,transcriber's ,note3 ,characters preceded by a caret77 are in superscript1 and are enclosed in curly brackets1 i4 e4 th4 ,italicized text delimited by underscores4 ,this project uses utf-#h encoded characters4 ,if some characters are not readable1 check your settings of your browser to ensure you have a default font installed that can display utf-#h characters4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,richard ,,hurd1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester4 ,,vol4 ,v4 ,printed by ,j4 ,nichols and ,son1 ,red ,lion ,passage1 ,fleet-,street1 ,london4 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,richard ,,hurd1 ,d4 ,d4 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,worcester4 ,,in ,,eight ,,volumes4 ,,vol4 ,v4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,,printed ,,for ,t4 ,,cadell ,,and ,w4 ,,davies1 ,,strand4 #ahaa4 ,,theological ,,works4 ,,vol4 ,i4 ,,twelve ,,sermons ,,introductory ,,to ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,prophecies4 ,,an ,,introduction ,,to ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,prophecies ,,concerning ,,the ,,christian ,,church2 ,,and1 ,,in ,,particular1 ,,concerning ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,papal ,,rome3 ,,in ,,twelve ,,sermons1 ,,preached ,,in ,,lincoln',s-,,inn-,,chapel1 ,,at ,,the ,,lecture ,,of ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,,william ,,warburton1 ,,lord ,,bishop ,,of ,,gloucester4 ,ita1 si potuero1 stylo moderabor meo1 ut nec ea1 qu supersint1 dicam1 nec ea1 qu satis sint1 prtermittam4 ,augustin4 ,c4 ,d4 l4 xvii4 c4 #a4 ,,to ,,the ,,right ,,honourable ,,william1 ,,lord ,,mansfield1 ,,lord ,,chief ,,justice ,,of ,,england1 ,,and ,,to ,,the ,,right ,,honourable ,,sir ,,john ,,eardley ,,wilmot1 ,,knt4 ,,late ,,lord ,,chief ,,justice ,,of ,,the ,,common ,,pleas1 ,,trustees ,,for ,,this ,,lecture1 ,,the ,,following ,,sermons ,,are ,,most ,,humbly ,,inscribed ,,by ,,the ,,author1 ,r4 ,,hurd4 ,,lincoln',s-,,inn1 ,,march #b1 #aggb4 ,,extract ,,from ,,the ,,deed ,,of ,,trust ,,for ,,founding ,,this ,,lecture4 ,an ,indenture1 bearing date ,july #ba1 #agfh1 sets forth1 8,that the right reverend ,,william ,lord ,bishop of ,gloucester has transferred the sum of #ejjl4 ,bank four per cent4 annuities consolidated1 to the right honourable ,,william ,,lord ,,mansfield1 ,lord ,chief ,justice of his ,majesty's ,court of ,king's ,bench1 the right honourable ,,sir ,,john ,,eardley ,,wilmot1 ,lord ,chief ,justice of his ,majesty's ,court of ,common ,pleas1 and the honourable ,,charles ,,yorke#a1 of ,lincoln's-,inn1 in the county of ,middlesex1 ,,upon ,,trust1 for the purpose of founding a ,lecture1 in the form of a ,sermon1 ,to prove the truth of ,revealed ,religion in general1 and of the ,christian in particular1 from the completion of the ,prophecies in the ,old and ,new ,testament1 which relate to the ,christian church1 especially to the apostacy of ,papal ,rome3 ,that1 in case of any vacancy in this trust by the decease of any one or more of the above-mentioned ,trustees1 the place or places shall be filled up1 from time to time and as occasion may require1 by the surviving ,trustees1 or ,trustee1 or by the ,executors of the survivor of them3 ,that the ,trustees shall appoint the ,preacher of ,lincoln's-,inn for the time being1 or some other able ,divine of the ,church of ,england1 to preach this ,lecture3 ,that the ,lecture shall be preached every year in the ,chapel of ,lincoln's-,inn 7if the ,society give leave#b7 and on the following days1 viz4 the first ,sunday after ,michaelmas ,term1 the ,sunday next before and the ,sunday next after ,hilary ,term3 ,that the ,lecturer shall not preach the said ,lecture longer than for the term of ,,four ,,years1 and shall not again be nominated to preach the same3 ,and1 when the term of four years is expired1 that the said ,lecturer shall print and publish1 or cause to be printed and published1 all the ,sermons or ,lectures1 that shall have been so preached by him40 ,,contents ,,of ,,the ,,fifth ,,volume4 ,,sermon ,i4 ,false ideas of ,prophecy4 #b ,,peter i4 #ba4 ,prophecy came not in old time by the will of man3 but holy men of ,god spake1 as they were moved by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,the true idea of ,prophecy4 ,,rev4 xix4 #aj4 ,the testimony of ,jesus is the ,spirit of ,prophecy4 #ba ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,conclusions from the true idea of ,prophecy4 ,,rev4 xix4 #aj4 ,the testimony of ,jesus is the ,spirit of ,prophecy4 #dd ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,the general argument from ,prophecy4 ,,john xiii4 #ai4 ,now ,i tell you before it come1 that1 when it is come to pass1 ye may believe1 that ,i am ,he4 #gd ,,sermon ,v4 ,prophecies concerning ,christ's first coming4 ,,isaiah xlii4 #i4 ,behold1 the former things are come to pass1 and new things do ,i declare3 before they spring forth1 ,i tell you of them4 #ajb ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,prophecies concerning ,christ's second coming4 ,,isaiah xlii4 #i4 ,behold1 the former things are come to pass1 and new things do ,i declare3 before they spring forth1 ,i tell you of them4 #acb ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,prophecies concerning ,antichrist4 #a ,ep4 ,,john ii4 #ah4 --ye have heared that ,antichrist shall come4 #aga ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,prejudices against the doctrine of ,antichrist4 #a ,ep4 ,,john ii4 #ah4 --ye have heared that ,antichrist shall come4 #bje ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,the ,prophetic style considered4 ,,ezekiel xx4 #di4 --,they say of me1 ,doth he not speak parables8 #bcc ,,sermon ,x4 ,the style and method of the ,apocalypse4 ,,ezekiel xx4 #di4 --,they say of me1 ,doth he not speak parables8 #bfj ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,prophetic characters of ,antichrist4 ,,luke xii4 #ef4 --,how is it1 that ye do not discern this time8 #bhf ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,uses of this ,inquiry into the ,prophecies--,conclusion4 ,,rev4 xxii4 #g4 ,behold1 ,i come quickly3 ,blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book4 #ccc-ceb ,,appendix3 ,containing an anonymous ,letter to the ,author of these ,sermons1 with his ,answer to it4 #cfc ,,sermon ,i4 ,,false ,,ideas ,,of ,,prophecy4 #b ,,peter1 i4 #ba4 ,prophecy came not in old time by the will of man3 but holy men of ,god spake1 as they were moved by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,the argument from prophecy1 in support of the ,christian revelation1 would be thought more conclusive1 at least would be more distinctly apprehended1 if men could be kept from mixing their own prejudices and preconceptions with it4 ,the general question may be expressed thus--8,whether the predictions in the ,old and ,new ,testament do not appear to have been so far1 and in such sense1 fulfilled1 as to afford a reasonable conviction1 that they came not1 as the text speaks1 by the will of man1 but from the ,spirit of ,god40 ,in examining this question1 the predictions themselves cannot be too diligently studied1 or too cautiously applied3 ,but1 while this work is carrying on1 we are still to suppose1 and should not for a moment forget1 that they may be1 what they manifestly claim to be1 of divine suggestion2 ,i mean1 we are to admit1 not the truth indeed1 but the possibility1 of such suggestion1 till we can fairly make it appear that they are of human contrivance1 only4 ,it will not be denied1 that the tenour of ,scripture1 as well as the text1 clearly asserts the divine original and direction of the prophecies4 ,a just reasoner on the subject will1 therefore1 proceed on this supposition1 and only try whether it be well founded4 ,he will consider1 whether the construction of the prophecies1 and the application of them1 be such1 as may accord to those pretensions2 and will not argue against them on other principles1 which they do not admit1 or suppose4 ,all this is plainly nothing more than what may be expected from a fair inquirer1 and what the rules of good reasoning exact from him4 ,the use of this conduct would be1 ,to prevent1 or set aside1 all those fancies and imaginations which too frequently mislead inquirers into the evidence of prophecy2 which fill their minds with needless perplexities1 and disgrace their books with frivolous and impertinent disquisitions4 ,and1 because ,i take it to be of principal moment1 that this use be perfectly seen and understood1 ,i shall1 first1 apply myself to justify and explain it4 ,it is true that prophecy1 in the very idea of that term1 at least in the scriptural idea of it1 implies the divine agency2 and that1 exerted not merely in giving the faculty itself1 but in directing all its operations4 ,yet ,i know not how it is that1 when men address themselves to the study of the prophetic scriptures1 they are apt to let this so necessary idea slip out of their minds2 and to discourse upon them just as they would or might do1 on the supposition that the prophet was left at liberty to dispense this gift in all respects1 as he should think proper4 ,no wonder then1 that they should misconceive of its character1 and entertain very different notions about the exercise of this power from what the ,scriptures give them of it4 ,nay it is no wonder that they should even treat the subject with some scorn1 while they judge of it by the rule of human prudence1 and not of divine wisdom3 for1 though they would readily own themselves incapable of pronouncing on the secret counsels of ,god1 if prophecy1 in its whole administration1 be regarded as proceeding merely from him2 yet1 from their knowledge of human nature1 they would think1 and with some reason1 they were well able to conceive how the spirit of prophecy would be administered1 if man had the disposal of this spirit committed to him4 ,now it happens1 as ,i said1 7by an inexcusable perverseness1 or inattention1 indeed1 yet in fact it so happens7 that1 to the consideration of the argument from prophecy1 as applied to the proof of the ,christian religion1 many inquirers bring with them this strange and fatal prejudice2 and then their reasonings1 or rather conjectures1 on the ,,subject1 the ,,end1 and the ,,dispensation of prophecy1 are only such1 as this prejudice may be expected to inspire4 ,i4 ,judging for ourselves1 and by the light of human investigation only1 there might be some ground for supposing1 that1 if it should please ,god at any time to confer the gift of prophecy on his favoured servants1 they would be solely or chiefly commissioned to unfold the future fortunes of the most conspicuous states and kingdoms in the world3 that so divine a power would embrace1 as its peculiar object1 the counsels and enterprizes1 the successes and triumphs of the most illustrious nations2 those especially1 which should rise to the summit of empire by generous plans of policy1 and by the efforts of public virtue2 of free states1 in a word1 such as we know to have flourished in the happier ages of ,greece1 and such as we still contemplate with admiration in the vast and awful fabric of ,consular ,rome4 ,this we might think a fit object for the prophetic spirit to present to us2 as corresponding in some degree to the sublime character of a prophet2 and as most worthy1 in our conceptions1 of the divine attention and regard4 ,but how are we surprized to find that this astonishing power1 the most signal gift of ,heaven to mankind1 hath1 in its immediate application at least1 respected1 many times1 obscure individuals1 whose names and memory are only preserved in one barbarous chronicle1 hath been chiefly employed1 and1 as we are ready to express it1 thrown away on one single state1 or rather family2 inconsiderable in the extent of its power or territory2 sequestered from the rest of the nations1 and hardly known among them#c2 with some mention1 perhaps1 of greater things1 but incidentally touched1 as it may seem1 and as they chanced to have some connexion with the interests of this sordid people6 ,was this a stage1 on which it might be expected that the ,god of heaven would condescend to display the wonders of his prescience2 when ,he kept aloof1 as it were1 from more august theatres1 and would scarcely vouchsafe to have the skirts of his glory seen by the nobler and more distinguished nations of the ,world8 ,such questions as these are sometimes asked4 ,but they are surely asked by those1 who consider the prophets1 as acting wholly on human views and motives2 and not as over-ruled in all their predictions by the spirit of ,god4 ,for it is natural enough for vain man1 if left to himself in the exercise of the prophetic power1 to turn his view towards such objects as appear to him great1 in preference to others2 and to estimate that greatness by the lustre of fame1 in which they shine out to the observation of mankind4 ,but a moment's reflection may shew the probability1 the possibility at least1 that ,god's thoughts are not as our thoughts2 and that1 if the prophet's foresight be under the divine influence1 there may be reason enough to direct it towards such scenes and objects1 as we might be apt to undervalue or overlook4 ,it is even very conceivable1 that1 if ,god be the dispenser of prophecy1 and not man1 all that seems great and illustrious in human affairs may to his all-judging eye appear small and contemptible#d2 and1 on the other hand1 what we account as nothing1 may1 for infinite reasons1 unknown to us1 but so far as he is pleased to discover them1 be of that importance as to merit the attention of all his prophets from the foundation of the world4 ,it is evident1 then1 that to reason in this manner on the subject of divine prophecy1 is to suffer ourselves to be misled by a poor and vulgar prejudice2 and to forget1 what we should ever have present to us1 the claim of ,god's prophets to speak1 not as themselves will1 but as they are moved by his ,spirit4 ,,ii4 ,the ,,end1 or ultimate purpose of prophetic illumination1 is another point1 on which many persons are apt to entertain strange fancies1 and to frame unwarrantable conclusions1 when they give themselves leave to argue on the low supposition1 before mentioned4 #a4 ,it is then hastily surmized that the scriptural prophecies1 if any such be acknowledged1 could only be designed1 like the ,pagan oracles1 to sooth the impatient mind under its anxiety about future events2 to signify beforehand to states or individuals1 engaged in high or hazardous undertakings1 what the issue of them would be1 that so they might suit their conduct to the information of the prophet1 and either pursue their purpose with vigour1 or expect their impending fate with resignation4 ,for1 what other or worthier end1 will some say1 can ,heaven propose to itself by these extraordinary communications1 than to prepare and qualify such events as it decrees to bring to pass2 to animate desponding virtue1 on the one hand1 or to relieve predestined misery1 on the other2 to adapt itself1 in short1 to our necessities by a clear discovery of its will in those many intricate situations1 which perplex human prudence1 elude human foresight1 and1 but for this previous admonition1 would bear too hard on the natural force1 or infirmity of the human mind8 ,some such idea1 as this1 was plainly entertained by those of the ,pagan philosophers who concluded1 from the existence of a divine power1 that there must needs be such a thing as divination#e4 ,they thought the attributes of their gods1 if any such there were1 concerned in giving some notice of futurity to mankind4 #b4 ,others1 again1 encouraged in this conjectural ingenuity by partial views of scripture1 come to persuade themselves that prophecy is an act of special grace and favour1 not to this or that state1 or individuals1 indiscriminately1 as either may seem to stand in need of it2 but to one peculiar and chosen people1 who1 on some account or other1 had merited this extraordinary distinction4 ,self-love seems to have suggested this idea to the ancient and modern ,jews2 and many others1 ,i doubt1 are ready enough to suppose with them1 that prophecy1 under the ,mosaic dispensation1 had no other reasonable use1 or end4 #c4 ,lastly1 there are those who erect their thoughts to nobler contemplations1 and conclude that this intercourse between heaven and earth can only be carried on with the sublime view of preserving an awful sense of ,providence in an impious and careless world4 ,vanity1 or superstition1 may they say1 has suggested to particular men1 or to societies of men1 that their personal or civil concerns are of moment enough to be the subject of divine prophecies1 vouchsafed merely for their own proper relief or satisfaction4 ,but nothing less than the maintenance of ,god's supreme authority over his moral creation could be an object worthy of his interposing in the affairs of men1 in so remarkable a manner4 ,to keep alive in their minds a prevailing sense of their dependance upon him1 is1 then1 the ultimate end of prophecy3 and what more suitable 7will they perhaps add1 when warmed with this moral enthusiasm17 to the best ideas we can form of divine wisdom1 than that this celestial light should be afforded to such ages or nations as are most in want of that great and salutary principle8 ,there is reason to believe1 that many of the ancient speculatists reasoned thus on the subject of divination4 ,for1 as they argued from the existence of their gods1 to the necessity of divination2 so1 again1 they turned the argument the other way1 and from the reality of divination1 inferred the existence and providence of their gods#f4 ,in drawing the former conclusion1 they shewed themselves to be in the system of those who maintain1 that the end of prophecy is the instruction of men in their civil or personal concerns3 when they drew the latter1 they seemed to espouse the more enlarged sentiments of such as make the end of prophecy to be1 ,the instruction of men in the general concerns of religion4 ,i omit other instances1 that might be given2 and concern myself no further with these1 than just to observe from them2 ,that the foundation of all such systems is laid in the prejudices of their respective patrons2 conjecturing rather what use might be made of this faculty1 and to what purpose men1 according to their different views or capacities1 would probably apply it1 than regarding it1 with due reverence1 as directed by the spirit of ,god4 ,for then they would see1 that not one of those ends1 nor any other of human conjecture1 could be safely relied upon1 as being that of prophetic inspiration4 ,not that all these ends need be rejected as manifestly unworthy of the divine intention2 perhaps1 each of them1 in a certain sense1 and with some proper limitation1 might without impiety be conceived to enter into it4 ,but neither could it be presumed1 if none of those ends could have been pointed out1 that therefore there was no reasonable end of divine prophecy2 nor could it with modesty be affirmed that the noblest of these ends was certainly that1 which the wisdom of ,god proposed chiefly and ultimately to accomplish by it1 unless the information had been given by himself4 ,,iii4 ,but this folly of commenting on prophecy by the false lights of the imagination is never more conspicuous1 than when the ,,dispensation of this gift1 ,i mean the mode of its conveyance1 comes to exercise the curiosity of presumptuous men4 8,if it be true1 will some say1 that the ,supreme ,being hath at any time condescended to enlighten human ignorance by a discovery of future events1 these divine notices1 whatever the end or subject of them might be1 must have been given in terms so precise1 and so clearly predictive of the events to which they are applied1 that no doubt could remain either about the interpretation or completion of them4 ,on the contrary1 these pretended prophecies are expressed so ambiguously or obscurely1 are so involved in metaphor and darkened by hieroglyphics1 that no clear and certain sense can be affixed to them1 and the sagacity of a second prophet seems wanting to explain the meaning of the first4 ,then1 again1 when we come to verify these predictions by the light of history1 the correspondence is so slight many times1 and so indeterminate1 that none but an easy faith can assure itself1 that they have1 in a proper sense1 been fulfilled4 ,at the least1 there is always room for some degree of suspense and hesitation3 either the accomplishment fails in some particulars1 or other events might be pointed out1 to which the prophecy equally corresponds3 so that the result is1 a want of that entire and perfect conviction1 which prophecy1 no doubt1 was intended to give1 and1 when fulfilled1 must supply#g4 ,indeed1 continue these inquirers1 if our prophecies had been derived from no higher an original1 than that of ,pagan oracles1 we might well enough have supposed them to be of this stamp4 ,when men had nothing to trust to1 in their predictions1 but their own ingenuity1 they did well to deal in equivocal or enigmatic expression1 and might leave it to chance1 or to the passions of their votaries1 to find an application for their random conjectures4 ,but when the prophet is1 what he assumes to be1 an interpreter of heaven1 he may surely afford to speak plainly1 and to deliver nothing to us but what shall appear1 with the fullest evidence1 to be accomplished in the event40 ,the invidious comparison1 here made1 between ,scriptural prophecies and ,pagan oracles1 will be considered in its place4 ,to the general principle1 assumed by these inquirers1 ,that divine prophecy must be delivered with the utmost clearness and perspicuity1 and fulfilled with irresistible evidence1 it may be sufficient to reply1 as before1 ,that1 though these inquirers use the words1 divine prophecy1 they manifestly argue on the supposition of its human original1 or at least application4 ,in this latter case1 indeed1 it is likely enough that the prophet1 for his own credit1 or for what he might fancy to be the sole end of prophecy1 might chuse1 if he were entrusted with the knowledge of future events1 to predict them with all possible clearness1 and in such sort that obstinacy itself must see and admit the completion of them3 but then1 on the former supposition1 that the prophet was only the minister and instrument of the divine counsels1 in the high office committed to him1 they will do well to answer1 at their leisure1 the following questions4 8,how do they know in what manner1 and with what circumstances1 it was fit for divine wisdom to dispense a knowledge of futurity to mankind8 ,how can they previously determine the degree of evidence with which a prediction must be either given or fulfilled8 ,what assurance have they1 that no reasonable ends could be served by prophecies1 expressed with some obscurity1 and accomplished in a sense much below what may seem necessary to unavoidable conviction8 ,can they even pretend1 on any clear principles of reason1 that very important ends1 perhaps the most important1 may not be answered by that mode of conveyance1 which appears to them so exceptionable8 ,can they1 in a word1 determine before-hand1 ,i do not say with certainty1 but with any colour of probability2 what must be the character of divine prophecy1 when they know not the reason1 most undoubtedly not all the reasons1 why it is given1 and have even no right to demand1 that it should be given at all80 ,till these1 and other questions of the like sort1 be pertinently answered1 it must be in vain to censure the ways of ,providence1 as not corresponding to our imperfect and short-sighted views4 ,so much for that capital prejudice taken from the supposed obscurity of the scriptural prophecies4 ,of smaller scruples and difficulties on this head1 there is no end4 ,men may ask1 for instance1 why the instruments employed in conveying these celestial notices to mankind1 are frequently so mean and inconsiderable8 ,the subject of a prediction is the downfall of some mighty state1 or the fortune of its governours4 ,why then is this important revelation intrusted to an obscure priest1 or sordid peasant1 in preference to the great persons1 more immediately concerned in it#h8 ,again2 some momentous events have been signified in dreams3 why not to persons awake1 and in the full possession of their best faculties#i8 ,and then1 of those dreams1 why are they sometimes sent to one man1 and the interpretation of them reserved for another#aj8 ,why--,but ,i have done with these frivolous interrogatories2 which1 though pressed with all the advantage of ,cicero's rhetoric1 have really no force against ,pagan divination2 and therefore surely none1 against ,scriptural prophecy2 ,i mean1 in the opinion of those who respect it least4 ,in truth1 they who put these questions 7arguing1 as they must do1 on the supposition that prophecy is divinely inspired7 cannot excuse their presumption1 even to themselves3 and they1 to whom such questions are proposed1 will not1 if they be wise1 so much as attempt to resolve them4 ,for they have the nature of arguments addressed not only to the ignorance1 as we say1 of the disputant1 but to an ignorance clearly invincible by all the powers of human reason4 ,now to arguments of this sort--,i know not#aa--;is the answer of good sense1 as well as of modesty1 and1 to a just reasoner1 more satisfactory by far1 than any solution whatever of the difficulty proposed#ab4 ,not that reason is to be wholly silenced on the argument of prophecy3 for then every species of imposture would be ready to flow in upon us4 ,the use1 we should make both of that faculty1 and of these preliminary considerations on the subject1 the end1 and the dispensation of prophecy is1 briefly1 this1 ,to inquire1 whether any prophecies have been given--in what sense they are reasonably to be interpreted--and how far1 and whether in any proper sense1 they have been fulfilled3 to examine them1 in a word1 by their own claims1 and on the footing of their own pretensions2 that is1 to argue on the supposition that they may be divine1 till they can be evidently shewn to be otherwise4 ,this is clearly to act suitably to our own faculties2 to keep within the sphere of our duty2 and to reap the proper benefit1 whatever it be1 of a sober inquiry into the authority1 and character1 and accomplishment of the prophetic scriptures4 ,all the rest is idle cavil1 and miserable presumption2 equally repugnant to the clearest dictates of right reason1 and to that respect which every serious man will think due to the subject1 and to himself4 ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,,the ,,true ,,idea ,,of ,,prophecy4 ,,rev4 xix4 #aj4 ,the testimony of ,jesus is the ,spirit of ,prophecy4 ,it is very clear in what manner common sense instructs us to prosecute all inquiries into the divine conduct4 ,wise men collect1 from what they see done in the system of nature1 so far as they are able to collect it1 the intention of its author4 ,they will conclude1 in like manner1 from what they find delivered in the system of revelation1 what the views and purposes of the revealer were4 ,prophecy1 which makes so considerable a part of that system1 must1 therefore1 be its own interpreter4 ,my meaning is1 that1 setting aside all presumptuous imaginations of our own1 we are to take our ideas of what prophecy should be1 from what1 in fact1 we find it to have been4 ,if it be true 7as the ,apostle says1 and as the thing itself speaks7 that the things of ,god knoweth no man but the spirit of ,god#ac1 there cannot possibly be any way of acquiring right notions of prophecy1 but by attending to what the spirit of prophecy hath revealed of itself4 ,they1 who admit the divine original of those scriptures1 which attest the reality1 and alone1 as they suppose1 contain the records1 of this extraordinary dispensation1 are more than absurd1 are impious1 if they desert this principle4 ,and they1 who reject or controvert their claim to such original1 cannot1 on any other principle1 argue pertinently against that dispensation4 ,in short1 believers and unbelievers1 whether they would support1 or overturn1 the system of prophecy1 must be equally governed by the representation given of it in scripture4 ,the former must not presume1 on any other grounds1 to assert the wisdom and fitness of that system3 and the latter will then take a reasonable method of discrediting1 if by such means they can discredit1 the pretensions of it4 ,for1 as to vindicate prophecy on any principles but its own1 can do it no honour2 so1 to oppose it on any other1 can neither prejudice the cause itself1 nor serve any reasonable end of the opposer4 ,to scripture then we must go for all the information we would have concerning the use and intent of prophecy3 and the text1 to look no farther1 will clearly reveal this great secret to us4 ,but1 before we proceed to reason from the text1 in which1 as it is pretended1 this discovery is made1 it will be necessary to explain its true meaning4 ,st4 ,john1 in this chapter of the ,revelations1 from which the text is taken1 had been shewn the downfall of ,babylon1 and the consequent exaltation of the church1 in its closest union with ,christ1 prefigured under the ,jewish idea of a marriage4 ,to so delightful a vision1 the ,angel1 in whose presence1 and by whose ministry1 this scene of glory had been disclosed1 subjoins this triumphant admonition--,write1 says he2 ,blessed are they which are called to the marriage of the ,lamb4 ,these are the true sayings of ,god4 ,the ,apostle1 struck with this emphatic address1 and contemplating with grateful admiration so joyful a state of things1 and the divinity of that fore-sight by which it was predicted1 falls down at the angel's feet to worship him4 ,but he said into me1 ,see1 thou do it not2 ,i am thy fellow-servant1 and of thy brethren that have the testimony of ,jesus3 worship ,god3 for the testimony of ,jesus is the spirit of prophecy4 ,the sense is plainly this3 ,direct thy acknowledgment for this important discovery1 and that religious adoration1 which it inspires1 to ,god only who revealed it1 and not to me1 who am but thy fellow-servant in this office of bearing testimony to ,jesus3 ,i said in bearing testimony to ,jesus2 for know1 that the spirit of prophecy1 with which ,i am endowed1 and by which ,i am enabled to foretell these great things1 is but1 in other words1 the testimony of ,jesus2 it has no other use or end1 but to do honour to him2 the prophet1 whether he be angel or man1 is only the minister of ,god to bear witness to his ,son2 and his commission is ultimately directed to this one purpose of manifesting the glories of his kingdom4 ,in discharging this prophetic office1 which thou admirest so much1 ,i am then but the witness of ,jesus1 and so to be considered by thee in no other light than that of thy fellow-servant4 ,it is evident from the expression1 that the text was intended to give some special instruction to the ,apostle1 whose misguided worship afforded the occasion of it4 ,for1 if the design had merely been to enforce the general conclusion--worship ,god--the premises need only have been--,i am the servant of ,god1 as well as thou--for from these premises it had followed1 that therefore ,god1 and not the ,angel1 was to be worshiped4 ,but the premises are not simply1 ,i am thy fellow-servant1 but ,i am the fellow-servant of those who have the testimony of ,jesus3 which clause indeed infers the same conclusion1 as the former2 but1 as not being necessary to infer it 7for the conclusion had been just and complete without it7 was clearly added to convey a precise idea of prophecy itself1 as being wholly subservient to ,christ1 and having no other use or destination1 under its various forms and in all the diversities of its administration1 but to bear testimony to him4 ,therefore the ,angel says emphatically1 in explanation of that latter clause1--,for the testimony of ,jesus is the spirit of prophecy--or1 as the sentence1 in our translation1 should have run#ad1 the order of its parts being inverted1 ,for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of ,jesus4 ,it may not be pretended that no more was meant by the text1 than that the particular prophecy1 here delivered1 was in attestation of ,jesus3 for then it would have been expressed with that limitation4 ,the terms1 on the other hand1 are absolute and indefinite--the spirit of prophecy--whence we cannot but conclude that prophecy1 in general1 is the subject of the proposition4 ,we have here1 then1 a remarkable piece of intelligence conveyed to us 7incidentally indeed conveyed1 but not therefore the less remarkable7 concerning the nature and genius of prophecy4 ,the text is properly a key put into our hands1 to open to us the mysteries of that dispensation2 which had in view ultimately the person of ,christ and the various revolutions of his kingdom--,the spirit of prophecy is1 universally1 the testimony of ,jesus#ae4 ,the expression1 as ,i have shewn1 is so precise as to leave no reasonable doubt of its meaning4 ,yet it may further serve to justify this interpretation1 if we reflect1 how exactly it agrees with all that the ,jewish prophets were understood to intend1 and what ,jesus himself and his apostles assert was intended1 by their predictions4 ,it were endless to enumerate all the ,prophecies of the ,old ,testament which have been supposed to point at ,jesus3 and the controversy concerning the application of some prophecies to him may be thought difficult4 ,but it is very certain that the ,jews1 before the coming of ,christ1 gave this construction to their scriptures3 they even looked beyond the letter of their sacred books1 and conceived the testimony of the ,messiah to be the soul and end of the commandment4 ,the spirit of prophecy was firmly believed to intend that testimony1 that the expectation was general of some such person1 as ,jesus1 to appear among them1 and at the very time in which he made his appearance4 ,this1 ,i say1 is an undoubted fact1 what account soever may be given of it2 and so far evinces that the principle1 delivered in the text1 corresponds entirely to the idea which the fathers entertained of the prophetic spirit4 ,next1 ,jesus himself appeals to the spirit of prophecy1 as bearing witness to his person and dispensation4 ,search the ,scriptures1 says he to the ,jews1 for in them ye think ye have eternal life1 and they are they which testify of ,,me#af4 ,two things are observable in these words4 #a4 ,if the ,jews thought they had eternal life in their scriptures1 they must needs have understood them in a spiritual sense2 for the letter of them taught no such thing3 and ,i know not what other spiritual sense1 that should lead them to the expectation of eternal life1 they could put on their scriptures1 but that prophetic1 or typical sense1 which respected the ,messiah4 #b4 ,jesus here expressly asserts1 that their scriptures testified of him4 ,how generally they did so1 he explained at large in that remarkable conversation with two of his disciples1 after his resurrection1 when1 beginning at ,moses and ,,all the prophets1 he expounded unto them in ,,all the scriptures the things concerning himself#ag4 ,the ,apostles of ,jesus are frequent and large in the same appeal to the spirit of prophecy4 ,those things1 says ,st4 ,peter to the ,jews1 which ,god had shewed by the mouth of ,,all his prophets1 that ,christ should suffer1 he hath so fulfilled#ah4 ,and1 again1 after quoting the authority of ,moses1 ,yea1 and ,,all the prophets from ,samuel1 and those that follow after1 as many as have spoken1 have likewise foretold of these days#ai4 ,st4 ,paul seems to have composed some entire epistles#bj1 with a view of shewing that ,christ was prefigured in the ,law itself1 and that ,he was1 in truth1 the substance of the whole ,jewish dispensation4 ,so thoroughly1 according to him1 did the spirit of prophecy pervade that system1 and so clearly did it bear testimony to ,jesus6 ,whence1 in his apology before ,agrippa1 we find him asserting of the whole ,christian doctrine1 that he said none other things than those which the prophets and ,moses did say should come#ba4 ,more citations cannot be necessary on so plain a point4 ,and ,i bring these to shew1 not the truth of the principle itself 7which is not now under consideration7 but the certainty of the interpretation1 here given to the text4 ,for ,i make it say no more 7though it says it indeed more precisely7 than the scriptures themselves were understood by the ,jews to say1 and are represented by ,jesus and his ,apostles1 as actually saying1 when ,i affirm its sense to be1 8,that the scope and end of prophecy was the testimony of ,jesus40 ,on this principle1 then1 we are to regulate all our reasonings on the subject of prophecy4 ,they who maintain1 and they who would confute1 its pretensions1 must equally go on this supposition4 ,if the system of prophecy can be justified1 or so far as it can be justified1 on these grounds1 the defence must be thought solid and satisfactory2 because those grounds are not arbitrarily assumed1 but are such as that system itself acknowledges4 ,on the contrary1 whatever advantage may be fairly taken of those grounds to discredit prophecy1 must needs be allowed1 for the same reason4 ,again3 ,on the believer's scheme1 that prophecy is of divine inspiration1 there can be no presumption in arguing from the grounds1 here supposed1 in favour of prophecy4 ,because1 though all conclusions from a principle of human invention1 must be hazardous and rash1 yet from a principle of divine authority1 many sober and just inferences may be drawn4 ,for it is one thing1 to discover a principle1 and another1 to argue justly and cogently from it4 ,on the other hand1 the unbeliever1 who regards the whole system of prophecy as of human invention1 must yet be allowed to argue pertinently from the same grounds1 because they are the proper grounds of that system3 his arguments may be rightly formed1 though the principle1 from which he argues1 appear to him of no authority4 ,the rules of logic will indeed oblige him to argue on that principle2 for1 otherwise1 he combats1 not his adversary's position1 but a phantom of his own raising4 ,having premised thus much concerning the right interpretation of the text1 and the important relation it bears to the present subject1 ,i should now proceed to inquire what conclusions naturally and fairly result from it4 ,for from this assumption1 that ,jesus is the end of prophecy1 it will1 ,i think1 follow very evidently1 that the greater part of those objections which make so much noise1 and are so confidently urged1 on the subject of prophecy1 have no force at all in them4 ,but1 before we enter on that task1 it may be useful to consider more particularly what the ,,assumed ,,principle itself is1 and to pause a while in contemplation of this idea4 ,the text1 as here interpreted1 and in full consonance with the tenor of the sacred writings1 implies this fact--that ,prophecy in general 7that is1 all the prophecies of the ,old and ,new ,testament7 hath its ultimate accomplishment in the history and dispensation of ,jesus4 ,but now1 if we look into those writings1 we find1 #a4 ,that prophecy is of a prodigious extent2 that it commenced from the fall of man1 and reaches to the consummation of all things3 that1 for many ages1 it was delivered darkly1 to few persons1 and with large intervals from the date of one prophecy to that of another2 but1 at length1 became more clear1 more frequent1 and was uniformly carried on in the line of one people1 separated from the rest of the world1 among other reasons assigned1 for this principally1 to be the repository of the divine oracles3 that1 with some intermission1 the spirit of prophecy subsisted among that people1 to the coming of ,christ3 that ,he himself and his ,apostles exercised this power in the most conspicuous manner2 and left behind them many predictions1 recorded in the books of the ,new ,testament1 which profess to respect very distant events1 and even run out to the end of time1 or1 in ,st4 ,john's expression1 to that period1 when the mystery of ,god shall be perfected#bb4 #b4 ,further1 besides the extent of this prophetic scheme1 the dignity of the ,person1 whom it concerns1 deserves our consideration4 ,he is described in terms1 which excite the most august and magnificent ideas4 ,he is spoken of1 indeed1 sometimes as being the seed of the woman1 and as the son of man2 yet so as being at the same time of more than mortal extraction4 ,he is even represented to us1 as being superior to men and angels2 as far above all principality and power1 above all that is accounted great1 whether in heaven or in earth2 as the word and wisdom of ,god2 as the eternal ,son of the ,father2 as the heir of all things1 by whom he made the worlds2 as the brightness of his glory1 and the express image of his person4 ,we have no words to denote greater ideas1 than these3 the mind of man cannot elevate itself to nobler conceptions4 ,of such transcendent worth and excellence is that ,jesus said to be1 to whom all the prophets bear witness6 #c4 ,lastly1 the declared purpose1 for which the ,messiah1 prefigured by so long a train of prophecy1 came into the world1 corresponds to all the rest of the representation4 ,it was not to deliver an oppressed nation from civil tyranny1 or to erect a great civil empire1 that is1 to atchieve one of those acts1 which history accounts most heroic4 ,no3 it was not a mighty state1 a victor people-- 8,non res ,roman perituraque regna--0 that was worthy to enter into the contemplation of this divine person4 ,it was another and far sublimer purpose1 which ,,he came to accomplish2 a purpose1 in comparison of which1 all our policies are poor and little1 and all the performances of man as nothing4 ,it was to deliver a world from ruin2 to abolish sin and death2 to purify and immortalize human nature2 and thus1 in the most exalted sense of the words1 to be the ,saviour of all men1 and the blessing of all nations4 ,there is no exaggeration in this account4 ,i deliver the undoubted sense1 if not always the very words of scripture4 ,consider then to what this representation amounts4 ,let us unite the several parts of it1 and bring them to a point4 ,a spirit of prophecy pervading all time--characterizing one person1 of the highest dignity--and proclaiming the accomplishment of one purpose1 the most beneficent1 the most divine1 that imagination itself can project--,such is the scriptural delineation1 whether we will receive it or no1 of that conomy1 which we call ,prophetic6 ,and now then 7if we must be reasoning from our ideas of fit and right1 to the rectitude of the divine conduct7 let me ask1 in one word1 whether1 on the supposition that it should ever please the moral ,governor of the world to reveal himself by prophecy at all1 we can conceive him to do it1 in a manner1 or for ends more worthy of him8 ,does not the extent of the scheme correspond to our best ideas of that infinite ,being1 to whom all duration is but a point1 and to whose view all time is equally present8 ,is not the object of this scheme1 the ,lamb of ,god that was slain from the foundation of the world1 worthy1 in our conceptions1 of all the honour that can be reflected upon him by so vast and splendid an conomy8 ,is not the end of this scheme such as we should think most fit for such a scheme of prophecy to predict1 and for so divine a person to accomplish8 ,you see1 every thing here is of a piece3 all the parts of this dispensation are astonishingly great1 and perfectly harmonize with each other4 ,we1 who admit the divinity of those records1 which represent to us this state of things1 cannot but be infinitely affected with it3 since1 in that case1 we only contemplate an undoubted fact1 in this representation4 ,and it should further seem that even those1 who question that authority of scripture1 must1 if they be ingenuous1 confess themselves struck by a representation at once so sublime and consistent4 ,they require1 on all occasions1 to have reasons of what they call fitness1 in the divine conduct1 pointed out to them3 ,can they overlook them here1 where they are so obvious and so convincing8 ,at least1 the credibility of such a scheme1 as that of prophecy is in ,scripture represented to be1 appears not1 so far as we have hitherto considered it1 to be opposed or lessened in any degree by our natural prejudices2 by the best notions1 ,i mean1 which we can frame on this subject2 but is1 indeed1 much strengthened and confirmed by them4 ,on the idea of such a scheme1 as is here presented to us1 ,i enlarge no farther1 at present1 than just to make ,,one general observation4 ,it is this3 ,that the argument from prophecy is not to be formed from the consideration of single prophecies1 but from all the prophecies taken together1 and considered as making one system2 in which1 from the mutual dependance and connection of its parts1 preceding prophecies prepare and illustrate those which follow1 and these1 again1 reflect light on the foregoing3 just as1 in any philosophical system1 that which shews the solidity of it1 is the harmony and correspondence of the whole1 not the application of it1 in particular instances4 ,hence1 though the evidence be but small1 from the completion of any one prophecy1 taken separately1 yet1 that evidence being always something1 the amount of the whole evidence1 resulting from a great number of prophecies1 all relative to the same design1 may be considerable2 like many scattered rays1 which1 though each be weak in itself1 yet1 concentred into one point1 shall form a strong light1 and strike the sense very powerfully4 ,still more3 this evidence is not simply a growing evidence1 but is indeed multiplied upon us1 from the number of reflected lights1 which the several component parts of such a system reciprocally throw upon each3 till1 at length1 the conviction rise into a high degree of moral certainty4 ,it hath been said indeed1 of this scheme1 or way of considering prophecy1 that it is an imaginary scheme1 of which there is not the least trace in any of the four ,gospels2 and that it even contradicts the whole evidence of prophecy1 as it was understood and applied by the ,apostles and evangelists#bc4 ,but what1 is there no trace of this scheme in the ,gospel1 when ,jesus himself began at ,moses and the prophets1 and expounded to his disciples in ,,all the scriptures the things concerning himself8 ,is this scheme contradictory to the evidence of prophecy1 as understood by the ,apostles1 when ,st4 ,peter argued with the ,jews from what ,god had spoken by the mouth of ,,all his prophets1 since the world began8 ,is not here a series of prophecies1 expressly referred to1 as running up not only to the times of ,moses#bd1 but to the beginning of the world8 ,and is not this series argued from1 as constituting one entire system of prophecy1 and as affording an evidence distinct from that which arises from the consideration of each prophecy1 taken singly and by itself8 ,but ,jesus and his ,apostles1 usually1 applied the prophecies singly and independently on each other1 as so many different arguments for the general truth of the ,gospel#be4 ,could they do otherwise1 when the occasions offered1 in the course of their ministry1 to which those prophecies were to be applied8 ,or1 could they do better1 in their discourses to the people1 to whom the argument from single prophecies would be more familiar1 than that complicated one1 arising from a whole system8 ,does it follow1 because the prophecies were applied singly1 that therefore they might not with good reason be applied systematically2 or that they may not now be so applied1 when we have to do with those1 who are capable of entering into this sort of argumentation8 ,will it be said that1 because the moral precepts of the ,gospel are delivered singly1 there is therefore no such thing as a system of morality1 or that the subject may not be treated with propriety1 and with advantage too1 in that form8 ,on the whole1 the prophecies of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 having clearly all the qualities of what we call a system1 that is1 consisting of many particulars1 dependent on each other1 and intimately connected by their reference to a common end1 there is no reason why they may not be considered in this light2 and there is great reason why they should be so considered1 since otherwise1 on many occasions1 we shall not do justice to the argument itself4 ,to return then to the text 7which implies the existence and use of such a system7 and to conclude with it4 ,the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of ,jesus4 ,this angelic information presents1 at first sight1 an idea stupendous indeed1 but1 on such a subject1 suitable enough to our expectations4 ,it offers no violence to the natural sense of the human mind2 but1 on the contrary1 hath every thing in it to engage our belief and veneration4 ,such is the idea of ,prophecy1 contemplated in itself4 ,what conclusions 7of importance1 as we suppose1 to the right apprehension and further vindication of prophecy7 may be drawn from that idea1 will be next considered4 ,,sermon ,,iii4 ,,conclusions ,,from ,,the ,,true ,,idea ,,of ,,prophecy4 ,,rev4 xix4 #aj4 ,the testimony of ,jesus is the ,spirit of ,prophecy4 ,we have seen how precarious all our reasonings on divine prophecy must be1 when built on no better grounds than those of human fancy and conjecture4 ,the text supplies us with a principle1 as we believe1 of divine authority2 as all must confess1 of scriptural authority2 that is1 of the same authority as that on which prophecy itself stands4 ,this principle has been explained at large4 ,it affirms that ,jesus1 whose person and character and history are sufficiently known from the books of scripture1 is the end and object of the prophetic system1 contained in those books4 ,we are now at liberty to reason from this principle4 ,whatever conclusions are fairly drawn from it1 must to the believer appear1 as certain truths2 must to the unbeliever appear1 as very proper illustrations of that principle4 ,in general1 if difficulties can be removed by pursuing and applying scriptural principles1 they are fairly removed3 and the removal of every such difficulty1 on these grounds1 must be a presumption in favour of that system1 whether we call it of ,prophecy1 or ,revelation1 which is thus found to carry its own vindication with it4 ,from the principle of the text may1 ,i think1 be deduced1 among others1 the following conclusions2 all of them tending to clear the subject of prophecy1 and to obviate some or other of those objections1 which prejudiced or hasty reasoners have been disposed to make to it4 ,i4 ,my first conclusion is1 8,that1 on the idea of such a scheme of prophecy1 as the text supposes1 a considerable degree of obscurity may be reasonably expected to attend the delivery of the divine predictions40 ,there are general reasons which shew that prophecy1 as such1 will most probably be thus delivered4 ,for instance1 it has been observed1 that1 as the completion of prophecy is left1 for the most part1 to the instrumentality of free agents1 if the circumstances of the event were predicted with the utmost precision1 either human liberty must be restrained2 or human obstinacy might be tempted to form1 the absurd indeed1 but criminal purpose1 of counteracting the prediction4 ,on the contrary1 by throwing some part of the predicted event into shade1 the moral faculties of the agent have their proper play1 and the guilt of an intended opposition to the will of heaven is avoided4 ,this reason seems to have its weight3 and many others might still be mentioned4 ,but ,i argue1 at present1 from the particular principle1 under consideration4 ,an immense scheme of prophecy was ultimately designed to bear testimony to the person and fortunes of ,jesus4 ,but ,jesus was not himself to come1 till what is called the last age of the world1 nor all the purposes of his coming to be fully accomplished1 till the end of that age4 ,now1 whatever reasons might make it fit1 in the view of infinite wisdom1 to defer the execution of this scheme to so distant a period1 may probably be conceived to make it fit1 that the delivery of it should be proportionably dark and obscure4 ,a certain degree of light1 we will say1 was to be communicated from the date of the prophecy3 but it is very conceivable that the ages nearer the completion of it1 might be more immediately concerned in the event predicted2 and that1 till such time approached1 it might be convenient to leave the prediction in a good degree of obscurity4 ,the fact answers to this presumption4 ,prophecies of very remote events1 remote1 ,i mean1 from the date of the prediction1 are universally the most obscure4 ,as the season advanced for their accomplishment1 they are rendered more clear3 either fresh prophecies are given1 to point out the time1 and other circumstances1 more determinately2 or the completion of some prophecies affords new light for the interpretation of others1 that are unfulfilled4 ,yet neither are we to conceive that those fresh prophecies1 or this new light removes all obscurity3 enough is still left to prevent or disappoint the efforts of presumption2 and only so much additional clearness is bestowed on the prophecy1 as the revealer saw fit to indulge to those who lived nearer the time of its completion4 ,but this is not all3 ,by looking into that plan of providence1 which respects ,jesus1 and the ends to be accomplished by him1 as it is drawn out in the sacred writings1 we find a distinct reason for the obscurity of the prophecies1 relative to that subject4 ,we there find it to have been in the order of the divine councils1 that1 between the first dawnings of revelation and the fuller light of the ,gospel1 an intermediate and very singular conomy1 yet still preparatory to that of ,jesus1 should be instituted4 ,this conomy 7for reasons1 which it is not to our present purpose to deduce1 and for some1 no doubt1 which we should in vain attempt to discover7 was to continue for many ages1 and while it continued1 was to be had in honour among that people1 for whom it was more immediately designed4 ,but now the genius of those two dispensations1 the ,jewish1 ,i mean1 and the ,christian1 being wholly different2 the one1 carnal1 and enforced by temporal sanctions only1 the other1 spiritual1 and established on better promises1 the prophets1 who