other~
wife impregnable, and .was fupplicd with
pr~vifi~ns for very many years faith (+)Hero.:.
dotus, for more than twentJ years faith
Xenophon; or (5) as Herodotus faith, if the
-Babylonians had but known whift the.Per1ians
·were doing, by fuutti~g ~e gatcS•'which
opened to the river, and by ftanding upon the
-walls which were built as banks, they might
have tak~n and dcftroyed the Perfians as in a
net or cage. · ~ :·
It was·forettold; that th'e city lhould be taken
... by furprife during the time of a feaft; (]er.· L •
24.) I hll'Ve laid a faare far thee, and thotl art
o!fa tale11,. 0 Babylon, ar.d thou -wajJ Mt ~
t/10u art fau11d and. a!fo caught; (LI. 39.) Ill;
thnr
(4) Herocl.Lil>.t1· Cap. 190. CITOllllfU>O•o ¥>° ... ..piA.nc
trffHTo.(llUTO O'ITllS '"'"'' '""F"' Tit( 01~"""( IO'•A911r II( -nt• ~
~.- ~portan:rant per- .luqJ~ue4U ~ -~
multoram annorum commtl<l- Tl( 'l""\! &I S&O'~ ..~ I( ft•
-tus. p.79. Edit.Gale. Xenoph. 'flTOT&f!.O WV>d~ IXW'41fJ ...
Cyropzd. Lib. 7. •xow•( or.. .. ~TOI l'Jl'I . . .f ••,....... ...a-.
,.,,,,.J,,. .s>..11 " ••uO'" rr11J1. TIS T~ -~ T& f1!Ns nl _T.,..
ut qui res necdrarias haberent 1At1A"'f"'"'9o t>.laSo• ar ~ We ••
plu.s quam viginti &lllloram. iwpT,.. Q._uos Babyloaii. fi fac-
1· J 13. Edit. Steph. .tuui Cyri priu$ aut audiifeot aut
fenfiff'ent, inJ!;redi non permi6f-
(5) Herod. Lib.1. Cap. 191. {ent, fed pcalmo exitio ~­
. II I"' ""· 1rf91.,.S...,.e II '·"°'- fent. Nam obferati1 omoib~
• _..__,; a.iil""111M ft 111 Tiii K:i~ q 112 ad thamen ferut porclllis,
coo..
 Dtlfertations on tl.Je PR o PH E ~I! s-. ! 89
t&ir &at I :Will make their fta.Jls, and I will ma/le
them drunken, that they may rrjoice, and jleep ·a
pwpetual jlcep, and not 'll'a.~e, faith the Lortl j
(LI. 57.) And I will make drunk her princes, mu/
her '11Jift men, htr c11ptai11s and her rt1krs,. anJ
1

her mig!Jty mm, and they .foal/ j/etp a pt'1'petual

Jleep, and not wale, faith the Aing, whofe name is
the Lord of hojls: And accordingly the (6) city
was taken in the night of a great annual feffiv:tl.,
while the inhabitants were dancing, drinking,
and reveling ; and as ( 7) Ar!ftode reports. it
had been taken three days, before fome part rlf
the city perceived it ; but (8) Herodotas's ac-
count is more modeft 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. Thefe were
extraordinary occurrences in the taking of thid
city:
ce.t(~fifqae fcptis, ipfi pro (8} Herod. ibid. ~... .>, ,_ •
ripit tlantes illos pr_o_grefi"os ve- ,...s,o; '""' ..,,,.,o,, ;,, ,.,,,,,,...
h&ti in cavea ~piirent. ibid. WO Ta:• 'l'«t1ot ...~/",•.,.; Ttl•
(6) Herod. Lib. 1. Cap. 191. ""e' TIS rcrxo.1'a 'l'lOC •o>.10; I~·
p. 79 Edit. Gale. Xcnoph. Cy- .>.t.1Jto1..,,, TV\' Tl> f"'tTO• .....,~
ropecl. Lib. 7 • p. 11 3. Edit. Tell( Ttll !MfJ11>.n1t11, 8 p.«1-
Steph. 8u1111 ,,.,...,,..1.,.,. Tantaque ur.!
(7} Arift. Poltt. Lib. 3. Cap. bis erat i:mgnitudo, nt (quem-
~· ~ '1f ....,., MA.,._\' T(l'MIJ admo~um natranraccolre) q~oin
l!/<'l(O&r 111< ••cr9rcr~•• T• 1-''(0' '"'' capd effcnt qui extremu urbit
..,..,..,(. qua tertiam j:1m diem parte1 incolebant, ii qui me-
capta, partem quandam urhis diam arbcm ineolercnt id nef·
non fenfiffe dicunt. p. 34 r. Vot cirent. ·•
• !o
a. Edit. Du Val.
VoL. i. U

I
~go Pifforta_tions on the PR o P H & c I E s..
city : and how coul~ any man forefee and foretel
fuch fingular events, foch remarkable circum-
frances, without revelation and infpirationof God 1
But thefc events you may poffibly trunk too
r~mote in time to be urged in the prefent ar-
gument : .and yet the prGphecies were delivered
by llaiah and Jeremiah) and the faas arc rc--
,ated by no leis hill:orians than Herodotus and
Xenophen; and I1aiah lh·ed above 2 50 years be-
fore He~.odotu.s, and near 350 before Xenophon,
and Jeremiah lived above 15.0 years before the
one and near 250 before the other. Cyrus took
Babylon according ~o Prideaux in the year 539
before Chrift. Ifaiah prophefied in the· days of
-Uzz:iah, J.otbam, .dhaz, and Hezekiah, kings ef
Judah, (If. I .. 1.) which was at leaft 160 years
before the taking of Babylon, for Hezekiah
died in the year 699 before Chrill. Jeremiah
fo.nt his prophecies concerning Babylon to Ba-
l1yto~ by the hands of Scraiah in the fourth )'Mr
of the reign of Zedekiah, (Jer. LI. 59.) which
was 56 years before the taking of Bibylon, for
the fourth year of Zedekiah coincides with the
year 595 before Chrift. There is therefore no
room for fcepticifm ; but if you are ftill dif-
pofed to doubt and hefitate, what then think
you of the prefent condition of the place i
Could the prophets, unlefs they were prophets
·4· indeed,
-
 ,Differtationl on the P .ROP H E·<i°Ilt 1. 291
indeed, have forefeen and foretold what t'hat
lVould be fo many ages afterwards ? And ycl.
they have exprefly foretold that it ,fuould be
reduced to dr:folation. lfaiah is very flrong
.~nd poetical: (XUI. 19 &c.) Babylon tbe glorj
ef Jeillgdoms, tbt beauty ef"tbe Chaldtes.excellmcy,,
foall l>e as when God ()'l)ert/Jrew Sodom ·and Gomor-.
rah: It jhall never /Je inhabited, neither jhall it
6e dwelt in from generation to generation; 11e1"ther
jhaJI tht Ara/Jian pitch tent there, neither jhall
the fhepherds make their fold there:· But 'llJiJJ.
/Jeajls of the defert foaU lie there, and their hot!fo~
foal/ he full of doleful creatures, and owls follll
dwell tbere, and fatyrs foal/ dance there: And
the wild /Jeafls of the iland jhall cry in their: defb.-·
late houfls, and dragons in their pleafant pa/acer;-
mu/ her time is near to come, and her days jhall
not be prolonged. - Again (XIV. 22, 2 3.) I. will
rift 11p againjJ them faith the Lord of hqfts, and
cut o.ff.f;om Babylon the name, and remnant, and-
fa11 and nephew (or rather fon and grandfon)faith
the Lord: I wi/I atfo make it a pq/fej/ion far
tk hittern, and pools of water; and I wz1/ f·weep
it with tbt bejom if dtjlru8io11, faith the Lord of
hojls. · Jeremiah fpcaketh much in the fame
ftrain: (L. J 3, 2 3, 39, 40.) Be::arife· of the
wrath of the Lord, it foa!I not be i!lhabited, !Jui
it jhall /Je 'Zf.•holly defo!ate; e•very or.e that goeth hy
U 2 Baby-
 292 Dijfvtatimts on tin PaoPH·1c11•.
B40,·lon jluzU he a)Jmzi.foed, ,,,,4 biji Ill JI M-
/illgues : HO'llJ. is the hammet of tbd ~NP/I
ad efunda- amJ broim 1 lww is "/ldbylM '1tliWlll
q. Je.falation among the 11ations 1 'Ibuefwe tbt will/.
~ajls of the tkfart, with the. 'IDi/J '1111/11 .t *-
i,kmds foal/ dwell tbert, a11d tlH rlD/s, Jb"" "'1tf
#herein ; asd it fhaO bt no. #Ml inllditNI }#
t'Ver ; neither jha.ll it he dwlt in from gn1ration
to gmeratil»J : As Gad overtlwt'IJJ &dq111. mul Gt,-.
lnf)Tr.a/J, and t/Je neighbour cities thereof, fajtb ti#
L.ord ; fa np man jha/l abide theN, ntitJJ,r- jh4ll
4''U fan of mq(J t}weO therein. Agaia (Itl. 1 3,
~6,. 29, 37,, •~• 43.) 0 thou that dvJ6JlefJ 11/»S
~1 waters, a!nmdant in treafare.s ; 1bin, elld is
c,ome., and the lf?eafure of thy, cvveto.~llffi : AnJ.
·~kJ jha// 11().t. take pf thee a flone for a.. c.ornn. ,,,,.
a /Jone for Jou,,datiqns; bu! ti.Jou /halt lu O,falatt
Jo/, ruer, faith the Lord: And. the "'1tJ jhaJJ
tremhle and farrow, for t'Very purpofe ef ~ L,,,-J
J'fall be perfarme4 againji Babylon, to 10ake th,
land of Ba/Jylon a defalation without a11 inba/,itf!nl:
.A'4,d Babylon foal/ become heaps, a d-.oe/Jinz pillet ·
/or dragons, an ajlrmijhment and an hifli11t wthltll
".n inhabitant: The /ea is come up 11po11 /Ja/Jy/on ;
foe is covered 'with the multitude of t/N t0,ll'Ve.1
tli!reof: Her cities are a defolation,. " dry land.
4ni a 'wi/Jernefs, a land wherein no 11lll1Z.
ntithtr doth any fan ef man pafi ther~DJ... We ·
.
thadktJJ,

1hall

- ___..._
 l
r I

I
I

Dflfartati'ms on the PR oPa E c 1 E s. .

thali tee
how thefe end other prophecies h&Vtt
by degrm. been accomplilhed, fbr in the na.:.
tare of the things they could not be fulfilled all
it bnce. But as the prophets often fpeak of
things future, as if they were already cfTetted j
fo tliey fpeak often of things to be brought
~bOlir· ih procefs of time, as .if they were to fuc.:
ceCd lmm~di:itcly J paft, ptefent and to com•
being all alike known to an infinite mind, and
the intermediate time not revealed perhaps to
die minds of the prophets. ·
lfaiah addrdfeth Babylon by the name of 4
'Virgin,· as having never before been taken by
•ny enemy: (If. XLVII. 1.) Come down tmdjit
in tk du.ft, 0 virgin Jaughter of Bab]lm, .fit 1111
the ground: and ( 9) Herodotus &ith cxpreily,
that this was the fi.rfi: time that Babylon wae
taken. After this it never more rccovetod ·its
ancient fplenddr; from an imperial, it ~­
a tributary city ; fron> being governed by ite
own kings 1 and governing ftnrngers, it came
itfelf to~ governed 9y fuang.ets·; and the feat
'of .etnp.itc being transferred ta Shu1hin., it de.. ,
cayell by degrees, till it was reduced at laft to
· utter

· t.) :K&6 !.flu~•• p.n :,,.,, Lib. 1, Cap. 1~1. P• 79. Mit.
..,.,,;, .-pre. Atqae ita pri- Gale.
aiq capia ~ft Bab7lon. Herod. ·
tJ J <•> Kuee•

- I
 Dijfertations on the ·PROPHECiEs.
utter defolation. · Berofus in Jofephns · ( 1) faith·;
that when Cyrus had taken Babylon, he
91"dered the outer walls to be pulled down,
pec~ufe the city appeared to him very factious
and difficult to be taken. And ( 2) Xenophon
jnforms us, that Cyrus obliged the Babylonians
to deliver up all their arms upon pain of death,
diftributed their bcft houfes among his officers,
impofed a. tribute upon them, appointed a
firong garrifon, and compelled the Babylonians
to defray the charge, being defirous' to keep
them poor as the heft means of keeping them
obedient. ·
Bu.t notwithfianding. thefe precautions, (3)
'
they rebelled againft Darius, and in order to
pold out to the Jaft extremity, they took all their
.women, and each man choofing one of them, .
cnt. of thofe of his own family, whom he liked
beft, they ftrangled the reft, that unneceff'ary
mouths might not confume their · provifions.
~~ And· hereby,., faith ( 4) Di. Prideaux, " was very
".fignaUy fulfilled 'the prophecy of Ifaiah againft
~' theln, iri which he foretbld (Chap. XLV11.)
. ,, 9·)

{ J) K"(O' d'i B~uN.lris u- ••• '1"11• tro,,.,,-Cyrus aatem

"~'141'°'- x"' o-vn-"'~~ .-r• Bahylone Clpta, conftitutoque
1'• ,."' GOAlerc · n1x,11 ·.C.:i-rscr- exteriora ej us mu nimen ta diru-
x...,J-"''• :.... TO Ala.r av1M sea')'- ere, qaod civitatem videret ad
"'c:J1x11• 11411 ~1TllA1111o; ~ fli&l'll: tts riova3 mobi!ein, urbem \'Cl'O
ex pug-
 . ...
~

·Dijfertations on the PR o PH E c 1 E s ,· 29s

" 9.) 'That f'WO tbi'ngs foou!d come to them in a·
,; moment, in one day, the lofi qf childrm and tz~:!­
" d~whood, and that thefe foal/ cohye upon them in.
" their per:feflion, far the mu/tz"tudc ef their force->
" ries, and the great abundance qf their inchant-.
" mcnts. And in what greater perfection could
" 'thefe calamities come upon them, than when'.
'' they themfelves thus upon themfelves be ...
" came the executioners of them?" Or rather,
this prophecy was then fulfilled a fecond time,·
having been fulfilled before, the very night that
Babylon was taken, when the Perfians flew the.
king himfdf and a great number of the Babylo-
ni:ms. They fufiained the ficge and all the ef-
forts of Darius for twenty months, and at length
the city was taken by firatagem. .As
foon as.
Darius had made himfelf mafier of the place, he,
ordered three thoufand of the principal men t~
be crucified, and thereby fulfilled the prophecie&:
of the cruelty, \vhich the Medes and Perfians.,
lhould ufe towards the Babylonia~s; (If. XIII.
I J> 1 8. Jer. L. 42.) and. he likewife demolilh~d
the wall, and took away the gates,, neither '?f
which,

e:rpugnatu diBicilem-Contra (3) Herod. Lib. 3. Cap.

Apion. Lib. 1. Sea. 20. p. 150 &c. p. uo. Edit. Gale.
1344. Edit. Hudfon. (+) Prid. Connca. Part 1.
(2) Xenoph. Cyro~:e:!. Lib. Book 3. Anno SJ7• Darius S•
r·
71 I 14, & 117. EJi.t. Stcph0.
. + (s}-n
296 Di.ffertatkins on tbe Pao t H :s. c i &s. ·
which, faith (5) H~rodotus, had Cyrus dcne be·
fore. But either Herodotus, or Berofu$ piufi
have been miftaken; or we muft fuppofe that
Cyrus's orders were never carried into a~utioni
or we muft underftand Herodotus to tpeak of·
tpe inner wall, as Berofus fpoke of the outer i
and yet it doth not feem very credible; when
the walls were of th.at prodigious highth and
thicknefs, that there fhould be an inner and an
outer wall too; and much lefs that there fuould,
be three in~er and three outer walls. as ( 6)
Berofus affirms. :flerodotus (7) con,putes the
high th of t~e wall to be 200 cubits; but latet;
authors reckon it much lower, (8) <ll!int~
Curtius at 100, (9) Strabo who is a more exad:
writer at 50 cubits. H~rodotus defqibcs it as ~t
was original!y; and we may conclude therefore
that Darius reduced it from 200 to 59 cubits i
and by thus taking down the wal~ and d~ftroying
~e gates, ~c remarkably fulfille~ the prophecj
of Jere~iah, {LI. 58.) r'hus faith th.e +_rwd of
· hojls~

(5)-"l
'l'&llf CV~
'1' 11 Xqc
W'U~
"'f"'"'• W
Atr~O"ll'"f~• ,.,,
<'' ~,,.,,.s..,..Te -rrlf f&I~
.. ~.. --~~ W'lf'~
(TO 'fC&f , Cf'TlfH i>,.,, ~~fO' "'P' I(or,,, 1(111 '"""''· · rer11Q1
;,
;,., Bafifo>..ircc1 1wo1t1crt TllT•.,, q uidcm in teriori urbi, temofq ue
illaT•eo»
murc>1 clrcumcidh, ci: pariter exteriori in11rorum am-
portu oianca aaiolitm ct: quo. bitu1 ci'rca'1!dedit, · Apud ~
ram DCQ~rum Cyra1 f~t ptj_- fcph. coatra Api~n. Lib. 1.
qa eidem a {e capta:. · Herod. Sea. ~9· p. 1343. EdiL Hwl,
ea1~! . .. . - .
Lib. 3. Cap. • 59. p. a:z3. Edie. fon. ·
(7) ~' >a li~· ~
X'"'~
 D~i,,,s un thl. PaoPH&c1E:~. · ~
Mj&, V'lid brOdJ '&Nils of·&/Jyfim Jh•U /Je 71/ttrly
/,;"'"'' ·•nJ htr bigh gates.fotrii /Je h11T111 withjirt. .
. Xetxe$ ( 1) after his retUm from his u~for.:.
tartate expedition into Greece, panly out of
religious ·zeal being a profc«cd enemy· to· image·
worlbip, and partly to reimburfe himktf after ·
his immcnfeexpcnces, feif.ed the facred treafures, -
;uid plundered or deftroycd the temples and idols
of Babylon, thereby accomplifhing the prophe-
cies of Ifaiah and Jeremiah; (If. XXI. 9.) 11a-.
/!ylon is /alien, isfa/Im J and aU the graven images·
of her godl he hath /Jrollm unto tht ground: (If..
XLVI. J.) Bel 6oweth down, Ne!J.jloopeth, thdr
itlo/s were apoa tbe lmzfls, and upon tht cattle, f5,c:..,
(Jcr. L. 2.) Ba/Jylo11 is t11km, Bel is confaunJe_d,
Merodach is /Jrolun in piecer, her idols are confound-·
ed, her imagts are 6roken in /iect.r: '(Jer. LI. 4~.
47, 52.) .AnJ I will punijh Bel in Ba~ylon, an4 !
will'1ringfortbout ofhis mouth tha~ which he hat~
faa/Jowed up; 'l'herefiJre /Jehold the days come, thq~
1 wiH do judgm,nt upon the graven images efBa/Jy-
Jon;
X1••· cubltorvm ducentorQm Edit. Paris. p. 1072. Edit.
ccl6tadine. Ht rod. Lib.1. Cap. Am.Ile}. 1707. '
178. p. 74. Edit. Gale. ( 1) Herod. Lib. 1. Cap.
(8) Altit11do 1nuri C cubito- 183. p. 76. Edit. Giile. Arriaa
rum emi~etfpatio. Qsint. Curt. de Expcd •. Al,,x. Lib. 7. Cap.
Lib. 5·. Ca,. 1. !1· P· :196. Edit. Grunor.
(9) •~ ~ TIO #<"' ,,..,.. l,IJhcr'aAAaals. A. M. 3s26. p.
"",,,...., "X"C ftrt11••11T•. Al- 1 a9. Pridcaqx CQllnca. Part 1.
ritudine inter turres cabito~ B. +· Anno 4-79- Xerna 7•
rum. L. Strabo. Lib. 16. p. 7 38.
(z} Q.2in·
2g8. Dijfertati~m on the. PROPHECIES.
Ion; and again, Wherefore hehold the days COIM,
faith the Loi-d, that I wiU do jllligmtnt "/J<llZ i>er
grawn images. W~t God. declares, I will
ptmijb Bel ;,, Babylon, and I wiO 6ring forth that'.
wbicb he hath fwallowtd, was alfo litterally ful- ·
:filled, when the veffels of the houfc of God,
which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jc-
rufalcm, and placed in the temple of Bel, (Dan. ·
. I. 2.) were refi:ored by order of Cyrus (Ezra. I.·
7.) and carried to Jerufalem 2gain.
Such was the ftate of Babylon under the
Pcrfians. · ·When Alexander came thither, tho'
(2) QQintus Curtius fays that the·whole circuit
of the city was 368 furlongs, yet.Ju: affirms that
only for the fpace of 90 furlongs it was inha-
bited. The river Euphrates having been turned
out of its ~ourfo by Cyrus, and never afterwards·
reftored to its. former· channel, all that. fide.
of the country was .Hooded ey it. Alexander
indeed (3) purpofed to have .uw!e Babylon
the
· (i).Q!!iutos Curtius. Lib. 5. Lib. 16. p. 738•.Edit. Paris.
Cap. 1. Ac ne totam quidem p. 1073. Edit. Amftel. 1707.
urbem tea.is bccupnerunt; per (4) Strabo ibid. Plinii Nat.
XC ftadia habitatur; nee om- Hifl. Lib. 6. Cap. 30. Edit.
nia continua font. Harduin.
(3) Arrian de Exped. Alex. · (5} Plin. ibid. quz tameq
Lib. 7· Cap. 17. p. 296. et Babylonia cognominatur. See
Cap. u. p. 303. Edit. Gro- Prideaux Connea. hrt 1. B. 8.
nov. Hecatzas apad Jofeph. Anno 293. Ptolemy Soter. u.
· Contra Apion. Lib; 1. sea. u. (6} Vitring. Comment. in Ie-
p. 13+8· Edit. Hudfon: Strabo.· faiam. Cap. 13. p ••pt. Vol. 1.
i,.....
 Dijfertations orl t"he YR o Pa ! c IE s. ~9Cj
the feat of his empire, aOd aetually fet men at:
work to rebuild the tcmpfe·of Belus, and to re-·
pair the banlts of the river, and to bring back'
the waters again into their old channel : and if.
his defigns -had taken effect, ·how could the pro-
phecies · have been fulfilled ?. and what provi•
dence therefore was it, that his defigns did not
take cff"ec:t, and that the· breaches were never
sepaired ? He met with fome difficulties in the
work, and death foon after put an end to this
and all his other projeas ; and none of his fuc..:
cdfors ever attempted it: and (4) Seleucia being
•
boilt a few years afterwards in the neighbour-
hood, Babylon in a little time became wholly Je-
jo/tZt~. Seleucia 11ot only robbed it of its inhabi-·
sants;bat even of its name, being called- alk> (5}
Bcabylon by feveral authors. We learn farther
from .a fragment of Diodorus Siculus, which is
produced by Valefius, and quoted from him by
(6) Vitringa, tbat a king of Parthia, or one of
. his

1..,.~ i or.,, n.,eai. 11-·"•rr. fri6tmtrifit. P /11rifllo1 ,,,;,,, Ba-

L 'r· "· EVl'#ltr1ts, Pt1rtbo-
,_ "" (docuic Vale6os clarif-
'me quod eraditi viri lubenter
admiferant, legelHlum de Hi-
.,.,,,,,, Parthorum 1Tgi1 fatra-
pana, · ex circ1S1Bftantiis tcm-
poris hiftoriz, et coHaris locia
jwlioi ac Athcnei) l'i'ri• HJ'"-
'"""'• clllfiios 1vr1t111ro1 tutrhi111t1
'l:i11m11, ""l/11;,, f.n·itite l"''"
bylo11io1 ll'Vihus Je u111.ffe1 feruituti
lllltliBos, e11111 fJllUli fami:ia iii
Mrt1iam dijlrtJmulos m!fit. F orru11
poq11t et 11011Ullt1 t#/11hr11 1Ja":J-
lnis ig11i tratiit1it, ac pulchwrim•
f"4'Jllt flf'hu IAca rwrtit. Ace
'lidit cafus ftante regno Scleuci-
darnm, annis aclmodum CXXX
111te .£. V. nati Domini.
 !Ji.lfartatiom fJIJ t/Je P Jl o PH It c i' Ki.
his peers, !w-paffing all the famoua tyrantt ·ia
cruelty, omitted no fort of punifumeot, but {mt
many of the Babylonians and for trifting C..-
iuto fiavcry, and burnt the forum and '--of
the temples of Babylon, and dCQJOlifued the IJeft
parts of the city•. This happened about J 30. yeara
before Chrift : and now let us ke what accouot
is given of Babylon by authon after that time.. ·
Diodoros Sicutus (7) defcribes the baildiap
as ruined or decayed in hi1 time, and a1ferts tbac
DOW only a fmall part of the city ii inbaa.tat.
the greateft part within the walls is aillcd•
•
Strabo ( 8) who wrote not long after Diodtns.
:faith that part of the city the Pertians demoli81cci,.
·2nd part' time and the negletl of the Maceduai-
ans, and efpecially af~ Seleucus Nicauw W
b\1ilt
(7) .,.,, ~. Su~tn "3 .,.,. ~· a ;au04 u. 1' .,.,. .,_.,..
.,,.,..,, kaT"""'°ii111tr,.....Ttn rtllJ e>.1')1"'e'& '"fl T8 "nl~•
I XJO".C
.,.. ,..., .,..~, fl~*""'· .,. ., ... ~ ....,_ .. ~
,,..,,....,.1.. -. 'Y°'f a111..c 'S'llC ...., ..,. "¥ T1yp1a .,.,._
Bl&flr:llMrO( '1/r f3f&')(.ll fo"fOC
Tl 'S'llC JJa/311~ .. T~ tnl
.,.,,1..., raa'l11e ,1,.x1n J:e>.nruc a N-·
n .la ..,..,,., o1or "'"'XoC
,....,,,Ml_ . B.c~iafque et aliaa- i.,. Kai ~ 9 - ( . - ei
Ar11Cl11ras parum tempus oa- ,,....·. •'Ju ;.....1.c "'C' .,......
nino abolevic, partim corrapit. ~.. "' .Wt, - '" fi-.
Na.met ipu1&S Bab1Ioni.exigu ~ o1.&. ~,__.. w
41uz·lam portio nuac habit.atar. lit - ,., ;, ,_ ,.,._ S.S~
mu:"i1'laque intra maroa para ~ r{'••· ~ I ·~ i ~·
agrorum cwtui cft expoit&. - . - • ,.. - ............
Diou. Sic. Lib. 2. p. 70. ,..,.., ~ ... ft{ ,.,,, . . , _ . , , nn
Edit. Saeph. p.98. E:lit. R.bod. Tw ~ .,., • ~
. ,s) . - -· -1"".i,.. '"" ~.
'f11\Hlh ,.. ,..., It fi1f0'•1 'I'•
.,.,,..
 Dlffe,1atio1u. on the p lt 0 p H' E ~ I E!.
boiJc~S.IG\acia en the- Tigris in the neighbour-
i...d·:of Babylon,· and be and his ·fucceflbrs
ftD<Wed tboit- court thither: and now (faith he)
lolcmria is greater th~n Babylon, and Babylon
ltJ -moth defcrted, fo that one may apply to
&his whet the comic poet faid of Megalopolis in
AtUdia, '!'ht· great City is nO'lD /Jecl)mt 'a great
tie/wt. · Pliny· in like manner ( 9} affirms,
that ic was reduced to folitude, being ex-
hwfted by the neighbourhood of . Seleucia;.
bail& b' that purpofe by Seleucus N"rcator.
Al Scrabo compared Babylon to Megalopolis, fo
{ 1 ) Paufanias (who ftorilhcd about the middle
of ·the fecond century after Chrift) compares
Megalopolis to Babyk>n, · and· fays in his
Aruclics, that of Babylon, the greatefl:
city
~ ~ •ru i M.,.w... Eft magna folitodommc Me-
9'>.K· galopolis.
- c t urbis partem Pc~ di- Strabo. Lib. 16. p. 738. Edit.
rucnuat. partcm temp•• cOA- Paris. p. 1.073. Edit. Amftel,
fumf »t et Macc:donum negli- 1707.
~ prz(ertim pollquamSe- (9) Cctero ad folitudincm
kucua Nicator Selcuciam ad rcdiit, cxhaufta vicinitate Sc-
Tigti1Jl condidit ftadi.is cantum laciz, ob id condit• a Nica-
CCC aBabyloaediftitam, Nam tore. Plin. Nat. H,ifl. Lib. 6.
et ille et poftcri omnl:i hui'" Cap. JO. Edit. Ha~dui11.
vbi maximopere ftud11cr11nt,et (1) Ba/3uMiu, .J. ~c
regiam cotranftulcn1nt.et nun1: ~>Tit• 11lt 11'0.i>o.l#f .... ""
BaDyloac ha:c major d, ill• ,...,,,,,,, ~. 11~0 IT• ,,, U ,....
magq ex parte defcrta, ut in- ""XO(· Babylon omoium., quas
ucpidt de ea u{urpari poflit, unquam fol afpexit, urbiumi
q11od. de Meg;llopoli Arcadiz aauima. jam nihil ptlllter mu-
m~na '!rbe quidam dixit Co. 1oa rcliql&i habct. Paafu. Li~
.aucu1; 8. Cap. 33 •
(z) a.13.,.

.·
 Di.ffertati011s on the Pao it HE c IE S.
city that the fun ever faw, there is nothmg
now remaining but the walls. Maximus
Tyrius ( 2) mentions it as lying neglected · and
forfaken; and (3) Lucian intimates, that in a.
little time it would be fought for and not be
found, 'like Nineveh. In Jerome's time {who
lived in the fourth century after Chrift) it was
converted into a chace tD keep wild beafts
within the compafs of.its walls for· the hunting
of the later kings . of Perfia. · We have
~earned, (4) faith he, frotn a certain Elamite
brother,. who coming out of thofe parts, now
liveth as a monk at Jerumlem, that the royal
huntings are in Babylon, and. wild beafts of
~very kind are ·confo,ied within the circuit of
its walls. And a little afterwards he faith,
(5) that excepting the brick walls, which
~ter many years are repaired for, the inclofing
of wild beafts, all the fpacc within is defola-
tion. Thefe walls might probably be demo-
lifhed
(z) B.S11>--•o' r.111'1n:, . Max. egred!ens, nunc Jerofofymis vi-
Tyr. Difi'ert. 6. prope finrm. t::m cxigit rnonachorum, vena-
(3) ' OI/ fl'rT• ,...,,.II '"'" AllT'I tioncs regias elfe in Babylone•
{~.,.,,.., "''"'"'f ;, Nuo,. et om11is g<~neris be!lias muro-
haad ita multo poft defidcr:mda rum ej tis tam en am bit11 cocr-
et ipfa, quemadmodum nunc ceri. Hieron. Comment. in
Ninus. Lucian. Ewin. five Ifai. CJp. t 3. p. I I 1. Yol. i·
Contemplantes prope finem. Edit. Bcnedi~.
· (4) Didicimusaquodam fra- (>) -- exc::ptis enim mur:s
&re Elamita, qui de illis finibus coclilibus qui propter bdliu
con-
 .Dif/trtations on the PRo PH E c1E8. .303
lUhed ·by the Saracens who fubverted this
empire of the Perfians, or they might be ruined
or. deftroyed. by time: .but of this ~e read no-
thing, neithe~ have we any account Babylon of
for feveralhundred years afterwarcf..,, ~ere having
been fuc~ · a dearth of authors during thofc
times ot ignoran.ce. . . ·
Of later authors the .firft who mentions any
thing concerning Babylon, is Benja~in of Tu...
dela., a Jew who liv.:.:d in· the twelfth century-
In his Itinerary, which was writtel} almoft 700
years ago, he afferts, (6) that ancient.Babylon
is now laid wafte, but Come ruins are· ftill to
be feen of Nebuchadnezzar's palace, and men
fear to enter there on account of the ferpents
and fcorpions which are in the midfi: of it.
Texeira, a Portuguefe, in the ·defcription of
his travels from India to Italy, affirms (7)
that of this great and famous city there is
nothing but only a few footfteps remammg,
nor

conclodendas poll annos pluri- in Iefaiam. Cap. 13. p. -421,

lll09 inftaurantur, omne in me-
dio fpatium folit11doeft. Id, in
Cap. 14. p. 115.
(6) Benjamin. ltin. p. 76.
-c6qae hominea ingrecli ve-
J'Cfttar, propter ferpentea et
fcorpiones, qui funt in medio
ejas. Bocharti Phalcg. Lib.+·
s.
Cap. 1 Col. :z 34. Vitriqga
Vol. 1. Pridea11x Connea.
Part 1. Book 8. Anno :z93.
·Ptolemy Soter u. Calmet's
Dia. in BabyJop, >
(7) Cap. 5. Hujus nihil niJi
paaca fuperfunt vcftigia:. nee:
1n tota regione locos ullus eft
minus freqaeiu. Bochatt ibid •.
& Prideaux. .
(8) Cal-
 3041- Di.fert11tian1. 111-.t/Je P.aoPHIH~IE5.
DOI" in the wliole region is any place Jcfa fre.
~nted. '
A German traveler, wbofe name was Rau-
wolf, patred that way in the year of oar Lord
1574, and -his (8) account of the· rains ·of
this famous city is as follows. " The Yillage
" of Elugo now lieth on the place where
er formerly old Babylon, the metropolis of
K' Chaldrea, was fituated. The harbour is a
" quarter of a league's diftance from it, where
" people go afl1ore in order to ptoceed by Jand
" to the celebrated city of Bagdat, which is
" a day and a ha:lfs journey from thence eaft~
" ward on the Tigris. This country is fo
'' dry and barren, that it cannot be tilled,
" and (o bare that I could never have believed.
" that this powerful city, once the moft fiatcly
., and renowned in all the world. and fitu-
" ated in the p1ea{ant and fruitful country or
., Shinar, could have ever fi:ood there, if I had"
" not known it by its fituation, and many an-
" tiquitics of great beauty, which ate ftiJI
~' fianding hereabout in great defolation. Fidl:
~c by the old bridge \vhich was laid over the
" Euphr.ates, whereof there are fome pieces and
archea

(8} Calmet's Dia. in Baby· lay's ~dition of thele trHela

Jan.anclPridcauxas before, aud in Englifh. Part :. Cha):>. 7.
(9) Vld •

•
IL
 . .
Di./fortaiions tin t~e'PRoPHE-CIEs. 30)
• arches fu11 remaining -buift of burnt brick,
cc and fo ftrong that 1t is admirable. -Juft
" before the village or' Rlugo ~.-is rhe ~ill
" whereon the caftlc fiood, and die r:uins of its
. " fortmcations art ftilt vifible, thd demolilhed
" and uninltabited. Behind it, ahd ·pretty near
" to it, did ffand the tower of Babylon. -
" It is ftill to be feen, and is half a league
" in diameter; but fo ruinous, fo low, and fo
" full of venomous creatures, which lodge in
" boles · made by them in the rubbi!h, tha~
cc no one durfl approach nearer to it than
cc within half a league, except during two
" months in the )Vinter, when tbefe _animals
cc never ftir out of their holes. There is
" one fort particularly, which the inbabi-
" tants in the language of the country, which
cc is Perfian, call Eglo, the poifon whereof
cc is very fearching : they are larger tha11 our
" lizards. n
4- noble R.oman, Petrus Vallenfis, (Della
VaJle) was at Bagdat in the year 16 16, and
Went to fee the ruins as they are though~
of ancient Babylon; and he informs us (9)
that " in the middle of a vail: and level
cc plain,

"(9) Vid. Vi~ di Pietro Cletici Comment. in Efoiam.

cklfa Valle. Part:. Epill. J7. Cap. 13. vcr. 20. Vicrinz.
YoL. I. X Com·
3.~ Dijfertations -on the P ll o PH E c 1 Es.
" ·plain, aboot a quarter of a .league from
" Euphrates, which in that place runs weft..
u ward, appears a heap of ·ruined buildings,
" like a huge mountain, the materials of which
•s arc fo co11founded together, that one knows-

"
.
'~ not what
.
.tQ make of it.-lts· tituatioo and.
form .correfpond with that pyramid which
'.' Strabo calls the tower of Belus ; and is in all.
" like!ihqod the tower of Njmrod in Babylon,.
;,
I
or Babel, as that place. is il'ill called.-There.
~' appear no marks of ruins, without the compafs.
" o( t}lat huge mats, to convince .one (o great a.
~c city ?s B~bylon had ever ftood there: all one.
" difcovc;rs .within fifty or ~xty paces of it,
" being .. only the rem~ins here. and there of
'' fome ~ouridations _of buildings; and the ~un... ,
'' try round about it fo flat and level, that one
'' can. hardly believe it ibould be chpfop for the
~' a
fituation of fo great a.nd noble city .as Ba·
cc bylon, or that there were ever any. remark-
" able bujldings on it : but for my part I am
" afionithed there app~ars fo muc~ as there
'' does, confidering it is at )eafi four tbou{and
'·' years fince that city ·was built, and that .Dio-
'0' dorus Siculus tells us, it was reducad almofi:
'~ to no~hing in his time."
Taver-
Comment. ibid. p. 421. Vol. 1. Chap. z. Sea. 4. Nose N.
t.)1iver~al Hitlory. Book 1. {1) Tavernier ia Hanis.
Vol.
 1Jijertations iJn · i/Je p &OP HE C0: S,·
·Tavernier. who is a very cel®rated travder,
ti!lat.ts) ( J) that " at the parting of tqe Tigris,
" which is but a little way from Bagdat, there
" is the foundation of a city, which may focm
" to ha.ve .been a Jargc leagu.e in compafr.
~' Then: .ace .fomc of the walls yet· fianding,
~ upon · which fix coaches may go abreaft :
n They are · made of burnt brick, ten ilot

~' fquare, and three thick. The chronicles of

" the country fay here frood the ancient Ba-
" bylon." Tavernier, no doubt, faw the fame
tuins) u Benjamin the Jew, and Rauwolf, and
Peter dclla Valle did.; . but he thought them
~ot to be the· ruins of Nebuchadnczzar~s palace.
or of the tower of Ba~l. He adopts the opi·
nion. of the Arabs, and conceives them . to be
rather the remains of forne tower buik by one
of their princes for a beacon to a1fcmble his fub-
jcels in time of'war: and this in all probability
was the truth of the matter.
Mr. {i) Salmon's obfcrvation is juft and per-
tinent : " What is as ftrange as any thing that
" is related of Babylon is, that we cannot
" learn either by indent writers or modem
" travelers; where this famous city fiood, only
u in general, that it was fituatcd in the pro-
" vince
Vol. 2. Boo'k 2. Chap. S· Vol. r. Prefent State of the
(.t) Salmon's Modern Hill. TurkiJh Empire. Chap. 1 1.
X 2 (3) Han-
10.3 Dijferta1ion1 on the PaoPHECtB~.
f' vince of Chald~, upon the riva- Euphr.ates
f' confidcrably above the place whore it it
~' united with the Tigris. Travelers have guetred
!' f roQl tho great ruins they have difcovcrcd in
~! fcveral parts of this conn.try, that in thi$ or
'' that place Babylon ooce ftood: but .what
~' w.e come' to cxamin nicely the ~ they
" mention, we only learn that they arc cer-
" tainly in the' wrong, and ba.vc miftakeo
'' the ruins of Sclcucia, or fomc other great
" towo."
· Mr. (3) Hanw.ay going to .gi.e an accoQDt of
the .fiege of Bagdat by Nadir Shah, ptcfaccth
it in this manner. " Before we ent.c1' upon aDJ
0 circumftance relating to the ticgc of Ba!Jdat.

." it may afford fomc light to the fubjed, to

u giyo a fi1ort· account of this famous city, in
'' the neighbourhood of which formerly tl:ood
- (c the metropolis of one of the moft ancient
" and moA: potent. monarchies in the wodd.
'~ The plac~ is generally called Bagd't or Bag-
'.' dad, tho' ·fome writers prefcrve the ancient
•' name of Babylon. The reafon.of thus COIJ-,
'' founding thefe two cities is, that the Tigris
" and Euplu:ates, forming one common tlrcam
· " before they difemboguc into the Perfian
" gulf,
'3) Ibnway's TnmJs. Vol. ~· Part 3. Chap. 10. p. 78.
(4) Her.
,
 Differtations on the PR o Pa Ec r Es. joj
"'gaff, are not unfrequently mentioned as on~
" and. the fame river. It is certain that ·the
cc prcfcnt Bagdat is fitnated on the Tigris, hilt
H the ancient Babylon, accoromg to all hifio-

" riani: facred and profane, was on the Eu-

" phrates. . 'fhe ruins. of the latter, which
" geographical writers plaee about · tlfteeti
cc leagues. to the fouth of Bagdat, · are no\V fo
.c much effaced, that there are hardly any vef-
"· tiges of them to point out the fituation. • in
" the time of the emperor Theodo6us, · ·there
'' was. only a great park· remaining, in whidl
·u the kings of Pcrfia bred wild bea1l& for ·the
cc amufcmcnt of hunting."
By thefc accounts we fee, how punB:ualJy
time hath fulfilled the prediaions of the pro-
phets concerning Babylon. Wh~n 'it wa! con-
verted. .into a crude for wild beafts to feed and
breed there, then were cxatlly accomplilhed
the word9 of the prophets, that the wild /Jea/ls
.j th~ dtfeft •with the wild be'!fll of tf!e llanJ1
jhou/J moell there, and cry in their defllatihoufes.
Ohe part of the counfry was overflowed by the
rivet's having been turned out of its cour1e artd
btvcr reftored again to its former channel,
and thence became boggy and marfhy, ·fir that
if·might literally be faid to b~· a pof!dfion far th~
/littern and pools ofwater. Anotlier part ii
X 3 defcri~d
31 o .Dijfortations ..on_ ·the PRo PH E c i E 9,
dcfcribed as dry and naked, and barren of every·
thing, fo that hereby was alfo fulfilled another·
prophecy, which fecmed in fome meafmc to·
contr~dill: the former, -Her cities are a JdQlatio11,
a dry /pnd and (l wildernefs, a land iwherei11 no
man a'welleth, neither doth any fon '!l tlllltl p":fi
thereby. The p1 ace thereabout .is rcprefcnted ' as
overrun with ferpents, . fcorpions, and all forts·
of ven9mous and \lnclean creatures, fo that
-
1
•their ~ufis are full of doleful creatures, and dra-
gons. cry in their pleefant palaces ; atui Ba/Jylon
i1 hecome·heaps, a dwelling plate j~r dragons, an
'!ftoni.foment an4 an hi/Jing wit~ut an inbabitt111t.
For all thefe rcafons neither can the Arabimz
pftcb his tent there, neither can the Jbepherds male
tbeir folds ther~. And when we find that mo.,
dern travelers cannot now certainly difco~er the
fpot of ground, whereon this renowned city
once was fituated, we ~ay very properly fay,
How is Bah)·lon b.ecome a defolation among tbt
nations ? Every purpofe of tbe Lord hath be /tr-:
formed again.ft Babylon, to male the /(Ind of Ba6J'-
/otJ a defolation without /Jn inha/Jita11t : and the
exprcffio~ is n<> J~fs true than fublime> that
the Lord of h,ojis hath /'Wept it wflb ~ /Jej;m '!J
Je}JruC/ion.
How wonderfoJ are f uch predictions com~
par~d with t~~ even~s, ~nd what a coii•incio8
.· lrgu-
 Di.f!ertrJtions on ·ibe · PR o Pii :E c 1 E ~- 3-1 t
argument of' the truth and diviaity-of the. holy.
f criptures l · Well might God· ·allege · ·this a6 a-
memorable- ·inftance of his prefcience, and chal-'
lepge all the falfe gods;~ and their votaries, t9"
p1'ochree the · like. (If. XL V. 2 1. XLV.I. 1 o.)
Who· brJtb dt!Clared this from ancient time ? who
hath· to/ti it from that time ? htroe not I the LOf:d ~
a11d there is no God elje be/jde me, a jujl God and
a S1JVitJur, there i.s none be.fide mt ; Declaring tht
end jrom th~ btginning, and from ancient •tit11t1·
the things that art not yet done, faying, My co11n-
fll }hall fland, and I will Jo all my pleaJure. And .
indeed where can you find a fimilar: mftancc
but in 'fcripture, from the beginning of the
world to this day· ?
· At the fame time it mull afford ali readers
o( an exalted tafte and generous fenti~ents, all
the friends and lovers of liberty, a very fenfiblc
pteafure to hear the prophets ~ulting over fucb
tyrants· and oppreffors
. r. .
as the kings of A1fyria.
lo the 14th chapter of lfaiah there is an Epi.J
nikion, or· a triumphant ode upon the fall of
Babylon. It reprefents the· infema~ man6ous
as moved, and the ghofts of deceafed tyrants
stifing to meet·~ king of Babylon, and oon-
gratulate bis,con:iing. among them. It is really
admirable for the fev.Cs:cft ftr.okes of irony, as well
as for the foblimeft ftrains of poetry. The Greek
X 4 poet
3•2. Dijfotttdfns on de. P1tot'UCJB·S~
poet ( +} Akz'1S, who is Celcbratt.d for. his ha-.
tired. te tyrants, aad -whofe· odes wa-c animatccl
with t~ fpirit of liberty ~ lcfs tbaa with the.
iprit of poetry, we may pr~fume to fay,. ~r
wrote any thia1 comparable to it. The 1-.
wo1thy prof~ of poetry at Ox~rd lwh emi..
D8Ddy diftinguilbed it in (5) bi1· lctl:wa upma
t,hc facl"ed peefy of the Hebrews, and hath
gwen it the cbaralter that it juL\ly deferves, of
eoe of the moft fpirited, moft fublime, and
~fl: pcrfe& compoiilions of the lyric kind, f~
porior to any of the produB:iQns ·of Gr~ or
Rome: and he hath ~ot only illuftrated ~ wiµi
an ufcful commentary, but hath alfo cppiccl
the beauties of the great original in an excdlen'
Latin !\lcaie ode, which if the learned rcade~
hath not yet fecn, 'he ~ill be {}Ot a l~tcle pl~afc4
with the ;>erui~l of it. ~nothc~ e~celleµt han~
Mr.· Mafon, hath likewifc imita~ed it in ~
Engliih ~e, with wµich ~ hope ·h~ wi~l (6)
9~ time or other oblige the publi~.
But not 9~ly in this particular, but in the
general ~~ fcriptu~~i~ ~ough 'often perverted
. . t<>,

(4)' HM. Od. II. XIJI. 16. CJ• tyrannoa iaCeaacu: ~

~t tefo11aulem pleoiuuurco.
Alczc:, plearo ·&c. (s) Lowtb Pr.elec. XIII. p.
'l!inail. Iniir. Oat. Lib. 1. uo,. ·&c.---viget per totom
Cap. 1. Alcz11'S in parte opcri• fpirituf liber. excclfus, vereque
aur~o pleetro m~ri.to do11acar~ divinm; neqae deei.quidquam
.. . ad
 DiflrJIJ!.i11ns ~_I~ PRaPS:KC-IEs.
to the purPofes of tyranny 1 arc yet in their
own· ·nature calculated to protnot~ the civil a
well as ~~ religiws liberties of mapkind.
True religion, and virtue, and liberfy are mo~
pearly related, and more. intimately connctlcd·
with each other, than people commonly con-
fider. It is ·\'ery true, as St. Paul (aith, ( 2 Cor.
UJ. i 7.) that 'Whert tbt Jpirit ,Y the LDrJ is,
there is li6erty :. or as our Saviour himfelf ex-
prc1Teth it, (John VIII. 31, 32.) q 7e conti=
;,, 1!IJ 'WOl'I, then are y1 my Jifciples inJ1ed ;. And
,, jhdJJ ~ tie lr#Jp, 1111d the trutb .fhall .mau
'4Jrt1.
ad {a~ haju(~e Ode fabli- aat fecudum. f rielec.XXVllt.
mitatcm abfoluta pulchritucline P· 277, &c. •
cumuludam : cur, ut plane di- (6)· Mr. Mafon hat'll fince
~- q11od fentio, nibil habet publifhed this with fome other
(;rzca aut lt.omana poefis fimile Odes in 1;s6.

