' the Macedonians? for these are past long ago, and are ' come to an end how can he destroy the kingdoms ' which are already destroyed? But to destroy others in ' which these are included, amounts to the fame thing."

Sulpicius Severus having given an account of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and of all the particulars relating to it, subjoins (7) an exposition of it, agreeable to Daniel's interpretation. The image is an emblem of 'the world. The golden head is the empire of the 'Chaldæans: forafmuch as that was the first and moft 'wealthy. The breast and arms of filver fignify the ' fecond kingdom: For Cyrus, the Chaldæans and • Medes being overcome, transferred the empire to the Persians. In the brazen belly the third kingdom is ' declared to be portended; and that we fee fulfilled: 'Forasmuch as the empire taken from the Perfians 'Alexander vindicated to Macedonia. The iron legs are the fourth kingdom: and that is the Roman, the strongest of all the kingdoms before it. But the feet part of iron and part of clay, prefigure the Roman ' empire to be so divided as that it should never unite again: which is equally fulfilled-Forafmuch as the 'Roman territory is occupied by foreign nations or ' rebels: and we fee (faith he, and he lived at the

،

،

beginning of the (8) fifth century) barbarous nations

(7) Igitur fecundum prophetæ interpretationem imago vifa, figuram mundi gerit. Caput aureum, Chaldæorum imperium est: fiquidem id primum, et opulentiffimum fuisse accepimus. Pectus et brachia argentea secundum regnum annunciant. Cyrus enim, victis Chaldæis atque Medis, imperium ad Perfas contulit. In ventre æreo, tertium regnum portendi pronunciatur: idque impletum videmus. Siquidem Alexander ereptum Perfis imperium Macedoniæ vindicavit. Crura ferrea, imperium quartum: idque Romanum intelligitur, omnium ante regnorum validiffimum. Pedes vero partim ferrei, partim fictiles, dividendum esse Romanum regnum, ita ut nunquam inter fe coëat, præfigurant: quod æque

Siquidem Roma

Is

impletum eft,
num folum ab exteris gentibus aut
rebellibus occupatum; exerciti-
busque noftris, urbibus atque pro-
vinciis permixtas barbaras nationes-
videmus. In lapide vero fine
manibus abscisso, qui aurum, argen-
tum, æs, et ferrum teftamque com-
minuit, Chrifti figuram effe.
enim mundum istum, in quo funt
regna terrarum, in nihilum rediget,
regnumque aliud incorruptum con-
firmabit. De quo uno adhuc quo-
rundam fides in ambiguo eft, non
credendum de futuris, cum de præ-
teritis convincantur. Sulpicii Sacr.
Hift. Lib. 2. p. 66, 67. Edit. El-
zevir. 1656.

mixed with our armies, cities, and provincesBut in the stone cut out without hands, which brake in pieces the gold, the filver, the brass, the iron, and 'the clay, we have a figure of Christ. For he shall reduce this world, in which are the kingdoms of the earth, to nothing, and shall establislı another everlasting kingdom. Of which alone the faith of fome is 'still dubious, and they will not credit future things, when they are convinced of the paft.'

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Nay Grotius himself, the great patron of the other opinion, that the fifth kingdom is the Roman empire, commenting upon those words (ver. 45.) it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the filver, and the gold, cannot but acknowledge that (9) the fublimer sense is, that Christ will put an end to all earthly empires, according to 1 Corinth. XV. 24. that he shall put down - all rule, and all authority, and power.

Thus it pleased God to reveal unto Daniel, and by Daniel unto Nebuchadnezzar, the greatest and most fignal events of this world. As Daniel said unto Nebuchadnezzar (ver. 45.) The great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof is fure. The king hearing his dream related with fuch exactness, might be better affured of the truth of the interpretation, and of the great events which should follow. And from hence we are enabled in some measure to account for Nebuchadnezzar's prophefying a little before he died. Aby denus wrote the history of the Affyrians. It is not well known in what age he lived, and his history is lost: but there is a fragment of it preserved by Eufebius, wherein it is afferted upon the authority of Megasthenes, that Nebuchadnezzar was divinely inspired and prophefied in (1) this manner: 'I Nebuchadnezzar foretel unto you,

(9) Senfus fublimior, Christum finem impofiturum omnibus imperiis terreftribus, 1 Cor. XV. 24. Grot. in locum.