lived under the former of these dispensations 7and the greater part of those1 who prophesied of ,jesus1 lived under it7 were of course so to predict the future conomy1 as not to disgrace the present4 ,they were to respect the ,law1 even while they announced the ,gospel1 which was1 in due time1 to supersede it#bf4 ,so much1 we will say1 was to be discovered as might erect the thoughts of men towards some better scheme of things1 hereafter to be introduced2 certainly so much1 as might sufficiently evince the divine intention in that scheme1 when it should actually take place2 but not enough to indispose them towards that state of discipline1 under the yoke of which they were then held4 ,from this double purpose1 would clearly result that character1 in the prophecies concerning the new dispensation1 which we find impressed upon them2 and which ,st4 ,peter well describes1 when he speaks of them1 as dispensing a light indeed1 but a light shining in a dark place4 ,upon the whole1 the delivery of prophecy seems well suited to that dispensation which it was given to attest4 ,if the object in view had been one single event1 to be accomplished all at once1 it might perhaps be expected that the prophecies concerning it would have been clear and precise4 ,but1 if the scheme of ,christianity be what the scriptures represent it to be1 a scheme1 commencing from the foundation of the world1 and unfolding itself by just degrees through a long succession of ages1 and to be fully accomplished only at the consummation of all things1 prophecy1 which was given to attend on that scheme1 and to furnish a suitable attestation to it1 must needs be supposed to adapt itself to the nature of the dispensation2 that is1 to have different degrees of clearness or obscurity according to its place in the general system2 and not to disclose more of it1 or in clearer terms1 at any one period1 than might consist with the various ends of wisdom which were to be served by the gradual opening of so vast and intricate a scene4 ,,another circumstance1 of affinity with this1 is apt to strike us1 in the contemplation of the scriptural prophecies4 ,there is reason to believe that more than one sense was purposely inclosed in some of them2 and we find1 in fact1 that the writers of the ,new ,testament give to many of the old prophecies an interpretation very different and remote from that which may be reasonably thought the primary and immediate view of the prophets themselves4 ,this is what ,divines call the ,,double ,,sense of prophecy3 by which they mean an accomplishment of it in more events than one2 in the same system indeed2 but at distant intervals1 and under different parts of that system4 ,now1 as suspicious as this circumstance may appear at first sight1 it will be found1 on inquiry1 to be exactly suited to that idea of prophecy which the text gives us of it1 as being1 from the first1 and all along1 intended to bear ,testimony to ,jesus4 ,for from that idea ,i conclude again1 ,,ii4 8,that prophecies of a double sense may well be expected in such a scheme40 ,and where is the wonder that1 if prophecy was given to attest the coming of ,jesus and the dispensation to be erected by him1 it should occasionally1 in every stage of it1 respect its main purpose2 and1 though the immediate object be some other1 it should never lose sight of that1 in which it was ultimately to find its repose and end8 ,it hath been before observed1 ,that1 between the earlier notices concerning ,jesus1 and the advent of that great person1 it seemed good to infinite wisdom 7,i speak in terms1 suited to the representation of scripture7 to institute the intermediate conomy of the ,jewish ,law4 ,among other provisions for the administration of this ,law1 prophecy was one2 and1 upon its own pretensions1 a necessary one2 for the government claims to be strictly theocratical2 and the people1 to be governed by it1 were to be made sensible1 at every step1 that it was so4 ,therefore the interesting events in their civil history were to be regarded by them1 as coming within the cognisance1 and lying under the controul1 of their divine governour3 to which end1 a race of men were successively raised up among them1 to give them warning of those events1 and1 by this divine foresight of what was seen to be accomplished in their history1 to afford a clear conviction1 that they were1 in fact1 under that peculiar government4 ,add to this1 that the ,law itself1 so wonderfully constructed1 was but a part1 indeed the rudiments1 of one great scheme2 was given1 not for its own sake1 but to make way for a still nobler and more generous institution2 was1 in truth1 a preparatory state of discipline1 or pdagogy1 as ,st4 ,paul terms it1 to bring the subjects of it1 in due time1 to ,christ#bg4 ,jesus then1 the object of the earliest prophecies1 was not overlooked in this following dispensation2 which was1 indeed1 instinct with presages of that divine person4 ,it gave the shadow of good things to come1 but the body was of ,christ#bh4 ,the legal prophets1 in like manner1 while they were immediately employed1 and perhaps believed themselves to be solely employed1 in predicting the occurrences of the ,jewish state1 were at the same time1 preluding1 as it were1 to the person and dispensation of ,jesus2 the holy ,spirit1 which inspired them1 bearing out their expression1 and enlarging their conceptions1 beyond the worth and size of those objects1 which came directly in their view4 ,there is nothing in this account of prophecy1 but what falls in with our best ideas of the divine wisdom2 intently prosecuting one entire scheme2 and directing the constituent parts of it to the general purpose of his providence1 at the same time that each serves to accomplish its own4 ,this double1 or secondary sense of prophecy was so far from giving offence to ,lord ,bacon1 that he speaks of it with admiration1 as one striking argument of its ,divinity4 ,in sorting the prophecies of scripture with their events 7a work much desired by this wise author1 and intended by this ,lecture7 we must allow1 says he1 for that latitude which is agreeable and familiar unto divine prophecies1 being of the nature of the author1 with whom a thousand years are but as one day2 and therefore they are not fulfilled punctually at once1 but have springing and germinant accomplishment throughout many ages1 though the height or fulness of them may refer to some one age#bi4 ,but1 that we may not mistake1 or pervert1 this fine observation of our great philosopher1 it may be proper to take notice1 that the reason of it holds in such prophecies only as respect the several successive parts of one system2 which1 being intimately connected together1 may be supposed to come within the view and contemplation of the same prophecy3 whereas it would be endless1 and one sees not on what grounds of reason we are authorized1 to look out for the accomplishment of prophecy in any casual unrelated events of general history4 ,the ,scripture speaks of prophecy1 as respecting ,jesus1 that is1 as being one connected scheme of ,providence1 of which the ,jewish dispensation makes a part3 so that here we are led to expect that springing and germinant accomplishment1 which is mentioned4 ,but had the ,jewish ,law been complete in itself1 and totally unrelated to the ,christian1 the general principle--that a thousand years are with ,god but as one day--would no more justify us in extending a ,jewish prophecy to ,christian events1 because perhaps it was eminently fulfilled in them1 than it would justify us in extending it to any other signally corresponding events whatsoever4 ,it is only when the prophet hath one uniform connected design before him1 that we are authorised to use this latitude of interpretation4 ,for then the prophetic spirit naturally runs along the several parts of such design1 and unites the remotest events with the nearest3 the style of the prophet1 in the mean time1 so adapting itself to this double prospect1 as to paint the near and subordinate event in terms that emphatically represent the distant and more considerable4 ,so that1 with this explanation1 nothing can be more just or philosophical1 than the idea which ,lord ,bacon suggests of divine prophecy4 ,the great scheme of ,redemption1 we are now considering1 being the only scheme in the plan of ,providence1 which1 as far as we know1 hath been prepared and dignified by a continued system of prophecy1 at least this being the only scheme to which we have seen a prophetic system applied1 men do not so readily apprehend the doctrine of double senses in prophecy1 as they would do1 if they saw it exemplified in other cases4 ,but what the history of mankind does not supply1 we may represent to ourselves by many obvious suppositions2 which cannot justify1 indeed1 such a scheme of things1 but may facilitate the conception of it4 ,suppose1 for instance1 that it had been the purpose of the ,deity 7as it unquestionably was7 to erect the ,,free ,,government of ancient ,rome2 and that1 from the time of neas' landing in ,italy1 he had given prophetic intimations of this purpose4 ,suppose1 further1 that he had seen fit1 for the better discipline of his favoured people1 to place them1 for a season1 under the yoke of the ,regal government2 and that1 during that state of things1 he had instructed his prophets to foretell the wars and other occurrences which should distinguish that period of their history4--,here would be a case somewhat similar to that of the ,jews under their theocratic regimen3 not exactly indeed1 because prophecy1 as we have seen1 was essential to the ,jewish polity1 but had nothing to do with the regal1 or any other polity of the ,romans4 ,but allow for this difference1 and suppose that1 for some reason or other1 the spirit of prophecy was indulged to this people1 under their kings1 as it was to the ,jews1 under their theocracy2 and that it was primarily employed in the same way1 that is1 in predicting their various fortunes under that regimen3 ,suppose1 ,i say1 all this1 and would it surprize us to find that their prophets1 in dilating on this part of their scheme1 should1 in a secondary sense1 predict the future and more splendid part of it8 ,that1 having the whole equally presented to their view1 they should anticipate the coming glories of their free state1 even in a prophecy which directly concerned their regal1 and much humbler successes8 ,that1 in commenting on their petty victories over the ,sabins and ,latins1 they should drop some hints that pointed at their ,african and ,asiatic triumphs2 or1 in tracing the shadow of freedom they enjoyed under the best of their kings1 they should let fall some strokes1 that more expressly designed the substantial liberty of their equal republic3 the end1 as we suppose1 and completion of that scheme1 for the sake of which the prophetic power itself had been communicated to them8 ,still more3 supposing we had such prophecies now in our hands1 and that we found them applicable indeed in a general way to the former parts of their history1 but frequently more expressive of events in the latter1 should we doubt of their being prophecies in a double sense1 or should we think it strange that two successive and dependent dispensations in the same connected scheme should be1 at once1 the object of the same predictions8 ,and lastly1 to put an end to these questions1 could there seem to be equal reason for applying these predictions to such events as might possibly correspond to them in some other history1 the ,grcian1 for instance1 as for applying them to similar events in the ,roman history8 ,let me just observe further1 that1 from what hath been said under these two articles1 we may clearly discern the difference between ,pagan oracles1 and ,scriptural prophecies4 ,both have been termed obscure and ambiguous2 and an invidious parallel hath been made1 or insinuated1 between them#cj4 ,the ,pagan oracles were indeed obscure1 sometimes to a degree that no reasonable sense could be made of them3 they were also ambiguous1 in the worst sense2 ,i mean1 so as to admit contrary interpretations4 ,the scriptural prophecies we own to be obscure1 to a certain degree3 ,and we may call them1 too1 ambiguous2 because they contained two1 consistent1 indeed1 but different meanings4 ,but here is the distinction1 ,i would point out to you4 ,the obscurity and ambiguity of the ,pagan oracles had no necessary1 or reasonable cause in the subject1 on which they turned3 the obscurity and ambiguity of the scriptural prophecies have an evident reason in the system1 to which they belong4 ,as the ,pagan predictions had near and single events for their object1 the fate perhaps of some depending war1 or the success of some council1 then in agitation1 they might have been clearly and precisely delivered2 and in fact we find that such of the ,jewish predictions as foretold events of that sort and character1 were so delivered3 ,but1 the scriptural prophecies under consideration respecting one immense scheme of ,providence1 it might be expedient that the remoter parts should be obscurely revealed2 as it was surely natural that the connected parts of such a scheme should be shewn together4 ,we see then what force there is in that question1 which is asked with so much confidence--8,is it possible1 that the same character can be due to the ,jewish prophecies1 which the wise and virtuous in the heathen world considered as an argument of fraud and falshood in the ,pythian prophecies#ca80 ,first1 we say1 the character is not entirely the same in both3 and1 secondly1 that1 so far as it is the same1 that character is very becoming in the ,jewish1 but utterly absurd in the ,pythian prophecies4 ,what was owing to fraud or ignorance in the ,pagan ,diviner1 is reasonably ascribed to the depth and height of that wisdom1 which informed the ,jewish ,prophet#cb4 ,to proceed with our subject4 ,it further appears1 ,,iii4 ,on the grounds of the text1 we now stand upon1 8to be very conceiveable and credible that the line of prophecy should run chiefly in one family and people1 as we are informed it did1 and that the other nations of the earth should be no further the immediate objects of it1 than as they chanced to be connected with that people40 ,prophecy1 in the ideas of scripture1 was not ultimately given for the private use of this or that nation1 nor yet for the nobler and more general purpose of proclaiming the superintending providence of the ,deity 7an awful truth1 which men might collect for themselves from the established constitution of nature7 but simply to evidence the truth of the ,christian revelation4 ,it was therefore confined to one nation1 purposely set apart to preserve and attest the oracles of ,god2 and to exhibit1 in their public records and whole history1 the proofs and credentials of an amazing dispensation1 which ,god had decreed to accomplish in ,christ ,jesus#cc4 ,this conclusion1 ,i say1 seems naturally and fairly drawn from the great principle1 that the spirit of prophecy was the testimony of ,jesus1 because the means appear to be well suited and proportioned to the end4 ,the ,testimony thought fit to be given1 was not one or two prophecies only1 but a scheme of prophecy1 gradually prepared and continued through a large tract of time4 ,but how could such a scheme be executed1 or rather how could it clearly be seen that there was such a scheme in view1 if some one people had not been made the repository1 and1 in part1 the instrument of the divine counsels1 in regard to ,jesus2 some one people1 ,i say1 among whom we might trace the several parts of such a scheme1 and observe the dependance they had on each other2 that so the idea1 of what we call a scheme1 might be duly impressed upon us8 ,for1 had the notices concerning the ,redeemer been dispersed indifferently among all nations1 where had been that uncorrupt and unsuspected testimony1 that continuity of evidence1 that unbroken chain of prediction1 all tending1 by just degrees1 to the same point1 which we now contemplate with wonder in the ,jewish scriptures8 ,it is not then that the rest of the world was overlooked#cd in the plan of ,god's providence1 but that he saw fit to employ the ministry of one people3 ,this last1 ,i say1 and not the other1 is the reason why the divine communications concerning ,christ were appropriated to the ,jews4 ,yes1 but 8some one of the greater nations had better been intrusted with that charge40 ,this circumstance1 ,i allow1 might have struck a superficial observer more3 but could the integrity of the prophetic scheme have been more discernible amidst the multiform and infinitely involved transactions of a mighty people1 than in the simpler story of this small ,jewish family2 or would the hand or work of ,god1 who loves to manifest himself by weak instruments1 have been more conspicuous in that designation8 ,on the whole1 ,i forget not1 with what awful diffidence it becomes us to reason on such subjects4 ,but the fact being1 that one1 in preference to other nations1 had the honour of conveying the prophetic admonitions concerning ,jesus1 it may be allowable to inquire1 with modesty1 into the reasons of that appointment1 and the end of prophecy being clearly assigned in sacred scripture1 such reasons will not be hastily rejected1 as obviously present themselves to an inquirer from the consideration of that end4 ,the benefits of prophecy1 though conveyed by one nation1 would finally redound to all2 and the more effectually1 we have seen1 for being conveyed by one nation4 ,may we not conclude then 7having the fact1 as ,i said1 to reason upon7 that1 to obtain such purpose1 it was fit to select a peculiar people8 ,and1 if thus much be acknowledged1 it will hardly be thought a question of much moment1 though no answer could be given to it1 why the ,jews had that exclusive privilege conferred upon them4 ,it is true1 a great scheme of prophecy was once revealed to a ,gentile ,king#ce2 but a ,king1 connected with the ,jews1 and who had a ,jewish prophet for his interpreter4 ,it is1 besides1 observable of that prophetic scheme1 that it laid open the future fortunes of four great empires2 but all of them instruments in the hand of ,god to carry on his designs1 on the ,jewish people first1 but ultimately1 with regard to ,jesus4 ,for it hath been remarked with equal truth and penetration1 that ,nebuchadnezzar's vision of the four kingdoms was designed1 as a sort of prophetic chronology1 to point out1 by a series of successive empires1 the beginning and end of ,christ's spiritual ,kingdom4 ,so that the reason1 why those four empires only were distinguished by the spirit of prophecy1 was1 not because they were greater than all others1 but simply because the course of their history led1 in a regular and direct succession1 to the times and reign of ,christ#cf4 ,we see then1 on the principle1 that prophecy was given for the sake of ,jesus only1 that no presumption lies against the truth of it1 on account of its respecting chiefly one people1 how inconsiderable soever in itself1 or from its silence in regard to some of the largest and most flourishing kingdoms that have appeared in the world4 ,,iv4 ,lastly 7for ,i now hasten to an end of this discourse7 ,i infer from the same principle1 8,that1 if1 even after a mature consideration of the prophecies1 and of the events1 in which they are taken to be fulfilled1 there should1 after all1 be some cloud remaining on this subject1 which with all our wit or pains we cannot wholly remove1 this state of things would afford no objection to prophecy1 because it is indeed no other than we might reasonably expect40 ,for1 #a4 ,if ,jesus be the end of prophecy1 the same reasons that made it fit to deliver some predictions darkly1 will further account to us for some degree of obscurity in the application of them to their corresponding events4 ,i say--will account to us for such obscurity--for1 whatever those reasons were1 they could not have taken effect1 but by the intervention of such means1 as must darken in some degree1 the application of a prophecy1 even after the accomplishment of it2 unless we say1 that an object can be seen as distinctly through a veil1 as without one4 ,for instance3 figurative language is the chief of those means1 by which it pleased the inspirer to throw a shade on prophecies1 unfulfilled2 but figurative language1 from the nature of it1 is not so precise and clear1 as literal expression1 even when the event prefigured has lent its aid to illustrate and explain that language4 ,if then it was fit that some prophecies concerning ,jesus should be delivered obscurely1 it cannot be supposed that such prophecies1 when they come to be applied1 will acquire a full and absolute perspicuity#cg4 #b4 ,if the dispensation of ,jesus be the main subject of the prophecies1 then may some of them be still impenetrable to us1 because the various fortunes of that dispensation are not yet perfectly disclosed1 and so some of them may not hitherto have been fulfilled4 ,but the completion of a prophecy is that which gives the utmost degree of clearness1 of which it is capable4 #c4 ,but lastly and chiefly1 if the end and use of prophecy be to attest the truth of ,christianity1 then may we be sure that such attestation will not carry with it the utmost degree of evidence4 ,for ,christianity is plainly a state of discipline and probation3 calculated to improve our moral nature1 by giving scope and exercise to our moral faculties4 ,so that1 though the evidence for it be real evidence1 and on the whole sufficient evidence1 yet neither can we expect it to be of that sort which should compel our assent4 ,something must be left to quicken our attention1 to excite our industry1 and to try the natural ingenuity of the human mind4 ,had the purpose of prophecy been to shew1 merely1 that a predicted event was foreseen1 then the end had been best answered by throwing all possible evidence into the completion4 ,but its concern being to shew this to such only as should be disposed to admit a reasonable degree of evidence1 it was not necessary1 or rather it was plainly not fit1 that the completion should be seen in that strong and irresistible light#ch4 ,for all the reasons1 now given1 7and doubtless1 for many more7 it was to be expected1 that prophecy would not be one cloudless emanation of light and glory4 ,if it be clear enough to serve the ends1 for which it was designed2 if through all its obscurities1 we be able to trace the hand and intention of its divine author2 what more would we have8 ,how improvidently1 indeed1 do we ask more of that great ,being1 who1 for the sake of the natural world1 clothes the heavens with blackness ,is4 #a4 #c42 and in equal mercy to the moral world1 veils his nature and providence in thick clouds1 and makes darkness his pavilion ,ps4 xviii4 #aa8 ,,to ,,these deductions from the text1 more might be added4 ,for ,i believe it will be found that if the end of prophecy1 as here delivered1 be steddily kept in view and diligently pursued1 it will go a great way towards leading us to a prosperous issue in most of those inquiries1 which are thought to perplex this subject4 ,but ,i mean to reason from it no farther than just to shew1 in the way of specimen1 the method in which it becomes us to speculate on the prophetic system4 ,we are not to imagine principles1 at pleasure1 and then apply them to that system4 ,but we are1 first1 to find out what the principles are1 on which prophecy is founded1 and by which it claims to be tried2 and then to see whether they will hold1 that is1 whether they will aptly and properly apply to the particulars1 of which it is compounded4 ,if they will1 the system itself is thus far clearly justified4 ,all that remains is to compare the prophecies with their corresponding events1 in order to assure ourselves that there is real evidence of their completion4 ,the use of this method has been shewn in ,,four capital instances4 ,it is objected to the scriptural prophecies1 that they are obscure--that they abound in double senses--that they were delivered to one people--that1 after all1 there is sometimes difficulty in making out the completion--all of them1 it is said1 very suspicious circumstances2 and which rather indicate a scheme of human contrivance1 than of divine inspiration4 ,to these objections it is replied1 that1 from the very idea which the scriptures themselves give of prophecy1 these circumstances must needs be found in it2 and further still1 that these circumstances1 when fairly considered1 do honour to that idea3 for that the obscurity1 complained of1 results1 from the immensity of the scheme--the double senses1 from the intimate connection of its parts--the partial and confined delivery1 from the wisdom and necessity of selecting a peculiar people to be the vehicle and repository of the sacred oracles--,and lastly1 the incomplete evidence1 from the nature of the subject1 and from the moral genius of that dispensation1 to which the scheme of prophecy itself belongs4 ,in conclusion1 it is now seen to what purpose these preliminary discourses serve1 and in what method they have been conducted4 ,the ,,first1 shewed the vanity and folly of reasoning on the subject of scriptural prophecy from our preconceived fancies and arbitrary assumptions4 ,the ,,second1 shewed the only true way of reasoning upon it to be from scriptural principles1 and then opened and explained one such principle4 ,in this ,,last1 ,i have shewn that1 by prosecuting this way of reasoning from the principle assigned1 some of the more specious objections to the scriptural prophecies are easily obviated4 ,taken together1 these three discourses serve to illustrate the general idea of prophecy1 considered as one great scheme of testimony to the religion of ,jesus2 and consequently open a way for the fair and equitable consideration of particular prophecies1 the more immediate subject of this ,lecture4 ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,,the ,,general ,,argument ,,from ,,prophecy4 ,,john xiii4 #ai4 ,now ,i tell you before it come1 that when it is come to pass1 ye may believe1 that ,i am ,he4 ,it hath been concluded 7not on the slight grounds of hypothesis1 but on the express authority of scripture17 that prophecy was given ,,to ,,attest ,,the ,,mission ,,of ,,jesus3 to afford a reasonable evidence1 that the scheme of redemption1 of which he was the great instrument and minister1 was1 in truth1 of divine appointment2 and was carried on under the immediate cognizance and direction of the ,supreme ,being1 whose prerogative it is to see through all time1 and to call those things1 which be not1 as though they were#ci4 ,our next inquiry will be1 how the prophetic scriptures serve to that end1 and what that evidence is 7,i mean1 taking for granted1 not the truth of the prophetic scheme itself1 but the truth of the representation1 given of it in scripture7 which is thus administered to us by the light of prophecy4 ,i4 ,the text refers to a particular prophecy of our ,lord1 concerning the treachery of ,judas2 of which1 says he to his disciples1 ,i now tell you before it come1 that1 when it is come to pass1 ye may believe that ,i am ,he3 that is1 8,i add this1 to the other predictions concerning myself2 that1 when ye see it fulfilled1 as it soon will be1 ye may be the more convinced of my being the person1 ,i assume to be1 the ,messias foretold40 ,the information1 here given1 was perhaps intended by our ,lord to serve a particular purpose1 ,to prevent1 we will say1 the offence1 which the disciples might have taken at the circumstance of his being betrayed by one of them1 if they had not1 previously1 been admonished of it4 ,but the reason of the thing shews1 that the use1 which the disciples are directed to make of this prophecy1 was the general use of the prophecies concerning ,jesus4 ,the completion was to verify the prediction1 in all cases2 and to convince the world1 ,that ,,he was the ,messiah1 in whom such things should be seen to be accomplished1 as had been expressly foretold#dj4 ,indeed prophecies1 unaccomplished1 may have their use2 that is1 they may serve to raise a general expectation of a predicted event in the minds of those1 who1 for other reasons1 regard the person predicting it1 in the light of a true prophet4 ,and such might be one1 a subordinate1 use of the prophecies concerning ,jesus3 but they could not be applied to the proof of his pretensions1 till they were seen to be fulfilled4 ,nor can they be so applied even then1 unless the things predicted be1 confessedly1 beyond the reach of human foresight4 ,under these conditions1 the argument is clear and easy1 and will lie thus4--8,a great variety of distant1 or1 at least1 future events1 inscrutable to human sagacity1 and respecting one person 7whom we will call1 ,messiah7 have been by different men1 and at different times1 predicted4 ,these events have accordingly come to pass1 in the history and fortunes of one person2 in such sort1 that each is seen to be1 in a proper sense1 fulfilled in him1 and all together in no other person whatsoever3 ,therefore the prediction of these events was divinely inspired3 or 7which comes to the same thing7 therefore the person1 claiming under these predictions to be the ,messiah1 or person foretold1 hath his claims confirmed and justified by the highest authority1 that of ,god himself40 ,such is the argument from prophecy#da3 and on this foundation1 ,jesus assumes to be the ,,messiah2 and his religion1 to be ,,divine4 ,,ii4 ,let us now see1 what the amount of that evidence is1 which results from this kind of proof4 ,careless talkers may say1 and sometimes think1 8that prophecy is but an art of conjecturing shrewdly2 that the sagacity of one man is seen to be vastly superior to that of another2 that1 in some men1 the natural faculty may be so improved by experience1 as to look like divination2 and that no precise bounds can be set to its powers40 ,light or sceptical minds may1 ,i say1 amuse themselves with such fancies3 but serious men will readily acknowledge1 ,that many future events1 especially1 if remote1 or extraordinary#db1 or described with some degree of particularity1 are not within the ability of the human mind to predict4 ,and1 to cut off all occasion of cavil1 let it be owned1 that the argument under consideration is1 or ought to be1 drawn from the completion of prophecies1 so qualified4 ,to evade the force1 which this argument apparently carries with it1 it must then be said1 ,that the completion of any particular prophecy1 alleged1 was fortuitous1 or1 what we call1 a lucky hit4 8,coincidencies of this sort1 we may be told1 are very frequent4 ,in the ceaseless revolution of human affairs1 some event or other will be turning up1 which may give a countenance to the wildest and most hazardous conjecture4 ,hence it is1 that every groundless fear1 every dream1 almost1 has the appearance of being realized by some corresponding accident2 which will not be long in occurring to those1 who are upon the watch to make such discoveries4 ,upon these grounds1 the superstition of omens hath1 at all times1 been able to sustain itself2 and to acquire a degree of credit1 even with wise men4 ,we see1 then1 that chance1 in a good degree1 supplies the place of inspiration3 and that ,he1 who sets up for a ,prophet1 is likely to drive a safe1 as well as gainful trade2 especially1 if he have but the discretion not to deal too freely in precise descriptions of times1 and persons#dc3 a consideration1 of great moment to the men of this craft#dd2 and which hath not been overlooked by those1 whom we account true prophets40 ,such libertine reflections1 as these1 thrown out with an air of negligent ridicule1 have too often the effect intended by them4 ,at the same time1 they disgust sober men1 and are thought too light and trivial to deserve a confutation4 ,but1 because ,i take these suggestions1 with whatever levity1 or disingenuity1 they may be made1 to contain the whole1 or at least1 the chief strength of the infidel cause1 on this subject1 ,i shall not decline to give them a very serious answer4 ,,it ,,is ,,true1 no doubt1 what is here alledged1 ,that the conjectures of fanciful or designing men1 whether grounded on casual signs1 or delivered in the direct way of prophecy1 have been frequently verified in the events3 that is1 such events have actually come to pass1 in the sense put upon the sign1 when it was observed1 and in the literal sense of the prophecy1 as delivered4 ,history and common life1 it is agreed1 abound in such instances#de3 and ,i shall even make no scruple to produce one of each sort2 as much1 at least1 to the purpose of these objectors1 as any of those1 which they have produced for themselves4 ,nothing is more famous in the annals of ancient ,rome1 than the story of ,romulus1 and his ,,twelve ,,vultures2 an omen this1 on which the auspicious name of the rising city1 and the fortune of its founder1 were1 at once1 established#df4 ,what further construction was then put on this prodigy1 doth not appear3 but1 as the science of augury advanced in succeeding times1 a very momentous and striking prophecy was grounded upon it4 ,for we have it affirmed#dg1 on the high authority of ,m4 ,t4 ,,varro1 that ,vettius ,valens1 an augur of distinguished name in those days1 took occasion from this circumstance 7and in the hearing of ,varro himself7 to fix the duration of the ,roman empire4 ,the ,,twelve ,,vultures1 he said1 which appeared to ,romulus1 portended1 that the sovereignty of that state and city1 whose foundations he was then laying1 should continue for the space of ,,twelve ,,hundred ,,years4 ,it is of no moment to inquire1 on what principles of his art the learned augur proceeded1 in this calculation4 ,the ,,truth is1 that the event corresponded1 in a surprising manner1 to the conjecture2 and that the majesty of the ,western empire 7of which ,rome was the capital7 did1 indeed1 expire under the merciless hands of the ,goths1 about the time limited by this augural prophet4 ,it should further1 be observed that this prediction was of such credit and notoriety1 as to take the attention of the later ,romans themselves#dh1 who looked with anxiety for the accomplishment of it3 and that it was delivered by ,valens1 at least five hundred years before the event2 when there was not the least appearance1 that this catastrophe would befall1 what was called1 the ,,eternal ,,city1 within that period4 ,,this is an instance of divination from augury4 ,the ,,other1 ,i am about to give1 is a prophecy1 in full form2 respecting a still more important subject1 and equally accomplished in the event4 ,a poet1 in the ideas of paganism1 was a prophet1 too4 ,and ,seneca#di hath left us1 in proof of the inspiration to which1 in his double capacity1 he might pretend1 the following oracle3 ----venient annis ,secula seris1 quibus ,oceanus ,vincula rerum laxet1 et ingens ,pateat tellus1 ,tiphysque novos ,detegat orbes2 nec sit terris ,ultima ,thule4 ,this prediction was made in the reign of ,nero2 and1 for more than fourteen hundred years1 might only pass for one of those sallies of imagination1 in which poetry so much delights4 ,but1 when1 at length1 in the close of the fifteenth century1 the discoveries of ,columbus had realized this vision3 when that enterprizing navigator had forced the barriers of the vast ,atlantic ocean2 had loosened1 what the poet calls1 the chain of things2 and in these later ages#ej1 as was expressly signified1 had set at liberty an immense continent1 shut up before in surrounding seas from the commerce and acquaintance of our world2 when this event1 ,i say1 so important and so unexpected1 came to pass1 it might almost surprize one into the belief1 that the prediction was something more than a poetical fancy2 and that ,heaven had1 indeed1 revealed to one favoured ,spaniard1 what it had decreed1 in due time1 to accomplish under the auspices of another#ea4 ,,these two instances of casual conjecture1 converted by time and accident into prophecies1 ,i shall take for granted1 are as remarkable1 as any other that can be alledged4 ,cicero1 in his first book of ,divination1 where he laboured to assert the reality of such a power in the pagan world1 was able to produce nothing equal1 or comparable to them4 ,we have the fullest evidence1 that these two predictions were delivered by the persons1 to whom they are ascribed2 and in the time1 in which they are said to have been delivered1 that is1 many hundred years before the event4 ,they1 both of them1 respect events of the greatest dignity and importance3 one of them1 the downfal of the mightiest empire1 that hath hitherto subsisted on the face of the earth2 and the other1 the discovery of a new world4 ,both1 express the time1 when these extraordinary events were to happen3 the latter1 by a general description1 indeed1 yet not more general1 than is frequent in the scriptural prophets2 but the former1 in the most precise and limited terms4 ,in a word1 both these predictions are authentic1 important1 circumstantial3 they foretell events1 which no human sagacity could have foreseen2 and they have been strictly and properly fulfilled4 ,now1 if such coincidencies1 as these1 do not infer divine inspiration2 if1 notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary1 it must still be allowed 7as it will1 on all sides7 that they were simply fortuitous1 or what we call the effects of hazard and pure chance1 by what characters shall we distinguish genuine1 from pretended1 prophecies2 or in what way shall it be discovered1 that the scriptural prophets spake by the spirit of ,god1 when these pagan diviners could thus prophecy1 by their own spirit8 ,to this objection1 put with all the force which ,i am able to give to it1 ,i reply directly1 ,that the distinction1 so importunately demanded1 may very easily and clearly be assigned4 ,if one or two such prophecies1 only1 had occurred in our scriptures2 if even several such had occurred in the whole extent of those writings1 and in the large compass of time they take up1 without descending to a greater detail than is expressed in these pagan oracles2 nay1 if a greater number still of supposed predictions1 thus generally delivered in the sacred writings1 had been applicable only to single independent events1 dispersed indifferently through the several ages of the world3 ,in all these cases1 ,i should freely admit1 that the argument from prophecy was very precarious and unsatisfactory3 ,i could even suppose1 with the deriders of this argument1 that so many1 and such prophecies1 so directed1 might not improbably be accounted for1 from some odd conjuncture of circumstances2 and that the accomplishment of them did by no means infer a certainty of inspiration4 ,but1 if now1 on the other hand1 it be indisputable1 ,that a vast variety of predictions are to be found in the scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testament2 ,that a great part of these predictions are delivered with the utmost degree of minuteness and particularity2 and1 lastly1 ,that all of them1 whether general or particular1 respect one common subject1 and profess to have1 or to expect1 their completion in one connected scheme of things1 and1 upon the matter1 in one single person3 ,on this latter supposition1 ,i must still think1 that there is great reason to admit the divine inspiration of such prophecies1 when seen to be fulfilled4 ,to convert this supposition into a proof1 is not within the scope and purpose of this ,lecture4 ,the work hath been undertaken and discharged by many others3 or1 it may be sufficient1 in so clear a point1 to refer you directly to the ,scriptures themselves2 which no man can read without seeing1 that the prophecies1 contained in them1 are extremely numerous--that many of these prophecies are minutely circumstantial--and that one person1 whoever he be1 is the principal object of them all4 ,my concern1 at present1 is only to shew1 that1 if the supposition itself be well founded1 the inference1 just now mentioned1 is rightly made4 #a4 ,first1 then1 if the prophecies in the ,old and ,new ,testament be very numerous1 and if those prophecies1 so many of them1 ,i mean1 as are alledged in this controversy with unbelievers1 have had a reasonable completion 7and ,i have a right to make this last supposition1 when the question is concerning the account to be given of such a fact73 ,if1 ,i say1 we argue from these two assumptions1 it must appear highly credible and probable1 that so numerous prophecies1 so fulfilled1 had not their origin from human conjecture1 nor their accomplishment from what we call1 ,chance4 ,for mere conjecture is not usually so happy2 nor chance1 so constant#eb4 ,further still2 if the scriptural prophecies have been completed in numerous instances1 and if in no instance whatsoever can it be clearly shewn that they have failed in the event1 the presumption is still stronger1 that such coincidence could not be fortuitous2 and a material difference between scriptural prophecy1 and pagan divination is1 at the same time1 pointed out4 ,for1 that1 in the multitude of pretended oracles in the days of paganism1 some few only should come to pass1 while the generality of them fell to the ground1 may well be the sport of fortune#ec4 ,but1 that very many prophecies1 recorded in our scriptures1 have had an evident completion1 when not one of all those1 there recorded1 can be convicted of imposture1 must surely be the work of design4 ,the argument cannot be denied to have real weight1 though the expression of all the prophecies were allowed to be general4 ,but this is1 by no means1 the case4 ,it is further assumed1 and is evident to all that have read the ,scriptures1 that a great number of them are delivered with the utmost degree of minuteness and particularity4 ,and1 from this assumption1 ,i infer1 #b4 ,secondly1 that the accomplishment of prophecies1 so circumstantially defined1 can still less be imputed to mere chance4 ,without doubt1 if all the prophecies concerning the ,messiah had been penned in the style of the first--that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head--though even then there might be reason for applying them1 exclusively1 to the person of ,christ1 yet1 the evidence1 that they were intended to be so applied1 would have been much obscured by the mode of expression2 the wide cover of which might seem to afford room for other applications4 ,but when1 to this general prophecy1 the theme of all succeeding ones1 it is further added1 ,that this seed of the woman1 should be the seed of ,abraham2 of the tribe of ,juda2 of the family of ,david2 that he should be born at ,bethlehem2 that he should appear in the world at a time1 limited by certain events1 and even precisely determined to a certain period3--when1 after a particular description of his life and office1 it is said of him1 that he should be betrayed by an intimate friend2 and sold for a price1 exactly specified2 that he should suffer a particular kind of death2 should have his hands and feet pierced2 should have vinegar given him to drink2 and should be buried in the sepulchre of a rich man--with innumerable other particularities of the like nature#ed--,when all this1 ,i say1 is considered2 the improbability1 that these specific characters should meet in the same person by chance1 is so great1 that a reasonable man will scarce venture on so hazardous a position4 #c4 ,still this is not all4 ,were we at liberty to apply even numerous1 and circumstantial prophecies1 to any person1 indifferently1 whom they might suit1 and to any events indiscriminately1 to which they might correspond1 sought out at large in the history of mankind1 the force of the argument for design in such prophecies1 might in good measure be eluded4 ,but1 when we reflect on what1 in part1 hath appeared under the last article1 that all the scriptural predictions profess to respect one certain scheme of things2 run in the line of one people2 and point ultimately at one person1 whose country1 and family1 and age1 and birth-place are exactly defined2 the application of them is so limited and restrained1 that1 if they suit at all1 there is scarce a possibility of excluding actual foresight1 and intention4 ,,let ,,me1 further1 observe1 that1 as1 upon this idea of a confined1 connected1 and dependent scheme1 in the prophecies1 the detection of imposture1 if there be any1 is much facilitated2 so1 on the other hand1 if the prophecies can be fairly applied in this way1 not only the presumption1 that they were given to be so applied1 is much increased1 but a clearer insight into the scope and meaning of them1 is obtained4 ,for1 in a system of prophecy1 directed to one and the same general end1 preceding prophecies prepare the way for interpreting those that follow1 and every succeeding prophecy reflects some light on those that went before4 ,thus1 the general evidence1 arising from this species of argument1 is1 in all ways1 augmented2 while we see1 that less room is left to chance in verifying the more clear and direct prophecies1 and that fresh light is let in upon such as are more ambiguous or obscure4 ,it is said1 that many passages in the prophets are applied to ,jesus1 on very slight grounds4 ,this would be true1 if the prophetic scriptures1 like the pagan oracles1 had no determinate scheme in view1 and had1 for their object1 only detached and unconnected events4 ,but1 on this scriptural principle1 that one common purpose is in the contemplation of that divine spirit1 which dictated all those writings1 ,that is expressed1 which is barely intimated2 and every applicable prophecy is rightly applied3 whence it is1 that even secondary prophecies have1 in the system of revelation1 all the light and force of the primary2 as1 in a former discourse1 hath been observed4 ,this assertion1 ,i know1 may startle such persons1 as have not attended to the genius of the prophetic writings1 or to that general harmony of design and destination1 which makes their distinctive character3 but it may be rendered familiar to us by reflecting on the manner1 in which we interpret other writings1 somewhat similar to these4 ,it is generally supposed1 and on good grounds1 that ,virgil wrote his neid with the view of doing honour to the person and government of ,augustus4 ,but1 the subject of his work being taken from a former age1 this was either to be done1 by introducing his encomiums under the form of prophecies1 or by conveying them indirectly in allusive descriptions and1 what we call1 secondary applications4 ,the poet hath employed both these methods1 with success4 ,the purpose of his predictions is clear2 for in them the emperor is expressly named3 and the ablest critics make no scruple of applying to ,augustus all those passages in this poem1 which1 however they may respect1 immediately1 other persons1 are yet clearly seen to be applicable to ,him4 ,we have another instance of the same sort1 at home4 ,our ,spenser wrote his famous poem1 to illustrate the virtues and reign of ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,this we know from himself4 ,though his scene1 therefore1 be laid in ,faery ,land1 yet1 whenever we find his fictions agreeing to the history of that princess1 or the characters of his knights expressive of those virtues1 which distinguished the great persons of her court1 we make no doubt of applying them in that way1 or of the poet's intending that they should be so applied4 ,these applications would not be equally justifiable in other works of fancy1 written in that time2 but the knowledge1 we have of the author's general purpose in writing1 makes them reasonable in this4 ,it may appear from these examples#ee1 that1 whenever a general scheme is known to be pursued by a writer1 whose real or assumed character gives him a right to deal in secondary senses and prophetic anticipations1 that scheme becomes the true key1 in the hands of his reader1 for unlocking the meaning of particular parts2 of many parts1 which would otherwise not be seen clearly and distinctly to refer to such scheme4 ,the observation applies to the inspired writers1 in all its force4 ,we understand1 that they had one common and predominant scheme in view1 which was to bear testimony to ,jesus4 ,their writings are1 then1 to be interpreted in conformity to that scheme4 ,not only the more direct prophecies require this interpretation2 but1 if we will judge in this1 as we do in other similar instances1 whatever passages occur in those writings1 which bear an apt and easy resemblance to the history of ,jesus1 may1 or rather must1 in all reasonable construction1 be applied to him4 ,whence we see 7to mention it by the way7 that1 if no prophecy in the ,old ,testament had applied to ,christ directly in its primary sense1 ,christianity might1 yet1 support itself on the evidence of prophecy4 ,for the evidence1 arising from a secondary sense of prophecies1 is real evidence2 and was certainly admitted1 as such1 by that great man#ef1 whose mistakes on this subject have afforded the occasion of so much vain triumph to infidelity4 ,fancy1 no doubt1 may grow wanton in this sort of applications4 ,it may find1 in the prophet or poet1 what was never designed by either3 but1 in the circumstances supposed1 the severest reader will not deny1 that much was probably designed by both4 ,it is impossible to lay down general rules1 that shall prevent all abuse in the interpretation of such writings4 ,but good sense will easily see1 in particular cases1 where this liberty of interpreting is1 in fact1 abused4 ,it is obvious to remark1 that this use of prophecy doth not commence1 till the corresponding facts can be produced2 that is1 till the prophecies are seen to be fulfilled4 ,but this circumstance is no discredit to the prophetic system2 which pretends not to give immediate conviction1 but to lay in1 beforehand1 the means of conviction to such as shall be in a condition to compare1 in due time1 the prediction with the event4 ,till then1 prophecy serves only to raise a general expectation of the event predicted2 that is1 it serves to make men attentive and inquisitive1 and to prepare them for that full conviction1 which it finally hath in view4 ,and this service1 the prophecies of the ,old ,testament actually did the ,jews1 who were led by them to expect the ,messiah1 when he1 in fact1 appeared among them4 ,and1 had they pursued this reasonable method of interpreting the prophecies1 not by their prejudices1 but by corresponding events1 they must have been further led to acknowledge his mission1 as being evidently attested by predictions1 so fulfilled4 ,but their capital mistake lay in supposing1 that their prophecies were sufficiently clear1 without the help of any comment from succeeding events2 and thus1 what they could not see beforehand1 they would not acknowledge1 when these events came to pass4 ,it follows from what hath been said1 that the obscurity of the ,jewish prophecies concludes nothing against the use of those writings1 or against the application of them1 which ,christians now make4 ,their declared use is posterior to the facts they adumbrate2 whence the intervening obscurity of those writings is no just ground of complaint3 and the application of them to ,jesus1 now that history hath taught us to understand them better1 is made on principles to which no sober man can object4 ,on the whole1 the general evidence for the truth of ,christianity1 as resulting from the scriptural prophecies1 though possibly not that which some may wish or expect1 is yet apparently very considerable4 ,some coincidencies might fall out1 by accident2 and more1 might be imagined4 ,but when so many1 and such prophecies are brought together1 and compared with their corresponding events1 it becomes ridiculous 7because the effect is1 in no degree1 proportioned to the cause7 to say of such coincidencies1 that they are the creatures of fancy or could have been the work of chance4 ,the text supplies the only just account of such a phnomenon3 and the spirit of ,god1 methinks1 calls aloud to us1 in the language of his ,son--,these things have ,i told you before they come1 that when they come to pass1 ye may believe1 that ,i am ,,he4 ,,sermon ,v4 ,,prophecies ,,concerning ,,christ',s ,,first ,,coming4 ,,isaiah xlii4 #i4 ,behold1 the former things are come to pass1 and new things do ,i declare3 before they spring forth1 ,i tell you of them4 ,the preceding discourses were designed1 to open the general idea of prophecy2 and to enforce the general argument from it1 in proof of our holy ,religion4 ,the way being thus far cleared1 we now advance a step farther1 and take a nearer view of ,,the ,,prophecies ,,themselves4 ,these prophecies may be considered under two heads4 ,they either respect1 the person and character and office of the ,messiah2 or1 the fate and fortunes of that kingdom1 which he came to establish in the world4 ,divines call the former of these1 ,prophecies of his ,,first ,,coming3 and the other1 ,prophecies of his ,,second4 ,only1 it may be proper to observe1 ,that the second advent of the ,messiah is not1 like the first1 confined to one single and precise period1 but is gradual and successive4 ,this distinction is founded in the reason of the thing4 ,he could only come1 in person1 at one limited time4 ,he comes1 in his power and his providence1 through all ages of the church4 ,his first coming was then over1 when he expired on the cross4 ,his second1 commenced with his resurrection1 and will continue to the end of the world4 ,so that this last coming of ,jesus is to be understood of his spiritual kingdom2 which is not one act of sovereignty1 exerted at once2 but a state or constitution of government1 subsisting through a long tract of time1 unfolding itself by just degrees1 and coming1 as oft1 as the conductor of it thinks fit to interpose by any signal acts of his administration4 ,and in this sense1 we are directed to pray1 that his kingdom1 though long since set up1 may come2 that is1 may advance through all its stages1 till it arrive at that full state of glory1 in which it shall shine out in the great day1 as it is called1 the day of judgment4 ,it will be seen1 as we advance in the present inquiry1 to what use this distinction serves4 ,the former set of prophecies are presumed to have had their completion1 in the history of ,jesus2 ,the latter set1 have had1 or are to find1 their accomplishment1 in the history of his ,religion2 ,and of ,,these only1 it is the purpose of this ,lecture to speak4 ,but1 though the