•
31 + Dijfartations on the P ll o PH E ·c 1 Es..

. XI.
. .
.. Tht f ropheciet conc~rning T .y R E.
. N-0
A THE R city · that was an enemy
to the Jews, and another memorable
inftance of the truth of prophecy, is Tyre,
whofe .fall was predieted by the prophets, and
particuia·rly by Ifaiah and Ezekiel; But it hath
been quefrioned among learned me~, which of
the Tyres was the f~bjelt of thefe prophecies,
whetner · Pal~tyrus or old Tyre that was
ft:ated on the continent, ·or new Tyre that ·wasr
built in an iland ·almcft over againft it. The
trueft and heft anfwcr I conceive to be, that
the prophecies appertain to both, fome expref~
fions being applicable only to the former, and
others only to the latter. In one place (F.zek.
XXVII. 3.) it is defcribed a~ fituate at the entry
ef the fea; in others (!er. 4 and 25.) as in ti#
midft ef the feas, or according to the origfoal _;,.
the heart ·of the flas. Sometimes (Ezek. XXVI.
7 &c.) it is reprefented as befiegcd 'With horfts
and with ~ariots; a fort, a mount, and mgins
ef 'W'{r, are }et again.JI" it: at other times (If.
. ' , XX III.
 Di./fartation1 on the PROPHECIES. ·
XXIlI. 2, 4, 6.) it is exprefly calJed an i/and,
and thefi'a, roen thejlrength efthe fea. Now it
is faid (Ezek. XXVI. 1 o.) By reafan of the abun-
dance of his borfes, their dujl jhali CO'Ver thee, tbp
VJalls jha/J .foake at. the noifl of the borfemtn,
and of the wheels, and of the chariots 'll:hen he
Jhall enter ints thy gates, as mtn enter into a citr
'WINrtill is made " /Jreacb. The·n it is faid {ver,.'
12.) 7'hey foal/ 6reak down thy walls, and drjlrtiJ
thy pita/ant boufts, and they jhall lay th;t ./iones,
•11d th] ti111/Jer, and thy dufl in. the 111id}J of the •
wter; and again (Ezek. XX VIII. 8.) 'They jhall
'ring thee drum to the pit, and th~u foalt die the
<featbs fl them that ar.e j/ain in the mi4Jl ef t!M
faa1. The infular Tyre therefore, as well as
the Tyre upon the continent,, is included in
thefe propbcci~s ; they arc both comprehended
under the fame name, .and both fpoken of as
pne and the fame city, part built on the conti.
ncnt, and p~r~ on an i1and adjoining. It is
commonly faid indeed, that when old Tyre
was dofcly befieged, and was near falling into
the hands of the Chaldreans, then the Tyrians
fled from then«:e, and built new Tyre in the
iland : but_ the t~~rqed ( 1) Vitringa hath proved
at
t ! . :
.
(1} Vitring•. Comincnt\ l~ Icfaiam. C•P· ~3· · Vol. 1, p.
667-671.
(z) Cir.
 Dijfertations dfJ ihe PROP HE cix·s~
at large from gOCld ·authotities, that new Tyre
was founded feveral ages before, and was the
ftation for lhips, and confidered as part. of old
Tyre : and ( 2) Pliny fpcakmg of .the oompa<•
of the dty, rctkons both the old and the new
together.
Whenc\rer the prophets denounce the down-
fall and defolation of a city or kingdom, they
nfually defcribe by way of contraft its prcfcnt
floriilijng condition, to fbow
_in a ftrangcr
point of view how providence lbi~th and
changeth the fcene, and ordereth and difpofeth
all events~ The prophets Ifaiah and Ezekiel
oriferve the fame method with regard to Tyre.
lfaiab fpeaketh of it as a place of great anti-•
quity, (XXIII. 7.) Is this your joyow ca,, riD&Je
1mti1uit1 ;s of ancient daysf And it is men-
tioned as a ilrong place as early ·as in the mys
. of Jolhua, (J<>lh. XIX. 29.) tbe }Jrong cii, Y"J"t,
for there is no rcafon for iu'ppofing with (3) Sir
John Marfi1am, that the name ·is ufcd hero
by

(2) CircaitusXDC. mill. paf- " ...., - . . - - . Di -rx-

... -- .,,,, .............,....,.eS.r,-

(uumcll, intraPala:tyroinclafa. OT&Ttl •llA•( Toe-( IS'D, ti ......
Plin. Nat. Hill. Lib. 5. Cap.
•7· Edit. Harduin.
'"' ""°'
avry ttams n
(3) Marlhami Chron. Sze. ,.,,, "PX""•antT•· Pot SidoneJb.
X . p. z:;o. Nomen id per pro- maxima ct an1iq uiftiu-a Phomi-
lc,11i . 1i.u pa·u-, &··, cum eft Ty. H, nm SiJone et
(4) Mara :, :t1J'.,a, ,.....,,.
m.•gnitudinc ct forma et anti-
. ciuiwe
 ·Di.ffert11tion1 on tht P 1t o PH E c Ii s~
)

31;
...
by way of proltpjis or an~cipation. Nay there
are even heathen authors, who fpeak of the
fufular Tyre, and yet extol the grea~ antiquity
of the p13:ce. The (4) .Greek geographer Strab~
faith, that after Sidon the greateft and·. moft
ancient city of the Phcenicians is Tyr~, which
is a rival to Sidon in greatnefs, and luftre, an4
~ntiquity. The (5) Roma~ hiftoriari ~intus
Curtius faith, that it is a city remarkable to
poftcrity both for the antiquity of its origin,
and for its frequent chan.ge of fortune. ·Herodo-
~ ( 6) who was himfelf at Tyre, and inqu~reci
into the antiquity of the temple of .Hercules,
was informed by the priefls, that th~ t~mplc
• was built at the fa~e time as the city, and from
the building of the city they c;ounted two thou-
fand aq.d three hundred years. The ironical
~preftion .of the prophet, Is this 1our joyous city
.Whofi 11ntiquity is of 1111dmt days? implies that
the Tyrians were ~pt to boaft of their antiquity :
and by this account of Herodotus it appears
that
\

qaitate comparanda.Strab. Lib. :.tpv.S.,r.N. ma1 ~. l'Tf& &l/J ;,

&6. p. 756. Edit. Paris. p. 1097. Tu~• oiuwcn, 'TC*ll"OCTI• ·JC<¥•
Edit. Amftel. 1707. ~"'X·~•·quippe d:c::ntes ab
h) Urbs et vetuflateoriginis urbe condita foiffe dei tempi um
ct crcl>ra fortune varietate ad pariter extruaum : etre autem
DMmoriaa pofteritatis infignis. a Tyro condita annoram duo
Q...U.r. Cun. Lib. 4. Cap. 4. millia ac trecentos. Herod.
(6) If-•• '1f'P• &;- T11F" Lib. 2. Cap. +f· p. 107. Edit.
••111C'Of""!' ""' n ir• " .&u, Gale. ·
{7) "'t:o
 Dijfertations ·on ·the PaoPHECt.E.~
that they did fo, and much exceeded die truth :
but there could have been no pretence for their
boafiing of thoufands of years, if ~e city had
not be~ built (as fomc contend) till after the
dcftruB.ion of the old city by the Chaldzans,
that is ~.at 13 o years ~fore. Jofcphus (7)
afferts. that· from the building of Tyre to the:
building of Solomon's temple were 240 years:
but he
is with reafon (8) fuppofed to fpeak of
the infular Tyre ; for the other part of the:
city on the continent was much older~ was a
ftroog place~ as w.e .have feen, in die days of
Jofuua, and is mentioned in the fragments of
-( 9) Sanchoniatbon,. the Pha:nician hifiorian,
who is ( 1) reckoned to have lived about the
time of Gideon, (2) or fomewhat later.
But ancient as this city was, it was the
Jaughti:r of Sidon, a_s it is called by the pro-
phet lfaiah, (XXIII. I 2.) and (ver. 2.) thl
merchants of Sidon, who pafs aver the fea, repk._
nijhed it. Sidon was the eldeft fon of Canaan,
(Gen. X. 15.) and the city of Sidon is· men.
tioned
(7) atro ~ ,..,,~ au111:ru1; Tv·
.
Sea. r. p. 341. Edit, Hudfoa.
fW .., " ' 011tocl'•I"'"'' Tll ""' (8) Yi<lc Vitring. ibjd. p.669.
.
laa,,~m i(i0•9' 1T1111 -raun~rr.- (9) Apud. Eufeb. Praepar.
1to•i-• JUM- l&a1U1u1.,.~
A Tyri Evang. Lib. 1. Cap. 10. p. 35•
autemconditu ufqueaJ exfiruc- E;dit. Vigeri.
tionem templi clapfi font anni (1) Jr:ique .commode rejici·
quadraginta et ducenti.. Jo- tur in Gideonii 1empora &c.
fcph. Antiq. Lib. 8• .Cap. 3. Bochart. C~anaan. Lib.~. Cap.
·1;.
 D#.ffe¥"tations on the.PROP.HBCIES. . $1~
!i<med by th~·patriarchJacob, (Gen. XLIX. 13.)
a_nd jn. ·the days of Jolhua it is callc;d_ great
Sidon, u·<?fu· XI. 8.) ~d in the days of the
judges. the inhabitants of Laiili. are faid'"(Judg:
XVIII. 7.) to have dweft carelefi atfd/eftfre after
the manner ef. the _Sido11Ufps;. We ~a.vc''feen al-
ready that St_raba.affi~~s·,r that. after ~ydon Tyre
;vas the greateft ·and .moft ancient city ·or the
~hil!nicia~s;. and he (3) ·.afferts likcwi{e, that
the poets· 'have celehrated Sidon more,1 and
Homer hath not fo mµch as ment~oned Tyre,
tho' he commends Sidon and the Sidonians iia.
f~veral ·places. It may be therefor~ with reafon.
inferred, that Sidon was the more ancient: and
(4) Jufiin, the epitomizer of Trogus, hath
exprefly informed us, that the Sidonians being
bcfieged by the king of Afcalon, went in ihips
?Dd built Tyre. But tho' Tyre was the daugh..
ter of Sidon, yet the daughter foon equalled,,
· and in time excelled the mother, and became
the moft celebrated place in the world for its
trade and navigation, the feat of commerce
·and
17. Col. 776. Tyri non meminit. Strabo ibid.
(%) Stillinglleet's Origincs P· 1c97.
Sacre. B. 1. Chap. %. (+) Poft multos deindc annos
(3) 0. y.1• ¥t ftlW. ., Tiit a rc~e Afcal;onorum cxpugnati,
0

J;.)o.. "~'""""- ~.. nav1bils appul6Tyron urbem-

·o,..~ la JI f"IJ""IT•• 'rlK Tu,-. condiderunt. Juftin. Lib. 18.
Poetz qnide111 magis Sidoncm Cap. 3. Seel. 5. p. 362. Edit.
celebrant, atqui adco Homerus Grzvii. .
(45) Plw-

-
. - Difertations m ihe P:a.ofHECUts.
and the center of riches,. and ia therefore call•
~d by Ifaiah (XXJII. 31 8.) " tll1lrt of ~
tions, the crowning city, wbefe . mercbtMts llrl
prin~ts, whofo tr.'!ffick.ers are the ho,,orahlt rj tlv
earth: and Ezekiel, as it were commenting
upan thofe words of Ifai~ /1 mart of 11.eions,
(Chap. XXVU.) reco~nts the. various nati-
~ms, Whofc . corrunoditi.es were brought to
1)re, and were bought and fold by t~c Ty-
tians.
It was in this wealthy and floriiliing con-
dition, ·when the prophets foretold its de-
. firuClion, Ifaiah 125 ·years at leaft before it
was defiroyed by _Nebuchadnezzar. Ao ex-
~enfive and bcne.6.cial trade foon produces
luxury and pride. So it fared with the Ty..
rians ; , and for thefe and their other Ticcs,
as well as for their infults aµd injuries done
to _the Jews, the prophets prophefied againft
them. Ifaiah mentions their pride as the
great occafion of their fall, (XXIII. 9.) 'Tht
Lord of hofls hath purpofed it, to /lain tht
pride qi all g!or;·, and tri bring into contempt
'111 the hsnfJ1'o61e ~f the earth. Ezekiel (XXVII.
3, &c.) · deforibes at large their lux1.1ry even
in their fhipping. Cleopatra's_ failing down
the river Cydnos to meet her gallant, An-
tony, was not with greater finery and mag.
· nificence;

•
 · Differtations on tbe PRol' HECIE s. 321
11ificei1ce ; nor have {5) the hiftorians and poets
painted the one in more lively colors, than
~c pr0phet hath the other. He ce~fures
Kkewife the pride of the king of Tyre in
mogating to himfelf divine honors, (X~VIU•.
2, :&c:) Son of man, fay unto tbe prince ef. I \

'fjrus, 'I/Jus faith t!Je Lord God, Becaufl thine

/Jeart it liftet! up, and thou hajl fai'd, I am'
a God, I .fit in the feat of God, In the 111i4JI
of the flas ; yet thou art a man, and not God,
tho• t!Joufet thine heart a.r tDe heart of God: -
With thy wifdom and with thine unde!fiaRd-
ing thou ha.ft gotten thee riches, anti ha.ft gotten
gold anti jil'Ver into thy treafares: By thy great
wf/Jtmi and /Jy thy traffic ha.ft thou increafid
thy ric/Jei, and thine heart is lifted up /Jecaufe
of thy riche1: 'Iberefare thus faith the _Lord
God, Becaufi thou hajl flt thine heart a.r the .
heart of God; Behold therefore, 1 .will /;ring
.flrangers upon thee, the ttrri/;/e of the nations;
and they foal/ draw t!Jeir /words againjl the
6eauty of thy wifdom, and they JhaUd¢!e tby
/Jrightnefi: 'They jhall oring thee down to the
pit, and tlJou jhalt die the dt!afhs of them that
are jlain in the mzi!Jl of the flas. The pro- ·
phets
(S) Plutarch in Antonio. P· Sl'3• Vol. i. Edit. Paria 162...
Shakefpear. Dryden.
Vo i.. I. Y (6) Annalc:s

, I
32 2 Dijfertations on the P ito PH Ec·1 ES•
phets Joel and A;mos had. before denounced
the divine judgments upon the Tyrians ·
their wickednefs in general, and in particu-
f'*
lar for their cruelty to the children of lfrael>
and buying ancl. felling the~ like cattle in
the markets. Thus faith the Lord by .the
prophet Joel, (III. 5, &c.) Becauft fe haw
taken my filver and my gold, and have carried "
into your temples my goodly pleafant things : 'Ihe.
children a!fo of 'Judah, and the children oj 1t-
rufalem have ye fold unto the Grecians, 'that
ye might remU'IJt them Jar from thnr P<Jrdn-:
Behold, 1 ·will raife them out of tbt place ubi-
tber ye have fold them, and. will return your
recompmfa upon your own head. Amos fpeaketh
to the fame purpofe, (I. 9.) Thus faith tht
Lord, For three tranfgrdfions of 'Iyrus, and {or
four I will not turn away the punijhment tha-t-
of ; becaufl 'they delivered up tlM whole capti-
lfJity to Edom, and remem/Jeretl not the brotherl]
covenant, that is the league and alliance
between Hiram king of Tyre on one pa~
and David and Solomon on the other. The
Pfalmifi: reckons them among the moft in-
veterate and implacable enemies of the Jewllh
name and nation, (PfaJ~ LXXXUJ. 6, 7.)
'!'he tahe1·nacles Rf Edom, and tht /jhmMlius,
rf Moa!J, and tht Hagarenes, Gt/Jal, and All#IJllll>
11nJ
r

'Dif!erta#ons on t/Je P .R_ a P H E c 1 B s. 32 3

Otul .Amakk, the Philiflines with the_ inha/Jitanis
of 'l'yre.. E.Zekiel: alfo begins his , prophecy
aga.inft them with a declaration, that it w:as
occafioned by thc¥r. infulting 1-;ev~r the Jews
upQn. the. ,taking of Jerufalem by Nebuchad-
pe;ur, (XXVI. · 2, 3.) Son fJf 111a11, Becaufi
tbat. 'I'Jrus h.td [aid agai'!fi Jerufalem, -.Aha,
,. /he is broken that 'Was tb1 gatet of the people·;
is
foe turned 11nto · me, I foal/ he rrpltnijhed,
flO'W foe Is laid wafle : 'Ihere/ore thus f aitb the

Lord God, Behold; I am again) thee, 0 'Tyrus,

anti.will caufe fllOTIJ nations ~o come up again.ft
thet, as the fea caufitb bis waves to come
"P· .
Thefe were the. occafion~ ~-f ·the prophe-
cies againft Tyre : and by carefully confidcring
and ·comparing 'the prophecies . together, .we
1hall find the following particulars includ~d
in them ; that the city was to be ~akcn and
dcfiroyed by the Chaldzans, who were at the
tiine of the delivery of the prophecy an
in..co1:1fiderable people, and particularly by Ne-
buchadnezzar king of Babylon;_ that ~~
inhabitants lhould fly over the -~editerranean
iot.O the ilands ~d countries adjoining~ and
even ·there lhould not find a · quiet fcttle-
mcnt 1 tha~ the city iliould be reftorcd
after 70 years, and return ·to her g~an
Y 2 and
324 Differtation1 fJ1l the P.lloPHECtEs.
end her merchandife ; that · it 1hould be
taken and deftroycd again ; that the people
fhould in time forfake theit idolatry, and
become conve'rtS to the true religion and
worlhip of God ; and finally that the city
fuould be totally defiroyed, and become a
place only for filhers. to fpread their nets
upon. We iliall find· thefe particulars to be
not only diO:inclly foretold, but. likewife exaCUy
fulfilled. ·
I. The city was to be taken and detlroyed
by the ChaJdreans, who were at the tim~ of
the delivery · of the propliecy an· inconfider-
able people. This, we think, is fufficicntly
Implied in thefe words of the prophet Ifaiah~
(XXIII. I 3.) Behold, the land ef the CbalMmtS ;
this p~le was · nat till the A/J1ri1111 fou.ndeJ it
far thtm that dwell ;,, the wildernefs, tbty fit 11/J
the . tfJWerJ thereof. the1 raifed up tht palaces
thereof; and he !Jrought it to ruin. Beho/J,
hl'l exclamation to fhow · that he is going to
..
u~er fomething new and extraordinary ; the
lmiJ of the Chali14am, that is Babylon and the
country about Babylon ; this people wm
was of no note or eminence, 'till' tbt A/IJ-
"°'•
rian founded it for them that dwell in tbt wil-
°Jernefi,- they dwelt before in tents, and led a
watidring life'in the widemcfs, till the Affyrians
3 ' built
 DifH'tation1 on the P .Ro PH E·c 1.1u. 325 :
bWlt Babylon for their reception ; thty fat up
tie ""1en.tber1of; the] raifeJ up the palaces then-·
'!.{; and 'Herodotus, Ctefias, and other ancient
hiRorian& agree- that the kings of Affyria for-
tined and ·beautified Babylon ; and he, that is,
this pegple mentioned before, the Chaldreans or
:Babylonians, !Jr.ought it to r11in, tha't is Tyre,
which is the fubjcct of the whole prophecy•
.The A1fyrians were at that time the great
monarchs· of th6 eaft ; the Chaldreans were their
flaves and fubjeCls; and therefore it is the more
extraordinary, that the prophet lhould fo many
years ~forehand forefee the fucce1fes and con-
qwefts of the ChaldzaM. ·
· Ezekiel lived nearer the time, and. he
d~lares exprefly that the city .fhould be taken
and deftroyed by Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon; (XXVI. 7- J I.) 'Ibus faith tbt Lord
Gail, Btho/J, I will bring uprm ~·rus, Ne!Ju-
,bmbtezzar lti11g of Baby•Jon, a ki11g of kings
from tbt north, with borfu, and 'llJitb chariots,
a,,J with borfamen, 11nd cMllpamts, and much
~oplt ; -he }hall Jl"Y thy ptoplt hy tht jworJ,
r11ul thy Jlrong garrifons jhall go dO'lvn to the
ground. Salmanefer )ting. of A1fyria (6} had
befieged
(6) Annal~ Menandri apud Jofephum,Antiq. Lib. 9.Cap.
1.f.. Scfl.i. p. +z8. Edit. Hudfon.
Y 3 (7) Jofeplt.

J
326 D!lfertatfons on the PROP HR CI Es:
befieged Tyre but without fuccefs ; the Tyr~mi ·
had with a few iliips beaten hls large fleet ;
but yet Nebuchadnezzar iliould prevail. Eze-
kiel not only foretold the ficge, ·but mentiOD8
it afterwards as a paft tranfaffion, (XXIX.
18.) Son ef man, Nebuchadnezzar iing. ef Ba-
bylon caufed his army to ferve a great ftnlitt
againjJ 'lyrus ; every head was made /Jald, mzd
every Jhoulder was peeled.
Menanqer the Ephefian tranflated the Phre-
nician annals into Greek; and (7) Jofephus
afferts upon their authority, that Nebuchad-
nezzar bcfiegcd Tyre I 3 years when ltho-
bal · was king there, and began the ficgc in
the feventh year of Ithobal's reign, and that
he fubdued Syria and all Phreoicia. The
fame (8) hiftorian Jikewife obferves, that Phi-·
loftratus. in his Indian and Pbrenician hiftories
affirms that this king (Nebuchadnezzar) bc-
fieged Tyre thirteen yea~s, ltbobal . reigning
at that time in T.yre. The Liege eontinuing
fo long, the fold.iers muft needs indure many
hardfuips, fo that hereby we better unde~d
the
(7) Jofeph. Contra Apion. 011'To~ o).a.,.;ttft
~ ~•trWut; , .. Tvpt'
Lib. 1. Seel. .zo. & 21. Edit. .1,, .,.. ~,_.,,,,_~.At' ....._
Hudfon. "" IC&lr• J.9o,9~ ~ Tllfll•
Philoftratus tam in lndicu cj1u
(8) ~ea10f '# ':'&I( l..l'tx;slC quam Phceniciis hilloriis, quod
•* U6 . .lrl. .SGll( i1"9Cljlllj1 O'JI liic rex trcd~ lllDoa Tyrwa
oppag.
 Dijfortations ~n the PR o PH Ee 1 E s ~ 32 7
the juftnefa of Ezekiel's exprcffion, that Ne-
fmtbtldnezR:ar tatffed bis army to firve a great
.farvice again.fl 'ljrus; every /J(ad was made /Jald
0111/:ewry fooulder was peeled: fuch light doth
profaJlc hiftory caft upon facred. It farther
app(!ats from .the Phcenkktn aQnals quoted by
the ~me ( 9) hiftorian, that the Tyrians re-
ceived their kings afterwards from Babylon,
which plainly evinces that fome of the blood
royal mufr have been carried captives thither.
The Phamidan annals too, as Dr. ( 1) Pri-
deaux hath clearly lhown, agree exaetJy with
Ezekiel's account of the time and year, where•
in the city was taken. Tyre therefore ac- .
cording to the prophecies was fobdued and
taken by Nebuchadnezzar and. the Chald2ans ;
and after this we hear little more ·of that
part of the city which ftood upon the conti-
nent. It is fome fatisfadion that we are able .to
produce fuch authorities as we have produced,
-0ut of heathen hifiorians for tranfaClions of
Juch remote antiquity.
JI .. The inhabitants lhould pa~s over the
Medi-

~ppagnaverit, cam illo tem- Lib, 1. Sea. :u. p. 1344.

pore lthobalas in Tyro regna- Edit. 1-tudfon. .
rct. Jofeph. Anriq. Lib. 1 o.
Cap. 11. Sea. 1. p. 460. Edit. (1) Prideaux Connell. Part
lfudfon. , 1. Book z. Anno 573. Ne-
(9} jofeph. Contra Apion. buchadnczzar 32.
Y 4 (:z) Bo-
. 328 · Differtations-on t"be ~R.OPHACUts·~
l'tiiediterran.ean into the ilands a,nd COtUWial
adjoining~ and even there ihould find .ao quiet
fettlement. This is plainly fignified bJ lfaiab ..
(XX III. .6.) P aJs ;•e O'lXr to <Iar/hijh, that is m
Tartetfus in Spain, howl ye inhMit11nts ef tbl
ile : and again ( ver. I z.) Arifa, pafi flWt" u c:hit-
tim, that is the ilands and countries bordering
upon the Mediterranean; there a!fo jhalt J'1t,,.
have no re.ft., What the prophet delivers by
way of advice, is to be underfiood as a prcdidioo.
Ezekiel intimates the fame thing, (XXVI•.18.)
'Ihe iles that are in the fia jhaU k trou/JJeJ at thy
Jtparture. It is well known that tbe Pb<Eni-
cians were the beft navigators of antiquity,
and font forth col~nies into fevcral parts of
the world. A great fcholar of the laft century
hath written a whole (·2) treatife of the .colqllica
of the Phrenicians, a work (as indeed all his are)
of immenfe learning and erudition. An.d of
all the Phrenicians tbe Tyrians were the moll
celebrated for their lhipping and colOQies.
Ty~

(2) Bocharti Chanaan. verunt. Strabo. Lib. 16. p.

(3) 'A• la "' A•{:3u'll• '""' '"'' 1 "97· .
(4) Coloni~ certe ejus penc
Ii''llf""' &'ll'OlkU•I· P.'Xl' """' .~,,
"'""'• .,.,,, T11eo• •Al•• orbc toto dilfufz fwit. Q...uint.
1fu,,.,t1<r1
l'-"M••· Colonia:: tamen in Curt. Lib. 4. Cap. 4.
Afrkam et Hifpaniam ufque (5) Legimus in hiftoriis Af-
ad loca extra columnu deduc- fyriorum, obfelfos Tyrios, poa.
tz, Tyrum plurim11m celcbra· qaam nallam fpem cvadenlii
vide-
 D!lfortatiom on t!Je PllOPHKCI Es: . 329
T~ exoeeded Sidon in this refpeit, as (3 t '
lftbo teftiies, 2nd fcnt forth coloaies· into
Afnca and Spain· unto and beyond the pillars
of Hercula : and ( 4) ~intus Curtius faiih,
that her colonies were diffiifcd almofi: over
the whole world. The Tyrians : therefore
ha¥ing planted colonies at TadhHh and upon
the coafl:s of Chittim, it was natural for thcin,
when they were prefi"cd with dangers and
difficukics at home, to fiy to their friends and
countrymen abrcad for refuge and prQtctlion.
That they really did fo, St. Jorome aff'crts upon
~e authority of A1fyrian hiftorics which are
now loft and perilhcd. ' We have read, ( 5}
' faith be, in the hiftories of the Affyrians, that
' when the Tyrians were befiegcd, after they
' faw no hope of cfcaping, they went on board
' their fuips, and fted to Carthage, or to fome
' ilands of the Ionian and JEgcan fea.' And
in another place he ( 6) faith, ' that when
~ the Tyrians faw that the works for carrying
OD

.idebant,confcenfis navibus fu. quid pttclofum in auro, argea-

giB'e Carthaginem, feu ad alias
Jo~ii ..£~eique maris infula1.
H1eron. 1n If. 23: 6. p. •#·
Vol. 3. Edit. Beneditt.
(6) ~odquumviderentTy­
rii jam Jamque pcrfeaum, ct
pcrcuRione arietum murorum
fundamCGta quaterentur, quic-
to, veftibuf~ue, et varia fupel-
leflili nobiluas habuit, impofi-
tum uavibus ad infulas afpor-
tavit; ita ut capta urbe, nihil
dignum Jabore fuo inveniret
Nabachodonofor. Idem in E-
zek. Cap. z9. p. 909.
(7) Ar·
 330 Dijfertations On the P~oPH:ECIEs:
c on th~ ficge . were perfeCl'ed, and the fouri;
c dations. .. :of the walls wer~ Onken · by the
c battering of the rams, whatfocver· preciou•
' things in gold, filver, clothes,. and various
c kinds of furniture the nobility had, they
,. put them on board their. fuips, and carried
c to the Hands ; fo that the city being ta.ken,
~ Nebuchadnezzar found nothing worthy of
c. his labor.', It mu ft have been grievous to
Nebuchadnezzar, after fo .long and laborious
a fiege, -to be difappointed . of the ·fpoil of fo
rich . a city .; and therefore Ezekiel was com-
miflloncd to promife him the conqucft of Egypt
for bis reward; (XXIX. 18, 19.) Son of 1111111,
Nebucbadnezzllr king of Ba0yla11 cal!{ed mt """J
to firue a ,grellt jervice againfl. 'Iyrt1s : eu,,
.. head was madt bald, ·and every jbtJIJJn- Vdl
puled: yet bad be ao wages,' nw bis 11r., fD1'
'IJ.,.us, for: the ftrvice tbat he haJ ferved agllillJ it.
CJ'herifore .tht1s faith the Lord God, Behold I wll
give the land ef Egypt unto Nebucbadnt~ lli111
tJf Babylon, and be jhaU ta~e her multitutk, a11J
take her fpoil, and take her prey, and it follll k
the wa_ges far his army.
But
(7) Arrian de Exped. Alex. Grzc. Lib. t. Cap. 11. Prid.
Lib. ,. Cap. 6. p. :zo3. Eju(- ·connea. Part 1. B. 8. Anoo.
dem Hill. Ind. Cap. 5. p·. 31i. :z98. Ptolemy Soter. 7.
Edit. Gronov. V.ofs. de Hift. (8) Strabo. Lib. 1 S· p. 687. -
Edit.
r

Dif!ertatio~s on the PROPHECiEs. 331

·But tho' the Tyrians fuould paf& over to Tar-.
1hHh and to Chittim, yet even there they ihoold
find ·:no quiet fettlement, ·there a!fo foalt -thou
Ml# ,,., r~. · Megafthenes, ( 7) who lived about
300 ·year&· before .Chrift, and was employed by
Seleucus· Nicaior in an embaffy :to the king of
India, wrote afterwards a hifto11y -of India,·
wherein he mentioned Nebuch-adnezZ3r with
great honor. This hiftorian is quot~· by fC\reral.
ancient authors, arid ·he is cited particUlarly
~Y · ~8)· Strabo, Jokphus, and Abjtlenus ia
Eoftbiaa, for faying that Ncbuchadnozzar fur.:
paffed ·Hercules in .bravery and- lJlUiiexploits,·
that he fubducd great part of Africa and Spain.,
and ·proceeded IS far.· ai .to the pillan :of.Her-
cules. After Nebuchadnezzar had .. !ubdued·
Tyre and· Egypt, we· may ·fuppofe .that ho
carried his arms farther weiward·: and if ho
proceeded fo far as. Mcgafthenes reportl, the;
Tyrians might well be faid to htme no rtjJ, their
conqueror purfuing them from one country- to
·another. ·But betides this and after· .this, tho
Car&haginians and other colonies of the Tyrians
lived in a very unfetded ftate. Their hiftory
11

Edit. Paria.p. 1007. Edit. Am- p. 1343. Edit. Hudron. Eufeb.

ftc). 1707. Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. Pr:ep:ir. Evang. Lib. 9. Cap.
10. Cap. 11. Sea. 1. p. 46o. •P• p. fS6. Edit. Vigeri.
Contra Apion Lib. 1. Seel. zo.
•
 Diffirt11ti1ns on the P .ROP H KC IE s.
is made .up of little but wars and tQlllults,
eye.n before their thrcx; fatal wars with dle Jto-
mans, in every on~ of which their .aaira
grew worCe aod worfe. Sicily aod Sptin:t
Europe and Africa, the land aod thc:ir owa
clement the fea, were theatres .of their calamilics
and miferies;. till at laft not only the new, but
old Carthage too was utterly deftroycd. Al
the Carthaginians fprung from the Tyrians>
and the Tyrians from the Sidonians, and Sidm
was the firft-born of Canaan. (Gen. X. 1 s.) :
:iO the corfc upon Canaan fcemeth to have
purfued them to the moft diftant parts of the
earth.
· III. The city lhould. be reftorcd after 7Q
years, and return to her gain and her mer~
chandife. This circumftaoce is expreily fore-
told by lfaiah~ ·(XXIII. 15,.16, 17.) .dtlli itfbo/l
come fQ pafs in tbtlt Jay, ·that 'Iyrt foal/ be forgot-
ten ft'lltnty years, according to tht U,s of Oll4 li11ge
or kingdom, meaning· the Babylonian which
was to continue 70 years : tifttr the. au/ ef
ft'Vtflty years fl.xzJI 'Tyrt Jing as a11 barlj>t. 'I-ah. 411
harp, go a!JONt the city, tbcu harlfJt thilt h'!fl /Jmi
forgotten, make fweet melody, Jing mmzy Jonzs, th«
thou mayft he rememhred. And it jha/J CMRe ti
Jafs after t~e end of ft'VtnfJ years, that the L;rJ
wjJJ 'Iii.fit 'Tyre, and jht jha/J turn to btr hirt, 11,,J
fotJll
•
 Diffartations on the PRO'Pll !CtE s-. 833
fo11!/ lfJtllmit .fornication with all th~ llingdoms cf
t/Jt 'WfJrltl upon tht face of the earth. Tyre is re.;.
pre(ented as a harlot, ·and from· thence thefe
figures are borrowed, the plain incaning of
which is, that the !hould lie negletled of tra-
ders and merchants for 70 years, as long as the
Babylonian empire 1afted, and after that tne
1hou1d recover her liberties and her trade, and
draw in feveral of all nations to deal wi~h hei,
and particularly the kings of the eartli io buy
her purples, which were worn chiefly by em-
perors and kings, and for which Tyre was
famous above all places in the worfd.
Seventy ye:irs was the time prefixed for the
duration of the Babylonian empire. So long
the nations were to groan under. that tyrannical
yoke, tho" thefe nations were fubdued fome
fooner, fomc later than others. (Jer. XXV.
J J, 1·2.) 'Theft natiom foal/ firve "the king of Ba-
h]loii jt'Denty ;•ears : And it Jhall come to pafi when
fevmty 7ears are accomplijhed, that I will punijh
tht !ting of Ba6ylon_, and ~bat nation, faith the
Lord, far their iniquity, and thi land of the Chal-
tltzans, a11d will make it perpetual defolati.ons.
And accordingly ·at the end of feventy years
Cyrus and the Perfians fubverted the Babylonian
.empire, and rc{k,r~d the conq~ered nations to
their liberties.
But
3-3.+ Diflertations on t~e PR o P .ti E c I B 3~
But we may compute thefe 70 years aftct
another manner. Tyre was (9) ~ken by Ne-
buchadnezzar in the 3 2d year of his reign~
and in the year 573 b~fore Chrift. Seventy
years from thence will bring us down to the
year 503 before Chrift, and the I 9th of Darius
Hyftafpis. ·At that time it appears from ( 1)
biftory that the Ionians had rebelled againft Da-
rius, and the Pbrenicians affifi:ed him with their
.fleets : and confequently it is reafonable to con-
clude that they were now refi:orcd to their
former privileges. In the fucceeding reign we
find ( 2) that. they together with the Sidonians
furnilhed Xerxes with . fevual fuips for his
expedition into Greece. And by the time of
Alexander· the Tyrians were grown to fuch
power and greatnefs, that they ftopped .the pro-
grefs of that rapid conqueror longer than any
part of the Perfian empire befides. But all
- this is to be underftoad of the infular Tyre; for
as the old city florifucd moft before the time
of Nebuchadnezzar, fo the new city Boriihed
moft afterwards, and this is the Tyre that hence-
forth is fo much celebrated in hiftory.
IV. T~e city fuould be taken aod deftroyed
·. again.

(9) See Prideaux Connea. '(&)Herod. Lib. 5. Cap. 1cS.

Part 1. Book 1. and Book ,.. &c. p. 330. idit. Gale.
(2) Herod.
 Di.J!ertations on the PR o PH~ c 1-.:&·s. 3 35
again. For when it is fa~d •. by the prophets,
(If. XXIII. 6.) HoW/ ye inbabitantJ of. the ik;,
(Eze~. XXVII. 32.) What city is like 'l;•rus, Jii1
tht JejlroytJ in the midjJ of the fta? (XXVIII.
8.) 'Ibey fhal! bring thee d()'IJ)n tr>- the pit, and tho~
fa.alt die the deaths of them that are jlain in the.
midjl ef the flas : thefe expreffions can imply no
lefs than that the infular Tyre fuould . be de-
ftroyed as well as that upon the continent; and
as the one was accompliilied by Nebuch~nez­
zar, {o was the other by Alexander the great.
Bot the fame thing may be inferred mor~
dircBly from the words of Zechariah, who
prophefied in the reign of Darius, (Zeeb. I. 1.
VII. 1.) probably Darius Hyftafpis, many. years·
after the former deftruction of the city, and
coofequently he muft be undedl:ood to fpcak of
this latter. His woros are tbefe, (IX. 3, 4.)
.Anti 'Iyrus did build. /Je.ifelf a. jlrong hold, and
beaptJ tip.ftlwr as the duji, and fine gold as the mire
~ the j1reeis. Behold the Lord will cajl "her out,
onJ ht will f mite btr power in the fea, and foe
Jhall /Je Je.txnwed with fire: It is very true that
'Tyrus did build berfelf a jlrong hold; for · her
fuuation was very ftrong in an ilandJ and be.,.
fides
(2) Herod. Lib. 7. Cap. 89. Sic.Lib.11. p.244.Edit.Steph.
&c. P· +u. ~it. Gale. Dio<t. p• .J• T-om. a. Edit. .Rhod. ·
t31 Attiu.
336 Dif!ertations.on the ·pROP HE crE s •.
fides the fea to defend her 1he was (3) fortified
with a wall of J 50 feet in highth, and of a
j>roportionable thicknefs. She heaped ap fihJer
11s the dzz.ft, and fine gold as the mire of thejlreets~
being the mofl: ·celebrated place in the world
for trade and riches, · the mart of nations as flie
is called, c6nveying the commodities of the
·caft to the weft, and of the weft to the eaft.
But ·yet Behold the Lord will cafl her out, and he
will /mite her power in the fla, andjhe jhall ht
Jevottred with fire. Ezekiel had likewife fore-
told ·that the city fhould be confumed with
fire, (XXVIll. 18.) I will bring forth a jirt
from t'he mid.ft of thee, it jhall devour thee, and I
will bring thee to ajhes upon the earth, in the
fight of all them that behold thee. And accor-
dingly Alexander befieged, and took, and' (4)
fet the city on fire. The ruins of old' Tyre
contributed much to the taking ·of the new
city: for (5) with the ftones and timber and
ruhbHh

(3) Aman. de ExpeJ. Alex. Cap. 4.-ignC111qcc teaU ila-

Lib'. 2. Cap. 21. p. 96. Edit. jici jubct.
GronOY. _:_'" "'' l...j.o( ,,, .,.,_ Cs)Qi!int.~urt.LU.,+ Cap.
n•m'l• 111P i_'lo, f'aJ.1ra '11•~"';, 2 . D1od. Sic. Lib. 17. p. 5SJ.
""" •t wA..'Jo, f11JA-l"'1eo,·-- Edit. Steph. p. s 19. Tom. s.
OL admoch1m pedes altus, Edit. Rhod.
i.tinidine altitudini refpo11.- (6) -TIXJ•. f&IP. - . i .,..-
clente. ,.'""" QI T8S ')'l,,.,.l!o'l.c illC
(.+) Qaint. Ca!1'. Lib. +· K"fX":.,• .li111ll•f'I"" ~41rt'1s.
libcnis
 !J!lfprt'1/1.., !JI# ~be p A 0 F H·,B Ci~·$. 3·37
~i~ pf.. tbe :9ld ~~ A~x~nder buih .a baftt ·
~ c?~fey.fr<?.~..~~ ..r;oot!ri~~t. to the tl.artd; .thcro-
~¥ !itte~~llj..f~~l~ ·~4' :wm:ds of .thss .:prQphot:
Ezc:kie~ll~ (J~X~J •. ~.i.:) /[.hty jba/f /111:· tby }JtmeJ;~
~d .~hJ. ti;-hu, 111/J :tl:iJ dufl i11 f-.,·.mi#J of t/M·
'If"'". . fl~ wa~ (even ·moQtas . in . completing·
this work>: hut the · time' and labot · were well'.
coiploy~,, _fof by D,leaas l\er.eof h_e. was cna~lc4.
to ftorm ~nd· take th~ city.
As in the former fiege the inhabitants accord- . .
iog to ~her ptophecie& ' fled over the. Mediter~
rapcao t9 the ilands and tountri~s adjoining, fo
they di4 likewifc in this latter ftcge·; fo~ ( 6~
Diodom~. Sit:ulus and Quintus · Curtius. be•
tcftify th~t they _fent th~ir wives and childrea
to Carthage ; and uPon the· taking of die place
the (7) SidoQians fecredy conveyed . away fif~
teen thoufand m?rc in their thips. H.aPPf
were they who thus efcapcd, for of thof~ wh..o
remained ,behind, the (8) conqueror 11ew eight
thoufand

libern• et uxores cam fenio Lib. 17. ibid. Conjugesliberof-

cenfetlis Carthaginc:m tranf- que d.:vehcndos (.;arthaginea
ponare decernuat. 11?.o~ .t.. Tt1• · tradiderunt. Q.\!int. Cllrt. Lib •
...'""'' ... ,,.,,....,, l"eo> '"' 4· Cap. 3.
·~· W...91/o'u•• ..fOC 'l'ltf (7) ~int. Curt. Lib. 4 ,
~·· tandem deponenda Cap. +·
~aatlam apud Carthaginienfes (8) Arrian. Lib. z. Cap. 24 ,
l1berorum tt uxorom parte p. 1 oo. Edit. Gronov. Q.!!inuu
(hoftem) antevcrtunt.Diod.Sic. Curtius ibi4. _
Voi.. I. , Z (9) Diod.
3.lft DiJ!-NlfiNu'~" 'th! 'Pt.o•Hlt·Ct&·•·
t~(and in the fl:orming arid taking -of the dty;
ho caufM two · thoufand af tcnrards CNetly ID
be ~ru<;ified, and · ·thirty-thouf.t~d :be fotd for
1lues. · They had before fold bne of tile· up--
we Jaws, and now it was returned ·~pon them
-.cording co the prcditiion of Joc1, {III. · 6> 1>
a.) ~ clli/drm alfo of judah; anJ tbt tJbilt!Nn ef
}ft:ufakm. hfl'Vt ye fold ; · .&hlJIJ I "Will m.m 1fJUr
recompenft upon your O'W1f head, 11111/ wilt ftll·ytJUf'
.fom 'flNi ,.,,, tiaughters. This ·is the main' of
d\e prophecy, thaa as they had k>W the osprDre
jow•• ~ they thould be fold· themlelves: ·and
16a~ng fcen this fo puntftually fulfilled,· we. may
lllOre eatily believe that the other parts were
fD lOO, &hough at . this diftanoe of time, and U.
this i:arcity of ancrent hiftorians, we are not
able ao pi:ove all the particulars. When the Qty
~s taken before~ the Tyrians received ttieit
kiAgs afterwards from Babylon; and now ( 9) theit
king held- his crown by Alexnr.der's .appoint-
ment. The cafes are parallel in many refpetls:
but the city recovered much Cooner from the
calamities of this fiegc than from the fauJ·coo·
fequcnce? of the former. For ·in (I) ml\cteen
years

{9) Diod. Sic. Lib. 'i·

P• Tvp•• • ...._."" -11~ ..~~
5&7. Edit. Steph. p. 524• ,..,, •~0f4"0' ~·
Tom. 2. Edit. Rhod. n; ,.,.., Tyrion1m 11rbi J"ogem pi-~
• . frat
 Difert"1/iolll on the PaoPHtc't! •• "S39
,.,as ·tiDJB it was able to witbflmd the tleett
ad· al'IJlies of Antigonas, and fuftained a ~
of n&cen ·mondn before. it was.taken:· a plall
proef, • Dr. ,prid*x obferves, of " the g~t
45; advutage' of tr.de. For this eity heing the
·~ ennd mart; where moft of the. trade both. tJf
" me eaft and the weft did then cchtcr, bj.
"·~irtuc hereof it was, that it fo foon ·iCYiYed
" • •4· . ,,
· . to JG prtnlU ·VJgof.
. V. lt is- afoal with· God ··to temper l1ia judg~
moots with mercy : and amidft the,fe calami~
it. is -aim foretold, that' there thould ·come a
time, when the Tyrians would forfa'ke mcit
Wela try> and become conYcrts to the true reli..
gion and worlhip of God. The P~mift -~
tlaougbt to have hinted·· u· ·much1 i? fayitig
(XLV. 12.) 'Ibe Jogbter of 'Iyre jhall k t&tT
willl •·gift, and again (LXXII. 10.) '!'ht ling1
If· ft11rjhifo 41111 ef tbt ilts fhtzll brint prtftttti.
Zechariah, when he foretcls the" t:ilamities
wh~b· the Tyrians and. neighbouring· ilationt
Olould fafftt from Alennder, (IX. 1-7;) at
the fame time ·prcdit.ts their converfion to tho
true God ; 'ut ~ that rt1nainetb, ewn bt fh,,//
,,,
fecit cui lallonymo nomm. a. Edit. Rhod. Prideaux Con-
(1) Diod. Sic. Lib. 19. p. nea. Part 1. B. 8. Anno 313.
7c4. Edit. Stcph. p. 703.1'om. AlcxanJc: 1Egus 4.
Z z (a) Vitrinr.