(1) εδω -Ναβακοδροσορο, ω ΒαΕυλώνιοι, την μελλεσαν ύμιν προafγέλλω (υμφορην, την ὁ τε Βελών έμ σροδονος, ἡ τε βασίλεια Βηλλις απο

τρέψαι μοιρας πεισαι ασθενεσιν. ήξει Περσης ἡμιον, τοισιν ὑμεθεροισι δαιμοσι χρεωμένος Ουμμαχοισιν. επαξει δε δελοσυνην. ὁ δε (υναίλιος εσαι Μηδης, το Ασσυριον αυχημα. Ego Nabuchodroforus, O Babylonii, imminentem vobis calamitatem prænuncio, quam Parcis uti averruncent,

nec

८.

O Babylonians, an imminent calamity, which neither • Belus my progenitor, nor queen Beltis can perfuade the fates to avert: A Persian mule shall come affifted by your demons, and impose servitude upon you; • whose coadjutor shall be a Mede, the boast of the Affyrians.' And foon after he died. Herodotus, who was a much older historian than Megasthenes, relates that a Delphic oracle was given to Cræsus king of Lydia, that (2) when a mule should rule over the Medes, then he should not be ashamed to fly away. Which oracle was afterwards thus interpreted by the Pythian priestess; Cyrus (3) was this mule: for he was born of parents of different nations, the mother the better, and the father the meaner; for the was a Mede, and the daughter of the king of the Medes, but he was a Perfian and subject to the Medes. If any credit is to be given to these stories, if any such prophecy was uttered by Nebuchadnezzar a little before his death, if any fuch oracle was received and believed of Cyrus and the Perfians fubduing Afia, the notion, the tradition may very well be supposed to have been derived originally from this prophecy of Daniel, which being fo folemnly delivered to a great king, and published in Chaldee, might come to be generally known in the east; and the event foon afterwards evinced the truth of it.

It was from this prophecy too, that the distinction first arose of the four great empires of the world, which hath been followed by most historians and chronologers in their distribution of times. These four empires, as they are the fubject of this prophecy, are likewise the fubject of the most celebrated pens both in former and in later ages. The hiftories of these empires are the best writ, and the most read of any; they are the study of the learned, and the amusement of the polite; they are of ufe both in schools, and in senates; we learn them when we are young, and we forget them not when we are old; from hence examples, instructions, laws and politics are derived for all ages; and very little in comparison is known of other times, or of other nations. Not but there have been empires as great or greater than fome of these, as those of the Tartars for instance, and of the Saracens, and of the Turks; and you may think perhaps, that they are as well deferving of a place in this fucceffion of kingdoms, and were equally worthy to be made the objects of prophecy, being as eminent for the wisdom of their conftitutions, the extent of their dominions, and the length of their duration. But these four empires had a particular relation to the church and people of God, who were fubject to each of them in their turns. They were therefore particularly predicted; and we have in them, without the intermixture of others, a line of prophecy (as I may fay) extending from the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to the full and complete establishment of the kingdom of the Meffiah. He who is arbiter of kingdoms, and governor of the universe, can reveal as much of their future revolutions as he pleaseth: and he hath revealed enough to manifest his providence, and to confirm the truth of religion. What Daniel faid upon the first discovery of these things, well may we fay after the completion of so many particulars: (ver. 20, 21, 22.) Bleffed be the name of God for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are his. And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and fetteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wife, and knowledge to them that know understanding. He revealeth the deep and fecret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

XIV.

DANIEL'S VISION OF THE SAME.

HAT was

:

WHAT revealed unto Nebuchadnezzar in

the second year of his reign concerning the four great empires of the world, was again revealed unto Daniel (Chap. VII.) with some inlargements and additions in the first year of Belshazzar, that is about eight and forty years afterwards. But there is this difference, that what was exhibited to Nebuchadnezzar in the form of a great image, was represented to Daniel in the shape of great wild beafts. The reason of which is ingenioufly affigned by Grotius, and after him by (1) Mr. Lowth, " that this image appeared with a glorious luftre in the "imagination of Nebuchadnezzar, whose mind was

wholly taken up with admiration of worldly pomp and "splendor; whereas the fame monarchies were repre"sented to Daniel under the shape of fierce and wild "beasts, as being the great supporters of idolatry and

tyranny in the world."

Daniel dreamed, and the angel interpreted. These great beafts, which are four, (fays the angel ver. 17.) are four kings, or kingdoms, as it is translated in the vulgar Latin, and the Greek, and Arabic verfions, and as the angel himself explains it, (ver. 23.) The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth. They arife out of a stormy and tempestuous sea, that is out of the wars and commotions of the world: and they are called great in comparison of other lesser states and kingdoms, as they are denominated beasts for their tyrannical and cruel oppreffions and depredations. These beafts are indeed monstrous productions; a lion with eagle's wings, a bear with three ribs in the mouth of it, a leopard with four wings and four heads, and a beast with ten horns : but fuch embleıns and hieroglyphics were usual among the eastern nations; a winged lion and fuch fictitious