prophecies of ,christ's first coming 7so largely and accurately considered by many great writers7 be not the immediate subject of our inquiry1 yet they must not be wholly overlooked by us4 ,it will contribute very much to rectify and enlarge our ideas of the divine conduct1 in this whole dispensation of prophecy1 and to make way for that conviction1 which the prophecies of ,christ's second coming were intended to give1 if we stop a while to contemplate the method and conomy of that prophetic system1 by which the first advent of the ,messiah was announced and prepared4 ,it is assumed1 as a first principle on this subject1 ,that ,jesus was the ultimate end and object of all the prophecies#eg3 which beginning from the foundation of the world#eh1 were1 afterwards1 occasionally delivered through many ages2 till at length this great purpose was prosecuted more intently1 by a continued and closely-compacted chain of prophecy2 as we see1 first1 in the patriarchal history1 but1 chiefly1 in the history of the ,jewish state4 ,for1 when this people were selected from the other nations1 to answer many wise ends of providence1 it pleased ,god to institute a form of government for them1 which could not subsist without his frequent interposition2 manifested in such a way as might convince them1 that they were under the actual and immediate conduct of their divine sovereign4 ,hence1 it became a part of this singular conomy1 to be administered in the way of ,prophecy2 by which it would be seen that the hand of ,god was upon them in all their more important concerns4 ,upon this basis of an extraordinary providence1 the ,jewish government stood3 and we are now to see in what manner the prophetic spirit1 so essential to that polity1 was employed4 #a4 ,first1 we may observe1 that1 by means of this provision for their civil regimen1 an apt and commodious way was opened for carrying on the divine councils1 in regard to ,jesus2 in whom1 indeed1 the ,law itself was to be fulfilled4 ,for1 while the civil affairs of the ,jewish people furnished the occasion and substance of their prophecies1 the divine wisdom1 that inspired the prophets1 so contrived1 as that their religious concerns should1 also1 be expressed1 or implied in them4 ,the general theme of the prophet1 was some1 temporal success or calamity of the ,jewish state3 the secret purpose of the inspirer was1 occasionally at least1 and when he saw fit1 to predict the spiritual kingdom of the ,messiah#ei4 ,we have innumerable instances of this sort in the ,jewish prophets2 but few1 more remarkable than that of ,isaiah's prophecy1 addressed to ,ahaz1 king of ,judah1 concerning his deliverance from the two kings of ,samaria and ,damascus4 ,in the primary1 but lower sense of this prophecy1 the sign given was to assure ,ahaz1 that the land of ,juda should speedily be delivered from its two ,royal invaders4 ,but it had likewise another1 and more important purpose4 ,the introduction of the prophecy1 the singular stress laid upon it1 and the exact sense of the terms in which it is expressed1 make it probable1 in a high degree1 that it had some such purpose3 and the event hath clearly proved1 that the sign given had a respect to the miraculous birth of ,christ1 and to a deliverance much more momentous than that of ,ahaz from his present distressful situation--,hear ye now1 ,o ,,house ,,of ,,david--,the ,lord himself shall give you a sign2 ,behold1 a virgin shall conceive1 and bear a ,son1 and shall call his name ,immanuel4 ,isaiah1 vii4 #ac1 #ad4 ,admit that these words are capable of being explained1 in some sort1 of the child now given to be a sign1 to the ,king of ,juda1 of his deliverance within two or three years1 as expressed in the following verses2 still1 who sees not that terms so emphatical and energetic are more properly understood of another child1 to whose birth and character they are found1 in the event1 to be exactly suited8 ,and1 if more properly1 who can doubt that these terms are naturally1 that is1 reasonably understood of that other child1 when we consider with what ideas the mind of the prophet was stored1 and what the ultimate end and object was1 by supposition1 of the prophet's inspiration8 ,the child promised was a sign to ,ahaz of his deliverance2 yet a sign too1 that is1 a type1 to the house of ,david1 of another deliverance1 which they expected1 which their prophets had frequently foretold1 and which we have here announced in the name of this miraculous child1 ,,immanuel1 or eminently1 ,the ,deliverer4 ,there is nothing in this sign#fj1 thus interpreted1 but what is easy and unforced2 ,i mean1 if we bear in mind the genius and character of the ,jewish prophecies4 ,the former event1 signified in the prophecy1 was merely civil3 the latter1 concerned the spiritual kingdom of ,christ4 ,they were both predicted together3 and the preceding event1 when it came to pass1 was1 further1 to induce an expectation1 that the other event would1 in due time1 follow4 ,for #b4 ,secondly1 it appears1 that1 to excite attention to these ,,spiritual predictions1 more obscure than the other1 and regarding events more remote1 care was taken to secure the authority of the prophet1 by the completion of his civil predictions in events1 distinctly described1 and near at hand4 ,thus1 ,moses might be believed by the ,jews in what he said1 of a prophet to be raised up1 in a future age1 like to himself2 when they saw his prophetic blessings and curses upon them1 according to their deserts in the land of ,canaan1 so speedily and so punctually executed4 ,thus1 too1 their prophet1 ,isaiah1 might reasonably expect to find credit with them1 for the glorious things predicted by him of the great deliverer1 the ,messiah2 when their deliverance from the ,babylonish captivity was seen so certainly to verify his prediction of that event4 ,the prophet himself exults in this argument1 as decisive and unanswerable4 ,behold1 says he1 in the text1 the former things are come to pass1 i4 e4 the prophecies1 ,i have delivered to you concerning your redemption from the ,assyrian bondage1 will soon be so exactly completed1 that ,i regard them as things past2 and therefore new things do ,i declare2 hence ,i claim your belief of other prophecies1 concerning a much greater redemption1 to take place hereafter1 though there be no appearance1 as yet1 of any causes tending to produce it1 for before they spring forth1 ,i tell you of them4 ,and this appears to be the general method of all ,god's prophets4 #c4 ,with these new things1 these ,spiritual prophecies concerning the first coming of the ,messiah1 were likewise intermixed other prophecies1 which ran out beyond that term1 and prefigured the great events of his ,,second coming3 and the warrant for admitting these1 would be the completion of those other prophecies1 in the person and sufferings of ,christ#fa4 ,that there are such prophecies in the ,old ,testament1 will be shewn hereafter4 ,in the mean time1 it will not be thought incredible1 that1 if ,jesus be indeed the end of the prophetic scheme1 the revolutions of his government should be foretold1 as well as the circumstances of his personal appearance2 in other words1 that the consummation of that design1 which ,providence was carrying on1 would not be overlooked1 when the steps and gradations of it were so distinctly noted4 ,for1 in any reasonable design whatsoever1 the end is first and principally in view1 though the means engage1 and may seem to engross1 the attention of its author4 ,it will then1 ,i say1 be no surprise to us to find1 that prophecy set out with announcing the kingdom of the ,messiah2 that it never lost sight of that future conomy2 and only produced it into clearer view1 as the season approached for the introduction of it4 ,,thus ,,much concerning the order and method of the ,jewish prophecies2 in which one cannot but adore the profound wisdom of their author4 ,the civil prophecies are1 at once1 the vehicle1 and the credentials1 of the spiritual1 concerning the first coming of ,jesus2 and these last1 in their turn1 support the credit of others1 which point still further at his second coming3 a subject1 more than intimated by the legal prophets1 but resumed and amply displayed by the evangelical4 ,whence we see1 that the prophetic system is so constructed1 as1 in the progress and various evolutions of it1 to illustrate itself1 and to afford an internal evidence of its divinity4 ,one great purpose pervades the whole3 and the parts1 of which it consists1 gradually prepare and mutually sustain each other4 ,but this subject1 so curious and important1 is not yet to be dismissed4 ,it remains to be considered1 whether chance1 or imposture1 can in any degree account for so extensive1 so connected1 and so intricate a system4 ,on the very face of the prophetic scriptures it appears1 that one ultimate purpose is in the contemplation of all the prophets4 ,this purpose is unfolded by successive predictions1 delivered in distant times1 under different circumstances1 and by persons1 who cannot be suspected of acting in concert with each other4 ,it does not appear1 that the later prophets always understood the drift of the more ancient2 or1 that either of them clearly apprehended the whole scope and purpose of their own predictions4 ,yet1 on comparing all their numerous prophecies with each other1 and with the events1 in which it is now presumed they have had their completion1 we find a perfect harmony and consistency between them4 ,nothing is advanced by one prophet1 that is contradicted by another4 ,an unity of design is conspicuous in them all2 yet without the least appearance of collusion1 since each prophet hath his own peculiar views1 and enlarges on facts and circumstances1 unnoticed by any other4 ,further still1 these various and successive prophecies are so intimately blended1 and1 as we may say1 incorporated with each other1 that the credit of all depends on the truth of each4 ,for1 the accomplishment of them falling in different times1 every preceding prophecy becomes surety1 as it were1 for those that follow2 and the failure of any one must bring disgrace and ruin on all the rest4 ,then1 again1 consider that the prophetic spirit1 which kept operating so uniformly and perpetually in what is called the former age1 ceased at that very time1 when the great object1 it had in view1 was disclosed2 when that future conomy1 which it first and last predicted1 was introduced3 a time1 too1 which was precisely determined by the old prophets themselves4 ,could they answer for what design or chance might be able to bring about8 ,is it credible1 that this perennial fount of prophecy1 which ran so copiously from ,adam to ,christ1 and watered all the ages of the ,jewish church1 should stop1 at once1 in so critical a season2 and should never flow again in any future age2 if fortune1 or fraud1 or fanaticism1 had dispensed its streams1 if any thing indeed1 but the hand of ,god1 had opened its source1 and directed its current8 ,nor let it be objected that a succession of prophets was interrupted for some ages before the coming of ,christ4 ,it was so3 but not1 till preceding prophets had marked out the precise time of his coming#fb2 not1 till ,malachi1 with whom the word of prophecy ceased for a time1 had foretold that this interrupted series should be resumed and finally closed by ,elijah1 the last ,jewish prophet and precursor of the ,messiah#fc2 and not1 till it had been expressly declared1 that this eclipsed light of prophecy should break forth again with redoubled lustre1 in the days of the ,messiah#fd4 ,who would not conclude1 then1 from this very intermission1 that prophecy was given1 or withheld1 as the wisdom of ,god ordained1 and not as the caprice or policy of man directed8 ,it may not be pretended1 that the age1 in which prophecy finally ceased among the ,jews1 will account for the suppression of this faculty1 8for that it was an age of the greatest turbulency and disorder1 and that their ruin and dispersion soon after followed40 ,this pretence1 ,i say1 is altogether frivolous4 ,for it was precisely in those circumstances1 that their ancient prophets were most numerous1 and their inspirations most abundant4 ,it was during the calamitous season of their captivities1 that the prophetic power had been most signally exercised among the ,jews4 ,and now1 when they were carried captive into all lands1 not a single prophet arose1 or hath arisen to this day1 either for their reproof1 or consolation#fe4 ,if it be said1 8that the pagan oracles ceased1 too1 about the same time2 and that the same cause1 namely1 the diffused light and knowledge of the ,augustan age1 was fatal to both20 besides1 that this diffusion of light1 for obvious reasons1 was not likely to affect the ,jewish prophecies1 and did not1 as we certainly know1 in any degree diminish the credit of them1 with that people1 the fact itself1 assumed in the objection1 is plainly false4 ,for the pagan oracles continued for several ages after that of ,augustus2 they became less frequent1 only1 as ,christianity gained ground2 and were not silenced1 but among the last struggles of expiring paganism#ff4 ,so that if the ,jewish prophecies1 like those of the ,gentile world1 had been the issue of fraud1 or fanaticism 7principles1 that operate at all times1 and1 with redoubled force and activity1 in the dark days of persecution7 one does not see1 why they might not have continued to this day among the bigoted professors of that religion4 ,now1 put all these things together1 that is1 ,the long duration of the prophetic system--the mutual dependance and close connexion of its several parts--the consistency and uniformity of its views1 all terminating in one point--and the final suppression of it 7as was likewise foretold7 at the very time1 when those views were accomplished2 consider1 ,i say1 all this1 and see1 if there be not something more than a blind credulity in the advocates for the divinity of such a system4 ,see1 if there be any instance upon record--of so numerous prophecies--so long continued--so intimately related to each other and to one common end--so apparently verified--and so signally concluded4 ,if there be1 ,i shall not wonder at the suspense and hesitation of wise men1 on this subject3 but if1 on the other hand1 no such thing was ever seen1 or heard of1 out of the land of ,juda1 they must excuse us if we incline to think their diffidence misplaced1 and their scruples unnecessary1 at least1 if not disingenuous4 ,i descend no farther into a detail on the scriptural prophecies concerning ,christ's first coming4 ,the immensity of the subject1 and the plan prescribed to me in this ,lecture1 equally restrain me from this attempt4 ,obscurities there may1 and must be1 in so vast a scheme3 ,objections may1 and must occur to the construction and application of particular prophecies4 ,but let any serious man take the ,bible into his hands2 let him consider1 not all the prophecies in that book1 but such as are more obvious and intelligible2 and let him compare such prophecies1 as he must acknowledge1 and may1 in part at least1 understand1 with the facts1 in which he sees their completion1 or so far1 as he may think it probable that they have been completed2 and ,i dare be confident that such an inquirer will be much struck with the amount of the evidence from prophecy1 in support of divine revelation4 ,if1 indeed1 on this general survey1 he find nothing to affect him1 ,i shall not desire him to push his researches into the more secret and mysterious prophecies3 much less1 shall ,i advise him to wade through that cloud of smaller difficulties1 in which the ignorant temerity of some writers1 and the obscure diligence of others1 hath involved this1 as it easily may any other1 subject4 ,,to ,,speak ,,plainly1 the only consideration1 which to me seems likely to perplex fair and candid minds1 is this--8,that the argument from prophecy is understood to be addressed to those1 who admit the divinity of the ,jewish scriptures--that the ,jews themselves were eminently in this situation--that1 besides this advantage1 the ,jews were better qualified1 than any others1 to interpret their own prophecies2 and to judge of their completion--and yet1 that these very men neither were1 nor are convinced by this argument40 ,several things are here asserted1 which deserve to be explained4 ,i take them in an inverted order4 ,i4 ,it is said1 8that the ,jews were not1 and are not to this day1 convinced by the argument from prophecy40 ,this allegation is in part false3 for multitudes#fg1 from among the ,jews1 were1 in the apostolic age1 converted to ,christianity2 and these are well known to have laid a peculiar stress on this argument4 ,the greater part of that people1 indeed1 disbelieved1 and have continued to this day in their infidelity4 ,but then let it be considered1 #a4 that we have an adequate cause of this effect1 in the prejudices of the ,jewish nation2 prejudices1 of which their whole history evidently convicts them4 #b4 ,that1 notwithstanding their rejection of ,jesus1 they admit the existence and authority of those prophecies1 which we apply to him2 and that they themselves have constantly applied these very prophecies to their expected ,messiah3 so that the question between us is only this1 ,whether they1 or we1 rightly apply them4 #c4 ,that their perverse obstinacy in refusing to submit to the evidence of their prophecies1 is itself foretold by their own prophets4 ,,ii4 ,but it is further said1 8that their authority1 in this controversy1 is greater than ours1 for that they must best understand their own prophecies1 and judge best of their completion40 #a4 ,i do not perceive on what ground of reason this is said4 ,the old prophecies belong to us1 as well as to them2 and have been considered with as much diligence by ,christian1 as by ,jewish expositors4 ,their customs1 their history1 their traditions1 are equally known to both parties4 ,their very language hath been studied by ,christians with a care1 not inferior to that which the ,jews themselves employ upon it2 with a care1 that not unfrequently1 in both1 hath degenerated into superstition4 ,if it be said1 8that the ancient ,jews1 that is1 the ,jews in the time of ,christ1 must have been better qualified1 than we now are1 to interpret the prophecies1 the language1 they spoke1 being only a dialect of that in which the prophecies are written10 the answer is already given1 under the last article3 to which we may further add1 that ,christianity being much better understood now1 than it was then1 the force of the prophetic language concerning it 7if1 indeed1 the prophecies have any such thing in view7 must be more distinctly apprehended1 in many instances1 by ,christians at this day1 than it could be by the ,jews1 even when they spoke a dialect of the ,hebrew language4 ,so that still ,i do not see1 upon the whole1 what advantage the ,jews1 whether of ancient or modern times1 can be thought to have over us1 in explaining the prophetic scriptures4 ,and then #b4 ,as to the completion of the prophecies1 the same histories are in the hands of both3 and if they do not apply them1 as we do the appeal is open to common sense4 ,every man is left at liberty to judge for himself1 which side is best supported in the application of them4 ,the prejudice might1 indeed1 be thought equal on both sides1 if it were not decided by their own scriptures1 that no prejudice of any people upon earth was ever so invincible1 as that of the ,jews4 #c4 ,lastly1 on both heads1 there is a peculiar presumption1 that they1 and not we1 are misled by prejudice3 ,it is this3 ,they were led by their prophecies1 as interpreted by themselves1 to expect that they would be completed at the time1 in which1 we say1 they were completed2 and it was not till after the coming of ,christ that they began to interpret them differently1 and to look out for another completion of them4 ,judge then1 if they1 or we1 are likely to have erred most1 through prejudice1 in expounding and applying the prophecies4 ,the natural and proper sense will be thought to be that1 in which we take them2 for that sense occurred first to themselves1 and was1 in truth1 their sense1 before we adopted it4 ,when ,i say--their sense--,i mean1 especially1 in respect to the time1 which they had fixed for the accomplishment of the prophecies concerning the ,messiah3 for1 as to their giving a temporal sense to some prophecies1 in which we find a spiritual1 that is another matter1 concerning which1 as ,i said1 the appeal lies to every competent and dispassionate inquirer4 ,in the mean time1 it must be thought some presumption in favour of the ,christian interpretation1 that1 whereas the ,,jews1 in rejecting a spiritual or mystical sense of those prophecies 7which yet is admitted by them1 without scruple1 on other occasions1 and is well suited to the genius of their whole religion7 are driven to the necessity of supposing a two-fold ,messias--a new conceit1 taken up1 without warrant from their scriptures1 and against their own former ideas and expectations--,,we1 on the contrary1 by the help of that spiritual sense1 are able to explain all the prophecies of one and the same ,messias1 conformably to the event1 and even to the time which the ,jews themselves had prefixed for the completion of them4 ,now1 when1 of two interpretations1 one has apparently all the marks of shift1 constraint1 and distress in it1 and the other comes out easy1 uniform1 and consistent2 we may guess beforehand1 as ,i said1 which of them is likely to be well-founded4 ,,iii4 ,still it is pretended1 8that the argument from prophecy is properly addressed to those only who admit the divinity of the ,jewish scriptures1 as the ,jews have invariably done2 and that it hath no force1 but on that previous supposition4 ,why then is the argument pressed on others1 who do not believe the divine authority of those scriptures8 ,and how should it prevail with any1 whether believers or not1 when the ,jews themselves1 who of all men most firmly believe that authority1 are not convinced by it80 ,the latter part of the difficulty1 which respects the incredulity of the ,jews1 hath been already removed2 so far1 ,i mean1 as it is founded on their prejudices4 ,as for the assertion1 8,that the argument from prophecy presupposes the truth and divinity of the ,jewish scriptures1 and must therefore have most weight with the ,jews1 or rather hath no weight at all1 but with them1 or with others1 who admit that common principle10 though something1 like this1 may have been said1 ,i take it to be wholly unsupported1 as well by fact1 as by any good reason4 #a4 ,i argue against this assumption from fact2 that is1 from the method1 taken by the early ,christians to convert the ,gentile world1 and from the success of that method4 ,if we look into the history of the ,gospel1 we shall find the ,apostle ,peter1 pressing this argument from prophecy on the gentile ,cornelius#fh2 and the ,apostle ,paul1 urging it with effect1 on the ,jews indeed first1 but also on the ,asiatic ,gentiles#fi4 ,if we turn to the ,christian apologists1 we shall find them addressing this topic to ,gentile unbelievers1 nay1 as venturing the whole cause of ,christianity on this single argument#gj4 ,justin ,martyr makes as free use of it in his apology to the ,antonines1 as in his dialogues with ,trypho4 ,we know1 too1 the success of this argument1 thus employed1 in many instances3 and therefore see1 as well the fitness of the argument to produce this effect1 as the judgment of the ,apostles and primitive ,christians concerning its fitness4 ,but to come #b4 to the reason of the thing4 ,the ,jews1 who professed to believe1 and did1 in fact1 believe1 the divine inspiration of their sacred oracles1 were1 doubtless1 bound by their own principles1 to expect with assurance the due completion of them4 ,the ,gentiles1 who did not previously respect those oracles as of divine authority1 but regarded them only in the light of human conjectures1 yet saw that such passages1 whether we call them oracular or conjectural1 did1 in truth1 occur in the ,jewish scriptures2 and were obliged to admit1 on the faith of historical testimony1 that those scriptures were composed by the persons whose names they bear1 and at the times fixed for the composition of them4 ,what then is the difference of the two cases8 ,only this3 the ,jews believed that their oracles would be fulfilled1 because they held them to be divine2 the ,gentiles had to wait till those oracles were fulfilled1 before they acknowledged their divinity4 ,in either case1 the argument is independent of the belief1 or the expectation1 and turns on the completion only4 ,then1 indeed1 the ,jew sees that his belief was well founded1 and the ,gentile admits that the prediction was divine4 ,the mistake would be equal1 on the other hand1 to conceive1 that the argument from prophecy pre-supposes the divine inspiration of the ,new ,testament4 ,it pre-supposes only the historical truth of that book4 ,admit this1 and compare the events recorded in that history1 with the prophecies to which they correspond1 and the divinity of both ,testaments is proved4 ,for then1 the pretensions of ,jesus are made good1 by the completion of the prophecies2 and the inspiration of the prophets is concluded1 from the delivery of them4 ,in both cases 7let me repeat it7 it is not the authority of the books containing the prophecies1 nor of the books recording the facts in which they are fulfilled1 but simply the completion of the prophecies in those facts1 seen and acknowledged1 which infers the divinity of either ,testament4 ,even the ,jew would retract his high opinion of the prophecies1 if he did not admit or expect the accomplishment of them2 and the ,christian would renounce his faith in ,jesus1 if his history did not accord to the prophecies1 alledged4 ',tis true1 that1 with either1 the argument would gain more attention1 than with such as professed no previous belief in the divinity of the ,old or ,new ,testament4 ,but its force is really the same1 on both suppositions4 ,it lies merely in the conviction1 which one hath from the evidence produced1 that certain prophetic passages were delivered in the ,old ,testament1 and have been fulfilled by certain corresponding events1 related in the ,new4 ,on the whole1 there is no reason to conclude1 that we are not as good judges of the argument from prophecy1 as the ,jews were2 or1 that this argument ought to have the less weight with us1 because the ,jews were not convinced by it4 ,for the argument doth in no degree depend on faith1 but is calculated to produce it4 ,it is equally strong1 or equally weak1 to a ,christian1 or ,jew1 or even to an unbeliever3 the sole point in question being this1 ,whether such things1 as were prophetically delivered1 appear to have been fulfilled3 a point1 on which common sense and common honesty will equally decide1 on every supposition4 ,i know1 indeed1 that1 unless we suppose the inspiration of the prophets1 some passages1 delivered by them1 will not so probably be thought to intend ,christ1 as they will be1 if we acknowledge that principle3 and1 on the other hand1 that there are some circumstances in the history of ,jesus1 which will not be so readily seen to refer to preceding prophecies1 if the inspiration of ,jesus and his ,apostles be not previously admitted4 ,but ,i do not argue1 at present1 from either of these topics4 ,there are passages enough1 clearly predictive of the ,messiah1 and clearly accomplished in him1 to afford a solid foundation for the argument from prophecy1 as here instituted1 without looking out for any other of more nice and ambiguous interpretation4 ,hence we see the dangerous mistake of those1 who contend that the argument from prophecy hath not1 of itself1 the nature of a direct positive proof of our religion4 ,prophecies fulfilled1 ,i mean such prophecies as those in question1 prove invincibly the divine inspiration of the prophets4 ,but1 if the prophets were inspired1 the divine mission of him1 in whom the predicted marks of the ,messiah meet1 must needs be acknowledged4 ,and what more is required to prove the truth of ,christianity8 ,not even the evidence of miracles1 performed by ,christ1 if the prophecies had not made them one mark of his character4 ,the truth is1 ,prophecies and ,miracles are1 in themselves1 two distinct positive proofs4 ,either proof is direct1 and would have been sufficient1 if the other had not been given4 ,but the divine goodness1 for our more abundant satisfaction1 and to leave infidelity without excuse1 hath made the one proof dependent on the other3 so that neither the argument from prophecy is complete1 without the miracles2 nor the argument from miracles1 as applied to ,christ1 unless he likewise appear to have fulfilled the prophecies4 ,can we desire a stronger proof1 that neither they1 who predicted the miracles1 were false prophets1 nor he1 who claimed to himself the application of ,,all the prophecies1 was a false ,messiah8 ,these reflexions1 on the method and order of the prophecies1 of those especially concerning ,christ's ,,first ,,coming2 together with what has been said on the independency of this argument on ,jewish or ,christian concessions2 may serve to convince us1 ,that we shall do well to suspend our conclusions concerning the evidence of prophecy1 till we have examined the whole subject4 ,in the mean time1 this part of the subject1 thus far opened and explained1 leads us1 with advantage1 to the consideration of that1 which is yet behind and is the peculiar object of this ,lecture1 ,i mean the prophecies concerning ,,christ',s ,,second ,,coming4 ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,,prophecies ,,concerning ,,christ',s ,,second ,,coming4 ,,isaiah xlii4 #i4 ,behold1 the former things are come to pass1 and new things do ,i declare3 before they spring forth1 ,i tell you of them4 ,it must strike the most careless reader of the prophecies to observe1 that the general subject of them all was announced from the earliest time1 and was only drawn out more distinctly by succeeding prophets3 that1 of the two ages1 into which the world of ,god1 ,i mean his religious world1 is divided in holy scripture1 the former1 which abounds most in prophecy1 was plainly made subservient to the latter3 that not only the events of that preceding age are foretold by its own prophets1 but that the fortunes of the last1 and very remote age1 are occasionally revealed by them2 and that the same oracles1 which attest the first coming of ,christ1 as if impatient to be confined to so narrow bounds1 overflow1 as it were1 into the future age1 and expatiate on the principal facts and circumstances of his second coming4 ,by this divine artifice1 if ,i may so speak1 the two dispensations1 the ,jewish and ,christian1 are closely tied together1 or rather compacted into one intire harmonious system2 such1 as we might expect1 if it were indeed formed1 and conducted by him1 to whom are known all his works from the beginning#ga4 ,so that1 in respect of the fortunes1 which were to befall the ,christian church1 even in the latter days1 we may still ask1 in the triumphant terms of the ,jewish prophet--,have ye not known8 ,have ye not heard8 ,hath it not been told you from the beginning8 ,have ye not understood from the foundation of the earth#gb8 ,but1 though this subject was opened by the old prophets1 so far as seemed expedient in that age1 and clearly enough1 to shew the integrity and continuity of the whole system1 it was more illustriously1 because more distinctly1 displayed by the evangelical prophets4 ,and here1 again1 the same provision of wisdom and goodness meets us1 as before4 ,the ,christian prophets1 like the ,jewish1 bespeak our attention to what they reveal of the greater and more distant events in their dispensation1 by other less momentous prophecies1 which were speedily to be accomplished#gc2 thus1 impressing upon us an awful sense of their divine foresight1 and procuring an easy credit from us to their subsequent predictions3 while the events1 which both these prophetic schemes point out1 are so distributed through all time1 as to furnish1 successively1 to the several ages of the world1 the means of a fresh and still growing conviction#gd4 ,,as ,,the ,,order of these ,discourses1 now1 leads me to exemplify this last observation1 ,i shall do it in ,,three remarkable prophecies concerning the ,christian church2 ,i mean those1 which respect #a4 ,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,jerusalem4 #b4 ,,the ,,dispersion ,,of ,,the ,,jews4 ,and #c4 ,,the ,,conversion ,,of ,,the ,,gentiles4 ,i refer to these prophecies1 as well known4 ,they are in the number of those1 which1 in part1 were delivered by the ,jewish prophets2 and afterwards1 more distinctly revealed by the ,christian4 ,i4 ,,the ,,destruction ,,of ,,the ,,jewish ,,city ,,and ,,temple1 is an event of the utmost moment in the view of revealed religion4 ,it accomplished a great number of prophecies1 and vindicated the honour of ,jesus1 by a signal vengeance on his murderers4 ,it answered1 besides1 other important purposes of divine providence2 by putting a visible and necessary end to the ,jewish conomy1 which was now to give way to the dispensation of the ,messiah2 and by dispersing the ,jews into all lands1 for many wise and admirable reasons4 ,hence1 of all the prophecies1 delivered by ,christ himself 7who was a prophet1 though indeed much more than a prophet7 ,this alone is displayed by him1 at large1 and in all its circumstances4 ,if any man1 unacquainted with these matters1 should doubt1 whether this prophecy of ,jesus1 as recorded in three of the four ,gospels1 were not delivered1 that is1 forged1 after the event1 ,i might refer him to the numerous writers on that subject4 ,but ,i hold it sufficient to say1 #a1 ,on the faith of all antiquity1 that these ,gospels were not only written1 but published to the world1 before the destruction of ,jerusalem--#b1 that the early date of their composition is apparent from many internal characters1 dispersed through these writings--#c1 that no interpolation of this prophecy could afterwards take place1 because the prophecy is interwoven with the general thread of the history--and1 #d1 lastly1 that no unbeliever of the primitive times1 whether ,jew or ,gentile1 when pressed1 as both frequently were1 by this prophecy1 appears to have had recourse to the charge1 either of forgery1 or interpolation#ge4 ,the authenticity and early date of the prophecy is1 then1 on these grounds1 assumed4 ,i will1 further1 suppose 7because the history of ,josephus invincibly proves it7 that all the particulars1 mentioned in this prophecy1 concurred in the event4 8,but this1 you will say1 might well be3 for what more uniform1 than the characters of distress in a great city1 forced and desolated by a superior enemy8 ,and what more probable1 than that1 some time or other1 such should be the fate of every great city80 ,it may further be insinuated1 8,that1 if ever ,jerusalem was to be destroyed1 the obstinate humour of its inhabitants1 and the nature of the place1 would probably draw this destruction upon it1 in the way it actually happened1 in the way of siege#gf3 that1 then1 all the miseries1 endured by the ,jews1 would naturally fall on a desperate people from an irritated and successful conqueror2 above all1 in ancient times1 when conquest and clemency were little acquainted with each other3 that1 as for the preceding wars1 famines1 pestilences1 and earth-quakes 7which are mentioned1 in the prophecy1 as signs of the approaching desolation7 these1 are such usual things in the course of the world1 as may be safely made the prognostics of any predicted event whatsoever3 that ,jesus1 therefore1 as any other wise man1 might form his prediction on these principles2 and trust to time1 and the passions of mankind1 for the completion of it40 ,now1 let all this be allowed 7and scepticism itself will hardly make other or greater demands upon us7 still1 the honour of ,jesus stands secure2 and this fine fabric of suspicion is overturned at once1 if we reflect on two or three circumstances1 unluckily1 and1 if the prophet be not divine1 unnecessarily wrought into the texture of this famous prophecy4 ,first1 ,i observe1 that this destruction was to come from the hands of the ,romans#gg2 and1 without doubt1 if it were to happen in any reasonable time1 it could not so probably be expected to come from any other quarter4 ,but1 then1 was it likely that ,juda1 at that time a ,roman province1 should be thus isolated by its own masters8 ,was it to be presumed1 that so small a province should dare to engage in a formal contest with ,rome1 the mistress of the world1 as well as of ,juda8 with ,rome1 then the zenith of her power1 and irresistible to all nations8 ,was it conceivable1 if any future distraction of that mighty empire should tempt the ,jews to oppose their feeble efforts to its high fortune1 that a vengeance so signal1 so complete1 should be taken upon them8 that nothing less than a total extermination should be proposed1 and effected8 ,the ruin of the temple at ,jerusalem was to be so entire1 that one stone should not be left upon another4 ,allow for the exaggerated terms of a prophetic description2 still1 was it imaginable1 that the ,romans should1 in any proper sense of the words1 execute this denunciation8 ,was it their way1 as it was afterwards that of the ,goths1 to wage war with stones8 ,was it a principle with them1 to beat down the pride of buildings1 as well as of men#gh8 ,would even their policy1 or their pride1 have suffered them to blot out an ancient1 a renowned1 an illustrious temple1 the chief ornament of their province1 the glory of the ,east1 and the trophy of their own conquests8 ,such an event was very improbable1 in contemplation3 and history shews1 that it did not come to pass in any ordinary way4 ,for the instrument1 in the hands of ,heaven1 of this exterminating vengeance1 was a man1 the most unlikely of all others to inflict it2 a man1 who by nature abhorred such extremities2 who1 in fact1 did his utmost to prevent this dreadful catastrophe1 and could not prevent it#gi4--,still1 a more unmanageable circumstance1 than this1 occurs in the prophecy4 ,for1 ,secondly1 it is implied that ,,one of our ,lord's disciples should survive this desolation#hj3 and it is expressly asserted1 that the then subsisting generation should not pass away1 before all these things were accomplished#ha4 ,they ,,were accomplished1 within forty years from the date of the prophecy1 and before the death of that disciple4 ,the fact is certain and undeniable3 ,i leave the rest to your own reflexions4 ,thirdly1 warning is given in this prophecy to the disciples of ,jesus1 to fly from this impending ruin2 and a signal is held out to them1 for that purpose#hb4 ,it is further predicted1 that they should avail themselves of this signal and so entirely escape the snare1 in which the rest of their countrymen should be taken1 that not a hair of their heads should perish#hc4 ,and this part of the prophecy was1 it seems1 completed#hd4 ,lastly1 this prophecy was incumbered with another strange event1 needlessly incumbered with it1 if the whole were an imposture4 ,it is said1 that the ,gospel should be preached in all the world1 for a witness unto all nations1 before it should be fulfilled4 ,was it not enough to say1 that the prophecy should be accomplished in the time of that generation1 and in the life-time of ,st4 ,john1 without adding so unlikely a circumstance1 as that a general promulgation of the ,gospel1 by a few unlettered and unfriended fishermen1 should precede the accomplishment of it8--,i know1 that this part of the prophecy admits a secondary sense3 but1 in the primary sense1 it was so far fulfilled1 as to astonish us with the divine foresight of its author4 ,i omit other considerations1 that might be alledged4 ,but you see that1 setting aside such particulars in the prophecy1 as sceptical men may think themselves able to draw within the sphere of human conjecture1 there are several things expressed in it1 so strange to all apprehension1 so unlikely to happen1 so impossible for any natural sagacity to foresee1 and yet so certainly and punctually fulfilled1 that nothing short of divine inspiration can possibly account for them4 ,the prophecy1 in all its parts1 is divine3 but in these1 its divinity is clear and incontestable4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,dispersion ,,of ,,the ,,jews1 is another event1 which deserves your consideration4 ,moses himself had predicted this circumstance of their fortune1 in terms of the greatest energy4 ,he had told them--that they should be removed into all the kingdom of the earth1 and that they should be scattered among all people from one end of the earth even unto the other--that1 among the nations1 into which they should be driven1 they should find no ease1 nor rest1 and that they should be only oppressed and crushed alway--that they should become an astonishment1 a proverb1 and a by-word among all nations--and that their plagues should be wonderful1 and of long continuance#he4 ,these prophecies had been1 to a certain degree1 fulfilled in other parts of their history3 but there was to be a time1 when the wrath of ,god should come upon them to the uttermost#hf4 ,this time was now come1 when their city was destroyed1 and their land desolated1 by the arms of ,titus4 ,then1 as ,jesus prophesied of them1 were the days of vengeance1 that all things1 which were written1 should be fulfilled3 then1 were they to be led away captive into all nations3 and thenceforth1 was ,jerusalem to be trodden down of the ,gentiles1 until ,,the ,,times ,,of ,,the ,,gentiles ,,should ,,be ,,fulfilled#hg4 ,nor say1 that this last prophecy is indefinite3 for the times of the ,gentiles is a period1 well known in the prophetic writings2 a period1 of long duration indeed1 as the event hath shewn2 yet a period1 marked out by other prophecies 7which may come1 in turn1 to be considered in this ,lecture7 no less distinctly1 than their other captivities had been4 ,for1 to all these predictions there must be added one more1 which expressly asserts the return of this people1 in some future age1 from their long and wretched dispersion3 for blindness1 in part1 only1 hath happened to ,israel2 and that again1 till the fulness of the ,gentiles be come in#hh4 ,this1 ,st4 ,paul terms a mystery3 and yet the ancient prophets had a glimpse of it1 when they foretold1 that the ,lord would not make a full end of them#hi1 and that a remnant of them should remain1 and should return in the latter days#ij4 ,moses himself1 who had denounced such heavy judgements upon them1 and of so long continuance1 during their dispersion1 had mingled1 with his woes1 this one note of mercy--,and yet for all that1 when they lie in the land of their enemies1 ,i will not cast them away1 neither will ,i abhor them1 to destroy them ,,utterly1 and to break my covenant with them#ia4 ,consider these predictions1 and compare them with the present and past state of this people for seventeen hundred years2 and see1 if there be nothing to take your attention1 or1 rather1 your astonishment1 in the completion of them4 ,why is this dreadful vengeance1 singular in its circumstances1 and never yet experienced by any other people on the face of the earth1 why is this peculiar vengeance executed on the ,jews8--,or1 whatever the cause may be1 is not the fact such as was predicted8 8,the predictions1 you will say1 have the appearance of being fulfilled4 ,but where is the wonder1 that a people1 distinguished by a singular religion1 and above measure addicted to it1 should continue to exist under that distinction1 and should be every where known by it8 ,that a people1 on account of their profession1 more than commonly obnoxious to the other religious sects1 among whom the earth hath been chiefly parcelled out--to the ,heathen1 for their unconquerable aversion to idolatry--to the ,christians1 for the atrocious murder of their founder--to the ,mahometans1 for the constant rejection of their prophet--should be the scorn and outcast of all three2 and that1 being excluded from the only country1 to which they have any attachment1 they should be vagabonds on the earth1 and should disperse themselves indifferently through every quarter of it1 as caprice1 or interest1 or convenience1 invites them8 that1 lastly1 being thus distinguished from all men1 and thus at enmity with all1 they should never be suffered to enter into any other civil community1 or to establish a distinct community of their own80 ,but the wonder doth not lie1 altogether1 where these questions seem to place it4 ,that the ,jews1 while they profess themselves such1 should be thus treated1 may be natural enough3 but that they should continue1 for so many ages1 under such treatment2 every where and always spurned1 reviled1 oppressed2 yet neither worn out by this usage2 nor induced by it to renounce their offensive profession1 and take refuge in the mass of people among whom they live2 that neither time1 nor custom1 nor suffering1 should get the better of their bigotry or patience2 but that they should still subsist a numerous1 a distinct1 a wretched people1 as they do1 to this day--all this hath something prodigious in it1 which the common principles of human nature will not easily explain#ib4 ,we1 who admit the divine origin of their religion2 and1 adore1 with them1 the extraordinary providence1 by which their polity was so long administered and upheld2 can1 better than any others1 explain this difficulty4 ,for1 what so likely to produce an invincible attachment to their ,law1 as the abundant evidence1 they had of its authority8 ,but neither will this account of the matter be found satisfactory4 ,for1 as if on purpose to discredit this solution1 their history informs us1 ,that ten1 of the twelve tribes1 which originally composed their nation1 did1 in fact1 disappear under their last captivity1 and were1 in a good measure at least1 absorbed in it4 ,if such1 then1 was the fate of ,israel in its dispersion1 within the compass of not many generations1 and yet the relics of ,judah are still preserved in all countries to this day1 what better or other reason can we assign for this difference of fortune in two branches of the same people1 equally attached to the same divine ,law1 than that the former were left to the natural consequences of a dispersion1 and that the latter were purposely kept from being affected by them1 as the prophecies had distinctly foretold8 ,if it be still said1 8,that there is nothing more extraordinary in this continuance of the ,jews1 under their dispersion1 than of other religionists in like circumstances2 of the ,christians for instance1 under the ,turkish dominion20 the cases 7to say nothing of the difference in point of time7 are1 in many respects1 entirely unlike4 ,the ,asiatic ,,christians derive a confidence1 and some degree of protection1 from the many flourishing ,christian empires1 which subsist in other quarters of the world4 ,,they1 can perform all the duties of their religion1 as perfectly in the countries1 where they reside1 as in any other4 ,,they1 have the future hopes of the ,gospel1 the proper sanction of their ,law1 to support them in all the distresses1 to which their ,christian profession may1 at present1 expose them4 ,what is it to them1 as ,st4 ,austin well observed in a like case1 that they suffer for a season in a strange land2 when even in their own1 that is1 a ,christian country1 they are still obliged1 by the principles of their religion1 to consider themselves1 as strangers and pilgrims on the earth#ic8 ,the condition of the ,,jews1 on the other hand1 is widely different4 ,,they1 profess a religion1 founded on temporal promises1 only3 and how miserably these have failed them1 the experience of many ages hath now shewn4 ,the ,,jews1 are shut out from the only country in the world1 where the several rites and ordinances of their religion can be regularly and lawfully observed4 ,the ,,jews1 have1 besides1 the sensible mortification of knowing1 that all their brethren of the dispersion are every where in equal distress with themselves2 and that there is not one ,jewish state or sovereignty subsisting on the face of the whole earth4 ,it follows1 that in the ,,jews1 we find nothing but their destiny1 so plainly read to them by their own prophets1 as well as ours1 to account for their long continuance in their present dispersion3 whereas1 the ,asiatic ,christians have many resources of comfort within themselves2 and may subsist1 in ,mahometan countries1 on the same general motives and inducements1 which sustain the courage of other unhappy men4 ,yet1 notwithstanding the advantages1 here pointed out1 on the side of the ,asiatic ,christians1 the fact is1 that they are reduced to a very small number1 and are insensibly melting away under the oppressions of their ,ottoman masters2 so that in no long time1 if that enormous tyranny should be permitted to continue1 they may1 not improbably1 quite vanish out of those countries1 where they had formerly so many and flourishing churches3 whereas1 the ,jews continue every where to abound in great numbers2 they thrive under their oppressions2 and seem to multiply amidst their distresses2 as if the order of things were reversed in regard to them1 and the same causes operated to the conservation of this people1 which tend so naturally to the waste and destruction of every other4 ,still1 ,i have another reflexion1 or two1 to make on this interesting subject4 #a4 ,it deserves to be considered1 that the natives of any country1 though subdued and enslaved by a foreign nation1 may1 indeed1 subsist very long under that distinction4 ,thus1 the ,gentoo ,indians have preserved their name and race1 under their ,mahometan invaders3 and thus1 the ,moors1 if they had not been violently expelled1 might have continued a distinct people for many ages1 in their old ,spanish quarters4 ,but that small colonies of men1 transported into strange and populous nations1 should preserve a distinct existence1 and not insensibly moulder away1 and mix themselves with their numerous native masters2 ,this1 ,i think1 is without example in the history of mankind4 ,if the ,jews might be expected to abound any where1 it should1 methinks1 be in ,juda2 where the sight of the holy land1 and the memory of their past fortunes1 might invigorate their prejudices1 and perpetuate their attachment to the ,jewish name and worship4 ,but it so happens1 that the number of ,jews in that country hath now for many ages been inconsiderable1 while they swarm in every other4 #b4 ,it should1 further1 ,i think1 be observed1 that a sect1 whether you will call it of religion1 or philosophy1 may subsist through a long tract of ages2 ,i mean1 that certain opinions may continue to be professed by some people1 or other1 without intermission2 as may be true of the doctrine concerning the two principles1 at all times so prevalent in the ,east2 of that species of eastern idolatry1 which consists in the worship of fire2 and in other instances4 ,but that these opinions1 in circumstances any thing like those of the ,jews1 should still be professed1 not only by some1 but by the same men1 that is1 by men known to be of the same extraction1 as well as of a certain persuasion2 this1 again1 is1 ,i think1 a circumstance of great singularity1 and altogether unprecedented in the case of any other people4 ,who knows1 of what race or family the present ,manichees are descended1 or the professors of the old ,persian idolatry8 ,the followers of the ,mosaic law1 are every where known to be of the stock of ,abraham4 ,they are distinguished in all places1 as being ,jews by descent1 as well as by ,religion4 #c4 ,supposing1 what ,i think cannot be shewn1 that the history of the world furnishes an instance or two of a people circumstanced in all respects1 as the ,jews are2 these extraordinary cases would not much abate the wonder1 we are now contemplating4 ,for how happened it1 that a prophecy delivered above three thousand years ago concerning the fate of a particular people1 should be so exactly verified1 as it has hitherto been1 when that fate is so far from being a common one1 that it has only taken place1 in one or two instances besides1 within the compass of so many ages8 ,and still more1 how should it enter into the head of ,moses to deliver this prophecy1 when1 at the time of his delivering it1 he had absolutely no instance before his eyes of such fate1 in the case of any people8 ,these things1 then1 deserve to be well and seriously considered4 ,lastly1 ,we believe1 on the faith of the sacred oracles1 that the ,jews shall never be destroyed utterly1 but shall exist a distinct people1 as they have hitherto done1 till the times of the ,gentiles are fulfilled4 ,but here1 you will say1 the prophets indulged a natural prejudice in favour of their own nation2 it being the way of all people to delight in such dreams of existence and perpetuity4 ,it may be so3 ,but see1 whether this dream hath ever yet been so far realized1 in the case of any other people4 ,the ,romans1 for instance1 were as partial to themselves1 and doted as much on the idea of their perpetuity1 as the ,jews4 ,but what now is become of their eternal empire8 ,consider1 therefore1 the singular fate of the ,jews through so many ages1 and see whether it be not credible from what is past1 that the prophet was moved by something more than a spirit of national vanity1 when he said1 ,fear thou not1 ,o ,jacob my servant1 saith the ,lord1 for ,i am with thee2 for ,i will make a full end of all the nations whither ,i have driven thee1 ,,but ,i ,,will ,,not ,,make ,a ,,full ,,end ,,of ,,thee#id4 ,to these prophecies concerning ,jerusalem1 and the ,jews1 ,i add ,,iii4 ,a third1 concerning ,,the ,,call ,,and ,,conversion ,,of ,,the ,,gentiles ,,to ,,christianity4 ,this prophecy is very remarkable1 whether we consider--the matter of it--the persons1 by whom it was delivered--or1 the manner1 in which it hath been fulfilled4 #a4 ,as it had been declared from the beginning1 that in the promised seed1 all the nations of the earth should be blessed1 so the ,gospel1 or1 the good tidings of that blessing1 was1 in due time1 to be communicated to all nations4 ,further still1 this ,gospel was not only to be published to all nations1 but to be acknowledged and received by them4 ,there are numberless prophecies to this purpose