--
 ·34.~ I)ijertatitms on the Pao Pa ECt z s.
k f~r .ow God. But . nothing· can be plai.aer
dlan l.fa.iab'e declaration that they ihould cog..
fecratf; the .gains of their . merd)andife for the
maintenance of thofe who_· miniftc:r. to. the Lord
in holy things. (XXUI •. 18,..) And her mqcbtztr..
d.ife m"1 her hirijbaU he-boliflefs• to. tbe· Lw.d: it
jhal{ ~t . 6e treafured, ~or .laid up : for btr mer..
fh4ndifi .foal/ be for. tpe~ that ~Ii htfore the
Lord, to eat frefficiently, and for durable clothing.
Here particularly we muft be much obliged
~- the .lea.me~ ( 2) ,Vitringa, who hath fully
.1hown th~ completion of this article; as indeed
every one who would rightly underftand the
prophet lfaiab, muft be greatly -0bJigcd to that
.excellent ~ommentator, and .wm
receivo. more.
light and afiiftancc · ·f~~ .him · than ·a:o~ ~ll
befiCles him.
The Tyrians were much addillcd to.~
.worlhip ~Hercules as µe w:is ~lied by the
Greeks~ or of Baal as he is denomina~cd jn
fcfipturc. But in proccfs of time, by the
. ~~s of .fome . J~w.s and proJClytcs livi~g and
:<:opvcrfing among them, fome of them alto be-
came protelytes to th~ Jewiili _religion : fu that
~ great multitude of people from the ftiZ-coafJ of
'IJrt
(z) Virring. Comment. In p. 704.
Jefaiam. Cap. ~3· Vol. IA (3) .Eufeb. Ecclef. !till. Lib.
8. Cap.

-
 ·Di.Ifertotion1 on the· PR or HE c i i·s-.. :3#
~re ·and .Sidon came to hear our Saviour (Luke
:vr. 17.) a11d to be healed of their diftefei : arid
our Saviour,' who was Jent only t_o the "lo.JI jheep of
·the 'houfe of !frael, ye't catne into' the coafls of'
:''Eyre mid Sidon; (Mat. XV. 2 1, &c. Mar. VU:
·24, &c.) and the firft fruits of the gofpel there
. ·was a Tyrian woman, a woman of Canaan, as
f11e is called, a Sp·o-phmnician by nation. When
St. Pa~l in his \•::ay to Jerufalem came to Tyre,
he found effciples there, who were infpired
by the holy Ghoft· and prophefied, (Acts XXT.
4.) and with them he tarried fe'L'tn days. The
Tyrians were fuch fincere converts to Chrifiia-
nity, that in the time of Diocletian's perfecution
they exhibited feveral . glorious ·examples of
confdfors and martyrs, as· (3) Eufebius 11imfdf
faw, and hath amply tdl:ified in his: t>'ook of
tbe martyts of Pakftine. Afterwards when the
norm of pc~fecution was bJown over, the Ty-
thins under· their bilhop Paulinus' built an
oratory or rather a temple for the p_ublic ·worfi1ip
of God, the mofi: magnificent and fumptuous
i~ all Palefiine and Phamicia, which temple
( 4) Eufcbius hath de(cribed, and celebrated in a
handfome panegyric, whereof he hath inferted·
a copy·

8. Cap, 7. De Martyr. Pala:lli· (+) Eufcb. Hift. Lib.· lo.

p~. Cap. 5. & 7. Cap ..4•
.z 3 (5) ·o ~.
 S+a Pi.f!ertal~ns on t~ Pllol' HBCI ~~~
a copy in his -hifiory, but modeftly conceal~·
the name of the author. Eufebius therek>re
commenting upon this paffage of
lfaiah, might
very well ( 5) fay that ' it is fulfilled in our time.
c For fipce a church of God hath been founded
c in Tyre as well as in O\her nations, many of
' itt1 goods gotten by merchan<life are conkcra•
' ted to ~he Lord, being offered to his church;~
as he afterwards explains himfelf, ' for the ufe
' of the minifters of the altar or gofpel, accord-
' ing to the infiitution of our Lord, that they
' who wait at the altar iliould live of rhe altar:
In like manner {6) St. Jerome: 'We maybchold
' churches in Tyre built to Chrift ; we may
' fee their riches th:it they are not laid up,· nor
.• treafured,. but given to
thofc who dwell be.
' fore t~e Lord. For the Lord hath appointed,
' that they who prcac~ the gofpel fuould lite
' of the gofpel.' An~ how libcr~lly, and -m u..
· nificently the bi!hops and clergy wen al thU
time maintained, how plentifully they .w~
fufriilhed .with every thini, te 1¢ f'f/Ji&intly,
. . ~nd
· Cs> ·o Ja
;,~
..
u. "~"'"° - t oo c:onfecnntur, ecclciz cjae
-w. quoe ootlro tem- oblatz: ".iclclicct ut lllOllt expch ·
porc! 1mplttum vidcmns. Nam nit, in ufum mioiftror~ a\~is
cum ecclcfia Dei in urbe Tyro five evangelii, fecundum iAlli..
•pt"rinde ac in rcliquis ieatibua tuuunDc,mini. ut mini#.fi ~u.
fundata fit, muhz ex CJllS mer- ris " co vivaac.
cibos ~gPtiatio11c f&rtia .Do.a.i·
(6) Cci·

-
 ».i.ftrtt1lirJIJ$ 'dfl the Pit o i> H.E c·1 l! s. Ml
llllJ far•r4'J/1 c/ftbi11g, no man * want. tb
"1.~me«i!; who i$ ~vet {o little coav~ria•
itJ Cf;de~rut.al .hiiory. · To tbdtc proofs wd
~ill .~mly. add, .. that ar. Tyre. confeamd its
l?JU~dif.: ~d. hire. unto .the .Lord, f~ it had
t~ (?} hon.q,: of heigg crceted intQ an IU"flhe~ .
fuo~~,: ..an4-. the 1jr6: ar~hbi1hopric l.lnder tho
P8:UJ~h~~· ~ : jerufalem, having fouru:.n
bithop~ ood_er its primacy• awl in this ftatc it
oontiiqoed fcveral ~ears. · . .
VI.. Bat .flftu. a~ t}Je cjty fuQuJd be .tQtally
de~rpycdj and· be~c ;a place .~nl1 for fi1bc1,e
to iprt:ad .\heir nts upon. When the ·propb•
dm~ th~ dcftr11Clion.of.a city or·CWll't~
it t11as. not· i11&endod that.. fucb .q~nuociitlew
fhoald..takc .effiXl imtnediat.cly. The fonaea'*
Q{.c~ath>n (~I may fay) was then~ ·
bPQta j(\. ..btit. Jhc. exeaKieil mi~t be ~·ited
foc::~:tim~ _.WbeJi ii • rbn::a~cnc.GJ that
IW>yloa ~uU ~OIDC· ,~aticm ;mthout.q.
ioJaabi.tant,.-;tMR ·'were-.~ ·:anan1 ages ·befom.lt
was ndaced· ~ that eonciitican.;_ ·a dtt•d· 01
· · ~dcgracst
S.M J)ijfcr.1atim1 i1_t ihe· P aop·i{•trc·Hi s. ·
dtgrees; tiU· at laft it .·c=ame to: rit>thiog-;·. and
DDWI the place is fo little known, that you may
look.for. ~abylon in 'thc-111idfi.of,Bab,toa. · In
like· maDDer Tyre Waf · not. -to ee·• rliiDed and
defolated all at "nnce::: ~ Otbt:r- thiftgs · wcte fo
happen firil: It was to be reftored after 70 years;
ib- was .. to be defi:royed· and• rcftorcd· ·11pn, in
o.rrler to its being adopred into th~· cburCh.
!i'befe·evenl:s·were-to·ta.ke place, before Ezekiel~s
prophecies could be fully accompliihed : · (llVI.
3, 4, ;s:).° 'Ihus·faitb the Lord GoJ, Eelm/J, Jam
1gailifl .thee:.· 0 'l'yr1JJi '"'' 11Jili cal!fo •OJ
114/jqrrs_ 40 ·come. up 4tainjt thee; .s thl feo: tot1fdb
17iJ 'Wa'Jl6S to COflle u;-.: .And th81 foal/ .JefJr'J· tlM
flJ'1J./.s ,ef 'I:;rui, .amJ. '/Jre4k .au.n btr tflllftl's;
'.'Wiil-aifa jcfape.bfr.JllfJ.fro• bu:t~aU llld""ilnt
~lc.tbe t~ of 1(rAcll: It .ft;p/l,•ie .4 pJ.u. /'1'
tht'fpr1a4iizg rJ/'tJris•i•·t'11111i#J of tbtfttJ.i fw.l
"'1vt fpolun. it,. flli1" ll1e.I.,orJ·.c;,J. He l'C!p!MS
aa:o.fuO~;tlse..cercailat' o£ it,. -(\4tl\.' .14.): J.·tllilJ
.aa..t/Jee J;j,t: t.l?e.top Jf:ff. a·nc/l r :thou .JW .,.."
· IJ•CI JI j;Nad tldS iiipon·; tM jia/l ./N. '-iJI Ill
tPfJl"~J .jor I tbt Lord htWe ./J>oktn. it, faitb tk
I;,,,.J G~ : and ag~in ( vcr. 2 I •). I :will ""1Rt thee
;..'.ur.rpr., ..4nd '.tfJou.. JIJizl! ~e no m~re i tlxl ¢au he
fottht-jof*• ·yet jbalt: t/Jou 111'1.Jtr ht fatmtl agoi11~
/iUJ/J:-l~:.Li4'.QQtL" ·.. ·. . . .
.. · ·Thcf~· ·-~h~~~~.. : · li~c moft·· others.. wcr~
• • •' I • 'Q
 . .
. ·Dijfertations on the -pRo+H-r. ct Es. 3·4s
to receive their completion bY ~~es. Nebu..
"chadnezzar, as we have feen, ·defiroyed the
"dld city; and Alexander em.pfoyCd the ruiris
and ·mbbilh 1n making his cau.fey from the con-
-tinenr to the· iland, which henccforwards were
joined· together. " It is no wonder therefore;"
as Dr. (S) Pococke obferves, " that there are
·u. ·oo 6gns of the a·ncient city ; and as it is a
'i f.lndy ihorc, the face of every thing is alter..
M• ed, and the great aquedutt in m~ny parts is
1.c almoft buried in the fand."' So that as to
this part of the city, the prophecy hath litter:dly
been fulfilled, 'Thou j1J11lt be /milt no msre; tlio'
thoa l>e"fought far, yet jhalt ·thou nrotr he faund
·agilin. It may be queflioned whether the new
city- ever aft.,r · that arofe to that highth of
power, wealth, and gteatnefs, to which it was
elevated ia_-tbe times of lfaiah and Ezekiel. ·It
recmaf a great blow from Alexander, .:not
only t.y his· taking 8fld burning the city, "btit
.much more· by his building of Alexandria in
Egypt, which in time deprived it of much ot
its trade, and th~reby contributed more etfettu-
all y to ia& ruin. It had the misfortune after·
wards of c;banging its maikrs often, being fume-
timcs

(B) Pocock'• Dcfcript, Qf lite i:;at. Vol. s. B. 1. Chap. 20.

f· 81J Sz, (9) Ock:-
 s+6 Dijfert111iotu ()II. tbe.P.aol'H..EiCI·Es.
times in thJ:. hands .of tJie Ptol~ Jc.fogs of.
Egypt, and fometimes of the Se.leucida kilia11
of Syria.. till ~ length it: fell ~r ~ domi.-
. nion o(ytl>.C ).l<Unt1ns. lt -wa5 ~n by the (9)
Sara.ce~s about the year of Chrift ..6 39 in t~
reign of Omar their ·third emperor. It was re-
taken by the ( 1 ) Chriftians during the tia:\e oE
the holy ~ar in the year 11 i.4, Bald.win .the
fecond of that name being tlKn king· of j~ru­
falem, and .ailified by a fleet of the Venetiana.
From the Chriftians it was (2) taken again. a
the year 1289 by the Mamalucs of Egypt, un·
der their Sultan Alp.bix, who· facked and tafe4.
thlii and Sidon· and o~her firong townsp that
(hey might not ever ·again alf<ll'd aay hel'boc
or {helter to the Chriilia:ns. FrQIJl th• Mama-
lucs it was (.3) again taken in the year 1 5·16 by
relimp .the ninth emperor of ~ Tur~ J aJld
under their dominion it cotitinuos at p~
But alas, how fallen, how dwtged from whM
it :wu formerly! For from being the center of.
· trade.
(-6)) Ockler.'• Hill. of t&e '20. p. 83.
S:11;iccn,. Yo . r. P.· :J.4.0. (3') SaYiage,.• Abridgment.
(l) Abul-P8-aj1iHift. Dvn. VoJ. 1. p. z+1.
9. f· z5o:Vers. Pocockii. !>a- (4)Hadri.numParvillerium 0
~e's .'\bridgmcnt of Knolles e focictate Jcfo, virum candi-
and .Rycaut. Vol. r. p. z6. diaimum et Arabice doaiSi-
(2) Savage's Abrid~ment •.. mum, qui dccem an12os in Sy-
V ol. 1. p. 95. Pocock. Dcfcript. ria egit, memJni me audire ali-
of thc J:::i.it. Vol. z. B. 1. Chap. quando cum dic:cret,. fibi olia
ad

L
 Dijfe1"tation1 ·rJn ·the P ~ o P H B ci Es. ·341
tl'ade, frequente'd by all the merehant 1hips· of
the eaft and weft, it is now beco~ ·a heap of
ruins, vifited only by the boats of a ftlt poor
ifhermen. · So that as to this part likiewik of
the' city, die prophecy hath litterally been fu~
filled, I will makt thee lilt the top. of a roei·;
t/Jou }halt 6t a place t.o .fpread 11ets upon.
The famous (4) Huetius knew one Hadri-
. .anus Parvillerius, a Jefuit, a very candid man,
and a mafter of Arabic, who refided ten yean
in Syria; and he remembers to have ~d him
fometimcs fay, that when he app!'OBChed the
ruins of Tyre, and beheld the rocks ftntdial
forth to the fea, and the great ftones fcattere4 up
and down on the lbore, made clean apd finooth
by the fun and waves ad winds, an6 ufeful
only fur the drying of fiiliermen's nc~ many
of which happened at that time to be; fpscai
th~, it brought to hM; memory ~ pro-
phecy of Ezekiel concerning Tyre;. (XXVI.
5, 14.) /will male tbte /die the top of a rocks
thOll

Id collapfa& Tyri ruinas acce- riam hujus prophctiz Ezekielis

clenti, l!t ru .Pe• nnui pr:t'tenw.
ac disjcflos J!aaim in littore
Japidc~ procul fpeaanti, fole,
fi11aibus, et auris deterfo• ac
Jevigatos, et ficcandis folum
pifcatorum ntibus, quz tum
forte pluriiu defuper cxpanfa
tt:int, utile•, "YeniJl'e io memo-
de Trro (XXVI. 5, 14.) Da'1•
,, ;. /Utl/itiij/ittitW jltrlllll: fitttt-
1;. fagtJUJTlllll iris, tu:t .edffica•
J,,ris ,,/IJ'a, f•i• 'I' l«rttiu /11111,
tlit D-i1111s Dnu. Huetii De·
mons. Evang. Prop. 6. ad
finem.
(5) Shaw'•
·3·4'1 .Dijfef'tations. on the p R 0 pH E c I. E ! .
thou .foalt be a place to JPread nets up~n; th'1u
.foalt !Je /Juilt no more; far I the Lord ha•z;e jffJken
it, faith t/Je L~rd Gotf.·
Dr. (s) Shaw in hi~ account of ·Tyre thu'S
expreffeth himCelf, "I v~fited fr··eral \.-r~'.',~<: .: .1a
" inltts, in order· to difcover ,,+·~t ?~.,..,.::·:.m
cc there might have been tonn·:rly r.~. · ·...le for
·" the tecurity of their yeffels. . Y ct uotwith-
·" ftahding 1 that Tyre was the chief maritime
·"· power of this country, I could not obfervc
.:U the }ea1\ token Of either ~fDQll ot harbour,

•• that ·could· have been of any extraordinary

. •t capacity. The coafling fhips 'indeed, ftill
'' · find a tolerable good lhelter from the nor-
u thcrn· winds under·the fouthem fhore, hut
.~" are obliged immediately to retire, when the
·" winds change ·to the well: or fouth : fo that
;,o there muft have been {ome better .fl:a'tion
... than this for their (ecurity and reception. In
" the N. N. E. part· Jikewife of the "City,· we
u fee the traces ·of· a fafe and commodious
cc bafon, lying within the walls: but which' at
~' the fame time . is . very fmall, fcarce forty
." yards in diameter. Neither could it ever
" have enjoyed a larger area, unlefs the build-
" ings, which now circumfcribe it, were en-
" croach-
(s) Shaw's Travels. p. 330.
(6) Maun.
 Dijfer,tations on 1he Paor.u.a·c.11.g;·
'' croachmcnts .upon its original dinwtfioils.
" Yct even this Port, - 1 as it ~ at prdCnt,·
" is· notwithftanding fo c.hoak' d •up wi~ fan~
" and ruhbi1h, that the .boats of thofe poor
., fifuerincn, who now and then vifit this once
•f renowned. emporium, can with. great. diflj:.1
" culty only be admitt~.... · -. ; .. ••
·. But the ft111eft for our· purpofe is Mr. ·Man-
drell, whom it is a pleafurc to quote as •ell at
to ·read, and whofe:journd of his joumey from
Aleppo tQ Jerufalcm, thotigh a little book, ii
.y~ worth a folio, being.fo accurately and ingc-
nioufly written,· that it might fervc as a ~cl
for all writers of travels. " This city, (6)
.•• faith .he, ftanding in the fea upon a peninfula,
"· promifes at a diftance fomethiag very magni•
" ficent. · But when you come t.o it, you find
" no fimilitudc of that glory, for which.it was
-~' fo renowned in ancient times, ·and which
" the ptophct Ezekiel defcribea Chap. 26, 27,
" 2.8. On the north fide it has an old Turkiih
'' ungarrifon'd caftle; befides which you fee
" nothing here, but a meer Babel of broken
" ..walls, pillars, yaults &c, there being not fo
" much as one entire ho\l~ left : its ·prefcnt
"~bitants arc only a few poor wretch~
"harbour-
(6) Mauodrcll, p....I, 49. ;th idit,
(1) Hom,
 Difflrildiat» "' "'8. PaoP HBCt £ s.
'~ harbowiR& ~elves in t1ae vault&., and
'~ C.bfifting chidiy upon illhing. whcJ fo:m to
.. be preiencd in this place by divine provi-a
9:' .nee,. as a vifiblc argument» how Gal has
~ fuWlcd his word concerning TyN, Tit&. tbae
4.f . it jlJultJ ht Ill tbt top ef .,, rd, ,,. jJIW 1.-

cc jijblrs to tJry their ndt "'·"

Sidi hath bcoa tho fa• of tt.il city. once
llae ·sm>i: famous in. the worW for traae and
mm~. But trade ia a fluch'•ttiag·thieg.r
it pa6Cd &om Tyre to Alexandria, fRUt-AleI-
maria to Vmice, from Venice to AatWtl1J!
fror;n Antwerp to Amtlerdam and London, tac
Englith rinlling·the Dutc:h, aa the French are
now rivalling· both. All · na.tions .almott ·are
wifely applying themfelvcs to tel.de; and it ·he-
hove.s thofe who are in po1feffion of it, :to ·take
the greatttl care that they do not lofe it. It ·ii
a .plant of teDder growth, and requires fun, an~
{oil, and fine feafons, to make it thrive and ft~
rUh. It will not grow like the palm tree, which
'1/ith the more weight and pre1fure rifes dte
more. Liberty is a friend to that, a:s ·that is a
friend to liberty. But nothing will fupportand
promote it more than· virtue, and what virtue
.teachcth, fohricty, induftry, frugality, modefty,
-honefty, punltuality, humanity, charity, the
love of our country, and the fear of God.
The
 DiJ1rtdtiow1 on the p R O-t·H E 'CI Es. 351
The prophets will inform us how the Tyrians loft
it; •'8fld tho like-caufc. w}fl always prcduce·the
li8e ·edC:ds. (If. XXIU. 8, 9.) Wbo hath taken
1hi1 tOlmftl againjl 'Iy1't, ·the crowning city, w/xJfa
llln-cb4ttts llrt pr.incts, wbofe· traffic~'. ·11r.e t6t
J.norlllM of tlM earth 1 '!'be Lord of bo.Jls hath
jJll'1eftJ it, ,. jJoill fje l""4 ef llil g/Of!ji' '4nd. •
bnrg ifllf tfllfr"'I' "" '"' hoarir.JJk '!f· tie etlt'tl.
(Em. XXVll. 3, · 4.) 'IJ»u. foil/I "11 bM
~ 0 'I,,-111,, t/Nu. h".ft fa~, I •111 :of, ·/ttJVJiltJ
-~· ~ /J,r.Ws ~r1 ;,,. tilt- 111;"1 f>f de. .fe.41.,
ti, iuif41rs ~ pvfi81,J. tll, !waty. (UVIIL
5•· ~- B1 th.Y. grtt1t 'IJJ,ifflttlm. 1111d /l1 t/:Jy. tr1#4
4a/I t/x/p intru!fed thJ riches, a,,J tby.bttzrJ iJ liJte,I
·-~of tD, ricbrs. By tht midlit111/1·of th
•lf'CUtt/ife ""' "4w ji"8J IM .;Jjl .ef t/w ....
~~, INld thw hoJi. .fozlfl(/ i thtreftJrl viii I '91
tlJet 1111r'!Ja1U 1111 r;f tlM mfJll1"ain ~GM. 'Ihial
,,,,,,.,, was lifted up.6ecaeft ef th, "'-"• t""- 6-JI
lln"llf>ttJ .tla 'flJijdtJ"' . /Jy najM of tll/ lwig'1tnr/h
'(,a bajl tk#kd th fan;Juaries hy tbt 11/fA11itMde •
tbjlft ini<Ji'itits, by th6 im1J11it1 of tby tr'!/fici.; tbtr~
};rt w;/J 1 hri•g forth a fire [rem tbt llliti/I of ~t..
ii JI·all dF.;our thet, and J w,.ill 6ring tbtt to afte.1
upon the earth, in the fight of all tbttn that /Jehoid
tbt1. All they that /mow tlw among the ptopk,
/hall ht ajlons"jhed at thu ; th<IU jbtlJt ,,. ll urrcr.
dMd nruu j~aJr thqu be any mDrt. .
XII. 'Ibe
 XII.
· The }rophecies concerning E G 1' P T.

E GYPT is one of the fit-ft and moft £..

moos coon tries that we read of in biftory,
Jh die Hebrew fcriptures it is called Mi.zrai•
and tbt ltinli of Ham, having been firft inhabited
:ilfter the deluge by Noah's youngdl {on 114•
tit'· lliMmlon, and hy his fon Mizrtli111. The
'ame of Egypt is of more uncertain derivatiE>o1
.k appears that· the river was fo called in ( 1)
Homer's time; and from thence, as Hdjcbiut
imagins, the name might .be derived to the
country. Others more probably cona:we tbac
.me, meaning of· the name·· ( :2) JEgyptu• is ..-
Cuphti~ .tbt lanJ of Cupbti, · as it was fortnCl'IJ
called by the Egyptians themfclves aod $cir
neighbours .the Arabians. AU agree ia &hie,
that· the kingdom of Egypt was very an-
cient; but fome have carried this antiquity
to
(1) Hom. Odyf. XIV. 257, ,,.!' ••sc
258.
"""""w""''.
Quinto-die aatcm ad.£gyp-
n~1-, I 4•>"''"- tii(J•ILi• turu pulcrc-flucotem vcnimiu:
z•.,vSa· Statui vcroin ...£gypto ftu-.io
, };TWa 1 n A1~s'lf •t'l.:s• naves rcmis uu-if!quc-agic.aw-
, Hc-
 :Dijfert11tirJtl1. tfn t/Je· ·P •fl¥ B.B~ t !l"&. Jil
to· In extrawgant and· fabulous highth, tbcic
dy IJ'1fties· · ~i~ -iaaterl}V irre~ooibhle .to .t'~fo11
Wiii .hiftory both, ..and no-:.w.aJs .to be folftd·. :or
credited but by 'fuppoilog · Uiat · they ~IMI
beyond the dduge, and' that :they. contain !the
eatalogues· of feveral contemporary{ as well as· of
feme · fuccc1iive kings and . kingdoms; ·Irr ii .
te•ttain• tbat ~h the days. of jefcph, if not ·bOJO-.
tbbfe Ki the ·ddy• of Abraharti~ it was a ·grea&
and fioriihing kingdom.· Ther~ are monunielMI
of its greatnefs· yet remaining to thJ! .furpriinuid
aftonifhment of all pofterity, · ef which Rf ' " ·
know •not= the· time of tbcir ereClion, fb' l)li:,•11
probability':wc ·.man never ·~now .the"''ti.m&; Of·
their deftruttion. : " ·. ! . • • ' ' r II ,

·'This counny.iwas alfu ccle~ted for its·wif..

-doma no lefs 'thkh 'for its antiquity. It was; at
I may caH ·it, "th'e grcaf academy of the earlier
·2g-es. · Hither·the wits and fages of Greece and
or her countries repaired, and imbibed ·their
1

learning at this fbuntain. -It is mentioned to the

c6ininendation of Mofes (Alts VII. 2 2.) that he
'U:as learned in IIN the wifdOm of the Egyptians:
and
Hefychit1s : A•i'1'W'7o~, ~ Nn- appellata cit ..f:gyptus.
>.o~ t wo·T../J.o~ '4 · '1 "'" ~ x...em
. . . T.,, Hll'tl(lll• A1,....i"1o~ rx>.»9.J. (2) Medc's Works ; B. 1.
£gyptus, Nilus 'fluviua; a Dile, so. p. 281. Holrmanni
<JUn ipfa regio recentioribus Lexicon &c. ·
YoL. J. Aa (3)

~ ....
.~54 Di.fertati<J111 m -,he PaoPH&c1ge;
an.I the . higheft character given of ~~
wifdom ( 1 King' IV.· 30.) is th~t it nttelleJ tilt
'IDiflltmi of a/J the cbi/Jrm of lhe eafJ CIWhJ.. ~
Ill/. tbe wifdom '1' Eg1pt. But with this wifdOJQ.
and this gtc$tnQfs, it was early· corrupted 1 8"
·w.as. i$ much the p~rent of f upcrfiition, as it
wa• the miftrefs · of learning; aoc;l the on.c .,
11reU a&-the other were from thence ~
and .. diffufed over. other coun.trics. It wq ia,.
-4 the .i;rand cooruptof ef ·Jhe "9fld~ d~
!ow'a; 9f polythcifm aµd idolatry tp f"'erM t>f
~ caft.crn, and to moft of th~ more 'fea.u
nitiaas-s: and. degc~erated at I~ .to {och_ ~-
4rcm9. ~nd beafUy w~iliip, th~ '!N~· tball ~
find a parallel in all hiftory. .
However this ~~ the couDtry. where the
children of lfraet were in a manner born, :and
bred; and it muft be faid thcY. were mudt. F·
· vcrtcd by their edutation, an·d r~ed a foo~µti
for the idols of Egyp~ ever afterwards~ Seva:al
~f Mofes's laws and inftitutions we~e p~ais¥1
·calculated to we~. them from,. and to guard
them againft the ma~ners and cuftoms of ~c
Egyptians. But frill in their hearts and aff'eciions
. they were much inclined to return into E~pt.
Even Solomon married his wife from thence.
:~nd 'upon ·an occafio~a they courted the
· (riendll1ip and alliance of Egypt rather than .of
· any
 ·fJffo'lhi~lon the ·pRoPHEctE\ •. ·355
.
lint of'·thC. neighbouring "powers; ~ich pre-
Jadic~. ·of·. d:teits . was .the ..more extraordinary.
·1s ~ tlie Egyptians· gen~ralfy treated them very
injuriou~y~ · Th~y ··opprdfcd them with · R)ol
cruel {ervitudc · in Egypt. They gave tP~(Jl
leave tc> ~epart, and then purfued thetn as .£µ-
gitives. Shifuak king of Egypt came up againft
Jeruftilem, ( 1 Kings XIV. 25, 26.) and pluri-
dercd··ir. · And in all their leagues and alliances
Egypt· Wis to them as a broken reed, (ff.
XXXVI. 6.) whereon if a man lean, it wl'll to
into. ~!s hana, and pierce it.. t1,pon an ··~be~c
·a..ctaubts we · ~ight rcafonably c:xpea· . t1*
Egypt· would be the fubjeCl: of f~eral prophecie~,
..
and .we
tiOn.
...
1hall not be deceived iri our expecfa-

·: ·~~t ·js ~emarkabte; that. the prophecies ut~e~~~

ag~inft any city. ·or country, often .carry· t~,e
inCcription of "the /Jurden of that city or country.
·The prophecies ·againft Nineveh, Babylon~ ~nd
'Tyre'were infcribed (Nahum I. I.) the ~urden
if Nineveh, (If. XIII. 1.) the /Jurden of Bany~•f!,
and· (If. XXIU. 1.) the· burden of 'I).,.e: and fo
·here likewife (If. XIX:. · 1) the prop~e~i~s
agafnft Egypt have the title of the: lmrdrn Cf
·Egypt. And by 'ourden is tommonly undertlood
·a thrcatning burdcnfom~ prophecy, big with
min ind dcftrultion, .which like a dead weight·
Aa 2 is
 . Dijfer.tations on th. P&oPH_E~rp;·~ •
.is hung apon ~ «:ity or ex>untry, to fllllt jt. · Bat
the worq. in the original· is of more general im-
port and fignification. Sometimes it figniics a
proph~cy at large:· as the prophecies of Haba-
kuk and Malachi arc entitled ·tbt burden w:bicb
Hahakuk thr pr~et ·did fee, and the burdm of
the 'wr;rd of the Lord to !frael 6y MalacI,i: and it
is render~d a 'lJijion or />t:ophecy in the Septuagint
and oth~ ancient verfions. Somelimes it fig-
nifies a prophecy. of go~ as well as of evil : ~
it was. faid of the falfe prophets who. prophefied
peace .when there was no peace, (Lament. II.
}4•) 'Thy prophets havefien 'I.Jain andfoolifo things
for tpee, they htroe flm far thee ·fa!fo burdens;
~d ~~F~ariah' s pr~phecy of the reftoration and
triumphs of the Jews in the latter day:s ·is
intitlcd (Ziech. XII. ~~) tht liurden·oj the ~&IJord of
the Lord far lfrae1. Sometimes ·it is ·tranflated
·".prophecy, wher.c there is n~ prophecy, but
only fome ·grave moral fayings or fentences, as
(Prov. XXX. t.) the words of .Agur the fin of
'J11lt.eh, · t'IJen the_ prophecy; and again (Pto\'.
XXXI. 1.) the words t?f king ¥_11n1el, tk prtJ-
pbecy that his mother taught him. '!fe ma; 'far-
ther obferv.e that the word is ufcd of the author
pf the prophecy, as well as of th~ fubjecf of it;
and there is the burden ef tbt Lord, and the 6ur-
°Jm of .tb~ word if the Lord_, as ~ell as tht
· ~ur~n
 Differ.taliflJZJ on the PRoPHEci'~s: 35.Z
. .Jen ef·Babylon, and.the /J.ar.Ja of·Bg,pt.. We.:
ma, be J;ertai1~ .too, tmat. this . tide w.tS affixed•
to the prophtcits by th'e . prophets tnemfelves;
•od not .by the fcri,bes who . colldted· tb~ic
writinr,s . at~wards, bccaufe it appears . from
Jeremiah (XXIII. 33t &;c;:,) that the fcoffers and.
infidels of his time made a jcft and :derifion ·o~
iJ; and therefofc the.y are forbidden· to rnc:DtiolL
it any more as being a term of ambiguous.
tignitication; anJ infi:ead of inqui~ing whst is the
hurdm of the Lord~ they. are commanded to fay.
rp;/Jat hath. the Lord fJ1lfwertd? and what bath,
the Lf!rd fpcken f The ( 3) word in the original
is derived. from a verb that fignllies to take up~
\o lift up, ·'° bring .forth, and the li~e ; and
the proper m~aning of ie. is aoy wcigi1ty imO:.
port~t matter or feotence, .which ·ought DQ\
t() \ici J).egleCl:ed 1 but Q ..worthy of being carrieci
ill the qlt».i~ry, and dcf~rves .to ~ lined .op
!lfld utt~~n:d. V!ith emph:Jfis. S11ch, e~inel1JlJ
~ ,are. -~l _tl}efe prop,~ccies, and t~o~ relatiag
to .Egypt as well as ~he ·refi:. For they oo.m-
prifc the .11rin~~al .re~~l~tions of th~t . ~in&ff~
{l'PJll the times of the prophets to this day.
I. The firft great revolution, that we fhall
mention, was the . conqutft of tbi& kingdom
: . . b
' ." y.
(S) t&'D • ltlt'l i·aUt, Attulit, Protulit~ &c:. Baxtorf.
Aa 3 (+} ••·
SJ.~~. DiffertatifJf,ls fJll the PROPHE-C~ ·~
hy Neb~ha~11~zar1 which was partic~J.arlf
foretold by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. T~cfe ~w<)
prophets have both employed feveral f~ions .
or chapters upon this occafion. Jeremiah was
carried into Egypt, and there foretold (Chap.
· ~LUI.) the conqueft of Egypt by Neb.uchad-
nczzar. king of Babylon : and fomc of his pro-
phecies arc intitle<l (XLVI. I 3.) '/'!Je ,,,,,,.J thtd
t/Je Lord fpake to Jeremiah the prophet, "°'1J Ne-
/Jucbadnezzar king o.f Bahylon foou/J &fJfM '""'
f"!ite the /and of Egypt. Ezekiel alfo declares,
(XXX. 1 o; 1 1.} Thus f aitb the LorJ Goll, I will
alfo make. the mllltitud4 Of Egypt llJ ceafe bJ tk
ba_nd of N.e/Juchadnezur king of &bylon: 1k .
ad. #s. ptop'8 ·witb ·hit11, the terrille of the nati.o111 .
Jb<zll ht hi;oaghi: to Jt}lfli>y the land; "1111 the/ ./Nil
i~tll(IJ tbei,. }words pgilin) Eg,pt, ad Jill .thl .
lanJ. vith the }lain': and · the conqueft of ·tbil
ki~gaoin was promifcd to ~ ebuchadnezar •
a .reward for his . fervices againft Tyre, ~hicb
after ·a Jong 1icgc he took and dearoyed, but
..,.· dif.appointcd Of the fpoil, as. was 'obf~ed
in. t\e f~going dUfertation ; (Ezck•. ~·
' : ' . ..18.

(+) . ...;,..,...,... ?"I ..,. pad Jofepb. Aetiq.. Li'b. 10.

Sea.
..
rro; ~171 .A•~lltlf ""' iroM11,. · Cap. 11. 1. idit. H9Cl- ·
eliin eni.m nftaffc dicit magnam foa ...,.,..re<
le ,.....· • ...- ·
Liby~ ,partcm. Mcgafthcnca a. "1'"'. ~ '"' -~ ...,.
. \ . .. .
 ."'po
•. •. -,I
·~

Dijfertatirmi on the PROP.HECIRI:.. .

1°'g, ·19.) Nebuchadnezzar 'king O.f'Babylon caujelJ
ms "Jrmj to ferve a great flrvice againjl 'Tyf"IJI·: .
~ head was made /Jal/I,. an/I eruery fooulder '1114S
peeled: ytt had ~e no wage.r; Wor his army 'for
'l'ynu, for the fervii:e that he haa Jervetl again/I:
,;.·· 'l'herifore thu1faith the·Lonl.God~·Behold, I
w.W g?ve the land·q/Egypt unto NehuchaJnez:&at·
king of Bahyhn, and he jhall take her msltltult•.
and take her JPoil; and take her prey, 4nd it fla/1 1

k the wages far his army. · ·

: Now for this early tranfatlion we hu:e the
(4) tcftimonies of Megafthenes and Bcrofus,
two heathen hiftorians, who lived about 300
years before Chrifl:, one of whom affirms a- ·
prefly that Nebuchadnezzar conquered tlie.
greateft part of Africa, and the other affirms it
in dfed:, in faying that when Nebuchadnezzar
heard of the death of his fathet, having· fettled
his affairs in Egypt, and committed the cap-.
tive~ ·whom he took in Egypt to the care of:
fome of his friends to bring them after him, he ·
haft~d- diretlly
to Babylon. If neither Her~.o- ·
tus por Diodorus Siculus have recorded this' ..
, . tranf-.
. .
.... N.S..~.p.... -T~ petri• morte~ta. ..Cl.iJfque
l'Wac T• ·_.. n• ~ 1a &gypco ordiUtia lie. Bcrofqa,
~~,,~· .. "·A. Nabcichodo- ibid. ViclectiamEafc\>ii.PncpP..
aoforas vc:ro, noa mu1t0 ~· .Bftllgel;Lib.,..Cep.+o"+'· ·
A a .., Cs> Q!06l.
~. ll~).J'li E·~ rE i;
Differtationsr_ "1z .Jke f
tri111faltion, what {5) Sca.ligcr faid of one of
them. in~y b~. v~~y. jufily app~ied to ~h, tha~
thofe -Egyp~i~n ptj~fts, who informed ·thelll
of.'i~~ Egyptian affairs, t~ught them only tbofe
things . which ~ade
for t~e 1l9nor of tho.ir.
·nation; Qtber ~ticulars of th~r i~enefs, fer~
yitude,.:and the tribute which rilcy paid to the
Cf1Qidrezns, they. concealed. jQfephus~ WC may.
prefu_~, , haq gf>od · li;Uthoriti~s, and .was (up~
ported by eJrlicr hiO:oria.ns, w~en he (6) aif::rted~
tbdt N.cbUch~ nr,~z:it1 :; \I.a vin g _ fubd ued Crele-
Syrfa, waged. war againfi: th<? Ammonites ancl
·M<?~bitt:; ;' and;: having· ~nquercd. them., he.
iHv..ade~iEgypt, . t-!l<i· 9ew . the · king who· then
reigned,. and t.ppoiRt~ ~no~her. ·
:t It·• is ind~ed Anofr J?ighly probable, . that
·Apries was .cietbt~cd, ~nd Amafis .conftitnted ·
king: by. Ncbucqa<Jm:zzar·s .:ind I thin~ we may
iufpr. as much .frpq1 Herod.C?tus · ~mfelf. The
~ •.of the . .kip~. of ¥-g}!p~ ~t _tha~ time ac-
··.....·i ,.,, .·...·. ·~. · :; :-; .. :-:;·....... :.· : .. ~ - .. ~. · · cording.
-r;,
Q_Uod peH'piaJe111dit:it~1. · c6) ~rrT•v.. ~ •tTO•
·J~r~~i~!ld' l!er~~~I\.!~
· 9!''P.!- [:-;._~¥xq~•ocro~ .... . -:~.' Ko•-
~lt: q u1a facerdotes tlti · p-· A11r l:~C"..- xcs1 •-"TS7Y.., •uT'lf.
dt;. q-ui~i fcifcitanti de re UI IS'OAl/£11'71 """ Aff4•1':'1&( IUU
JEgyptiacis refpondebant, ea, M.uapm•(· •o•'IO'Sf:<'"f ;-. i.-_
~u.e.aJ !a11demgentis faciehant, . 'lrV•• '1''1111T-" -rcs ~"' 11i$1&11n
't:intu~ db1;0tTturtl ~ que ,._.. ,.,. .1 Myuwio• uiai-p&4-
ad illont!J11gna.iur,.fcnritc.1tcm, ~ • ~·\ ""' or~• ·,,." n-
et ttibu(a, quz Clialdtbb pen- "'' ~"~"' ;cT~P"· "~"~:•;
deliadtr tac,Qclwat.; : S<:diJ1..iA! .t~.~~ •· .'!;. A, -excratum
li'ragm .. p. 11. · ipfe cduxit in Co:lcn-Syrizm;
~ - · ·. + ~· ~ .'. caq_uc
 '··

XJi.ffertatiQtU. nz ~he f R~.f.-~~-c.~~.8.1 .S~l

"or:di!lg. ~o Jeremiah _was :Fhara~b ..Hqphra, and
l><1 ~an. be ~one. µtlicr ~ha.n the_ ./fp.rie! ~f Her~
~us. Ezekiel rerrcfents him ..as an; arrogan' _
isnp1qq,, prip,ce, .(:X~IX. 3.) as the great Ira~
ZfJfl or,.9rocodile .tfi11,t Jiet/,J in thf midf' of bis · ri.-
-wrs. iµ;~~'~ bf!ih fa.id,_ ~ riv~r js my vwn, ·Q,,tf
l: ~ve. ·.'Patf.e it for m_vjlf: and agr<teably h~~
~Q. (7) -~ 1--~er~dotus ~nforms us, that At>rie~
pro~ly and . wic~edly boafied of having
~ftablilh~ his_ {tipgdom. fo forely, that it wa~
.not in the Power of God ·himfelf to difpoBCfs
him qf it. Hovrev~r Jeremiah foretold, that
he. ili,ould be taken and fbin by bis ene-
¥,Ues, (X;LIV. 30.) 'thus faith the Lord,· Be-.
hold, .{ will give Pharaob-Hophra king of E-
Uii intq the hanJ of his. enemies, and into the
~anJ of them that fee/l his_ life, as I· gaw
$et/di4h iirzg ~f Judah into the hand '!/ /'fe~
quchadaezzar . king. .of Bab)·lon, ·hiJ ·l!'ll{my,
ff'!!! .~hat fought hi, life : _ and accordingly
- ·· · -Apries
caqve. ~.Qptitf et A1:11ma!lit~ ~~. - .l.a"1.a. ,,.,.f •• .Saor ''"
et Moabitis helium ititulit. Iftia ,,_11b.a ~11•J11CJ.Siiu .-aCJ•• 'T"~ Pllli11-
autem· gcntibus in pt>tcflatem ~..,..,... -., . ~.>.1t1s •t111'1,i
tGain redu,&ia, impnum fccit in . i.tp.,o-S•• ~.... Fertur .A:pries
..£gyptum, ut ipfam dd>e1taret. ea foilfe petfuafioM, ne ckum
ac regem q,lliicm, qui tune re!{- quidcim ullum Polfe fibi adi-
nabat, occ1dit; alio vero coaib- mere tegnum: adco ·videba-
~~&o &c, JofeFh• Antiq. Lib. ~r fibi illud ilabilifi'e. . _,Herod.
10~ Cap. 9 • s~~· 7• p. +H· Li~. 2. Sea. 169., P· •ss·.
~t. Hudfon. · · Edir. <hie•.
(7} ~..ct~-! ta ~1•1 ma1'
· (8} Herod.
$6> Di.ffertaiion1 on t/Je PRoPHECIEs~
Cf}"· A pries was taken and ftranglcd by Arna~
fis, who was by Nebuchadnezzar conftituted
king in his room. ·
Ezekiel foretold, that the country thou1d' ~
defolated forty years, and the people carried
captive i.nto dther countries ; '(XXIX. i 2. J ·1
will make the land of ·Eg)'pt Jefalate in the mt'd/I
of the· countries that are· defolatt, and hn- cities
llmong the cities that are laid 'Wttjle, /hall k
Jtfolate forty years; and I will fcatter ~ EgTp-
tian~ among the nations, and wiO dijpefji· i/lmr
thro' the countries. We canhot prove indeed
from heathen authors, that this defolanon of the I

country continued· cxatlly forty years, though

it .is likely enough that this, as well as the·
other conquered countries, did riot 1hake off"the
BacyIonian yoke ~ill the time· of Cyrus : ·but
we arc' affured by (9) Berofus, that Nebuchad-
nezzar took fever~) captives in Egypt, and carried
them ~o Babylon·;· and from ( 1) Megafthc-
nes .we learn, that he tranfplanted and fettled
others in Pontus. So true it is, that they were
flattered among the nations._ and Jzj'perfed tbn/ t~
cou~triei, and might upo~ _the dJffolution of the
Babylonian
... .
. (8) .. Herod. lb'id. D'iodorus Lib. •~.·tap. 11. Sea. 1. p.
iic. Lil5. 1. p. 43. Eilit. Steph. +5 9. Edit. H udfon. -' ~.ic
p. 62. Edit. Rhod: . · ··~1-s - .,.,, •.s. .,,..
{g) ~Cua apud Jot'ephnm A1)'1111t1o~ 18r11r, 111~
...
....,.

