صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

upon the authority which thofe predictions of nearer events gave them, to foretell other particular events at a greater distance.

So you fee that Mofes foretold after a fort, after Jacob, the manner how the land of Canaan was to be divided, though the thing was to be done by lot.

You fee the fame Mofes foretelling the feveral captivities which the people of Ifrael fuffered after the conqueft, and the method of God's raifing up feveral judges, to the number of fourteen, to bring them out of those calamities.

You see the fame Mofes foretelling that the temple fhould be built in the tribe of Benjamin, though it was the leaft.

You have Joshua's prediction of the way how the rebuilder of Jericho fhould be exemplarily punished; which was accomplished in Ahab's time, (I. Kings xvi. 34.) about 570 years after this prophetical imprecation of Joshua.

You have the prediction of a Prophet, who was contemporary to Jeroboam, about the birth of Jofiah, which was not till 350 years after, (I. Kings xiii.) and of the manner of his destroying the altar which Jeroboam built.

One fees a prediction of the overthrow of the kingdom of Samaria, within 65 years, by Ifaiah, in the reign of Jotham.

One fees the deftruction of Jerufalem by Nebuchadnezzar, foretold by feveral of the Prophets.

One fees the taking of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar, foretold by Ifaiah, chap. xxiii. 15, 17.

One fees the promise of its re-establishment, seventy years after its destruction.

One fees the promise of Cyrus's birth made by Isaiah, chap. xliv. 45. as of one that fhould reftore liberty to the Jews, and give them opportunities of rebuilding their temple at Jerufalem.

One fees the prediction of the manner how Antiochus Epiphanes would treat the Jews in his life time, and how he should be punished for his cruelties and facrileges.

Qne fees the prediction of the courage of the Maccabees, who fhould oppofe the tyranny of that prince, and purify anew the Divine worship. So that it is plain, that the foretelling of thefe particular facts, which were at fo great a diftance, revived the memory of thefe Prophets amongst the Jews in every age, and made them read them with a fingular attention.

One ought alfo to make the fame reflexion upon those oracles which have respect to the particular events of the ftate of the Jews, and its continuance until the time of the Meffiah, after which the Prophets foretel" its ruin and destruction without remedy.

In fhort, one may fay, that there was no revolution, never fo little confiderable, of which we do not find very many and very particular predictions foretold by feveral Prophets, upon very different occafions, and particular circumftances,

One fees in the books of Mofes exact defcriptions of the pilgrimages of Abraham's pofterity, of their continuance in Egypt, of the oppreffion they were there to undergo, of their prodigious increafe, of their rob

Z 4

bing

bing the Egyptians at their departure, of their methods in conquering the land of Canaan, of the way how kings should arife from Abraham; which was accomplished in the Ifmaelites and Edomites, and at last in the Iraelites.

One fees exprefs predictions of the several judges whom God should raife up to the people of Ifrael.

One fees an exprefs prediction of the advancement of the tribe of Judah to the kingdom.

One fees a prediction of the future fubjection of the Edomites to the power of the kings of Judah, and of their conquering of the countries which lie along the banks of Euphrates, which was fulfilled in David's time.

One fees an exprefs divifion of that kingdom into two very unéqual parts.

One fees great numbers of predictions concerning the state of the kings of Judah and Ifrael: for inftance, you have an oracle concerning the deftruction of fehu's family in the fourth generation (d).

The deftruction of the kingdom of the ten tribes is exprefsly foretold, and the term is very exactly fet down.

The ruin of Jerufalem, and of his kings, is alfo exprefsly foretold. The time of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon, and

Their re-establishment by Cyrus after feventy years, are also very diftinctly foretold.

The defolation of Judea under the empire of Alexander's fucceffors, is foretold very exactly.

Their re-establishment after thefe defolations, and the way by which they were to be defended by the Maccabees, who should become their kings, is likewife foretold."

In fhort, one fees exprefs predictions of the ruin of Jerufalem, and of the whole nation under the Roman empire, after the coming of the Meffiah.