in the books of the ,old ,testament3 prophecies1 which say expressly--that ,god would give unto the ,messiah the heathen for his inheritance1 and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession#ie--that from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same1 his name should be great among the ,gentiles#if--;,it is a light thing1 says the prophet ,isaiah1 addressing himself1 in the person of the ,almighty1 to the ,messiah1 that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of ,jacob1 and to restore the preserved of ,israel2 ,i will also give thee for a light to the ,gentiles1 that thou mayest be my salvation to the end of the earth#ig4 ,and ,jesus himself1 when he commissioned his ,apostles to publish his doctrine1 did it in these words--,,go ,,ye ,,into ,,all ,,the ,,world1 ,,and ,,preach ,,the ,,gospel ,,to ,,every ,,creature#ih4 ,it is unquestionable1 therefore1 from these and other passages#ii1 that not the ,jews only1 but all nations were to be instructed in the ,christian faith2 that the ,gospel was to be an universal religion2 and that1 thus1 the ,messiah was to be1 in every sense1 the ,saviour of mankind4 ,there is no doubt1 ,i say1 but that such is the language of the prophets2 and that they clearly suppose the dispensation of the ,gospel to have these views1 and to terminate in this event4 ,but now1 let any man consider with himself1 what it is to proselyte the whole race of mankind to one faith1 and to one religion4 ,let him revolve in his mind this great1 this magnificent idea4 ,let him1 next1 turn his thoughts on what history and experience may suggest to him on the subject4 ,and then let him tell us1 whether there be not something extraordinary in this project2 whether1 indeed1 there be any other example of this sort in the annals of mankind4 ,in the old world1 the institutors of pagan religion looked no further1 than to single communities3 each destined his ceremonies for his own people only2 and never presumed so far on the truth or importance of his religious scheme1 as to set it up for a standard of belief or worship to the other nations of the earth4 ,even the ,jewish ritual was so constituted as to respect the ,jews only1 and was even practicable no where but in the land of ,juda4 ,but this idea of universality was equally strange to the ,doctors1 as to the ,legislators1 of the ancient world4 ,sects of philosophy1 there were many2 espoused with zeal1 and propagated with industry2 and some of them1 of no small extent4 ,yet the most sanguine1 or the most successful of these speculatists never conceived so much as the idea of bringing all nations into their system4 ,they presumed1 indeed1 that truth1 or probability at least1 was on the side of their favourite opinions2 but they beheld a neglect of them in others1 with a sort of indifference2 and1 contenting themselves with their own superior skill or felicity1 left it to the rest of the world to philosophize in their own way1 and on their own principles4 ,they seem not to have thought it either necessary or possible1 that their own sentiments should become the standing1 universal persuasion of mankind4 ,ambition1 ,i know1 hath been sometimes enterprizing enough to think of subduing the whole world4 ,but this was the ambition of power1 not of religion1 or philosophy3 it was an ambition to subdue the bodies1 not the minds of men4 ,this last was a project1 too big for a ,csar or an ,alexander1 much more1 for a ,numa or an ,aristotle1 to entertain4 ,and ,i think it certain1 that1 except in the scheme of ,christianity1 or such other schemes of revelation as have been copied from it#ajj1 we shall no where find the idea of universality to have taken place in any religious or philosophical sect whatsoever#aja4 ,if then this idea was familiar to the ,jewish and ,christian prophets1 you will1 at least1 conclude that this circumstance is remarkable enough to engage your attention2 and you will naturally ask1 how it came to pass that those prophets should adopt so strange a fancy1 which appears not to have entered into the views or conceptions of other men4 ,when you are in this train of inquiry1 it will surprize you still more to find1 #b4 ,by what persons1 these prophecies1 so remarkable for the matter of them1 were announced4 ,the publishers of this extraordinary doctrine were1 in one word1 ,,jews3 that is1 men of the most narrow and contracted minds2 men1 brought up in the highest conceit of themselves1 and in the utmost scorn and contempt of the ,gentiles2 men1 accustomed to think themselves the only favourites of ,heaven1 and to regard the rest of the world1 as outcasts of its providence2 men1 in short1 induced1 partly1 by the genius of their religion1 ill understood1 and partly1 by their carnal temper1 long indulged1 to believe with assurance the perpetuity1 the eternity of their divine law2 and to deem it impossible that ,god should reign anywhere but in the land of ,israel1 or should impart his blessings to any that lived out of the ,jewish pale4 ,was it1 now1 to be expected of such men1 as these1 that they should enlarge their ideas so far as to form the project of a new and universal religion2 a religion1 not imprinted outwardly on the flesh1 but written in the heart2 a religion1 that was to supersede and evacuate the law of ,moses1 to which they were so immoderately addicted1 and to enlighten and bless and save the heathen1 whom they so perfectly despised and abhorred8 ,you will suspect1 perhaps1 that the meaning of these prophecies was no more1 than that the ,jewish ,law should finally prevail over all other ,laws1 and be the sole predominant religion of the whole earth3 a prejudice1 very likely1 it may be said1 to possess the minds of such a people as the ,jews2 and suitable enough to that zeal1 which prompted them to compass sea and land1 as ,jesus himself observed of them1 to make one proselyte#ajb4 ,but the contrary is apparent from the structure of the ,jewish ,law1 which1 as ,i said1 was so contrived1 that it could not be observed out of ,juda--from the tenour of that ,law1 addressed only to the house of ,israel1 and not obligatory to any other people--from express declarations of the prophets themselves2 who call the dispensation of the ,messiah1 a new ,covenant1 a covenant written in the heart1 in opposition to the law of circumcision#ajc2 who say1 that the ,lord will create new heavens and a new earth1 that is1 in the prophetic language1 will institute a new dispensation of religion1 different from that1 which he had given to the ,jews1 and subversive of it#ajd2 who1 lastly1 speak of this dispensation1 as of one1 that should be established under a new name1 and should be embraced by the ,gentiles1 as such1 that is1 by men1 converted immediately to this new religion from their state of ,gentilism1 without passing through the strait gate of the ,jewish ,law#aje4 ,judge1 then1 whether the prophets did not mean more than a proselytism to their own religion1 when they predicted1 and in such terms1 the future conversion of the ,gentiles2 and whether such ideas1 as these1 could ever have entered into the hearts of ,jews1 if something1 besides and above the natural suggestion of their own minds1 had not inspired their prophecies4 ,add to all this1 if you please1 that ,jesus was himself a ,jew1 and 7to regard him as a man only7 in the lowest class of the ,jews1 that is1 of the most confined and bigoted education2 and yet was not restrained by his prejudices from giving that sublime command to his followers--,,go ,,and ,,teach ,,all ,,nations4 ,but enough on the doctrine itself1 and on the character of its teachers4 ,it remains only #c4 ,to add one word1 on the manner1 in which this prophecy1 concerning the conversion of the ,gentile world1 appears to have been completed4 ,there are especially ,,two prophecies on this subject1 which merit our attentive consideration4 ,,one of them asserts1 that the conversion of the ,gentile world shall take its rise from small and very unpromising beginnings1 and yet shall prevail speedily and to a vast extent2 the ,,other1 that it shall prevail by pacific means only1 without the intervention of any force or violence whatsoever4 #a4 ,the ,,former of these prophecies is expressed thus--,a little one shall become a thousand1 and a small one a strong nation3 ,i the ,lord will hasten it in his time#ajf4 ,in allusion to this prophecy1 concerning the rise and progress of ,christianity1 is that parable of our ,lord applied to the kingdom of heaven--the kingdom of heaven1 says he1 is like to a grain of mustard-seed1 which a man took and sowed in his field3 which indeed is the least of all seeds2 but when it is grown1 it is the greatest among herbs1 and becometh a tree3 so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof#ajg4 ,and1 with regard to the celerity with which this tree should grow up1 we have a prophecy from ,christ himself1 and that wonderfully fulfilled--that his ,gospel should be preached to all the world for a testimony to all nations1 before the destruction of ,jerusalem1 or within forty years from the date of the prophecy4 ,now1 consider the state of the ,gospel1 at our ,lord's ascension4 ,it was left in the hands of a few1 mean1 unlearned1 dispirited persons3 without any countenance from authority2 and with every difficulty1 every terror1 opposed to them1 and placed distinctly within their view4 ,matth4 xxiv4 #i4 ,yet these men were commissioned to spread this ,gospel through the world1 and had an express promise1 that they should succeed in their attempt4 ,against all appearance1 the success followed4 ,in less than half a century1 the sound of the ,gospel went out into all lands2 and1 within three centuries from the death of ,christ1 ,christianity ascended the imperial throne2 and had the utmost parts of the earth for its possession4 ,to encrease the wonder1 this amazing revolution was brought about1 by pacific methods only2 as was1 likewise1 foretold #b4 ,in the ,,latter of the two prophecies1 to which ,i before alluded4 ,jesus himself quotes this prophecy from ,isaiah in the following words--,behold1 my servant1 whom ,i have chosen1 my beloved1 in whom my soul is well pleased3 ,i will put my spirit upon him1 and he shall shew judgment1 i4 e4 declare a new ,law1 to the ,gentiles4 ,he shall not strive1 nor cry1 neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets2 a bruised reed shall he not break1 and smoaking flax shall he not quench1 i4 e4 7as all interpreters explain these proverbial expressions7 he shall not employ the least degree of force or violence in the propagation of this law1 till he send forth judgment unto victory1 till it finally prevail against all opposition2 ,and in his name shall the ,gentiles trust4 ,matth4 xii4 #ah-ba4 ,let any man read the history of ,christianity1 from its first publication in ,juda1 to the conversion of ,constantine1 and then see whether this prophecy hath not been exactly and illustriously completed4 ,the followers of ,jesus were numerous enough1 long before the empire became ,christian1 to have attempted the way of force1 had it been permitted to them#ajh3 and the insults1 the oppressions1 the persecutions1 which they suffered from their ,pagan enemies1 were enough to provoke the most passive tempers to some acts of hostility and resistance#aji4 ,but every one knows1 that they had recourse to no arms1 but those of the spirit3 they took no advantage of distracted times1 to raise commotions in behalf of the new religion1 or to suppress the old one3 a bruised reed did they not break1 and smoaking flax did they not quench3 yet with meekness1 and patience1 and suffering2 by piety1 by reason1 by the secret influence of a divine blessing attending on these feeble efforts1 the doctrine of the cross insensibly gained ground1 spread itself far and wide1 and in the end became victorious over all the rage and power and sophistry of an unbelieving world#aaj4 ,that this victory hath not been1 hitherto1 so complete1 as to answer the promise of an absolute universality1 we readily acknowledge2 but are in no pain for the event#aaa2 as the same oracles1 which have thus far been verified1 suppose the present condition of things2 and1 what is more1 assure us of a time to come1 when the fulness of the ,gentiles shall come in4 ,one word more1 and ,i have done4 ,if it be now thought1 that these ,,three prophecies--concerning the destruction of ,jerusalem--the dispersion of the ,jews--and the call of the ,gentiles--have been clearly accomplished2 and yet were of that nature1 that no human foresight could deliver them1 nor any probable conjuncture of human affairs account for the accomplishment of them1 you will conclude that they were truly divine1 and that we do not abuse your credulity in alledging such prophecies1 in proof of our holy religion4 ,you will see and acknowledge that there are prophecies1 recorded in scripture1 concerning the ,christian ,church2 and that these prophecies1 in particular1 concerning it1 have been remarkably fulfilled4 ,ye will1 therefore1 the less wonder to find1 that there are still other prophecies1 relative to the kingdom of ,christ1 as administered in this world2 and will1 of course1 be disposed to consider1 with less prejudice1 what may further be said in support of them4 ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,,prophecies ,,concerning ,,antichrist4 #a ,,ep4 ,,john ii4 #ah4 --,ye have heared that ,antichrist shall come-- ,among the more remarkable prophecies concerning the ,christian ,church1 there are several1 which describe the rise1 progress1 and downfal of a certain ,power1 represented under various symbols or images1 and distinguished by many appellations2 but more especially known by the name of ,,antichrist4 ,these prophecies come now1 in the order of this ,lecture1 to be considered4 ,the subject is1 in a high degree1 curious and important2 but of no easy discussion3 not so much on the account of any peculiar difficulty in the prophecies themselves1 as from the prejudice of party in explaining them1 and still more1 from the general prejudice that lies against every attempt to explain them4 ,to make my way through these obstructions1 ,i shall begin with laying before you a clear and distinct state of the question itself1 which is chiefly agitated by inquirers into these prophecies4 ,it is admitted1 that many predictions in the ,old and ,new ,testament1 particularly in the book of ,daniel1 in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 and in the ,revelations of ,st4 ,john1 clearly point out a very extraordinary power1 which was to manifest itself in the latter times1 that is1 in the times subsequent to the introduction of ,christianity4 ,the characters1 by which this power 7acknowledged by all under the name of ,antichrist7 is chiefly distinguished1 are those of ,tyranny#aab1 ,idolatry1 and ,intolerance4 ,and1 to abridge our trouble in searching after this three-headed monster1 we are directed by the prophets to look for him within the boundaries of what is properly called1 the ,roman ,empire1 and even in the city of ,rome itself4 ,thus far there is no dispute4 ,the only question is1 ,to what ,roman power1 exhibiting those characters1 the prophecies are to be applied4 ,and even this question is reduced within narrow limits4 ,for ,,two ,powers only have subsisted in ,rome1 from the ,christian ra to the present times 7within which period we are1 again1 allowed to expect the reign of ,antichrist72 the ,roman ,emperor1 in the first place2 and1 afterwards1 the ,roman ,pontifs4 ,so that1 on the whole1 the single point in debate is merely this1 ,whether ,imperial1 or ,papal ,rome1 be that ,antichristian ,power1 which the prophets foretold4 ,the church of ,rome holds1 for obvious reasons1 that the ,imperial power is the object of the prophecies3 the ,protestants have1 on the contrary1 their reasons for maintaining1 that ,papal ,rome is that power1 which the prophecies had in view1 and in which alone they are truly and properly verified4 ,this1 then1 is the meaning of that famous inquiry concerning ,antichrist3 and ,i must desire you to keep your attention steadily fixed on the question1 as here stated2 while ,i endeavour to furnish you with the proper means of deciding upon it4 ,the obvious method of doing this1 would be1 ,to lay before you1 directly1 the prophecies themselves1 and to examine them by the light of sober criticism1 and authentic history4 ,but1 because it is no new or difficult thing to misrepresent facts1 and to misinterpret scripture1 to pervert1 in short1 these two instruments of truth to any ends1 which prejudice hath in view2 and because ,i know how natural it is for you to suspect such management in the present case1 where the zeal of party is supposed1 on either side1 to exclude1 or over-power1 the love of truth2 for these reasons1 it may be convenient to take a larger compass1 and1 by a previous historical deduction of this controversy1 to let you see in what light it has been regarded1 through the several ages of the ,christian ,church4 ,i4 ,,the ,,first ,,account1 we meet with in scripture1 of the power in question1 ,i mean1 under his proper name of ,antichrist1 is in the first epistle of ,st4 ,john1 from which the text is taken4 ,the whole passage runs thus--,little children1 it is the last time3 ,and1 as ye have heard that ,antichrist shall come1 even now there are many ,antichrists2 whereby we know that it is the last time4 ,to understand these words1 we must call to mind what hath been already1 more than once1 observed concerning the scriptural division of time into two great portions1 ,the ,,former1 and ,,latter times4 ,by the former1 is meant the times preceding the ,christian ra2 by the latter1 the times subsequent to it4 ,correspondent to this partition of time1 is the double advent of ,christ1 of which ,i before gave a distinct idea4 ,his first advent was1 when he came in the flesh1 at ,jerusalem3 his second advent to be understood of his coming in his kingdom1 through all the ages of the ,christian ,church4 ,but though the latter times1 in the general sense of scripture1 be thus comprehensive1 they are further subdivided into other constituent portions1 in which some particular state of ,christ's kingdom is administered1 and within which it is completed4 ,in reference to this subordinate division of time in the ,christian dispensation1 the coming of ,christ is1 also1 proportionably multiplied4 ,he comes in each division2 that is1 as oft as he thinks fit to interpose by any signal act of his power and providence4 ,the whole period1 in which any distinct state of his kingdom is carrying on1 is likewise called the latter time2 and the concluding part of that period is distinguished by the name of the last hour3 as if the whole of each period were considered as one day2 and the close of each period1 as the end1 or last hour1 of that day4 ,thus1 the time that elapsed from ,christ's ascension to the destruction of ,jerusalem1 being one of the subdivisions1 before mentioned1 is called the latter times2 and the eve of its destruction1 is called the last hour4 ,he was coming through the whole time3 he came in the end of it4 ,and the like use of these terms is to be made1 in other instances4 ,we are to apply them in the same manner to the reign of ,antichrist--to the ,millennium--to the day of judgment4 ,each of these states1 into which the latter times1 or the times of ,christianity1 are divided1 is likewise spoken of under the idea of the latter times2 and the season1 in which each is drawing to an end1 is the last hour of that state#aac4 ,thus much being premised1 it is easy to give a just exposition of the text4 ,little children1 it is the last time1 or hour--that is1 the destruction of ,jerusalem is at hand2 as indeed it followed very soon after the date of this ,epistle4 ,and1 as ye have heared that ,antichrist shall come--that1 in some future period1 called the last times1 an hostile power1 which we know by the name of ,antichrist1 shall arise and prevail in the world1 even now1 we may see the commencement of that power2 for1 there are many ,antichrists2 many persons1 now1 appear in the spirit of that future ,antichrist1 and deserve his name3 whereby1 indeed1 we know that it is the last hour3 for ,christ himself had made the appearance of false ,christs and false prophets1 that is1 of ,antichrists1 to be one of the signs by which that hour should be distinguished#aad4 ,the meaning of the whole passage1 then1 is clearly this3 8,that the appearance of false ,christs and false ,prophets 7of which there were many1 according to our ,lord's prediction1 in ,st4 ,john's time7 indicated the arrival of that hour1 that was to be fatal to the ,jewish state3 and that they were1 at the same time1 the types and forerunners of a still more dreadful1 power1 which should be fully revealed in the latter times1 in a future period1 when that calamity was past40 ,for the truth of the assertion1 ,that such a power should arise in the ,christian church1 he appeals to a tradition1 then current among the disciples3 and his hated name of ,antichrist is here applied1 by way of anticipation1 to the false prophets of that time2 as possessing much of his character1 and acting with his spirit4 ,hence we see the meaning of the word1 ,antichrist2 which stands for a person or power1 actuated with a spirit opposite to that of ,christ4 ,and so indeed the ,apostle explains himself1 in another place of this very ,epistle4 ,for1 speaking of certain false teachers1 who preached up a doctrine1 contrary to that of the ,gospel1 he adds--8,this is that spirit of ,antichrist1 whereof ye have heard that it should come1 and even now already is it in the world#aae40 ,and ,i lay the greater stress on this observation1 because the etymology of the word1 ,antichrist1 makes it capable of two different meanings4 ,for it may either signify one1 who assumes the place and office of ,christ1 or one1 who maintains a direct enmity and opposition to him#aaf4 ,but the latter1 is the sense in which the ,apostle useth this term2 although it be true that1 in the former sense1 it very well suits the ,bishop of ,rome1 who calls himself the ,vicar of ,christ1 as well as the successor of ,st4 ,peter4 ,nor can there be any difficulty in fixing the charge of ,antichristianism1 in the sense of an enmity and opposition to ,christ1 on the ,roman ,pontif 7though ,i know how absurd the attempt seems to the writers on that side72 for1 to merit this charge1 it is not necessary that he should formally reject ,christ1 which undoubtedly he does not1 but that he should act in defiance to the true genius and character of ,christ's religion3 a charge1 which may be evidently made good against him4 ,in short1 as the word1 ,christ1 is frequently used in the ,apostolic writings for the doctrine of ,christ2 in which sense we are said to put on ,christ1 to grow in ,christ1 to learn ,christ1 and in other instances3 ,so ,antichrist1 in the abstract1 may be taken for a doctrine subversive of the ,christian2 and when applied to a particular man1 or body of men1 it denotes one1 who sets himself against the spirit of that doctrine#aag4 ,in this last sense1 the word ,antichrist is clearly employed by ,st4 ,john3 and from his example1 the word grew into general use in the ,christian church2 and is so to be understood1 whenever mention is made of ,antichrist by the primitive fathers1 or any other ecclesiastical writers4 ,,ii4 ,i am now to shew in what manner the prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 or a person or power1 so called1 and1 though variously described1 always considered under the idea of an adversary to the true doctrine of ,christ1 have been construed and applied by many eminent members of the ,christian ,church1 in all ages4 #a4 ,when the canon of scripture was formed1 and new in the hands of the faithful1 the prophecies concerning ,antichrist were too remarkable not to take their early attention4 ,they accordingly cite these prophecies in their apologies and commentaries1 or refer to them1 very frequently4 ,but one thing is singular4 ,though ,antichrist be every where spoken of in the prophecies as a persecuting power1 and though the ,christian church then was1 and so continued to be for near three centuries1 in a state of persecution under the ,roman emperors1 yet this opprobrious name was not usually given to their persecutors4 ,i do not say1 that none of the early ,christian writers ever applied that character to the ,emperors4 ,some few of them1 in a fit of zeal and resentment1 did#aah4 ,but the most1 and the ablest of the ,fathers1 were clearly of another opinion4 ,it may be thought1 that they forbore this application of so odious a term1 out of respect to the government under which they lived1 and from prudential considerations4 ,these motives had1 without doubt1 their weight with them1 and made them more cautious1 than they would otherwise have been1 in interpreting the prophecies4 ,but1 if they had been at liberty to speak out1 and declare their full sense1 on the subject1 it is certain they would not1 and could not1 consistently with their avowed principles1 apply the prophecies concerning ,antichrist to the ,roman ,emperors4 ,for they had learned from tradition1 and from the letter of the prophecies1 that ,antichrist was to be revealed in some distant age2 and they even collected from a remarkable passage in one of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles 7which will be considered hereafter7 that the removal of the ,roman empire was to make way for his appearance4 ,hence1 they give it as a reason for their ardent prayers to ,heaven for the preservation of the empire1 that the dreaded power of ,antichrist could not commence1 so long as the ,imperial sovereignty subsisted4 ,and it is observable that1 of those few writers1 who were in different sentiments1 the greater part conceived the time of his coming to be remote2 and were even driven to the strange necessity of supposing that ,nero1 the first persecuting ,emperor1 was miraculously kept alive1 or would be raised up from the dead1 in order to be revealed in a future age1 as the ,antichrist of the prophets1 or at least as the ,precursor of ,antichrist#aai4 ,in short1 the idea1 which the early ,christians1 in general1 formed of ,antichrist1 was that of a power1 to be revealed in distant times1 after the dissolution of the ,roman empire2 of a power1 to arise out of the ruins of that empire4 ,not to multiply quotations1 on a point which admits no doubt1 ,jerom1 the ablest of the ancient ,fathers1 and the most esteemed1 shall speak for the rest4 ,he says expressly1 that such was the idea of all the ecclesiastical writers1 down to his time1 as is here represented#abj4 ,now this circumstance ye will surely think not a little remarkable1 that they1 who lived under the emperors1 and felt the whole weight of their tyrannous persecution1 should not apply the prophetic notes and characters of ,antichrist1 to them1 if indeed the prophecies had been fairly capable of such application4 ,this1 ,i say1 is exceedingly remarkable3 for men are but too apt even to wrest the scriptures to a sense1 which favours their own cause1 or gratifies their passions2 and to find a completion of prophecy in events1 which fall out in their own days and concern themselves 7as we see from so many absurd applications of the ,apocalypse1 justly objected to certain ,protestant writers72 though1 when such events are past1 and impartially considered1 no such accomplishment of prophecy can be discerned in them4 ,when the church of ,rome1 therefore1 now pretends1 that ,antichrist is to be sought in ,imperial and ,pagan ,rome1 ye will naturally ask how it came to pass1 that the ancient fathers1 who had the best opportunity of seeing the conformity of the prophecies with the transactions of their times1 and were so much interested in those transactions1 should yet overlook such conformity1 if it had been real1 and fairly marked out by the prophecies1 when interpreters of these days are so quick-sighted8 ,and to this question1 no just and satisfactory answer can be given1 but that1 in the opinion of those fathers1 the characters of ,antichrist were not sufficiently applicable to the ,roman emperors2 or1 if they were1 that certain express clauses in the prophecies themselves forbade that application of them4 ,either way1 their conduct forms a strong presumption1 that the ,antichrist of the prophets was not1 and could not be1 the ,roman ,emperor4 ,i know indeed1 that1 when the empire became ,christian1 and factions sprang up in the church1 the name of ,antichrist1 as a term of reproach1 was not unfrequently bestowed on such of the emperors as had made themselves obnoxious to the orthodox party4 ,but this flippancy of language proves nothing but the passion of the men who indulged themselves in it1 unless it be1 that this term of reproach was thought better suited to an ecclesiastic1 than a civil power3 for the ,emperor1 being now the head of the ,christian church1 his persecutions of the faith were deemed the more ,antichristian1 as they especially disgraced his religious character4 ,and how natural this idea was1 ,i mean the idea of ,antichrist1 as intended by the prophets of a religious1 not civil power1 we may learn from the history of the schisms1 which afterwards distracted the church under the papacy2 when the ,antipopes very liberally1 and constantly branded each other with the name of ,antichrist3 as if they had found a peculiar aptness in the prophetic language to express ecclesiastical tyranny and usurpation4 ,but1 whatever use we may make of these facts1 it is clear1 on all hands1 that the ,roman ,emperor1 as such1 was thought to have no concern in the predictions concerning ,antichrist2 at least1 that the more intelligent ,christian writers of the three first centuries had no idea of his having any such concern in them3 while1 yet1 they held very unanimously1 that some future power was to arise in the church1 in which those predictions would be completed4 ,,iii4 ,this1 in general1 was the state of the controversy concerning ,antichrist1 till the down-fall of the ,western empire2 when the ,bishop of ,rome reared his head1 and by degrees found means1 amidst the ruins of that mighty power1 to advance himself into the sovereignty of ,rome1 and1 at length1 of the ,christian world3 fixing his residence in the very seat and throne of the ,csars4 ,it remains to see1 in what light the reign of ,antichrist was1 thenceforth1 considered by many eminent members of that church1 which now called itself1 and was1 in a manner1 universal4 ,in other words1 we are to inquire1 now that the imperial power1 which the fathers would not acknowledge to be ,antichristian1 had deserted ,rome1 whether the papal power1 which took its place on the seven hills1 did not1 in the opinion of sober men1 fill up all the measures of the prophetic characters1 and perfectly correspond to that idea4 #a4 ,so early1 as about the close of the sixth century1 ,gregory the first1 or1 the ,great1 as he is usually called1 the most revered1 and in some respects not undeservedly so1 of all the ,roman pontifs1 in a famous dispute with the ,bishop of ,constantinople1 who had taken to himself the title of ,oecumenical1 or ,universal ,bishop1 objects to him1 the arrogance and presumption of this claim1 and treats him1 on that account1 as the fore-runner1 at least1 of ,antichrist4 ,his words are remarkable enough to be here quoted4 ,i affirm it confidently1 says ,he1 that whoever calls himself ,universal ,bishop1 or is desirous to be so called1 demonstrates himself1 by this pride and elation of heart1 to be the fore-runner of ,antichrist#aba4 ,and1 again1 ,from this presumption of his in taking the name of ,universal ,bishop what else can be collected1 but that the times of ,antichrist are now at hand#abb8 ,it is to be observed of this ,gregory1 that he disclaimed1 for himself1 the title of ,universal ,bishop1 as well as refused it to his aspiring brother of ,constantinople4 ,how consistently he did this1 when at the same time1 he exercised an authority1 which can only belong to that exalted character1 it is not my business to inquire4 ,perhaps1 he did not advert to the consequence of his own actions3 perhaps1 like an able man1 he meant to secure the thing1 without troubling himself about the name3 perhaps1 he was jealous of a rival to this claim of catholic authority1 and would not permit the ,bishop of ,constantinople to decorate himself with a title1 which was likely to be favourable to the pretensions of that see1 and injurious to his own4 ,whatever the reasons of his conduct were1 the fact is1 as ,i here represent it2 and clearly shews that1 in the judgment of this renowned ,roman ,bishop1 ,antichrist had not yet been revealed in the person of the ,roman ,emperor2 and if ever he were to be revealed1 that not a civil1 but ecclesiastical character1 agreed best with the prophetic descriptions of him#abc4 #b4 ,pope ,boniface ,,iii4 had not1 it seems1 the scruples1 whatever they were1 of his predecessor1 ,gregory4 ,he readily accepted1 or rather importunately begged1 this proud title of ,oecumenical ,bishop1 from the ,emperor1 ,phocas2 and transmitted it to all his successors4 ,and now1 it might be expected1 that the ,bishop of ,rome would be ,antichrist1 in his turn4 ,but1 such was the fortune of that see1 or the devotion of the faithful to it1 that this charge was not presently brought against him3 as if the spirit of dominion1 which had so long possessed that city1 were a thing of course1 and could not misbecome the ,bishop of ,rome1 though it looked so ,antichristian in him of ,constantinople4 ,other reasons concurred to save the honour of the papal chair4 ,its authority grew1 every day1 more absolute3 and the tradition of the church 7which had hitherto been the chief support of the doctrine concerning ,antichrist7 gradually sunk under the apprehension of that power1 to which alone it could1 with any apparent propriety1 be applied3 while the ignorance of the times became such1 that1 except perhaps in the minds of some few retainers to the see of ,rome1 there was scarce light enough left in the ,christian world to point out the meaning of the prophecies2 if its gross superstition would have otherwise permitted the application of them to the sacred person of the ,pope4 #c4 ,under the cover of all these advantages1 the ,man of ,sin had a convenient time to display himself1 and to grow up into that full size and stature1 in which he could no longer be overlooked1 or mistaken1 by those who had any knowledge of the prophecies1 or skill in applying them4 ,accordingly we find that at the synod of ,rheims1 held in the ,xth century#abd1 ,arnulphus1 ,bishop of ,orleans1 appealed to the whole council1 whether the ,bishop of ,rome were not the ,antichrist of the prophets2 sitting in the temple of ,god2 and perfectly corresponding to the marks1 which ,st4 ,paul had given of him4 ,in particular1 speaking of ,john the ,x,vth1 who then governed the church of ,rome1 he apostrophized the assembly in these words--8,what think ye1 reverend ,fathers1 of this man1 seated on a lofty throne1 and shining in purple and gold8 ,whom do ye account him to be8 ,surely1 if destitute of charity1 and puffed up with the pride of science only1 ,he is ,,antichrist1 sitting in the temple of ,god1 and shewing himself that he is ,god#abe40 #d4 ,in the former part of the ,x,ith century1 ,berengarius1 a man of principal note in those days1 and distinguished by his free writings concerning the ,eucharist1 went so far as to call the church of ,rome1 the seat of ,satan 7which is but another apocalyptic name of ,antichrist72 and to know from what source he derived this language1 we need only reflect1 that1 in the catalogue of his works1 we find a treatise written by him expressly on the book of ,revelations#abf4 ,as this century advanced1 the papal power rose to its height4 ,and all the characters of ,antichrist glared so strongly in the person of ,hildebrand1 who took the name of ,gregory ,v,i,ith1 that the ,romish historian1 ,joannes ,aventinus1 speaks of it as a point1 in which the generality of fair1 candid1 and ingenuous writers1 were agreed1 ,that ,,then began the empire of ,antichrist#abg4 #e4 ,pascal ,,ii1 who had been brought up at the feet of ,hildebrand1 and sate upon the papal throne in the beginning of the ,x,i,ith century1 was treated with as little ceremony1 as his master had been2 particularly1 by ,fluentius1 ,bishop of ,florence1 and by the whole church of ,liege#abh4 ,st4 ,bernard1 too1 the most eminent person of that age1 was so struck with the marks of ,antichristianism in the church of ,rome 7to which1 however1 in other respects1 he was enough devoted7 that he employed all the thunder of his rhetoric 7in which faculty he excelled7 against its corruptions2 exclaiming1 that the ministers of ,christ were become the servants of ,antichrist2 and that the beast of the ,apocalypse had seated himself in the chair of ,st4 ,peter#abi4 ,but this charge was now so general1 and sounded so high1 that it reached the ears of others1 besides prelates1 and churchmen4 ,historians relate1 that it made an impression on our military king1 ,richard ,i42 who1 being at ,messina in ,sicily1 in his way to the ,holy ,land1 and hearing much of the learned ,abbot ,joachim of ,calabria1 7a man1 famous in those times for his warm invectives against the ,roman hierarchy27 had the curiosity to take a lecture from him on this subject4 ,his text was1 ,antichrist1 and the ,apocalypse2 which he explained in so pointed and forcible a manner1 as was much to the satisfaction1 we are told1 of his royal auditor#acj4 #f4 ,the first appearance of the people1 called ,waldenses or ,albigenses1 was in this age2 but1 in the next1 the ,x,i,i,ith century1 they prevailed to that degree1 that ,crusades and ,inquisitions were thought little enough to be employed against them4 ,we may know what the guilt of this people was1 when we understand from their books1 and from the testimony of the great historian1 ,thuanus1 that a leading principle of their heresy was1 ,to treat the ,pope as ,antichrist2 and the church of ,rome1 as ,babylon2 on the authority of the prophecies contained in the ,revelation#aca4 ,other#acb testimonies occur in the history of this age4 ,but ,i must not omit that of our famous historian1 ,matthew ,paris2 who hath taken care to inform us1 that his contemporary1 ,robert ,grostte1 ,bishop of ,lincoln1 the most considerable of all the ,english bishops1 and equally renowned for his affection to civil and religious liberty1 was so much in earnest in fixing this charge on the see of ,rome1 that1 as it had been the common theme of his meditations during life1 so it occupied his dying moments2 the ,pope1 and ,antichrist1 being1 as he tells us1 among the last words of this zealous prelate#acc4 #g4 ,the ,x,i,vth century affords many authorities in point2 among which the immortal names of ,dante#acd and ,petrarch#ace are commonly cited4 ,but the example of our ,wicklif1 who adorned that age1 is most to our purpose1 and may excuse the mention of any other4 ,this extraordinary man saw far into all the abuses of his time3 but he had nothing more at heart1 than to expose the ,antichristianism of the ,roman ,pontif#acf4 #h4 ,still1 as the times grew more enlightened1 the controversy concerning ,antichrist became more general and important4 ,the writings of ,wicklif had great effects both at home1 and abroad2 and1 with other causes1 contributed very much to the cultivation of free enquiry1 and to the improvement of all useful knowledge1 in the ,x,vth century4 ,the church of ,rome was pushed vigorously on all sides2 and1 in her turn1 omitted no means of self-defence4 ,that the worst were not scrupled1 may be seen by what passed in ,england at that time1 as well as by the sanguinary and faithless proceedings at the council of ,constance4 ,lord ,cobham1 and the two ,bohemian martyrs1 were committed to the flames1 for nothing so much1 as for asserting the impious doctrine1 #8,that the ,pope was ,antichrist4' #i4 ,we now enter on the ,x,v,ith century2 distinguished in the annals of mankind by that great event1 ,the ,reformation of long oppressed and much adulterated religion4 ,the ,christian world had slumbered in its chains1 for full ten ages4 ,but ,liberty came at last-- ,libertas1 qu sera tamen respexit ,,inertem4 ,this important work was begun1 and prosecuted1 on the common principle1 ,that the bishop of ,rome was ,antichrist3 and the great separation from the church of ,rome1 was every where justified on the idea1 ,that ,rome was the ,babylon of the ,revelation2 and that ,christians were bound by an express command in those prophecies1 to come out of her communion4 ,leo ,x4 was thunder-struck with this cry1 which resounded on all sides2 and1 in the last ,lateran council1 gave it in charge to all preachers1 that none of them should presume to call the ,pope1 ,antichrist1 or to treat this obnoxious subject in their discourses to the people#acg4 ,but his edict came too late4 ,the notion had taken deep root in the minds of men2 and the name of ,antichrist1 as applied to the ,pope1 was current in all quarters4 #aj4 ,from this time to the present1 the charge of ,antichristianism against the church of ,rome is to be regarded1 not as the language of private men1 or particular synods2 but as the common voice of the whole ,protestant world3 so that it will be needless to bring down the history of it any lower4 ,,this ,,deduction1 though made with all possible brevity1 hath held us so long1 that ,i have but time for one or two short reflexions upon it4 #a4 ,first1 ,it may seem probable from the general prevalence of this opinion1 in all the periods of the ,christian church1 that it must needs have some solid ground in the scriptural prophecies3 it not being otherwise conceivable1 that it should spread so far1 and continue so long2 or that the more enlightened1 as well as barbarous ages should concur in the profession of it4 #b4 ,secondly1 from the catalogue of illustrious names1 here produced1 and from the singular stress1 which all ,protestant churches to this day have ever laid on this principle1 we may see the importance of the general question4 ,the papal divines have an evident reason for treating it with contempt4 ,the men of thought and inquiry1 who speculate within the ,roman communion1 may be restrained by considerations of fear or decency1 from joining#ach in this invidious charge against the head of their church4 ,but for any1 that profess ,christianity1 and call themselves ,protestants1 to make light of inquiries into the prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 and to manifest a scorn of all attempts to apply them in the way1 in which they have so generally1 and with such effect been applied1 is a sort of conduct1 which will not so readily find an excuse1 much less a justification4 #c4 ,lastly1 whatever becomes of the truth1 or importance of the doctrine1 the antiquity of it is not to be disputed4 ,for we are authorised to affirm1 on the most certain grounds of history1 that a ,roman power1 commonly called ,antichrist1 was expected to arise in the latter times1 by the primitive ,christians2 and that the ,imperial1 was not deemed to be that power1 so long as it subsisted4 ,it is1 further1 unquestionable that not the ,emperor1 but the ,bishop or ,church of ,rome1 was afterwards thought entitled to the name of ,antichrist by many persons of that communion1 for several successive centuries1 previous to the ra of the ,reformation4 ,these facts should abate the wonder1 at least1 which some express at hearing the names of the ,pope and ,antichrist pronounced together4 ,they must surely convince every man1 that this language1 whatever foundation it may1 or may not have1 in the prophecies1 is not taken up without precedents and authorities2 and that the notion1 conveyed by it1 is not a conceit of yesterday1 which sprung out of recent prejudices1 and novel interpretations4 ,this1 ,i say1 is a conclusion which every man must draw from the premises1 laid down in this discourse3 and this1 for the present1 is the main use ,i would request you to make of those premises4 ,,sermon ,,viii4 ,,prejudices ,,against ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,antichrist4 #a ,,ep4 ,,john ii4 #ah4 --,ye have heared that ,antichrist shall come-- ,one of the principal prejudices against the doctrine of ,antichrist1 as understood and applied by ,protestant divines1 arises out of a circumstance1 which was just touched in the close of my last discourse1 and is of importance enough to be now resumed and more particularly considered4 ,i4 ,it is well known that1 when the ,reformation was set on foot in the sixteenth century1 this great work was every where justified and conducted on the general principle1 8,that the ,pope1 or at least the church of ,rome1 was ,antichrist40 8,now men of sense1 who have looked no farther into the subject1 and yet remember1 as they easily may1 the bitterness1 the policy1 the fraud1 too commonly observable in the conduct of religious 7as of other7 parties1 easily fall into the suspicion1 ,that this cry of ,antichrist was only an artifice of the time1 or at least an extravagance of it2 when the minds of men were intensely heated against each other1 and when of course no arms would be refused1 that might serve to annoy or distress the enemy4 ,in these circumstances1 it was natural enough1 it will be said1 for angry men to see that in the prophecies which was not contained in them2 or for designing men to feign that which they did not see2 in order the more effectually to carry on the cause in which they had embarked1 and to seduce the unwary multitude into their quarrel4 ,in short1 the passions of the ,reformed1 it is readily presumed1 had1 some way or other1 conjured up this spectre of ,antichrist1 as a convenient engine1 by which they might either gratify their own spleen1 or excite that of the people2 the prophecies all the while being no further concerned in the question1 than as they were wrested for these purposes 7as they frequently have been1 in like cases7 from their true and proper meaning40 ,to remove this capital prejudice 7which1 more than any other1 hath1 perhaps1 diverted serious men from giving a due attention to this argument7 was the main purpose of the preceding discourse2 in which it was clearly shewn from historical testimony1 that the question concerning ,antichrist had its rise in the earliest times2 that the prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 though imperfectly enough understood1 and1 it may be1 passionately applied1 had yet1 been considered1 very generally1 as referring to some corrupt ,christian and even ecclesiastical person or power2 and that many eminent members of the ,christian church had even applied those prophecies to the same person or power1 to which ,protestants now apply them1 and for the same end1 which ,protestants have in view1 when they apply them to such person or power1 for many successive centuries1 before the ,reformation began4 ,from all which it is undeniable1 that the ,reformers did not innovate in the interpretation of the prophecies concerning ,antichrist2 and that their application of them to the see of ,rome1 was not a contrivance1 which sprung out of the passionate resentments1 or interested policies of that time4 ,it is true indeed 7for the truth should not1 and needs not be concealed7 that the ,reformers were forward enough to lay hold on this received sense of the prophecies1 and to make their utmost advantage of it2 the account of which matter is1 briefly1 this3 ,the ,christian church had now for many ages been held together in a close dependence on the chair of ,st4 ,peter2 and to secure and perpetuate that dependence1 was the principal object and concern of the papal court4 ,various means were employed for this purpose2 but the most effectual was thought to be1 to inculcate in the strongest terms on the minds of ,christians the absolute necessity of communicating with the ,bishop of ,rome1 as the centre of unity1 and1 by divine appointment1 the supreme visible head of the ,christian world4 ,hence1 to renounce in any degree the authority and jurisdiction of ,rome1 was deemed the most inexpiable of all sins4 ,the name of ,,schism was fastened upon it2 a name1 which was sounded higher than that of ,heresy itself1 as implying in it the accumulated guilt of ,apostacy1 and ,infidelity4 ,the way of heaven was shut against all offenders of this sort2 and1 to make their condition as miserable1 as it was hopeless1 all the engines of persecution1 such as racks1 fires1 gibbets1 inquisitions1 and even ,crusades1 had been employed against them3 as was seen in the case of the ,albigenses and others1 who1 at different times1 had attempted to withdraw themselves from the papal dominion4 ,such was the state of things1 when the bold spirit of ,luther resolved1 at all adventures1 to break through this inveterate servitude#aci1 so dextrously imposed on the ,christian world1 under the pretence1 and in the name1 of ecclesiastical union4 ,yet the peril of the attempt was easily foreseen1 or was presently felt4 ,and1 therefore1 the ,reformers 7to prevent the ill effects which the dreadful name of ,schism might have on themselves and their cause1 and to satisfy at once their own consciences and those of their adherents7 not only revived and enforced the old charge of ,antichristianism against the church of ,rome2 but further insisted 7on the authority of those prophecies which justified the charge7 that ,christians were bound in conscience1 by the most express command1 to break all communion with her4 ,the expedient1 one sees1 was well calculated to serve the purpose in hand3 but still the command was truly and pertinently alledged2 for it exists in so many words 7however the blindness or the bigotry of former times had overlooked it7 in the book of the ,revelations#adj4 ,so that whoever admitted the charge itself to be well founded1 could not reject this consequence of it1 ,that ,christ and ,antichrist had no fellowship with each other4 ,and on this popular ground1 chiefly1 the ,protestant cause1 in those early times1 was upheld2 with no small advantage to the patrons of it2 it being now clear1 that the invidious imputation of ,schism had lost its malignity in the general obligation1 which lay upon ,christians1 to renounce all communion with the church of ,rome4 ,this being the true account of that zeal1 with which the doctrine of ,antichrist was asserted in the days of ,reformation1 let us see how the case stands at present2 and whether any reasonable prejudice lies against the doctrine itself1 from the uses1 that were then so happily made of it4 ,in the first place1 ,the injunction1 to come out of her1 was1 as ,i observed1 not forged by the ,reformers2 nor 7admitting that church to be ,antichristian7 was it misrepresented by them4 ,every reader of the prophecies must confess1 that the command is clearly delivered1 and that the sense of it is not mistaken4 ,how serviceable soever1 therefore1 this topic was to the cause of reformation1 it is not1 on that account1 to be the less esteemed by the just and candid inquirer4 ,in the next place1 ,i will freely admit1 that the dread1 in which most men1 if not all men#ada1 of that time1 were held1 of incurring the imputation of ,schism1 was much greater1 than the occasion required1 and1 upon the whole1 a sort of panic terror4 ,for1 though a causeless separation from the church would indeed have loaded the ,reformers with much and real guilt1 yet when the abuses of it had risen to that height as to reduce an honest man to the alternative1 either of committing sin1 or of leaving its communion1 they might well have justified themselves on the evident necessity of the thing1 and had no need of a positive command to authorize their separation4 ,all this is1 now1 clearly seen2 and if the first ,reformers did not see thus much 7as very probably they did not7 all that follows is1 ,that the doctrine of ,antichrist1 from which that command derived its effect1 was less necessary to their cause1 than they supposed it to be2 not1 that the doctrine itself is without authority1 or the command without obligation4 ,lastly1 ,i observe1 that1 though the violences of the time might force the ,reformers to take shelter in this doctrine of ,antichrist1 and though the prejudices of the time might induce them to take the advantage1 they did1 of it2 yet1 neither of these considerations affords any just presumption against the doctrine1 as it lies in scripture1 and is enforced by us at this time out of it2 because we argue1 not from their authority1 but from the prophecies themselves2 which are much better understood by us1 than they were by them2 and are still maintained to speak the sense1 which they put upon them1 ,i mean with respect to the general application of them to the church of ,rome1 though we have nothing to apprehend either from the power of that church1 or from the prejudices of the people4 ,let no man1 therefore1 rashly conclude1 from the free use made of this doctrine by our old ,reformers 7and there is scarce one of them that has not left behind him a tract or discourse on ,antichrist7 that it hath no better or other foundation1 than in their interests or passions4 ,a reasonable man sees1 that it has no dependance at all upon them4 ,that ,luther1 indeed1 heated in the controversy with the church of ,rome1 and smoaking1 as ,i may say1 from the recent blast of the papal thunders1 should cry out1 ,,antichrist#adb1 shall pass1 if you will1 for a sally of rage and desperation#adc4 ,but that we1 at this day1 who revolve the prophecies at our ease1 and are in little more dread of modern ,rome1 than of ancient ,babylon1 should still find the resemblance so striking as to fall upon the same idea2 and should even be driven against the strong bias of prejudice 7which with us1 in ,england1 for above a century past1 has drawn the other way7 to adopt the language of our great ,reformer2 this1 ,i say1 is a consideration of another sort1 and will not be put off so slightly4 ,,still1 there are other prejudices1 which oppose themselves to this great ,protestant principle1 ,that the ,pope is ,antichrist2 and these1 it will not be beside the purpose of this ,lecture to consider4 ,it may1 then1 be said1 ,,ii4 8,that1 although there be not the same evident necessity for bringing this odious charge