•
r
D!fTertations Of1 the
PRoPH'Ecr&s. s61.
~aby lpniao empire :return to their native Coun-
lfy...
II. Not Jong after this was ;mother ·memo-
rable l"evolution,, and the country was invaded
and fubdued by Cambyfcs and the J>er6ans,
which is the main fubjed: of the 19th chapter
of Ifaiab. Some par~ indeed of this prophecy
have a near affinity with thole of
Jeremiah and
E~ekiel concerning the conqueft of Egypt by
Nebuchadnezzar, and St. Jerome and others
apply it. to Nebuchadnezzar: but this prophecy,
at well as feveral others, might admit of a.
douplc completion, and be fulfilled at both
tbo(c periods. For this prophecy of Jfaiah is.
a general reprefentation of the calaoiitiea
of ·.the na~o ; it includes various parti-
culars ; it is . applicable .to Nebuchadnezzar
and die Babylonians, as well as to Cambyfcs
and die Perfi"ans. They might therefore be
both., intended and comprehended in it : but
thC l~tter, I conceiYe, were principally intended,
and for this reafon ; becaufe the deliverance of
the .Egy;tiaus b, fame great conqueror, and
t~ C:onverfiQQ afterwards to the true religion,
·. · which

- ,~ ....,..c•., ur "" oo1oniat in dextram Ponti ph·

B411Mi1.-~ gam depdrtafk. Mega!Hienea
(•) --..\..- ...:-,..., •.a... apud Eafebium. ibid. Cap. 41. I
~ ,.. ltf•• n n.;r. •.a....,.,. P• 1-!6· Edit. Vigeri.
· (i) Poly-

•
 :l64 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIES~
which are foretold in . the latte! part of this
chapter, were events confrquent to the domi-
nion of the Perfians, and not to that of the
Babylonians. .
The prophet begins with declaring that the
conqueft of Egypt iliould be fwift and fudt~cn,.
·and that the idols of Egypt !hould be deftroycd;
(ver. 1.) Beho'/d the Lord ridetb upr,n a Jv:ift
douJ, and fl.all come into Egypt, 01;J tbe idoJ.s if
Eg_,.,'Pt fha/I be m(/f)ed at. his prejence, and tbt-
heart of Egypt foal/ rnelt in the midji of it. T]lc
fame thing is foretold of ·NebuchadnezzJr. by
Jeremiah, (XLIII. Jr, &c.) And when be fGm ...
eth, be j!.·,i/J Jmiu the land·~{ Eg_,..pt-.A11d I ~iJJ.
iindle a fire in the hou.fes of 'the ..~ids of EKJpl,
"nd he fool/ hurn th,·111, an4 'arry them aw.a~
captivd-He jhall hrcall alfa tke images of Betb-
fhemefh, that is in the land of Egypt ; and the
houfes of the gods of the Eg.,ptians jhall /,; hum
with fire: and again by ExekieI, (XXX.. J 3.)
'Ihus faith· the Lord God, I will a!ff> tkjrii_j tht
'idols,· and I wiU caufe their imagts to cMje 011t. ef
Noph, or Memphis. We _are not .furni~d
with ancient authors fufficient to proye thcfe
particulars
r.-
. (z) Polyzni Stratagem. Lib. ~c. p. 172. Sea. 37 &e. 176.
7· Cap. 9· p. 620. Edit. Mu.f- Edit. Gale. Strabo. Lib. 17.
• vicii. p. 805. Edit. Paris. p. lll8•
(3) Herod. I.Jb. 3. s~a. n. Eclit. A.mile!. l'JO?•. juftin.
Lib,
 ..

Difertations ·on ·tlie ·P1roi»atcrE s·. . $6.a

):>articniars (ho\vever proJ:>able) in the hiftory ·o f
NebnclY\.dbezz~r · and the Babylonians ; b~
.~e h:tv-e ;iinple proofs with relation to Ca~
.byfes aqd the :Perfians. The firft ~tempt m,ade
by ·cambyfes was upon ( 2) ·Pelufiuin, ·a. ftr~g
·.town at the .entrance .of Egypt, and the key .of
~t~e· kingdom; and he· fuccecded by ~the ftrata-
,gem of ·placing before his ·ari:nJ{ a gn~at numge1
of dogs, lheep, cats, and other animals, whicb
;being held facred by the Egyptians, not ono
of them ~ould caft a javelin, or fl1~t an
/Urow that way ; and fo the town was ftorIQ,r,d
'and taken in a manner without refiftam:;e. -He:
( 3) treated the Gods of Egypt with marvelous
contempt, laughed a~ the . people, and chafiife~
the pricfis for. worlhipping fuch .deities. ffo flow
Apis, or th~ facred ox which the Egyptiam
worlhippcd, with his own hand; and burnt and
demo]ifucd their. other idols and teqiples ; amf.
would likewife, if he had not been prFV4!nt¢.1
have defiroycd the famous temple of J~pitc:_r
Hammon. Ochus too, who was another ki.n3
of Pcrfia, and fubdued the Egyptians again
after they had revolted, (4) plundered their
·· temples,

L .b
i • 1. Cap. 9. p. 29. Ed.t i • 2. Edit. llhad. Plutarch de Hid.
Grirvii. le Our. p. 355. Edit. Parit.
(fl Diod. Sic. Lib. 16. p. 16z4.
S37· Edit. Steph. p . .++8· TQm.
(s) Herod.
 Di/ftrt11tioll1· tn i:be P1.cPa:1c~.t-i.
~ka, and -cwft:ti Apia to bedlam and· fe~cd
np in a banquet to him arid liis friends. ·· ·
The .prophet · fortm'ls, that tJaey· fhou1d «o
- m~mbly. ddlraClctd with .ckril wars;· (ver.
9,) "4ntJ l viJJ /et I~ RgJ;tians. .gaill}l tfir
~Jf'Ji,tmr; MtJ tJJe, foaJJ jgbl ~,,., oill 4Slli~
iliJ "1-'lthtr, """.tNn'J' ;llt atAi#JI· bU' nngNtnr.
ftJ! 1'6'Jt.fl tdy; .Jiiii Aing<JM ag11r;,jl imgilmn;
..~ ~. ,op.w, at the Seventy ·-tranflate ·it~ pro-
•iace 4gainft proviooe, ·Egylpt · being d"ivided
into ro,;.-,
prefeaurei ~r provinces. Vitringa
'9ld others ·apply this to the time of the (S)
Mxix,ox•~ or ·the reign of the twelve kings, the
1narchy that preceded, and the civil wars that
_enfued, wherein the genius· and fortune of
Pfarmnitichus prevailed ov·er · tbe rcft. ' ~at
it may perhaps be more ·properly applird to
what agrees better in point of time · with ' Othet
parts · of the prophecy, ( 6) the ·· civil: wcin
between · AprJes and Amafis at the time of
Nebuchadnezzar's invafion, and the (7 )- ti vii
wars between Tachos, Nedancbus, and' the
Mende6an, a little before the co~ntry /was
finally fubdued by Och'us.
It
CsH!erod. Lib. 2. Sea. 1+7. (6) Htrod. Lib. 2. Sea.. 16g.
-•S.-4· P• l4-~-15c. Edit. P· 155. Edit. Gale:. Diod. ~
Gale. Diod. Sic. Lib. 1. p.,. l, Lib. 1. p. +3· Edi,. Stcplt. !-
&c. Edit. 5'eph. P· 5~1 &c. 6.a. Tom. 1• .!Wit. Rbw.
'.rom. 1. iclit. PJiod. ·
(7) Pia-
 Df/lf'4/Jlions fn .·"1e~ ·P '~
:.. It~&~ w.ander,
,.c
1K '·.
.~t~D fQCb..flifu;atti~ an4
~'r
difti~fies . ~ thcfe, tke Egytians b~i1_1g .nat-u i
~y.a.~war.dly ~le, lhould he d~~ of
mmft/1 and. that the fpirit .o f EvPt foo~ f.lli
;. t~e. llJi4jJ thereef, as the prophqt :fj;>retqs1
(Rr....J.}.and that being alfo a very fllpClilitiou
pcaplc. .t/Jty footdd flek. .to tJ,e iJ,Js. all to "11
dlltr1#1'1, 41lli to IJtm t/Jat hfZ'Vtf'1111ili#-J;inltt.
·tllld to. tbe 'Uliturdt, But their diviriation was •
in vain 1 it was their fate io be fubdued Nltl
opprdfed by cru~ ~ords and tynn•; ( ver. +)
tdad tk Egyptians will I P,t wtr mu .die btat
ofa m«I lord; ad a farce ling foal/ rule· ()f}d'
thttn, faith the Lord, the Lord of /Jojls. Thia
u the moft cifential part of the prophecy; anll
this Grotiuia and others unde.rftand of PfammP.
.tichus : but it doth not appear from hiftory,
that Pfammitichus was fuch a fierce and ~
.tyr.ant; on the contrary he (8) reeftab1Uhe4
.the government, and reigned long and pro{pe-
l'ou11y for Egypt in many refped:s. It may
with greater tn1th and propriety be underftooe
.of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians,. who~
dominion was very grievous to the conquered
nations:
(7) Plutarch. iu Agcnlao. -157. p. t50, 1s1 .. Edit.
Diod. Sic. Lib. 1 S· p. 5o6. Gale. Diod. Sic. Lib. 1. p.
-l.=·
Edit. Steph. p. 399. &c. Tom. Edit. Steph. p. &. Tom. ~·
.z. E4it. Rbocl. Edit. Rhod. Vide ctiam Mar-
(II) Herod. Lib. 2. ~a. 153 lhaai Chron-. Sze. 17. P• 505.
(9) PriJ.
368 JJijfertsribhl bil ihe
PioPHBCIES•
nations·: bu-t -~ith ·the ·grcateft propriety and
juftice it may· be applied · to the Petfians, and
efpecially to Cambyfes and Ochus; -<?nc of
whom put the yoke upon the· neck of the
·E gyptians, and the other rivetted-it there1 and
who are both branded in hiftory for cruel. tyrants
and monfrers of men. The Egyptiaua faid
that Cambyfes, after his killing of Apis, Wal
ftricken with madnefs; but his ad:ions, faith
(9) Dr. Prideaux after Herodotus, ·fuowed him
to have been mad long before. He could hardly
have performed thofe great exploits, if he had
·been a downright madman: and yet it is certain
.that he was very much like one ; -there was
a mixture of .barbarity and madnefs in all his
.behaviour. Ochus was the cruellcft and
worft of all the kings of Pf'rfia, and ·was fo
deftruaive and oppreffive to Egypt in partic-nbr,
that his favorite eunuch ( 1) Bagoas, . who was
an Egyptian, in revenge of his injured country,
poifoncd him. The favors 1hown to himfclf
could not compenfate for the wrongs done to
his country. None other allegation is wanting
to prove, that the Perfian yoke was galling and
intolerable
(9) Prid. ConneetP~t. t. (.:.; Al')lll'" ~-1-) :.. .....
Anno SitS. Camh)'les ~. -ro :ro al11t:1""' ci!ITW.& ,,,,_,
JI. J·
Herod. L1h. 3. Sect. 30. p. ltlr ah 'll'~OTl(f" f,. .......,, {)t.
•n· Edit. Gale. KA,,.~"g"'' 1. hoc fulu' (ut .£gyp1h aiunt)
· · contiDllO
 Differta1iom 'dn t/Je PaoPH~c11s. .369
int":.' .··11e to the Egypti~, than their freque~~
re· · ~ ..·.. aut.i rebellions~· which krvcd frill b~!t to
.augment their nufery' and inflave them mQre
and more.
The prophet then proceeds to {et forth in
:figurative language (ver~ 5-10.) the·confe-
quences of this fubjetl:ion and flavery, th~
poverty and want, the mourning and· lamenta-
tion, the confufion.and mifcry, which iliould be
intailcd on them and their pofterity: arid after-
wards he recounts (ver. 11-17.) the immediate
caufe.s of thefe evils, the folly of the princes an<l
rulers who valued themfelves upon their wif-
dom, and the cowardice and effeminacy of the
people 'in. general. Thefe. things will plainly
appe~r -to any·onc by .perufing the hiO:ory ~
the nation, but it would carry us beyond all
bounds to prove them hy an induCl:ioll of par-
ticulan. In general it may be faid, that Egypt
would ·not have become a ·prey to..10. many
foreign enemies, b11t thro' the exceffive weaknefa
of the Egyptians both in counfel and in aa:ion.
They ha!f not the courage even to defend them... ·.
JClves. ~.hey trufi:cd chiefiy to their Grecian
· · and
COQtinao Cambyfe1 infaniit; 56+. Edit. Steph. p. 4p<>• Tom.
qaum. ae prius ql\idca compos 2. Rdir. Rhod. :£lwai Var:
9lftti1 f~ • • Ui4. Lib. 6. Cap. f.
( 1) Diocl. Sic. Lib. t6. p. · ·
• Vo&.. J. Ba. (s) Di~~
370 Di.ffertatiom _.,, dJe PROPHJtCJBS.
and other mercenaries,. :who inftead of defend~
ing, were often the firft to betray them.
III. The next memorable revolution waa
e{feCted by Alexander the great, who fubvcrtcd
the Perfian empire in Egypt as well as in all
other places: and this event, I entirely agree
with Vitringa, is pointed out to us in thU fa.aw
19th chapter of If.llah. It is. alfo foretold, that
about the fame time fcveral of the EgyptianJ
fhould be converted to the true religion and the
worfhip of the God of lfrael. And as thefe
eventst which arc the fubjecb of the .lattes
part of the chapter, (ver. 1.8-25 ..) followed
uPon the fubvcrfion '?f the Perftan empire J
we may be fatisfied, that our application of the
former part of the chapter to the Perfians iA
particular, was not a mifapplicatioo of the
prophecy. In that daJ, that is after that day,
after that time, as 'the pbrafc fignifies, and
fuould be. tranflated in feveral pa!f~cs o( the
m
prophets.. Shall .fove cities tht lllluJ of Egypt.
jJwll th1 laag11agt ef Catr04n, profcfs the religion
of the Hebrews,; as in Zephaniah {III. 9.)
I will um. to. thl people • pure lanz1111v figai6es
I will reftore to the people a pure religion,
that ·they may aU ~all upon the 1ltllM ef. th1
· Lori/; to f erve hint with ane confent. ..dntlfeat;
to the Loni ef. /Jofa ~ one foal/ 6e GllJ!ed ~/# _
. ' ... -. .. L:it.
.,....,. .
 [Jijfertation1 on i!Je PR o PH E c r R s". 3 71
ez°!J of JejlruSzon, or of the fun, as it is in the
margin of our bibles, meaning Heliopolis, a
famous city of Egypt. In that day jhall there oe
an altar to t/Je Lord in the mr'cfjl ef t'/Jt land of
Egypt, a11d a pillar at the /Jorder thereef to th~
Lord, fuch as Jacob erected (Gen. XXVII[
J 8.) at Bethel. And it jhall /Je far a fign, and
fM" a witnefl unto the Lord of hojis in the land tJj
Egypt: far they jhaO cry UT}to the Lord becau.ft of
the opprtj/ors, and hejhallfend them aJaviour am/
~great one, and he jhall deliver them. And the
LordjhaO be /mown to Egypt, and the Egyptians
foal/ lnrJ'W the Lord in that day, and jhall dQ
f11Criji&e and o/JlatiQn, yea, they foal/ vow a vow
11nto t/Je Lord, and perform it. · The prophet
deicribes the wodhip of future times, according
to the rites and ceremonies of his o~n time.
Anti the Lord jhaOfmzie Egypt, liejhallfmite anJ
heal it, and t/Jey Jhall return even to the Lord,·
a11d· he jhall /Je intreated of them, and jhall heal
tbem. The prophet then proceeds to fhow,
that Aff'yria or Syria and Egypt, which ufed
to be at great enmity with each other, fhall be .
united in the fame worlhip by the intermedia-
tion of lfrael, and they three ihall be a bleffing
in the earth. In that day jhaR there 6e a high
"W~ out ofEgypt to AJ!jria, and the .A.ffjrian foal/
01111 into Egypt, anJ the. Egyptian into .Ajfyria,
• Bba aJ
372 !Jijfertations on the PaoPH ECIE(.
and t~e Egyptians foal/ Jerve with the .Aj1jria1tt.
In that day jhall ljrael be the third with Egypt,
and with· 41/Jria, even a /;/ef/i1tg.i11 the mit!fl ef
·the land: Whom the Lord of .ho.fts foall hltfs,jay-
i,11g, B!~ffed be Egypt my people, and 41Jjria the
'W()rk qf my hands, and ffeael mine inheritance.
He1:e .it is clearly foretold, that a great prince~
a /a·u1our Jent /Jy God, from a foreign country,
fhould c!ef,"ver the Egyptians from their Perfian
~pp~~/j~rs, and heal theircountry, which wasjmit-
ten ef fiod and affiiCl:ed : and who could this be
but Alcx:ind::r, who is always diftinguifbed by
the name of Alexander the great, and whofe firft
fucceffor in Egypt was called the great Ptolemy,
and Pt0.lcmy Soter or the faviour? Upon Alex-
ander's firt1 c:oming into Egypt, the {2) people
all chcarfuUy fubmitted to him out of hatred
to the Pcrfians, fo that he became mafter of
the country without any oppofition. For this
reafon ·he treated them with humanity and
kindne(s, built a city there which after his own
name he .called Al~xandria, appointed one of
their ow~ country for their civil governor, anc\
permitted· them to be governed by their own
laws

· (%) Diod. Sic. Lib. 17. p. ~· Cap. 1, ~. <l!!iat. Cartilia

sS.8. Edit. Steph. p. sz6. Tom. Lib. 4. Cap. 7 a: 8.
2. Edit. Rhod. Arrian. Lib. (3) Si licact coaji~ •
uomiaib•
 . Dijfartations ·on t~e. PRoP H ECI!-s. . 373
laws ~nd cull.oms. By thef~ changes and- regu:..
·)atic.ns, and by the prudent and gentle admini-
ftration of iome of the fi~ Ptolemies, Egypt
revived, trade and learning fioriilied, and for a
while peace and plenty ble1fed the land.
But it is more largely foretold, that about
;the fame time. the true religion and the wo.r<hip
of the God of lfracl fuould begin to fpread and
prevail ~n the land of Egypt : and what event
was ever more unlikely to happen than the
con'verfion of a people . fo funk and lo!l: in
fuperftition and idolatry of the worft and gr-ofi"dl:
kind? It is certain that many of the Jews, after
Nebuchadnezzar had taken Jerufalem, fled
into Egypt, and carried along with them J~re­
miah the prephet, (Jcr. XL'III. &c.) who there.
uttered moft ef his prophecies concerning the
conqueft of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar. From
thence fome knowlegc of God, · and fome .
notices of the -prophecies might eafily be derived
to the Egyptians. It is faid that this ulteration
fuould be 'cffell:ed principally in .five c:tie.r. If ·
a certain ·number be not. here put for an un-
certain, I ·fnould conclude with (3) Le Clerc,
that

- nomiaib•s 41uinql!c (quatuor] Car. XLIV. z. Migdol (He-

aliarum urbium. dicerem cu rodoto Magdolus; That·hphH••-
. •de, qua mclllO(aetttr Jtremi•thes (alic:m Dapbne) ,1'1o_phi
Bb 3 tn•e
374 Dijfertationi on· the PaoPHltCIEs.
that the foe cities, wherein the worlhip of the
one true God was fu-ft received, were Heliopolis.
which is particularly named in the text~ and
the four others, which are mentioned in Jere-
miah (XLIV. 1.) as the places of the refidcncc
of the Jews, Migdol or Magdolwn, 'Iabpahts
or Daphne, Noph or Memphis, and the fourth
in the country of Patbros or Thebais, not men-
tioned by name, perhaps Amon-no or Diof..
polis. There the Jews chiefly refidcd at that
time : and tho' they were generally very
wicked men, and difobedient to the word of
the Lord,, and upon that account the prophet
Jeremiah denounced the heavieft judgm.cn11
againft them J yet fome good men might. be
·mingled among them, who might open hit
prophecies to the Egyptians, and they themklvcs
when. they faw them fulfilled, might embrace
the Jewiih religion. But this.is to be undcr-
ftood not o~ all the,inhabitants of thofc placr.s,
but

.iTe Memphis, et quarta inter- iis prophetaminetur, potaenrat

ra Pathros. feu.Path)•ride, quz
11omi11e non appellatur, forte
Amon-r:o five Dio(Jo!is. In
fo. habitarunt Judr~i. qui Chai-
. deorum mttu poi captam Je-
rofolirnam in ..t:gyptum migra-
r.a.nt, e6q11e invitum JcremiaJI)
abduxerant. Qgibus, impro-
f,il qwppe. licct c,xtr~ma mJla
tamen nonnµIli pii admiffi elfe.
qui vaticinia. ejas ..£&yptiit
aperuerint, et ipfi, cam ea im-
pleta viditfent, J11daicam reli-
¥ionem amplexi fint. Q!ocl
intelligi nalim de incolis omni-
bu• eorum locor•m; fed cle
nonnullis; quod fatis ell, at
.diuatur ciWlwi• IU'bcs /ifllM
. c~
r
Differtatiom Wz. i/,e p ~OP HE C°fJ S,. 87 J
ht only of i>mc ; which is . fufticient to jt,\Aify
tbc exprcffion · of fiw titia f ptaAing thf llzn..
Pill' of C.11111111, 41/J /fDearing hJ tbt Lwd, g
bo}Js.
· Alexander the great {4) tranfplanted many
of the Jews into his new city of Alexandria,
and allowed them privileges and immunities
equal to tho_fe of the Macedonians thcmitlv.es.
Ptolemy Soter ( 5) carried more of them into
Egypt, who there enjoyed fuch advantages, tbat
not· a few of the other Jews went thither ·of
their own accord, the goodnefs of the cour.try
and the liberality of Ptolemy alluring them.
Ptolemy Philadclplws (6) redeemed and re-
leafed the captive Jews: and in his reign or
llis fathcr,s, the books of Mofcs were tranJlated
into Greek, and afterwards the other parts of
.the Old Tefiament. The third (7) Ptolemy,
· caJled Euergctcs, having fubdued all Syria, did
not facrificc to the Gods of Egypt in acknow-
lcgcmcnt

Cb111111"-itio lof1111tW1, tt 1" Lib. r. sea. st. p. 1341.

71/wulllll j•r6111r6. Comment.
aa Joe• m.
· (+) Jofeph. de Bell. Jud.
Lib. z. Cap. 18. Sea. 7. p.
1098. Contra Apion. Lib. z.
Sea.4. p. 1364. Edit. Hu<lfon.
(~) Jofeph: Adtiq. Lib. u.
Cap. 1. p. sos. Hecata!us
apud JoCepb. Coatn Apioa.
' · '. B b +
Edit. Hudfon.
(6) Jofepb. Antiq. Lib. u.
Cap. z. p. 5c 8. Contra Apion.
Sea. 4.p. 1365.Edit.Hud·on.
Hody de Ven. Grzc. Lib. 2.
Cap. 2.
(7) Joftph. Coatra · Apion.
Lib. z. Se~. S• p. 1365. Edit.
H..Moo. .
(8) Jofcpb.
376 Differtatims fifJ the P aor H'S ct Es~
legement. of .bj& vidor' ; bat earning to }au;.
falem, made hi~ oblations to God after tile
manner {)f the .Jews: and the king's cxampl~
no doubt, would influence many of his fubjcas.
The fix.th (8) Ptolemy, called Philomctor, and
his queen Cl~opatra committed the whole ma..
nagement of the· kingdom to two Jews, Oniaa
and Dofi.theus, who were their chief minillen
and generals, and had the principal direfrion of
all affairs both civil and military. This Onias
obtained a licence from the king and queen to
build a temple for the Jews in Egypt like that at
Jerufalem, alleging for this purpofe this very
prophecy of lfaiah, that there iliould ht a11
altar to tbe Lord in the midft of the land of Egl'fl:
and the king and queen in their refcript make
honorable mention of the law and of the pro-
phet Haiah, and exprefs a dread of finning againft
God. The pla'ce, chofen for the building ol
t bi, temple, was in the prefc~ure of Heliopolis
or the city of th1• fun, which' place is likewife.
menti0ned in the prophecy. It was built after
the model of the temple at Jerufalem, but not
fo for11ptuo 1js and magnificent. He himfdf
v.ias made high-priell ; other pi-iefrs and LevitcS
·were

~8).Jof~_Ph. ~ontra Apion. Cap. 1. Se.a. t. p •.958.Lib.

lb1J. AntJq. Lib. 13. C::p. 3. 7. Cap, re, Sea.. ~. p. 13z_;..
p. s6z. De Bell. Jud. Lib. 1. Edit. Hladfoa..
. (9}-
 Dijfertatilfu ·on tk P.Jl·o~ H 8 ti a J.. 3i1
. were appointed for the miniftrarion; ed dlvilie·
mice was daily performed. thct~ in the fame
manner as at Jernfalcm, -and continued as fongi
for Vefpafian, having deftroyed the temple at
Jemfalem, ordered this alfo to be demolifhed.
By thefe means the Lord muft in fome degr~e
ha'l:e been known to Egypt, and the Egyptiam mujl
have known the Lord: and without doubt there
. mufi have been many profdytes among them.
Among thofe who came up to the feaft of
Pentecoft (Acts II. 10.) there are particularly
mentioned the dwellers in Egypt and in the parts
of Lybi'a about Cyrene, Jews and profe/ytes. Nay
from the inftance of Candace's eunuch (Atls
VIII. 27.) wemayinferthattherewereprofdytes
even beyond Egypt, in Ethophia. Thus were
the Jews fettled and encouraged in Egypt, info-
much that {9) Philo reprefents their number~
not lefs than a hu11:dred myriads or ten hundred
thoufand men. Nor were they lefs-favored or
rewarded for their fervices, by the kings of Syria.
Seleucus Nicator ( 1) made them free of the
cities, which he ~uilt in Afia and the lower
Syria, and of Antioch itfelf the capital of his
kingdom; and granted the fame rights and pri-
vileges
(9) - · cn111tcn ~·1.,, (1) Jokph; Antiq. Ltb. u~
lsawr-ln Flaccum. p. 971. Cap. 3. p. 519. Edit~ Hudfon •.
Edit. Paris. 16-.0. ·· ( ·
(z) Jofcpb.
 Di.f!ertalifns IJb ·ihe P1toPHac1!s.
vileges to them as m the Greeks and Macedo-
nians. Antiochus the great ( 2) publilhcd .fevC..
ral decrees in favor of the Jews, both of thojO
· who inhabited Jerufalcm, and of thofe who
dwelt in Mefopotamia and Babylonia. Jofephus
(3) faith that the Jews gained many profelytes
at Antioch. And thus by the means of the
Jews and profelytes dwelling in Egypt and Syria,
Ifrael Egypt and Syria were in fomc meafurc
united in the fame worfuip. But this was more
fullyaccomplilhed, when thefecountries became
chriftian, and fo were made members of the
fame body in Chrift Jefus. And we pioufly
hope and believe, that it will ftill receive its
moft perfe.Ct completion in the latter da1s.
wben Mohamedifm 1hall be rooted out, and
Chriftianity !hall again fiorilh in thefe countries,
when tbt Juinefs of the Gentilts jha/I come in, mJ
all ljrael jhal/ 6e j'i:rved.
IV. But there is a rem~kable prophecy of
Ezekiel, which comprehen& in little the fate
of Egypt from the days of Nebuchadnezzar to
the prefent. For therein ~t is foretold, that
after the defolation of the land and the captivity
of the people by Nebuchadnezzar. (X:X:IX. 1.f.
J 5.) it jhou!J be a baft kingdom: It jhall /Jt the
~'!{eji ~l the lingdtJms, neit};er jhaU it txalt itje!f
"111
(z) Jofeph. ibld.
(J) De

1111..:
 Diff11'Jat.ions on .tk Pa.orsacuts. 37?
'!#J more a/lave the nations ; · fer I wiJJ J;,,,;ttijb
1/Jtm, tb4t they foal/ 11fJ more ruk owr the 1UltiMS:
and again. in the next chapter, (ver. 12, 11.)
I will jell the land into tht band of 'the wic1'fd1
.tmd I will make the land wajie, (J11d a,/J that i1
thdtin, Dy the band of Jlrangers : ·and tkre fhll/l
/Jeno more a prince if the land 91 '%JP'• Such
general prophecies, like · general rules, are not
to be underftood fo firietly and abfolutcly, as if
they could not poffibly admit' of any kind cf
limitation or C¥ception whatever. It is futfi..
cieot if they hold good .for the moft part, aJ;td
are confirmed by the experience of many aF,s,
tho' perhaps not without an exception of a few
years. The prophets exhibit a general view of
things, without cntring into the particular cx-
'eptions. It was prediCled (Gen. IX. 25.) that
Gznaan jhou/J lie a Jervant of flrwmts unto hi1
/Jrethren ; and generally his po£1:crity were I.uh.
jeded to the dekcndents of his brethren : but
7et they were no~ always fo; upon fume occa-
fions they were fuperior; and Hannibal and the
Carthaginians obtained feveral viCl:orics over
the Romans, tho' they were totally fubducd at
iafi:. In like manner it was not intended by
this prophecy, that Egypt lhould ever after-
wards, io every point of time, but ouly that it
lhou)d
(.J)Dc BelL Jae!. Lib. 7. Cap. 3. Sea. J. P• •'W· Ed.it. Huclba. '
(+) Lu
·.as~ . Dfffe~iatirms rm tlie PaoP.HECJ.JU•
ilaould -for much the greater part of time, be
·a baft· kingdom, be tributary and fubjelt to
ftrangets. This is the pu.rport . and meaning of
·the prophecy·; and the truth of it will bcft ap-
.pear by a ihort deduetion of the hifi<>ry of
E-gypt from that time to this. ·
· Amafis was left king by Nebuchadnezzar)
and as be held his crown by the permiffion and
allowance· of the Babylonians, there is no roo~
to doubt that he paid them tribute for it. Ber~
fus, the Chaldrean hiftorian, ( 4) in a fragment
preferved by Jofephus, fpeaketh of Nebuchad-
nezzar's reducing Egypt to his obedience, and af~
tcrwards of his fettling the affairs of the country1
·and carrying captives from thence to~abylon. By
his conftitutiog and fettling the affairs of Egypt
nothing lefs could be ·meant than his appointing
the gt>vernors, ·and the tribute that they iliould
1>ay to him : and by· carrying· fome Egyptians
captive to Babylon, he plainly intended not. only
to wcak~n the country, but alfo to have them
as hofiages to {ecure the obedience of the reft,
and the payment of their tribute. If Herodo-
tus hath given no account of thefe. tr~nfacuons,
the reafon is evident, acc;:ording to the obfer-
vation
(4) Kin Mta1_., 'I'• tc:1T• a. T. ~. Jofcph. Antiq. Lib.
"'!' _.A1,111r'lor are.,.,-1. ,.., '"'' 10. Cap. u. Sea. 1. p. H9-
"°1r11• X"~"'' ~"' T11, 0:17"'"'·!"1.,, Edit. Hiidfon. .
_,..,. ""1. ,..,, A•;.11tr'l.1 18'•r,
(5) Herod.
 :piffar.ta!{Olll tm 1Je -PROPH!c"i·w~ 3!1
vation cited before . froll) Scaliger ; · the Egyp.
~ian priefts .would not inform him of things.
which w.::re fur the . djfcredit of their n~tion.
However we may, I think, .confirll) the u-uth
of this a1iertion even by- Herodotu~'s ·own nar.;
ration. The Pcdians· fucc;eeded in right of thct
Babylonians: and it appears (5) by Cyrus's
fending for th~ heft -phy~cian in Egypt. to Ama-t
fis, who was obliged' to for£e one fro.qi .h}s ·wife;
and children ; and by Cambyfes's. demanding
the daughter of Amafis, not for a .w..ife but for
8 miftrefs; by thefe i~ftaoces, , fay;. it :appear•
that tqey .confidcred him ..as. their tributary and
fubjc&. . Ao~ indeed no rcafon can ~ affigned
i>r the tlrQog refentm~nt of ~he Pcr{1aQ1>, agai&ift
AmaJis, and their horrid barbarity tO: his. dea4
body, fo ,probable and.fatisfall:ory, as his having
revolted and rebelled againft them. Heto•
dotus. himfclf · ( 6} mentions the •league .and
alliance, ·which Amafis made with Crmfu~ king
<>f Lydia .againfi: Cyrus. . .
.. Up0n the ruins of the Babylonian empire
Cyrus creeled the Pcrfian. XcllQJ>hon hath
writtep the life of this cx~raor~inary _man : an4
be affirms ( 7) both in the introduetion and near
· the
· (5) Herod. Lib. 3. Se&. r. (7) Xenophon.~paed. Libr.
p. 161. Ed;t. G•le. r. p. z. Lib. 8. p. 137. E~it.
(6) Herod. Lib. 1. Sea. 71· Hcnr. Steph. 1581. · ·
~· l i.
..
Edie. Gale.
'8) Herod •
•
I

,..,J
58t_- Dijfortt#ltJnl 01i tk ·pltOPHECJEs:·
tlse contlufien ·of his hiftory,· that Cyrus al{o
conquered Bgypt; and made it part of his em-
pire J -and there it not a more faithful> as well
aa a more elegant hiftorian than Xenophon.
'Bat whcther·Cyrus did or not, it is univcrfally
allowed that his fon (SJ) Cambyfes did conquer
Egypt, and deprived Pfammenitus of his crown,
t& which he had newly fucceedcd upon the
death of his father Amafis. Cambyfcs purpofdt
to 'have made Pfammenitus adminiftrator of
1
the kingdom under him, as it was the cuftom
of the Perfians to do to the conquered princes :
but Pfammcnitus furming fchemes to recover
·hi,, kingdom, and being convitted thereof, was
forced to drink bull's blood, and thereby put
an end to his life• The Egyptians groaned
under fhe yoke near forty years. . Then they
(9) revoked toward the latter end of the .reign
of Darius the fon of Hyftafpes: but his fon and
'1cceffor Xerxes, in the fccond year of his reign,
fubducd the~ again, and reduced them to 4
Wbrfe condition of fervitude than they had been
in under Darius, and appointed his brother
A~mcnes governor of Egypt. About foot
· and
(8) He!Od. Lib. 3. SeB:. 10- 10+-110. p. s1-6o. Bdit..
IS· p,, 164-f6?.Bdit. Gale, Hudfoo, DiodoruaSicalllS.Lib..
(g) H•AKI. Lib. 7. sea. 1 & 11. P· 279. Edit. Steph. P• H•
7· p. 382 & 38._. Edit. Gale. lie. Tcta. a. Edk. aJ>odaimen•.
~1) Thucydides Lib. 1. Sea.
. s (a)Bn4
 Diftr111tionl tlfl llJe p R: 0 PH IC I~ S. 383
.m twenty years after thia, when .~ 1) tbi
Egyptians·beard of the troublet in Pcrtia about
the fucceffion to the throne after the death ~
Xerxes, they ~e.oltcd again at ·the inftigatioa
of Inarus king of Lybia ; and having dro•
away the Pedian tribotc-collcllon, they con.
ftituted Inarus their king. Six ycan wen:
employed in reducing them to obedience, and
all Egypt fubmitted again to the king Ar·
tucrxes Longimanus, except Amyrtaeua who
~ in the fens, whither the Pcrfians could
aot approach to take him: but Inaros, thq
author of thcfc evils, was betrayed to the Pa-..
fius, and waa crucified. However they { 2)
permittai his fon Thannyra to fuccecd his father
~ ~ kingdom of Lybia ; and Egypt continued
in. fabjedioa all the remaining part of the long
raign of Arcaxcrxca. Jn the (3) tench year of
Dariu·s Nothus they revolted again under did
eoadutl: of Amyrt2us, who faJlied out of the
fetas, drove . the Periians out of Egypt, maci.
hianlClf mafttr of the country, and reigned
lherc 6x yetn ; but his fon Paufiril, ( 4) at
Herode&us inform.a us, fuccc:eding him in his
kingdom
(s) ¥erod. Lib. 3• Sea. I)•
p. 146. Pridraux Coanea.,
J>• 167. Edit. Gale. Part 1. Book 6. Auo +•+·
uiur:• Anal.II• .A. M. JS90· IM$t> H~. ;Lib• .J· W. • S•
(3) Eufebi11• in Clironico.
· I

($) .Di°'
a~* DVfor~s~ otz lite .Pae.P..aa-ci ! &.
kiog~o'Jl J>y :tbA favor· ·of tbe :P•rfiins,- ·. lffti.
~guc~ .. that the Per.fiaDS: Jml agaih -~-.
EgJpt, .or at . kaft. ·that th~: king· 1tu- :mr ·
cftablilhcd witl}9Ut their a;,pftlat and. appran... ·
t~n. It is ~ortain ~hat .after thiB~ .·Egypt ·gno·.
fP.UCh trouble tp the Perfians. r.Aita:~· M1.....
mon ,(5) ~ade ft:veral efforts· to reconquer .it,
bµt aU in vain. It was QOt totally and fumJJy
fubduod till the ( 6) ninth year of the follo.iug
reign of Ochus, about 3 50 years before Qa~j.
when N eClancbus ibe laft king tkd intQ Ei...,.
pia, .and Ochus .became abfulute mafier f1f diG·
country, and haying appointed one of his~
~ined Phcrendat~, .to· be his vicerqy-_ ·~~
governor of Egypt, be rcturne~ with gf~;flJosJ
and with i~mcnfe treafures tp Babyl.ot:>- ~ ·
from that time h•th nevet been .a.blt,.tQ.~V.,CC
its liberties. It hath .always bee~ fµ~ cl!lt,
ftra_nge.rs. It hath neve.r ~en govern~ it. '-1
king of its own. F~oJD .this .lall rev• ~~
Egyptians.in.t\le ~nth Year Qf. Dariua.W-.:
to their total fubjsgation in the. ninth ·J"-f .r
Ocbus, I thi_nk. there are co:m.puted tixtf~~:
years: and ~his is •he ,Ollly ~~CcpiQfl.,qf ,.-J
fignificance to the . general truth of the .PJO-·.
.. phccy

.... - ..... .
 I;J~tali#u"" tile PaoP.HBCt.lt; 385
p)lcy. But wbac are Uxlf blr ycara axn- ..
pred to two thoufand three hundred ao4
qrcaiy ~e l for fo many yeara have .paft"cd.
ffQID tbc. ~oquetl of Egypt by Nebuchadncz-
_ , CQ this time. . They are really as nothing.
.-1 DOt worth mtntioning in comparifon : and
darieg thcfo fixty four years, we fee, that the
E8)'ptiana wen: not entirely indepe,ndcnt· of th~
Pcrflan1; Pudiris fuc:c:ecded his father Amyr-
teut io the kingdom by their confent and
faYal' : and during the reA: of the time the
Egyptians lived in continual fear and dread of
tbe Pedians, and were either at war with them~
or with one another. And perhaps this part of
die "ptopbafy was· not intended tD take df'c~
jintatdetely ~ its completion might be de6gncd
to com111e11CC from this period, when the Per,.
liMa had tl>tally fubdued Egypt, and then th~
4liould be • ,,.,., " pri.att of t~ l~ of Eg71t.
After- tho· Pcrfiaos Egypt came into the hands
.;, ~ M~~nians. h fubinittcd to Alenndcr
thl:- great without ftrik.ing a fl:rokc ; made no
attempt• at that favorable junlture to recover·.
its~ but wu content only to change its
11Sailcr. Mer the death Qf Alcx!lQdcr it fell·
to
3~6 Di.ffe,.tatlriflr· on the P1toP g~·cr&a: .
·tO ·the ft\are of ?totemy; one :of bis foar .&,. ~
rtloUl Captain~; and ·Wat govel'ftfad ..fiy· hit family
fbr. (e\fcral genen.tiona. The tWb or·dlrcc ma
df the Ptolemies were wife ·and. potmt pduces..
but moR: of the reft were prodigies of IOJUfJ -
and wickcdnefs. It is (7) Strabo's obfctnt~
that all after the third Ptolemy gowracd vuy
m, being corrt,1pted by luxury' but· Ibey: who
governed worft of all ,,.vcre ·the founh,: and t1ac
(eYenth, and the )aft called Aulats. TbeJE1'1u
here intended by Strabo were (8) PtoJc:my flJi-
lopator or ·tbe /MJer of bis father, fo called {a
· Jaftin conceives) by way of antipiar.61, OI with
a ·contrary meaning, beaaufe he was a :pmi:ide.
and murder'd both his father and bisc ~ 1
·and (9). Ptolemy Phyfton or tho~.
who affetted the title of Eilwgttts ar:. . . . .
fat/or, bot the Alexandrians· more j8'UJ nu.d
· h~m Kahrgttes or the makjoll,,.; and (:1) ~
·femy Aolctes ·or ·t/N piptr, Co deoomlnced1
. b«aufc he q>cnt· much of his time in pii;ing- oa
.. . tt.c
 /);./1r1111iotl1 011 t/Je P.a Q pH E c I"B a!· $Si .
die pipe. artd .u.fa:l. to contcrid ·fort~ pritJe ia
die public dlowe. This kingdom of the Mar-
Oldoiaiaas ( ~) continued from the death . of
.Alm:rmdar ~+years, and Cllded in &h• famous
Qeopaua, of w.ftam it · is not cafy to ..fay,
whether ·1he cscc1led more in beauty, or.wit,
Ol"·"Wickalac1i.
. After the MICCICbUam Egypt fell under the
dominion ol tbC ROmans. The R.omaos had
eidmr by virtue of &rcatica or by fQrcc of 8",ll!I
obtained great authority there, and were in. a
· nimncr arbi.atre of the kingdom before, bnt
after the death o!Cleopatra (3) .0t'tavius Cz&t
taiaoed it into the form o( a ~omaa provinc~.
and appointed C~ius Gallus, the friend of
v~ to whom the tenth eclogue is infcrif:>ed,
the firft.prcfctt or goyemor: and Co it continued
ta be gotemed by a prcfeB: or viceroy fent from
Rome, OJ' from Con(Witinoplc, when after the
difi6en.of ~Roman empire it feb to the 1h~
of ·c\ic ea(lcm cmpcsors.. It was fir.ft ma~e a
· province
 '

388. . Difert~tion~ on the P1~P~Ecr2s: .