As the people of Ifrael had always great quarels with the neighbouring nations, fo one finds that amongst the oracles which particularly regard the ftate of the Jews, the Prophets have interwoven a great number which concern thofe ftrange people, with relation to those differences which were kept up between the people of Ifrael and them.

So one fees the Egyptians and the Canaanites punished, in the execution of the oracles pronounced against the defcendants of Cham.

One fees the prediction of the ruin of Benhadad, king of Syria, and of his houfe, foretold to the tenth generation.

One fees the prediction of the ruin of Egypt and Tyre, which happened under Nebuchadnezzar.

One fees the prediction of the ruin of the Moabites, which was under the fame Nebuchadnezzar, after that kingdom had fubfifted almost fourteen ages from its firft foundation.

One fees frequent oracles concerning the ruin of Nineveh, and its empire.

One fees oracles concerning the ruin of Babylon, which happened under Cyrus.

One

(d) II. Kings x. 30.

One fees oracles of the deftruction of the Perfian empire by Alexander. One fees oracles concerning the manner of this prince's conquering the greatest part of the world, and of his leaving his empire divided into four kingdoms.

One fees frequent oracles concerning the ftate of the empire of the Seleucida, and the Ptolemees, who had particular quarrels with the Jewish commonwealth.

One fees the alliances which were to be between the two kingdoms foretold, and the fmall fuccefs which fhould arife thence in terminating

their differences.

One fees predictions of the treatment which the Jews should meet with in those kingdoms.

One fees a prediction of the retreat which Egypt was to give to the Jews, and of the temple they were to build there.

One fees an exact prediction of the manner of the profanation of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, for three years together.

One fees the prediction of the ruin of these two governments by the arms of the Roman empire.

It is very natural to make fome reflexions upon fuch a various multitude of oracles.

I. That there are no books in the world which are formed like those which we find in the hands of the Jews.

One finds there a hiftory exactly purfued, and in a natural dependance, from the beginning of the world, for 3500 years.

One finds there a series of oracles which foretell all forts of events, so infeparably united with the hiftory, that it is impoffible to find by what means the prophecies could have been fo brought to fupport the history, and the hiftory to fupport the authority of the prophecies.

One finds oracles fo clear, and fo particular, efpecially in the book of Daniel, that Porphyry, a mortal enemy to the Chriftians, was forced to affert, that the book of Daniel was forged after Antiochus Epiphanes's time: a ridiculous imagination! for this prophecy was tranflated into Greek more than one hundred years before, and was in the hands, not only of the Jews, but of the Egyptians alfo, mortal enemies to the whole Jewish

nation.

This alfo is very furprifing, that fince the Jews, after their difperfion, preferve these hiftories, wherever they are, as the accomplishments of the oracles, and thefe oracles as predictions of thofe events of which their hiftory is very full, they fhould never think of proposing to us any books of a like nature, confidering that now, for one and twenty ages, they have had no parallel authors, who have both writ history, and pro

nounced oracles.

II. But, as these reflexions lead us on to others, fo we ought to enter upon them, by confidering what the moft unreasonable obftinacy can oppofe to the authority of the Hiftorical and Prophetical Books of Scripture.

CHAP. IV.

[blocks in formation]

That how common foever Oracles may have been amongst the Pagans, yet nothing amongst them can jufly be compared with those which are found amongst the Jews.

Ο

NE of the greateft objections which can in all probability be made against this furprising series of Oracles, which are found in the books of the Old Teftament, is taken from that great number of Oracles which are found amongst the Pagans. This objection deferves to be confidered, because it will more clearly demonftrate the authority of the Prophetical books which are in the hands of the Jews.

I confefs there have been falfe prophets: and indeed, fince God has given us marks to diftinguish them from true ones, which may be feen in the books of Mofes, it cannot be denied but there have been fome false prophets; and that, moreover, the hiftory of the Prophets discovering to us impoftors frequently, we may freely acknowledge, that amongst the Pagans, and the people bordering upon Judea, there have been men who have boafted of predictions of things to come, as well as amongst the Jews.

I confefs alfo, that fome Heathen writers fpeak of certain oracles, which in all appearance are very well circumftantiated, and of which they relate a very exact accomplishment.