against the ,papacy1 as there was formerly in the infancy of ,reformation1 yet obvious reasons are not wanting1 which may possibly induce the ,protestant churches of our times to repeat and inforce it4 ,so long as the separation is kept up1 the partizans of the cause will not scruple to lay hold on every popular topic1 by which it may be promoted4 ,but an ill name1 is the readiest of all expedients1 and generally the most effectual1 for this service4 ,and as ,heretic is the term in use1 when the church of ,rome would discredit the ,reformation2 so1 ,antichrist serves just as well1 in the mouth of a ,protestant1 to disgrace the ,catholic party4 ,hence1 the people are gratified in a low spite against the person of the ,pope2 the better sort are confirmed in their religious or politic aversion to the church of ,rome2 and ,princes themselves are invited to come in aid of the prophecies1 by turning their arms and councils against a godless antichristian tyranny3 and all this1 to the ruin of public peace1 and in defiance of ,christian charity40 ,when men declaim1 instead of arguing1 or1 what is worse1 when they argue from their suspicions only1 it may not be easy to give them an answer to their satisfaction4 ,otherwise1 one might reply1 ,first1 ,that the question is not1 what use has been1 or may be1 made of this doctrine concerning ,antichrist2 but whether there be reason to believe that such doctrine is really contained in sacred scripture4 ,if there be1 it will become us to treat it with respect1 how much soever it may have been misapplied1 or perverted4 ,in the next place1 one might observe that no man1 who understood the state of this controversy1 ever applied the prophecies concerning ,antichrist to the person of the ,pope1 but in general to the church of ,rome1 or rather to the ,antichristian spirit1 by which it is governed2 or1 if to the ,pope1 to him only as representing that society1 of which he is the head2 and so far only1 as he acted in the spirit of it4 ,and there is nothing strange or unusual in this use of the term4 ,when ,hobbes wrote his famous book1 called ,,leviathan 7a word1 now at least1 of almost as ill sound1 as ,antichrist itself7 no man supposes1 that he meant to apply this character1 exclusively1 to the person of any prince1 then living2 but1 in general1 to civil government1 according to the ideas he had formed of it4 ,and this way of speaking1 as ,i have before observed1 is especially familiar to the sacred writers4 ,many of the ,popes are said to have been1 and1 for any thing ,i know1 may have been1 ,saints1 in their private morals3 so that when we apply the term1 ,antichrist1 to them1 we do not mean to stigmatize their persons1 but merely to express the sense which the prophecies lead us to entertain of the communion1 over which they preside2 though they may not exemplify in their own conduct1 or not in any remarkable degree1 the avowed principles of that communion4 ,conceive1 therefore1 with more respect of ,protestant divines1 when they explain and vindicate the prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 than to suppose1 that they indulge in themselves1 or would encourage in others1 a low spite against the person of the ,roman ,pontif4 ,thirdly1 ,it is to be observed1 that1 although this prophetic language may tend to confirm ,protestants in a religious1 or1 if you will1 politic aversion to the church of ,rome2 yet it is not therefore to be forborn1 if the scriptures do1 indeed1 authorize the use of it2 nor is there any hurt done1 if the principles of that church be not misrepresented2 for then1 such aversion becomes the wisdom and the duty of all ,christians4 ,besides1 this aversion proceeds no farther in well-informed ,protestants1 than to keep them at distance from the ,romish communion1 and to admonish others of their obligation to forsake it4 ,and1 if the members1 above all1 if the rulers1 of that communion would restrain their zeal within the same bounds 7though they would not1 we say1 be equally justified in this zeal7 neither public peace1 nor ,christian charity1 would suffer by it4 ,lastly1 it should be remembered1 ,that1 when the prophecies foretell the downfall of ,antichrist1 and even go so far as to point out to us the princes of that communion1 as the destined instruments of such catastrophe2 yet neither is hereby any duty imposed on those princes to make war upon the ,pope1 nor any encouragement given to ,protestants themselves to concur in any such measures4 ,for the prophets simply predict an event2 and do not deliver in their prediction1 or propose to deliver1 rules for our conduct4 ,our ,saviour himself1 speaking by the spirit1 and in the language of prophecy1 said--,i come not to send peace on earth1 but a sword4 ,but will any man suppose that this prediction justifies1 or was meant in any degree to justify1 that state of things1 which it describes1 and which the author of it foresaw would too certainly come to pass8 ,nor think1 that the event predicted1 ,i mean1 the fall of ,antichrist1 will not take place1 unless our invectives1 or hostile attempts1 make way for it4 ,if the prediction be divine1 there is ,,one1 who will see that it be accomplished4 ,princes and ,states may have nothing less in view than to fulfill the prophecies of sacred ,scripture3 yet1 when the appointed time is come1 they will certainly fulfill them1 though they never thought of coming in aid of the prophecies--though we should not encourage them in any such presumptuous design--nay1 though we should do our utmost1 as it is our duty to do1 to restrain vindictive and ill-advised men from turning their arms even against ,antichrist himself1 for the sake of religion4 ,this topic1 ,i know1 is much laboured by the advocates of the papal cause1 in order to throw disgrace on ,protestant writers1 whom they consider as so many incendiaries1 wickedly attempting to spread the flames of war through ,christian societies4 ,there might be a time when1 in the case of some few men1 transported by passion1 because outrageously oppressed1 there was1 perhaps1 some colour for this charge4 ,but to persist in it1 as they still do1 only shews that they neither conceive with due reverence of divine prophecy1 nor do justice to that spirit of toleration by which the ,protestant churches1 at least of our days1 are so eminently distinguished4 ,,iii4 8,a third prejudice1 which operates in the minds of many persons against the principle under consideration1 arises from the disagreeing opinions of learned men concerning the sense and application of the prophecies2 while not only the papal ,divines1 but many writers of note even among ourselves1 have strenuously maintained that the church of ,rome is no way concerned in the predictions concerning ,antichrist40 ,to this prejudice1 ,i observe1 #a4 ,that arguments from authority1 in all cases where reason and good sense must finally decide1 are very little to be regarded4 ,shew me the question in religion1 or even in common morals1 about which learned men have not disagreed2 nay1 shew me a single text of scripture1 though ever so plain and precise1 which the perverseness or ingenuity of interpreters has not drawn into different1 and often contrary meanings4 ,what then shall we conclude8 ,that there is no truth in religion1 no certainty in morals1 no authority in sacred scripture8 ,if such conclusions1 as these1 be carried to their utmost length1 in what else can they terminate1 but absolute universal scepticism8 #b4 ,i observe that this authority1 after all1 whatever weight we may1 in the general1 suppose it to have1 is1 in the present case1 no great matter2 for it is1 in effect1 but the authority of ,,one man1 whose eminent worth1 however1 and lustre of reputation1 made it current with some others4 ,the character of ,,hugo ,,grotius is well known4 ,he is justly esteemed among the ablest and most learned men of an age1 that abounded in ability and learning4 ,besides his other shining talents1 his acquaintance with history was extensive2 and his knowledge of scripture1 profound4 ,and yet1 with two such requisites for unlocking the true sense of the prophetic writings1 this excellent man undertook to prove in form1 ,that the ,pope was not ,antichrist4 ,the account of this mischance1 is as extraordinary1 as the mischance itself4 ,the moral qualities of ,grotius were still more admirable1 than his intellectual3 and in these qualities1 we shall find the true spring of his unhappy and misapplied pains on the subject before us4 ,he was in his own nature just1 candid1 benevolent1 to a supreme degree2 and the experience of an active turbulent life had but fortified him the more in a love of these pacific virtues4 ,he was1 on principle1 a sincere and zealous ,christian2 and consequently impressed with a due sense of that exalted charity1 which is the characteristic of that religion3 but he had seen and felt much of the mischiefs1 which proceed from theological quarrels3 and thus every thing concurred to make him a friend to peace1 and1 above all1 to peace among ,christians4 ,an union of the ,catholic and ,protestant churches seemed necessary to this end3 and the apparent candour1 whether real or affected1 of some learned persons1 whom he had long known and valued in the church of ,rome1 drew him into the belief1 that such a project was not impracticable4 ,henceforth1 it became the ruling object of his life2 and1 permitting himself too easily to conclude1 that the ,protestant doctrine of ,antichrist was the sole1 or principal obstruction to the union desired1 he bent all the efforts of his wit and learning to discredit and overthrow that doctrine4 ,thus1 was this virtuous man betrayed by the wisdom and equity of his own character2 and ,i know not if the observation of the moral poet can be so justly applied to any other-- ,insani sapiens nomen ferat1 quus iniqui1 ,ultr qum satis est1 virtutem si petat ipsam#add4 ,the issue of his general scheme was what might easily be foreseen3 and of his arguments1 ,i shall only say thus much1 ,that the ,romish writers themselves1 for whose use they might seem to be invented1 though they continue to object his name to us1 are too wise to venture the stress of their cause upon them4 ,to conclude this head of authority1 let me just observe1 #c4 ,in the last place1 that1 if any regard be due to it1 the advantage will clearly be on our side4 ,for1 though the name of ,grotius made an impression on some ,protestant interpreters of scripture1 not inconsiderable for their parts and learning1 yet1 when the grounds of his opinion came to be examined1 the most and the ablest of them have generally declared against him3 and among these1 let it be no offence to the manes of this great#ade man1 if we particularly mention ,,two1 and prefer even to his authority that of ,newton and ,clarke2 the one1 the ablest philosopher1 and the other1 the coolest and most rational divine1 that any age has produced4 ,,iv4 8,another1 and fourth prejudice may have been entertained on this subject from observing that many curious persons1 who have employed themselves much and long in the study of the prophecies1 especially of those concerning ,antichrist1 have been led 7on their authority1 as they pretend7 to fix the time and other circumstances of great events1 which yet have not fallen out agreeable to their expectations4 ,whence it is inferred1 that no solid information can be derived from the prophecies1 and that all our reasonings upon them are no better than fancy and conjecture40 ,now1 though the indiscretion of these curious persons1 who would needs prophecy when their business was only to interpret#adf1 be injurious enough to their own character1 ,i do not see how it affects that of the prophets2 unless whatever may be abused 7as every thing may7 be answerable for the abuses made of it4 ,but to reply more directly to this charge4 ,the ill success of men in explaining prophecies of events1 not yet come to pass1 can in no degree discredit those prophecies1 unless it be essential to this sort of revelation to be so clearly proposed1 as that it may and must be perfectly understood1 before those events happen2 the contrary of which ,i have already shewn1 in a preceding discourse4 ,the very idea of prophecy is that of a light shining in a dark place3 and a place is not dark1 if we have light enough to discern distinctly and fully every remote corner of it4 ,but the thing speaks itself4 ,for to what end is the prediction delivered in obscure and enigmatic terms1 if the purpose of the inspirer was that the subject of the prediction should be immediately1 and in all its circumstances1 precisely apprehended8 ,why1 then1 is any distinction made between ,prophecy1 and ,history8 ,the mode of writing clearly demonstrates1 that something1 for a time at least1 was meant to be concealed from us3 and then1 if men will attempt1 out of season1 to penetrate this mystery1 what wonder if mistake be the fruit of their presumption8 ,again3 the declared end of prophecy is1 not that we may be enabled by it to foresee things before they come to pass1 but when they come to pass1 that we may acknowledge the divine author of the prophecy#adg4 ,what dishonour1 then1 can it be to the prophet1 that he is not perfectly understood1 till we be expected to make use of his information8 ,nay1 in the case before us1 it would dishonour him1 if he was4 ,for1 of the prophecies concerning ,antichrist we are expressly told1 that they are shut up and sealed1 till the time of the end2 that is1 till ,time brings the key along with him4 ,so that1 if men could open them1 by their own wit and sagacity only1 they would give the lye to the prophet4 ,and thus we see1 that the very mistakes of interpreters attempting prematurely to unfold the sealed prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 far from subverting1 support the credit of those prophecies#adh4 ,but ,i have something more to say on this subject4 ,though we cannot see every thing in the prophecies1 which we are impatient to see1 it is not to be supposed that we can see nothing in them4 ,if this were the case1 we should scarce regard them as prophecies at all2 at least1 we should hardly be prevailed upon to read and consider them4 ,for1 it is on the supposition that some light is communicated to us1 that we are disposed1 as well as required1 to take heed to it4 ,in short1 if we saw nothing1 we should expect nothing3 such prophecies would not engage our curiosity1 or so much as take our attention4 ,in one word1 they would be utterly lost upon us4 ,this seems to have been1 in some measure1 the case with regard to this very book of the ,revelations4 ,the early ,christians saw so little in this prophecy1 that they were led by degrees to neglect the study of it4 ,otherwise1 the little they did see1 might have given them a glimpse1 at least1 of many things1 that intimately concerned both their faith and conduct4 ,it being then necessary1 as ,i said1 that prophecy should1 from the first1 convey some light to us1 and time having now very much increased that light1 it follows1 that men may excuseably employ themselves in studying and contemplating even unfulfilled prophecies4 ,they may conjecture modestly of points which time has not yet revealed3 but they should1 in no case1 pronounce confidently1 or decide dogmatically upon them4 ,it seems therefore to be going too far1 to pass an indiscriminate censure on all those1 who have proposed their thoughts on the sense of prophecies1 not yet completed1 though it be ever so clear that a wrong construction has been made of them4 ,nay1 it is worth considering whether they may not even have conjectured right1 when they have been thought to mistake the most widely4 ,i say this1 chiefly1 with regard to the time1 which some writers have beforehand assigned for the accomplishment of certain prophecies1 and that1 on principles apparently contained in those prophecies2 but so unhappily1 as to draw much scorn and ridicule upon themselves4 ,i explain myself by a famous instance4 ,nothing has been more censured in ,protestant divines1 than their temerity in fixing the fall of ,antichrist2 though there are certain data in the prophecies1 from which very probable conclusions on that subject may be drawn4 ,experience1 it is said1 contradicts their calculation4 ,but it is not considered1 that the fall of ,antichrist1 is not a single event1 to happen all at once2 but a state of things1 to continue through a long tract of time1 and to be gradually accomplished4 ,hence1 the interpretation of the prophecy might be rightly formed1 though the expectations of most men are disappointed4 ,it is visible1 ,i suppose1 that the papal power 7if we agree to call that1 ,antichrist7 is now on the decline2 whensoever that declension began1 or how long soever it may be1 before it will be finished4 ,and therefore interpreters may have aimed right1 though they seemed to others1 and perhaps to themselves1 to be mistaken4 ,suppose1 the ruin of the ,western ,empire had been the subject of a prediction1 and some had collected1 beforehand1 from the terms of the prophecy1 that it would happen at a particular time2 when yet nothing more1 in fact1 came to pass1 than the first irruption of the barbarous nations4 ,would it be certain that this collection was groundless and ill made1 because the empire subsisted in a good degree of vigour for some centuries after8 ,might it not be said1 that the empire was falling#adi from that ra1 or perhaps before2 though1 in the event1 it fell not1 till its sovereignty was shaken by the rude hands of ,attila1 or rather1 till it was laid flat by the well-directed force of ,theodoric8 ,but we have an instance in point1 recorded in sacred scripture4 ,it had been gathered from the old prophecies#aej1 that1 in the last times1 7that is1 when the ,messiah was come7 a new earth and new heavens should be created4 ,the style is symbolical2 but the meaning is1 and was so understood to be1 that a new ,law should be given to mankind and prevail over the whole world4 ,this ,law was accordingly promulged and began to prevail in the days of the ,apostles4 ,yet there were some who said1 ,where is the promise of his coming8 for1 since the fathers fell asleep1 all things continue1 as they were from the creation of the world4 ,it was taken for granted1 we see1 that this great and glorious work1 equivalent to the production of a new world1 would take place suddenly and at once2 which not being the case1 it seemed to follow1 that the prophecies were false1 or at least ill understood3 when yet1 surely1 they were then fulfilling under the eyes of these scoffers4 ,it will be considered1 how far these hints may go towards rescuing some respectable interpreters 7for ,i speak only of such7 from that contempt1 which has fallen upon them1 and1 from them1 on the prophecies themselves1 for some hazardous conclusions1 or1 7if you will7 predictions1 formed and given out by them1 concerning the reign and fall of ,antichrist4 ,my meaning1 however1 is not to make myself responsible for these conclusions4 ,they may not be rightly drawn from the premises1 laid down2 or the premises may be such1 that the precise date of those transactions cannot be determined from them1 at least1 not1 till the scene of prophecy be closed1 or1 in the prophetic language1 till the mystery of ,god be finished#aea4 ,in the mean time1 it is not clear and undeniable that there is no ground at all for such conjectures3 or1 if it were1 it would only follow that they1 who made them1 had been rash and indiscreet in commenting too minutely and confidently on prophecies unfulfilled2 and it would be weak1 as we have seen1 to contract a prejudice against the subject itself from the mistakes of such commentators4 ,v4 ,after all1 the main and master prejudice1 ,i doubt1 is1 that levity of mind which disposes too many to take their notions on this1 and other subjects of moment1 from certain polite and popular1 it may be1 but frivolous and libertine writers3 men1 who have no religion1 or not enough to venerate the prophetic scriptures2 who have no knowledge1 or certainly not enough to understand them4 ,but with such cavillers1 as these1 ,i have no concern2 this ,lecture1 and the subject of it1 being addressed to men of another character1 to fair1 candid1 sober1 and enlightened inquirers1 only3 ,for so the inspired person1 who first announced these wonders concerning ,antichrist1 to mankind1 expressly declares1 or rather prophesies--,none of the wicked shall understand3 but ,,the ,,wise shall understand#aeb4 ,,sermon ,,ix4 ,,the ,,prophetic ,,style ,,considered4 ,,ezekiel xx4 #di4 --,they say of me1 ,doth he not speak ,parables8 ,in recounting the various prejudices1 which have diverted many persons from giving a due attention to the prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 ,i may be thought to have overlooked ,,one of the most considerable2 which ariseth from the peculiar style1 in which they are delivered4 ,but this being a subject of larger compass1 and nicer inquiry1 than the rest1 7in which1 too1 the credit of all the prophetic scriptures1 as well as those respecting ,antichrist1 is concerned7 ,i have purposely reserved it for a distinct and separate examination4 ,,without ,,doubt1 a plain man1 brought up in our customs and notions1 and unacquainted with theological studies1 when he first turns himself to the contemplation of the ,jewish and ,christian prophecies1 will be surprised1 perhaps disgusted1 to find1 that he understands little1 or nothing of them4 ,his modesty may incline him to think1 that such writings are too mysterious for his comprehension3 or1 his laziness and presumption may dispose him to reject them1 at once1 as perfectly unintelligible2 to consider the language of them1 as a jargon1 to which no ideas are annexed2 or1 at least1 as a kind of cypher1 of so wild and fanatical a texture1 that no clear and certain construction can be made of it4 ,now1 this prejudice1 whichever way it points1 will be obviated1 if it can be shewn1 #a4 ,that the prophetic style was of common and approved use1 in the times when the prophecies were delivered1 and among the people to whom they were addressed4 ,and #b4 ,that this style1 how dark or fanciful soever it may appear1 is yet reducible to rule2 that is1 is constructed on such principles1 as make it the subject of just criticism and reasonable interpretation2 and1 in particular1 to us1 at this day4 ,for a language is not fanatical1 that is authorised by general practice2 nor can it be deemed unintelligible1 when it is capable of having its meaning ascertained4 ,i4 ,the proof of these two points will most conveniently be given together1 in a deduction of the causes1 which produced the character of the prophetic style4 ,that character1 ,i believe1 is truly given by those who affirm1 ,that the style of the prophets was only the poetical1 and highly figurative style of the ,eastern nations4 ,but if you go farther and ask1 ,how it came to pass1 that the oriental poetry was so much more figurative than ours1 it may not be enough to say1 as many others have done1 that this difference of character was owing to the influence of the sun1 and to the superior heat and fervour1 which it gave to an eastern imagination4 ,for ,i know not whether there be reason to think1 that the sun hath any such effect on the powers of the mind2 or that the fancies of men are apter to catch1 and blaze out in metaphor1 within a warm climate1 than a cold one3 a figurative cast of style being observable in the native poetry of all countries2 and that1 so far as appears from history and experience1 in a pretty equal degree4 ,besides1 if the fact were allowed1 the answer would scarce be sufficient4 ,for1 as we shall presently see1 the symbolic language of ,prophecy1 is too consistent and uniform1 hath too much of art and method in it1 to be derived from the casual flights and sallies of the imagination only1 how powerfully soever you suppose it to have operated in the prophets4 ,we then must go much deeper for a true account of the emblematic and highly coloured expression1 which glares so strongly in the prophetic scriptures3 and we shall find it1 partly1 in the nature of the human mind2 and1 partly1 in the genius1 indeed1 of the oriental nations1 and especially of the ,jews1 but as fashioned1 not by the influence of their climate1 but by the modes of their learning and institution4 ,i must be as brief as possible1 on a subject1 which many learned writers#aec have largely and fully discussed2 and1 as the reflexions ,i have to offer to you upon it1 are chiefly taken from them1 ,i may the rather bespeak your attention to what follows4 #a4 ,first1 then1 let it be observed1 that the original language of all nations is extremely imperfect4 ,their stock of words being small1 they explain themselves very much by signs1 or representative actions3 and their conceptions1 in that early state of society1 being gross and rude1 the few words they have1 are replete with material images1 and so are what we call highly metaphorical2 and this1 not from choice or design1 or even from any extraordinary warmth of fancy1 but of necessity1 and from the very nature of things4 ,such is the primitive character of all languages3 and it continues long in all1 because the figurative manner is thought ornamental1 when it is no longer necessary2 and because the necessity of it is only1 if at all1 removed by long use and habit in abstract speculation3 a degree of refinement1 to which the orientals1 and the ,jews especially1 never attained4 ,and therefore in their languages1 very long --,manserunt1 hodieque manent vestigia ruris4 ,thus far we may go in accounting for the figured style of the east1 from general principles4 ,but this is by no means the whole of the case4 ,for #b4 ,we are to reflect1 that1 before an alphabet was invented1 and what we call literary writing was formed into an art1 men had no way to record their conceptions1 or to convey them to others at a distance1 but by setting down the figures and shapes of such things1 as were the objects of their contemplation4 ,hence1 the way of writing in picture1 was as universal1 and almost as early1 as the way of speaking in metaphor2 and from the same reason1 the necessity of the thing4 ,in process of time1 and through many successive improvements1 this rude and simple mode of picture-writing was succeeded by that of symbols1 or was enlarged at least1 and enriched by it4 ,by symbols1 ,i mean certain representative marks1 rather than express pictures2 or if pictures1 such as were at the same time characters1 and1 besides presenting to the eye the resemblance of a particular object1 suggested a general idea to the mind4 ,as1 when a horn was made to denote strength1 an eye and scepter1 majesty1 and in numberless such instances2 where the picture was not drawn to express merely the thing itself1 but something else1 which was1 or was conceived to be1 analogous to it4 ,this more complex and ingenious form of picture-writing was much practised by the ,egyptians1 and is that which we know by the name of ,,hieroglyphics4 ,indeed1 these symbolic characters were likely1 in a course of successive refinements1 to pass into characters by institution3 and have1 in fact1 undergone that change among the ,chinese3 and it might be expected that both would be laid aside by any people that should come to be acquainted with the far more convenient and expeditious method of alphabetic writing4 ,but the event1 in some instances1 hath been different4 ,the ,chinese adhere to their characters1 though from their late intercourse with the ,european nations1 one cannot but suppose1 that the knowledge of letters has been conveyed to them3 and the ,egyptians1 through all the extent of their long subsisting and highly polished empire1 retained their hieroglyphics1 notwithstanding their invention and use of an alphabet4 ,their inducement to this practice might be1 the pleasure they took in a mode of writing1 which gratified their inventive curiosity in looking into the natures and analogies of things2 or1 it might be a strain of policy in them to secrete by this means1 their more important discoveries from the vulgar2 or1 vanity might put them on raising the value of their knowledge by wrapping it up in a vehicle1 so amusing at the same time1 and mysterious4 ,what account soever be given of it1 the fact is1 that the ,egyptians cultivated the hieroglyphic species of writing1 with peculiar diligence2 while the antiquity1 the splendor1 the fame of that mighty kingdom excited a veneration for it1 in the rest of the world4 ,hence it came to pass1 that the learning of those times1 which was spread from ,egypt1 as from its center1 took a strong tincture of the hieroglyphic spirit4 ,the ,east was wholly infected by it2 so that it became the pride of its wise men to try the reach of each other's capacity by questions conceived and proposed in this form4 ,even the ,greeks1 in much later ages1 caught the manner of symbolizing their conceptions from ,egypt2 and either drew their mythology from that quarter1 or dressed it out in the old ,egyptian garb4 ,but the ,israelites1 especially1 who had their breeding in that country1 at the time when the hieroglyphic learning was at its height1 carried this treasure with them1 among their other spoils1 into the land of ,canaan4 ,and1 though it be credible that their great ,law-giver interdicted the use of hieroglyphic characters1 yet the ideas of them were deeply imprinted on their minds1 and came out1 on every occasion1 in those symbols and emblems1 with which1 under the names of riddles1 parables1 and dark sayings1 their writings are so curiously variegated and imbossed4 ,this then is the true and proper account of that peculiar style1 which looks so strangely1 and to those1 who do not advert to this original of it1 perhaps so fantastically1 in the writings of the prophets4 ,and what more natural1 than that a mode of expression1 which was so well known1 so commonly practised1 and so much revered2 which was effected by the wittiest1 nay1 by the wisest men of those times2 which was employed in the theology of the ,eastern world1 in its poetry1 its philosophy1 and all the sublimer forms of composition2 ,what wonder1 ,i say1 that this customary1 this authorized1 this admired strain of language should be that in which the sacred writers conveyed their highest and most important revelations to mankind8 ,nor let any man take offence at the condescension of the divine ,inspirer1 as though he degraded himself1 by his compliance with the humours and fancies of those to whom his inspirations were addressed4 ,for let him reflect1 that in what form of words soever it shall please ,god to communicate himself to man1 it must still be in a way1 that implies the utmost1 indeed the same1 condescension to our weaknesses and infirmities2 nay1 that immediate inspiration itself1 though coming through no medium of language1 is of necessity to be accommodated to our methods of perceiving and understanding1 how imperfect soever they are4 ,besides1 if external revelation be possible1 it must be given in some one mode of speech or writing1 in preference to others4 ,and1 if we consider how ancient1 how general1 how widely diffused1 this symbolic style has been1 and still is1 in the world2 how necessary it is to rude nations1 and how taking with the most refined2 how large a proportion of the globe this practice had over-run before1 and at the time of writing the prophecies1 and what vast regions of the ,south and ,east1 not yet professing the faith1 but hereafter1 as we presume1 to be enlightened by it1 the same practice1 at this day1 overspreads2 when we consider all this1 we shall cease perhaps to admire1 that the style in question was adopted1 rather than any other2 or we shall only admire the divine goodness and wisdom of its ,author1 who had contrived beforehand1 in the very form of this revelation1 what may possibly help to bring on and facilitate the reception of it4 ,certainly1 it may become us1 on such an occasion1 to enlarge our ideas a little2 and not to conclude hastily and peremptorily that1 when a general blessing was intended by ,providence1 the mode of conveying it should be instituted singly with an eye to our local notions and confined prejudices1 and with no regard to the more prevailing sentiments and expectations of mankind4 ,in the mean time1 it is past a doubt that the hieroglyphic style was predominant in the ancient world2 in ,juda1 particularly1 from the times of ,moses to the coming of ,christ4 ,there was indeed a degree of obscurity in it1 so far at least as to furnish the ,jews1 who had no mind to listen to their ,prophets1 with a pretence of not understanding them 7as we see from the complaint brought against the prophet ,ezekiel in the text1 ,doth he not speak ,parables87 yet still1 it cannot be denied1 ,that this mode of writing was of common and approved use in the ages1 when the prophecies were delivered1 and among the people1 to whom they were addressed4 ,our ,,first proposition is then reasonably made out2 and so much of the ,,second1 as affirms that the prophetic style is constructed on such principles as make it the subject of just criticism and rational interpretation4 ,for it was constructed1 as we have seen1 on the symbolic principles of the hieroglyphics2 which were not vague uncertain things2 but fixed and constant analogies1 determinable in their own nature1 or from the steady use that was made of them4 ,and a language1 formed on such principles1 may be reasonably interpreted upon them4 ,so that what remains is only to shew1 that there are means1 by which this abstruse language may become intelligible to us1 at this day4 ,,ii4 ,that there are such means1 you will easily collect1 without requiring me to come to a detail on so immense a subject1 from the following considerations4 #a4 ,some light may be expected to arise from the study of the prophecies themselves4 ,for the same symbols1 or figures1 recur frequently in those writings3 and1 by comparing one passage with another2 the darker prophecies with the more perspicuous2 the unfulfilled1 with such as have been completed2 and those which have their explanation annexed to them1 with those that have not2 by this course of inquiry1 ,i say1 there is no doubt but some considerable progress may be made in fixing the true and proper meaning of this mysterious language4 #b4 ,very much of the ,egyptian hieroglyphics1 on which1 as we have seen1 the prophetic style was fashioned1 may be learned from many ancient records and monuments1 still subsisting2 and from innumerable hints and passages1 scattered through the ,greek antiquaries and historians1 which have been carefully collected and compared by learned men4 #c4 ,the ,pagan superstitions of every form and species1 which were either derived from ,egypt1 or conducted on hieroglyphic notions1 have been of singular use in commenting on the ,jewish prophets4 ,their ,omens1 ,augury1 and ,judicial ,astrology seem to have proceeded on symbolic principles2 the mystery being only this1 ,that such objects1 as in the hieroglyphic pictures1 were made the symbols of certain ideas1 were considered as omens of the things themselves4 ,thus1 the figure of a horse1 being the symbol of prosperity and success in arms1 when a head of this animal was found in laying the foundations of ,carthage1 the ,soothsayers concluded1 that the character of that state would be warlike1 and its fortune prosperous3 or1 thus again1 because the sun was the common emblem of a ,king1 or supreme governor in any state1 an eclipse of this luminary was thought to indicate the ruin1 or diminution1 at least1 of his power and fortune2 and the superstition is not quite extinct at this day#aed4 ,but1 of all the ,pagan superstitions1 that which is known by the name of ,oneirocritics1 or the art of interpreting dreams1 is most directly to our purpose4 ,there is a curious treatise on this subject1 which bears the name of ,achmet1 an ,arabian writer2 and another by ,artemidorus1 an ,ephesian1 who lived about the end of the first century#aee4 ,in the former of these collections 7for both works are compiled out of preceding and very ancient writers7 the manner of interpreting dreams1 according to the use of the ,oriental nations1 is delivered2 as the rules1 which the ,grcian diviners followed1 are deduced in the other4 ,for1 light and frivolous as this art was1 it is not to be supposed that it was taken up at hazard1 or could be conducted without rule2 an arbitrary or capricious interpretation of dreams1 considered as a mode of divination1 being too gross an insult on the common sense of mankind#aef4 ,but the rules1 by which both the ,greek and ,oriental diviners justified their interpretations1 appear to have been formed on symbolic principles1 that is1 on the very same ideas of analogy1 by which the ,egyptian hieroglyphics 7now grown venerable1 and even sacred7 were explained4 ,so that the prophetic style1 which is all over painted with hieroglyphic imagery1 receives an evident illustration from these two works4 ,i have said1 that this superstition was more immediately to our purpose1 than any other4 ,for some of the more important prophecies are delivered in the way of dreams2 and therefore1 without doubt1 the rules for interpreting the symbols presented to the mind of the prophet in these inspired dreams1 were the very same with those1 that were laid down in the ,gentile ,oneirocritics4 ,the conclusion1 ,i know1 may appear bold and hazardous4 ,but you will reflect that there is really nothing more strange in applying this mode of interpretation to dreams1 than to any other species of prophecy2 to visions1 for instance1 or parables1 or even1 in general1 to any part of the prophetic style4 ,the compliance1 on the part of the inspirer1 is the same on every supposition2 and only shews that1 when the ,deity thinks fit to reveal himself to men1 he does it in a way that is suitable to their ideas and apprehensions4 ,nor is any sanction1 in the mean time1 given1 by this accommodation of himself1 to the pagan practice of divining by dreams4 ,for1 though the same symbols be interpreted in the same manner1 yet the prophecy doth not depend on the interpretation1 but the inspiration of the dream4 ,a casual dream1 thus interpreted1 is only a dream still2 the received sense of the symbols1 represented in it1 no way inferring the completion of it4 ,but when the ,almighty sends the dream1 the symbols are of another consideration1 and not only signify1 but predict1 an event4 ,now1 if men will mistake a barely significant emblem1 for a prophetic inspiration1 the fault is in themselves1 and not in the use of the common emblems2 which may be the vehicle of a true prophecy1 though craft or superstition take occasion from them to divine lies#aeg4 ,it follows1 that the rules1 which the ancient diviners observed in explaining symbolic dreams1 may be safely and justly applied to the interpretation of symbolic prophecies1 and especially to such of them as were delivered in the form of dreams4 #d4 ,it is lastly to be observed1 that not only the ,arabic and other ,oriental writers1 but even the ,greek and ,latin poets1 may contribute very much to the exposition of the ancient prophets4 ,for these poets abound in strong metaphors and glowing images1 which were either copied from the symbolic language of the ,east1 or invented on the same principles of analogy as prevailed in the ,egyptian hieroglyphics4 ,so that many expressions1 which seem dark and strange in the writings of the ,jewish prophets1 may be clearly illustrated and familiarized to us1 even from classic usage and example4 ,and now from these several sources2 that is1 from the scriptures themselves--from the still subsisting monuments of ,egyptian hieroglyphics--from the ,gentile ceremonies and superstitions--and from the greater works of genius and fancy1 transmitted to us both from the ,eastern and ,western poets--such a vocabulary of the prophetic terms and symbols may be1 nay hath been#aeh1 drawn up1 as serves to determine the sense of them in the same manner1 as any common art or language is explained by its own proper key1 or dictionary2 and there is1 in truth1 no more difficulty in fixing the import of the prophetic style1 than of any other language or technical phraseology whatsoever4 ,,iii4 ,but1 if the case be so clear1 you may now be tempted to ask1 8,what then becomes of the obscurity1 in which the prophecies are said to be involved2 and in particular1 how comes it to pass1 that they may not be as well explained1 before the completion1 as after it#aei2 which yet is constantly denied by writers on this subject1 and1 even1 by your own principles1 cannot be supposed80 ,to this objection1 ,i shall not reply by saying1 ,that the style of the prophets1 though intelligible1 yet requires much practice in the interpreter to unfold its meaning2 for that is the case of many other arts and sciences1 which yet are generally understood3 nor1 that the symbolic terms are frequently capable of several senses1 which must needs perplex the interpretation2 for there is no common language1 in which the plainest words do not frequently admit the same difference of construction1 which yet creates no great difficulty to those who attend closely to the scope of a writer3 ,i shall not therefore1 ,i say1 amuse you with these evasive answers1 but reply1 directly to the purpose of your inquiry1 by observing1 8,that there are several methods1 or1 if you will1 artifices1 by which the inspired writers1 under the cover of a symbolic expression1 and sometimes even without it1 might effectually conceal their meaning1 before the completion of a prophecy1 though the language1 in which they write1 be clearly explicable on fixed and stated rules40 #a4 ,when the prophecy is of remote events1 the subject is frequently not announced1 or announced only in general terms4 ,thus1 an earthquake is described--a mountain is said to be thrown down--a star1 to fall from heaven2 and so in numberless other instances4 ,now1 an earthquake1 in hieroglyphic language1 denotes a revolution in government2 a mountain is the symbol of a kingdom1 or capital city2 a star1 of a prince1 or great man3 but of what government1 of what kingdom1 of what prince1 the prophet speaks1 we are not told1 and are frequently unable to find out1 till a full coincidence of all circumstances1 in the event1 discloses the secret4 #b4 ,the prophetic terms are not only figurative1 but sometimes1 and in no common degree1 hyperbolical 7of which the reason will be given hereafter71 so that nothing but the event can determine the true size and value of them4 ,this seems to have been the case of those prophecies in the ,old ,testament1 which describe the tranquillity and felicity of ,christ's kingdom2 and may possibly be the case of those prophecies in the ,new1 which respect the ,millennium4 #c4 ,it being the genius of the prophetic style to be nigmatical1 this cast is sometimes purposely given to it1 even when the expression is most plain and direct4 ,thus ,jeremiah prophesies of ,zedekiah1 king of ,judah1 that he should be delivered into the hands of the king of ,babylon1 that his eyes should behold the eyes of the king of ,babylon1 and that he should go to ,babylon#afj4 ,ezekiel1 prophesying of the same prince1 says1 that he should go to ,babylon1 but that he should not see it1 though he should die there#afa4 ,now ,josephus tells us1 that the apparent inconsistency of these two prophecies determined ,zedekiah to believe neither of them4 ,yet both were strictly and punctually fulfilled4 #d4 ,lastly1 the chief difficulty of all lies in a circumstance1 not much observed by interpreters1 and1 from the nature of it1 not observable1 till after the event2 ,i mean1 in a mixed use of the plain and figured style3 so that the prophetic descriptions are sometimes literal1 even when they appear most figurative2 and sometimes1 again1 they are highly figurative1 when they appear most plain4 ,an instance of literal expression1 under the mask of figurative1 occurs in the prophet ,nahum1 who predicts the overthrow of ,nineveh in these words--,with an over-running flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof1 ,nahum i4 #h4 ,an over-running flood1 is the hieroglyphic symbol of desolation by a victorious enemy3 and in this highly figurative sense1 an interpreter of the prophecy would1 in all likelihood1 understand the expression4 ,but the event shewed the sense to be literal2 that city being taken1 as we know from history1 by means of an inundation4 ,of figurative expression1 under the form of literal1 take the following instance from a prophecy1 of ,christ himself2 who says to the ,jews1 ,destroy this temple1 and ,i will raise it up in three days1 ,john i4 #ai4 ,it was natural enough for the ,jews to understand our ,lord as speaking of the temple at ,jerusalem2 the rather1 as this term had not been1 and1 ,i think1 could1 not be1 applied1 to any person1 before ,jesus3 to ,him1 it might be so applied2 and we know that he spake of the temple of his body1 ver4 #ba4 ,the same equivocal use was1 sometimes1 purposely made of proverbial expressions1 as learned men have observed#afb4 ,i omit many other causes of obscurity in the prophecies2 such as the seeming incredibility1 sometimes1 of the things predicted--the undefined chronology and geography--the intricacy of the method--and many other considerations4 ,but you will collect from these brief hints1 respecting the expression only1 that1 though the symbolic language be reducible to rule1 and therefore1 in the main1 sufficiently intelligible1 yet that there is room enough for the introduction of so much obscurity into the prophetic writings1 as may answer the ends of the inspirer1 and conceal the full meaning of them from the most sagacious interpreter1 till it be revealed1 in due time1 by the event4 ,or1 if it be thought that such difficulties as the event removes1 are not1 in their own nature1 invincible1 before it happens1 it is still to be considered1 that the giver of the prophecy is1 by supposition1 divine2 and as he1 therefore1 foresaw1 in framing the texture of it1 that such difficulties would1 in fact1 be invincible1 they served the purpose of a designed concealment just as well1 as if1 in nature1 they were4 ,whence the conclusion is still the same1 ,that the prophetic style might be the cover of impenetrable obscurities in a prophecy1 before its completion1 and yet the terms of it be clearly explicable on established rules2 the event only enabling the expositor more skilfully and properly to apply those rules4 ,,iv4 ,to conclude this subject2 ,it will now be acknowledged1 that the suspicions which have been taken up against the prophetic way of writing1 as if it were vague1 illusory1 or unintelligible1 are utterly without foundation4 ,the style of the prophets was the known1 authorized style of their age and country1 in all writings especially1 of a sacred or solemn character2 and is even yet in use with a great part of mankind4 ,it further appears1 that1 as it was understood by those to whom it was addressed1 so the principles1 on which it was formed1 are discoverable by many obvious methods1 and may be applied1 with success1 to the interpretation of it1 at this day4 ,the prophetic style is1 then1 a sober and reasonable mode of expression4 ,but this is not all4 ,we may1 even1 discern the expediency1 ,i had almost said1 the necessity1 of this style1 considered as the medium1 or vehicle of prophetic inspiration4 ,for we have seen1 that the scheme of scriptural prophecy extends through all time2 and is so contrived as to adumbrate future and more illustrious events1 in preceding and less important transactions3 a circumstance1 which shews the harmony and connexion of the whole scheme1 and is not imitable by any human art1 or forethought whatsoever4 ,but now a figurative style is so proper to that end1 that we scarcely conceive how it could be accomplished by any other4 ,for thus the expression conforms1 at once1 to the type1 and antitype3 it is1 as it were1 a robe of state1 for the one2 and only1 the ordinary1 accustomed dress of the other3 as we may see from the prophecies1 which immediately respect the restoration of the ,jews from their ancient captivities1 and1 ultimately1 their final triumphant return from their present dispersion--from the prophecies concerning the destruction of ,jerusalem1 which prefigure1 at the same time1 the day of judgment--from those concerning the first coming of ,christ1 which1 also1 set forth his reign with the saints on earth1 and even the glories of his heavenly kingdom--and in a multitude of other instances4 ,these successive1 and so different1 schemes of ,providence could only be signified together in a mode of language1 that contracted1 or enlarged itself1 as the occasion required4 ,but such is the singular property of a symbolic style4 ,for none but this1 hath fold and drapery enough1 if ,i may so speak1 to invest the greater subjects2 while yet 7so complying is the texture of this expression7 it readily adapts itself to the less considerable1 which it ennobles only1 and not disfigures4 ,the difference is1 that what is a metaphor in the former case1 becomes an hyperbole in the latter4 ,and this double use of the same symbol1 is the true account of such figures as are thought most extravagant in the description of the prophets4 ,we see1 then1 in every view1 how reasonable1 how expedient1 how divine1 the symbolic style is1 in such writings as the prophetic4 ,so that if any be disposed1 in our days1 to take up the complaint of the text1 and to up-braid the prophets by asking1 ,do they not speak ,parables8 ,we may now take courage to answer1 ,yes3 but parables1 which1 as dark as they are accounted to be1 may be well understood2 and1 what is more1 parables1 which are so expressed1 as to carry an evidence in themselves that they are what they assume to be1 of divine inspiration4 ,,sermon ,x4 ,,the ,,style ,,and ,,method ,,of ,,the ,,apocalypse4 ,,ezekiel xx4 #di4 --,they say of me1 ,doth he not speak ,parables8 ,all the prophecies of the ,old and ,new ,testament are written in parables2 that is1 in highly figurative terms2 which yet1 on examination1 have appeared to be explicable on certain fixed and rational grounds of criticism4 ,so far1 therefore1 as any prejudice may have been entertained against the prophecies concerning ,antichrist1 as if the language of them were too abstruse or fanciful to be understood1 enough hath been already said to shew1 that it is not well founded4 ,it must1 however1 be confessed1 that the book of ,revelations#afc1 which contains the most1 and the chief prophecies on the subject of ,antichrist1 is of a deeper and more mysterious contrivance1 than any other of the prophetic writings4 ,whence1 our next step1 in this inquiry1 must be1 ,to trace the ,,causes of that peculiar obscurity2 and to suggest1 as we go along1 the ,,means1 by which it hath been1 or may be1 removed4 ,the causes1 are to be sought in the ,,style1 and the ,,method1 of that book4 ,i say nothing of the subject2 for1 though the things predicted may darken a prophecy1 unfulfilled1 the event will shew what they are2 and it is not necessary1 that we should anxiously inquire into the meaning of a prophecy1 till it be accomplished4 ,i4 ,first1 then1 the ,,style of the ,revelations 7for ,i mean not to consider it1 with regard to the ,greek tongue1 in which it is composed1 or1 to the ,hebrew idiom1 with which it is coloured7 ,the style1 ,i say1 being symbolical1 like that of the other prophecies1 must1 in general1 be explained on the same principles1 that is1 must be equally intelligible1 in both4 ,yet1 if we attend nicely to the style of this prophecy1 some difference will be found1 in the choice of the symbols1 and in the continuity of the symbolic form4 #a4 ,to explain my meaning1 on the first article1 ,i must observe1 ,that1 though the prophetic style abounds in hieroglyphic symbols1 properly so called1 yet the ,israelites1 when they adopted that style1 did not confine themselves to the old ,egyptian stock of symbols2 but1 working on the same ground of analogy1 superadded many others1 which their own circumstances and observations suggested to them4 ,their divine ritual1 their civil customs1 their marvellous history1 and even the face and aspect of their country1 afforded infinite materials for the construction of fresh symbols3 and these1 when they came into common use1 their prophets freely and largely employed4 ,thus1 incense1 from the religious use of it in the ,mosaical service1 denotes prayer1 or mental adoration#afd--to tread a wine-press1 from their custom of pressing grapes1 signifies destruction1 attended with great slaughter#afe--to give water in the wilderness1 in allusion to the miraculous supply of that element1 during the passage of the ,israelites through the wilderness to the holy land1 is the emblem of unexpected relief in distress#aff2--;and1 to mention no more1 a forest1 such as ,lebanon1 abounding in lofty cedars1 represents a great city1 with its flourishing ranks of inhabitants#afg2 just as1 a mountain1 from the situation of the ,jewish temple on mount ,moria1 is made to stand for the ,christian ,church#afh4 ,now1 though the symbols of this class be occasionally dispersed through the old prophets1 yet they are more frequent1 and much thicker sown1 in the ,revelations3 so that to a reader1 not well versed in the ,jewish story and customs1 this difference may add something to the obscurity of the book4 ,if you ask the reason of this difference1 it is plainly this4 ,the scene of the apocalyptic visions is laid1 not only in ,juda1 but in the temple at ,jerusalem2 whence the imagery is1 of course1 taken4 ,it was natural for the writer to draw his allusions from ,jewish objects1 and especially from the ceremonial of the temple-service4 ,besides1 the declared scope of the prophecy being to predict the fortunes of the ,christian church1 what so proper as to do this under the cover of ,jewish ideas2 the law itself1 as we have before seen1 and as ,st4 ,paul expressly tells us1 having been so contrived1 as to present the shadow of that future dispensation8 ,this then 7and for the reason assigned7 is ,,one distinguishing character of the ,apocalyptic style4 ,but the difficulty of interpretation1 arising from it1 cannot be considerable2 or1 if it be1 may be overcome by an obvious method1 by a careful study of the ,jewish history