prov~c~ of the Ron:i~n empire i~ the year ( -t-)
30 before Chrift, and in this ftate lt rctDainecl
without much variation tilf the year 6+1· after
Chrift, that is 670 years· in th~ w~olc from the
reign of Augu~s <;a:far t<> that of the emperor
Hcraclius .. · - ·
J"hcn it. was that. the. (5) sa·niccn.s, in ~e
r~igµ· of Omar the~r third emperor, and ~der
the CQµlmand of Amrou th~ ton ~Aas, in··
va.d~d and conquered Egypt, too1t Mifrah '(fur:.:.
~edy Memphis. now Cairo) by ftonn, 'and
aJfo Alexandri~,· after they had. beficged if fOur-
teep months, an~ had loft. tWenty three thou-
{and ·.IJ;len before it : .and. the r~fl: of die king~
dom. foon followed the fortune of the··~P,tial
~~ti~~,. and fubmitted to the -~~n~uer~r: 1 ~ere
is. OAe. thing whic;~ was dfe.cted. ·partly in ~e
by.
. wars of the Rqmans and partly, thc:_Sci{acens;
Md which no lover of lea_rning .can ~a~ over
without Limentation; and that is the deftnidion
'p{ the library at Alexandria~ " 'this f~ou~ li-
brary was founded by the firft Polemics, and
was
 .D.iffe:r(~#OfJ~ ~ :~e }~1t_OP..H.~Cl,1! ~·· ,3,89
~~ fo ~7u~h in1¥.g~~ ~nd. iq)pr9-Y~<Ll>.y their
fu~~ekors,. tl}at ,it '( 6 )' ai.n~unted. to ~he ii!imber
of feven hundred thoufand volumes-. lf con~
J
fllle~ (7 ~ ~~o part&, . o~e. in . th.at "qu~i,tcr" of
the city coilled_ 1:3ruchion. cpntaining four'lnin"."
dred 'thoufand ~qlµmcs, and the other \Yithi~
:the &era~µ~,. coqtaining three ·hundred tl?o~
.fand volum~s. It happened,- that while Julius
Ca:f~ w~..Ql~klllg, war upon the inhabitants °.f
t

~~~dcia~ ( 8) the l~br~ in Bru~hion . tog~':"

.
;tPet wi~ .at.her buildings was burnt, andth~
(9} f,.ur ~t¥fr'd th~ufand volumes which were
~ept, .th~ ~ere al~ confumcd. But this lofs
.W~.io. fOl,Df,meafore repaired by
the (.f) ·Per-
·~...Jibr:ary, con1i1P.ng of two hundred
· :~d_yolumcs, which Anthony prefented to ·
..~l~tra, ~ py the addition of other boo~s
. ~rw~ds, fo that ( 2} this latter library w~
i:-cckoncd ~ numerous and as famous as th.e
_.~er .~~r ~as: and it came to the fame ~at~
.. end, and was alfo defiroy~d by fire ... For (l)
John the Grammarian, · a famous philofopher
. ~

-~t. 1, P·.S9S• Op. Vol. 1. ~dit.Varior.Orofii~ilt.Lib.6.

l!d1t. llened1d. Cap. 1 s. p. 411. Edit. Haver-
(8) Ptatarch in J•lio ~aie. camp. .
Op. \"oJ. 1. p. 731. Edit. Paris. ( 1) Plutach !n ,t\lltonio. op.
• 16a+ D!on Caflius, Lib. 4z. p. · Vol.1. ~·9H· Edit. Paris.16'%4.
aoz. Edie. Leundav, (2) 1'er:ull:.~p~1, Cap. IM.
(9)ScaecacleTranqoin:ani- l'• 18. Edit. Rigalcij·1675 •.
.mi. Cap. 9. Op. Vol. J, p. 362. · (;) Abul-Pharaji.1~litt~oyn.
· Cc 3 · 9-
390 Di/ertationi· on t/Je P•ornacra;}
o( Alexandria, being in great·favor .ith Am-
rou the Saracen. general, aiked of him the royal
library. Amrou_ replied, that it was not in his
power to give it hiin, without lea\re ftrft obtained
from the emperor ofthc faithful. Atnrou there-
fore wrote to Omar, and acquafuted him ·with
John's petition, to which the caliph returned
this anfwer; that if what was contained .in
thofe books was agreeable to the boOk of God
or the Koran, the Koran was fufficient witho'ut
them ; but if it was repugnant to the Kon111, ·
j~ was no \Vays u(eful; and thcrcfons he
rommanded them to be dcA:royed. ~u in
obedierice to the caliphs eommands
onh:red
·them to be difi:ributed among ihe bathe of ~
ci,ty~arid to be burnt in warming them, wh~
there wer~ no fewer at that time in Alenndm
th~ four thouCand : .ud yet there paftCd
~ months before ·ttie 'books were aD con-·
fumed; whjch futliciently ·evinces how· great
their nuJDber was, and ·what an ineftimable
Jofs not only Egypt, but all the learned world
hath fafiained. Egypt before this (+) was frc_
quC11ted
f. P• Lib, :a. Cap. 16. p. Hof. tc.
IJ,f. Vcrfi.o Poc:ocldi,
Oc1'Jcy•~ HitJ. of the Saract:na.
Edit. Valeii Paris. 168i.
Vol, 1. p. JS9 &c. P~deaux ()) Abul-Pharajii Hill. Dyu.
Coqaea, Part 2. B. 1. Anno 9· p. 31; ~c. ~t Pocockii Sup.
28... Ptole·m1Pbiladelpb,1, plementum p. J, arc.
(4) Vida Amm. M&rccllin, (6) Pococ&>ii Supplam. p. 7.
~
 Dij"1rta#ims .o~ "t/JI l'ao~ lll'C:~-1• s~.
q~d .by learned .foreigners for. tbC fkkc .-·of..
ibia library, and produced fevcral. )carJ)ed .. n.a~
tives ; but after this it became more and more .
4 /J'!fo /Ungtlo•, and funk into greater ignorance
and fupcrffitioo. Mohammcdifm was' now
eftablilhcd there inftcad of Chriftianity, and th'C..
government ef the Caliphs and Sultana cond~.
nucd till about the year of Chrift 12 50. '
About that time it was that the ( 5) Mamalu($
wmpcd the royal authority. The (e) word in
g~al fignifiea a 1lavc bought with money, bu\.
it .~ppmpriated in particular to thofc Tur~ith
Md Circaffian ilavea, :wh~. the SuJtans of·
·Ejypt bought very :JOUng, trained up in mili- ·
tary eurafcs, .and {o made thc:m their cboicCft
~ and foldicrs, and by them controlled
·-tbcir fubjc&, ·and fubducd their .c0emicr.
"'Tbek fiavca percci•ing how. necc1fary and ufc ..
ful they were, grew at length infolcnt and
sudacious, fi~w their fovrans,. and ufurped the·
·aovernmeDt to thcmfelvcs. It is oominonly
faid, that non~ but the fons of Cbriftians were
·taken into this order .; and there •re other po-·
· pulaJ'.'
llMl111C. aatem (et cum de pfd-
/••'· Ce lllOf iont Je pTuriel ell
7ibus dicitar M~lit) fervum Memalik. 6guiie ftl Alabe '"'
etclaw en general, main e&pa~­
empritiJlll acnotat, {ea q11i pre-
cio uaOKrato in domini pod'ef-de111ier, ii a cite appHqod a cu
Aouem ccdit. Herbe!oc Biblio. efclaYn Twrc~ & Circa._. ..
PCIJUCOsimt•. V· H>· .V-.- IM.· · .
' c' ... ·, 1 (7).$ir
 li>ifwlM#M! '11 t'1f Pa 0« 1l Z-.C I ..ii
p.w: eiiltkati about &hem,,,which 9l'e cul:fllit.
-~ .EtU~ autbol'l, ..aM. tJrlhida. _(7) .Sic
W111iarn TeQ\ple eaiong od>qa,hatb .acq.•~
~~•.._ flo. doth every tJJing, in •.lively
~D4 ele&~t: manner. n 'The .fans .Of Ge -<\e-
"· ~ceafed ~lt~s eajoyed thc.~{lata and. O#I
cc_. Jefi by their fathers, but by thcs G81lfticu~
cc of t~ ~vern~cnt ~ Con of. a Sult111 ....
cc ·e•u :cidter to faucecd, or e¥CP ·so· be elcaed
~ Sliltan : & that io this, .COMl'al"J to .all 'Dthen
.u ·c\ller· know.a -in the world, ta be .ham,.£ •
I~. prim:e, .a • certain and unaltenhle:~xclcs.
'~ · 6- ·ian .tho king.tom 1 and none wac .C..
• to be choftn·Sultan, tb.t ·Imel aot:betlrl&D-
" ·a1iJ .k>ld for a '1no, brou&Ji~fr01n Citaaffia, .incl
·~ ··tnained up a pma~ fokiier. 'in. the Mlmalac
~,. .bads." But ("8) they do'··are·· btttcr .W
irrerirmtaf aothons afi'ure ul: that thdi:. :UC .Yol•
:pr errors : and it appears fro&n ·dlc (9) At-.&bia
.hiftoriao&, that· ~mong .the Mamu4le$> ~ ··tOa
oftell

.· .·.~)&fr"'!· Temple~• Works. ccfli.olli1 apad 001 jwie. ~

Vol. 1. Mifcell: ns:a. Part 2. que clifcip!ina tradaot. Hube~
£firy.on Heroic Virtue. Sea.;. lot ·8d1. Orient. p • .S'44-. n pa-
p. 224- ·. rolt .par ce qae l'on.Nca& •
·, (8)Jlocodcii-8applrm. p. 31. •oir..~~lcs~••'erioiQt
. E.~ hia qua di& {ant.facile pa- pas .ib de Chr0tuM ~4.-eea'tl
ICC. in errou eifocoN1ui.M1m- pcut etriequelq11'ua'd Qtl"eq)
· lucosChritianoru1DtiDtQaUno.. cemllie pluficl&l'I do ... )aj&o..
clo filios fadre .aui..uat; nee rieoa l'ont avUlce. .
llOJl in aiiil erraac, ..... Ge (ac. '~. ~ Hoc4Kiji hpplea. p. ..
. 3 . JO.
 !Jif/tr.tllt_iflllJ ~ .,,,e p 110.P.H~ i .... 39f
~.' ~ded :-· ~~· Whet· ,ift, the kingdom.-.
T.heir ..,governlbOM ~s. thus -~ara~rized .by .$
(-:1} Arabic author. qlk>fe4 btot: Pt>COCk; ''ii
':~you ooofida ~. w~e time thiat ~they ~fW
~ the kingdom, cfpec1aUy that which was nearer
~- ·tbe end. y.ou will find it fil!ed with wari;
• hatttca, ·injurits and rapines.' Their govern.:
ment (2) began with Su_Jtan Ibeg in the 648th
year of me.Hegira and the year of ChriA: H so ;
.ad. cootioufd, through t ( 3) ferics of c 2f.
~orkifb and 23 .Circaffian Mamaluc· Sultans·,
a1s Arabic· end 267-Juliao yea.rs; aml.\4)
ended· with Tumanbii in -th• 923d year of':tbe
.Hegira ud tlac year of Cbrift 1 5 •? •
..•.FCX" at that time (5) Selim the ninth ~m~
* of tho. Turks ~ the Mamulucs,
Aatgcd their Jaft .Sult~ Tumanbai b'*-: oftt
of the gatce of Cairo," put an end to their go-
·wrnmcht J caufcd. fiv~ buqdred ·of the .cbiefdl
·Egyptian famijja." ·be ,t~fportcd to eonaa.
tinople,
·394 1JijfortatifJIU fJ1I t/J1 p llOP HE CJ EC~
tinople, as
likewifc a great D\lmbcr of M~
lucs wives and children, be(Jdes the Sultan 1 11

treafure and other immcnfc riches ; and annacd

Egypt to the Othman empire. whereof it hath.
'continued a province from that day to thiL
It is governed by a Turkiili Batha · ( 6) with
twenty four /Jegs or princes under him, who
are advanced from fervitude to the admini~
firation of public affairs J a fupcrfiitious notion
p01feffing the Egyptians, that it is decreed by
fate, that captives lhall reign. and the natives
.be fubjcct to them ; a notion which .in all pro-
bability was at firft derived from fome nHl:akcn
tradition of thefe prophecies, that Eg:Jpt j/xlllJJ
· k a /Jafe lti•gdam, that thn-e jhould 6e no ,,,..~ •
prince of tht land of. Egypt. and that Htlltl iil
his pofterity flould he a firollllt offircJllnts 111111
bis ln-tthrtn.
· ·By this dedudion it appears, that the trutla
of Ezekiel's prcdiClion is f6Uy attefted by the
whole feries· of the hiftory 9f Egypt from that
time to the prefcnt. And who could pretend
to· fay upon human conje&ire, that· fo grat a
kingdom, fo rich and 1ertil a country, ilioold
ever Jtcrwards become tributary and fubjta to
ftrangen?

{6) l'riace Caaarmir'• Hit. oi dae Otll... EaiiUc· Part 1.

I. 3• P· 156. ia &h&Nocca. ·
• (7) ~
 Dijfatt~~;~:c?i t1>e P1tO<PHEc11tJ: 395
llrangers? · It is. n0w a great· ·deal· ·above two
thOOfand years, ·fince "thi~ 'prophecy was fidl:.
delivered ; and wha.t likelihood or appearance.
·was 'there~ ~af the Egyptians ·11iould for 10
-many a~es bow' under a foreign yoke, and
"never in alt"that time be able to. recover their
_liberties, and· have a princ~ of. their own to
reign . over' \hem ? But as is the prophecy, fo ia
_the event. For not IQng afterwards Egypt was
_conquered by the Babylonians, and after the
Babylonians (7) by tbC ~erfians ; and after the
Per6ans it' 'b«amc fubjea to the Macedonians,
·and alter the 'Macedonians to the Romans, ·and
:after the R~mans to the Safaccns, and then to
.the Mamalucs ; and is now a: proYince of the
Tuikiih empire.
Thus. w,e .fee how Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre
and Egypt, ~c great adverfaries and oppreffora
'of the Jew·s, · ha\te been ·vifitcd· by divine ven-
geance for their enmity and cruelty to the
people of God. Not that we mufi: think God
{o partial . •s to . punifu tbcfe nations only for
the fake of the Jews; they were guilty of other
flagrant fins, for which the prophets denC>llD&>
ed the ·divine judgments upon them. Egypt
ID

(7) s~, Pricleaax Co~tt, Part 1· B. J•. Alno ~'9· Zede-.

w 10. . {8) ~
..
396 Dijfm-latio_~ ~ "'-6 f.ac;>Pn1c1,~.s~
~~. j:>~t~cpla~ ~as. Jo, _feverely thr~teQ ·~ by. the
prqphc~. E~ei.· (~h.a.P.· ~X. XXX. XXXI.
~Xfl.). ~. ~~ .idolatry. hfr p~jpe1 . aqd her
wickcdq~fs •.. And the E,g;yptjal)S ~v~ .gene.·
rally been qior~ wretched, as they hav~ gc-
perally J>~en °'ore; ~ic1'ed, than other nations•
.f\n<;ient' .authors de(cfibe .them every Wber~ II
{uperfiiti~us an .( 8) unw~rlikc
a_nd. Iµ#irious, as
~nd unfervicc.abfe' _p~o.,Plc~ as (9) .,.. faithlefs ·~
J~llad~s. nation,,. aT~aY,& meani~$ on'? tbin.j
.arid prc~endi~g another,. as .{ i) ~ove_rs of wine
and· firc;_>ng. · drinft, as· (2) cruel in .their ange{,
·as (3) thieves and ·tolerati.~g· all 'Kinds~£ the~,
··~ ( 4) patient of tortures~ an~ tho' p~t to' the .
ta
:rack, yet .choofing r~~.hc~ die _than .to 'onfc~s
~he truth... 'MOdern authoni"pai~t· th~m iii run
blacker colorL The .f~ops {5") Thevenot is
very llrong ·and {~ve~e.;; ." p'e_Opl.e ~ 1be» .
:":Egypt (generally fpeak!Jlg) ~e ~11 fwartby,
'. ·: • .. •
1
• ic, exceeding

(8) Strabo. Lib. 17. p. 8 I 9· tttf u1 f&>.otro°Laf. Tinob at

· '!dit. Patis. p. ll7S· Edit. bibacet. . .
Amilel. 1707. Juvenal Sat. (zl Pol1,b. Lib. 1;. p. 719.
~V. u'6: inibelle et inutile Edu. C11fwbon. ·h,.,,. ~
ftlgus. .
.. (g) Lucan V. 58. non fidz
-r" 9 - , . ftf'.~ .,..._
,.,~··1.u .,.,, u-ra " ' · ~
ten tis. Hinius de Bell. Alex- ,.;s,n..,,,.. Bft enim h0c A:gyp-
•nd. Cap. 16. fallacem gentem, tiia hominibuinnatam,ut d1a
, femperquc aliacogitantem, alia fervent ira mirum iD mod1a
{unu!anLem. lint crudeles.
( 1) .~ Jhcnzus u Dione Lib. . · CJ)
~. Gdlius Lib. 11. Caf·
1. p. )+-'Edie. Cafauboa. ftMt- 1&. & Arlllonc. furta omn11
. m•
 Di.ffertiJtl<Jns· ?J1i t'1i Pk6r·it~ket'i•~- 391:.
:e,lcct8in·g·::wicked; greaf ·rog~es,. 'co\ltitr&y;:
c&,

c.)~y, ;·hjpbcr.ires;· 'bugge'ters,· :·rotiffets; ~·.t~.;·

,_. chcrous, ·lO'very· greedy ·of tilcmey; that t~f
·~ winlilf a" ma1i' for a~ 111aidii of thrce' 'halt-
c1··pcli~/' 'lJr. !'(6) . P6ccek.c;s chaneter ot
tl-ie~. ~s _·hot:·· ~lit~. ~6re~:t-lvor:i~t.~, ~~· ·iiof
lb liarili ind opptobr10us ; " T6e ·natives o..f
n Egyp~· are now a fl~thful ·:p~op~~,, i an~ ~~ti~hw:.
" in fitting t\iU, hearing tales. and indceCl (c_ent
ec a~ways t_o· have been mo.re fit for the quiet
~ life,·, than for any atliv:e {ccncs-rhey are
re alfo malicious and envious to a great degree;
" which ltecps them from uniting ·and letting
cc up for themfelves ; and tho' they are very
cc· ignorant,· yet ' lhey have a natural cunning

cc ~nd artifice as well as falihood, and this

" makes them always fufpicious of travelers-
cc The love of money is fo rooted in. them,
cc that nothing is to. be done without bribery-
•• They
fui!C liclta et impanita. Diod. tiam in qaa:ftionibus. tort...
Sic. Lib. 1. p~ so Edit. Steph. examioatumqae, quam verita-
p. 11. Edit. Rhod. 'tem prodere. Ammianus Mar-
(+} lEli.an. Var. Hift_ Lib. cell. Lib. 22. Cap. 16. p. 3.f.7.
7. Cap. 18. A1')'1111'1111, """'' Edit. Valefii 1681.
1.. ,..; •f.¥•r•" 'hllf fl.ur-•(t ( S) Thevcnot in Harri1's coJ-
..l .. n1 S...T1•• TJ,,.(1T•I "'nlf le~boo. Vol. 1. Cup. s. p.
A1,.,,..1•01 rp~>.."l"'"f> II t' 0~t1-
.. 29.
$1f ~1-o"ftlO'll. .£gyptios aiunt (6) Pococke's Dercriptien o(
patientitlime ferre tor111enra ; the Eal. Vol. 1. Book +•
•.~.~i~9'_ 11101ft~~illeDl ..-Bgyp· ChaF. +· p. 177. &c:.
(.,) Can.
 39~· . Differ111tiom. 111 IA1 P1to-Ptuc&·a's;
cc They .think the greate11: villania_are expiated~
" -~ ~ ~ -~ . . ffeMs . . . .
cc -Their. words pafs for nothing,' Cithcr in
" relations, promifes. or profeffioos of friend-
u fhip, &c.'' Such men ue emtcntly bom.
mot to c:oma>and, but to ~e aQd obey. ; They
are altogether unworthy of liberty. Slavery ii
the fitted for them, as they arc fiueft (or fJavery.
lt is an accllcnt political apborifm ef the ~
,ef kings, and all ~ory will bear wknefs io the
(tutb of it, that (Prov. XIV. J+·) ri~mji
1xaltdb a natim, Ind fi~ ·iJ." rtJ>r°"'" and ruill
I,
'° '"'' ptoJ>k.

Q.

.·

.
 ~ . ·. . .
XIII~
NEBU-CHAI>NE·~ ZA:R~s dream of thl
great empires.

W E have fcen flow it plea~d God to

reveal unto the prophets the futarc
~oadition of feveral of the neighbouring coun•
tries ; but there are other prophecies which
extend to more remote nations, thofe nations .
efpccially and their tranfaaions, wherein the
church of God was particularly intercfted and
concerned. It pleafed God too to make thefc
revelations, at a time when his people fecmed
in other rcfpcets abandoned and forfaken, and
·did. not fo much deferve, as ftand in need of
light and comfort. Ifaiah and Jeremiah pro-
pheficd in the decleniion of the k_ingdoms of
~Ifracl and Judah. Ezekiel and Daniel prophc-
fied during the time of the Babyloniili capti-
. vity. And the prophecies of Daniel arc fo
' clear and exatt, that in former as well as in
later times it hath con.fidently been a1f~rted, that
they muft have been written after .the events,
: which tbey arc pretended to foretcl. A

•. _, !fhe
 Di.ffere.ti""' IS 1Jr P 1t or lr ~ c r·a a.
The famous Porphyry (who floriihcd the at
latter end ~the th~ 1:Utm1 a&.<?bria) . -
I think the
"firfi: who denied their gcnuinneu
and authority. He wrote ( 1) fifteen books
againft the Chriftian religion, the twelfth of
which waa defigned to depreciate the J>l'opho-
cies of Daniel ; and th~rcin he affirmed, dJat
they were not compofed by Daniel whofc name
they bor~ buf by fomc f>ody who livGd in J~
dca about the time of Antiochus Epiphancs;
becaufc all to that time contained true hiftory.
but ~ll beyond that were manifeftly fali:. Thia
work of Porphyry together with the aDf-w.en
of Eufebiut, Apollinarius, and Meth?dim. ia
wh~11y loft, · excepting fow ·fragments and
t
quotations, which arc prefmed in Jerome and
others ot the fadiers. But as ( 2) Jerome rightly
obferves, this method ofoppofing the prophecies
is the fttooicft teftimony of thoir truth. For
they were fulfilled with fuch exa&aefs, that to
infidels the prophet fccmed not to have fore-
.told thi~gs _futare, :but to have rel!ltcd thing.a
·pUt. . . . . . .
The celebrated author of the Schmte '!{Lit-
m-61
(1) Ca" HiJl. Lit. Vol. 1. moniam veritatit eft. Tuna
.. Is'· Hieron. Prsf. ill Da. SDim diClorum fidn fgjr,. at
"ielc•. Vol. 3• p. 1071. Edit. prophet" incrl'dul,is homiDiblll
leaedia. · 11011 vide1:11r f1ttur1 dixUfe. fed
") c...;111 impugnado uni. Qarra1fe prattrita. Hicron. ibid.
(J) Set
 Di.fertatitnts o,J tbe Pio i>.i-t Ec 1-!.:s:~ ·40-·
Uftil Pr;phecy ~ confal~r' d hath follo\vod the fteps.
oft.forphyry. He hath colle¢:te4 every thing~.
that in the courfe of his 'reading· he thought~
could be turned to the difparagement of the .
book.. of Daniel. He hath framCd ·an
that he".
had fulleCl:ed into e~even obJeetiom againfr it J·
and upon 'the whole' concfodes with much po-:·
fitivenefs add affurance, that it mu"fl: be written:
in tile days of the Maccabees. But h_is (3) two'.
learned opponents, both or
the fame. name, '
have folidfy and clearly refuted his eleven ·ob-
jeB:ions, and fhown 'them all to be tner@ cavils
ot dired: falfities, groundlefs a1fertions, wrc>ng· '
quotations, or plain contradid:ions. ··
And indeed it may be proved, it hath been .
proved .to ademonfiration, as mucli :as ~ny
thing of this nature can be proved to ademon-
ftiati~h, by an. the charatlers. and teftimoqies
both~ internal and external, that the prophe-
cies of Daniel were written at the ·time that
the fcripture fays they were written, and he
profpered on account of thefe prophecies (Dan.
VI. 28.) in the reign of Darius the Mede, ·111HI
in the rii'gn of Cyrw· the Petjian: ·that is be-
tween
(J)' See Bp. Chandler's Vin- quityaDdA1uhorityofDaniel;e
dicatioll of his Dcfenfe of Chri- Prophecies, in ar.fwer io the
ftiinity, and Mr. Sam. Chand- Scheme of Litteral Ptophe~y .:.
lc:r'ls Vindication uf the Allli~ confiJcr'd. . - · •.
Vo.L. I. Dd Ci) Hicron.

- I
40• Di.ffertations on tha Pll o r·11 ECiBi.
tween five and fix hundred years before Chrift.
I~ ii r/~ry capricious and unreaiOnable in unbe-
~vers to object, as Collins doth. to the pro-.
phecics ctf Daniel, fometimes that they are too
plain, and fometimes that they are too obfcure.
aut it will entirely overthrow the notion ·or.
their being written in the days of Antiochus
Epiphanes or of the Maccabees, and will cfta-
blifu the credit of Daniel as a prophet beyond
all contradietion, if it can be proved that· there
are feveral prophecies of his which have been
f.ulnlled fince the days of Antiochns Epiphancs
and the Maccabees as well as before, nay that
there are prophecies of his which arc fulfilling
in the world at this -yery time.
Daniers firfi: prophecy, ·and the ground..
w~rk as I may fay of all .the reft, was his in-
terpretation of N ebuchadn'ezzar;s dream. This
monarch in the flconi ytar qf hiJ reign (Dan. II.
J.) according to the Babylonian account,, or
the ·fourth according to the Jewilh, that is in
·the fecond year of his reigning alone,' or the
0 foqrth from his firft reigning jointly with his
· fathe4, having fubdued all his enemies and
:Jirmly eftabliibed his throne, was thinking upa11
bis /Jed,. (ver. i9.) what fhould come to pOjs hm-
.after, what. fhould be the future fuccefs of his
family and kingdom, and whether any or what
4 famili(S
 /)fJBrJatiflt.r·Ott ·tbe ~R·OP H lt Ci '.E~; .~J
(aJPi}ies J!J)d 'king~ might· ari(i: -~~r. hi.a
D"'1 : an4 .as OJlf w~~~g ·thouglitti u(u~l1y ~
fo~e tindure to pur ,dreams, he dreatL.ed. of
I • • ~ • I '

fomething ~o the fame purpofe, vyhkh ·~

~ed him, but. which ·_he ·could nqt. rigbtlj
underfiC\n:d· The; .dre~m affctlrd him fi:r~mglf
a.t ithe time ; bu~ .awaking in 'onfufi,on, JJs= ·
hail but ~ imperfect rememh1 a~q: of· it, ~f
could J¥?t recollec.t al) the particulars. a~
ca.Uc~ ~~crcfure (vpr. 2.) for th, magicia(ls ·"'II
ajlralog.#!"f ; and ~ abf~rply ·flS imperio~Jly -~
ma,nded '?f thcsn (var. 5.) UpPn pain 9f ·dca•
and deftrultion, to mall~ /tnO'Wn unto hill! 6.°"b t/;.# ·
dre4111 d11d th# interpretaJion thereef. They ~
{wercd very reafo~ably, that no king. bad ev~
.1equiced fuch a thiog1 that it tr.anfcende.d all
the powers and faculties of man, God aloue
or pnly beiog$ like Gc,id could ~fclofe h; (~et·
lo," I ,1 ~) 'There is not a man .tfpon earth that ~QIJ
jhcw the king's matter; therefore there is nq king~
lord11 nor ruler, that ajked facb things 4t ""l
magician, ajlrologer, tJr Chalda-an: 4nd it i.f a r~e
. thing that the king requjreth, and there is nDlf!
other t~at can jhl!'W it before the king, except tb,
Gods, whofe dwelling is not with fo'fh~ But the
pride of abfolute power cannot hear any reafon,
or bear any" controll ; and the king great_ly
inccnfed prefcntly ordered all the magicians and
·D d 2 wife-men

•
 Differtations 0?1 the PR. o PH E c 1 B s•·
·wile-men of Babylon to be deftroyed; (ver.
·12.) ·For 'this caufl the king was angry antl very
furious, and commanded to tbjiroy all the wift-men
of Babylon.· ·
' Daniel ·and his fellows would have been
involved i~ the fame fate as the reft '; but by
1heir joint and earnefi: prayers to the God of
hen.en, 'the Jecret was 'revealed unto Daniel in a
_night-vi.fion; (ver. I 9.) and Daniel ble.Jfed tk
God·_ of heaven. Daniel thus inftrutted was
defirous ·to fave the lives of the wife-men of
Babyl9n, who were unjuA:Iy condemned, as well
as his . own : and he •went unto Arioch, the
captain of the king's guard, whom the '!ling had
ordained io dejlroy ·tbr wife-men of Bab)'lon: te
went ·( ve_r. 24.) and faitl. thus unto him, DejlrfiJ
not the wife-men of Bab)·!on; bring me in before
the king, and I will fh<i'zv u~to the king tht inter-
pretation. 'The captain of the guard immedi-
ately introduced him to the king, and Laid (vrr.
25~) I havefaund a man if the captives of Judah,
that will make known un'to 'the king tk inttrprt-
tatioiz. I have found a man faid he, tho' Daniel
had voluntarily offe~ed himfelf; where Jerome
, remarks
· (4) Hieron. Comment. in oque in captivicate fervicntium
vcr. J. Vidit rex impius fomni- fit grande folatium. Hoc iJcm
·um futurorum, ut interpretante in Pharaone lcgimus. non quod
Sanao quod viderat, Deus g_lo- Pharao et Nabuchodonofor vi-
riJic.;retur; et c:iptivoram De- dei"c mcrucrint i fed quod Jo-
ieph
•
 piff6rlati@s ,,, _t!Je p R_() pH E·C"I E $! 40 5
remacks the manner of couttiers, 9uf,pum -/Jo~
n1.111cid11t, Jua
videri volunt, who when· they
relate good- things,. are willing to have them
thought their own, and to have the merit
af~ribed to t~emfelves. But Daniel .was far
from affuming any merit to . himfclf, · and faid_
very modeftly, that this ficret. ( vcr. 2 7~) wiiich
the wife-men, aflrologers,magicians, andf()()thfayers
could not foow unto tl;e king, was nat rroealed to
hiin (v~r; 30.)far any w.i/thm that he had f#fJrt
than others: 611t there is a God.in heaven (ver.
~8.) tbat revealeth ficrels, 4nd·maketb knowa:to
the ~ing Nebuchadnezzar, what jhall be in· the
latter Jays; or what jhaU come· to pafs hereafttr,
as it is expre«ed (ver. :z9 & 45.) twice after...
wards. The impious king, as ( 4) Jerome
juftly obferves, had a prophetic dream, that the
Saint interpreting it, God might be glc>rified,
and the captives and thofe who ferved God· in
captivity might receive great confolation. We
read the fame thing 9f Pharaoh, · not that
Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar deferved to· fee
{u~h .things, but that-Jofeph and Daniel by'iri-
tcrprcting them might be preferred to all others.
And
fc:ph et Daniel digni extiterint, miretur gratiam, non folum
qui interpretatione eorum om- qaid in fomnio viderit, fed
nihJls przfer.rc:ntur. Et p<>ftea ante fomaium ·tp:id •tacitus
1n ·ver. 29-c:t '!t Nabucho- cogitarit exponit; ,.Vol. 3. · p.
dondfor divin~ iafpirationis 1077., & _1 080. ~t. Bcaeclitt..
•· DdJ Cs) Pan
406 Dijferlatib'!/1 on the PB.0Pt1 '! cttt.'I.
And as St. Jerortte farther obfem:s, that Neba..
chadnazzar might admire the grace of divine
infpi.ration, Danid not only told him what he
faw in his dream, but alfo what he thought
within ·himfelf before his dream. (ver. 29.) Ai
for t/Jl!t, 0 king, thy thoughts came into thy 1lliNI.
.pon tAy -/Jed, what Jl»uld come to pefs krmftw:
ad D6 th4t rewaleth fa~ets, 11J1;1Mth hlfJ'flJll unto
ION. 'llJhat jha/I ,;ome to pa.ft•
. Nebuchadnezzar's ·d ream was of • gnat
itnage. 'l'his great image, (ver. 3 I.) w/!Dfa hig/Jt-
nefs 'WIU extllknt, jlooJ 6efore hilll, aJld t&fflrlll
tlHrHf was tem6k. It appears from an<:ic:nt
coins .a.4ld ~als, that cities and people were
often repre~nkd by figures of men and wo-
,men. A gi"C'it tertiblc .bwnao figure was
dKr~forc not an improper cmbleni of human
po~~ and dominiQD ; and the various metals
of which it was compofcd, not unfitly typify tM
various kingdoms which lhould arif~ It con•
lifted of fou.r different IQCtals, gold and filftl'
and brafs and iron mixed with. clay J and tbefe
four m~als1 tccording to Danid's own u.r-
pre~on.. ~ ~ DWlf kingdoms~ and the
· · arder

hlPar1flltueqae(11pe1for,e6 (6) !.w: hoc Daniella Joce

priara, qull inferlor, ell ferrora hauferunt poete fabul .. fua de
tliarnt ~glli~, (hqi, iJi ~~ llqatUOf ftr;cuJ.is, auco, arp
. ~
 Dijfertal#m on lhe Pa0Pai.c1as. ·407.
Uder of their fucceflion is clearly denoted
by the order of the parts, the {5) head and
higher p1ns fignifying the earlier times, and the
lower the parts, the later the times. FroQi
hence, ( 6) as Calyin conceiTes, the poets dl'CW'
their fables of the four ages of the world, the
golden, the filvcr, the brizen, and the iron
age ; by which declcnfion in this place it ii
fignified, · that the world always degmerate9,
and manners grow worfc and worfe. But He•
fiod, who lived above 200 years before Daniel,
mentioned the four ages of the world ; {o that
this vifion was formed agreeably to the aorn-
mon received notion, and the common received
·notion was not fitft propagated from hence.
Whether this notion of the world's degene-
rating ·•nd growing worfe and work be aue or
not, thcfe di&ren~ kingdoms win naturally
conibtate the different heads of our difcoune.
And we OW1 follow the heft commentators
frcm jofcphus down to Sir lfaac Newton, bat
we bll regard no commentator 10 much as
the trath of hiflory, tlae evidence of tcafoo, and
-the analogy of fcripturc.

eeo, eneo, r...; qu cleclina- .labi ia deterius. Calria apn

tion 11. l, 6piicatlll'• 9Ulllclaa Peli &ysaopt •
. .,... dccWne,cc_.. ,..
Dd 4 (7)~..
40$. 'Dijfertation1· on the P 1t>0P~ac1 ~s.
_ I. 'lbis ima~~'..s head 'l.IJlls sf fine gold, (veu 32.)
which Daniel interprets (vcr. 38,) 'l1xM 11rt tbi1
h,eml of gold, thou, and thy . family. and chy
f~prefen~atives. . The Babylonian therefore was.
ih.,e fir.ft of thefe kingdoms ; and it was fitly
repref~n~ed by the head of fine gff/J, oo account
of its great riches> and Babylon for the fame
ieafon was called by Jfaiah (XIV. 4.) thf gokktl
~ity. ;. Th~ .A/fyrian is ufually faid to be the firft
pf the four great empires; and the name may
be allowed to· pa~, .if i~ be µot taken too ftrittJ1.
For the· Affyrian eJnpire .properly fo ~
was .didolvcd ·before this titne; the Babylonian
was .erected in its ficad : bu~ the BabyloniGJ
ire.~omctimcs called A1fyrians ia.thq; heft claffic
~s, Herodotus,. ·Xenophon, ·Strabo, and
~ .as well. as iq the hoJy fcriptures, Da.-
niel flddrdfeth Nebuchadnezzar, ·as if he was
a very ,pPwerful king, fll)d his -eJllpite very large
,ind exte.nfiv~ ;• (ver~ 37.) 'fl:l()fJ,· 0 /dlfg• 1111 ~
~ing <ii kings .. · He p.ei;haps might think, lilt~
Jome .of his. predec;f!tfors, that his conquet\6
·wCTC owing to his own for~tud~ and ptud~nc;e :
(If.
(7) Kp.,.1.iv•• ~ ~ Tor cit infuper quod Babyloni111
Baf3~"•mo• A•'1fJtr111, · 'I~1a,, tcnuerit _,f:gyptum, Syriam,
fo1.1K"'' Ar./31~, ..-.rr.,., .t. Ph.~niciam,Arabiam; qaodqac
k•~f'-"il' T"'" · ..~"'' pnores ChaldlleOMI~ et Baby-
""' 'll'Co "'UT11 L&>.J'.,..,, •..., lonionun regea Gniverfoa rebus
Jf!"~'f""'"""1 fJ•f3ow1,.,1wo1ic,. Di- .. f~ fr*Wrt. getia {a~
4p1!4
 .Dijcr.tl/!Jfol. '-d!J-~fbe•..P ROPK..l~I..E $. 4<)9
(KlX• l·J".) By t/Jejlrmglb of my bmid 1 htivt
Mttt it. ·(JmJ.by my w(dom; far I am prudent_;
(JTJd I btro,e f.entO'Vtd .t/;e bounds of tht peoplt, and
/lll'IJe ro/J6ed. their treafares, -and I have put do<Wn
·1/Je .. ida/tiJots like. a 'Ua/Umt man. But the
prophet a(fures him. that his fuccefs muft be
pririw.ily imputed to the God of heav.en; (ver.
· 37 and· 38:) F.ot' the .God of hetrVen bath given
t/Jre a kingdom, power, andJireagtb, and glory:
.&nd whtr~Qroer the children q/ men dweU, the
hafts efthe field, and the fQW/.r of the heaven hath
J,e giwn i11to thine band, and hatb made tbee rukr
P'Uer them ·ail.
All. the ·ancient caftcrn hiftorics almofi: are
loft: but there arc fume fragments even of
heathen "b~ftor~s yet preferved, which fpeak
{)f tPis mighty conqui:ror and his extended
~pire. Berofus in Jofephus (7) 13.ith,. that he
held, in. f~bj~Clion
Egypt, Syria, Phcenicia,
Arabia, and .by his exploits furpa1fed all the
Chald~aQs and B~byloni<u~s who reigned before
him •.. Jofepbqs (8) fubjoins, that in the ar.-
f;hives of the -Phrenician$ there are written
things

"r.ud. Jorepb. Contr. Apion, tnl Al')'Of'DOI' 4•«')'1')'e-tr1... , "''{'

Lib. 1. S.:Cl, ~9· p. 1 342. Edit. 'I II TllJ .B1Z~11>.11t111• f31&trV..10><;,
Jiudfoni OT-I '"'" T>lr l:11e11&• lCl&I 'f>ll •
4'omx7J1 '1...-a.tr1&r 1x11•°' 1C1&11r-f•·
(I).-• Tll' lllfX}IOI( T>lr •01• .i,"'1.. ..,,. Tw1.,, ')'llr ITll~"""
n,wf'!,. .,.., ;,.,,. Jl,,,_,v- 1JfN 41.V..orf"'~~ •1 Tf'I•~ ii-•~'°''"
,,,.,,~
-iu.t
410 Dijfert.a1io111 On IAe:p AOP H E CI B s.
thing•. conbwlt to thole which aH laid ·by
Berofus cooceming this king of the Babyloni-
·ans, that he fulxloed Syria and all Phcmiaa :
With thefe likewife agrees P'1ilotlratus in his
hiftoty, and Megafthencs in the i»utth hookof
his Indian hiftory, throughout which he at-
tempts to lhow, that the forcmcndoned king
of the Babylonians exceeded Herades in forti-
tude and greatncfs of exploits ; for he affirms
that he fubdued the greateft part of Lybia and
Spain. Strabo likewifc from the ·{amc Me-
gafihencs ( 9) aH'erts, that tlYs king among the
Chalda:ans was more celebrated than Hercules.
and .that he proceeded as far as to the pillan of
Hercules, and led bis army out c1 Sp«in intO
Thrace and Pontus. Bot his empire, though of
great extent; was ye~ of no long duration ; for
it ( 1) endfd in his grandCon BeHhazzar, bOt
70 ye4rs after \he delivery of this prophecy, nor
above
- XIM )11,..cr~ni, 11 'n .,;J.~ .&int. Hisfi.neadflipalatarPhi-
.,.,, b~ ..... ~.' ~ .~ .....;. lo1t.ratras in hiiorii11 - ct lih-
f"'11M TG• S'(OJ'f'lfU'°' ~- 'T#I gafthehes in ciaarto volumiiie
Biap11A.I•...,., Hfcall>.111, 111~:,.'f rerum Inclicanun, ubi otlcndere
IUU ,.uy1S11 'll'tat..,, >.anil'O- contcndit preditlum BabyJoai-
X""' · xai'.larp14'111crSa1 '1"I 1110- orwn regem et furtitudinc Her-
TO• q>ticn 11ca• A•Sllflf "11• .-.>.- culcaa et m-cnitadinc prdi.
;>..,, "''" I/311~·••.-in architi1 ti1I'c. dicit enim cum l.7 bi•
Pbamicum fcripta rt,J>Criuntar, bonam partH• ct Iberiam fub-
quz cum iis conven1µrtt a lle- j ugaffe. Jofcph. ibid. Sea. ao.
rofo narratis de rege Babyloni-
oram,. S1nam fciUcet et imi~ P· (~~H~-~ Ar ar
verfalll Ph~niciam illum fube- •-c- ~., ~~~
~
 ·Dijfertatlons on the PRoPH! ct ES. 4ll
'2hove 23 years nfter the 'death· of N ebuchad-
·nezzar; which may be the reafon of Dan1e~'s
·fpcaking of hini as the only king, thou art this
·head of gold, and after thee jhall arffe &c, ·th~
TCft bdng to be confidered as nothing; nor do
we read of any thing good or great that was
performed by them.
II. His breajl and his tzrms·offoer, (ver. j2.)
which ·Daniel interprets (ver. 39.) And qfter
thee foal/ arffe another kingdom "inferior to t!Jee.
It is very well known, that the kingdom which
aroieaftertheBabylonian,wastbeMedo-Perfian.
The two hands and the Lhoulders, faith ( 2}
Jofephus, fignify that the empire of the Baby--
lo~ians 1hou1d be di1folv~d by two kings. The
two kings were the kings of the Medes and
J>erfians, who{c ·powers were united under
Cyrus, who was fon of one of the kings anti fon-
in-law of the other, and who befieged and took
Babylon,
Hee-"•~ IA_,.,..,, ••• ;ti( ~' M. 3466. p. 100. Prideaux
t>.acrcu,-01 ,. 'l'IK ~ uc ConneOt. Part 1. B. a. Anno
'hi' 0(tutJr XGU .,., nonor ..,,_ S39• Bellhazzar 17. ·
7nr ,.,,, rpr.acr.-Mavoto- (2) ~. ~ av. ).,..,;, ••, .:
droforum autem qui magi• a tlf'OI '"lf<Sltllcr" USO :.,. - -
Chafdzis probatur qaam Her- '1'.At1So.ii7'lcr.9•1 fJ.cra1.1t1r '"'' ..
cules, ufque ad Columnaa per- ""'•"., ;,,_,. duz vero manu1
yeniire,-et exerc:itum ex Hif- et humeri indicant imrerium
pania in Thraciam Pontumque •elbum a duobue regibu6 ever•
aa~lfe, ~trab, Lib. 15, .P· 68;. fum iri. Jofeph, A11atiq. Lil>.
Edit. Piim. p. 1007. Edit, Am- 10. Cap. 1e. Sef\. 4• p. +57•
lei. 1707, Edit. Haat9n.
. (•) Sec Vflier'• ilnnah. A,
(8) Prideaa.ic
41 ~ .Diffe.rtations_ on. the PR. o PH E c 1 E s~
Baby Ion, put an end to that empire, and on its
ruins ereCted the Mcdo-Perfian, or the Per1ian
as it is ·more ufually called., the Perfians having
foon gained the afcendent over the Medes.
This erp pire is faid to be inferior as being left
than the former, minus te as the Vulgar Latin
tranflates it, becaufe neit~er Cyrus nor any of
his fucceifors ever carried their arms into Africa
or ·Spain fo far as Nebuchadnezzar is reported
to have done; or rather ieferior as being worfe
than the former, deterius te as Caftalio tranflates
it, for (3) Dr. Prideaux alferts, and I believe he
may .alfert very truly, that the kings of Perfia
were " the worft race of men that ever go-
~' verned an emp'ire-'.· This empire from its firft
cftabliibment by Cyru~ to the death of the ~
king Dari11s Codomannus lafted not much above
~oo years. Thus far .all critics and commen-
tators are agreed, that the two firft kingdo.nis
reprefented in Nebuchadnezzar's dream were
the Babylonian and the Per.fiao. As to the reft
there ha.th been fome controverfy, but with little
re~fon or foundation for it, only .that fome
per-

(3) Prideaux Conne&. Part 1. · 71 1411rrp.iro~. illorom adtem

· B. z. Aono s59. Nerigliffan. · imperiom alius ·quidam ab oc-
(+) '"'' :, "'"'u iT•f•• -r1; ciclcnte -wltims dcftroct, zre
A7n ~lrHI; '"".91lHfF.V11 )::~Or t,OllU QbdUCllll. Jofeph. .A_D•
. ·u~

..
 ·Dijfertations on the:PllOPHECI.E~S. 4t;
perfuns are troubled with the fpirit ef ·c6nt~ic.:.
tjori, and will difpute about the plaineft•points.
HI. His belly and his thighs of brafs; (vet. 32.)
which Daniel interprets (ver. 39.) .AnJ: iMother
third kingJfJ111· of brafo which jhaN 1-/J"tq~ :ruk
over a// ·the earth. It .is univerfally known,. thai
Alexander the· great {uhveited the Pcruiti- em-
pire. The k.ingdom· therefore which·fuccceded
to the Perfian, was the Macedonian•.; ·. afid' this
kingdom was ·f1uy re!prefoiiie'1- by brafi ;~ :for"thc
Greeks were famous for' th"(ir bra21en ·armour,
their ufual epithet being. ·xa:~xox,1&1tl~ ·Jrx«101,
the brazen-coated Greelu. · Daniel's interpretation
in ( 4) Jofephus · is,- that another coming·· from
the weft,' completely. anned in . brafs~ ) lhall
deftroy the empire of the Medes and Pcrfians.
This thir~ kingdom is alfo fa~d to hear rule ~tr
on the earth by a figure ufual in atm6ft ail
authors. AJ-cxander himfelf (5) commanded,
that he iliould be called the king ef all the
world; not that he really conquered, or near
conquered the whole world, but he had confi-
aerablc dominions in Europe, Aita, and Africa,
that

tiq. Lib. 10. Cap. 10. Sea.+· 1111111ii appeHari ja6it. Jallin.
P· +57· Edit. H11dfo11. Lib. 12. Cap. 16•. sea. 9-
(5) A<:cepto deinde imperio, Edit. Grzvii.
rtzmi fi trrrar- 011111ium "'
' . (6) llOl'I'•
. +'Ao .Dif!fr.tali• ·fll- 1'e: P.. a G P-k f!..C 1'B"
~at i' .in
aU tqe tb~o piU'tl of the worJd dM:a
known ; an4 (6} Diodorus Siculus and QtlJc:f
hifio~~A- gj'° ~Q· ~ccoo.ni uf emba'fado~ ~
ing ff.0111 almoa aH the :world to ~ngta.J\11•
him ~ bia f~".i~ qr. tq ful>om ao hi& ~­
pit•: .4-4 iben efJIC(?iftlly, u {7) Af1jaa rcmarlu.
did. ~3nd~r hilnf~ appcu ·to hia*lf end
so :tbofc .•ho.Ut him .tQ be flllfller INNb ef (l]l till
Nlrlb """'ftll· .
.That; this . thlrd kingdom ~~ ·
Maccdcniau, every pne .allows. and m.nt .aJlow 1
the w•
ba.it.thc9 it:is .contrOYerted, whether this king,.
doiµ ~~q .in the P~.rfon of Alexan~a, or wae
co~need -in his fucceffins. St•. Jer<>mc &itQ
(8) e~preily., . that the third king4om f~
,AJe~'o4er, and the ~ingdo~ of ihc ~aQ:d<>r
~ans, ~md of th~ . f uccctl'ors pf Ale:Qndcr-
WhicJi ~ righQ.y narµe~ brarien, faith be~ for
among all metals brafs is . m~r~ yocl;ll, and
tmklCi loudet, an~ its foynd is .d!ffu(ed far am.I
· wide,

(6) ~11T• ~ n"lor om.·~ .,. cu1,, Mt!IO~p• JC•• ..... .,,..
"'• ~ ...~ ax1.lo. T'IJ> . ot· a11101 41..,,"" · ~' n •-~•
Ml'°""'' itaor """flue. x. T. ;>..
quo tempore e .:unflis fere or-
•:&• .SllMw'"K ac tom
primum Alc:xandrum fibi ipfi
aupte•·

bis terrarwn partibtu legati ad et qui cum co erant rmi-wr/1

.Ale~andrum vencrunt, · &<:. trrr.e Ill ftlaris ifll#i11- vifum
Diod. Sic. Lib. 17. p. 622. elfc. Arrian. de Expcd. Aln.
Edit. Stcph. p. 579· Tom. a. Lib. 7. Cap. J 5. p. Z9.+· &.it.
Edit. Rhod. . . (;ronov.
(J) fUN n71 l'•°Nra _'lo, (8) Et rtz1111111 t1rtl""' alirtJ
te•t-,

..
 D!ffet'tillitml on tA, P. a OP H g.c I I s: 41 ~
wide, that it portended not only the fame and·
power of the kingdom, but alfo the eloquence>
of the Gteek langWtge. - Another commentator
ebferve5, ( 9) that this kingdom ·is· rompared.i
to the holly, to denote the clrunkenncfs o£
Alexander, and the profufe luxury -of hiB f1ilC•
odlars efpccially of the· Ptolemies... It was .a
flnnge wild conceit '.in Grotius and· othtts, tq
think that the kingdom of Alexander and. o£,
JMs fuccafora made two different king.doms.;
Grotius wa,s indeed a very great .man, and fosr
Che mofl: part a very aj>le and ufeful com~
tator : b"Q.t the greateft and ablcft men haff
their wcakneff'es, and none hath betrayed more
weaknefs, or committed more errors in chrono•
logy and hiftory than he hath done, in explain•
ing the prophecies. His notions here are ~
mean and contracted, as they are generous and
inlarged in other inft:ances. .
The· Seleucidre who reigned ii1 Syria, and
the

_,,,. ., fllDi imj>ua/,it um'tltr/1 Grzci fermonis oftencleret.

tur4. Alexandrum fignificat, Hieron. Vol. J· p. 1081. Edit...
ct regnam Macedonum, fuc- Benedia. ·
cefTorumqae Alexandri. <l!!od (9) Confertur hoc ventri, ac
na~ zneum dicitur: Inter om. notandum Alexandri crapulam,
pia enim metalla a:s vocalias et fuccefToram ejus przcipue
eft, et tinnit clarias, et fonitus Ptolema:orum cff:ifam laxuri·
cjus longe lateque diH"unditur, am. Tirinus apud Poli Sy-
ut non folllDI farnam et poten- nops.
tiam regni, fed et eloquer.tiam
(I) T1~.1t·- :
I

J
4_16. Dijfmo#rml ttlf_ tk P.JlOPHECfJ!fl~
the Lagid:e who reigaed in Egypt, might IJe.
deiigned ·parti~ul~rly by .lk two thighs of b.ra6 ..
Of all AleJ,Cander's fuccefi"ors they mi1ht be