But feveral things ought to be observed upon this argument, which deferve an attentive confideration.

1. We fee that their most celebrated things have been only an imitation of what was done amongst the Jews. The Egyptians imitated the Urim and the Thummim of the Jewish high prieft; and they appropriated to him the right of giving oracles: and fo we fee they are given by a voice from heaven, which the Jews faw was granted to their Prophets. We may fee it in the hiftory of Socrates's life, and in Apuleius, P. 339.

$39.

We fee that the fame Pagan hiftorians take notice that very many, even the greateft part of their oracles, were very ambiguous and falfe. The philofophers, and Tully particularly, openly laughed at them (Lib. I. II. de Divinatione). They thought it a ridiculous thing, that Apollo Delphicus, the god of poetry, fhould give his anfwers in very bad verfe, and at last be reduced to profe. Eufebius quotes a difcourfe of Oenomaus, a Greek philofopher, who wrote against oracles, to decry them as impoftures.

III. We fee that thofe oracles which had acquired the greatest reputation by their accomplishment, were borrowed from the Prophets of the fynagogues. We have an illuftrious example in the birth of Cyrus, which the Prophet Isaiah had foretold, about the year of the world 3292, and concerning which they pretend to fhew prophecies of Nebuchadnezzar and Cræfus, about the year 3492 (e); which fhews, that if the thing

(e) Abydenus, Herodot. lib. i. cap. 55. & 91.

was

was really known to them, they could not have known it but by the prophetical writings which were amongst the Jews, and which could not have been concealed from them, because the Jews read them with care, to comfort themselves under that captivity to which they were reduced by Nebuchadnezzar.

IV. It is in effect proved by examining their oracles, moft of which were either falfe or forged. This Eufebius has clearly proved, [de Prapar. Evangelicâ, lib. ix. cap. 5.] The proverb of the Sibyl's or Delphic prieftefs's favouring of Philip, is commonly known. It was easy for thefe Heathen princes to biafs their people with fuch predictions. But what Eufebius fays (f), puts the thing beyond all queftion; for he exprefsly fhews, that when the priests were put to the rack, they confeffed the whole contrivance of thofe oracles, which they pronounced to abufe the credulity of the people.

We ought to obferve, that we cannot find great numbers of oracles upon the fame fubject; whereas one fees that the Prophets followed (as it were) Moses's model of the ftate of the commonwealth of the Jews, and that they frequently concur in foretelling the fame facts from one generation to another.

VI. We ought to remember that these oracles were not kept within the limits of one fingle state or nation.

VII. It may be faid that they were not publicly known, having been only proposed in private places, before a very few, and, in fhort, that they were not actually known to the most part of the neighbouring people; whereas one fees that the Jewish Prophets gave their oracles in the moft folemn affemblies; and when they were committed to writing, they were known to all those who had any commerce with that nation. So that Isaiah's prophecies were queftionless known to Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, who looked upon himself as defigned by God to restore their liberty to the Jews. We may make the fame judgment of the book of Daniel, which was known to Alexander without all queftion, as one may collect from the favourable reception the Jews found from him.

VIII. We ought to obferve, that thefe pretended oracles were given, for the most part, in favour of thofe princes who could fatisfy the greedinefs of the priests. Whereas the Prophets among the Jews lived in the most difinterefted manner in the world, and ufually pronounced nothing but reproaches and menaces of cruel calamities to thofe princes who had the government in their hands. Their ministry confifted in a courageous oppofition to the corruptions in their laws and their religion, and in cenfuring their princes and governors with a fingular intrepidity; and, indeed, we fee that most of them met with the punishment of their boldness, and made trial of the moft cruel tortures.

IX. Laft of all, we ought to take notice, that as the oracles which are mentioned in Heathen authors, were only of facts of fmall importance to those people amongst whom it is faid that they were pronounced, fo we do not find that they thought themfelves much concerned in their preservation; whereas one fees that the Jewish nation were fo perfuaded of the truth of thofe oracles with which they were entrusted, that nothing to this very day could ever oblige them to difcontinue the read

) De Præparat. Evangel. Lib. iv. initio.

« السابقةمتابعة »