and law4 #b4 ,the ,,other mark of distinction1 which ,i observed in the style of this book1 is the continuity of the symbolic manner4 ,parables are frequent1 indeed1 in the old prophets1 but interspersed with many passages of history1 and have very often their explanation annexed4 ,this great parable of ,st4 ,john is1 throughout1 carried on in its own proper form1 without any such interruption1 and1 except in one instance#afi1 without any express interpretation of the parabolic terms4 ,now1 the prophecy1 no doubt1 must be considerably obscured by this circumstance4 ,but then let it be considered1 that we have proportionable means of understanding it4 ,for1 if the symbols be continued1 they are still but the same#agj1 as had been before in use with the elder prophets2 whose writings1 therefore1 are the proper and the certain key of the ,revelations4 ,from these distinctive characters1 then1 of the ,apocalyptic style#aga1 nothing more can be inferred1 than the necessity of studying the ,law1 and the ,prophets1 in order to understand the language of this last and most mysterious revelation4 ,and what is more natural1 nay what can be thought more divine1 than that1 in a system1 composed of two dependent dispensations1 the study of the former should be made necessary to the comprehension of the latter2 and that the very uniformity of style and colouring1 in the two sets of prophecies1 should admonish us of the intimate connexion1 which each has with the other1 to the end that we might the better conceive the meaning1 and fathom the depth1 of the divine councils in both8 ,but1 without speculating further on the final purposes of this ,judaical and ,symbolical character1 so strongly impressed on the ,apocalypse1 it must evidently appear that the difficulties of interpretation1 occasioned by it1 are not invincible2 nay1 that1 to an attentive and rightly prepared interpreter1 they will be scarce any difficulties at all#agb4 ,i proceed1 then1 ,,ii4 ,to the ,,second1 and more considerable cause of the obscurities1 found in this prophecy1 the ,,method1 in which it is composed4 ,the other prophecies have1 doubtless1 their difficulties1 arising from the abrupt manner1 in which1 agreeably to the ,oriental genius1 they are delivered3 ,but then1 being short and unconnected with each other1 the apparent disorder of those prophecies1 has rarely any sensible effect in preventing the right application of them4 ,the case is different with the prophecies1 contained in this book4 ,for1 having been all delivered at once1 and respecting a series of events1 which were to come to pass successively in the history of the ,christian ,church1 it is reasonable to expect that some certain and determinable method should be observed in the delivery of them2 and the true secret of that method1 whatever it be1 must be investigated1 before we can1 with success1 apply any single prophecy to its proper subject4 ,the first1 and most obvious expectation of a reader is1 that the events predicted in this prophecy should follow each other in the order of the prophecy itself1 or that the series of the visions should mark out and determine the succession of the subjects1 to which they relate4 ,but there is reason to think1 on the face of the prophecy1 that this method is not observed4 ,a second conclusion would1 then1 be hastily taken up1 that there is no regular method at all in these visions1 but that each is to be applied singly1 and without any reference to the rest1 to such events as it might be found1 in some tolerable degree1 to suit3 ,and then it is plain1 that fancy would have too much scope afforded her in the interpretation of these visions1 to produce any firm and settled conviction1 that they were rightly and properly applied4 ,yet1 as this idea of the ,apocalypse would favour the laziness1 the precipitancy1 the presumption1 and1 very often1 the malignity of the human mind1 it is no wonder that it should be readily and eagerly embraced4 ,and1 in fact1 it was to this pre-conceived notion of a general disorder in the texture of these prophecies1 that the little progress1 which1 for many ages1 had been made in the exposition of them1 is chiefly to be ascribed4 ,but then1 lastly1 if neither the order of the prophecy be that of the events1 nor a total disorder in the construction of it can be reasonably allowed1 the question is1 ,by what rules was it composed1 and on what ideas of method is it to be explained8 ,this question1 as obvious as it seems1 was not presently asked2 and1 when it was asked1 not easily answered4 ,the clear light1 indeed1 which the ,reformation had let in on some parts bf this prophecy1 and a spirit of inquiry1 which sprung up with the revival of ,letters1 excited a general attention to this mysterious book4 ,but1 as each interpreter brought his own hypothesis along with him1 the perplexities of it were not lessened1 but increased by so many discordant schemes of interpretation3 ,and the issue of much elaborate inquiry was1 that the book itself was disgraced by the fruitless efforts of its commentators1 and on the point of being given up1 as utterly impenetrable1 when a sublime ,genius arose1 in the beginning of the last century1 and surprised the learned world with that great desideratum1 ,a ,key to the ,revelations4 ,this extraordinary person was1 ,,joseph ,,mede3 of whose character it may not be improper to give a slight sketch1 before ,i lay before you the substance of his discoveries4 ,,he was a candid1 sincere man2 disinterested1 and unambitious2 of no faction in religion or government 7both which began in his time to be overrun with factions7 but solely devoted to the love of truth1 and to the investigation of it4 ,his learning was vast1 but well chosen and well digested2 and his understanding1 in no common degree1 strong and capacious4 ,with these qualities of the head and heart1 he came to the study of the prophecies1 and especially of the ,revelations3 ,but1 with so little bigotry for the scheme of interpretation concerning ,antichrist1 that1 as he tells us himself1 he had even conceived some prejudice against it#agc3 ,and1 what is stranger still in a man of his inventive genius1 with so little enthusiasm in his temper for any scheme of interpretation whatsoever1 that1 when he had made his great discovery1 he was in no haste to publish it to the world#agd2 and1 when at length he did this1 he was still less in haste to apply it1 that is1 to shew its important use in explaining the ,apocalyptic visions#age4 ,cool1 deliberate1 and severe1 in forming his judgments1 he was so far from being obsequious to the fancies of other men1 that he was determined only1 by the last degree of evidence1 to acquiesce in any conclusions of his own#agf4 ,in short1 with no vanity to indulge1 7for he was superior to this last infirmity of ingenious men#agg7--with no interest in view 7for the interest of ,churchmen lay at that time1 as he well understood1 in a different quarter#agh7--with no spleen to gratify 7for even neglect and solitude could not engender this unmanly vice in him#agi7--with no oblique purposes1 ,i say1 which so often mislead the pens of other writers1 but with the single1 unmixed love of truth1 he dedicated his great talents to the study of the prophetic ,scriptures1 and was able to unfold1 in the ,,manner ,i am now to represent to you1 this mysterious prophecy of the ,revelations4 ,he had observed1 that the miscarriage of former interpreters had been owing1 chiefly1 to a vain desire of finding their own sense in this prophecy1 rather than the sense of the prophet4 ,laying aside1 then1 all hypotheses whatsoever1 he sate down to the book itself1 and resolved to know nothing more of it1 than what the frame and texture of its composition might clearly reveal to him4 ,he considered the whole1 as a naked recital of facts1 literally expressed2 and not as a prophetic scheme1 mystically represented4 ,in this way of inquiry1 he discerned1 that several parts of the history1 whatever their secret and involved meaning might be1 were homogeneous1 and contemporary2 that is1 they related to the same subject1 and were comprised within the same period2 and this1 though they were not connected in the order of the narration1 but lay dispersed in different quarters of it4 ,these several sets of historical passages 7or1 of ,visions1 to speak in the language of the book itself7 he carefully analyzed and compared2 shewed1 from circumstances1 not imagined1 but found1 in the history1 their mutual relation and correspondency2 and established his conclusions1 as he went along1 not in a loose way of popular conjecture1 but in the strictest forms of ,geometric reasoning4 ,the coincident histories1 thus classed and scrutinized1 he distinguished by the name of ,,synchronisms2 and gave them to the learned world1 in this severe scientific form1 without further comment or illustration1 under the title of ,,clavis ,,apocalyptica1 or ,a ,,key ,,to ,,the ,,revelations4 ,in considering this discovery1 which did so much honour to the profound genius and accurate investigation of its author1 one clearly perceives how it serves to the end proposed4 ,first1 it appears that the order of the ,visions is not that of the events2 in other words1 that the prophecy is not to be so explained1 as if the events1 predicted in it1 followed each other in the same train as the ,visions4 ,for the facts1 which constitute the scheme or fable of the prophecy1 literally and historically considered1 do not succeed to each other in that train2 therefore the events1 whatever they may be1 which those facts adumbrate1 most certainly cannot4 ,secondly1 it appears what the true1 or chronological order of the ,visions1 is2 namely1 that1 which the nature and connexion of the things transacted in them1 points out and declares4 ,so that1 if the real time of any one ,vision can be shewn1 the relative time of the rest may be easily settled4 ,for 7to quote ,mr4 ,mede's own words7 such ,visions as contemporate with that already ascertained1 are of course to be applied to the same times2 while such as1 in the order of the story1 precede that ,vision1 are to be referred to preceding events1 and those1 which follow it1 are in like manner to be explained of subsequent transactions#ahj4 ,by this means1 the whole plan or method of the ,apocalypse will be laid down4 ,the several synchronical prophecies will thus fall in their proper places2 and there will be no doubt of the relative situation1 which each holds in the general system4 ,thirdly1 as we now see the true order of the prophecies 7though for the wisest reasons1 no doubt1 the order1 in which they are delivered1 be sometimes different7 so it is to be observed1 that the knowledge of this order is a great restraint on the fancy of an expositor2 who is not now at liberty to apply the prophecies to events of any time1 to which they appear to suit1 but to events only falling within that time1 to which they belong in the course of this pre-determined method4 ,and if to this restriction1 which of itself is considerable1 we add another1 which arises from the necessity of applying1 not one1 but many prophecies 7which are1 thus1 shewn to synchronize with each other7 to the same time1 we can hardly conceive how an interpretation should keep clear of these impediments1 and make its way through so many interfering checks1 unless it be the true one4 ,just as when a ,lock 7to take the author's allusion7 is composed of many1 and intricate wards1 the ,key1 that turns easily within them1 and opens the ,lock1 can only be that which properly belongs to it4 ,after all1 it may be difficult1 ,i know1 to convey a distinct idea of the uses1 to which this synchronal method serves1 to those who have not read1 and even studied1 ,mr4 ,mede's work4 ,but the sum of the matter is this1 ,that the order of the events and of the ,visions is not the same--that the true order of the events1 is to be sought in certain characters1 not fancied at pleasure1 but inserted1 in the ,visions themselves--and1 lastly1 that the whole book of the ,revelations being thus resolvable into a particular determinate order1 in which the several sets of synchronal prophecies regularly succeed to each other1 no exposition of this book can be admitted1 that does not refer every single prophecy to its true place in the system1 and provide at the same time that no violence be done to any other prophecies1 which synchronize with it4 ,and thus much concerning the ,,true ,,order of the ,apocalypse2 deduced1 you see1 from no precarious hypothetic reasonings1 but from notes and characters1 inclosed in that book2 that is1 from intrinsic arguments1 which have their evidence in themselves1 and conclude alike on every supposition4 ,if we would know more distinctly what the ,,exterior ,,form of it is2 and how it comes to differ so widely from the plan of a chronological arrangement2 here1 too1 our sagacious expositor will give us satisfaction4 ,for1 in bringing together and comparing his synchronisms1 he found 7what had escaped the attention of all others7 that the main body of the prophecy is made up of ,,two#aha great parts2 which are1 also1 synchronical2 so that1 setting out from the same goal1 and measuring the same space1 they both concur in the same end3 but with this difference1 that the former division more immediately regards the affairs of the ,empire2 the latter1 those of the ,church4 ,still1 this is not all4 ,our attentive and penetrating commentator further discovered1 ,that the two great component parts of this prophecy1 though distinct1 are very artificially connected1 and shewn to harmonize throughout with each other1 by making the same concluding event#ahb1 once told1 the catastrophe of both4 ,for the former part is purposely1 and with express warning given#ahc1 left unfinished1 till a summary deduction of the latter part down to the same point of time#ahd1 7by way of prelude to the more extended visions of this last part1 which follow to the end of the book1 and to signify1 that both parts are contemporary7 furnished the occasion of shutting up the two prophecies together in one common term3 which1 however1 had the appearance of being misplaced1 till the detection of this singular contrivance1 by means of the synchronisms1 pointed out the use and end of the present disposition#ahe4 ,another cause of the seeming perplexity in which this ,prophecy is involved1 is1 ,that1 it being expedient to treat the same subject in different respects1 and to give different views of it1 according as two sets of men1 the true worshipers and the false1 were affected by the fortunes of the ,christian ,church1 this shifting and opposite face of things could not be exhibited together2 but was to be set forth in several and successive1 though contemporary1 visions4 ,hence1 the prophecy is thought to proceed1 when1 in fact1 it stands still1 and only presents another prospect of the same transactions4 ,but ,i enter no farther into the mysterious contexture of this book2 through which1 however1 the clue of the synchronisms1 if well pursued1 would safely conduct us4 ,it is enough to my purpose to have shewn1 ,that as the ,language of the ,revelations is intelligible1 so the ,method is not involved in such intricacies1 but that1 in general1 a regular1 a consistent1 and1 what is more1 a true#ahf conception may be formed of it4 ,whence no sober man needs be discouraged from reading this book2 or will be in danger1 ,i think1 of losing either his wits1 or his reputation1 in the study of it4 ,for what should hinder a book1 though of prophecies1 from being understood1 when its method may be clearly defined1 and its language decyphered8 ,provided always1 that we only interpret a prophecy by the event1 and do not take upon us to determine the event by a premature construction of the prophecy4 ,with this ,apocalyptic key then 7of which so much has been said71 this key of knowledge1 in my hands1 it may1 now1 be expected that ,i should open this dark parable of the ,revelation1 by applying so much of it1 at least1 as respects ,antichrist1 to ,apostate ,papal ,rome4 ,but1 besides that there would not1 in what remains of this course1 be room enough for a detailed account of the prophecies1 other reasons restrain me from entering immediately on a task1 not less easy perhaps1 than amusing4 ,for ,interpreters1 ,i think1 have generally been too much in haste to apply the prophecies1 before they had sufficiently prepared the way for their application3 ,so that1 leaving many doubts unresolved1 which men of thought and inquiry are apt to entertain on this subject1 or not laying before them all the reasons and inducements1 which should engage their attention to it1 their clearest expositions are not received1 and possibly not considered4 ,with regard1 then1 to the prophecies1 concerning ,antichrist1 though the chief obstructions in our way seem fairly removed1 and it be now evident that there are certain grounds1 on which the most abstruse of them may be reasonably interpreted1 yet1 because the application of them is a work of time and industry1 many persons1 before they undertake it1 may desire to know1 ,what ,,general ,,arguments there are1 which may assure them1 beforehand1 that their labour will not be misemployed1 and that ,papal ,rome is1 in fact1 concerned in the tenour of these prophecies3 ,and1 when this demand has been made1 they may further wish to be informed1 ,to what ,,ends ,,or ,,uses this whole inquiry serves2 of importance enough1 ,i mean1 to encourage and reward their vigorous prosecution of it8 ,these desires and expectations are apparently not unreasonable3 ,and to satisfy them1 in the best manner ,i can1 will be the scope and purpose of the two following ,lectures4 ,,sermon ,,xi4 ,,prophetic ,,characters ,,of ,,antichrist4 ,,luke xii4 #ef4 --,how is it1 that ye do not discern this time8 ,so much having been said on the manner1 in which the prophecies1 respecting ,antichrist1 may be interpreted2 ,i imagine that now1 at length1 ye are disposed to ask1 ,on what ,,general ,,grounds we affirm1 that the ,church of ,rome is actually concerned in them4 ,to resolve this question1 it will be sufficient to set before you1 in few words1 some of the more obvious notes1 or characters1 by which ,antichrist is marked out in the prophecies3 such1 and so many of them1 as may convince you1 that they are fairly applicable to the ,church of ,rome2 and that1 taken together1 they cannot well admit any other application4 ,of these prophetic characters1 ,i4 ,the ,,first1 ,i shall mention1 is1 ,that we are to look for ,antichrist within the proper limits of the ,roman empire4 ,on this head1 there is no controversy among those who acknowledge the authority of the prophet ,daniel1 and can be none3 ,for that prophet1 in his famous vision of the four kingdoms1 says expressly1 that1 among the ten kingdoms into which the fourth1 or ,roman1 shall be divided1 ,,another shall arise#ahg2 that is1 as all interpreters agree1 the kingdom of ,antichrist4 ,so that this power1 whatever it be1 must have its birth and seat within the compass of the ten kingdoms1 that is1 of the ,roman empire1 when1 in some future time from the giving of ,daniel's prophecy1 it should be so divided4 ,but1 to fix the station of the ,antichristian power more precisely1 it is to be observed1 that1 as the four kingdoms of ,daniel1 considered in succession to each other1 form a prophetic chronology#ahh2 so in another view1 they form a prophetic geography#ahi1 being considered1 in the eye of prophecy1 as co-existent1 as still alive1 and subsisting together1 when the dominion of all1 but the last1 was taken away#aij4 ,in consequence of this idea1 which ,daniel gives us of his four kingdoms1 so much only is to be reckoned into the description of each kingdom1 as is peculiar to each2 the remainder being part of some other kingdom1 still supposed to be in being1 to which it properly belongs4 ,thus1 the ,,second1 or ,persian kingdom1 does not take in the nations of ,chalda and ,assyria1 which make the body of the first kingdom2 nor the ,,third1 or ,grcian kingdom1 the countries of ,media and ,persia1 being the body of the second4 ,in like manner1 the ,,fourth1 or ,roman kingdom1 does not1 in the contemplation of the prophet1 comprehend those provinces1 which make the body of the third1 or ,grcian kingdom1 but such only as constitute its own body1 that is1 the provinces on this side of ,greece3 where1 therefore1 we are to look for the eleventh1 or ,antichristian kingdom1 as being to start up among the ten1 into which the ,roman kingdom should be divided4 ,we see1 then1 that1 as ,antichrist was to arise within the ,roman kingdom1 so his station is farther limited to the ,european part of that kingdom1 or to the ,western empire1 properly so called4 ,this observation 7which is not mine1 but ,sir ,isaac ,newton's7 is the better worth making1 because1 in fact1 the papal sovereignty never extended farther than the ,western provinces2 at least1 could never gain a firm and permanent footing in the countries1 which lie ,east of the ,mediterranean sea4 ,but1 whether you admit this interpretation1 or not1 it is still clear that ,antichrist was to arise somewhere within the limits of the ,roman empire4 ,in what part of that empire he was to make his appearance1 we certainly gather from ,,ii4 ,a ,,second prophetical note or character of this power1 which is1 ,that his seat and throne was to be the city of ,rome itself4 ,the prophet ,daniel acquaints us only that the power we call ,antichristian1 would spring up from among the ruins of the fourth1 or ,roman kingdom3 ,but ,st4 ,john1 in the ,revelations1 fixes his residence in the capital city of that kingdom4 ,for1 when1 in one of his visions1 he had been shewn a portentous beast with seven heads and ten horns1 and a woman arrayed in purple1 riding upon him1 an ,angel is made to interpret this symbolic vision in the following words--,the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sitteth--and the ten horns1 which thou sawest1 are ten kings--and the woman1 which thou sawest1 is that great city1 which reigneth over the kings of the earth#aia4 ,words cannot be more determinate1 than these4 ,the woman1 that rides this ,,beast1 that is1 the fourth empire1 in its last state of ten horns1 or divided into ten kingdoms1 is that ,antichristian power1 of which we are now inquiring4 ,she is seated on seven hills1 nay1 she is that great city1 which reigneth that is1 in ,st4 ,john's time which reigned over the kingdoms of the earth4 ,rome1 then1 is the throne of ,antichrist1 or is that city1 which shall one day be ,antichristian4 ,there is no possibility of evading the force of these terms4 ,it hath been said1 that ,constantinople1 too1 was situated on seven hills4 ,it may be so3 ,but ,constantinople did not1 in the time of this vision1 reign over the kings of the earth4 ,besides1 if its dominion had not been mentioned1 the city on seven hills is so characteristic of ,rome1 that the name itself could not have pointed it out more plainly3 ,as must be evident to all those1 who recollect1 what the ,latin writers have said on this subject4 ,the--septem domini montes--of one#aib poet is well known2 and seems the abridgement of a still more famous line in another#aic-- ,septem urbs alta jugis1 toto qu prsidet orbi3 ,to which1 ,st4 ,john's idea of a woman1 seated on seven hills1 and reigning over the kings of the earth1 so exactly corresponds1 that one sees no difference between the poet and the prophet2 except that the latter personifies his idea1 as the genius of the prophetic style required4 ,but a passage in ,virgil is so much to our purpose1 that it merits a peculiar attention4 ,this poet1 in the most finished of his works1 had been celebrating the praises of a country life1 which he makes the source and origin of the ,roman greatness4 ,hanc olim veteres vitam coluere ,sabini2 ,hanc ,remus et frater3 sic fortis ,etruria crevit3 ,scilicet et rerum facta est pulcherrima ,roma#aid4 ,the encomium1 we see1 is made with that gradual pomp1 which is familiar to ,virgil4 ,and the last line 7from its majestic simplicity1 the noblest1 perhaps1 in all his writings7 one would naturally expect should close the description4 ,yet he adds1 to the surprize1 and1 ,i believe1 to the disappointment of most readers1 ,septemque una sibi muro circumdedit arces4 ,had we found this passage in any other of the ,latin poets1 we should have been apt to question the judgment of the writer2 and to suspect1 that1 in attempting to rise upon himself1 he had fallen1 unawares1 into an evident anti-climax4 ,but the correct elegance of ,virgil's manner1 and his singular talent in working up an image1 by just degrees1 to the precise point of perfection1 may satisfy us1 that he had his reason for going on1 where we might expect him to stop2 which reason can be no other1 than that the seven hills were necessary to complete his description of the imperial city#aie4 ,to an ancient ,roman1 the circumstance of its situation was1 of all others1 the most august and characteristic2 and ,rome itself was not ,rome1 till it was contemplated under this idea4 ,there was ground enough1 then1 for saying1 8that the name of ,rome could not have pointed out the city more plainly40 ,but ,i go farther1 and take upon me to assert1 ,that the periphrasis is even more precise1 and less equivocal1 than the proper name would have been1 if inserted in the prophecy4 ,for ,rome1 so called1 might have stood1 like ,sodom1 or ,babylon1 simply for an idolatrous ,city4 ,but the city1 seated on seven hills1 and reigning over the earth1 is the city of ,rome itself1 and excludes1 by the peculiarity of these attributes1 any other application4 ,nor is it any objection to the remark1 now made1 that this city1 whatever it be1 is described by another circumstance1 not peculiar to ,rome1 indeed scarce applicable to it1 ,i mean that of its being seated on many waters#aif4 ,for these waters are not given as a mark of ,rome's natural1 but political situation3 as the prophetic style might lead one to expect1 if the sacred writer had not taken care to prevent all mistake by assuring us1 in so many words1 ,that the waters1 where the whore sitteth1 are ,,peoples1 ,,and ,,multitudes1 ,,and ,,nations1 ,,and ,,tongues#aig4 ,if it be1 further1 said1 8,that the seven hills may1 likewise1 admit a similar construction from the frequent use of hills1 as emblems of power1 in hieroglyphic writing1 and therefore in prophetic description10 the remark is very just3 but then1 unluckily1 there is no such explanation of the seven hills1 as we have of the waters1 from the prophet himself2 while yet it could not escape him1 that such explanation was more than commonly necessary in this case1 to prevent the reader from applying the seven hills to the best-known city in the world1 then subsisting in all its glory1 and universally acknowledged by this distinctive character of its situation4 ,should it1 lastly1 be alledged1 8,that the explanation is subjoined to the figure1 for that the prophet adds immediately in the following verse--and there are seven kings--meaning1 that the seven hills1 just mentioned1 were to be taken as emblems only of seven kings10 ,i reply1 that the seven hills1 in the figurative sense of the term1 hills1 naturally suggested1 and elegantly introduce1 the seven kings2 but that the former1 nevertheless1 are clearly to be distinguished from the latter4 ,for it is not said--and the seven hills are seven kings--as it was before said--the seven heads are seven hills--but--,,and there are seven kings--plainly advancing a step further in the prophecy1 and pointing out a new characteristic distinction of the seven-hilled city1 arising from the different forms of ,government1 through which it had passed4 ,the truth is 7as ,mr4 ,mede well observes#aih7 the seven heads of the beast1 are a ,,double ,,type3 first1 they signify the seven hills1 on which the city is placed2 and1 then1 the seven kings1 or governments1 to which it had been subject2 but still on those seven hills1 for which reason the same type is made to signify both3 ,but1 if the type had been designed to carry a single sense1 and kings had been that sense1 as explicatory of hills1 it had been very preposterous to give the interpretation of the type1 and then to interpret the interpretation1 unless the expression had been so guarded as to convey this purpose in the most distinct manner4 ,as it is now put1 there are manifestly ,,two ,,senses1 and ,,one ,,type#aii4 ,on the whole1 there can be no doubt concerning the great city on seven hills4 ,it can be no other1 than the city of ,rome itself3 ,in other words1 the ,antichristian1 is a ,roman ,power4 ,still1 this ,roman power1 for any thing that hath hitherto appeared1 may be a ,pagan and ,civil power4 ,but ,,iii4 ,the prophecies seem very clearly to point it out to us1 as an ,,ecclesiastical and1 in name and pretence1 at least1 a ,,christian power4 ,to begin again with the prophet1 ,daniel4 ,he tells us1 that the ,horn which shall arise after1 and from among1 the ten horns1 that is1 the ,antichristian kingdom1 as before explained1 shall be ,,diverse from the ten kingdoms1 out of which it shall arise#bjj4 8,but a kingdom may be diverse from other kingdoms1 in various respects40 ,without doubt4 ,and1 therefore1 we cannot certainly conclude from this single text1 that the diversity1 mentioned1 will consist in its being a spiritual kingdom4 ,yet1 if ye reflect that this diversity is given1 as the characteristic mark of the ,antichristian kingdom2 that1 although there may be other and smaller differences between kingdoms1 the greatest and most signal is that which subsists between a temporal and spiritual power2 nay1 that ,government1 as such1 is1 and can only be1 of two sorts1 civil and spiritual1 as corresponding to the two constituent parts of man1 7the subject of all government in this world17 the ,soul and the ,body3 ,taking1 ,i say1 these considerations along with you1 ye cannot esteem it a very harsh and violent interpretation1 if1 without looking any farther1 we incline to think that this diversity of regimen1 so emphatically pointed out1 respects that great and essential difference in human government1 only4 ,at least1 it will be admitted1 that1 if1 from other and more express testimonies1 the government of ,antichrist appear to be a spiritual government1 we shall1 then1 be authorized to put such a construction on ,daniel's prophecy1 as will reach the full force and import of his expression4 ,such a kingdom must be allowed to be eminently diverse from secular kingdoms4 ,so that the harmony between the prophets on this subject will be clear and striking4 ,now1 such a testimony we seem to find in the ,apostle1 ,st4 ,paul2 who1 prophesying of the man of ,sin1 or ,antichrist1 to be revealed in the latter days1 makes it a distinguishing part of his character1 ,that he ,,sitteth ,,in ,,the ,,temple ,,of ,,god#bja4 ,consider the force of these words4 ,a power1 seated in the temple of ,god1 can be nothing but a power suitable to that place1 or a spiritual power3 just as a power1 seated in the throne of ,csar1 could only be interpreted of a civil power4 ,nor say1 because the context runs thus--8that he1 ,,as ,,god1 sitteth in the temple of ,god1 ,,shewing himself that he ,,is ,,god--that therefore it only means his claiming divine honours3 a degree of blasphemy1 very applicable to a civil power40 ,this objection has clearly no force3 because his sitting in the temple of ,god was the very means 7if we rightly apply this prophecy7 by which the man of sin rose to that abominable pre-eminence4 ,it was by virtue of his spiritual1 that he assumed a divine character4 ,so that the phrase--as ,god--and that other--shewing himself that he is ,god--sets before us1 indeed1 the extravagant height to which the man of sin aspired1 and to which he ascended2 but1 no way invalidates the conclusion from his sitting in the temple of ,god--that he was a spiritual power4 ,rather1 we see the propriety of this conclusion3 because the text1 thus understood1 suggests the way in which the man of sin accomplished his blasphemous purpose3 ,his success arose1 from his station in the temple4 ,on the other hand1 a power sitting in the throne of ,csar1 might sit there as ,god1 and might shew himself that he was ,god 7as many of the ,roman ,emperors did37 ,so that the clause--sitting in the temple of ,god--has evidently no peculiar fitness1 as applied to the usurpation of divine honours by a civil tyrant2 whereas we see it has that fitness1 when applied to a spiritual tyrant4 ,the context therefore proves nothing against the interpretation1 here proposed and defended4 ,but1 what is this temple of ,god8 ,the temple at ,jerusalem1 it will be said2 the only temple1 so called1 then subsisting in the world#bjb4 ,admit this to be the literal sense of the words4 ,yet ye remember so much of what hath been said concerning the prophetic style1 as not to think it strange1 that the literal sense should involve in it another1 a mystical meaning4 ,and this1 without any uncertainty whatsoever4 ,for so1 the term1 ,jew1 means a ,christian2 the term1 ,david1 means ,christ2 the incense of the temple-service1 means the prayers of ,christians2 plainly and confessedly so1 in numberless instances4 ,agreeably to this analogical use of ,jewish terms1 in the style of the prophets1 the temple of ,god1 nay the temple of ,jerusalem#bjc 7if that had been the expression7 must1 in all reason1 be interpreted of the ,christian church1 and could not1 in the prophetic language1 be interpreted otherwise4 ,when1 therefore1 ,antichrist is said to sit in the temple of ,god1 it is the same thing as if it had been said of him1 ,that he sitteth1 or ruleth1 in the church of ,christ4 ,now1 substitute these words--the church of ,christ--in the room of those other words--the temple of ,god2 and see1 if ,st4 ,paul1 supposing his purpose had been to express a spiritual power in opposition to a civil2 see1 ,i say1 if ,st4 ,paul could have conveyed that purpose more plainly4 ,still1 we have another1 and1 if possible1 a more decisive testimony in the ,revelations4 ,for1 among the different views1 which ,st4 ,john gives us of ,antichrist1 in so many distinct visions1 one is set before us in the following manner--,and ,i beheld another beast coming up out of the earth1 and he had two horns like a lamb1 and he spake as a ,dragon#bjd4 ,now1 if we had known nothing more of these symbols1 than what the obvious qualities of the animals themselves suggested to us1 we could only have inferred1 that this ruling power 7for that is the idea conveyed by the term1 ,beast7 would put on the appearance of a gentle and pacific administration3 ,i say1 the appearance2 for what its real character was to be1 is clearly enough expressed in what follows1 that this lamb-like beast spake as a ,dragon4 ,but1 when we further reflect1 that horns1 in the prophetic style1 are the emblems of power1 and that a ,lamb is the peculiar1 the appropriated symbol of ,christ1 the lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world#bje1 and is constantly so employed throughout this whole prophecy of the ,revelations1 we must1 of necessity1 conclude that a beast with the horns of a lamb can only be a state or person1 pretending to such powers1 as ,christ exercised1 and his ,religion authoriseth2 that is1 powers1 not of this world1 but purely spiritual4 ,the other symbol of a ,dragon1 confirms this conclusion4 ,for a ,dragon1 in the prophecies1 is the known symbol of the old ,roman ,government in its pagan1 persecuting state4 ,when1 therefore1 it is said that the beast spake as a ,dragon1 the meaning is1 ,that ,antichrist should assume the highest tone of civil authority in promoting his tyrannous purposes1 though he cloked his fierce pretensions under the meek semblance of a spiritual character4 ,taken together1 these two symbols speak as plainly1 as symbolic terms can speak1 ,that ,antichrist was to be a religious person1 acting in the spirit of a secular tyrant4 ,so exactly is he characterised by the poet ,mantuan1 addressing himself to one of the ,popes-- ,ense potens gemino1 cujus vestigia adorant ,csar et aurato vestiti murice reges4 ,on the whole1 ,i leave it to be considered1 whether1 when the prophecies pronounce of ,antichrist1 that he should be1 a power diverse from all others--that he should sit in the temple of ,god--and that he should have the horns of a lamb--,i leave it1 ,i say1 to your consideration1 whether it be not plain that this extraordinary power1 a ,roman power1 and residing at ,rome1 was to be a ,christian and ,ecclesiastical1 and not a ,pagan and ,civil power4 ,,iv4 ,another obvious character of ,antichrist1 or rather1 complication of characters1 is that triple brand1 impressed upon him1 of a tyrannical1 intolerant1 and idolatrous1 power4 ,the prophets hold him up to us1 as reigning1 or exercising an oppressive and supereminent dominion1 over the kings of the earth1 that is1 of the ,western empire#bjf2 as making war with the lamb1 and the saints who receive not his mark in their foreheads#bjg1 that is1 persecuting good and conscientious ,christians1 who refuse to wear the badge of ,antichrist1 and to serve under him2 and1 as another ,babylon1 the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth#bjh1 that is1 as polluted himself with the grossest idolatry1 and as corrupting the nations with the same prophane worship4 ,but these marks1 it will be said1 have been found upon so many powers1 which have appeared in the world1 that they cannot be given as the distinctive marks of one1 that is1 of the ,papal ,power3 ,nay1 the ,bishop of ,meaux goes further1 and attempts to shew1 by a very refined argument1 that the very terms of whoredom and fornication1 in which the last of these marks1 ,i mean1 ,,idolatry1 is set forth by the prophet in the book of ,revelations1 make it impossible for us to apply that mark to ,rome ,christian4 ,let us see1 then1 first1 what force there is in the criticism of this learned ,prelate4 ,that whoredom1 or fornication1 in the language of scripture1 means idolatry1 is agreed on all hands1 and cannot be disputed3 ,whether the figurative use of this term arose from observing1 how constantly that pollution attended idolatrous worship2 or how fitly a communication with false gods may be compared with that unlawful commerce3 ,whatever be the ground of the analogy1 it is clear to a demonstration that whoredom is but another name for idolatry1 which1 under this idea1 is very frequently charged upon the ,jews by the ancient prophets4 ,sometimes1 however1 7without doubt1 to aggravate the charge7 the idolatry of the ,jews is considered in the light of adultery1 that is1 of infidelity to the ,god of ,israel2 to whom1 as to her proper ,lord and ,husband1 the ,jewish nation had1 by express stipulation1 and in the most solemn manner1 contracted herself4 ,but1 notwithstanding this promiscuous application of the terms1 fornication1 and adultery1 to the idolatry of the ,jews in the ancient prophecies1 it hath been remarked by the ,bishop of ,meaux1 8,that ,babylon1 or ,rome1 in the ,revelations1 is constantly and uniformly spoken of1 as a whore1 and not as an adulteress3 whence he concludes1 that this charge is brought against ,pagan ,rome only1 and not ,christian ,rome4 ,for1 why1 he asks1 is so much care taken not to impute adultery to idolatrous ,rome1 if it had been a ,christian city8 when its polluting itself with this crime1 contrary to the most express engagements1 which ,christians take upon themselves1 of fidelity to the only true ,god1 might justly deserve1 and1 in propriety1 may seem to require1 this opprobrious charge1 rather than that other lighter one of fornication2 whereas1 if ,pagan ,rome be here meant1 its idolatry could only be set forth under the idea of fornication1 and not of adultery#bji40 ,now1 although1 as ,i observed1 the idolatrous ,jews are frequently treated by their prophets1 as fornicators1 as well as adulterers1 nay1 are much more frequently#baj represented under the former idea1 than the latter2 and although it be therefore true1 that fornication is not necessarily1 and exclusively1 to be understood of ,pagan idolatry1 but may well be applied to ,christian idolaters1 as it was to the ,jewish2 yet the force of the learned objector's argument will not be obviated by this observation only4 ,for the stress of it lies in this1 8,that the idolatry of ,rome in the ,revelations is every where1 that is1 purposely1 termed fornication 7to insinuate to us1 that the charge is directed against a ,pagan ,city1 and not a ,christian ,church71 and no where1 that is1 purposely again1 called adultery40 ,the objection is extremely ingenious2 and1 so far as ,i know1 hath been1 hitherto1 unanswered4 ,yet1 if any good reason can be assigned why the prophet should thus studiously prefer the term1 fornication1 to that of adultery1 in describing the idolatry of ,christian ,rome1 notwithstanding those terms be used indifferently by the ,jewish prophets1 when they reprove the idolatry of their own countrymen1 the ,bishop of ,meaux would himself acknowledge1 that his objection falls to the ground4 ,now such a reason offers itself to us in the ,,emblem1 under which ,st4 ,john chuses to represent his idolatrous society4 ,this emblem is1 ,babylon2 a ,pagan idolatrous city2 to which the idea of fornication may be colourably1 and hath1 in fact1 been1 applied#baa1 in order to express the transgression of the law of nature1 in its idolatrous worship3 ,but to such a city1 adultery1 could in no proper sense1 be applied2 because1 it had never entered into any close engagement1 or marriage-contract1 as it were1 with the ,god of heaven4 ,this being admitted1 we see the reason1 why ,rome ,christian is taxed as a whore simply1 and not as an adulteress4 ,for what had been improperly said of the type1 cannot1 on the principles of decorum1 be transferred to the anti-type4 ,if ,babylon be only a harlot1 she is a harlot still1 and nothing more1 when she stands for ,rome1 whether ,pagan1 or ,christian4 ,the concinnity of the figure1 and the just correspondence of the thing signified to the sign1 demands the observance of this rule2 which cannot be violated without manifest absurdity and confusion4 8,but why then1 it is asked1 was such an emblem employed8 ,why was not ,jerusalem1 or ,samaria 7of which adultery might be predicated7 rather chosen1 than ,babylon1 for the type1 or representation of idolatrous ,christian ,rome80 ,the reason1 again1 is obvious4 ,it was1 because ,babylon was the first of all idolatrous cities2 and the fittest#bab to emblematize the enormous guilt1 or to set in full light the extensive influence1 of idolatrous ,rome4 ,for each1 in its turn1 was the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth2 the former corrupting the heathen world with her fornication1 and the latter1 the ,christian4 ,when therefore for this1 or the like reason1 ,babylon was made the emblem of ,christian ,rome1 the prophet was obliged to retain the idea of fornication1 only1 and not to interpose that of adultery1 through the whole tenour of his application4 ,it may1 further1 be worth observing1 that pagan idolatry is1 for the most part1 exposed by the ancient prophets under the notion of ,,lyes1 or ,,lying ,,vanities#bac2 and very rarely1 ,i think in no more than one or two short passages1 under that of fornication4 ,for vague lust was so generally practised in the heathen world1 and the law of nature1 condemning that vice1 so little known1 or respected by it1 that the metaphor would not have conveyed to a ,pagan idolater the atrocious nature of his crime4 ,the ,mosaic ,law1 on the other hand1 interdicting fornication in the severest terms1 and requiring that there should be no whore of the daughters of ,israel#bad1 the guilt of idolatry was very forcibly1 as well as naturally1 represented to a ,jew1 under that idea4 ,accordingly1 we find1 that the prophets every where1 and in whole pages1 employ this figure1 when they address themselves to ,jewish idolaters4 ,whence it may seem1 that1 although there be sufficient authorities to justify the prophet ,st4 ,john in considering his emblematic ,babylon under the idea of a harlot1 yet he would not have prosecuted even this inferior charge of fornication so far as he has done1 and in so many parts of his prophecy1 if his purpose had not been to apply it to a believing1 and not a ,pagan city4 ,if the mystical ,babylon be ,christian ,rome1 we see the force and propriety of this representation2 which had clearly been less apt1 if ,pagan ,rome1 according to the ,bishop of ,meaux1 had been intended by the prophet4 ,we see then1 in both ways1 why ,rome is not an adulteress in the ,revelations2 and why she is so emphatically1 a harlot4 ,the type employed forbad the former charge1 though the anti-type be ,rome ,christian3 ,the latter charge had not been so much laboured1 if the anti-type had been ,rome ,pagan4 ,thus1 the edge of this acute objection is entirely taken off1 and the execution1 it was to make on the ,protestant system1 prevented4 ,to return1 now1 to the consideration of our three marks4 ,these marks1 it is said1 agree to so many other powers1 besides that of the ,papacy1 that they cannot be made the peculiar1 distinctive characters of ,christian ,rome4 ,and1 without doubt1 considered merely in themselves1 they cannot4 ,but1 having already understood that the power1 thus stigmatized1 is a power seated in the seven-hilled city1 and that too1 an ecclesiastical power1 one sees clearly that1 if the prophecies have hitherto received their accomplishment in any degree1 these marks can only be sought in ,papal ,rome1 and must be the proper1 exclusive characters of that power4 ,i say1 one sees this2 but1 it must be owned1 not without amazement1 ,that a species of government1 calling itself ,christian1 and professing to model itself on the example of the ,lamb1 on the pure and simple principles of the ,gospel1 should yet be all over stained with those specific vices1 which ,christianity most abhors--the utmost pride of secular domination--the most relentless zeal against the rights of conscience--and1 what is still more incredible1 the most blasphemous idolatry4 ,the accumulated infamy of these crimes struck the prophet1 ,st4 ,john1 so forcibly1 that1 on the sight of this portentous monster1 exhibited to him in the vision1 he wondered1 as himself expresses it1 with great admiration#bae4 ,but1 strange as this vision appeared to the sacred prophet1 the ,papal history is found to realize all the wonders of it3 ,and1 backward as we may be to interpret this vision of a church1 professedly ,christian1 that church herself is so little scandalized at the imputation of these crimes1 that she is ready to avow them all2 the two first1 directly and openly2 and the last1 when set in a certain light1 and explained in her own manner4 ,in short1 she prides herself in the extent of her sway#baf1 and the fire of her zeal#bag1 and only quibbles with us about the meaning of the term1 idolatry4 ,to cut the matter short1 then1 and to keep clear of those endless debates concerning the worship of ,images1 of the ,cross1 and of the ,host in the celebration of the ,mass2 debates1 which a dextrous sophist may find means to carry on with a shew of argument1 and with some degree of plausibility2 ,to set aside1 ,i say1 all these topics1 let it be observed1 at once1 ,that idolatry1 in the scriptural sense of the word1 is of two sorts1 and consists either1 #a4 in giving the honour due to the one true ,god1 as maker and governor of the world1 to any other supposed1 though subordinate god2 ,or1 #b1 in giving the honour due to ,christ1 as the sole mediator between ,god and ,man1 to any other supposed1 though subordinate1 mediator4 ,the former1 is the idolatry forbidden by the ,jewish law1 and by the law of ,nature3 ,the latter1 is ,christian idolatry1 properly so called1 and is the abomination1 prohibited and condemned1 in so severe terms1 by the law of the ,gospel4 ,now1 whether the former species of idolatry be chargeable on the church of ,rome or not2 and whether the crime of that species1 may not be incurred by honouring the true object of worship1 through the medium of some sensible image3 ,whatever1 ,i say1 be determined on these two points 7which1 for the present1 shall be set aside7 the other species of idolatry is1 without all doubt1 chargeable on any ,christian church that shall adopt or acknowledge1 in its religious addresses1 another mediator1 besides ,christ ,jesus4 ,but the church of ,rome 7,i do not say1 in the private writings of her divines1 but7 in the solemn forms of her ritual1 publicly professes1 and1 by her canons and councils1 authoritatively enjoyns1 the worship of saints and angels1 under the idea of mediators and intercessors3 not indeed in exclusion of ,christ1 as one1 or1 if you will1 as chief mediator1 but in manifest defiance of his claim to be1 the sole mediator4 ,this charge is truly and justly brought against that ,church1 as it now stands1 and hath stood1 for many ages2 and cannot1 by any subterfuge whatsoever1 be evaded#bah4 ,and therefore1 to the other characters of ,pride and ,intolerance1 which she takes to herself with much complacency1 she must1 now1 be content 7whether she will or no7 to have that of ,d,,mon-,,worship1 or ,,antichristian ,,idolatry1 fastened upon her4 ,nor let the followers of that communion think to elude this charge1 by saying1 ,that they only request the saints1 as we commonly do any good man1 to pray for them#bai4 ,false and disingenuous6 ,false2 because their breviaries and litanies shew1 that they supplicate the saints to befriend them by their own inherent power1 or to intercede for them to the throne of ,god by virtue of their own personal merits#bbj1 in blasphemous derogation to the all-atoning and incommunicable intercession of ,jesus4 ,disingenuous1 too2 because they know very well1 that the question is concerning unseen and heavenly mediators only1 not men like ourselves1 such as we live and converse with on earth2 whom we only admonish of their duty1 and to whom we only do ours1 when we call upon them to exert an act of piety and common charity in praying for their fellow-christians4 ,our meaning is but that which the ,apostle well expresses1 when he would have us consider one another1 to provoke unto love and to good works#bba2 and not at all to supplicate our ,christian brethren as powerful intercessors1 in whose meritorious virtues we confide1 and to whom1 as possessing a proper interest in the ,almighty1 by the worth of their own persons1 we commit our dearest concerns1 ,the forgiveness of our sins1 and the salvation of our souls4 8,but this1 it will be said1 is a very defective1 and even unfair1 account of the matter4 ,we do more than admonish our brethren of their duty1 when we sollicit their prayers for us4 ,we invite them directly1 and formally1 to intercede for us to the throne of ,grace4 ,we are allowed1 nay encouraged1 to lay a stress on their intercession2 and1 what is more1 we are given to understand that such intercession1 especially if it be made by good men1 will have weight and influence in ,heaven4 ,what else is the meaning of the ,apostle1 when he assures us1 ,that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much4 ,james v4 #af48 ,and1 if the prayer of a righteous man1 much more the prayer of glorified saints and angels40 ,i have put the argument1 ,i think1 in all its force1 and 7because the advocates of the papal cause affect to think it unanswerable7 shall examine it1 with care4 8,we apply to good ,christians1 or to those we esteem such1 to intercede for us by their prayers to ,heaven40 ,we do so2 and are encouraged in this application1 by the example1 and by the directions of the ,apostles4 ,for ,i shall not take advantage of what some have conceived to be the meaning of ,st4 ,james1 in the place alledged1 where he attributes so much to the prayer of1 a righteous man1 ,that the prayer1 there spoken of1 is the prayer of faith1 or a spiritual gift miraculously conferred on the first teachers of the ,gospel1 and confined to their ministry3 ,i will not1 ,i say1 take advantage of this gloss2 because1 whatever foundation it may seem to have in the context of that epistle1 ,i allow it to be clear from other places of the ,new ,testament#bbb1 ,that the duty of ,christians is to pray1 that is1 to intercede1 for each other4 ,but then ,i desire it may be observed1 #a4 ,what difference there is between desiring good men to pray for us1 in the ,gospel sense of that duty2 and desiring ,saints and ,angels to pray for us1 in the sense of the papal rituals4 ,we request those prayers1 only as they shall be offered up in the name1 and through the merits1 of the great1 and properly speaking1 sole intercessor2 and we look for no effect from them1 but on that condition4 ,the ,church of ,rome addresses herself to ,saints and ,angels1 as intercessors1 by1 what we may call1 their own right1 by virtue of their own inherent sanctity3 ,or1 rather1 she applies to them directly1 as to ,saviours1 for their proper and immediate help1 and expects it from the supposed privilege of their rank1 or merits1 independently of their prayers1 or1 at least1 of the manner in which those prayers shall be presented through the name of ,jesus4 ,the formal words of their ,litanies shew1 that such is their meaning4 ,but they will say1 that this condition of interceding1 or saving1 through the merits of ,christ1 is implied1 though not expressed4 ,i reply then1 #b4 ,that1 admitting it to be so1 there is1 yet1 the widest difference between praying to ,saints and ,angels to pray for us1 though in the ,gospel forms of intercession2 and merely requesting good men to pray for us1 in those forms4 ,the latter address is made in a way remote from all appearance of idolatry1 and free from the suspicion of it3 ,the former1 is preferred in the place1 at the time1 with the posture1 in the language1 in short1 with all the circumstances and formalities of divine worship4 #c4 ,i observe1 that1 when we ask the prayers of men1 we know that they hear our address to them3 ,we cannot even suppose thus much of ,saints and ,angels1 without ascribing to them the incommunicable attributes of the ,almighty4 ,still1 it may be insisted1 ,that prayers1 whether offered up to ,god by men1 or glorified spirits1 are however to be considered in the light of ,intercessions2 and that therefore1 so far as we combat