pointed out alone, betaufe they alone had .nmch
conne&on 'o/'ith the Jewilh church and natiOJl..
But their kingdom wa.s no mo.re ~ di.1ie£ent
kingdom from that of· Alexander., than the
parts differ from . the whole. It w.as. the fame
government frill continued. -.They who govern..
ed were fiill Macedonians. The metal wat
the fame, and the nation was the fanH : nor
is the fame nation ever r~prefented by different
metals, but the different met~ls al.ways fignify
different nations. All ancient authors.too fpcak
of the kingdom of Alexander and of hi& fuc-
ce1fors as one and the fame kii:igdom. The
thing is implied in the very name by which
they are ufually called, {.he faccejfors of ..dle:tan-
der. Alexander being dead, (I) faith Jofephus.
the empire w~s divided .among his fuccelfors;
he doth not fay that fo many new empires
were ereCl:ed. After the death of Alexander,
faith
(I} T•i'.tllTfjlTllOTO~ :. AA;,!- magni, dum inter fuccclfom
ar.l'p11, ;, I"" a.px,"11 .J',. tj us oricntis re1?11a dividert-ntur,
11( T!I'
.Jqx.,, 'l"'P'"'s.i. Alexandro &c. Juflin. Lib••p. Cap. 4-
:iutem vita defonao, imperium Sea. 1. Speaking of the Par-
fot~r fuccefi"ores divifum ell:. tbiaru, Pollremo Maadotti/,•s
J9feph. Antiq. Lib. 11. Cap. 8. triumphato oriente fervierunt.
Setl:. 7· p. 505. Edit. Hudfon. Cap. 1. Sea. 5. Hi poiea di-
(z) Poft mwtem Alexandri ductis Mamloni/,111 in bell um ci-
vilc
 Di.Jertationt on ·i/,e PRbPHE.ci'1s; ·~11.
·fi6ah (~) Ju£Hn, the kingdoms of the eaft weie
diridcd among his fucceffors : and he ·ftill de-..
1'0miMteS them Macedonians, and their empir~
tbe Macedonian ; and reckons Alexande·r the
fame to the MacedOnians, as Cyrus was to the
Peri.wj and Romulus to the Romans. Grotius
h~mfelf (3) ackllOWl~eth, that even now tfm
Hebrews call thofc kingdoms by one name
the kingdo.m ef the Grer:iatu. There is· one fo..
fuperablc objea:ion agamfi: the kingdoms ·of
the Lagid:e and of the Seleucid:e being a dif..:
fcrent kingdom from that of Alexander, becaufe
if they are not confidered as parts of Alexander's
dominion, they cannot be counted as one king-
dom, they conftitute properly two feparate and
diftina kingdoms.
IV. His legs Of iron, his feet part of iron, and
part ~clay, (ver. 33.) which is thuSinterpreted
by Daniel (ver. 40, 41, 4z, 4 3.) And the faurt!J
llingtltnn Jhall /Je .ftrong as iron; farafmrich aJ iron
hreaketb in pieces, andJUbdueth all .things; and
as iron that breaketh all thefe, jhal/ it hreak in
pieces
vile &c. Cap. 4- Sea. z. Ad- R"""1ru, matora feneaute de-
minillratio pntis poft dcfc&io- cedit. Cap. 5. Sea. 5. Edie,
nem MMtio•fri imptrii fub regi- Grzvii. ·
bus fuit. Cap. z. sea. 1. Sic (3) Etiam nunc Hebrrei ffta
Arface1 quzlito 6mul conftituto· imperia uno nominc appellant
qoc rcgno, non minus memora- nvzum Gr4<or11m. Grot. in
bi I is Partbis, ,,,..,. Ptrfo Cyrus, Dan. ,VH. 7.
],famlo•il11u .4itX111Uitr, J.-is
Voi.. I. E•
418 Dijfertations, on the PROPHECIES~
pieces and !Jrufft. And 'whereas thou ftJ<tDd/ tk
feet and toes, part of potter's clay, and part ef
iron; the kingdom jhall he aivitkd, IJUt there jhal/
/Je in it of the .ftrength of the iron, farafmucb a
tboufawefl the iron mixed with miry clay. And
as the tfJes of the feet were part of iron, and part
of clay; fa tht kingdom jhall he partly jlrong and
partly broken. And whereas thou fawejl iron
mixed 'With miry clay, they jha// mingle themfelves
with the feed ofmen; hut they jhall not cletrve one
to another, e'ilen as iron ir not mixed wit/; clay.
Here are farther proofs that the kingdoms of
the Seleucidre and of the Lagidre cannot poffi-
bJy be the fourth kingdom, becaufc the marks
and charafiers here given of the fourth king-
dom by no means agree with either of thofe
kingdoms. ·This fourth kingdom is defcribed
as.fironger than the preceding. As iron breaketh
aed bruifeth all other metals, fo this breaketh
and fubdueth all the former kingdoms: but
.the kingdoms of the ·Lagidre and of the
Seleucidre were fo far from being ftronger,, that
they were much weaker, and lefs than any of
the former kingdoms. This kingdom too i&
l'Cpl"efented as divided into ten toes : b4t when
or where were the kingdoms of the Lagidz and
of the Seleucidre divided into fo many parts?
Bell.des, the metal here is different, and con-
fequcntly
 l.Jjfferto.ii()!Js on the PR o PH E c i E s. 4t 9
feq.u~ntly .th.e. ~tion lhould be different from
the preceding. , The four difforent tnetals muft
~gnify four <\i~erent nations' and as the gold
figni.fied the Babylonians, and the filver the
Perlians;. and the brafs the Macedonians ; fo
the iron cannot fignify the Macedonians again~
but muft neceifarily denote fome other nation :
and we will venture to fay that there is not ~
nation up?h ea~th, to which this defcription. is
applicable, but the Romans.
- The Romans fucceed.ed next to the Macedo-
nians, and therefore in courfe were next to be
mentionep. The Roman empire was ftronger
and larger t~an any of the preceding. The
Romans brake in pieces, and fubdued all the
former kingdoms. As Jofephus faid, that the
two arms of filver denoted the kings of the
Medes and Perfians; fo we might fay in like
manner, that the two legs of iron £gni~ed the
two Roman confuls. The iron was mixed with
miry clay, and the Romans were defiled with
a mixture of batbarous nations. The Roman
empite was at length divided into ten ldfer
kingdoms, anfwering to the ten toes of the
image, as we lhall fee hereafter. Thefe king-
doms retained much of the old.Roman ftrength,
and manifefted it upon feveral occauons, {o that
the kingdom wa.r partly jlrong and partlJ broken.
E e 2 They
...~C) Dijfertllti<JfU m lhe P!loPHECIEs;,
They 111ingled the111ft/1Jes witb tlte fttd ef mn ;
they . made marriages and alliam:cs one with
another, as they continue to do at this day: but
no hearty union cnfucd ; rcafons of ftatc are
ftrongcr than the tics of blood, and in'tereft will
always avail more than affinity. The Rcman
empire therefore is rcprefcnted in a dotJble ftare,
6rft with the ftrength of iron, conquering all
before it, his legs of iron ; and then weakened
and divided by the mixture of barbarous na..
tions, bis feet part ef iron, and part of ,/ay. It
{ubducd Syria, and made the kingdom of the
Seleucidre a Roman province ·in the (4) year
65 before Chrift.; it fubdued Egypt, and made
the kingdom of the Lagidz a Roman pnmncc .
in the year 3o before Chrift : and in the fourth
century after Chrift, it began to be tom
in pieces by the incurfions of the barbarous
nations.
St. Jerome Jived to fee the incarfions of the
barbarous nations: and his {5) comment. is,
that
(+)See Ulher, Prideaax, and me comprobatar. Sk11t eaim
Other clironologers. in principio nihil Romano i•-
(5) Regnum aatemquartum, perio fortlas et darias fuit; ita
quod perrpicue pertinet ad Ro- tn fine rerum nillil im becillias :
manos, f~rrum d q uod com- quando et in bellia cil'ilibas, et
minuit et domat omnia : fed adverfum dinrfas nationea.
-.ede• ejas et digiti ex parte aliarum geotiam barbara.rua
1errei, et ex parte funt ficHles, indigemua aaxilio, Vol. 3. p.
ci.uod hoc tempore mani!eftifil. 1081. Edic. Benedia.
... . (~) ~
 Dif!ertati(J1Js on the PR o PH E c IE s. 421;
that '.the fourth kingdom, which plainly be-
' longs to the Romans, is the iron that break-· · .,,
' eth and fubdueth all things; but his feet and
'toes are part of iron, and part of clay, which
'is moft manifeftly proved at this time: For
·' as in the beginning nothing was ftronger and
'harder than the Roman empire fo in· the
' end of things nothing is weaker; fince both
' in civil wars, and againft divers nations, we
' want the affiftance of other barbarous nati-
' ons." He hath given the fame intcrprctatiQQ. ·
in other parts of his works ; and it fcemeth
that he had been blamed for it, as a refection.
upon the government; and therefore he makcth
this apology for himfelf. . ' If (6) faith he in
• explaining the ftatue and the difference of
,. his feet and toes, I have interpreted .th,c iron
' and clay of the Roman kingdom, which the
' fcripture foretels a1ould firft be ftrong, and
' then weak, let them not impute it to me,
' but to the prophet : For we muft not fo
' flatter

(6) <l!od fi in expofitione adulandum eft principibus, ut

ftatue pedumque ejus et digi- fanflarum U:ripturarum veritas
torum difcrepaotia, ferrum et negli,atur) · nee generalis dif-
teftam fuper Romano regno in- putauo unim perfonz injuria
cerprctatus fum, quod primum ell. Pnef. in lfaia: CaJ'·
forte, deinimbecillumfcriptura XXXVI. Vol. 3. p. 283. Edu.
portendit, non mihi imputC11t, Benedia.
fed prophctac • .Ncciuc coi.m Ile
·E • 3 (7) Mede'•
+2i Dijfertations on the PRo P HE c 1 Es.
' flatter ·princes, as to neglea the verity of thC1
' holy fcri ptures, nor is a general difputation an
~ injury to a fingle perfon.'
All ancient writers, both Jewifh µnd Chri-
flian, agree with Jerome in explaining the
fourth kingdom to be. the Roman. Porphyry,
who was a heathen, and an enemy to Chrift,
was the fir.ft who broached the other opinion ;
which, though it hath been maintained fince
by fome of the modems, is yet no.t only defti-
tute of the authority, but is even contrary to
the authoi:ity of both fcripture and h~9ry. It
is a juft obfervation.af (7) Mr. M~cr, who was.
as able and confummate a judge as any in thefe
matters• ''The Roman empire to be the fourth
'f kingdon1 of l_)aniel, was believed by tho
'~ church of lfrael both before and in our Sa-
- cc viour's time; received by the difcipJes of the
ci apofiles, and the whole Chriftian chqrch for.

'~ the £rfi 300 years, without any known con-

" _traditl:ion. And I confefs, having f9 good
'f ground in fcripture, it is with me tantum
4' non articulus fidei, little lefs than 011 ~rtick of

q faith."

V. Betides this image~ .Nebuchadnezzar faw

( ver. 3 4, 3 5.) till that ·a jlone was cut o'ut with-
av.t /;ands,, whifh jinote the image zpon hi.rfiet that
 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIES.
were ef iron and cla)', and brake them to pieces:
Then .was the iron, the clay, the br:'!fi, the jilver
and the go!d_broken to pieces together, and became
like the chafl of the fummer threjhing-.ftoors, and
the wind carried them away, that no place was
fal.fnd/or them; and the flone that /mote _the image .
became a great m~untain, and filled the whole
earth-~ \Vhich is thus interpreted and explained
by . Daniel, (ver. 44, 4 5.) And in the days of
· thefl kings foal/ the God of heaven (et up a king-
dom, which jhall never be dejlroyed; and the king-
dom jhall not be left to other people, but it jhall
/Jreak in pieces, and confume all thefl kingdoms,
and it jhall jland far ever: Forafmuch as thou
fa.we.ft that the .ftone was cut out of the mountain
without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron,
the brafi, the clay, the filver and the gold. They
who maintain that the fourth kingdom was the
kingdoms of the Selcucidre and of the Lagidce_,
do, many of them, maintain likewife that this
fifth kingdom was the Roman. But how can
thefe charaeters agree with the Roman empire?
How was the Roman empire cut out qf the
mountain without hands, or formed without
human force and human policy ? How was
the Roman .empire of God's. ereBion more than
any of the former kingdoms ? How can the
Roman empire which is left to other people,. be
Ee 4 faid
. 414 Differtations fJfJ the PRoPHBCIBs-,
{aid not to be left to other people, and how can
that which is brolun in pteces, he faid to jland
far ever?
This defcription can with propriety only be
underftood, as the ancients underftood it, of
the kingdom of Chrift. And in the days of
theft kings, that is in the days of fame of them.
As in the days when the judges_ ruled (Ruth J. 1.}
fignifies in the da]s wl;en fome of the j•tlge'
ruled; {o in the dayf- ef thtfl flings fignifics in
the days if fome of thefe ki11$<kms: and ~t piuft
be during the days of the la.ft of them 1 be-.
caufe they are reckoned faur ~ f w;ceffion~ and
confequentJy this muft be the fifth kingdom,
.t\ccordingly the k,ingdam of Chrift was f~ up.
during the days o.f the laft of thefe kingdoms.
that l.s the Roman. The flo~e was to~ly -
diff~ept thing from the image, and the king..
dom of Ch~ift is totally different fro~ the king-
doms of this world. · 1he flqtte wat cut om of
t4e 1f10untai~ without ha.nt/s, as our heavenly
body is faid ( 2 Cor. V. 1.) to be 11 6uz1ditJg of
(lod, an hGzde not made with hand.r; ihat is fpi-
ritual, as the phrafe is ufed in other places~
(Mar. XIV. 58. compared with John Jl, 21.
See al(o <;olo.ff. II. 1 1 • ) This ili.e ( 8) fat~ers ·
· generally
(8) Joftio. Martyr. cum Try- bii. Jrenzi. Lib. 3. advcrf. Hz.
pboqcDial.p:JOI·Edit\Thid- r~(cs. C,:af .. as. p. 258. Edit,
Grabt,

-
 Dijfertations on tbe Pl\oPHKCIB~. 4'.$
generally apply to Chrift himfelf, \VJO wu
miraculoufly born of l virgin without the concur-i
rence of a man : but it fuou\d ratlsCf be
underfiood of the kingdom of ChriftJ which
was formed out of the Roman empire, not by
number of hands, or ftrength Of armies, but
without human means, and the virtue of fecond
~aufcs. This kingdom was jtt up /Jy tbt Goti of
ht~vm ; and from he Ree the pbr\lfe of tlM
iingtiD• of beavm came to fi&nify the kingdom
of the Mcffiah ; and fo it was ufed and under-
fiood -by the Jews, and fo it is applied by ~ut
Saviour in the New Tefiamcnt. Other king-
doms were raifed by human ambition and
worldly power: but this was the work not of
man but of God 1 this was truly as it· is called
tbe iingtltml of bell'Vtn, and (John XVIII. 36.)
a ./Ungdom not of tbis VJOr/J; its laws, ~ts powera
were all divine. This kingdom was tll'Vtr to k
.Jejlroyed, as the Babylonian, the Perfian, and
the Macedonian empires have been, and irJ
gr.~t mcafurc alfo the Romau. This kingdom
was to break in pieces and c~nfu•t all tbt king-•
(/Gms, to fpread and inlarge itfclf, fo that it
fuould comprehend within itfelf all the former
~gqpqas, Thia ltingdom WJS to fill tbt. '11/bo/d
· tarth,
t}raba. lfterou. Comment. in Btneditl. &c. &c.
Joe~. Vol. ~· p. •o8•· t:dit,
+26 Di.ffertatio111 on the P ~ o P HE c I.Es.
tartb, to become univcrfal, and · to Jland for
ever.
· As the fourth kingdom or the Ro"!an em-
pire was reprefcntcd in a twofold ftate, fir.ft
~hong and florifhing with ltgs of iron, and then
weakened and divided with feet and tors p11rt of
iron and part of day ; fo this fifth kingdom or
the kingdom of Chrift is defcribed likewife in
two ftatcs, which (9) .Mr. Mede rightly diftin-
guifheth by the names of regnum lapidis the
kingdom of the fione, and rtgnum 111mt1"s the
kingdom of the mountain; the .firft when the
jlone was cut out of the mountain without bands,
the fecond when it became itfelf a fll()Ulltain,
1md filled the whole earth. :The Jlone was t:ttt out
~f the mountain without hands> the kingdom of
Chrift was firft fet up) while the Roman
empire was in its full ftrength with legs ef iron.
The Roman empire was_ afterwards divided
into ten Jeffer kingdoms, the remains of which
are fobfiiling at prefent. The image is ftill
ftanding upon his feet and toes of iron and
clay ; the kingdom of Chrift is yet a j/f»ll of
.Jlumbling and a r:ock if offence : but the ftone
will one day fmite the image upon the feet and
toes,- and ddlroy ·it utter1y, and will itfelf !Jt.
come
(9) Mede's Works. B. 4-• (1) Waltoni Prole~m. XIJ.
Epift. 8. p. 7+3· 10. Wolfii 8iblioch, Hehr. Lib,
. 6.
 D!/Jertations on the PROPHECIES, 427
eiome a great mountain a1ld fill the who/~ ellrlh 1
or in other words (Rev. XI. I 5.) the l:ingdmnJ
ef this world foal/ become the kinglioms of our
Lord, and of his Chrift, and he jhaJJ reign for
ever and ever. We have therefore feen the
kingdom of the fione, but we have not yet feen
the kingdom of the 111ou11t4in. Some parts of
this prophecy fiill remain to be fulfilled : but
the· exatt completion of the other part& will not
fuffer us to doubt of the accompliiliment of the
reft alfo in due feafon.
As we may prefume to fay that this ia the
only true and genuin interpretation of this p~(­
fage, fo likewife is it the moft confonast to the ··
fenfe of all ancient writers, both Jews and
Chrifiiaos ; and its antiquity will be a farther
recommend~tion and i=Onfirmation of its truth.
Jonathan Ben Uzziel, who made the Chaldec
Targum or paraphrafe upon the prophets, ( 1)
lived a little before our Saviour. He made no
Chaldee verfion of Daniel, the greater part of
this book being originally. written in Chaldee,
or his verfion ·is lofi : but however he applies
the prophecies Qf Daniel in his interpretation o(
9ther prophets. Thus in his paraphrafc upon
Habakuk he {peaked:\ of $c foµr great king-
doms
'1. Cap. :z. Sea. :z. Pridcaax ~crod. '.
~Qnncft! Part .z. B. S. Aono :z7 ~
(:z) Habak.
4:28 Differtations on the PRoP,aEc1Es.
doms of the earth, ( 2) that they ihowd in
their turns be defiroyed,. and be fucccedcd by
the kingdom of the Meffiah. ' For the king-
' dom of Babylon lhall not continue, nor
' exercife dominion over lfracl ; the kings of
c Media ihall be flain, and the tlrong men of
c Greece thall not profper; the Romans iliall
c be blotted out, . nor collect tribotc from
c Jerufalern. Therefore becaufc of the fign
• and redemption which thou lhalt accOGJpJifu
' for. thy Chrift and for . the remnant of tlJy
' people, they who remain thall praife thee
'&c.'
The fenfe of Jofepbus we wiU give in the
words of Bifhop (3) Chandler together with his
refiections upon it. " Jofephus's cxpofition of
" this text is fo full in the point, that it ought
" not
(2.) Habak. III. 17, 18. Et- {4) Jofeph. deBell.Jud. Lib.
enim regnum Babel n9n perma- 3. Cap. 7. Sea. 3. p. 11.f.J•
nebi r, nee exercebit dominium Edit. Hudfon. -
in Ifrael; trucidabuntur reges Cs> T>J• 1'I ........, h-cec ~"
Mediz, et fortes Grecia: non •tro .ti,.,,.,. x111e..,...,. x<1>.ur
profperabuntur; delehunturRo- 'IJ14qlH0'1'-'r0oo IUU T111i.11r 411~
mani, neccolligenttribatum de G'lllllO'H 'r111 'VX'' 0/40IA oJ..,.,
Jerufalem. ltaque propter fig- ..... XfAhwH ~ .., A'lft/UTID :..
num et redemptionem qua: fa- nr Tll O'l~f8 f'uO'ir, IUCf& .,.,
cieJ Chrifto tuo et reliquiis po- All1t1r r•e~o1•e-r ~ Tll XfWll
puli tui, qui remanebunt con- 111111 Tl:I llf'l'llftl llll&I Tl:I ')(.«).zl;.
fitebuntur dicendo &c. 1.!'11>--1 :. XIM 'll:"lf' 'I'll Al8¥
A111rit¥-G- T'! ~CTIAH" 111>.>.' .,...
(3) Defcnfe of Ch:illiani!y. /4" l:ll< 1.l'.~1 Tl:l7o ifOfUr, 'l'A
Chap. z. Sea. 2., p. 104, &c. """'~'"G ••~.. -· T• ')lf')'I•..,,... .
3d J::d.it. n:f,.~ur, 11 7111 jMMo:l. oft•1.s'1..
II
 Di.fferuztion1 on the PR.oPHEetns.· 41~
" not to be omitted. Jofcphus was born wbile
c, Jefus Chrifi: lived. and was, as he (4) fays~
" fkllful in the koc>wltge of the facred books
cc of the prophets, being himfclf :a prieft, and
•• the ·(oh Of a prieft, and cxercifcd this way.
" Heari then his .Cr.ft of that part of the dream
u we have bcteft apon. Daniel forctdld, (s1
" that the fecond kingdom lhould be taken
cc out of the way, by one that ihould come
" from the weft clothed· with brazen arms !
" tnd altO that the ftrength of this (empire)
" another lhould p11t an end to, that lhould bC
•c like to iron, which from the nature of the
" miaerat ie fuperior to gold, filvcr, and bra{s~
•• Daniel added his interpretation of the ftone ;
cc but I don't think fit to relate that ; tny bu-
" finefs being only to give a hiftory of pajl and
· newlJ
11 ,t, T~ 'n!~ Gt).t1811•c'>''-'Xo/"".. nielus regi ofiendit omnia cle
• -r•rai.. ..o>..,..fC"'>',,~"''
faxo: fed mihi ifta narrare non.
#; llA6 el(' Tll• ..~. II ')'l"l- libuit, cui id negotii datumeft,
0'1,.I /3a>.iO's .. , ""..e..., 0'9'11>111- ut przterita non futura litteria
..,,. 'rll /31~7\Jof ._,.,.,Ml '1'11 confignarem. Si ~uis autem ve-
AA11oi).lt• IClf'IO'H :-. 'fltTO " ritatis avidus noht ab iis paul<~
'"If ireo•c '>'f"'ffll'Tl'· illoruin curiofi us inq uirendis defillere,
autem imperium alius quidam utqui deincerti~ an futurafint~
ab occidente •1.m1k111 defiruet, fcire defiderat, det operaJD ue
ere 1111asobduaus; atque hujus Danieli librum perlegat, quem
vires alia vis debellabit ferro fi- infacrorum librorum·codice in-
milis, eafque in ur.iverfum im- \•eniet. Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. 10.
periopremec propter ferri naru. Cap. ro. Sea.+• p. 457. Edit.
ram, quod ea fit auro et argen- Hudfon.
~et 11erevalidior. ~in etDa.

(6) ""..
 lJij[ertations on the PRoi»nEcits,
" 11t'llJ/y Jone things, not to write of Juttwe tbingl:
" Yet if there be any one that is eager aftet
cc truth, and will not give over inquiring, in
" order to learn thefe obfcure events that are
" to come, let him carefully read the book
" itfelf, which he will find among· our facred
" (or canonical) books, Upon this pafi"age
" obferve, that the fourth empire is the Roman;
'' in his judgment ;. becau.fe the third king..
" dom, ~hiei:h he begins in ·Alaandcr, was
" deftroyed, . not by the Greek generals, but
" by the Romans. Again, the fourth empire
u he reckons to be paft, i. c. to be fet up in
cc the room of the Greek, and therefore be
" gives an hiftor:cal explication of that; among
'' the pall events. But the kingdom of the
cc }lone being future, he refufes to touch on
" that. But he had a better reafon than he
" gave : he feared to offend the power in being,
" whofe protettion he needed, and which, he
" forefaw, muft be offended, if he £hould
cc publi1h the hope of his captive nation, occ
" day to fubdue their conquerors. We fee
"_however, in his excufe for ftopping lhort,
" his fenfe of the prophecy that is yet unfulfilled,
'' viz. that the kingdom of the God of heaven
" Jhould break in pieces the Roman ; and
" which he muft confequcntly fuppofe will
· " continue
r

iJijfertations on the ·PllOPHECIES. 43~

" continue, till it gives place to the everla~g
u kingdom of the Meffiah. And in this beli~f
" Chrift copfirmed the Jews, at the tUne he
" warned them of their own excifion. 'Ih1
" kingdom of God, faith he, (Mat. XXII. 43,
" +.+·) or all the advantages of the Meffiah's
" coming, }hall /Je ta/ten fr()fll you and given tfJ.
" a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. For
" whofaever }hallfall agai'!fJ this .ftont (as one of
" your prophets predieted, If. VIII. 14, I 5.)
"}hall 6e //roken : out, I add from another pro-
" phet (Dan. II. 34, 35.) foqiething more
" grievous for thofe that lball break you, 011
" whomfoever it foal/ fall, it wz1/ grind him to
"pO'Wder. The kingdom of the flont lhall
".bruife the Jews that ftwnbled at Chrift's
,, firft coming; but the kingdom of the moun-
" tain, when manifefted, thall beat the feet
" of the monarchical ftatue to duft, and leave
" no rC?mains of the fourth monarchy in its laft
" and degenerate ftate.'~·
The fame notion was prevalen_t among the·
ancient Chriftians, as well as among the Jews.
St. Jerome and all the fathers, who have occa-
fion to comment upon this pa1fag~, give the
fame interpretation : but we love not to multiply
quotations; it will be fufficient to produc~
the teftimonies of that eloquent preach~r
St.
 4JI Diffmatid1 in t~e PaoPHECtEI.
St. Chrykilom, and Of that elegant hillorim
Sulplcius StTerus. St. Chryfoftom is too co--
piou& to be q\lotccl at large ; we muft content
ourfelves with fanie extra~b out of him.
' For what rCafon, ( 6) faith ·he, doth he call
'Nebuehadnezzar's kingdom of gOld, and that
' of the Perfiarts of fil~r, ·and that of the .
/ •

' Macedonians of J.>rn[s, and that of the Ro..

' maM of iron and clay? See the·materials rightly
' difpGfed; for gold. rcprcfcnts riches &.c; fo·
• likewife was that kingdom.....,;__ and it occu-
• pi~s the head, becaufe it appeared the firft.
•But that of the Perfians was not fo wealthy,
' as
(6) ,.,... )' Imm ,.,,, &llTll nienter materias. Nam aarum1
lau111\11•• .~.. 'XJU"''' "' ~ divitias quidem rcpra:fcratac--
,..,, ll•fO'"'" •f'>'11e1u, 111a1 ,..,, ,..,, Sic et regnum Babylonium-
M"""'~""' x..>.xttr, xias '"'' ™' Capnt autem occnpat; qnia
pelf"".,, iiJ'tte-r ._. orc~m"''; regnumilludfuitprimam. Per-
a,. 11&TaMll,...,, TS( v>."'(. t 'Y"'e farum Vero imyerium DOD adco
• ~ W'>.¥111 ,,.., 1ra •f4a:lr opnlelitum fuit : lieut llec Ma·
aor-ltre1 . ., 11<un1 ;, 6-s- cedonum : at Romanoram uti-
:>.uia .1'1 ..,,.,X"•
11~11"'"' Ji us ac fortius; tempore quidcm
.,...Jli, •e.an" 1'°"". • • .1'1 Dae- poltcrius, quare et p~ dum Jo..
,,.,, 111t. arr.i; 111W'f~• a1trr1e 11• c'!m obtinct. Porro font h~jus
.). M•,..)°"'"' • .t1 p..,,_.....,, rcgni qua:dam infinna, et quz-
XJ'IO'tf"#TIP ..., 11a1 MJX11eoneia, dam rob1dliora.--- u T.u(
~·eaa ,.,., To•' Xe"'°''• 1.. """ ;,,...e"''' ...... fl"'ir""'"'' ....""" --
O'Dct.,, ,.af., 1oir1x11• 1r1 ). ni<r11 ~ 9,.. 'I'll ll(G"' ~
atrnJf ,.. ,,... -$11,,, ..... :. w- irrs, II{ 'I'll( .....(&( II cl\«~Taa'
X"CO'l'I(•• ~are
autem reg- lll&l ;, (30f4'17..Ha &llTll ~ ttir,' 11X
nam Nahacnodonoforis vocat i.tro>.,.q>&.nTP" ,.,..,.,,,. ,... Allrf'•·
aureum, Perfarum autem argcn- 1m fll'«O'GI( "'"'' (3cu.1\ua;• ...
seum, Macedonum zreum, Ro- ownt •••rflll'ITcai 11, ~ ...,.
manorum (erreum atque tefta- r&(. •')'• ,..or,,,,
I.J'«~' .,7.ue..
ccam l Vidc difpo1itaa conve- ,., ., 11'11'0111 ••ca ac n' .,.........
"119Tl' i

..
 Dt/fortatiuns r;n tbe
' as neithc.r was that. of· tbe Macedonians : but
' that of the Romans
was both more ufoful ancJ
' ftronger, and later in time, ~·h~efore it oc-
' cu pies the place of the feet. But fo~e parts
·' of this kingdom arc weak, and others are
' ftronger.-And in the days of tbofi kin~s
' jhall the God ·of hea•uen fit up a kingdom, •z.d N:h
.' }hall nt'Ver he de/lro;•ed ; and the kingdom foal/
' not be left. to other people, but ii jha/I .break in
.' pieces, and confome all thefe kiTJgdoms, and it
.' jh111J jland for e'Ver. Bring hither to me the ..
' Jews. What will they fay concerning this ··
' prophecy? for it is by no means right to fay
·..av'!.tf ; 11 'Yf&P l.ir11 ••e• ••·
.s,.,.,,.,,, '1'a111a: S.~ "'"''• ~T•
am1pe. 1rcu ~ /a1at7U.11a.-.,
.,."'" 'itA•ecuf .,.,, B.a.tn'A•"'' '""'"''•
.,.,,,, p.,I'-&'""' '.J'11'1.-.1n1. C&Mt1~
:, u ?i1,,..11r, •a.1 GTAI~ To' 'XJ""'°'
011r1Te•..J-1, 'l'1P Ba/311'1.AI""'' Sew"-
).11•• er«'A«1 x«T"'"""'""'",9,.,.,.,
[-T..,.,.,d'!¥.,S11<'•• J; «u•r 11 ,..,
-rrve•r, .,..,, Il•r"'""; .,..,~ .!'1 Tor
xa.ll.xo•, ...,,. Mc&iu~ •.,.; T.. LT«
,."'P sc&>.a.1 1)'mTo, x«• T1;\0-
aN:a:u. - --ar111' T«~ .,t,. "'',,..
Guorar {ja:171'1.11a.r ""'G""r" ; a~-
.'Aca n •a.9""i"" ine::iir ,, ,.;~
.: TCN1111T&1 "'""• 11x<T.,; 'I'--
.,.cm. Et in dit'1us rrgo1m ii'!~r11m
/u.flitahit Dtus c-c1'i rcg1111m, 'i"o,/
i11j:.r.11!a non;o•ri'm,~t111r:c1,.,:s·
NUlll tjus popuk. .zltf!"i 111111 ro'1,1-
'JUflur :". n•m11im1tt rt r:.;.-ntilt1bit
uni'Vflja rcg11.i: 111;/~ 1:cf r~fl
\'QL. I: r r
PROPHECIES. 433
' of
in f,,,a,fa. Addaciro mihi hoc
Ju°da:_os. Q.!!id de h_ac· prophetia
dicruri funt 1 Neque cnim pro--
fetl:o de humano regno hrec fas
eft dicere; fci.licet regnom inn-
nitum fore--/11 'dirhus rrgu111
il/orm11 ; Romanor11m videlicet.
~od ti di cant : q uomoJo au-
runt contercre FQtuit, nemFe
rC'gnum Babyloniorum, quod
jnm olim erat deflruttum? ~0-
modo etiam arger.tum, n:mi-
rum regnum Pe:-f~rnm ? Et
q u0modo :c>, fcilicct regn um
Macedonum? Ha:; enim quon-
dim foerant, ct f.•icm accepe-
rant.-Quomodo jam ex-
ti1!Cl:a regna <leih11at ? Q.!!:a
ni1ni1um<leJlruit alia ·rer;n.a, in
· quihu; ha:c cot:tincntur. !:.. J:i.
Chryfofi. in D.1nidem. p. 214 &
21 t>. Tom. 6. Edit. EencdiC.1,
(7) Igitur
434 Differtations on the PaoPHE~uu.·
c of any human kingdom, Uiat it fhall be
' eve1latting or without cnd.-In thl tfa;•s of
' tboft kings, to wit the R.Dmans. But if they
' fay ~ow can he break in pieces the gold, the
' kingdom of the Babyloniant deftroyed kmg
' ago ? how the filver, - .!he kingdom of the
' Perfians ? how the brafs, the kingdom of the
' Macedonians ? for thcfc are paft long ago.
' and arc come to an end-how can he de-
' fi:roy kingdoms which are already deftroycd l
' But to deftroy others in which thefe are in-
' eluded, amounts to the· fame thi~g.·
SuJpicius Severus having givel\ an account ·
of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and of all the
,parcic.ulars relating to it, fubjoins (7) an opofi-
tion of it, agreeable to Daniel's interpretation.
' The image· is an emb1em of the world. The
' golden head is the empire of the C!Wdzans :
' forafmuch as that was the firft and "moft
' weahhy. The breafi: and arms of filver fig-
' nify
(7) Igitur fecondum prophe- tiam regnum portendi prona-
• interpretationem imagovifa, ciatur: idque impletum vicfc•
.figuram mundi gcrit. Caput mus. Siqu.idem Alenader e-
aureum,Chaldaeorum imperium reptum Peris imperiam MICIC-
eil: ii~uidem id primum, et o- doniae vindicavh. Cruraferra.
pulenuffimum fuiJreaccepi8lu•. imperium quartum: idquc Ro-
Pettus et brachia argentea fe- manum intelligitur. omnilllll
cund uin regnum annunciaat. ante reinorum validiftima11.
Cyrus enim, vitlis Chaldzis at- Pedes yero partim ferrci, partim
q ue Medi11, imperium ad Perfa1 fiailea, dividendum elfe Roma.
(ontulit. In ventrc tcl"fO, ter· mun ngnum, ita ut u1111'laam
. . uuc:r
 Di/fertatlon1 ·on the PROP H E c 1 E 11.., 4".J.5
'·nify the ·-fecond kingdom: For Cjrrus, the
.' Chald~~ns and Medes being overcome, tra.nf..
.' fcrred the empire to the Perfians. Jn the
' brazen belly the third kingdom is. declal'ed
·' to be portended; and that we fee fulfilled :
' Forafmuch as the empire taken from the Per•
' fiaos Alexander vindicated to Macedonia. The
' iron legs are the fourth kingdom : and tbat ·
' is the Roma~, the ftrongeft of all the .king-
' doms before it. But the feet part of iron
c. and part of
day, prefigure the Roman em-
' pire to be fo divided as that it lhould neve;
" unite again: which is equa11y fulfilled---
' Forafmuch as the Roman territory is pccu-
c pied by foreign nations or rebels :-and
' we fee (faith he, and he lived at the begin-
c ning of the (S) fifth century} barbarQus
c nations mixed with our armies, cities, and
'c provmces But in the ftone cut out
' without hands, which brake in pieces the
'·gold
inter fe coeat, pr:-efi~urant : ith1m, in quo (unt regna terr;.
quod zqae impletwn eft,- ram, in 11ihilum redigtr, ttg-
Siquidem Romanum folum ab numquealiudincorruptum con-
exttri1 gentibus aut rehellibus firmabit. De quo 11no adhuc
occupatam:-extrci1i bafq ae q·uorundam fide6 in ambigooeft,
nollrir, urbibus atq ue provinciis non cred~ndum de futuris, culh
permixtu barbaras nationcs- .de pl"a!teri ti~ ccnvincantur. Sul.
videmus.--In bpide \ero picii Sacr. Hit1. Llb. ~· p. 66,
fine manibus aqfcilfo, qui au- 67. Edir. Elz1.vir. 1656.
rum, argenrum, a;s, et ferrum (8) Cave Hid. Litt. Vol. 1.
tetlamque comminuic, Chdfti P· 37+·
fi.liuram elf~. h tniu1 mllndum
.F f z
 -Differtatio11s on the PR o P H E c.1 E s.
c gold, the filver, the brafs, the iron, and the
' day, we have a figure of Chrift. For he
c lhall . reduce this world,· in which are the
' kingdoms of the earth, to nothing, and {hall
' eftablilh another everlafting kingdom. Of
' . whkh alone the faith of fome is ftill dubious,
' and they will not' credit future things, when
' they are convinced of the paft.~
Nay Grotius himfelf, the great patron of the
other opinion, that the fifth~ kingdom is the
Roman empire, commenting upon tho{e words
(vcr. 45.) it brake in pieces the iron, the /Jrafi>
the clay, the fi/ver, and the gold, cannot but. ac-
knowlege · that ( 9) the fublimer fenfe is, that
Chrift wiH put an end to all earthly empires,
according to 1 Corinth. ~V. 24. that IM foal/
put down all rule, and all authorit'j, and pfl'U}er.
Thus it pleafcd God to· reveal uhto DanicJ~
-and by Daniel un.to ~ebuchadnezzar, the great-
eft and moft fignal events ·of this world. As
D~niel faid unto Nebuchadnezzar, (vcr. 45.)
'l'he great God hath made known to the king """11
. j/xlU
(9) Senfus fublimior, Chrif- Bt1>.... ,,.... <llTe"")'O .... ~ ' " ~
tum fincm impofiturum omni- >.ma B~T•r csT?Tt""-• ~
bus impcriistcrrcfiribus, 1 Cor. <llTUO"'" A<T.Sm1uir, titQ Illf'"'
.XV. 24. Grot. in lcicum. · ;,,..,a,.., To1uir V/AfT•f0•0-1 >....,_-
;l«'"f"I... rrtlf'IU"XOIO"U"IW'"'t" ;,
( 1) ,,.., Nis,t11to:eoo-oeo~, 11 iti,AOO"l.'rll•• j, cl; rrtl>&ITI.. lfW'
B«.i3LAOIHH, '"'' ,..111>.iiuist . viu• M11:'1(, TO MrrtlflU ""X""I'-•· Eg1>
•eo.sf.y11Wi1 IN.'/J.~Of'I'• T'lf • Tl Nabucodroforus, 0 Babylonii,
immi-
 Dijfertation1 on tlJe Pa op HRcr.f 8.
}hdO COlllt If> ptJfi- htreafter .i 11111/ the dream is cer-
tain, and t/Je i1'ftrjlret11tio11 thereof is Jure• .. The
king. hearing his dream related. with fuch exaet.
nefS, might be better afi"urcd of the truth of
the interpretation, and of the great · events
which ihould ·follow. And from .hence we are
e.n!lbled in Come meafurc to. accounf for Nebu..;
~adnezzar's p~ophefying a ~ittle before he .died.
Abyd~nus wrote the hiftory of tne
Alfyria.ns.
It is not weU known in what age he lived, and
• hiflory is:lolt: but there is a fragment of it
prcfervcd by Bufcbius, wherein · it is afi"erted
upon the authority of Megaftbenes, that Ne-
' buchadnetzar was divinely infpired, and
prophe6ed in ( 1) thi& maM~r : ' I N ebuchad..
' nezzar foretcl unto you, 0 Babylonians, an
f imminent calamity, which neither Belus my
' progenitor, nor queen Beltis can perfuade the
' fates to avert : A Pcrfian mule fball come
' ·atfifted by your demons, and impofe farvitude
' upon you ; whofe coadjutor 1hall be a Mede,
~ the. boaft of the Affyrians.' And foon after .
· he
imminentcm vobis aTamitatcm durum ccrvicibus veftris j ugum
prznuncio,. 9u;im Parcil Gt1 impooet, A"lae bujus dadis
ucrruncent, nee Belu.s gencris
noftri au&r, nee regina Bcltis
auaor ctiam Medas qoidam
crit,quoanteAlfyriimagnopcre .
pcrfuadcrc unquam potcrant, gloriabantur, Eafcb. pra:p. E-
Perficiis vcnict mulas, qui dz..vang, Lib. 9. Cap.+•· p. +;6.
monum vcllrwwu ufua aoxilio. Edit. Vigeri•.
Ff 3 (2) .w.·
 438 Differtations on the PaoPHEcr:ns.
he died. HerodOtu.s, who was a much older
hiftorian than · Megafthenes, relates that a
Delphic oracle was given to· Cro:fus king of
Lydia, that ( 2) when a mule iliould ra\c over
the Medcs, then he 1hou1d not be aihamed to
fly away. Which oracle was afterwards thus
interpr-etcd by the Pythian prieftefs; (3) Cyrus
was this mule ; fsr he was borg of parents of
·diff\!rent nations, the mother the better, and the
father the meaner ; for 1he .was a Mede, and
the daughter of the king of the Medcs, but be
was a Perfian; and fubjetl: to the Mcdes. If
any credit is to be given to thefe ftotics, if any
fuch prophecy was uttered by Nebuchadnezzar .
a little before his death, if any fucb oracle was
received and ·believed of Cyrus aud the Perfians
fubduing Atia, the notion, the tradition may
very well be fuppofed to have been deriml
originally from this prophecy of Daniel, wfiich
being fo folem·1ly ddivered to a grt'.at king, 'and
publifhcd in Chaldee, might come to be·geoc-
nlly known io the eaft : and· the event foon
afterwards evinced the truth of it.
It
(2) AAA' h~r ¥0... ·~-.>.n1 Herod. Lib.·1, Cap. JS• p-. u,
\ Jlti~ "· y•"rr1:11. Edit. Gale.
(J) "' 'J''"P ~ e Keipe. ~
--
f<a1 'TO':"I I(, 'I'· ).,
Regis apud Medos malo jam .;,........ llt ,,..~
fedt: potito,
Lyd~ f~~am &c,
.,,..,,.,.., ,..,,,.,.. .,..........
.J'i.011 Bil .,....,....

"cO' lt ""''"'~· i ,... .,.,

••
 Dijfertat#ms on the Pa a MI E c 1 E s. 4 39
It was &om this prophecy. too, that the dif-
tinc!tion firft arofe of the four great empires of
the world, which hath been followed by moft
hiftorians and chronologers in their diftribution
of times; Thefe four empires, as they are the
.!ut;ea: of this prophecy, are likewife the fubjea
of t:he moft celebrated pens both in former and
in later ages. The hiftorics· of thefe empires
arc· the bdl: writ, and the moft read _o f any ;
they · .are the ftudy of the learned, and the
atnu.ffment of die polite; they are of ufe .both
· in fchools, and in fenates ; we learn thelll when
t
we are young, and we forge.t them not wlu:n
we m old ; from hence e~amplcs, inftrutl:ions,
Jaws -and politics are derived .for all ·ag.es; and .·
very litde in cotnparifon is known qf otbec
times, Of' of other nations. Not but-there have
been empires as ·great or greater th~n. fome
Of· thefe, as thofe of the Tartars for inftance,
and of the Saracens, and of die Turks ; and
you may think perhaps, that they are as well
defcrving of a place in this fucccffion of king-
doms, and were equaUy worthy to be made
the
"''"' u••. .., A,,,.,,..
~
~-"-f· o ~.
.S..~
men,
generofiore matre qoam pattt.
Nam ilia qoidem, Meda erar,
... "'• ... llfX9"1... u,,• IXNHIP'I· Aftyagis Medorom rcgis ilia:
Nam mal111 hie, Cyrus erat: hie autem, Perfa, & Medis fob-
quippe qoi duobue diverfarum jet\us. Herod. ibid. Cap. 91.
SCDCJIUD parutibu1 or&us at, P• 39· .
Jf4 .
440 Di./[ertat;ons on the PROP a 1t~1 a•,
the objeCts of prophecy, being as eminent for
the wifilom of their.co~itutions, the extent of
their dominions, and the length of their dura-
tion. But thefe four empires had a particular
relation to the church and people of God, who
were fubjeCt to each of them in their turns.
'They were therefore particularly predicted;
and we have in them, without the interrnixtur~
of others, a line of prophecy (as I may fay)
extending from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to
the f:.111 and complete eftablifument ofthe king-:
dnm of the Meiiiah. He who iii arbiter of
kingdoms, and governor. of the univerfe, ·can
reveal as much of their future revolutions as he
pk1feth : and he hath revealed enough to ma...
nifeft his providence, and to confirm the .trµth
of religion. What Daniel faid upon µie nrft
difcov~ry of . thefe things, well ma,r we. fay
after the completion . of fo many particulars ;
(ver. 20, i 1, ~2.) Bl4Jed ~e the name o.f GoJjor
ever and t" ?r; J?r 'U:fjaom and migl;t are his•
1

.A :d hr ,;:'.,.?:!g.·i/; the times and the jeafaw: he

up
rt.'i:>Jvet/J king.1, and fittetb kings: he giveth
•wjdom unto t/Je '11!'.:!e, •and kno~lege to them that
knriw u·dcr:Jlana'ing. · He re,Vealfth the deep and
jecret things~ he lmoufeth w/Jat z~ 'z"n the darknefi.
(lfld the lt$ht dwe!leth with him. ·

XIV. DANJEL 1J'

 Difm111iom on the PRoPHEc1Es. -4+1

XIV.
DAN 1 EL •s vijion of the fame.
W HAT was revealed unto Nebuchad-
nezzar in the fecond year of his reigri ·
concerning the four great empires of the
world, was again revealed unto. Daniel with
fome inlargcments and additions in the firfi:
year of Belfuazzar, that is about· eight and
forty years afterwards. But there is this diffe-·
rence, that what was exhibited to Nebuchad-·
nezzar in the form of a great image, waS'
reprcfented to Daniel in the 1hape of great wild
beafts. The reafoo of which is ingenioufly
affigned by Grotius, · and after him by ( t)
Mr. Lowth, cc that this image appeared with.
cc a glQrious Juftre in the imagination of Ne-
" buchadnezzar, whofe mind was whoUy taken
cc up with admiration of worldly pomp and
n fplendor ; · whereis the &pie monarchies were
" rcprefented to ~~el under the 1hape of
· ·" fierce
(1) Lowth'a Comment, on Chap. II. 31. Grotius ibid.
i (z) Set
442 Dijfertat~MZS on tlhe PR.oPHECIEs.
cc fierce and wild beafts, · as being the grc.
cc fupporters of idolacry ·and ·tyranny in the
" world." ·
Daniel .dreamed, and the angel interpreted.
'ihefe great beajis, wliich are f()IJr, (fays the an-
gel vcr. 17.) are four kings, or kingdoms, as•
is tranfiated in the vulgar Latin, and the Greek,
and Arabic verfions, and as the angel himli:lf
explains it, ( ver. 2 3.) 'Ihe fourth htajl }htzlJ k
the fourth kingdom upon earth. They arife out
of a ftormy ·and tempeftuous fea, tbat is out
of the w.ars and commotions · of the world :
and they~ are ca.lied great in comparifon of
othar letfer ftates and kingdoms, as they are
denominated hea.fts for their trrannical and cracl
oppre1f10ns and depredations. Tbcfe .bcafis
are ·inde.ed monfirous produetions ; a lion with
eagle's wings, a bear with three ribs in the
il1outh of it, a leopard with four wings and four
beads, and a beail with ·tell horns : · bot focb
emblems and hieroglyphics wt;re afuai ~mong
the eaftern nations ; a winged lion and foch
like fitl:itious animals may mube fccn in the
( 2) ruins of Perfepo1'li ; horns are attributed to
bea:fls, which. natur3.lly ha!c none; ~nd thefe
fig~res were, as I may fay, the arms and
fy~bols

(.i) See Sir John Chudia and other travelers.

· (3) Reaaam
 Di.lfortation1 In .the PaoP.HEc11s. 44-3
fymbol& of fuch and fuch nations, and are no
ftranger -than feveral which are. ftill ufed in
modern herald~ We will confider them in
order, and .take notice only of fuch. intcrpre- ·
tations as .carry in them fomethiog probable and
plaufible, to the end that we m~y eftabli1h
what is more certain. To recite all the various
opinions of commentators would be but heaping
µp a 01onU1Dent of the abfurdities of former ages.
We may collect fumething . from one, and
fomething from another, and yet in all refpeQts
pertcaly ·agree with none.
I. The -Jirft kingdom is rcpr.efented: by ·a
bcaft,. (ver. 4.)-: that was likt a lion,. and .h~tl
t41le's wjngs: and I behe/J till the wings tbu:eff
were pluckt, and h was lifted up from the 1artb,-
"nd 111qt/e jJand upon the Jee/ as 11 man,· "1ld 11
111an'$ btart was giwn to it. Thi$ i& the king"'
do~ of the Babylonians : and the king of
~Babylon is in like manner COD.lpared r.<> a liop by
Jeremiah, (IV. 7.) 'Ibe. litm is ClrM up from bis
thicket,. 111Jd the defi~ytr oj the GtJJtiies is on hi'
'JIJIZ]; and he is faid to fly as an eagle, (XLVIII.
40.) Behold, he foal/ fly as an eagle, and flail
fpread his vings ()'VJ. Moa6; and he is •atfo com•
pared to ah eagle by Ezekiel, (XVII. 3, & 12.)
J'bus faith the Lord God, .A great eagle with
gr~at wings Ck.~ The lion is cftctmed ·the
king
+44 Dijfortations on the Pao PH a c IE s.
king of beafts, and· the eagle the.king of birds:
and therefore the kingdom .of Babylon; which
is defcribed ,as the firft and nobleft kingdom, and
was the. kingdom then in being, is faid tp par..
take of the nature of both. . Inftead of a lion•
the Vulgar Latin, and the Greek, and Ara-
bic vedions have a . lionefs ; and it is ( 3)
Jerome's obfervation, that 'the kingdom of Ba.-
bylon for its cruehy is compared not to a lion,
but to a· lionefs, whicb·: naturalifts fay is the
fiercer of the two.
The eagle's wings denote its fwiftnefs and ra-
pidity: and the conquefrs of Babylon were very
rapid, that empire being advanced to-.the higbth
within a· few years by a fingle pt:rfon, by the
conduet and arms of Ncbu~hadnezzar. It ii
farther faid, the wings ther~ef were plucld, 11nd it
was lijied up from the earth, that is, it was taken
away from the earth, -as it is commonly under·
ftood, . and as it is tranflated in almoft all the
( 4) ancient verfions : or . it · may ·be rendered
·thus, the wings thefflf· 'llJn'e plucllt wherewith
it
• (3) Rc~um ~abyloniu1n 3. ;. 1099. Edit. Bcncdifl.
propter fa:v1tiam ct crudcnta,-
tcm,-non !co, fed lcrena ap- . (•) Et fa/JI.ta efl, inqnit, Jt
pcllatur. Aiuot cnim hi qui . /trra; .fubvcrfo videlicet impio
cc beftiarum fcripfe11e naturis,- · f irnpcrio] Chalda:orum. Hie-
lcacna• cfi'e feroc:iorc1, &c. Hie- roii. ij>ic. xis• af.ph .,... ns
ron. Comment. in locum. Vol. ?"!'• Sept. Vidcbam cvolf.u
do
 Dijfertations 0n tlie PRoPHECtE..s. ·445
it was lifted "P from t~ earth, as ( 5) Grotius
explains it, ·and as we re.ad i~ in ·the margin of
our bibles, the conjunCtion copulatiye fome-
. times ftipplying· the pface of a relative-: Its
wings were beginning to be pluckt -~t the time
of the delivery of this prophcey ; for at this
time the Medes and Perfians were i.ncroaching
upon it r Bellhazzar the king ·-nbw reignin9
was the laft of his race ; and in the ( 6) feven-
tect'lth year of his reign Babylon was taken, and
the ·kingdom was trarisferted' to the Medes ancl
Perfians.. '
And it was made /land upon _the feet Ill a lflOfl,
tl11d a man's heart was given to it.. It.,i~ not eafy
to fay what is the precife meaning of .thia pef~
fage. What appears moft probable is, that
after the Babylonia!l empire was fubverted, .th~
people 'btcame more humane and g~ntl~ ; their
minds were humbled with their fortu~e; ~d
they who vaunted as if they had been godsi
bow felt themfelves to be. but men. They
were brought to fuch a fenfe · as the Pfa1mlli:
witheth

effe alas cjus, ct ab lwmo fiib- \It-et Hebrzis, copula vim ha.
latam. Syriac. ct.tgrctTadl de bet relativi. Grot. in locum.
ccrra. Arab. • (6) Jofeph. Antiqu. Lib. 10.
( 5) Et ji4/,l11111 tj1 Jt tm11. Cap. 11. Sdl. 4. p. +62. Edit.
V crte : ptr pas ifftrdJ1il ur fopr11 Hudfon. Ulher, Pridcawc, and
1Rr11111. S-.pe CRWn Chaldasis, other_ c;Juonologcrs.

(7) Botharti
 Dijfortation1 O'fJ the ~ROPHEClt s•
.wi!heth fuch perfona to have, (PfaJ. IX. 20.)
.Put them in fear,. 0 Lord; that the 1llltions ""'1
know themfe/ves to be hut mm .
.II. The f~ond kingdom is reprefented ( ver.
5.) by another htaji like to a bear, ll1ld it raifa'11
up itfelf .on one .fide., and it had tbrt~ nos in the
mouth of it between the teeth of it: tl1ld they jaiJ
thus unto it, .Arife, devour mucb Jlefh. Thjs is
the .kiogdqm of the Medes and Perfians: and
for their cruelty and grecdinefs after blood they
are compared to a bear, which is a moft
voracius and cruel animal. The very learned
(7) Bochart recounts feveral particulars, where-
in the Perfians refembled bears: but the .chief
likenefs confifted in what I. have mentioned ;
and this likenefs was principally. intended by
the prophet, as I think we may infer from the
words of the text itfelf, .Arife, devour much jlefo.
A bear, faith Arifiotle, is an all-devouring
animal: and fo, faith '(8) Grotius, the Medo-
P.erfians were great robbers and fpoilers accord-
ing to Jeremiah. (LI. 48, 5¢.)
.And it raifed up itfe!f on .<me fide, or as it is
ID

. (7) BochartiHiero~oic, Pan raptores magni, pne®nes, Jc•

prior. Lib. 3. Cap. 9. Col, remia: Lr. 48, 56. Grot. iD.
816, &c. , locum.
(8) Urfus ~.,., 'lr•/Afory•• (9) Ergo tresordines in ore
[animal omnia vorans] ait Ari- regni Pcrfarum, ct in dcatibus
s.
l\otelcs VIII. Sic M~doperfa: ejus, tria repa dcbemas acci·
perc.
 Diferilltion1 on the PR. o PH x c -1 E s. 4+7
in the margin, it raffed up one dominion; for
the Pedians were fubjec.t to the Medes at the
conqu~ft of Babylon, but foon after raifed up
themfdves above them. .dnd it had thr_ee ri/Js
in the mol'th ef it 6etween the teeth ef it: thefe
( 9) Jerome underftands of the three kingdoms
of the Babylonians, Medes, and Perfians, which
were reduced into one kingdom; and fo likc-
wife Vatablus and Grotius: but (I) Sir Ifaac
Newton and Bi£hop Chandler with greater pro-
priety explain them to fignify the kingdoms of
·Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which were con-
quered by it, but were not properly pflrts and
members of its body. They might be called
riln. as the conqueft of them much ftrength-
ened the Perfian empire; and they might be
faid to be between the teeth if the bear, as they
were much grinded and oppretfed by the
Perfians.
And they faid thus unto it, .drift, devour m1'ch
jlejh: this was faid, as it was before obferved, tQ
denote the cruelty of the Medes and Perfians.
They are alfo reprefented very cruel by the
prophet
pere. lahylqniorum, Medoram, ( 1) Sir If. Ncwtoo's Ob-
atque Perfarum; quz in unum ferv. pn Daniel. Chap. 4. p.29.
redatla funr regnum. Hieron. Bilhop Chandler's VindicatiOQ
Comment. Vol. 3. p. 1100, Book I. Chap. 2. Sea. z. p.
Edict, Benedict. Vatablui; ct 198.
Groti111 in loc:um.
(2) Superbi.
448 . D!/fortations on the PtoPHECJBs.
prophet Ifaiah, (XIII. 18.) '!Deir /JoraJs a/fo jhall
Jajh the young mtn to pieces, llllll they jhaU h.u
no pity on ·the .fruit of the wom/J ; t!Nir tJt foal/
not fpare cbildrm. Cambyfes, Ocbu~ aml
others· ot their prince8 were indeed more lib
bears· than men. lnftances of" their' cruelty
abound in almoft all the hiftorians, .who have
written of their affairs, from Herodotus down
to Ammianus Marcellinus, ( 2) who ilcfcribcs
them proud, cruel, cxercifing the power of
life and death over flaves and obfcurc plebeians.
They pull off the flc.ins, fays he, from ·men alive
by pieces or an
together : and they have abo-
minable laws, by which for one man's offenfe
211 the neighbourhood is deftroycd. Well
therefore might a learned (3) French commen-
tator fay, that the Perfians have exercifed the
moll: fevere, and the moft cruel dominion that
we know of. The punilhments ufed among
them beget horror in thofe who read of
them.
HI. The third kingdom is reprcfentcd (ver.
. 6.)
(z) Superbi, crudelc1, vit2 Marcell. Lib. z3. Cap.6. p. 38+
nccifque.poteftatem in {crvos et Edit. Vale/ii. Paris. J 68 J.
plebeios vindicantes obfcuros. (3) Les Perfes ont cxcrce
C11te1 vivis hominibus detra- la domination la plas fevcre, &
hunt particulatim vel folidas. la plus 'ruelie que l'on connoilX.
-:-Lcges apud eos-abominan- Les Cupplices ufitez parmi eux
dz-per quas ob noxam unius fon ! horreur a ceux qui Jes
nmi1 propinquitas perit. Amm. lif•nt. Calmet in Dan.
(4) Macuw
I~
D"!lfertatlfJfJs on the PROPHECIES. +49
6.) by another /Jeajl like a leopard, which haJ
upon the /Jack ofit jo"r wings of a fowl; the /Jeajl
,, had a!fo four heads; and dominion was g1'tven to it.
This is the. kingdom of the Macedonians or
* Grecians, who under the command of Alex-
'...
r' ander the great overcame the Per.fians, and
reigned next after them: and it is fitly com.
pared to " leopard·upon feveral accounts. The
leopard is remarkable for fwiftnefs; their borfes
(faith the prophet Habakuk, I. 8.) arefwifier
tb4n the leopards: and Alexander .and the
Macedonians were amazingly fwift and rapid iA
their conquefts. The leopard is a fpotted ani-
-
.•
mal : and fo was . a proper emblem, a<;cording
to (4) Bochart, of the different m1nners of the
aatioM which Alexander commanded; or, ac-
cording tn (5) Grotius, of the various manners
of Alexander himfelf, who was fometimes
merciful, and fometimes cruel ; fometimei
temperate, and fometimes drunken; fometimes
abftemiou.s, and fometimes incontinent. The
leopard, as ( 6} Bochart obfcrves, is of fmall
ftature,
(+) Maculas pardi referunt modo vials temperati, modo
pnam, qltibaaimperavi.t, di- .cbriofu1; modo abdinena, 11111t-
verfi mores. Bochart. Hiero- do ind11lge111 amorib11&. Grot.
~ic. Pan prior. Lib. 3. Cap. in loeam.
7. Col. 789. (6) Ut pardus bturi parvus
Cs) Parclua variam animal. eft, fed a.oimo et robore maxi-
Sic AleJCaader moribu1 variis; me przllana, ita ut cum leone.
111odo cle111eat, modo c:r1&deli!; et pruc:erifiimis ciwbufqae feris
V.oi.. I. G& <:ongrcdi
 I .
450 . Differtations on the PllOPH.ECIE~
fiature, but of great courage, fo as not to be
afraid to engage with the lion and the largeft
beafis; and fo Alexander, a little king in com-
parifon, of fmall fiature too, and with a fmall ·
army, dared to attack the king of kings, that
is Darius, whofe kingdom was extended from
the ~gean fea to the Indies. Others have
purfued the comparifon further, but with more
fubtilty than folidity; for I conceive the prin-
cipal point of likene(s was defigned between
the fwiftnefs and impetuofi.ty of the· one and
the other. ·
For the fame reafon the beaft bad upon tht
/Jac/1. ef it four wings ef a fowl. · The Babylonian
• empire was repreferited with two wings, but
this is defcribed with four. For, as (7) Je-
rome faith, nothing was fwifter than the vieto..
ries of Alexander, who ran through all the
countries, from Illyricum and the Adriatic fe&
to the Indian ocean and the river Ganges, not
fo much fighting as conquering, and in fix
years (he fhould have faid in twelve) fubjugated
part

t"bngredi non vereatur: Sic (7) Nihil enim Alenndri

Alexander pencregulus, ~tcum vifloria vc:locius foit, qui a~
exiguo apparatu, rcgem regum Illyrico, et Adriatico mari uf..
aggredi aufuse!l,id ell, Dari um, que ad Indicum oceanum, ct
c11jus regnum a mari JEga!O GangC"n fluvium, non tam prz-
ufque ad lndos cxtendc:batur. Jiis, quam viaoriis percurrit,et
.Boc;hart. ibid. in fcx annis partcm Europz, tt
omaca

....
 D!lfertations on i/Je P .Ro PH E ct Es.· 451
part of Europe, and all Afia to himfclf. - '.the
/Jeajl had a!Jo four heads : to denote the four
kingdoms into which this fame third kingdom
1hould be divided, as it was divided into four
kingdoms after the death of Alexander, ( 8)
his four captains Ca1fander reigning over Ma-
cedon and Greece, Lyfimachus over Thrace 'and
Bithynia, Ptolemy over Egypt, and Seleucus
over Syria. And dominion WaJ given to it;
which 1howeth,. as (9) Jerome faith, that it
was not owing to the fortitude of Alexander,
but proceeded from the will of the Lord. An4
indeed unlcfs he had been directed, preferved,
and affifted by the mighty power of God, how
could Alexander with thirty thoufand men have
overcome Darius with fix hundred thoufand,
and in {o iliort a time have brought all the
countries from Greece as far as to India into
fubjeaion?
IV. The fourth kingdom is reprefentcd
(ver. 7.) by afaurth beafl, dreadful and terrible,
lUZd jlrong exceedingly ; and it /JaJ great ir:on
-teeth;

M1nem nbi AGam (ubjugavit. (g) Q.!!odque additur, Et

Hicron. Commeat. Vol. 3• P•
1100. Edit. Benedia.
(8) See Prideaux Connea.
Part 1. B. 8. Anno 301. Ptolc-
IDJ Soter+
Ggz
pot'.flm tla1a '.fl 1i, oftendit, non
Alexandri fortitudinis, fed Do-
mini vohlntatis fuHfc. Hieron.
ibid.
(1) Co
4 52 Di.lfertation1 Oft the p ROP HE c I E-S.
teeth: it devoured, and brake tn
pitcef, anl
flamped t/Je rejidue with the feet ef ti, anti it VJ4.I
divers from aU the btajls that were before i~.
Daniel was curious to know particularly what
this might mean; (ver. 19.) 'Ihm Iwoa/J llllO'ID
the truth qf the fourth bea.ft, which was tli-ven
Jrr>in all the o:hers, exceeding dreadfal, whoft
teeth 'Were ef iron, and his nails -of hr'!fi", 'llJhidJ
de'Votiretl, brake in pieces, and jlt1111ped tht re.Jidw'
wit./; his feet. And he was anfwered thus by
the angel; (ver. 2 3.) '!"he fattrth /;e'!fl .foal/ 'e
the fourth kingdom upon earth, which foal/ k
Jivers fro111 '!II kingdoms, -and jhall devour tht
wbote earth, and foal/ tread it down, and hrtai it
in pieces. This fourth kingdom can be none
other than the Roman empire ; for it is as
abfurd, as it is fingular, to pretend to reckon
the kingdoms of the Seleucidre in Syria and of
the Lagidre or Ptolomies in Egypt as the fourth
kingdom. Calm et himfelf · ( 1) acknowlegeth,
that this is ufually explained of the Roman
empire; and tho' for reafons of church, as well
as reafons of fl:ate, he may prefer the other
.llypothefis, yet it .is ' ~thout pretending to
' defl:roy the fyftem which underfl:ands the
. 'fourth
( 1) On l'eiq>lique ordinaire- -fans pretendre pour cela 4'-
ment de l'empuc Romain.- truire le fyftcme 'lai entead le
qaatrieme

j
 Dijfer1ati0111 on the PaoPHECIBs. 453 ·
• fourth empire of the Roman, and which,
' as h~ confuffeth, is the moft commonly
' received among interpreters.'
· Tho kingdpms of the Seleucidre and of the
Lag.idm can: in no refpelt anfwer to this de-
fcription of the fourth beaft or kingdom. It is
cle.fcrib~d a~ ~ea4f'ill1 and ter1'1ble, and Jlrong
nceeeJingly: but the kingdoms of the Lagidre
and of the Seleucidre were left terrible, and /efs
ftrong. than any of the former kingdoms. It
devound, a11d /Jrale t"n piecu, and flamped t/Je,
Njid11e, that is the Femains of the former king-
doms, 'With lhe feet qj it: but the Lagidre and
the Soleucid~ were almoft continually at war
with each othor; and inftead of fubduing othtr
kingdoms, tore to pieces their own. It was
Jruers from aH k1itgdom1, that is of a differeAt
nature and conftitution of government: but
Egypt and Syria were governed much in the
fame manner as the former kingdoms, a,nd
were equally abfolute monarchiee. Of the
fourth kingdom it is faid, that it jhaU devour
the whole earth, and jha'I tread it t!DW11, and
/Jreak it in pieces: but this can never be applied
to the kings of Egypt and Syria, who were fo
far
qaatrieme empire, de l'cmpire munemcnt re~u parmi Jes intcr-
&omain, & q!U c1l lc plus com- pretes. Calmc:t in locum.
Gg l (2) ~arlum
4 5+ ,Pi/fertations on the .PR o PH E. c 1 Es~
f~r· from ·inlarging their dominions, that they-
could not preferve what was left them by their
ancefiors. .
Wherefor~ ( 2) Jerome rightly concluded.
that ' the fourth empire which now poffi:ffeth
' the world, is the Roman, :whereof it is .filid
' in the fiatue, his legs of iron, his feet part ef
'iron, and part of clay; and yet he mentions
' now the iron in part, attefting that it had
' great iron teeth. And I greatly wonder, faith
' he, that when he had before placed a lion~
' and a bear, and a leopard in three kingdoms_
' he iliould compare the Roman empire to no
'· beaft: unlefs perhaps that he might make the
' beafi · more formidable, he · concealed the
' name; fo that whatfoever we could imagin
' the mofi fierce in beafis, that we th.ould
' underfiand the Romans to be.' The fourth
beafi was fo great and horrible, that it was not
eafy to find an adequate name for it: and the
Roman empire was dreatfful, am/ terribk, mu/
flrong exceedingly, beyond any of the former
·kingdoms. It was divers from all kingdoms, not
only
(:z) Q!!artum quod nnnc or- parte nnncmeminit, dentesejm
bcm tenet tcrrarum, imperium fcrrcos ct magnos elfe contef-
Romanum cft, de quo in ftatua tans. Satifque miror, quod
dicitur: Cf'ihiee ejus fwrtte: ;t- quum fupra fe~nam, & qrfom,
tfum queedam pars ferrta, q11~t!n & pardum, in tribus regnis po-
filiilis; ct tamen ipfias terri ex fuerit, Roman11JD regnwn nulli
beJfus
 D!Jfortations on the PR o PH EC IE s. . 4 55
only in its republican form of government, but
likewifc in firength and power, and greatnefs,
length of duration, and extent of dominion.
It deczJflt1rtd, and brake in pieces, anJ jlamped the
~efalue with the feet of it ; it reduced Macedon
~nto a Roman province (3) about 168 years, the
kingdom of Pergamus about 133 years; Syria
about 6 5 years, and Egypt about 3 o years
before Chrifi:. And befides the remains of the
Macedonian empire_, it fubdued many other
provinces and kingdoms, fo that it might by a
yery ufual figure be faid, to deczJour the wholt
earth, and If! ~rtad it down, and break it in pieces,
;!nd became in a manner what the Roman
writers delighted to call it, terrarum orbis impe-
rium. the empire of the whole world.
A Greek writer too, and he a grave and judi-
cious hifi:orian, who flori1hed in the reign of
.Augufi:us Crefar, hath a remarkable pa!fage-,
·which is very pertinent to our prefent purpofe.
Speaking of the great foperiority of the Roman
~mpire to all former empires he faith, that the
Pedian was fucceeded by the Macedonian, and
the
belliz compararit: nifi forte ut erfln. Comment. Vol. 3. p.
formidolofam faccrct belliam, 1100. Edit. Benedict.
vocabulum tacuit; ut quicquid (3) Sec Ulher, Prideaux.
ferociuscogitaverimu5 in bc:friis and other chrooologen.
,Aoc Romano~ i11tclligamul. Hi-
Gg +
 +56 Differtation,1 on the PROPHECIES.
the Macedonian by the Roman ; fo that he had
no conception of Alexander's eretting one king-
dom, and his fuc.ceffors another, but confidcr-
cd them both as one and the fame kingdom.
His words are, (4) c The Macedonian empire
c having overturned the force of the Pcrfians,
' in greatnefs indeed of dominion exceeded all
• the kingdoms which were before it : but yet
' it did not florilh a long time, but after the
' death of Alexander it began to grow worfe
• and worfe. For being immcdiatcJy diilraded
c into feveral principalities by his fucccifors>
' and after them having ftrength to go on to
' the

(4-) ;, :. M r.ix1:0""" .tvraO'• Bn . 'nP Ell(t"l'IP :;>.,.. ;,,.,,._

,..,,."°'f"e"'
'"'•
..ma, 'J11r lltfO'Mo ....S1....,0'C11 '"'XI"• aAAa ,..,, ,... ~-
,..,.•.s.. "'" aex>i; Cr.'/l'a<T.~ vn•p•- 4¥11T'K ,...xr e~c •r-
~MITO .,.,,., •eo Q\UT>i>" XJOWI ti>.&., ,..,,, ~ ~"" •xee "'
~I 1:1~1 llW'I 'll'OAUf >ir.Swar, a~ A.tc•a"X xan/lti .9~---- l.
AA1!<u~e1:1 TIAlllT'I•
,..ITll
....
T'I•
TO X"e"'
:i,..,.7TauS,.,,.,,.
tlf(G\TO
'Y•e "'
f'tflll'.S ... '>""• °" ,. . ...,..c.nc .,..., .u.·
POli"G\IAlr W'OAtC AW'~ ,... fllfX'I

woM11, tir" ".Se....... -TOIUITAI. W'G&OW

;,y'}'O>X> [ "' 'll'OAAIZ~ ;,')''/'-°''<¥( .t1 X(ll<TU .9~0'0"!(, W ,..._ " '
Sylb.] •~~·, Ho (riwo] ,..,, oTo, Hecax>.u01> ~. aAAa -
~ ..J'ox111•, XIZI l'-IT
0
ll<U•l:I> Axe• '"' n"'""T'~'" ea.., ..,._s.. ,..
'l''I> .}IUT'(IZ' 'I T{IT'I; IO'X,VO'AO'IJ& ..1'11. .TO( lf"lt ll"('l'TtJ _, ,....
....A9m ')'m<Z>r au.Su.,; &UT'I TAI• IX Tll ....' " ' •O#MC f' .....•
~. iauT>1; l')'lrlTO, XIZI TIMUTOI0'4¥ .. 110/'-lrAlr, •>a'l'flMc Xal ~'C 9E'1C
uro P"'I'"'!"' ~a.iu,S.,,. x4:11 1:1l1 W'OHIO'Af"rtl Tiff clvrcar•waf" X(9"f n
ewn1 jLOTOI '11'a~a• l'll'Ol'IO'ATO ')'ti• •"1' '"' IC(A'lllc 1:1 St-xuc. &AA. ~
'I'• xa• StJ&AAO'ua• "'41toor. .,,., 11.t•f"• ..... ~. .... ~- ""
'Yae .A.fall'I~ tTI . "'" 'l"I> 'll'C"C ,llO'l>.t,.,,. Jmperiam Yero Mace-
A•')'IJ'll'101, tro>.A'K W'llC '"(S'"I- douicum, frafW Perfarua cpi-
Ms.

....
 ,
Differtations on the P.ROPHECIES. 4.S7.
c the feco~d or third generation, it was wcak-
c ened by itfelf, and at laft was dcftroyed by the
f Romans. And yet it did not reduce all the.
• earth and fca to its obedience. For neither·
•_did it poffefs Africa, ~cept that part adjoin-·
c ing to Egypt; neither did it fubdue all Eu-
c rope, but only northwards it proceeded as far.
c as Thrace, and wcftwards it dcfccndcd tO the
• Adriatic {ca. But the city of Rome ruleth
• over all the earth, as far as it is inhabited ;
' and comm·ands all the fca, not only· that
c within the ·pillars of Hercules, but alfo the
• ocean, as far as it is navigable, having firfl
' and

bus, imperii amplitudineomnia 11fq11e procrRit, ab occidentali-

qaotqaot aeie fumaat, fopera-
'rit: fed nc ipfum qti.idem diq
tloruit, at poft Alexandri obi-
tam in pejus aspit raere. Sta•
tim enim in malto.. principcs a
Cacce«oribm cliftraaum, et poft
illoa ad fccundam ufq_ue terti-
amve etatem progrt.lfum, ip-
fWD per fc dcbilitatam eft, tao-
clem.ae a Rumanis deletum.
Verum ne ipfam quidem omnes
tena• oa111iatue muia in foam
ditionem redcgit. Nequeenim
Africe, qaz la1e pater, ai6
parti• ...£gypto proximz, poti-
tum eft: neqoe totam Earopam
fubegit, fed ab ejus feptentrio-
nalibu1 pa.rtibus ad Thraciam
bu' vero ufqoe ad Adriatic:ant
maredefcendit.-Atrefpubli~
Romana totius temi.:, qu:i: non
eft deferta, fed ab hominibu1
incolitur, imperium habct: et
totius maris cft domina, non fo-
hun ejus qaod eft intra colum..
nas Herculis, fed et oce:uii qua-
tanque oavigari potel, prima.
que et folsp<>A hominam me>-
moriam ortu ct occafu fines im-
perii fai terminavit : ejafqa~
potentia non ad exiguum tcm-
pus durarit, fed q11antum nalli
aliivel reipublicz vel regnocon-
tigit. Dionyfius Halicarnafs.
Antiq. Rom. Lib. 1. p. a~ 3.
Eciit. Hudfon. ·

Cs> -et

--
45.8_ !Jif!ertptions on t/J.e PaoPHECIBs.
' and alone_ of .all the moft celebrated kingdoms~
' mad~ the eafr and weft the bounds of its
' empire : and its dominion ha~h continued not·
'. a lbo_rt time, . but_ longer than that of any other
c city or kingdom.'
2. A.riother ~emarka~ property of this beaft
is ( v~r. 7.) that it ~ad It!' ~rns : and accord·
ing to the. angel's interpretation (ver. 24.) the
Un hrJrns out of this kingdom are ten ll.ings or king·
doms that foal/ arifi.. Four kings a little before
(ve(. 17.) fignified four kingdoms: and fo here
ten 'kings a.re ten kingdoms according to the ufual
phra(eology of fcripture. .l\nd this is a farthct
argument, that the· kingdoms of the Lagidz
and of the Seleucidre cannot poffibly be the
fou.rth kingdom, becaufe they were never di-
vided into fo many parts. The Macedonian
~mpire was divided a few years after the de~th
of Alexander into four kingdoms, whereof
Egypt and Syria were two ; but thefe two were
never again fubdivided into ten lcffer kingdoms.
Porphyry therefore, who made two feparate
kingdoms of the kingdom of Alexander and bis
fucceffors, contrary to the receivro interpreta-
tion of kings for R.ingdoms, reckons down to
Antioch us
(51 __:.et deindc ufqae ad qw fuerunt fzvi8imi: ipfofqae
Antiochum c:ognomento Epi- reges non unias ponit regai,
phaHD• d.ccem rcgea e.aumcrat. vcrbi gracia,Maccdouiz, Syriz,
Ais.
 Di.lfortations on. the PRoPHECIE·s. 459
Antiochus .Epiphanes, whom he fuppofeth to be
the littlt /Jqrn, ien kings. '\fho were moft ciuel : 1

hot ·thcfc: kings, as (.5) Jerome obferves, were

not all of one kingdom, of Macedonia for in-
fiance, Qr Syria, or·Afia, .or Egypt; .but the Ii~
was made _up out of the different kingdoms.
Grotius (6) indeed, and Collins. after him,
mrm their catalogue of the ten kings, who
were very oppreffive .and cruel to the Jews, out
of th<' kings of Egypt a·~d Syria : and ~hey
thus enumerate them,' five out of one king-
dom, and.five .out ~f ..the: other, Ptolemy the
fon of Lagus, Seleucus Nic~or, Ptolemy Eu-
pator [I fuppPfe he meant l>talcmy_ -fhiladel-
phus, for he reigned next after PtQlemy t~
{on of Lagus, and next before ftc;>kmy Eocr-
gctes, being the fon of the former, and the
father of the latter] :Ptolemy Euecgetes, Seleu~
Callinicus, Antiochus she great, Ptolemy Phi-
lopat~r, Ptolemy Epiphanes, Seleucus Philopa-
tor, and Antiochus Epiphanes. But it hap~
that fomc of thefe kings did not pcrfecute th~
Jews at all, as Seleucus CaUini.cUJ.: Others
were fo far from perfecuting them, that they
were their patrons and protcCtors. Such were
Ptolemy
Afie, et .i£gypti; fed de diver~ 3. p. 1100. Edit. Benedia:•
.is regnis onuiudficit reg um or- (6) Grotius in locum. Scheme
Gincm. Hiaun. CommcDt. Vol. of littcral prophecy &c. I'• 162.
(i) Vido
 .¢0 Differtations on the PROPHBCIBs.
Ptolemy the fon of Lagus, Seleucus Nicator.
Ptolemy Philadclphus, P~olemy Euergctcs, and
Antiochus the great: and fuch they are reckoned.
by (7) Jofephus himfelf. So that out of the
ten kings onty fnr were porfecutors and op-
prcffors of the Jews. The ten horns too aro
reprefentcd as cxilling all at once; they tboot
out and appear upon the head of the boaft all
together : but thefe kings were not all contem-
poraries, many of them were fucceffive, and
one fell · before another arofe. So fora:d and
arbitrary is this expofidon, and {o contrary to
the truth of biftory. ·
-· We muft therefore"look for the ten. kings
bl' kingdoms, where only· they can be found.
amid the broken pieces of the. Rmmn empire.
The Roman empire, as the ( 8) Romaeifts
thcmfelves allow, was by means of the incur-
fions of the northern nations, difmember'd
into ten kingdoms : and {9) Machiavol, little
thinking what he was doing, (as Bithop Chand-
ler obferves) hath given us their names ; 1. the
Oftrogoths in Mcefia, 2. the Vifigoths in Pan-:-
nonia.

(7) Vide Antiqu. Lib. u. 1. and he refers Iikewife to

Cap. 1, :z, 3. Contra Apion. Berengaud, Boffuet, ud D11
Lib. 2. Sect.+ & 5· P· 136s. Pin.
Edit. Hudfon. (9) Machiavel HUt. Flor.
(8) Calmet upon.Rev. XllI. Lib. i. BiJhop ChMMilu'a Via-
• dicatioa

-
 Differlations on t1'e PttOPH~CIE~.. ·46'!
-n\mia, 3. the Sue\'es ahd Alans in Gafmp
and Spain, 4. the Vandah in :Afrka, 5. the
Franks in France, 6. the Burgundian& in But'.
gundy, 7. the Heruli and Turingi in Italy,
8. th~ Saxons and Angles in Britain, 9. the
Huns in Hungary, the Lombards at firfl:
1 o.
tlpOl1 the Danube, flfte1•werds in ltMy.
Mr. Mede, whom ( J) a certain Wt'iter cfttcm'-
~ as ·• mQ11 divinely infpltcd for the interpreta-
~n of the prophecies, ( 2) ttckons up the ten
Mngdoms thus in the year 456, the year after
Rome was fad<cd by Genferic .king of the Van-
dals : 1. tbt lhitons, 2. the Saens in Britain.
3. the Franks, 4. the Burgundians ift France,.
S· tbt ·Wi6gotbs in the fouth of France and
part .df Spain, 6. the Suevcs and Alans in GU.
ticia and Portugal, 7. the Vandals in Afri~,
8. the Alemancs i~ Germany, 9'- the Ofttogotht
Whom· the Longobards facccecdcd, in Pann.onia,
and afterwards in Italy, 10. the Greeks in the
rcfidue of the empire.
That c%ccllcnt chronologer Bilhop Lloycl
exhibits the following ( 3) lifi of the l'Cn king•
doms

dication &c. B. 1. Chap. z. (z) Medc's Works. Book 3.

Sett 3. p. 253. p. 661.
( 1) Moiaf. Jaricu, in the Pre- (-3) Addenda to Lowch'•
face to 'his Accomplilhment of Commcut. p. 5z+.
tJac Scripture Prophecie1.
(+) Sir
 l

'-62 Di.ffertations on the PROPHBCIE.3:

doms with the time of thcir riife: 1 ~ Hans about
A. D. 356. 2. Oftrogoths 377. 3. Wi~goths
378. 4 Franks .+07. 5. Vandals 407. 6. Sue-
ves and Alans +07. 7. Burgundians 407. 8~
Herules and Rugians .+76. 9. Saxons 476.
10. Longobards began.~ reign in Hungary
Anno Dom- 526. and wera fcated in -the nor~
them parts of. Germany about ;e year. 483.
Sir l&aac Newton. enumerates them (+) thu92
1; the kingdom of the Vandal& and Alans m
Spain and Africa, 2. tlae kingdom of the Sue-
vians in .Spain, 3. the kingdom of the Vifi-
goths, <f.· the kingdom of the Alans in G~
5. the .kingdom . of the Burgundians, 6. the
kingdom of the Franks, '7,, the kingdom of ~
Britons, 8.· the kingdom of the Huns, 9. the
kingdom of the Lombards, 10. the kingdom
ef Ravenna.
The few variations in thefe accounts mull be
arcribed to the' great diforder and confufi.on of
the times, one kingdom falling, and another
rifing, and fcarce any fubfifting for a long while
together.. As a learned (5) writer remarks,
cc all thefe kingdcms were varioufly divided

" either by conqueft. or inheritance.' However.

" as

(4) Sir If. Ne"•ton's Obferv. . (5) Dauouz. on Rev. XIIL-

41D Daniel. Chap. 6. P· 47. 1. p. 556.
(6) E6f
 Differtations on the PaoPH"ECt'E s.. 461
cc as if that number of tm had been fatal in
~, the Roman· dominions, it hath· been t1aken
f' notice of 'upon particular occafions. As
'' about A. 12+0 by Eberal'd biihop of Saltfhurg
cc in the diet at Ratifbon. At the time of the
"' Reformation they were alfo ten. So that the
:'' Roman . empire was .divided into tm in· a.
cc manner, fuft and laft." Mr. Whifton, who
·" publiilied his effay on the Revelation of St.
John in the year 1706, farther ( 6) obferves,
" that as the number of the kingdoms, into
er which· the Roman empire in Europe, agreo-
cc ably to the ancient prophecies, was originally
" divided A. D. 4 56, was exattly ten : fo it is
" alfo very nearly returned again to the famo
" condition ; and at prefent is divided into ten
" grand or principal kingdoms or fiates.--For
'' tho' there are many more great kingdoms and
cc dominions in Europe befides, yet are they
cc out of the bounds of the old Roman empire',
" and fo not fo direcUy ~ithin out prefent
" inquiry."
We would, for rcafons which will hereafter
appear to the attentive reader, fix thcfe ten
kingdoms at a different ~ra from any of the
fore-

(6) Efi"ay on the Rev. Part 3. 235.

46)1. .Differtatiom on tbe- PROPB'ICIB.;
foregoing; and let us ice how they lfood ia
the eighth century. The principal ftatce and
governments then were 1. of the fenate of
Rome, who revolted from the Greek em~
and claimed and ~xerted the privilege of choofing
a new wefiern emperor; z. of the Greeb ill
Ravenna; 3; of the Lombards in Lombardy;
4'-· of the Huns in Hungary; 5. of the
Alemanes in Germany ; 6. of the Franks ia
France ; 7. of the Burgandi1n1 in Burgundy,;
8. of the Goths in Spain ; 9. of the Britons J
1 o. of the Saxons in Britain. Not tlaat ·there
were conftantly Im kingdoms ; they wcte
fometimes more, and fometimes fewer: b~
as (7) Sir Ifaac Newton fays. " whatever
" was their number afterwards, they aic
cc ftill called the· ten /Ungs from their fuft
'' number:•
3. Befidcs thefe ten horns or kingdoms of
rhe fourth empire, there was t.o fpring up
among them another tittle born. I collfiJn'1J
tbt horns, faith Daniei, (ver. 8.) and 6ebald then
r11111t .p 111111Jng thtm 11111ther little bora, !Jefon
"Whom tbtrt 'llJtrt three cf the fofi lxlrns pl11e/d II/
#] tht rtJOts. Daniel was cager to know (vcr. 20.)
-es t!f the ten borns, fo likewife ef the otbtr which
&llllle

(7) Sir lfaa~ Newton's Obfe.cv. o.n Daniel. Chap. 6. p. 73.

3 . (8)a....
 ·Di}fer.tatit>N '011· the·PR:-0'1>H\~c).v~: ~
came u;, and before whom thru. fill. · Aod ·he
.was informed by. the angel, (ver. 24.). that ·as
.t/Je ten /Jwns out of th# iingdom were· lenJdngs
or kingdoms· that jhouid arift, fo lik.ewife di~
.another. foall rift after them, and 1Jt YJ.nzli }iJltlue
t../Jrte: /lings or kingdoms. Ono abfurdity geoe-
,rally produceth another : and ·( 8) .Grotm; . Ui
confeque~e of:his former·fuppofitiQD ·that the
fourth kingdom was the kingdoms of ;tht
Seleucid~ and the Lagidz,' fuppofeth aifo, that
ilH Jit1/, 1'orn'. was Antiochus Epiphmct&, and
that the thT:~t. hor.111 which were .piu'&At Np'/Je.fort
him were his elder brother. Seleucus; and E)~
metrius ·the .fan of Seleucus, and Pt<>lemy Phi•
lopator king ·o~ Egypt: and Collins adopts 'the
fame n.otion,after ~rotius, for Collins was dnly
a retailer of' fcraps, and could not ad\tllnce any
thing of this .k.ipd of his own. But furcly it
.is very arbitrary to reckon Antiochus Epiphanes
as one of the ten horns, and at the Caine time
as the little horn, when the prophet hath
plainly made the little horn an eleventh horn,
diftinCl: from the former ten. There were three
ef the jiTj/ horns to be pluckt up by the roots
before the little horn ; but the three kings
mentioned by Grotius are not all in his firft
· catalogue
(8) Grotius and Collills ibid.
VOL.I. Hb. (9) Appiaq
 Dijferla&M on the PtoPuBc1a-c~
catalogue of ten kings, ·neither ·Nemy Pbi)o.;
metor (if'Philometor be meant) nor Demetrius
being of the number. Ntither were they
lluch sp by the ·roots by Antiochas, or by bis
order. Selcucns was ( 9) poifoncd by his ua ...
.furer Heliadorus, whofe aim it was to uf111p ·the
crown to · himfelf, before Antiocbus returnei
from Rome, where he had been ctet.ined ·a
haftage feveral yea~. . Demetrius ( 1) lived to
deth~ooe and murder the fOn of Antioc:bm_
-.ad .{'uctt.cded him in the kingdom of Syria.
Ptolemy ·Phiiopator ( 2) died king of Egypt
.almoft thirty years before Antiochu5 came tothe
throne of Sytia: or if Ptolemy Philometor (as
is mofi: ! probable) WU meant by Grotius, Pbi-
t~r, though he fufferecl much in his wus
with Antiochua, . yet furvivcd him (3) abeut
eighteen years, · and died in poffcffioo ol the
crown ·of Egypt, after the family of Antiochus
had been fet afidc from the fucc:ctrion to the
crown

(9) Appian in Syriat". p. 116. kinir; Anno 17s Wore CJarit.

,,.
'Edu. Stcph. p. 1'87. Edit. Tol-
Jjl. .
( 1) Appian ibid. p.117. Edit.
Steph. p. 1811. Edit. ToUii. Juf-
tin. · Lib. ;+- Cap. 3. Jofeph.
·Antiq. Lib. 1 z. Cap. 10. Sea.
1. p. 548. Edit. Hudfon.
(z) Ptolemy Philopator died
Anno zo4, Antiochus became. di vidcrccur repam illonm,
See trlher, Prideaux &c.
. (3) Allliodtm Epiphanesdied
Anne16+. Ptolemy Philometor
Anno 146 before Chrift. Sec
Ulher, Prid. arc.
(+) Daniel aatem 110n..i
regni finem refpic:iena, .icl et,
novillimos decem regea, in qll0$
fa.per
 Diflr.tati()IJJ ,Qn tlJe PaoPHECJ1u; . +6i
crown of Syria. Neither doth Antiocbus Epi.."
phanes anfwer to the chara&r of the little horn
In other refpeels, and particularly in this. The
little .horn continues (ver. 21, 22, 26.) -tp
reign .till the fecood ·coming of Chrift in glory J
but Antiochus Epiphanes died about 1·64 years
before his firft coming in the fieih. Tbefe arc
all farther arguments to prove, that the fourJb '
!HajJ muft needs fignify the Roman empi~
and that the ten horns reprefent the ten _king-
doms into which ·that ~mpire was divided,- and
thcr.efore we muft look for the little horn among
them, and no where clfe : and that we may
not be led away by mod~rn prejudices, let us
fee whether the ancients will not afford us fomc:
light and direction ...
Ircmeus, a father who florilhed in the fecond
. century, treating of the fraud, pride, and
tyranny of Antichrift, afi'erts that (4) Daniel
refpetling the end ' o~ the laft kingdom, that
' is~
{uper quos lilius perditionis ve• eo decem regibns, in quos divi•
niet, cornua dicit clecem nafci detur q_uod none regnat impe-
bcftiz: et alternm cornu pa.Iii- rium, iignificavit Joannes Do-
lam nafci in medio iF,foram, et mini dM"cipulas in Apocalypfi.
tria comua de prionbas eradi- edilfercns qua: fnerint decem
care a facie ejas-De quo & cornua, quz a Daniele vifa
apoftoha Paulus in fecunda ad font, &c. Iren. Lib. 5· Cap.
The.lfalonicenfea &c. Manifef- 25, 26. p. 438. &c. Edit.
tius adhuc etiam de noviftimo Grabe.
tempore, et de bis qui funt in
Hh :Z (5) To111T..
~68 Diffirtations on the PROPHECIES;
' is, the· laft ten kings, among whom that
~ kingdom fuould be divided, upon whom the
' fon of perdition thall come, faith that ten
~ horns lhall grow on the beaft, and another
~ littl~ horn lball grow up among them, and
~ three of the firfi horns lball be rooted out
' before him. Of whom alfo Paul the apolUe
~ fpeaketh in his fecond epiftle to the Theaaio-
c nians, calling him the Jon ef perdition, and the
' wicked one. St. John, our Lord's difciple,
' hath in the Apocalyps frill more piainiy figni-
' fied of the laft time, and of thefe ten kings,
'among whom the:empire that now reigneth
~ thall be divided, explaining what the ten horns
! lball. b,e, which w~~e feen by Daniel.'
St. Cyril of Jerufalem, who florifhed about
the

Cs) .Tcr.vr• d'. ~.d'~· 11a 7(1Tt"' if nT«.tTll (3«.0"'11.11& ,.,

l"f'IO'fM')'tlM"I;, r;,.')>,j,: IX '1'"1J .s......, ,j Palf4Cl1"1r l)U. llTCIJ i('ll" o Tca-
ioclCAttO'f~O/UPOI> 'Ye"""''' XII.I fil'I'• ~fl'r). lpf<"''"n ~n· T& ~.­
Airs •x 'l'>JS 17.fT'"'S cr.ru.f.a1ir9•&0'7ls Xl(IZT«. C11JTll, A'rx• (3«.0"1>.us •·~
'ltl . Aa:r1>1>. weolfl7!T11«.; "''"""&tiu- nio'GJT«.I. llllU O'/r•tTOI CIJllTOll •H11"1t-
'l'•s· xu.9a1s xcr.1 r cr.f3p1,,>. ;, Ap- 01T«I /lcr.O"i>.tus infO-, ~ 11n·
;ic:ozf,..>.e- iep.~11111ra i..,,,.., irroi· (011711 "JU&ICI" 9'«.r~I&( 'rV( .,..'trfW•
To .S.,e•o 'l'o 'l'IT~or, f3-•'-'"" .Su• "'°'°'
II ~·n 'l'tl( Ju.,
u.Aa
!1'11.JTOt( 'I'll{ lr(O')'l~•
'!'''l'"'fT'I ''"'' u ry )')It 1h" XII.I
ll'lS'ff<t°u T«.{ (311W1>.1111.,.
'lr«.O'I&( Kcr.1 'l'eu, (3oc0"""1s Ta:iruaio:cru'
'TU.UTT,• .1'1 ru«.1 70Jr oi P"'f14'"'' :,,,.Or xcr.1 [ clr] «.ro -r11r :,,.
11t!IA'Jlrllll)IXOI 'lrlllfDl~E~"1XDl171J 1!11· 'l'AIJ 'R"eQTl.f"1S, «TO 76/r .h1u1
'i"JTIUo tr(lll'nlS ?'"'C l'lrll71'Jf'tl ')'ltO• 'l'tlTOJ• Tll> .Teo; T«-:1n01r, tr.u-
,..11 ..i;, ""'" Atrirve-•" f3tiU11Auoz;: XII.I 7111; Zn a:11TO- O')'?o• /?.a~·
~IJTI(•;, " ' M"J.l"" Df"tl XDll Il1eo-a1r" 1\IVO'H' XjEI" "°'Ytl(> f'!<nt !I'~
ireu f'IT«. TClllT«.\", T'l; Ma:i.u1orwr, nr · i ·.J,1;or >.cr.>.iocru. Hzc aa-
trJU
 Dijfertatirltu 01I t/Je p .R 0 pH K Cl Es~ 4(?9
the middle of the fourth· century, fpeaking of
Antichrift's coming in the latter times of the·
Roman empire, (5) faith ' We teach thefe
c things n6t of our own invention, liut having·
' learned them out of the divine fcriptures,'
' and efpecially out of the prQPhccy Of Daniet
' which was juft now read ; even as Gabriel
' the archangel interpreted faying thus ; the
' fourth ka/J foal/ /Je tbe f ourtb llingJotn upo11
' earth~ which foal/ exceed all the kingdoms: but
' that this is the empire of
the Romans, cede.:
' liaftical interpreters have delivered. For the
' firft that was made famous, was the king-
' dom of the Affyrians; and the fecorid, waa
' that of the Medes and Perfians together; and
• after thcfc the third, was -that of the Mace.!
' donians) . ~

tem cocemus, non comm1n1- HncregnumRomanorum. De.

fcentcs, fed c fcriptoris divinia
colligcnte1, ct ex ca maxime,