the practice of saint-worship on that ground1 ,protestants1 as well as ,papists1 when they employ the prayers of others1 are guilty of idolatry4 ,this1 in truth1 is the hinge1 on which the question turns3 ,and1 to shew the difference of the two cases1 palpably and clearly1 ,i say1 ,fourthly1 and lastly1 ,that the ,gospel1 in permitting1 or rather in commanding us to ask the prayers of each other1 justifies this sort of intercession1 and absolves it from the blame and guilt of idolatry4 ,it gives a sanction to this mode of mediating with ,god by his ,saints1 on earth2 and does not regard it as a practice that interferes with the mediatorial office of ,jesus1 in ,heaven4 ,the same ,gospel1 on the contrary1 7,i inquire not1 for what reasons7 says not a word1 from which we can infer1 that any such address is directed1 or permitted1 to be made to ,angels or ,spirits4 ,it even condemns all addresses of this kind1 under the opprobrious name of unauthorized1 or ,,will-,,worship#bbc4 ,though we be allowed1 then1 to have good men1 in some sense1 for our mediators or intercessors on earth1 we are not allowed to have any mediator or intercessor in the tabernacle of heaven1 but ,jesus1 the great high priest of ,christians1 only4 ,this last sort of intercession1 by ,angels and glorified ,saints1 is against the spirit and letter of our religion4 ,it is a practice1 which1 not being enjoined1 is forbidden2 which1 being disallowed1 is reprobated4 ,in a word1 ,it entrenches on the incommunicable honour and prerogatives of the great1 the appointed1 the sole ,mediator in ,heaven1 seated at ,god's right hand1 who ever liveth to make intercession for us#bbd4 ,it sets up new mediators1 without1 and against his leave3 ,it is1 then1 un-christian1 and idolatrous4 ,thus at length1 ,i suppose1 it appears indisputably1 ,that we are neither unreasonable1 nor uncharitable1 in charging ,,idolatry1 as well as the other two anti-christian vices of pride1 and intolerance1 to the account of papal ,rome4 ,v4 ,the last prophetic mark of ,antichrist1 which ,i shall have time to point out to you1 and what perhaps you may esteem the most material of all1 is1 ,the ,,time in which that power is said to make its appearance in the world4 ,it hath been already observed#bbe1 that the chronology of the prophecies is1 for the most part1 not defined with that exactness1 which we expect in historical compositions4 ,it is commonly expressed in terms that may be interpreted with some latitude2 or1 when the date is more precisely delivered1 we are still at a loss1 in some respect or other1 before the event1 in what manner to form our calculation4 ,however1 the expression is not so loose and vague1 but that we may clearly apprehend about what time the predicted event will come to pass4 ,thus1 for instance1 the season of ,christ's coming into the world was fixed by such circumstances as these--that it should be before the total dissolution of the ,jewish state--or while the second temple was yet standing3 ,and1 when it was determinately foretold to be after the expiration of seventy weeks1 from the going forth of the commandment to return and to build ,jerusalem1 still1 besides the prophetic and somewhat obscure sense of the word weeks1 we cannot beforehand calculate exactly when these weeks commence#bbf1 or in what term they are to be accomplished4 ,yet1 notwithstanding these uncertainties1 the ,jews saw very clearly1 and1 from them1 the rest of the world conceived an expectation1 that the person predicted was to appear in that age1 or about that time1 in which he did appear1 and which1 from the tenour of the prophecies1 they had computed would be the time of his appearance4 ,in like manner1 the season of ,antichrist's appearance in the world is left to be collected from general intimations2 and1 when the duration of his tyranny is limited to twelve hundred and sixty days1 besides that the expression1 as before1 is nigmatical1 we have no means of fixing the commencement of that period so precisely1 but that some doubts may arise about it1 till the accomplishment of the prophecy shall give light and certainty to the computation4 ,yet still1 as in the former case1 we have such data to proceed upon in calculating the reign of ,antichrist1 as may let us see about what time it was to be expected4 ,thus much being premised1 ,i have now only to remind you of what the prophets expressly declare concerning the rise of ,antichrist4 ,the eldest of these1 the prophet ,daniel1 says it was to be in the time of the fourth kingdom1 that is1 of the ,roman2 which1 for the convenience of the prophetic calculations1 is considered as subsisting1 though in a new form1 under the ten kings1 among whom it was to be divided4 ,he further tells us1 that ,antichrist was to arise from among1 and after1 the ten kings2 that is1 we are to look for him then1 7and not before7 when the ,roman empire has undergone that change of government#bbg4 ,next1 ,st4 ,paul1 it seems1 had told the ,thessalonians1 what it was that1 for a time1 prevented the appearance of ,antichrist3 ,but that information hath not been transmitted to us4 ,however1 he says to them--,ye know ,,what with-holdeth that he might be revealed in his time3 and further adds1 ,,he1 who now letteth1 will let1 until he be taken out of the way#bbh4 ,now1 by putting these passages together1 and by comparing them with the predictions of ,daniel1 not we of these later times only1 before whom the man of sin is supposed to be evidently displayed1 but the early fathers of the church1 long before the events happened to which these prophetic notices could be applied1 clearly saw1 or at least generally conjectured1 that the impediment1 here mentioned1 was the then subsisting power of the ,csarean government2 which1 they said1 was first to be taken away1 and then ,antichrist would be revealed#bbi4 ,lastly1 the ,apostle ,st4 ,john not only confirms the prophecies of ,daniel1 that ,antichrist should arise out of the ten kings1 who were to have the western empire shared out among them1 but adds this remarkable circumstance1 ,that he should ,,ride the ten kings#bcj2 which implies1 that he should co-exist with them3 ,and it further appears1 that he was to receive his whole power from them1 and was finally to be destroyed by them4 ,now1 turn to the history of the fourth kingdom1 and see how it corresponds to these prophecies4 ,observe1 when the western empire under its ,csarean head1 was taken away2 how it was1 afterwards1 dismembered by the northern nations2 by what degrees it fell at length1 into ten1 that is1 many distinct1 independent kingdoms2 at what time this partition was made1 or rather fully settled and completed4 ,from this time1 and not before1 you are to look for ,antichrist1 now gradually rearing himself up among the ten kings2 and at length1 in a condition1 by the power1 which they gave to him1 to ride1 that is1 to direct and govern them4 ,from this time1 again1 compute the #abfj years1 the predicted period of his government2 and1 keeping your eye all along on the ecclesiastical and civil state of our western world 7the predicted theatre of all these transactions7 see1 if you can help concluding1 ,i do not say at what precise time1 but about what time1 ,antichrist appeared2 see1 if the commencement of his reign be not so far determined as that you may be certain of its being long since past2 and see1 if very much1 at least1 of that allotted period1 through which his dominion was to continue1 according to the prophecies1 be not1 by the evident attestation of history1 now run out4 ,to ,,draw1 then1 what hath been said on the several marks of ,antichrist1 to a point4 ,consider1 within what part of the world1 he was to appear2 in what seat or throne1 he was to be established2 of what kind1 his sovereignty was to be2 with what attributes1 he was to be invested2 in what season1 or about what time1 and for how long a time1 he was to reign and prosper3 ,consider these ,,five obvious characters of ,antichrist1 which the prophets have distinctly set forth1 and which1 from them1 ,i have successively held up to you3 ,and1 then1 compare them with the correspondent characters1 which you find inscribed1 by the pen of authentic history1 on a certain power1 sprung up in the ,west2 seated in the city of ,rome2 calling himself the ,vicar of ,christ2 yet full of names of blasphemy1 that is1 stigmatized with those crimes1 which ,christianity1 as such1 holds most opprobrious1 the crimes of tyrannic dominion1 of persecution1 and even ,idolatry2 and lastly1 now subsisting in the world1 though with evident symptoms of decay1 after a long reign1 whose rise and progress can be traced1 and whose duration1 hitherto1 is uncontradicted by any prophecy3 ,put1 ,i say1 all these correspondent marks together1 and see if they do not furnish1 if not an absolute demonstration1 yet a high degree of probability1 that apostate papal ,rome is the very ,antichrist foretold4 ,at least1 you will admit that these correspondencies are signal enough to merit your attention1 and even to justify your pains in looking further into so curious and interesting a subject4 ,ye will say to yourselves1 ,that the prophecies concerning ,antichrist deserve at least to be considered with care1 since in so many striking particulars1 they appear1 on the face of them1 to have been completed4 ,this conclusion1 it is presumed1 is a reasonable one3 ,and the end of this discourse will be answered1 if ye are1 at length1 prevailed upon to draw this conclusion4 ,,sermon ,,xii4 ,,uses ,,of ,,this ,,inquiry ,,into ,,the ,,prophecies4 ,,rev4 xxii4 #g4 ,behold1 ,i come quickly3 ,blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book4 ,before we engage in a work of time and difficulty1 we naturally ask1 8,,cui ,,bono1 to what considerable end and purpose1 are our labours to be referred80 ,although it may1 then1 be presumed1 that enough hath been said on the prophecies to excite a reasonable desire of looking further into them1 and even to produce a general persuasion1 that they have been1 or may be1 understood2 yet1 it may quicken your attention to this argument1 and support your industry in the prosecution of it1 to set before you the ,,uses1 which may result from a full and final conviction 7if such should be the issue of your inquiries71 ,that these prophecies are not intelligible only1 but have1 in many instances1 been rightly applied1 and clearly fulfilled4 ,these ,,uses are very many4 ,i shall collect1 only1 two or three of the more important1 for your consideration4 ,though every period of prophecy be instructive1 that which takes in the great events and revolutions1 which have come to pass in the ,christian ,church1 is1 for obvious reasons1 more especially interesting to us1 who live in these latter ages of the world4 ,of the numerous predictions1 contained in either ,testament1 which1 it is presumed1 respect these events1 the most considerable by far1 because the most minute and circumstantial1 are those of ,st4 ,john in the ,revelations2 which treat professedly of such things as were to befall the servants of ,jesus#bca1 from the prophet's own days1 down to that awful period1 when all the mysterious councils of ,god1 in regard to the ,christian dispensation1 shall be finally shut up in the day of judgment4 ,to these predictions1 then1 a more particular attention is due1 the rather because they have been fulfilling from the time of their delivery--behold1 ,i come quickly--and1 above all1 because a blessing is pronounced on those1 who keep1 that is1 who observe1 who study and contemplate1 the sayings of this book4 ,assuredly1 then1 this study will be rewarded with signal benefits4 ,and one sees immediately3 ,i4 ,in the first place1 that no small benefit must arise to those1 who admit the completion of these prophecies1 so far1 ,i mean1 as the tenour of the book makes it probable that they have been completed1 from the awful sense1 which this conviction must needs give them of the ,christian dispensation itself4 ,that this dispensation1 ushered in by so long a train of prophecies1 should still be attended by others1 through all the stages and periods of it2 that secular empires should rise and fall1 unnoticed1 as it were1 by the ,spirit of ,god1 while the kingdom of his ,son is so peculiarly distinguished1 and its whole history1 in a manner1 anticipated1 by the most express predictions3 that ,jesus should be1 as he says of himself1 the alpha and omega1 the beginning and the end#bcb1 of all ,god's religious dispensations to mankind3 that his first coming1 or personal appearance in the flesh1 should be signified from the foundation of the world1 and from time to time more explicitly declared in a variety of successive prophecies1 till the great event1 at length1 fulfilled them all3 and that1 together with this event 7the foundation of others1 still more illustrious7 his second coming1 in the future and gradual manifestations of his power 7for they were to be gradual7 should be distinctly marked out1 and duly accomplished1 in the fortunes of the ,christian church1 or of that kingdom1 which he came to erect in the world2 while this subject1 and no other1 engaged the ultimate attention of all the prophets3 ,there is1 ,i say1 in this scheme of things1 something so astonishingly vast1 something so much above and beyond the attention that was ever known to be paid to any other person or thing in the compass of universal history1 as must strike an awe into the hearts of all men1 who consider ,christianity in this point of view2 and must compel the most negligent to confess1 or suspect at least1 ,that such a dispensation is a matter of no light moment1 but1 indeed1 the most important in the eyes of ,providence1 and the most interesting to mankind1 that can be conceived1 or expressed4 ,if1 then1 there be reason1 to admit the completion of such prophecies1 respecting such a subject1 in any considerable number of instances1 within that space of time which is already elapsed2 and1 therefore1 to expect that the remaining prophecies will1 in like manner1 be fulfilled1 ,the conclusion is1 that the dispensation of ,god through ,christ is of the last consequence to the inhabitants of this world3 ,and the obvious use of this conclusion will be1 that it further obliges all serious men who have thus far profited by a study of the sacred oracles1 to put that salutary question to themselves--,how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great salvation#bcc8 ,connected with this use of prophecy1 ,,ii4 ,a second is1 ,that it sets before us1 not the importance only1 but the truth of ,christianity1 in the strongest light4 ,so many illustrious events falling in1 one after another1 just as the word of prophecy foretold they should1 must afford the most convincing proof1 ,that our ,religion is1 as it claims to be1 of divine institution3 a proof1 the more convincing1 because it is continually growing upon us2 and1 the farther we are removed from the source of our religion1 the clearer is the evidence of its truth4 ,other proofs are supposed to be1 and1 in some degree1 perhaps1 are1 weakened by a length of time4 ,but this1 from prophecy1 as if to make amends for their defects1 hath the peculiar privilege of strengthening by age itself3 till hereafter1 as we presume1 the accumulated force of so much evidence shall overpower all the scruples of infidelity2 and bring about1 at length1 that general conversion both of ,jew and ,gentile1 which the sacred oracles have so expressly foretold4 ,in both these ways1 then1 by impressing on the mind the most affecting sense of ,christianity2 that is1 by giving us1 first1 the most awful view of its pretensions1 and then1 by producing the firmest conviction of its truth1 the word of prophecy hath an evident tendency1 in proportion as we see its accomplishment1 to promote the great ends1 for which it was given1 till the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the ,lord1 and all the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness#bcd4 ,these uses are general1 and concern all men3 ,the ,,iii4 ,next1 ,i shall mention1 is more especially addressed to thinking and inquisitive men4 ,when the view of things1 exhibited under the two preceding articles1 has raised our admiration1 to the utmost1 of the divine councils in contriving1 preparing1 and at length executing so vast a scheme1 as that of ,christianity1 for the benefit of mankind2 we are led to expect that the effect will correspond to the means employed1 and that a striking change will1 at length1 be brought about in the condition of the moral world4 ,but1 in surveying the history of this new religion1 the theme of so many prophecies1 and the great1 the favourite object1 if ,i may so speak1 of divine ,providence1 8some are not a little scandalized to observe that nothing hath come to pass in any degree equivalent to such an expence of forethought and contrivance2 that1 for a season1 indeed1 virtue and piety seemed to triumph1 in the exemplary lives of the first converts to this religion1 and in the overthrow of ,pagan idolatry2 but that this golden age was soon over2 and that1 now1 for more than fourteen hundred years1 the passions of men have kept their usual train1 or rather have expatiated with more licence and fury in the ,christian world1 than in the ,pagan2 that idolatry1 in all its forms1 has revived in the bosom of ,christianity2 and1 as to private morals1 that this ,religion has even made men worse than it found them1 or1 at best1 of corrupt sensualists1 has only made them intolerant and vindictive bigots2 that1 in a word1 the kingdom of heaven1 as it is called1 has1 hitherto1 neither served to the glory of ,god1 nor to the good of mankind2 at least1 to neither of these ends1 in the degree1 that might have been expected from such high pretensions40 ,the colouring of this picture1 we will say1 is too strong3 but the outline1 at least1 is fairly given4 ,the corruptions of the ,christian world have been notorious and great2 and though they are indeed the corruptions of men calling themselves ,christians1 and not the vices of ,christianity1 yet he who the most dispassionately contemplates so sad a scene1 can hardly reconcile appearances to what must have been his natural expectations4 ,here1 then1 the prophecies of this book1 ,i mean1 of the ,apocalypse1 come in to our relief4 ,this book contains a detailed account of what would befall mankind under this last and so much magnified dispensation4 ,it foretells all that history has recorded4 ,it sets before us the corrupt state of the ,christian world in almost as strong a light1 as that in which our indignant speculatist himself has placed it4 ,but it1 likewise1 opens better things to our view4 ,it shews1 that the end of this dispensation is to promote virtue and happiness2 and that this end shall finally1 but through many and long obstructions1 be accomplished4 ,it represents the cause of righteousness1 as still maintaining itself in all the conflict1 to which it is exposed2 as gradually gaining ground1 and prevailing1 through the secret aid of divine ,providence1 over all opposition1 till it obtains a firm and permanent establishment2 till the ,saints reign 7not in a fanatical1 but in the sober and evangelical sense of that word1 reign7 in the earth#bce2 till the ,lord ,god omnipotent reigneth#bcf4 ,so far1 then1 as these prophecies appear to have been completed1 they reconcile us to that disordered scene1 which hath hitherto been presented to us2 and give repose to the anxious mind1 in the assured hope of better things to come4 ,the worst1 that has happened1 was foreseen2 and the best1 that we conceive1 will hereafter come to pass4 ,thus1 the reasonable expectations of men are answered1 and the honour of ,god's government abundantly vindicated4 ,,iv4 ,the last use1 ,i shall suggest to you1 is that which immediately results from the study of the ,apocalyptic prophecies concerning ,antichrist2 ,i mean1 the support that is hereby given to ,protestantism against all the cavils and pretensions of its adversaries4 ,for1 if these prophecies are rightly applied to ,papal ,rome1 and have1 in part1 been signally accomplished in the history of that church1 it is beyond all doubt1 that our communion with it is dangerous2 nay1 that our separation from it is a matter of strict duty4 ,come out of her1 my people1 that ye be not partakers of her sins1 and that ye receive not of her plagues#bcg--;are plain and decisive words1 and1 if allowed to be spoken of that church1 bring the controversy between the ,protestant and ,papal ,christians to a short issue4 ,i know1 the advocates of ,rome pretend1 that1 not a sense of duty1 but a spirit of revenge operates in the minds of ,protestants1 when they affect to lay so great a stress on the ,apocalyptic prophecies4 8,reward her1 even as she rewarded you#bch0--;is1 they say1 another of their favourite texts1 by which they take themselves to be as much obliged1 as by that which they so commonly alledge for quitting her communion4 ,it is not1 therefore1 to cover themselves from the imputation of schism1 but to authorize the vengeance1 they meditate against us1 that we are stunned with the cry of ,antichrist and ,babylon#bci40 ,to this charge1 ,i can only reply1 ,that1 if any ,protestant writers have put that sense on the words--reward her1 as she rewarded you--they must answer for their own temerity and indiscretion4 ,they1 who understand themselves1 and the language of prophecy1 disclaim the odious imputation4 ,they say1 ,that they neither admit the lawfulness of persecution in any case1 on the account of religion1 nor have the least thought of instigating the ,christian world to any sanguinary attempts against the ,papacy4 ,what the event may be in the councils of ,providence1 is another consideration3 ,but they neither avow1 nor approve those principles1 which tend to produce it4 ,they1 further1 insist1 ,that the two passages under consideration1 though1 both of them1 expressed in the imperative form1 require a very different construction3 ,that the language of prophecy seems very often to authorise what it only foretells2 and to command that which it barely permits3 that1 therefore1 the sense of such passages is to be determined by the circumstances of the case2 that1 where obedience is lawful1 there the preceptive form may be admitted2 but1 where it is not1 there nothing more is intended than the certainty of the event3 ,that this distinction is to be made in the present case2 for that ,christianity doth not allow vindictive retaliations1 or holy wars1 for the sake of religion1 and that offensive arms taken up in the cause of ,god 7how confidently soever some have justified their zeal by the authority of the ,jewish ,law1 ill-applied7 are abominable and antichristian3 ,whence we rightly conclude1 that--reward her1 as she rewarded you--are words not to be taken injunctively2 while those other words--come out of her1 my people--expressing nothing but what it was previously our duty to do1 are very clearly to be so taken4 ,lastly1 ,we say1 that the context in the two places alledged1 justifies this distinction4 ,come out of her1 my people4 ,why8 ,that ye be not partakers1 of her sins1 and that ye receive not of her plagues4 ,the reason is just1 and satisfactory4 ,reward her4 ,why8 ,no reason is assigned1 or could be assigned consistently with the spirit of the ,christian religion3 ,it only follows1 as she has rewarded you--words1 which express only the measure1 and the equitable grounds of the allotted punishment1 not the duty of ,christians to inflict it4 ,i return1 then1 from the confutation of this cavil 7the most plausible1 however1 as well as invidious1 which the wit of ,rome has started on this subject7 to the conclusion1 before laid down1 ,that the completion of the ,apocalyptic prophecies in the ,papal apostasy1 if seen and confessed1 affords an unanswerable defence and vindication of the ,protestant churches4 ,this conclusion1 that ,,the ,,pope ,,is ,,antichrist1 and that other1 that ,,the ,,scripture ,,is ,,the ,,sole ,,rule ,,of ,,christian ,,faith1 were the two great principles1 on which the ,reformation was originally founded4 ,how the first of these principles came to be ,,disgraced among ourselves1 ,i have shewn in another discourse#bdj4 ,it may now be worth while to observe1 in one word1 through what fatal mismanagement the latter principle was even generally ,,disavowed and ,,deserted4 ,when the ,reformers had thrown off all respect for the ,papal chair1 and were for regulating the faith of ,christians by the sacred scriptures1 it still remained a question1 ,on what grounds1 those scriptures should be interpreted4 ,the voice of the church1 speaking by her schoolmen1 and modern doctors1 was universally1 and without much ceremony1 rejected4 ,but the ,fathers of the primitive church were still in great repute among ,protestants themselves2 who dreaded nothing so much as the imputation of novelty1 which they saw would be fastened on their opinions1 and who1 besides1 thought it too presuming to trust entirely to the dictates of what was called the private spirit4 ,the church of ,rome availed herself with dexterity1 of this prejudice1 and of the distress to which the ,protestant party was reduced by it4 ,the authority of these ancient and venerable interpreters was sounded high by the ,catholic writers2 and the clamour was so great and so popular1 that the ,protestants knew not how1 consistently with their own principles1 or even in mere decency1 to decline the appeal which was thus confidently made to that tribunal4 ,the ,reformers1 too1 piqued themselves on their superior skill in ancient literature2 and were ashamed to have it thought that their adversaries could have any advantage against them in a dispute1 which was to be carried on in that quarter4 ,other considerations had1 perhaps1 their weight with particular churches3 ,but1 for these reasons1 chiefly1 all of them forwardly closed in with the proposal of trying their cause at the bar of the ancient church3 ,and1 thus1 shifting their ground1 maintained henceforth1 not that the scriptures were the sole rule of faith1 but the scriptures1 as interpreted by the primitive fathers4 ,when the state of the question was thus changed1 it was easy to see what would be the issue of so much indiscretion4 ,the dispute was not only carried on in a dark and remote scene1 into which the people could not follow their learned champions2 but was rendered infinitely tedious1 and1 indeed1 interminable4 ,for those early writings1 now to be considered as of the highest authority1 were voluminous in themselves2 and1 what was worse1 were composed in so loose1 so declamatory1 and often in so hyperbolical a strain1 that no certain sense could be affixed to their doctrines1 and any thing1 or every thing1 might1 with some plausibility1 be proved from them4 ,the inconvenience was sensibly felt by the ,protestant world4 ,and1 after a prodigious waste of industry and erudition1 a learned foreigner#bda1 at length1 shewed the inutility and the folly of pursuing the contest any further4 ,in a well-considered discourse1 ,on the use of the ,fathers1 he clearly evinced1 that their authority was much less1 than was generally supposed1 in all points of religious controversy2 and that their judgment was especially incompetent in those points1 which were agitated by the two parties4 ,he evinced this conclusion by a variety of unanswerable arguments2 and chiefly by shewing that the matters in debate were1 for the most part1 such as had never entered into the heads of those old writers1 being1 indeed1 of much later growth1 and having first sprung up in the barbarous ages4 ,they could not1 therefore1 decide on questions1 which they had no occasion to consider1 and had1 in fact1 never considered2 however their careless or figurative expression might be made to look that way1 by the dextrous management of the controversialists4 ,this discovery had great effects4 ,it opened the eyes of the more candid and intelligent inquirers3 ,and our incomparable ,chillingworth1 with some others#bdb1 took the advantage of it to set the controversy with the church of ,rome1 once more1 on its proper foot2 and to establish1 for ever1 the old principle1 ,,that ,,the ,,bible1 and that only1 7interpreted by our best reason7 ,,is ,,the ,,religion ,,of ,,protestants4 ,thus1 ,,one of the two pillars1 on which the ,protestant cause had been established1 was happily restored4 ,and1 though ,mr4 ,mede1 about the same time1 succeeded as well in his attempts to replace the ,,other1 yet1 through many concurring prejudices1 the merit of that service hath not1 hitherto1 been so generally acknowledged4 ,whether the ,pope be the ,antichrist of the prophets1 is still by some ,protestants made a question4 ,yet1 it seems as if it would not continue very long to be so3 ,and it may not be too much to expect1 that this institution will1 hereafter1 contribute to put an end to the dispute4 ,the ,reformation will1 then1 be secured against the two invidious charges of ,,schism and ,,heresy 7for neither of which is there any ground1 if the ,pope be ,antichrist1 and if the sole ,rule of faith to a ,christian be the canonical scriptures7 and will1 thus1 stand immoveably on its ancient and proper foundations4 ,in saying this1 ,i do not1 however1 mean to assert1 that the ,reformation has no support1 but in this principle--that the ,pope is ,antichrist4 ,there are various other considerations1 which are decisive in the controversy between us and the ,papists4 ,so that1 if the prophecies should1 after all1 be found to suit any other person or power1 better than the ,roman ,pontif1 we shall only have one argument the less to urge against his pretensions1 and the ,protestant cause1 in the mean time1 stands secure4 ,but1 on the supposition that the prophecies are rightly1 and must be exclusively1 applied to the church of ,rome 7of which every man will judge for himself1 from the evidence hereafter to be laid before him7 on this supposition1 ,i say1 it must be allowed that the shortest and best defence of the ,protestant cause is that which is taken from the authority of those prophecies1 because they expressly enjoin a separation from that society1 to which they are applied4 ,ye perceive1 then1 in all views1 the utility of studying this prophecy of the ,revelations1 provided there be reason to admit the completion of it in the history of the ,christian ,church1 and particularly in the history of ,papal ,rome4 ,the importance and the truth of ,christianity will be seen in their full light--,the wisdom of the divine councils1 in permitting the ,apostacy to take place for a time1 will be acknowledged--,and the honour of our common ,protestant profession will be effectually maintained4 ,,conclusion4 ,this ,lecture is now brought down to that point1 from which1 possibly1 ye expected me to set out4 ,but1 in the entrance on an argument1 new to many persons1 and misunderstood by most1 it seemed expedient to take a wide compass4 ,the true scriptural idea of the subject1 was to be opened1 at large#bdc2 the general argument from prophecy1 enforced#bdd2 the method of the prophetic system deduced1 and further illustrated in a view of the prophecies more immediately respecting the ,christian church#bde2 ,of these prophecies1 those concerning ,antichrist1 or the apostasy of ,papal ,rome1 were to be cleared of all prejudices and objections#bdf2 and the principles1 on which the ,apocalyptic prophecies1 in particular1 are to be explained1 proposed and justified#bdg3 ,it was1 further1 necessary to bespeak your attention to the argument from the ,apocalyptic prophecies1 especially1 concerning ,antichrist1 by shewing the several presumptions there are of its force#bdh2 and by setting before you the uses1 to which this whole inquiry may be applied#bdi4 ,this preliminary course1 then1 though it has been tedious1 will not be thought improper1 if it may serve1 in any degree1 to prepare and facilitate the execution of the main design1 which is1 ,to interpret and apply particular prophecies3 ,a work1 of labour indeed2 but not unpleasant in itself2 and 7if carried on with that diligence and sobriety1 which are1 in reason1 to be supposed7 capable1 ,i think1 of affording to fair and attentive minds the fullest satisfaction4 ,the ,,season1 ,i know1 may be thought unfavourable to such an attempt4 ,for the main stress must be laid on prophecies1 about which ,christians themselves are not agreed1 at a time when the number of those persons is supposed to be very great1 and increasing every day1 who are not easily brought to acknowledge the reality of any prophecies4 ,this last would be an unwelcome consideration1 if the fact were certain2 ,i mean1 if the present state of religion were altogether such as some1 perhaps1 wish1 and as others too easily apprehend1 it to be4 ,but ,i hope1 and believe1 it is not2 the truth of the case1 so far as ,i am able to form a judgment of it1 being no more than this4 ,a few fashionable men make a noise in the world2 and this clamour1 being echoed on all sides from the shallow circles of their admirers1 misleads the unwary into an opinion1 that the irreligious spirit is universal and uncontroulable4 ,whereas1 the good and wise1 are modest and reserved3 having no doubt themselves concerning the foundation of their faith1 they pay but little regard to the cavils1 which empty or corrupt men throw out against it4 ,they either treat those cavils with a silent contempt2 or1 they lament in secret the libertinism of the age1 without taking any vigorous measures to check and oppose it4 ,besides1 they rarely come into what is called1 free company2 and they are too well employed1 and at the same time too well informed1 to hearken after every idle publication1 on the side of irreligion4 ,for these1 and the like reasons1 the number of true believers is overlooked2 or thought to be less considerable than1 in fact1 it is1 and would presently be known to be1 if a just estimate were taken of them4 ,let me then1 under this persuasion1 express myself in the spirit1 and almost in the words1 of an ancient apologist#bej--8,let no man too hastily despair of the cause1 we are now pleading4 ,when we stand up in its defence1 there are those who will lend an ear to us4 ,for1 whatever the vain1 or the vicious may pretend1 the prophetic writings are not fallen so low in the esteem of mankind1 but that there are numberless persons of good sense and serious dispositions1 who wish to see the truth of the ,gospel confirmed by them2 and are ready to embrace that truth1 when fairly set before them1 and supported by the clear evidence of historical testimony and well-interpreted scripture40 ,such is the language1 which ,i am not afraid to hold to the desponding party among us4 ,but should my confidence1 or my candour1 transport me too far1 should even their apprehensions be ever so well founded1 the zeal of those1 who preach the ,gospel1 is not to abate1 but to exert itself with new vigour under so discouraging a prospect4 ,if there be a way left to strike conviction into the hearts of unbelievers1 it must probably be1 by pressing this great point of prophetic inspiration1 and by turning their attention on a miracle1 now wrought1 or ready to be wrought before their eyes4 ,or1 let the event be what it will1 our duty is to illustrate the word of prophecy1 and to enforce it2 to withstand the torrent of infidelity with what success we may1 and1 if it should prevail over all our efforts1 to make full proof1 at least1 of our sincerity and good will4 ,in the mean time1 it becomes all others to retain and cultivate in themselves a respect for the prophetic writings2 which either are1 or1 for any thing that has yet appeared1 may be divine4 ,to treat them1 without the fullest conviction of their falshood1 with neglect and scorn1 is plainly indecent1 and may be highly criminal and dangerous4 ,josephus tells us1 that1 in the last dreadful ruin of his unhappy countrymen1 it was familiar with them1 to make a jest of divine things1 and to deride1 as so many senseless tales and juggling impostures1 the sacred oracles of their prophets#bea2 though they were then fulfilling before their eyes1 and even upon themselves4 ,but the case1 perhaps1 is different2 and we have no concern1 in the prophecies concerning ,papal ,rome4 ,what6 ,have ,,we no concern in those prophecies 7supposing1 ,i mean1 that they are prophecies1 at all1 and1 that there is reason for applying them to the church of ,papal ,rome74 ,,we1 who have but just been delivered from the more than ,egyptian bondage1 which they predict2 and are1 therefore1 bound by every tye of interest1 of gratitude1 and of charity1 to assert to ourselves1 and to communicate to others1 as far as we are able1 the blessings of that liberty1 wherewith ,christ has made us free#beb4 ,have ,,we no concern in the several uses1 mentioned in this discourse2 and in many others1 which ,i have not mentioned2 it being well known1 that all inspired scripture 7of which prophecy is so eminent a part7 is profitable for doctrine1 for reproof1 for correction1 for instruction in righteousness#bec8 ,or1 supposing that we had no direct concern in these prophecies1 and supposing1 farther1 that the divine authority of them was even problematical2 still it may deserve to be considered1 ,i mean1 by men the most libertine1 who have not yet convinced themselves1 by an exact and critical inquiry1 of their utter falshood and insignificancy2 ,i say1 it merits the reflexion of all such1 ,that the contempt of the prophecies1 under these circumstances1 has a natural tendency to corrupt the temper and harden the heart4 ,and is there no room to question1 whether this conduct1 plainly an immoral conduct1 be adviseable or safe8 ,let us then1 on a principle of self-love1 if not of piety1 keep the sayings of this book1 concerning ,,the ,,man ,,of ,,sin4 ,from many appearances1 the appointed time for the full completion of them may not be very remote4 ,and it becomes our prudence to take heed that we be not found in the number of those1 to whom that awful question is proposed--,how is it1 that ye do not discern the signs of this time8 ,nay1 there are prophecies1 which1 in that case1 may concern us more nearly1 than we think4 ,st4 ,paul applied ,,one of these1 to the unbelieving ,jews2 of whose mockery1 and of whose fate1 ye have heared what their own historian witnesseth3 ,and1 if we equal their obdurate spirit1 that prophecy may clearly be applied1 and no man can say1 that it was not intended to be applied1 to ourselves4 ,beware therefore 7to sum up all in the tremendous words of the ,apostle#bed7 ,beware1 lest that come upon you1 which is spoken by the ,prophets3 ,,behold1 ,,ye ,,despisers1 ,,and ,,wonder ,,and ,,perish2 ,,for ,i ,,work ,a ,,work ,,in ,,your ,,days1 ,a ,,work1 ,,which ,,ye ,,shall ,,in ,,no ,,wise ,,understand1 ,,though ,a ,,man ,,declare ,,it ,,unto ,,you4 ,,appendix4 ,,appendix3 ,,containing ,,an ,,anonymous ,,letter ,,to ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,these ,,sermons1 ,,with ,,his ,,answer ,,to ,,it4 ,soon after ,i had published this volume1 ,i received an anonymous ,letter1 addressed to me at ,thurcaston1 of which the following is an exact copy4 ,,letter ,,to ,,dr4 ,,hurd4 ,,sir1 ,some months ago it was reported1 that ,dr4 ,hurd was preparing to expound the ,apocalypsis1 and once more to prove the ,pope to be ,antichrist4 ,the public were amazed4 ,by the gay and by the busy world1 the very attempt was treated as an object of ridicule4 ,polite scholars lamented1 that you should be prevailed on to give up your more solid and liberal studies1 for such obscure and unprofitable researches4 ,your own brethren of the church hinted1 that it would be far more prudent to observe a respectful silence with regard to those awful and invidious mysteries4 ,a more than common share of merit was requisite to surmount such adverse prejudices4 ,your ,sermons1 ,sir1 have been perused with pleasure by many1 who had the strongest dislike to the name and subject4 ,every one has admired the vastness of the plan1 the harmony of the proportions1 and the elegance of the ornaments2 and if any have remarked a weakness in the foundations1 it has been imputed to the nature of the ground2 and the taste of the ,patron has been arraigned rather than the skill of the ,architect4 ,since you have undertaken the care and defence of this extensive province1 ,i may be allowed1 less as an opponent than as a disciple1 to propose to you a few difficulties2 about which ,i have sought more conviction than ,i have hitherto obtained4 ,from the general cast of your writings1 ,i flatter myself that ,i am speaking to a candid critic1 and to a philosophical divine2 whose first passion is the love of truth4 ,on this pleasing supposition1 let me venture to ask you1 8,whether1 there is sufficient evidence that the ,book of ,daniel is really as ancient as it pretends to be40 ,you are sensible1 that from this point the ,golden ,chain of ,prophecy1 which you have let down from ,heaven to earth1 is partly suspended4 ,there are two reasons which still force me to with-hold my assent4 ,i4 ,the author of the ,book of ,daniel is too well informed of the revolutions of the ,persian and ,macedonian empires1 which are supposed to have happened long after his death4 ,,ii4 ,he is too ignorant of the transactions of his own times4 ,in a word1 he is too exact for a ,prophet1 and too fabulous for a contemporary historian4 ,i4 ,the first of these objections was urged1 fifteen hundred years ago1 by the celebrated ,porphyry4 ,he not only frankly acknowledged1 but carefully illustrated the distinct and accurate series of history1 contained in the book of ,daniel1 as far as the death of ,antiochus ,epiphanes2 for beyond that period1 the author seems to have had no other guide than the dim and shadowy light of conjecture4 ,the four empires are clearly delineated1 the expedition of ,xerxes into ,greece1 the rapid conquest of ,persia by ,alexander1 his untimely death without posterity1 the division of his vast monarchy into four kingdoms1 one of which1 ,egypt1 is mentioned by name1 their various wars and intermarriages1 the persecution of ,antiochus1 the prophanation of the ,temple1 and the invincible arms of the ,romans1 are described with as much perspicuity in the prophecies of ,daniel1 as in the histories of ,justin and ,diodorus4 ,from such a perfect resemblance1 the artful infidel would infer1 that both were alike composed after the event4 ,this conduct has supplied ,st4 ,jerom with a fund of learning1 and an occasion of triumph2 as if the philosopher1 oppressed by the force of truth1 had unwarily furnished arms for his own defeat4 ,yet1 notwithstanding ,jerom's confidence1 and in spite of my inclination to side with the father1 rather than with the adversary of the church2 the reasoning of the latter may ,i fear be justified by the rules of logic and criticism4 ,may ,i not assume as a principle equally consonant to experience1 to reason1 and even to true religion2 8,that we ought not to admit any thing as the immediate work of ,god1 which can possibly be the work of man2 and that whatever is said to deviate from the ordinary course of nature1 should be ascribed to accident1 to fraud1 or to fiction2 till we are fully satisfied1 that it lies beyond the reach of those causes80 ,if we cast away this buckler1 the blind fury of superstition1 from every age of the world1 and from every corner of the globe1 will invade us naked and unarmed4 ,the eager trembling curiosity of mankind has ever wished to penetrate into futurity2 nor is there perhaps any country1 where enthusiasm and knavery have not pretended to satisfy this anxious craving of the human heart4 ,these self-inspired prophets have strove by various arts to supply the want of a divine mission4 ,sometimes adapting their conjectures to the present situation of things1 and to the passions and prejudices of those1 for whom their oracles were intended1 they have involved themselves in the mystic veil of dark1 general1 and ambiguous metaphors3 and embracing an indefinite space1 they have trusted to time and fortune for the accomplishment of their predictions1 or to the industry of kind commentators for a favourable interpretation of them4 ,sometimes they have commenced prophets1 and even true prophets at a very easy rate1 by delivering the narrative of things already past under the name of some celebrated character of a distant age4 ,as the series of events gradually unfolds itself1 those which the supposed ancient could have read only in the book of fate1 are transcribed by the more enlightened modern from any common history4 ,virgil 7the example is innocent and unexceptionable7 has left us specimens of both these prophetic arts3 ,i have often wondered at the rashness of critics who have tryed to ascertain the subject of the fourth ,eclogue1 and to point out the wonderful infant1 the restorer of a golden age4 ,that modest and judicious ,poet would not surely have risked the smallest part of his reputation1 on the miscarriage of a woman1 or the precarious life of a child4 ,the picture is richly1 nay profusely coloured2 but the design is traced with so vague a pencil1 that it might adapt itself to any events or to any interpretation2 that it might equally suit a literal or an allegorical sense2 the son of ,pollio1 of ,antony1 or of ,augustus2 the restoration of liberty1 or the tranquillity of the world under one master4 ,far different are the prophecies delivered to neas concerning the fate and fortunes of his descendants4 ,the ,trojan hero is indulged with a full and distinct view of the most remote futurity2 and the visionary prospect is closed by the mournful apparition of a youth1 who would have rivalled the greatest of his ancestors1 had not the gods envied such virtues to ,rome and to mankind4 ,from this single remark1 we should think ourselves authorized to infer1 that ,virgil lived in the ,augustan age2 and that the sixth book was composed during the yet recent grief for the loss of young ,marcellus4 ,the ,poet indeed meant not to deceive us3 like the author of the ,persian ,letters1 or of the ,moral ,dialogues1 his only aim was to convey important truths under the pleasing cover of fiction4 ,but had ,virgil seriously pretended1 that his sketch of the ,roman history was a faithful transcript from an old ,sibylline oracle2 had ,augustus from motives of policy favoured the deceit1 and had the ,romans adopted it with religious respect2 would any man of sense want better evidence of the pious fraud1 than the very clearness and precision of the prophecy8 ,the unanimous judgment passed on the yet extant collection of the ,sibylline ,oracles affords an easy answer to this question4 ,every critic who has observed that their prophetic light ceases with the reign of ,hadrian1 has pronounced them without hesitation to be a forgery of that period4 ,however1 as no ,christian can dispute the reality of ,divine ,inspiration1 nor any philosopher deny the possibility of it2 the suspicion1 that a prophecy too clear and precise was composed after the event1 though extremely strong1 is capable of being removed by still stronger positive evidence4 ,without insisting on any fanciful or impracticable conditions1 we have 7,i think7 a right to expect1 that the existence of such a prophecy prior to its accomplishment should be proved1 by the knowledge of it being generally diffused amongst an enlightened nation1 previous to that period2 and its public existence attested1 by an unbroken chain of authentic writers4 ,till such evidence is produced1 we may fairly sit down in a calm and well-grounded scepticism4 ,i have endeavoured to form something like this chain of witnesses in favour of the ,book of ,daniel2 but without being able to carry it higher than the first century of the ,christian ra4 ,josephus seems to expatiate with pleasure on the praises of that great man2 whose character1 in some instances1 he proposed as a model for his own4 ,he celebrates the various merit of ,daniel1 as a statesman1 a prophet1 and even as an architect4 ,his prophetic writings 7says ,josephus7 which are still extant1 evince his familiar intercourse with the ,deity1 and his perfect knowledge of futurity4 ,he even possessed some material advantages above the rest of his inspired brethren2 not contented with declaring future events1 he ascertains the time when they were to happen2 and instead of announcing calamities1 he is most commonly the messenger of good news4 ,the rise and fall of successive empires so clearly described and so punctually accomplished1 ought to convince the disciples of ,epicurus1 that human affairs1 instead of being left to the blind impulsion of chance1 are pre-ordained by an all-directing ,providence4 ,nothing can be desired fuller or more honourable for ,daniel than this testimony of the ,jewish historian4 ,i am only concerned that he did not publish his ,antiquities till the ninety-third year of the ,christian ra2 two hundred and fifty-seven years after the death of ,antiochus ,epiphanes1 and more than six centuries later than the time1 in which the ,prophet is supposed to have flourished4 ,,ii4 ,the ,book of ,daniel is partly of the prophetic and partly of the historic kind4 ,with the account of his visions1 the author mixes the memoirs of his life2 which lies the more open to our inspection1 as it was spent1 not like those of the other ,prophets in caves and deserts1 but in the courts of princes and the great transactions of the world4 ,three incidents are more particularly mentioned3 that he was educated with many other captive youths1 among the ,eunuchs of ,nebuchadnezzar2 that he was promoted by that prince to the government of ,babylon for the interpretation of a dream2 and that1 under the reign of ,darius the ,mede1 he was appointed the first of the three ministers or vizirs of the empire2 and was soon after exposed to the most imminent danger1 by the malice of his enemies1 the impudence of his sovereign1 and his own pious constancy4 ,to the first of these incidents ,i am so far from forming any objection1 that it seems to me1 in the true style of the oriental customs in war and government4 ,but the two last are embarrassed with difficulties1 from which ,i have not been able to extricate myself4 #a4 ,although the most unfrequented paths have sometimes conducted the favourites of fortune to wealth and honours3 yet ,i much doubt1 whether any man has been appointed a great officer of state for his skill in divination4 ,in the time of ,chardin1 the ,persian astrologers possessed as much credit at the court of the ,sophis1 as the ,chaldeans could possibly obtain in that of ,babylon2 and both king and people paid the most implicit obedience to their predictions4 ,two astrologers constantly attended the ,royal ,person2 nor was any measure adopted1 however trifling or however important1 without the previous sanction of these ministers of fate2 who cost the state annually above four millions of ,french money4 ,but notwithstanding they were thus highly favoured and respected1 they were still confined within their own province2 nor is there any instance of the ,sovereign chusing his ministers1 his generals1 or his judges1 amongst that class of men2 the best qualified1 as it should seem1 for action1 since they were the best acquainted with the consequences of their actions4 ,the common sense of mankind has constantly preferred the mere human accomplishments of courage1 capacity1 and experience4 ,the ,roman augurs indeed presided in the senate1 and led forth the armies of the common-wealth2 but in this single exception1 the sacerdotal was grafted on the political character4 ,the first citizens1 after rising gradually through the honours1 and great offices of their country1 were at length admitted to play the most powerful engine of the aristocracy4 #b4 ,i am disposed to believe that the subsequent merit of ,daniel might justify the ,monarch's caprice4 ,i will allow1 7on the credit of the story of ,susanna and the elders7 that there never was a ,judge of hands more clean1 or of a more discerning eye2 and that1 in his ministerial capacity1 he was ever attentive to the public interest1 and careless of his own4 ,i cannot deny1 that ,daniel1 as a favourite1 as a stranger1 and as an honest man1 must have the whole court of ,babylon for his enemies2 and am very sensible1 that in the administration of a great empire1 the purest virtue and the most shining abilities may afford room for misrepresentation and calumny4 ,how often must the great ,sully have yielded to those arts of courts1 had he not possessed a sure resource in the sound understanding and generous heart of his friend and master6 ,the situation of the ,jewish and of the ,huguenot ,minister were somewhat similar4 ,both were issued from an oppressed race of obstinate sectaries2 and it might be deemed a very artful contrivance to invent some test1 which must force them to relinquish their place1 or their principles2 to forfeit the favour of their prince1 or the confidence of their party4 ,thus far the comparison is tolerably exact4 ,but the ,french ministers were well assured that the fate and innocence of ,sully would be left to the common order of providence4 ,the courtiers of ,darius must apprehend1 that the piety of ,daniel would be asserted by a miraculous interposition4 ,the people of ,babylon1 not many years before1 had beheld the wonderful deliverance of ,daniel's friends from the fiery furnace2 and it would have been a strange project for these crafty statesmen1 a second time to provoke the jealous ,god of ,israel1 to exalt the glory of their enemy1 and to draw down destruction on their own heads4 ,this age indeed1 to whom the gift of miracles has been refused1 is apt to wonder at the indifference with which they were received by the ancient world4 ,instead of the instant terror1 lasting conviction1 and implicit obedience1 we might rationally expect2 the ,jews as well as the ,gentiles conducted themselves1 as if they neither remembered nor believed the miracles to which they were witnesses4 ,although the hand of the ,almighty was almost perpetually employed in tracing out those divine characters2 they were no sooner formed1 than they were obliterated from the minds of men4 ,it may possibly be alledged1 that faith was distracted by the multiplicity of false as well as of genuine miracles2 whilst even the patrimony of the ,lord was encompassed by rival