qua: nu per lcaa cft, ex Daniele
propheta ede>ai: ficut Gabriel
Arcbaogeh11 iotcrpretatu1 eft,
dicens 6c: ~aria '1tjli11, f1UU- 0
llla ~ rtr- i11 t1rr11, 9.J _,_
j111 trit 11lii1 011111i/J•1 rtg.is : hoc
autcm elfe Romanorum, eccle-
fiaiici intcrpretea tradiderunt.
Primum eaim erat regnam Af-
fyriorum: altcrum Medorum j .
mul et Perfaram: tertiu111 po-
aa Mac:eclonam: quartum ei
inccps vero Gabriel interpretana
dicit: Draa ·'"""" i/fats, tkl
'"" rtgu '"'f"'l"'' : loft iJI•
alttr "nfarztt, f•i omn1J tmft Ji
a.JJs 'fli11ttt : peq ao follllll Wo•
decem regcs, fcd.'onines qui
ante fc fucrunt. Et tru r1g11
tkpri.a. Manifeftum autem cft.
quod ex iftis decem tres oppri-
met, prorfus ut ipfftnet olhvu1
regMC: et .erba faciet contra
Afcilinnua. Cyrill. H~roa. Ca-
rech. •s· Cap. 6. p. zu. Edit.
Milles. Oxon.

. H h·' (6) Brgct

470 Di.fferttJtilms on tha PROPBBCIEs.
! donians; and the fourth kingdom. is now·
~ that of the Roonns. Afterwards Gabriel
.• interpreting faith, Its tm honn lll't tm lings
f tbtzt jhrzll arifl ; am/ efter tl!nn jha/I 11rift tl1lf..
~ thw king, who foaJJ txcaJ ;,, -.ickedmfi 611
' &fore him ; not only the ten he faith, but alfo
~ all who were before him. And he jha/J tkprds
c three kings : but it is manifeft that of the
.1 firft ten he fhall deprefs three, that he him-

.' fdf may reign the tighth : and he lhaU fpeak

! words, faith he, againft the moft High.'
St. Jerome having refuted Porphyry's no.
tion of Antiochus Epiphanes being the little
horn, (where by the w~y the paffagc appears
to want much emendation} ( 6) concludes thus ;
~ Therefore let u1 fay .what all eccle6aftical
ft. writers have delivered, that in the latter days,
.• when the empire of the· Romans lhall be
.• deftroyCd, there will be ten kings, who 1hall
~ divide it between them, and an elew:otb
.• 1hall arife, a little king, who {hall fubdue)
~ three of the ten kings, @d the other f&Vc:n
. ~~d

~6)Ergi>diwnus9aoclo•.. relllµ'llin efi: rqepi parvalam,

fcnptorc1 ccclcfid1ci tradicle. 41ui ttts reges de decem regib111
runt: inconfummationf:qiilndi, fupeJ'llturus fit..-Q!ibin ialn'·
quand~regnamdttlr11e:ndapif:ft fcais, criam feptem am JeP
Romanc>rum, decem fatUJ'OI rCy Yi&ri coJla fabmittcnt. ·!fie·
ges, q,ai orbem Romanam inter ron. Comment. Vol. 3. p, ppa.
f~ dividant: at andcc~uin far.. · Edit, Jkacdia,
(7) O!.•·
 Djfortillt01JI 01'J t/Je p R 0 PH & CI E 9. 4 XJ
c. i>aJJ fubmit their necks to the conqueror.'
Thcodoret fpeaketh much to the fame. purpofe
in his COlllmcnt upon Daniel : and (7) St. Au-
ilin exprcfly approveth of Jerome's interpreta-
tion. ' Th.ofc four kingdoms, faith he, fome
' have expounded to be the Mfyrian, Pcrfiau>
' Macedonian and Roman. Hmr properly
' they have dao.e that> thofe who: arc defirou~
'· of knowing, may read the prefbyter Jcrosnc'&
' book lilpOn Daniel, which is very accwateiy.
' and learn~ written.'
The .f&thcrs, it appears by thefc inftances•.
conceived tlb• the fourth empile was tbo
Roman, that the Roman cmpire·was to be di-
wcd bctwe~ ten kings, and thaa: among them
would. arifc Antichrift, who ihould root up
three of the ten kings, and domineer over· tho
olher fwm. At the fame time ia muft he
coofefi"cd that thcfe fame fathera e~
ftrange wild notions coaccming this Anti.-
chrift. ES) that he thould m a Jew, that ho
fbould defccnd from dac tribe e£ ~ythN ha
illo.u~
(7) Qsataor ilia regna .expo- fatis diligcntcr eruditeque con-
foer11ut quidam AR"yriorum, fcriptum. A11g. de ~iv. Dei.
Perfarum, Maccdonum, ct Ro- Lib. 20. Cap. 23. Tom. 1· \>•
ma11orum, QBam vcro convc- 457· Edit. B~ne~ia. Ant.
nientcr id fecerint, ~i nofl'ede- (8) lrenz1 Lib. S· Cap. 25
fidcrant, lerran1 pre teri Hie- & 30. Cyrilli Hiero1. Catech.
ronymi 1ib"r11m in aniclem, 1S• Cap. 7. - tres reges do
Hh 4 deccm
 ....

+7. i Di.f!ertati01'ls on the p ROP HE c r ! s;

tbould come from Babylon, that he fliould .fix
his refidence in the temple at Jerufalem, that
be. lhould. firft fuhdue Egypt, and afterwards
Libya and Ethiopia, which were the three
horns that fuould fall befo~ him, But it is
no wonder that the fathers, nor indeed that
any ooe. fhould miftake in particularly applying
prophecies, ·which had not then received their
completi9n. The fathers might underftand the
prophecies fo faE. as they were ·fulfilled, and
might fay with certainty which ~ere the four
great kingdoms of the .world, that the fourth
was tbe·Roman, and that the Roman would be
tiivided · in the manner that Dani") had fore-
told... So. far was plain .and obvious, and fo far
t}?ey • might proceed with fafcty : but when
they ventured farth~r, and would define parti"!
colaily who were'. the. tt:n kings~ and who was
Antichrift, and who were the three k~gs that
fuould fall before him, then they plunged out
o( their depth, : and .were loft in= the abyfs of
error. Such prophecies can be e%plained only
~y dic· eyents, and thefc events were yet in the
womb
dccem rcgibu:1fuperatur11• fit,id de Babylone venturus, primum
ell, A;gyptiorom regem. tct A- fuperatqrus cft regem JEgypti.
fricz et ..Ethiopiz. Hierqn. 4'c. et po1lea Libyas et .£thio-
Comment. p. 1101.---nafc.i- pas fuperaturus, quz de decem
Jprqs ~~de po~uloJuda:Qrl!m,c~ c01nibu triacontritaconiaafµ-
l'ra
 DiJ!ertations on the PR o PH E_ c 1 Es. 4 7J
womb of time. Some other mifiaken pro-
phecies might lead the fathers into this inter-
pretation. There is not the Jcaft: foundation
for it in this prophecy. On the contrary this
prophecy might have inftrutl:ed them better,
and have taught them that as the weftern
empire was to be divided into ten kingdoms,
{o the little horn iliould arife among them, and
fubdue three of them: and confequently the
little horn could not arife in the eaft, he could
not lle a Jew, he could not come from Ba-
bylon, aad.. neither could Egypt, Lybia,. an<\
Ethiopia .be .the three kingdoms which iliould
fall before him.
Antichrift then (as the fathers delight to call
him) or the little horn is to be fought among
the ten kingdoms of the weftern Roman em-
pire. I fay'.. of the weftern Roman empire,
bccaufe that was properly the body of the fourth
beaft ; Greece and the countries which lay eaft-
ward of Italy belonged .to the third beaft ; for
the former bcaS.ls were .frill fubfifiing, tho' their
cWIJliQion was takc;n away. .As concerning the
• rejl
pra
'.
l~girnus. Idem in Cap. 1 1. refluras Antichriftus.AuRUftin.
p.1u8& 1132.Edit.~nedia. Qi!zftioae1in ]of.Lib. 6.Qi!zft.
Cum Jacobfilios fuos benedicc- :u. P· H•· 3d Tom. Edit. Be-
rct, ialia di:xit dc.ifto Dan, ut ned\tt. Antwerpie.
'1e ip'- trib• aiiimetar ufur.,
47. + Dif{ertations on t'1e Pll op· H B c I .1 s.
re/I of the !Jeaj/J, faith Danie} (ver. 12.) t«_, /Jml
their Jami11ion 'Uzkt11 ll!llNlJ ; yet tlwir .liw1 _..,.~
proltJ11ted for a flafan aNi 11 tillu. " Ana there-
" fore, as Sir Ifaac ( 9} Newton rightl1 infm,
" all the four beafts arc ftill alive, the' the
" dominion of the three firft be tllCD away.
" The nations of Chaldza aBd AKyria arc ftill
" the firft beaft. Thofe of Media and Perfia
" are ff ill the fecond beaft. Thofc: of Mace-
., don, Greece and Thrace, Alla minor, Sy-
u ria and Egypt, are ftill the third. A.od tbofe
" of Europe, on this fide Greece; .-c ftill the
" fourth. Seeing· therefore ·the bocly of the
" third beaft is confined to the nations on tl:Us
" fide the · river Euphrates, and the t.ody of
cc the fourth beafi: is confined to the nations
" on this fide Greece; we are to look for all
cc the four heads of the third bcaft, among the
" nations on this fide the river Eupluata;
" and for all the eleven horns of che fourth
0 beaft, among the nations on this fide of
<c Greece. And therefore, at the breaking of
cc the Greek empire into four kingdoms of the
cc Greeh, we include no part of the Chai-
" d~:ins, Medes and Perfians in tbofe kingdoms,
" bccaufc
(9) Sir If. Ntwton'a Obfuv. tithrift eft encore eloipe, on
on Daniel. Chap. 4. p. 31, 3:. ne peut pa IDOJlber P--.n.
· ( 1) Comme le regnc d1: 1' Au-plilfement du propheriea l <on
eprci,
g DiJ1rta1iom on the PlloPHBCIEs. 47.t
~ ·~ becaufe they belonged Lt>' tbe ~· of the-
I cc cwo firft bcafts. Nor do we reckon tl:le

• " Greek empire fcatcd at Conftantinople, among

ec the honn of the fourth beaft, bccaufe it
I " belonged to the body of the third." For
,. the fame rcak>n, neither can the Saracen nor
the Turk be the little horn .or Antichrift, as
6 iome have imagined them to be ; and neither
do they come up co the charaCler in other
' refpccb..
, Let us ~herefore look for the little horn, as
I thc prophecy itfclf direCls us, among the other
0

ten horns of the weftcrn Roman_ empire. If

'
11
indeed it be true, as the Romanifis pretend,
that ·this part of the prophecy is not yet ful-
filled, and that Anticbri~ will come only for
a liule time before the general judgment, it
W09ld be in vain to inquira who or what he is;
wo.tOOuld fplit upon the fame rock as the fa-
thers have done; it would better become us
to fay with ( 1) Calmet, that ' as the reign of
' Antichrifi is frill remote, we cannot fi1ow the
f accomplifument. of the prophecies with re-
' gard to him ; ~e ought to content ourfelves
• with confidcring the paft, and comparing it
' with
eord. On doit fe contentcr prophcte. !A pa.ffe cft une af:.
clC c;onfidcrer le palfe, & de le furance de ce qui doit arriver
'°lllpU'Cr avc:c lc:s paiolc:s da un jour. Calmct in Jocum.
+ (z) 1\11-
 4 76 Dijfertations on the Pao Pa E c 1 Es~
' with the words of the prophet ; the pall is
' an affurance of the future.' But perhaps
upon examination we iliall fee reafon to con-
clude with the generality of the proteftants, that
this part of the prophecy is fulfilled. We have
feen already that the Roman empire was di-
vided into ten horns or kingdoms, and among
them poffibly we may find another little horn
or kingdom anfwering in ·all refpeCts to the
charatter here given. l\1achi~vel himfelf will
lead us by the hand ; for having fhown how
the Roman empire was broken and divided by
the incurfions of the northern nations, he 2) t
fays " About this time the bilhops of Rome
" began to take upon them, and to e:xercife
" greater authority than they had formerly
" done. At firft the fucceifors of St. Peter·
" were venerable and eminent for their mi-
" racles, and the holinefs of their lives ; and
" their examples added daily fuch numbers
'' to the chriftian church, that to obviate or
" remove the confufions which were then in
" the world, many princes turned Chriftians,
" and the emperor of Rome be~ng converted
" among the reft, and_ quitting Rome, to hold
cc his

( 2) Machiavel'; Hilt of Florence. B. 1. p. 6. of the Englifh

tranfiation.
(3) Mede'•

-
 Dijfertation1 on the PaoPHEc1Es. 477
'' his refidence at Conftantinople; the Roman
"empire (as we have faid before) began to
" decline, but the church of Rome a\lgmented
" as faft." And fo he proceeds to give an ac-
count, how the Roman empire declined, and
the power of the church of Rome increafed,
firft under the Goths, then under the Jfom...
bards, and afterwards by the calling in of the
Franks.
Here then is a little horn fpringing· up among
the other ten horns. The bilhop of Rome wa:s
refpeClable as a bifuop long before, but he did
not become a horn properly, (which is an em..
blem of ftrength and power) till he became a
temporal prince. He was to rffe after the
others, that is behind them, as the Greek tranf-
lates it or10-"' C¥uT"'~' and as (3) Mr. Mede ex-
plains it, fo that the ten kings were not aware
of the growing up of the little horn, till it
overtopped them; the word in the original fig ..
nifying as well behind in place, as after in time;
as alfo po/I in Latin is ufed indifferently either
of place or time. Three of the /ir:ft horns, that
is three of the firfi: kings or kingdoms, were to
be pluckt up by the roots, and to fall before him.
And

(3) Medc's Works. B. +· Epitl. 24. p. 778, &c.

 418 Dijfortati0111 111 tlie PR oi' ff Ec 1 B !,
And .thcfe -th~ according· to .Mr. Mede;
" were thofe whofc dominions mended iuto
•c -Italy* and .fo ftood ill ·his light: i~ -that of
cc the G11ttlts., whore emperor !Leo Ifaurus, for
.''!the .qua~el of image·.wodhip, he excommu•
" nicmd, and made his fubjo& of JtaJ:y revolt
~'-ifmm •ir allegiance: ieoondly, tint of the
'' Loagaltards (fuccelfors ito ,the ;Oftrogoths)
u whofe kingdom he caufed by the aid of 1he
"Franks ·to be wholly 'fuiocd 11ni:I cxftirpa~d,
" thereby to get ·the exarcbatc .of Ravenna
" (which 1fince the revolt from the G~a the
" Longobarrls-were feifed on) for a patrimony
'' to St. Peter: thirdly, the kt.l: was the king-
" dom of the Franks ittelf, continued in the
" empire of Germany; whofe emperors from
'' the days of Henry the fourth he excommu-
" nicated, depofed and trampled uoder his
" feet, and never fuffered to live in refi:, till he
" made them not only to quit their interefi: in
" the eldtion of popes and imreftitures of
" bi!hops, but that remainder alfo of jurifdietion
" in Italy, wherewith together with the Roman
'' name he had once infeoffcd their predecef-
cc fors. Thefe were the kings by difplanting
" or (as the Vulgar hath} humbling of whom
" the pope got elbow-room by degrees, and
" advanced himfelf to that highth of temporal
~' majefty

-
 ·~

Di.lfortatiuns on 'lhe P 1t ~PH E ct E·s. 479

-cc. majcfty and abfo1'1tc greatncfs, which made
" him fo terrible in the world." ·
Sir If.ac Newton reckons them up with fome
variation. '' Kings, (4) faith he, are put for
" kingdoms, as above ; and therefore the little
" horn is a little kingdom. -It was a horn of
'' the fourth boa&, and . rooted up three of his
4!c 'fitft homs; ud tbeR:fore we are to look for
., it amoog ihe natio!l1l of the Latin empire,
~c after the rife of tile ten horns. In the
·cc eighth century, by rooting up and fubdu-
" ing the exarchate of Raotnna, the kingdom
cc of the LomD11rds, and the fellate and duke-
" dom of Romt, he acquired Peter's patrimony ,
cc out of t:Jieir dominions ; and thereby rofe up
.cc as a temporal prince or king, ,or horn of the
" fourth beaft." Again. " It was certainly
" by the vi&>ry of the fee of Rome over the
''Greek emperor, the king of Lombardy, and
"the fenatc of Rome, that lhe acquired Peter's
"patrimony, and rofe up to her greatnefs."
In both thcfe fchemes there is fomething to
be approved, and fomething perhaps to be
difapproved. In Mr. Mede's plan it is to be
approved, that the three kingdoms which he
pro-

(4) Sir Uaac Newton's Obfen·. on Daniel. Chap. 7. p. 74-•

&r 75, "76.
(s)
4-So Dif!ertations on the PR o PH B c IR 9,,
propofeth, are mentioned in his firft table of tl:ll
ten kingdoms: but then it may be qucftioned,
whether the kingdom of the Franks or Germans
in Italy can be faid properly to have b~en plMcit
up by the roots thro' the power or policy of the
popes. There were indeed long ftrugglcs and
contefts between the pbpes and ·emperors; but
did the pope ever fo totally prevail over the
emperors, . as to e~Jlirpat~ and tradicllte them
out of Italy, (for fo the (5) original word figili-
fies) and to fcife and annex their dominions to
his own? In Sir Jfaac Newton's pJan it is to
be approved, that the three kingdoms wbidi
he propofeth, were pluckt up by the ro1ts, were
totally fubdued by the popes, and poffc1fed as
parts of Peter's patrimony: but then it may
be objected, that only two of the· three are
ment~oned in his firft catalogue of the ten
kingdoms, the fenate and dukedom of Rome
being not included in the number. There were
not only three horns to be pluckt up before the
little horn, b.ut three of the firfl horns. We have
therefore exhibited a catalogue·of the ten king-
doms, as they ftood in the eighth century; and
therein
( 5) .,i'l' Evellere, exftirpare, Lib. 3. Ann. 752-755 Abreae
eraa1care. Buxtorf. Chronologique par Mezeray,
Pepin, Roy zz ..Platina's Lives
(6) Sigonius de regno. Ital. of the Popes tra ntlated and con-
tinued

-
 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIES. 481
r:herein are co~prehcnded the· three ftates or
l<ingdoms, which conftituted the pope's dotrii-
pions, and which we conceive to be the fame
as Sir lfaac N.ewton did, the exarchate Ra· of
'L1ttmll, the iingdom of the LombarJs, and the
/Jatt of RJJflle.
Firft, the exarchate of Rtl'Venna, which of
right belonged to the Greek emperors, and was
the capital of their dominions in Italy,. having
revolted at the in.ftigatioo of the pope, was
unjuftly fcife.d by (6) Aiftulphus king of the
Lombards, who thereupon thought of. making
himfclf mafter of Italy. The pope in this exi~
gency applied for help to Pipin king France, of
who marched into Italy, befieged the Lom-
bards in Pavia, and forced them to furrender
the exarchate and other territories, which were
not reftored to the Greek emperor as in juftice
they ought to have been, but at the folicitation
of the pope were given to St. Peter and his
fucceff'ors for a perpetual fucceffion. Pope Za-
chary had acknowlegcd Pipin, ufurper of the
crown of France, as lawful fovran; and now
Pipio in his turn beftowed a principality, which
was
tinued by Sir P:iul R;·caut in taire of the origin of the power
Stephen II. Sir If. Ntwton's of the pcpes in the firll: part of
Obforv. on Daniel Ch:ip. i. \' 1J!- his General Hitl. of Europe.

VoL. I. I i (7) Pia-

482 Dijfertations iJn the P:ao.p HE c 1 Es.
was another's properly, upon pope Srephe.o II,
the fucceff'or of Zachary. " And fo, as ( 7)
" Platina fays, the name of the exarcbate~
cc which had continued from the time of Nar-
·" fes to the taking of Ravenna by 'Aiftulphm
" an hundred and feventy years, was cxtin-
" ,guithed." This was effeCl:ed in the year 7 55
according to Sigonias. And henceforward ·the
popes, . being now become temporal princes,
did no longer date their epiftlcs 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 Lomhards was
often troublefomc to the popes: and now again
(8) king Defiderius invaded the territories of
pope Adrian I. So that the .pope was obliged
to have recourfo again to the king of France,
and earneftly invited Charles the great, the Con
and fucceffor of Pipin, to coine into Italy to his
affifi:ance. He came accordingly with a great
army, being ambitious alfo himfelf of inlarg-
ing his dominions in Italy, and conquered the
· Lorn-

(i) Platina iLid. p. 140. magne, Roy z3. Ann. 77z.-

(8) Sigonius de regno Ital. i7+· Sir If. Newton's Obferv.
I.ib. 3. Ann. 772-774. Plati- on Daniel. Chap. 7. p. 80.
na in Adrian. I. Abrege Chro- (9) Atque hie quidem finis
nolo&iq uc par Ml'zeray ,Charil'· rL'gni Lor.,gobardorum in Italia
fuit,
 Dijfertations dn tbe PROPHECIES. .483
l.ombards, and put an end to their kingdom,
and .gave great part of their dominions to the
pope. He not only confirmed the former do-
nations of hit; father Pipin, but alfo made an
addition of other countries to them, as Corfici,
Sardinia, Sicily, the Sabin· territory, the whole
trad: between Lucca· and Parma, and that part
of Tufcany which belonged to the Lombards :. ·
end the tables of thefe donations he figned
himfclf, and caufed them to be figned by the
biiliops, abbats, and other great men then
prcfent, and laid them fo figned upon .the altar
of St. Peter. And this ( 9) was the. end of the
kingdom of the Lombards, in the 206th year
after their .pofi"effing Italy, and in the year of
Chrift 774.
Thirdly, the fiate of Rome, tho' fubjed: to
the popes in things fpiritual, was yet in things
temparal governed by the fenate and people,
who after their defeCl:ion from the eafi:ern em-
perors, fiiJl ret~ined mai1y of their old privi-.
leges, and eled:ed both the wefi:ern emper9r
and the popes. After ( a) Charles the great had
overthrown

folt,anno poftqoam Italiam oc- in fine libri tertii.

copaverapt, doccntcfimo fexto, ( 1) Sigonius de regno Ital.
Chrifti vcro feptingcntefimo Lib. 4. Ann. 774. Mezeray
feptoagefimo quarto. Sigonius ibid.

Ii z ( z) Sigoniua

-
 +8+ Differtations on the PaoPHBCIBs.
overthrown the kingdom of the Lombards, he
came ~ain to Ro~e, and was there by the
pope, bilhops, abbats, and people of Rome
chofen Roman patrician, which is the degree
of honor and power next to emperor. He
then fettled the affairs of Italy, and pennittcd
the pope to hold under him the duchy of Rome
with other territories: but after a fi:w years, the
(2) Romans defirous to recover their liberty;
confpired againft pope Leo III, accufed him of
many great crimes, and imprifoned him. HIS
accufers were heard on a day appointed before
Charles and a council of French and Italian
bilhops : but the pope, without pleading his
own caufe or making any defenfe, was a.cquit-
ted, his ac;:cufers were flain or banilhed, and he
. himfelf was declared fuperior to all human ju-
dicature. And thus the foundation was laid
for the abfolute authority of the pope over the
. , Romans, which was completed by degrees;
and Charles in return was choten emperor of
the wefi. However (3) after the death of
Charles the great, the Romans again confpircd
againfi the pope; but Lewis the pious, the fon
and fucceffor of Charles acquitted him again.
In
(z') Sigonius ibid. Ann. 798. If. Newton ibid. Voltaire if tbt
-801. Platina in Leo I I I. Me- rwival of tbt mipire of 1/,, ~.J.
zeray ibid. Ann. 799. &c. Sir in the f.rft part of h1s General
Hill•

.
 Dijfertaliom on t/Je p R 0 pH E c IE s.. 48 ~
Jn the mean while Leo was. danpoufiy ill:
which as foon as the Romans his enemies per-
ceived, they rofe again, burnt and plundered
his villa's, and thence marched to· Rom~ tQ
recover what things t,hey oomplained were takf!n
from them by force ; but they were repreff'ed
by fomc of the emperor's troops. · The fame
(41-) emperor Lewis the pious~ at the requeft of
pope PafchaJ, confirmed the donations which
his faJher and grandfather had made ~o the fee
of Rome. Sigonius bas recited ·the confirma-
tion : . :and therein are mentioned Rome and its
duchy containing part of Tufcany and Campa..
nia, Ravenna with the exarchate and: Penta~
lis, and the other part of Tufcany and th~
countries taken from the Lombards : and all
thefe are gran~ to the pope and his focceffon
to the end of the world, ut in fao dttineant jure,
pri"ciJNzt14, atque ditione, that they lhould hold
them in their .own right, principality, and do-
minioo. Thefe, as we conceive,, were the three
JJonu, three of the jitjl horns, which fell before
the little horn : and the pope ha~ in ~ manner
pointed himfelf out for ~he perfon by weaijog
the triple trO'llJfl. ·

4· In
Hift. of Earope. (4) Sigonius ibid. Ann. '817.
(J) Bipi•iDid..Au.81+. Sirlt.Ncwton'aObfcrv.onDa-
815. Diel. Cbap. 7. p. 88.
Ii l (s) ~
486 Dijfertations on the PROPHECIEs:
4. In other refpeets too the pope fuJJy an;
f wers the charat:l:er of the little horn ; fo that
if exquifite ntnefs of application tJDay affuro
us of the true fenfe of the prophecy, we can
no longer doubt concerning the perfon. He is
a little· horn : And the power of the popes was
originally very fmall, and their temporal domi-
nions were little and inconfiderable in com.
parifon with others of the ten horns. H~
foal/ he divers from the jitjl: (ver. 24.) The
Greek and Arabic tranflate it, that ( 5) he /ball
exceed in wickedncfs all before him ; and fo
mofl: of the fathers, who madt ufe only of the
Greek tranflation, underftood it; but it rather
fignifies that his kingdom lhall be of a diffe-
rent nature and conftitution 2 And the power of
the. pope differs greatly from that of all other
· princes, being an· ecclefiaftical and fpiritua), as
well as· 'a civil and temporal authority.-.Am/
-behold in · this horn were ejes like the eyts of "
·man: (ver. 8.) To denote his cunning and forc-
:fight, his looking out and. watching all oppor-
tunities to promote his own interefl:s : And the
policy of the Roman hierarchy hath almoft
patfed into a proverb ; the pope is properly an
· · O'Vn"looker
. '

(5) ~ v"reowu x.sxo~.....~•c -omna pried~ faos fa-

'fll~ ~/'-.,,.,,,...9.,, ~t. qui malis perabit. Arab.
(6) Sivc
 Di!Jertations on tbe PROPHECIES. +87.
owrlooker or O'Ver:feer, 1'll'10'xo'll'~
or bilhop in the
litteral fenfe of the word,-lfe had a mouth
fpeakingvery_greatthings: (ver. 8, 20.) And who
hath been more noify and blufiering than the
pope, efpecially in former ages, boafiing of his
fupremacy, thundring out his bulls and ana-
thema's, excommunicating princes, and ab-
folving fubjelts from their allegiance ?-His
look was 111ore flout than his fellows: (ver. 20.)
And the pope affumes a fuperiority not only
over his fellow bilhops, but even over crowned
heads, and requires his foot to be kiff'ed, and
greater honors to be paid to him than to
kings and emperors themfelves.-And he jhal/
JPc·all great words again.fl the mojl High, (ver. 25.)
or as ( 6) Symmachus interprets it, he }hall JPeak
grea! words as tbe mq/l High; fetting up himfelf
above all laws divine and human, arrogating to
himfelf godlike attributes and tides of bolinifs
and infallibility, exafling obedience to his ordi-
nances and decrees in preference to, and open
violation of reafon and fcripture, infulting
men, and blafpheming God. In Gratian's De..-
cretals the pope hath the title of God given to
him.-.dml he foal/ wear out tbe faints of tb~
mo/I
(6) Sive ut interpretatus eft log•ttar. Hieron.Com{Dent. Vol.
Symmadius: /tr...,1f•~D""' 3. p. 1103: Edu. Benedict
li + {7) S. Bar•

J
488 Dif!ertations fn the PaoPHECIES.
moft High; by wars. and maifacres and inqUi~
fitions, perfe<.:uting :md deftroying the faithful
fervants of Jefus and the true W<?rihippcn of
God, who proteft againft his innovations, and
refufe to comply with the idolatry pra8:ifed in
the church of Rome. - Anti he jhaJJ tbinR
to changt titNs and laws ; appointing fafts and
feafts, canonizing faints, granting pardons and
indulgences for fins, inftituting new modes of
wor1hip, impofing new articles of faith, in-
joining new rules of praetice, and renrling at
pleafure the laws both of God and men.-
And they jbdl/ be given into his band, amtil a time,
and times, anJ the dividing of time. A titN, all
agree, fignifies a year; and a tiJne •11d timts anJ
the dividing of ti1111, or haff a time, are three
years and a half. . So long and no longer, as
the Romanifts conceive, the power of Anti-
chrift will continue : but it is impoffible for all
the things, which are predid:ed of Antichrift,
to be fulfilled in fo fhort a fpace of time ;
and neither is Antichrifi: or- the little horn a
fingle man, but a kingdom. Single men are
not the fubjecb -of this proph~cyJ but king-
doms. The four k.ings (ver.. 17.) arc not four
:fingle kings, but kingdoms ; and fo the tm
horns or . k~ngs (ver. 24.) are not ten tingle
kings, but kingdoms; and fo likewifc tht little
· born
 Dijfertations on the PROPHtCIEs.. +89
I hor1I is not a fingle king, but a kingdom, not
a fibglc man, but a fucceffion of men, ex-
l'I crcifing fucb powers, and performing foch
,, attions, as arc here. defcribed. We muft
therefore compute the time according to the
nature aod genius of the prophetic language. A
time, then, anJ timts, and ba!l a time arc three
years and a half: and the ancient Jcwilh year
confifiing 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
Revelcltion (XI. 2, 3. XII .. 6, 14.) as equiva-
lent to forty anJ two months, or a thoufand two
hundred and tbreefcore days : and a ~.1Y in the
ftile of the prophets is a year ; I have appointed
thee e(Jch day for a year, faith God to Ezekiel;
(IV. 6.) and it is confeifed, that tbt feventy
'llJttks in the ninth chapter of Daniel are weeks
of years; and confequently I 260 days are
J 260 years. So long Anticbrifi or the little
horn will continue: but from what point of
time the commencement of tbefe 1260 years
is to be dated, i~ not fo eafy to determin. It
fuould feem that they are to be computed from
the foll efiablilhment of the power of the
pope, and no lcfs is implied in the expreffion
gi'Ven into his hand. Now the power of the
pape, as a horn or temporal prince, it hath been
1hown,
490 Di.f!ertations on the PROPH.ECIEs.
1hown, was eftabliihed in the eighth century :
, and 1 260 years from that time will lead us
down to about the ·year of Chrift 2000, or
about the 6oooth year of the world: and there
is an (7) old tradition both among Jews and
Chriftians, that at the end of fu: thoufand
~years the Meffiah fhall cmm, and the world
1hall be renewed, the reign of the wicked one
thall ceafe.. and the reign of the faints upon
earth lhall begin. But as (8) Irenreus faith in
a like cafe, it is furer and fafer to wait for the
completion of the prophecy, than to conjec-
ture and to divine about it. When the end
lhall come, then we lhall know better whence
to date the- beginning.
V. All thefe kingdoms will be fucceeded by
the kingdom af the Mcffiah. I beheld, faith
Daniel, (ver. 9, 10.) till the throMs were cafl
down, or rather (9) tiU the thrones were flt, 41111
the ancient. of days did fit, who.ft garment was
white as /now, and the hair ef his bead like the
pure wool; his throne was like the.fiery .fimM, and
his whee/J as burning fire. .A fiery .ftream i/fued
anti
(7) S. Barnaba: Epift. Cap. 'I'•~ W'e<'f•'l'l'llf• • To -Telli'X-
15. cum notis Cotcleru. Bur- ~1~1/11 ·uu ""'T"'l'-"''T'"'"9"'" Cer-
11ct'1 Theory B. 3. ch. 5. tius ergo et fine periculo eJI:,
( 8) °""11.1.tr•eo• "'' xau ar.x1t- fuftinere ad impletionem pro-
:HoT1eo" To T•ei,... ...~, n• •-'11111" phetiz, quam fufpicari et di-
vinare.
 DJ.ffertations on t~e PRo PH E c 1 Es. ·491
and came forth from hejore him; tbot!fand thou-
fands minijired unto him: and ten thoufand times
ten thoufand flood before hi'm: the judgment .was
flt, or the judges did fit, and the books were
opened. Thefe metaphors and figures are bor-
rowed from :the folemnities of earthly judica-
tories, and particularly of the great Sanhedrim
of the Jews, where the father of the con-
fiftory fat, with his aifeifors feated on each fide
of him in the form of a femicircle, and the
people ftanding before him : and from this
defcription again was borrowe<;l the defcrip-
tion of the day of judgment in tho :New
Teftamcnt,
I beheld then becaefe of the voice of the great
words vhi'ch the horn jpake ;. I /Jeheld, evm ti'U
the 6eujl WIU }lain, and bi's body. Jej/r(ljed, and
given to the hurm'ng flame. (v~r. II.) The
beaft will be deftroyed becazife of the great
words which the born jpake, and the deftrutl:ion
of the bcaft will alfo be the deftrufrion of the
horn; and confequcntly the horn is a part of
the fourth beaft, or of the Roman empire.
As

vinare. Iren. Lib. 5. Cap. 30. efi"e. Syr. fedes pofitz fuerunt.
p. 448. Edit. Gral>e. Arib. and the fame word 11
(9) Donec tbroni pofiri font. ufed in the Chaldce par11phrafc
Vulg. '"'~ oTll o: Sc-101 ,,.,.&.,o-.,. of Jer. I. 15. thtf jh"llfetrvt']
Sept. Videbam fabfcllia pofita ntt biI tbrMt,
( 1) See
 -- -

49~ L!tf!ertations on the PROPHECIBS~

As concerning tht rejJ of the oeajls, thty luJ
their dominion taken away, yet their lives wu~
prolongedfar afeafan and time. (ver. 12.) Wheo.
the dominion was taken away from the other -
beafts, their bodies were not de.ftroyed, they
were fuffered to continue ftill in being : but
when the dominion fhall be taken away from
this beaft, his body lhall totally be deftroyed;
bccaufe other kingdoms fucceed.ed to thofe,
but none other earthly kingdom lhall fucceed
to this.
I Jaw in the night-vifions, and k/Jold, one
like the fan of man, came with the clouds of ka.
ven, and came to the ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him. (vec. I 3.) How
ftrange and forced, how. abfurd and unworthy
'of Grotius is it to apply this to the Romans,
which hath always been, and can only be
pro~rly underftood of the Meffiah? From
hence the Jon ef man -came to be a ( 1) known
phrafe for the Meffiah among the Jews .. From
hence it was taken and ufed fo frequently in
the _gofpels : and our Saviour intimates him·
felf to be this very fan of man in faying
(M_atth. XXVI. 64, 65.) Hereafter jhal/7efle
the
( 1) See Jewiih authors cited ler in his Dc(enfeofChriftianity
cvos by Groti111 and Bp. Cilucf. Cha.p. :z. Sea, 1. p.108. 3d Edia.
(:z) Mede·~

...
 Di.ffertations on the PRoPHEC.IEs. · 493
the .ff)ll of man .fitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven; and there-
upon he was charged by the high-prieft with
having.JPoken blaffihemy. 1
· And there wai given him dominion, and glory,
iln4 a kingdom, that all people, natiotU, and lan-
guages jhou/J ferve him: hir dominion is an ever-
lajiing dominion, which jhall not pafi away, and
his kingdom that which fhsll not 6e dejlroyetl.
(ver. 14.) All thefe kingdoms 1hall in their
turns be deftroyed, but the kingdom of the
Meffiah 1hall ftand for ever: a~d it was in
allufion to this prophecy, that the angel faid
of Jcfus before he was conceived in the womb,
(Luke I. 33.) He jhall reign over the houfi of
jacob far ever, and of his kingdom there jhall 6e
PIO emf.
After what manner thcfc great changes will
be effetl:ed, we cannot .pretend to fay, as God
hath not been pleafed to reveal it. We fee the
remains of the ten horns, which arofe out ·of
the Roman empire. We fee the little horn
ftill fubftfting, tho' not in full fuength and
vigor, but as we hope upon the decline, and
tending towards a diffolution. And having
feen fo many of thefe particulars accomplilhed,
we can have no reafon to doubt that the reft
alfo will be fulfilled in due feafon, tho' we
cannot
 ,
4 94 Dijfertations on t/Je PRoPH!Cil'!s.
cannot frame any conception how Chrift wilt
be man ifefted in glory, how the . little horn
with the body of the fourth beaft will be given
tQ. the burning flame, or how the faints will
take the kingdom, and poffefs it for ever and
ever. It is the nature of fuch prophecies not
to be perfeetly underftood, till they are fulfilled.
The heft comment upon them will be their
completion.
It may yet add fome farther light to thefe
prophecies, if we compare this and the former
together; for comparing fcripture with fcrip-
ture is the heft way to underftand both the
one and the other. What was, reprefented to
Nebuchadnezzar in the form of a great image,
· was reprefented again to Daniel by four great
wild beqfls: and the beafts degenerate, as the
metals in ·the image grow worfe and worfe,
the lower· they defcend.
'!'his image'1 head was of fine gold, and tht .
.firJl beafi was like a lion with eagle's wings; and
thefe anfwer to each ether; and both re pre•
fented the powers then reigning, or the kingdom
of th~ Babylonians: but it appeared in fplendor
and glory to Nebuchadnezzar, as it ·was then in
its florifuing condition; the plucking of its wings,
and its humiliation were 01own to Daniel, as
it was then drawing nc~r to its fat:tl end.
'(he
 D!!Jertations on the P 1l o PH E c IE s. 49 5
Cfht hreajl and arms of jilver, and the ftcond
&a.JI tille a bear were defigned to reprefent the
fecond kingdom, or that of the Medes and
Perfians. The two arms are fuppofed to de..
note the two people; but fome farther par..
ticulars we.re hinted to Daniel,, of the one
people rifing .up above the other people,, and
of the conqueft of three additional kingdoms.
To Nebuchadnezzar this' kingdom was .called
inftrior, or worfe than the former; and to Da~
niel it was defcribed as very cruel, Arift, droour
muchjlejh.
The ·third kingdom, or that of the Mace.:.
donians, was reprefented by the belly and thighs
ef brafi, and by the third beafi like a koparJ
with four wings of a fowl. It was faid to N ebu-
chadnezzar, that it fhould b~ar rule ()'l)er all the
earth; and in Daniel's vifion, dominion was given
to it. · The four heads . fignify Alexander's
four fucce1f9rs ;' but the two thighs can only
fignify the two principal of them, the Seleu-
cidz, and Lagidre, the Syrian and Egyptian
kings.
<J'he kgs of iron, and the fourth bea.JJ •with
great iron teeth, correfpond exaetly; and as
iron breaketh in pieces all other metals, fo
the fourth beaft devoured, and brake in pieces,,,
and }lamped the rejidue with the feet of it; and
4 they
496
..
J)tjfortatiw tJn
.

1he P&oPH.1Cf¥S.
they were both therefore oq..Uy proper ce-
prcf~ntatives of the .fuu~ kingdom,.. or .f;.bc
Ronwt, which was ftronger. and -plOl'C pow-
erful than ~ the fOrmer ki.ngdollli. 'rite
te11 ·tou too aad the tm hofYu were 4 e fie
embJabs of 1hc ten .kingdoms, which aro4C
out of the divif1.011 of .the )\.~ empire;
but 211 that relatei ro the little wn was IC-"
Vealed only to Daniel., as a· ·perron more
immediately intct'aled -in the fate of \he
church.
The fione, that was cut out of the moun-
taili without h1111ds, and hcamt itfclf a •oun-
tain, a1lll jilkd the whole ~art&~ is ·explained to
be a kingdom, which lhall prevail over all
other kingdoms, ~d become univerfal and
evcrlafring. In like manner, OTJe like the foil
ef 11111a Cal/U to the ancient of Jays, · and was
advanced to a kingdom, which. fhall prevail
likewife over all other kingdoms, and become
univerfal and everlafting.
Such concord and agreement i• there be-
tween thefe prophecies of Daniel, which re-
markable as they ace in many things, are
in nothing more remarkable, than that they
comprehend fo many diftant evehts, and ex-·
tend through fo many ages, from the reign
of the Babylonians to the confummation -0f
~11
 D!fo'tat#111 fJlJ iN·PJ.\oftlt\H~~lJ.S, 491.
• tltiligs. ·Ti., ans·.. trlllt~ • (9) MJ'•. M~
.... . . ... tilt ./llrlll. ~· -"" grtat
"' •••r ef tro#le'1- •·, Pf9P~t~"1 cbron~
c.~ ·logy ..Iii:_ .... -~ hf. tbe ~fii~.
cc oi - . .pliacipll kilgtlM\lf, f~qm. th.e .be-
cc ginning of the captivity of Ifrael, until the
cc myftcry of God lhould be finHhcd:• They
are as it were the great outlines, the reft
moftly are fi11i11g -.p '\le partu and as thefo
will caft light upon the {ubfequcnt prophe-
cies, fo the fubfcquent prophecies will rcfiett
light upon them again.
Daniel wat 11111&b trOllNtd, (ver. 28.) and
hi1 e0"1ltmance cbtmgt,.· in him at the fore-
figbt of the calaoiiPa$ .tQ . be brought upon
the church by ti. r.i, h°" : /Jut be kept the
.mm- in bis btart. -·~ more may good
men be grieved at th. fight of thefc calami..
tics, and lament the prevalence of popcry and
wickcdncfa in the world : but let them hep it
in thtir kart, that a time of juft rctributifl)n ·
will certainly come. The . proof may be
drawn from the moral attributes of God, as
well as from his promife; (ver~ 26, 27.) 'l'be
judg111mt jhall fa, and they jht1l/ takt away his
dominion, to confamt and to ikjlr~ it unto the
(9) Mede's Works, B• .3· p. 654.
VoL. I. K k tnd.

l -
498 Dilfar-t~tions tk PRoP.tiJlcJ·as. on
end. : And tbt 'llillgtllili;· ·111111· tlomiti;on,. lllit/ the
greatnefi ef t/Jt king/km ·""'1n- t/Je w/Jol6 hwua..
jhal/ lie gfveil to tlie ~ pt~: . of tile jaints .j' t~
mo) High, ·who.ft llingdt>fli.is·1111 tVh-lafog·Riiig-
dom, and al/' dominimu foall jer1Je llllf/ . , him.
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 · By the fame A u T H o It,
Printed for J. and R. 7'onfon in the Strantl.
· A New Edition,
( 11' three Polumes §<.11arto, on Royal Paper, adorn'd
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I

The Poetical· Works of Joe H M 1 L TON,

with Notes of various Authors. Containing
P A a A D 1 s E L o s T, a Poem in Twelve Books ;
PAR. AD JS E REG.A. I N'o, a Poem in Four Books;·
Sdlllfan Agomfles, and Poems upon feveral Occa.fions.
N. B. The third Volume may be had feparate.
Alfo a handfome Edition, with Cuts, of the abovi
Wol'.k, in Four Volumes in Oflavo.

Anti alfa tlu Stctmd Edition of 'three Sermons,

b) 1114 ft181 Author.
I. Of Forms of Prayer, and particularly thofe of
the Church of England.
ll. Pharifaifm and Papery parallcll'd.
III. On the Faft-Day, 1745, before the Honorable
Houfc of Co131mons.

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