deities4 ----,who from the pit of hell1 ,roaming to seek their prey on earth1 durst fix ,their seats long after next the seat of ,god2 ,their altars by his altar2 ,gods ador'd ,among the nations round2 and durst abide ,jehovah thund'ring out of ,sion1 thron'd ,betwixt the ,cherubim---- ,but this solution is more proper1 ,i am afraid1 to aggravate than to alleviate the pressure of the difficulty4 ,counterfeit money may pass current with the true2 since both are coined by human hands and human industry3 ,but ,i have always considered ,salmoneus imitating ,jove's thunder by rattling with a brazen chariot over a brazen bridge1 as the most contemptible legend in the whole compass of the ,grecian mythology4 #c4 ,the law of the ,medes and ,persians is represented as a constitutional sanction1 which put it out of ,darius's power to revoke his rash edict4 ,such legal restraints are the natural offspring of free governments2 but ill suit with the genius of ,asiatic despotism4 ,from the inaccessible solitude of a seven-fold palace the king of the ,medes disposed without controul of the lives and property of his subjects3 nor does there exist a more dreadful act of authority1 than the retaliation inflicted by ,darius on ,daniel's enemies2 who1 to the number of a hundred and twenty1 were cast1 with their wives and children1 into the den of lions4 ,if the ,persians enjoyed any degree of freedom among their mountains1 they became at the same time slaves and conquerors2 and a formal determination of their judges stands recorded by ,herodotus4 8,that it was lawful for the king to do whatever he pleased4 ,there are indeed some instances1 where a wise despot will check himself1 and a foolish one will find himself checked by the nature of things4 ,such institutions as are derived from ,divine authority1 ancient custom1 or general opinion1 cannot be shaken without endangering the foundations of his own throne4 ,but it would be truly unaccountable1 that his cooler reason should not be permitted to correct the passion or surprize of a moment2 and that the occasional declarations of his pleasure should not be annihilated by the same authority1 which produced them4 ,may ,i not assert1 that the ,greek writers who have so copiously treated of the affairs of ,persia1 have not left us the smallest vestige of a restraint1 equally injurious to the monarch1 and prejudicial to the people80 #d4 ,the edict of ,darius1 8that during thirty days1 whosoever should ask any petition of either god or man1 save only of the king1 should be cast into the den of lions10 implied an almost total suspension of religious worship2 which consists much more in prayer than in thanksgiving4 ,such an extraordinary interdict1 by depriving the people of the comforts1 and the priests of the profits of religion1 must have diffused a general discontent throughout his empire2 which might easily have been inflamed into sedition and civil war4 ,with what colours could the ministers of ,darius gloss over a measure big with every mischief1 and destitute of the smallest advantage8 ,in what language could they address themselves to the reason1 or even to the passions of their ,sovereign2 who is described to be of an advanced age1 and a lover of justice and moderation8 ,but is there any character1 which1 with the utmost latitude of supposition1 may account for this edict8 ,an irreligious prince may be indiscreet enough to treat with ridicule whatever is held sacred by his subjects2 but he will entertain too great a contempt both for the people1 and for popular superstition1 ever to think of forcibly separating them from each other4 ,the bigot is actuated by a warmer principle than the infidel2 but his attachment to his own mode of worship rises in proportion to his hatred of all others4 ,had ,darius1 as a disciple of ,zoroaster1 shut up the temples of the idolaters1 he would have directed the fires of the ,magi to have blazed with redoubled ardour4 ,even those tyrants who1 destitute of human virtues1 have aspired to divine honours1 have grafted their pretensions on the established religions4 ,to be seated between ,castor and ,pollux1 to obtain the embraces of the ,moon1 to confer with ,jupiter of the ,capitol1 and to place his image in the temple of ,jerusalem1 would have gratified the wildest ambition of ,caligula4 ,but to suspend during thirty days the most universal propensity of mankind1 is a strain of wanton despotism unparalleled in the history of the world2 for the interdicts of the ,popes were of a quite different nature4 ,they were not the arbitrary prohibitions of a temporal monarch2 but a chastisement1 inflicted by the vicegerent of ,christ1 who excluded the offenders from the benefits of ,christianity1 till they had satisfied the ,deity1 offended in the person of his ministers4 #e4 ,there yet remains a stronger1 or at least a more palpable objection1 against the veracity of the author of the book of ,daniel3 8,the high probability that ,darius the ,mede never existed2 or1 what amounts to the same1 that no prince of that name or nation reigned at ,babylon1 between the time of ,nebuchadnezzar and that of ,cyrus40 ,it would be to little purpose to expatiate on the uncertainty of ancient history1 and the careless vanity of the ,greek writers4 ,the outlines of the history of ,babylon are known to us with uncommon precision4 ,the ,canon of ,ptolemy contains the stories of its kings1 deduced from authentic records1 attested by astronomical observations1 and confirmed by the fragments of ,berosus1 which are still extant in ,josephus4 ,berosus describes the conquests and buildings of ,nebuchadnezzar1 and only omits to mention the metamorphosis of that monarch into an ox4 ,his three immediate successors1 were of his own family2 the fourth1 ,nabonadius1 was a ,babylonian raised to the throne by the conspirators who murdered his predecessor2 and cast down from it by the victorious arms of ,cyrus king of ,persia4 ,in this close series of the ,babylonian and ,persian dynasties1 there cannot be found the smallest interval1 which will admit a ,median prince4 ,of the various expedients devised to elude this difficulty1 there is one only which can deserve our notice2 both as the most tolerable in itself1 and as having been embraced by the chronologists of the most distinguished merit and reputation2 by ,usher1 ,prideaux1 ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 c4 ,in their extreme distress1 the ,cyaxares of ,xenophon offered himself to their imagination1 as the properest person to support the character of ,darius the ,mede4 ,for this purpose1 they have supposed that he reigned two years over the ,babylonian empire2 after it had been subdued by the arms of ,cyrus1 his nephew and his lieutenant4 ,such is their hypothesis1 which falls to the ground if the ,cyropdia is a romance2 and is overthrown by it1 should that noble performance be received as a genuine history4 #a4 ,without insisting on the opinion of ,plato and ,tully1 ,i would rather appeal to your own feelings2 as ,i cannot doubt your familiar acquaintance with the writings of the ,attic ,bee4 ,compare the ,anabasis with the ,cyropdia2 and feel the difference between truth and fiction2 between the lively and copious variety of the one1 and the elegant poverty of the other4 ,a few general incidents1 thinly scattered through a diffuse work1 and destitute of any notes of geography or chronology1 compose the life of ,cyrus2 which seems lost in a multitude of speeches1 councils1 reflections1 and familiar episodes4 ,xenophon was a philosopher and a soldier2 and if we unravel with any care the fine texture of the ,cyropdia1 we shall discover in every thread the ,spartan discipline and the philosophy of ,socrates4 ,the only part which has the air of real history1 is the judicious digression1 where ,xenophon compares the degeneracy of the modern ,persians with the wise institutions of their founder4 ,he possessed the best opportunities of examining both the one and the other1 whilst he served in the camp of the younger ,cyrus1 and traversed1 with the immortal ten thousand1 the greatest part of the provinces of ,artaxerxes4 ,the first ,cyrus was confessedly a great man4 ,the conquest of ,asia is a sufficient testimony of his abilities2 and the name of ,father given him by the ,persians after his death1 must stand as the surest evidence of his virtues4 ,but the hero of the ,cyropdia is drawn as a perfect character2 a monster as fabulous1 and less interesting than those of ,ariosto4 ,his wise councils are never1 in a single instance1 seduced by passion1 misled by error1 or disappointed by accident4 ,xenophon labours to establish the empire of prudence2 his countryman ,herodotus had entertained himself with displaying the tyranny of fortune2 and both writers1 whilst they inculcate the moral precept1 seem alike1 though by opposite paths1 to deviate from historic truth4 #b4 ,but if the ,cyropdia be admitted as a genuine history1 ,darius the ,mede is still excluded from the throne of ,babylon1 since ,cyaxares himself never ascended it4 ,when the ,cyrus of ,xenophon besieged that great city1 he had gradually shaken off all dependance on his uncle1 and assumed to himself the supreme command1 and exclusive advantages of the war4 ,the strength of his army consisted of seventy thousand natural ,persians1 solely attached to their hereditary prince1 from every motive of duty1 gratitude1 and interest4 ,he was followed by a various train of nations1 allies and subjects1 all subdued by his arms and policy4 ,about forty thousand ,medes1 who served under his banners1 had long since been taught to despise the weakness1 and to disobey the commands of their sovereign4 ,after the conquest1 ,cyrus was solemnly inaugurated king of ,babylon1 with every circumstance of pomp and greatness1 which could dazzle the eyes of the multitude4 ,some time afterwards he visited his uncle at ,ecbatana1 presented him with rich gifts1 the spoils of ,asia1 accepted his only daughter in marriage1 and very politely told the ,king of the ,medes1 that he had set apart for him1 one of the finest palaces of ,babylon2 that whenever he should chuse to come to that city1 he might find himself1 as if he were still in his own dominions4 ,if these observations are founded in truth and nature2 it will follow1 that the author of the ,book of ,daniel has entertained us with incredible stories1 which happened under an imaginary monarch4 ,so much error and so much fiction are incompatible with an inspired1 or even with a contemporary1 writer4 ,but if the prophecies were framed three or four centuries after the ,prophet's death1 it was much easier for the counterfeit ,daniel to foretel great and recent events1 than to compose an accurate history or probable romance of a dark and remote period4 ,the question is curious in itself1 important in its consequences1 and in every light worthy the attention of a critical divine4 ,this consideration justifies the freedom of my address1 and the hopes ,i still entertain1 that you may be able and willing to dispell the mist1 that hangs1 either over my eyes1 or over the subject itself4 ,on my side1 ,i can only promise1 that whatever you shall think proper to communicate1 shall be received with the candor which ,i owe to myself1 and with the deference1 so justly due to your name and abilities1 ,i am1 ,sir1 with great esteem1 your obedient humble servant1 ---- ,p4,s4 ,you will be pleased1 ,sir1 to address your answer ,to ,daniel ,freeman1 ,esq4 at the ,cocoa ,tree1 ,pall ,mall3 but if you have any scruple of engaging with a mask1 ,i am ready1 by the same channel1 to disclose my real name and place of abode2 and to pledge myself for the same discretion1 which1 in my turn1 ,i shall have a right to expect4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i had neither leisure nor inclination to enter into controversy with this stranger 7for which there was the less occasion1 as he had disputed no principle or opinion advanced by me in the ,sermons72 but1 as ,i knew1 whoever he was1 that he would complain1 or rather boast1 of being wholly unnoticed by me1 ,i sent him this answer4 ,,answer ,,to ,,the ,,foregoing ,,letter4 ,thurcaston1 ,august #bi1 #aggb4 ,,sir1 ,your very elegant letter on the antiquity and authenticity of the ,book of ,daniel 7just now received7 finds me here1 if not without leisure1 yet without books1 and therefore in no condition to enter far into the depths of this controversy2 which indeed is the less necessary1 as every thing1 that relates to the subject1 will come1 of course1 to be considered by my learned successors in the new ,lecture4 ,for1 as the prophecies of ,daniel make an important link in that chain1 which1 as you say1 has been let down from heaven to earth 7but not by the ,author of the late ,sermons1 who brought into view only what he had found1 not invented7 the grounds1 on which their authority rests1 will1 without doubt1 be carefully examined1 and1 as ,i suppose1 firmly established4 ,but1 in the mean time1 and to make at least some small return for the civility of your address to me1 ,i beg leave to trouble you with two or three short remarks1 such as occur to me1 on the sudden1 in reading your letter4 ,your main difficulties are these two3 #a4 ,that the author of the ,book of ,daniel is too clear for a prophet2 as appears from his prediction of the ,persian and ,macedonian affairs3 ,and #b4 too fabulous for a contemporary historian2 as is evident1 you suppose1 from his mistakes1 chiefly1 ,i think1 in the vith chapter4 #a4 ,the first of these difficulties is an extraordinary one4 ,for why may not prophecy1 if the ,inspirer think fit1 be as clear as history8 ,scriptural prophecy1 whence your idea of its obscurity is taken1 is occasionally thus clear1 ,i mean after the event3 ,and ,daniel's prophecy of the revolutions in the ,grecian empire would have been obscure enough to ,porphyry himself1 before it4 ,but your opinion1 after all1 when you come to explain yourself1 really is1 as one should expect1 that1 as a prophet1 ,daniel is not clear enough3 for you enforce the old objection of ,porphyry by observing1 ,that1 where a pretended prophecy is clear to a certain point of time1 and afterwards obscure and shadowy1 there common sense leads one to conclude that the author of it is an impostor4 ,this reasoning is plausible1 but not conclusive1 unless it be taken for granted that a prophecy must1 in all its parts1 be equally clear and precise3 whereas1 on the supposition of real inspiration1 it may be fit1 ,i mean it may suit with the views of the ,inspirer1 to predict some things with more perspicuity1 and in terms more obviously and directly applicable to the events in which they are fulfilled1 than others4 ,but1 further1 this reasoning1 whatever force it may have1 has no place here2 at least1 you evidently beg the question when you urge it2 because the persons1 you dispute against1 maintain1 ,that the subsequent prophecies of ,daniel are equally distinct with the preceding ones concerning the ,persian and ,macedonian empires1 at least so much of them as they take to have been fulfilled1 and that1 to judge of the rest1 we must wait for the completion of them4 ,however1 you admit that the suspicion arising from the clearest prophecy may be removed by direct positive evidence that it was composed before the event4 ,but then you carry your notions of that evidence very far1 when you require 8that the existence of such a prophecy prior to the accomplishment should be proved by the knowledge of it being generally diffused amongst an enlightened nation1 previous to that period1 and its public existence attested by an unbroken chain of authentic writers40 ,what you here claim as a matter of right1 is1 without question1 very desirable1 but should1 ,i think1 be accepted1 if it be given at all1 as a matter of courtesy4 ,for what you describe is the utmost evidence that the case admits3 but what right have we1 in this or any other subject whether of natural or revealed religion1 to the utmost evidence8 ,is it not enough that the evidence be sufficient to induce a reasonable assent8 ,and is not that assent reasonable1 which is paid to real evidence1 though of an inferior kind1 when uncontrouled by any greater8 ,and such evidence we clearly have for the authenticity of the book of ,daniel1 in the reception of it1 by the ,jewish nation1 down to the time of ,jesus1 whose appeal to it supposes and implies that reception to have been constant and general3 ,not to observe that the testimony of ,jesus is further supported by all the considerations that are alledged for his own divine character4 ,to this evidence1 which is positive so far as it goes1 you have nothing to oppose1 but surmise and conjecture1 that is1 nothing that deserves to be called evidence4 ,but ,i doubt1 ,sir1 you take for granted1 that the claim of inspiration is never to be allowed1 so long as there is a possibility of supposing that it was not given4 ,,ii4 ,in the second division of your ,letter1 which is longer and more laboured than the first1 you endeavour to shew that the historical part of the book of ,daniel1 chiefly that of the sixth chapter1 is false and fabulous1 and1 as such1 confutes and overturns the prophetical4 ,what you say on this head is contained under five articles4 #a4 ,you think it strange that ,daniel1 or any other man1 should be advanced to a great office of state1 for his skill in divination4 ,but here1 first1 you forget that ,joseph was thus advanced1 and for the same reason3 ,or1 if you object to this instance1 what should hinder the advancement either of ,joseph or ,daniel 7when their skill in divination had once brought them into the notice and favour of their sovereign7 for what you call mere human accomplishments8 ,for such assuredly both these great men possessed1 if we may believe the plain part of their story1 which asserts of ,joseph1 and indeed proves1 that he was1 in no common degree1 discreet and wise2 and of ,daniel1 that an excellent spirit was found in him1 nay that he had knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom1 over and above his understanding in all visions and dreams4 ,in short1 ,sir1 though princes of old might not make it a rule to chuse their ministers out of their soothsayers1 yet neither would their being soothsayers1 if they were otherwise well accomplished1 prevent them from being ministers3 ,just as in modern times1 though churchmen have not often1 ,i will suppose1 been made officers of state1 even by bigotted princes1 because they were churchmen1 yet neither have they been always set aside from serving in those stations1 when they have been found eminently qualified for them4 #b4 ,your next exception is1 ,that a combination could scarce have been formed in the court of ,babylon against the favourite minister 7though such factions are common in other courts7 because the courtiers of ,darius must have apprehended that the piety of ,daniel would be asserted by a miraculous interposition2 of which they had seen a striking instance4 ,and here1 ,sir1 you expatiate with a little too much complacency on the strange indifference which the ancient world shewed to the gift of miracles4 ,you do not1 ,i dare say1 expect a serious answer to this charge2 ,or1 if you do1 it may be enough to observe1 what ,i am sure your own reading and experience must have rendered very familiar to you1 that the strongest belief or conviction of the mind perpetually gives way to the inflamed selfish passions2 and that1 when men have any scheme of interest or revenge much at heart1 they are not restrained from pursuing it1 though the scaffold and the axe stand before them in full view1 and have perhaps been streaming but the day before with the blood of other state-criminals4 ,i ask not1 whether miracles have ever actually existed1 but whether you do not think that multitudes have been firmly persuaded of their existence3 ,and their indifference about them is a fact which ,i readily concede to you4 #c4 ,your third criticism is directed against what is said of the law of the ,medes and ,persians1 that it altereth not2 where ,i find nothing to admire1 but the extreme rigour of ,asiatic despotism4 ,for ,i consider this irrevocability of the law1 when once promulgated by the ,sovereign1 not as contrived to be a check on his will1 but rather to shew the irresistible and fatal course of it4 ,and this idea was so much cherished by the despots of ,persia1 that1 rather than revoke the iniquitous law1 obtained by surprize1 for exterminating the ,jews1 ,ahasuerus took the part1 as we read in the book of ,esther1 7and as ,baron ,montesquieu1 ,i remember1 observes7 to permit the ,jews to defend themselves against the execution of it4 ,whence we see how consistent this law is with the determination of the ,judges1 quoted by you from ,herodotus--8,that it was lawful for the ,king to do whatever he pleased0--for we understand1 that he did not please1 that his law1 when once declared by him1 should be altered4 ,you add1 under this head1 8,may ,i not assert1 that the ,greek writers1 who have so copiously treated of the affairs of ,persia1 have not left us the smallest vestige of a restraint1 equally injurious to the monarch1 and prejudicial to the people80 ,i have not the ,greek writers by me to consult2 but a common book ,i chance to have at hand1 refers me to one such vestige in a very eminent ,greek ,historian1 ,diodorus ,siculus4 ,lowth's ,comm4 in loc4 #d4 ,a fourth objection to the historic truth of the book of ,daniel is taken1 with more plausibility1 from the matter of this law1 which1 as you truly observe1 was very strange for the ,king's councillors to advise1 and for any despot whatsoever to enact4 ,but #a4 ,i a little question whether prayer was so constant and considerable a part of ,pagan worship1 as is supposed2 and1 if it was not1 the prejudices of the people would not be so much shocked by this interdict1 as we are ready to think4 ,daniel indeed prayed three times a day3 but the idolaters might content themselves with praying now and then at a stated solemnity4 ,it is clear that when you speak of depriving men of the comforts1 and the priests of the profits of religion1 you have ,christian and even modern principles and manners in your eye3 perhaps1 in the comforts1 you represented to yourself a company of poor inflamed ,huguenots under persecution2 and1 in the profits1 the lucrative trade of ,popish masses4 ,but1 be this as it may1 it should be considered1 #b4 that this law could not1 in the nature of the thing1 suppress all prayer1 if the people had any great propensity to it4 ,it could not suppress mental prayer3 it could not even suppress bodily worship1 if performed1 as it easily might be1 in the night1 or in secret4 ,daniel1 it was well known1 was used to pray in open day-light1 and in a place exposed to inspection from his usual manner of praying2 which manner1 it was easily concluded1 so zealous a votary1 as he was1 would not change or discontinue1 on account of the edict4 ,lastly1 though the edict passed for thirty days1 to make sure work1 yet there was no doubt but the end proposed would be soon accomplished1 and then it was not likely that much care would be taken about the observance of it4 ,all this put together1 ,i can very well conceive that extreme envy and malice in the courtiers might suggest the idea of such a law1 and that an impotent despot might be flattered by it4 ,certainly1 if what we read in the third chapter be admitted1 ,that one of these despots required all people1 nations1 and languages to worship his image on pain of death1 there is no great wonder that another of them should demand the exclusive worship of himself1 for a month#bee2 nay perhaps he might think himself civil1 and even bounteous to his gods1 when he left them a share of the other eleven4 ,for1 as to the presumption-- ----,nihil est quod credere de se ,non possit1 cui laudatur ,diis qua potestas4 #e4 ,a fifth1 and what you seem to think the strongest objection to the credit of the book of ,daniel1 is1 8,that no such person1 as ,darius the ,mede1 is to be found in the succession of the ,babylonish princes ,you mean1 as given in ,ptolemy's ,canon and the ,greek writers between the time of ,nebuchadnezzar and that of ,cyrus40 ,in saying this1 you do not forget1 nor disown1 what our ablest chronologers have said on the subject3 ,but then you object1 that ,xenophon's ,cyaxares has been made1 7to serve a turn7 to personate ,darius the ,mede1 and yet that ,xenophon's book1 whether it be a romance1 or a true history1 overturns the use which they have made of this hypothesis4 #a4 ,i permit myself1 perhaps1 to be too much flattered by your civility in referring me to my own taste1 rather than to the authority of ,cicero3 ,but the truth is1 ,i am much disposed to agree with you1 8that1 if we unravel with any care the fine texture of the ,cyropdia1 we shall discover in every thread the ,spartan discipline and the philosophy of ,socrates40 ,but then1 as the judicious author chose to make so recent a story as that of ,cyrus1 and so well known1 the vehicle of his political and moral instructions1 he would be sure to keep up to the truth of the story1 as far as might be2 especially in the leading facts1 and in the principal persons1 as we may say1 of the drama4 ,this obvious rule of decorum such a writer1 as ,xenophon1 could not fail to observe3 ,and therefore1 on the supposition that his ,cyropdia is a romance1 ,i should conclude certainly that the outline of it was genuine history4 ,but1 #b4 if it be so1 you conclude that there is no ground for thinking that ,darius the ,mede ever reigned at ,babylon1 because ,cyaxares himself never reigned there4 ,now1 on the idea of ,xenophon's book being a romance1 there might be good reason for the author's taking no notice of the short reign of ,cyaxares2 which would break the unity of his work1 and divert the reader's attention too much from the hero of it3 while yet the omission could hardly seem to violate historic truth1 since the lustre of his hero's fame1 and the real power which1 out of question1 he reserved to himself1 would make us easily forget or overlook ,cyaxares4 ,but1 as to the fact1 it seems no way incredible1 that ,cyrus should concede to his royal ally1 his uncle1 and his father-in-law 7for he was all these7 the nominal possession of the sovereignty--or that he should share the sovereignty with him--or1 at least1 that he should leave the administration1 as we say1 in his hands at ,babylon1 while he himself was prosecuting his other conquests at a distance4 ,any of these things is supposable enough2 and ,i would rather admit any of them1 than reject the express1 the repeated1 the circumstantial testimony of a not confessedly fabulous historian4 ,after all1 ,sir1 ,i doubt1 ,i should forfeit your good opinion1 if ,i did not acknowledge that some1 at least1 of the circumstances1 which you have pointed out1 are such as one should hardly expect at first sight4 ,but then such is the condition of things in this world2 and what is true in human life is not always1 ,i had almost said1 not often1 that which was to be previously expected3 whence1 an indifferent romance is1 they say1 more probable than the best history4 ,but should any or all of these circumstances convince you perfectly that some degree of error or fiction is to be found in the book of ,daniel1 it would be too precipitate to conclude that therefore the whole book was of no authority4 ,for1 at most1 you could but infer1 that the historical part1 in which those circumstances are observed1 namely the sixth chapter1 is not genuine3 ,just as hath been adjudged1 you know1 of some other pieces1 which formerly made a part of the book of ,daniel4 ,for it is not with these collections1 which go under the name of the prophets1 as with some regularly connected system1 where a charge of falsehood1 if made good against one part of it1 shakes the credit of the whole4 ,fictitious histories may have been joined with true prophecies1 when all that bore the name of the same person1 or any way related to him1 came to be put together in the same volume3 ,but the detection of such misalliance could not affect the prophecies1 certainly not those of ,daniel1 which respect the latter times2 for these have an intrinsic evidence in themselves1 and assert their own authenticity in proportion as we see1 or have reason to admit1 the accomplishment of them4 ,and now1 ,sir1 ,i have only to commit these hasty reflections to your candour2 a virtue1 which cannot be separated from the love of truth1 and of which ,i observe many traces in your agreeable letter4 ,and if you would indulge this quality still further1 so as to conceive the possibility of that being true and reasonable1 in matters of religion1 which may seem strange1 or1 to so lively a fancy as your's1 even ridiculous1 you would not hurt the credit of your excellent understanding1 and would thus remove one1 perhaps a principal1 occasion of those mists which1 as you complain1 hang over these nice and difficult subjects4 ,i am1 with true respect1 ,sir1 c4 ,r4 ,h4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i should not perhaps have thought it worth while to print either of these ,letters1 if a noble person had not made it necessary for me to give the former to the publick1 by doing this honour 7though without my leave or knowledge7 to the latter4 ,by which means1 however1 we are now at length informed 7after the secret had been kept for twice twelve years7 that the anonymous ,letter-writer was ,edward ,gibbon1 ,esq4 afterwards the well-known author of 8,the ,history of the ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire#bef40 ,of ,mr4 ,gibbon's ,letter to me1 ,i have no more to say3 ,and of his ,history1 only what may be expressed in few words4 ,it shews him1 without doubt1 to have possessed parts1 industry1 and learning2 each in a degree that might have entitled him to a respectable place among the compilers of ancient history4 ,but these talents were disgraced1 and the fruit of them blasted1 by a ,,false ,,taste ,,of ,,composition3 that is1 by a raised1 laboured1 ostentatious style2 effort in writing being mistaken1 as it commonly is1 for energy--by a perpetual affectation of wit1 irony1 and satire2 generally misapplied2 and always out of place1 being wholly unsuited to the historic character--and1 what is worse1 by a free-thinking libertine spirit2 which spares neither morals nor religion2 and must make every honest man regard him as a bad citizen1 as well as writer4 ,these miscarriages may1 all of them1 be traced up to one common cause1 an ,,excessive ,,vanity4 ,mr4 ,gibbon survived1 but a short time1 his favourite work4 ,yet he lived long enough to know that the most and best of his readers were much unsatisfied with him4 ,and a few years more may1 not improbably1 leave him without one admirer4--,such is the fate of those1 who will write themselves into fame1 in defiance of all the principles of true taste1 and of true wisdom6 ,r4 ,w4 ,hartlebury ,castle1 ,nov4 #ah1 #agif4 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,fifth ,,volume4 ,printed by ,j4 ,nichols and ,son1 ,red ,lion ,passage1 ,fleet-,street1 ,london4 ,errata3 ,p4 #cfe1 l4 #i4 for two read too4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,this noble and eminent person was the second son of the ,lord ,chancellor ,hardwicke4 ,he had been1 for many years1 in the first reputation at the ,bar2 and having passed through the offices of ,sollicitor and ,attorney ,general1 was1 himself1 made ,lord ,chancellor in ,january #aggj1 but died soon after his appointment to that high dignity--,luctuosum hoc suis2 acerbum patri2 grave bonis omnibus4 #b ,the ,society have given leave that this ,lecture be preached in their ,chapel1 and on the days specified4 #c ,thus ,celsus represents the ,jews-- 1 ' 1 ' 4 ,,orig4 contra ,,cels4 l4 iv4 p4 #aha4 ed4 ,spenc4 ,cantab4 #afgg4 ,and in p4 #age1 he represents it as the highest absurdity in such reptiles to pretend that their insignificant concerns were the objects of divine prediction1 and that the supreme ,governor of the world1 who had so many greater things upon his hands1 should be only solicitous1 as it were1 to keep up a perpetual intercourse with them4 ,see the whole passage1 which the philosopher seems to have taken a pleasure to work up with much oratorical amplification4--,julian1 too1 was much pleased with this foolish objection4 #d ,behold1 the nations are as a drop of a bucket1 and are counted as the dust of the balance4 ,isaiah xl4 #ae4 #e ,si dii sint1 est divinatio4 #f ,si divinatio sit1 dii sunt4 #g ,these objections were long since urged by ,celsus1 who speaks of the ,jewish and ,christian oracles1 as fanatical1 uncertain1 and obscure1 l4 vii4 p4 #cch--1 1 1 1 4 as applicable to other subjects besides those to which they were referred-- 4 l4 i4 p4 #ci4--nay1 as much more applicable to others1 than to ,jesus-- 4 l4 ii4 p4 #gh4 #h ,utrum tandem1 per deos atque homines1 magis verisimile est1 vesanum remigem1 aut aliquem nostrm1 qui ibi tum eramus1 me1 ,catonem1 ,varronem1 ,coponium ipsum1 concilia deorum immortalium perspicere potuisse8 ,cic4 ,div4 l4 ii4 c4 #ee4 #i ,illud etiam requiro1 cur1 si deus ista visa nobis providendi caus dat1 non vigilantibus potius dat qum dormientibus8 l4 ii4 c4 #fa4 #aj ,jam ver quid opus est circuitione et amfractu1 ut sit utendum interpretibus somniorum1 potis qum directo8 ,ibid4 #aa '4 ' 1 4 ,soph4 ,oedip4 ,tyran4 ver4 #egg4 #ab ,quod est enim criminis genus1 aut rei esse alicujus ignarum1 aut ipsum1 quod nescias1 sine aliqu profiteri dissimulatione nescire8 aut uter magis videtur irrisione esse dignissimus vobis1 qui sibi scientiam nullam tenebros rei alicujus assumit1 an ille1 qui retur se ex se apertissim scire id1 quod humanam transiliat notionem1 et quod sit ccis obscuritatibus involutum8 ,arnobius1 adv4 ,gen4 l4 ii4 #ac #a ,cor4 ii4 #aa4 #ad ,st4 ,matthew1 vi4 #bb4 #ae --the testimony of1 or concerning ,jesus1 not--the testimony given by ,jesus4 ,the former appears to be the sense1 for the following reasons4 #a4 ,the point asserted1 is1 8,that the ,angel1 who had delivered this illustrious prophecy1 was the fellow-servant of ,john1 and not of ,john only1 but of those who have the testimony of ,jesus40 ,the proof is--for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of ,jesus--i4 e4 the end of prophecy is to bear testimony1 or1 to do honour1 to ,jesus2 therefore1 ,i1 says the ,angel1 who am endowed with this prophetic spirit1 am but employed1 as thou art2 who1 in thy character of ,apostle or ,evangelist1 hast received the same general commission1 namely1 to bear testimony1 or to do honour1 to ,jesus4 ,see ,acts x4 #db4 ,we are1 therefore1 fellow-servants1 or joint labourers in the same cause4 ,all this is clear and well-reasoned4 ,but1 now1 take the words--the testimony of ,jesus--in the sense of--the testimony given by ,jesus--and how does the ,angel's having the spirit of prophecy1 prove him to be a fellow-servant of ,john8 for the reason assigned will then stand thus--for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony which ,jesus gives of himself4 ,the inference is1 that the ,angel was a true prophet4 ,again3 how is the ,angel proved1 in this way1 to be the fellow-servant of those who have the testimony of ,jesus8 ,why1 thus2 the ,angel had the spirit of prophecy1 and prophecy was the gift of ,christ2 therefore he was the fellow-servant of those1 who had the same gift1 i4 e4 who were prophets4 ,without doubt4 ,but why so strange a way of proving so plain a point8 ,it had been enough to say--,i am a prophet1 as others are4 ,still1 what was this to ,st4 ,john8 who1 in this place1 is not sustaining the character of a prophet2 for the worship he was inclined to pay the ,angel was on account of the ,angel's being1 what himself was not1 a prophet4 ,turn it which way you will1 the reasoning is frivolous1 or inconsequent4 ,i conclude therefore1 that not this1 but the other interpretation gives the true sense of--the testimony of ,jesus4 #b4 ,to speak of prophecy under the idea of a testimony to1 or concerning ,jesus1 is conforming to the true scriptural idea of that gift4 ,thus we are told that--to him i4 e4 to ,jesus give all the prophets witness-- 1 ,acts x4 #dc4 ,prophecy1 therefore1 being the thing here spoken of1 is rightly called the testimony1 or witness to1 or concerning ,jesus4 #c4 ,lastly1 the construction is fully justified1 #a4 by observing that the genitive case as here is frequently used in scripture1 not actively1 but passively4 ,see a variety of instances in ,mede1 p4 #fbf1 where he explains 3 ,and #b4 by referring the reader to the following passage of ,st4 ,paul1 where the very expression of the text is so used-- --clearly1 be not ashamed of bearing testimony to our ,lord1 #b ,tim4 i4 #h4--;and to ,rev4 i4 #i4 where the ,apostle tells us1 he was in the isle of ,patmos-- 1 --on account of his having been faithful in preaching the word of ,god1 and in bearing testimony to ,jesus ,christ--and still more plainly1 if possible1 and indubitably1 by referring him to ,rev4 xii4 #ag4 where1 speaking of the ,dragon1 he says1 he went in wrath to make war on those1 which keep the commandments of ,god1 and have the testimony of ,jesus ,christ-- 1 3 for these objects of the ,dragon's fury are properly1 ,,the ,,witnesses1 those faithful servants of truth1 who suffered for the courageous and persevering testimony1 they gave1 in evil times1 to ,jesus ,christ1 and to his pure religion4 ,on the whole1 there cannot be the least doubt of the interpretation here given of this famous text4 ,the expression fairly admits this interpretation2 and 7what the true critic will regard most7 the scope of the place1 or pertinence of the reasoning1 addressed to ,st4 ,john1 admits no other4 #af ,john v4 #ci4 #ag ,luke xxiv4 #bg4 #ah ,acts iii4 #ah4 #ai ,acts iii4 #bd4 ,see also ,acts x4 #dc4 #a ,pet4 i4 #aj4 #bj ,see especially the ,epistles to the ,hebrews1 and ,galatians4 #ba ,acts xxvi4 #bb4 ,see farther1 ,acts xxviii4 #bc4 ,rom4 iii4 #ba4 ,eph4 ii4 #ai1 c4 #bb ,rev4 x4 #g4 #bc ,,dr4 ,,middleton',s ,works1 vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #acg4 ,london1 #ageb1 #dto4 #bd ,though by ,moses1 is here meant1 not the prophecies of ,moses only1 but the books of ,moses1 containing those former prophecies1 which1 as ,st4 ,peter says1 had been delivered1 since the world began4 #be ,,dr4 ,,middleton1 p4 #aci4 #bf ,d4 ,l4 ,vol4 ,v4 p4 #bhh4 ,lond4 #agfe4 #bg ,gal4 iii4 #bd4-- -- #bh ,coloss4 ii4 #ag4 ,hence1 ,st4 ,austin affirms roundly1 8,that1 to such as consider the genius of the revealed system1 the ,old ,testament must appear a continued prophecy of the ,new40--,vetus ,testamentum1 rect sentientibus1 ,,prophetia est ,novi ,testamenti contr4 ,faustum1 l4 xv43 and ,st4 ,jerom speaks of it as a generally-received maxim1 8,that it is the manner of sacred scripture1 to deliver1 beforehand1 the truth of futurity1 in types0--hunc esse morem scriptur sanct ut futurorum veritatem prmittat1 in ,,typis ,hieron4 ,t4 ,,iii4 #aabg4--;,i know1 that the ancient ,fathers1 and from them many moderns1 have exposed themselves to much and deserved censure1 by pursuing this principle too minutely and superstitiously1 in their mystical and allegorical comments on the ,jewish scriptures4 ,but men of sense will consider1 that a principle is not therefore to be rejected1 because it has been abused4 ,for instance1 that the ,passover was instituted with a reference to the sacrifice of ,christ1 that the paschal ,lamb was1 in the language of ,st4 ,austin1 a prophecy1 or1 in that of ,st4 ,jerom1 a type1 of the lamb of ,god1 will seem highly credible to one who considers the aptness of the correspondence in two related parts of the same system3 ,but1 that the famous ,law in ,deuteronomy1 concerning the marriage of a brother's widow1 was prophetic1 or typical of the duty1 incumbent on the ministers of the ,gospel1 to espouse the widowed church of ,christ1 is certainly much less clear1 and will scarcely be admitted even on the authority of ,st4 ,austin4--,hoc ipsum--quod uxorem fratris ad hoc frater jussus est ducere1 ut non sibi1 sed illi sobolem suscitaret1 ejusque vocaret nomine1 quod inde nasceretur3 quid aliud in figur prmonstrat1 nisi quia unusquisque ,evangelii prdicator ita debet in ,ecclesi laborare1 ut defuncto fratri1 hoc est ,christo1 suscitet semen1 qui pro nobis mortuus est1 et quod suscitatum fuerit1 ejus nomen accipiat8 ,contr4 ,faustum1 l4 #cb4--,st4 ,austin might1 perhaps1 say for himself1 that he had an example of this practice in the mystical comments of ,st4 ,paul3 it may be so3 but an example1 followed without warrant1 in this instance1 by the learned ,father1 and1 not improbably1 ill understood by him4 #bi ,adv4 of ,learning1 ,b4 ,,ii4 #cj ,,dr4 ,,middleton1 ,works1 vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #agg4 ,london1 #ageb1 #dto4 #ca ,,dr4 ,,middleton1 vol4 ,,iii4 p4 #agg4 #cb ,see further on this subject1 ,d4 ,l4 vol4 ,v4 p4 #bij4 #cc ,quand ,,un ,,seul ,,homme auroit fait un livre des prdictions de ,jesus ,christ pour le tems et pour la maniere1 et que ,jesus ,christ seroit venu conformment ces propheties1 ce seroit une force infinie4 ,mais il y a bien plus ici4 ,c'est une ,,suite ,d',,hommes durant quatre mille ans1 qui constamment sans variation viennent l'un ensuite de l'autre prdire ce mme avnement4 ,c'est ,,un ,,peuple ,,tout ,,entier qui l'annonce1 et qui subsiste pendant quatre mille annes1 pour rendre ,,en ,,corps tmoignage des assurances qu'ils en ont1 dont ils ne peuvent tre detourns par quelques menaces et quelque persecution qu'on leur fasse3 ,,ceci ,,est ,,tout ,,autrement ,,considerable4 ,pascal4 #cd ,see the passage before referred to in ,serm4 ,i4 p4 #f4 #ce ,daniel1 c4 ii4 #cf ,est autem ,quaternio iste regnorum ,danielis 7quod imprimis observari velim7 ,,chronologia ,,qu,,dam ,,prophetica1 non tam annorum qum regnorum intervallis distincta1 ubi regnorum in prcipu orbis terrarum parte1 simul ecclesiam et populum ,dei complex1 sibi invicem succedentium serie1 monstratur tempus quo ,christi regnum tot seculis promissum et primm inchoandum sit1 idemque demum certis temporibus consummandum4 --,ex his1 qu dicta sunt1 ratio elucet1 quare1 ex omnibus mundi regnis1 quatuor hc sola selegit ,spiritus sanctus1 quorum fata tam insigni ornaret propheti2 nempe quia ex his solis inter omnia mundi regna periodus temporum ejusmodi contexi potuit1 qua rect serie et ordinat successione perduceret ad tempora et momenta regni ,christi4 ,non ver quia nulla istis paria imperia1 forsan et aliquibus majora1 per omnia secula orbis visurus esset4 ,nam neque ,saracenorum olm1 neque hodie ,turcarum1 neque ,tartarorum regna ditionis amplitudine ,persico aut ,grco1 puto nec ,assyrio1 quicquam concedunt2 im1 ni fallor1 excedunt4 ,,mede',s ,works1 ,b4 ,,iii4 p4 #gab4 ,lond4 #afgb4 #cg ,to this purpose the late learned and ingenious author of the ,discourses on ,prophecy--8,a figurative and dark description of a future event will be figurative and dark still1 when the event happens40 ,and again--8,no event can make a figurative or metaphorical expression to be a plain or literal one40 ,bishop ,sherlock1 ,disc4 ,,ii4 p4 #cb and #cf4 ,london1 #agdi4 #ch ,le dessein de ,dieu est plus de perfectionner la volont1 que l'esprit4 ,or1 la clart parfaite ne serviroit qu' l'esprit1 nuiroit la volont4 ,pascal4 #ci ,rom4 iv4 #ag4 #dj 1 '1 1 1 ' 4 ,j4 ,,martyr1 ,apol4 ,i4 c4 #gd4 #da ,yet hear in how decisive a tone a certain writer1 of no small account with the infidel party1 reprobates this argument3--8,je dis de plus1 qu'aucune prophtie ne sauroit faire autorit pour moi40 ,rousseau1 uvres1 ,t4 ,,iii4 p4 #aef4 ,la ,haye1 #agfb4 8,i say10 says ,mr4 ,rousseau1 8that the argument from prophecy can have no weight with me40 ,if you ask his reason1 it follows4 8,because1 to give it any authority1 three conditions are required1 the concurrence of which is impossible4 ,first1 ,i must have been1 myself1 a witness of the prophecy1 when delivered4 ,secondly1 ,i must have been1 myself2 a witness of the event3 ,and lastly1 ,i must have it demonstrated to me that the agreement between the prophecy and the event could not have been fortuitous4 ,for though the prophecy were clearer1 and more precise1 than a geometrical axiom1 yet as the clearness of a prediction1 made at hazard1 does not render the accomplishment of it impossible1 this accomplishment1 allowing it to take place1 proves nothing1 strictly speaking1 in favour of the person who foretold it40 ,first1 he says1 ,he must himself have been a witness of the prophecy4 ,but why so8 ,is there no way of being reasonably assured that a prophecy has been delivered1 unless one has been actually present at the delivery of it8 ,does any one doubt1 whether ,socrates told his friend that he should die within three days' time1 because he did not hear these words from the mouth of the philosopher8 ,but1 there is less reason still to doubt whether ,jesus uttered the prophecies1 ascribed to him in the ,gospel4 ,next1 ,he must have been1 himself1 a witness of the event4 ,with just as good reason1 as of the prophecy4 ,however1 it so happens that we are1 or may be1 if we please1 witnesses of the events1 foretold in many prophecies4 ,what does he think of the dispersion of the ,jews1 for instance8 ,is he not a witness of this event8 ,but lastly1 ,he must have it demonstrated to him that the agreement between the prophecy and the event could not have been fortuitous4 ,what1 will nothing less than demonstration satisfy him8 ,will not a high degree of probability serve him to form a conclusion upon1 nay1 and to regulate his conduct8 ,and will he stand out against the strongest degree of evidence1 short of mathematical1 or a proof la rigueur1 as he terms it1 in a subject1 where1 from the nature of it1 mathematical certainty is not to be had8 ,surely one needs be no great philosopher to see that all which is wanting to give authority to the argument from prophecy1 is1 ,that we have reason to admit the delivery of a prediction--that we have reason to admit the completion of it--and that we have reason to think the agreement between the prediction and the event not fortuitous4 ,and where is the impossibility that these three reasons should concur8--,it is plain that the only one of these three reasons that appears in any degree problematical is the last concerning the completion of a prophecy in its event1 whether it be fortuitous or not4 ,have ,i not reason then to say1 as ,i do below p4 #ha1 #hb1 that the strength of the infidel cause lies in this last consideration8--,but what that strength is1 we shall see as we go along4 #db ,socrates foretold that he should dye within three days3 and the event followed4--,est apud ,platonem ,socrates1 cm esset in custodi public1 dicens ,critoni suo familiari1 sibi post tertium diem esse moriendum--quod1 ut est dictum1 sic scribitur contigisse ,cic4 de ,div4 l4 i4 c4 #be4 ,jesus foretold that he should suffer death by crucifixion4 ,john iii4 #ad4 viii4 #bh4 xii4 #cb4 ,he1 likewise1 foretold that he should rise from the dead1 within three days after his crucifixion4 ,john ii4 #ai4 ,matth4 xii4 #ci1 #dj4--,the first of these predictions might be a sagacious conjecture4 ,can it be said of such1 as the two last1-- ,augurium1 ratio est1 et conjectura futuri8 ,ovid4 ,trist4 l4 ,i4 viii4 #ea4 #dc ,hoc si est in libris1 in quem hominem1 et in quod tempus est8 ,callid enim1 qui illa composuit1 perfecit1 ut1 quodcunque accidisset1 prdictum videretur1 hominum et temporum definitione sublat--said1 in discredit of the ,sibylline oracles ,de ,div4 l4 ii4 p4 #bie4 fol4 ,lutet4 #aefe3 how far applicable to the scriptural prophecies1 will be seen in its place4 #dd 1 4 ,and again-- 1 4 ,aristot4 ,rhet4 l4 iii4 c4 v4 #de ,permultorum exemplorum et nostra plena est respublica1 et omnia regna1 omnesque populi1 cunctque gentes1 augurum prdictis multa incredibiliter vera cecidisse4 ,cic4 de ,leg4 l4 ii4 p4 #ccg4 #df ,certabant1 urbem ,romam1 ,remoramne vocarent4 ,omnibu' cura viris1 uter esset induperator4 ,cedunt de clo ter quatuor corpora sancta ,avium1 prpetibus sese1 pulchrisque locis dant4 ,conspicit inde sibi data ,romulus esse priora1 ,auspicio regni stabilita scamna solumque4 ,cic4 de ,div4 l4 i4 c4 #dh4 #dg ,quot scula urbi ,rom debeantur1 dicere meum non est3 sed1 quid apud ,varronem legerim1 non tacebo4 ,qui libro ,antiquitatum duodevicesimo ait1 fuisse ,vettium ,rom in augurio non ignobilem1 ingenio magno1 cuivis docto in disceptando parem2 eum se audisse dicentem3 ,si ita esset1 ut traderent historici1 de ,romuli urbis condend auguriis1 ac duodecim vulturibus2 quoniam ,,cxx annos incolumis prteriisset populus ,romanus1 ad mille et ducentos perventurum4 ,,censorinus de die natali1 c4 xvii4 p4 #ig4 ,cantab4 #afie4 #dh ,hence ,sidonius1 in personating the city of ,rome1 makes her ask-- ,quid1 rogo1 bis seno mihi vulture ,thuscus aruspex ,portendit8 ,sidon4 ,carm4 vii4 #ee4 ,and again1 addressing himself to the same city1 ,jam prop fata tui bissenas vulturis alas ,complebant 7scis namque tuos1 scis1 ,roma1 labores47 ,ib4 ver4 #ceh4 ,and1 before him1 ,claudian1 to the same purpose-- ,tunc reputant annos1 interceptoque volatu ,vulturis1 incidunt properatis scula metis4 ,b4 ,g4 ver4 #bfb4 #di ,medea1 ver4 #cgd4 #ej ,annis seris4 #ea ,ferdinand4 #eb ,casu1 inquis4 ,itne ver quicquam potest esse casu factum1 quod omnes habet in se numeros veritatis8 ,quatuor tali jacti1 casu ,venereum efficiunt4 ,num etiam centum ,venereos1 si ,,cccc talos jeceris1 casu futuros putas8 ,de ,div4 l4 i4 p4 #bei1 ,lutet4 #aefe4--;,had the supposed case been fairly applied to the subject1 there had been an end of the dispute2 as may appear from the pitiful answer1 made in the next book to this reasoning--dixisti multa de casu3 ut1 ,venereum jaci posse casu1 quatuor talis jactis2 quadringentis1 centum ,venereos non posse casu consistere4 ,primm1 ,,nescio1 ,,cur ,,non ,,possint4--,was this1 like a philosopher8 #ec ,multa vera1 inquit1 evadere4 ,quid1 qud multo plura1 falsa8 ,nnne ipsa varietas1 qu est propria fortun1 fortunam esse causam1 non naturam1 docet8 ,de ,div4 l4 ii4 p4 #bie4 ,this1 methinks1 looks like sense4 #ed ,see the ancient apologists1 who are frequent and large on this subject2 and1 of the moderns1 see especially ,huetii ,dem4 ,evang4 ,prop4 ,,ix4--,bishop ,kidder's ,dem4 of the ,messias1 c4 ii4 p4 #ag1 #ah4 ,london1 #agbf1 fol4--,dr4 ,clarke's ,evidences of ,nat4 and ,rev4 ,religion4--,penses de ,m4 ,pascal1 p4 #ajh4 #ee ,i take these examples to be more in point1 than those given by ,bishop ,butler in his ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii c4 vii4 p4 #chf4 ,lond4 #agdj3 not but those1 too1 have their weight4 #ef ,grotius4 #eg ,serm4 ,,ii4 #eh ' 4 ,luke i4 #gj4 #ei ,this use and intent of prophecy was seen1 and admirably expressed1 by the great ,m4 ,pascal--8,les propheties sont mles de propheties particulieres1 et de celles du ,messie1 afin que les propheties du ,messie ne fussent pas sans preuves1 et que les propheties particulieres ne fussent pas sans fruit40 ,penses1 p4 #aab4 #fj ,the ,lord himself shall give you a sign1 ,isai4 vii4 #ad4--,this ,,sign 7and the extraordinary introduction of it1 in the words quoted1 indicates no less7 had plainly a recondite and even complicated meaning6 #a4 ,as addressed to ,ahaz1 it was simply an ,,assurance1 that his deliverance from his two great enemies was now at hand4 #b4 ,as addressed to the house of ,david--,hear ye now1 ,o house of ,david--it was a ,,type of ,christ4 #c4 ,it was1 farther1 a ,,token1 or pledge1 that the remote deliverance of the house of ,david by ,immanuel1 should hereafter take place1 just as the approaching deliverance of ,ahaz1 by the prophet's ,son1 would be seen to do4 #d4 ,this sign1 when fulfilled in the near event1 would1 thenceforward1 become a ,,proof1 or evidence1 that it would be fulfilled in the remote one4 #e4 ,lastly1 in the ,antitype1 the sign was a ,,miracle1 properly so called4 ,so eminently was this ,child1 a ,,sign6 ,a sign1 in all the senses of the word1 as employed by the ,jewish prophets2 and to all the purposes1 for which signs were given4 #fa 1 1 1 1 1 4 ,,justin ,,martyr1 ,apol4 i4 c4 #hg4 #fb ,isaiah vii4 #af4 ,daniel ix4 #bd4 #fc ,mal4 iv4 #e4 ,luke xvi4 #af4 #fd ,joel ii4 #bh1 #bi4 #fe ,is not their case exactly delineated by the prophet ,ezekiel--,mischief shall come upon mischief1 and rumour shall be upon rumour2 then shall they ,,seek ,a ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,prophet2 i4 e4 they shall seek what they shall not find1 for the ,,law shall perish from the priest1 and ,,council from the ancients2 i4 e4 their ecclesiastical and civil polity1 to which prophecy was annexed1 shall be utterly abolished4 ,see ,ezekiel vii4 #bf4 and compare ,isaiah iii4 #a1 #b4 #ff ,see ,a4 ,,van ,,dale1 de ,oraculorum ethnicorum duratione atque interitu4 #fg ,the sacred text says--myriads--1 1 --,acts xxi4 #bj4 #fh ,acts x4 #fi ,acts xiii4 #db4 #dh4 #gj 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 ,,justin ,,martyr1 ,apol4 i4 c4 #hh4 #ga ,acts xv4 #ah4 #gb ,isaiah xl4 #ba4 #gc ,we see this design very plainly1 in the prophecies of ,jesus concerning his own death and resurrection2 concerning the descent of the holy ,ghost on the day of ,pentecost2 concerning events1 that were to befall his disciples2 and in other instances4 #gd ,la plus grande des preuves de ,jesus ,christ1 ce sont les propheties4 ,c'est aussi quoi ,dieu a la plus pourv2 car l'evenement1 qui les a remplies1 est un ,,miracle ,,subsistant depuis la naissance de l',eglise jusqu' la fin4 ,m4 ,pascal4 #ge ,for these particulars1 see ,dr4 ,jortin's ,rem4 on ,ecclesiastical ,history1 vol4 ,i4 p4 #bj-hi4 #gf ,an event1 it must be owned1 the more likely to happen1 as the ,jews had always been disposed to trust to their high and fenced walls2 which yet could never defend them from their enemies1 as their history shews1 and1 as ,moses had distinctly foretold1 ,deut4 xxviii4 #eb4 #gg ,matth4 xxiv4 #bh4 and compare ,luke xvii4 #cg4 1 4--,meaning by eagles1 the standards of the ,roman army4--,some writers of name have1 indeed1 observed1 that this is only a proverbial expression4 ,true3 but proverbial prophecies are often fulfilled in the strict literal sense of the expression2 as ,grotius well observes on ,matth4 xxvi4 #bc4 hc quoque accidit1 quod in multis aliis vaticiniis1 ut verba--non tantm secundm proverbialem loquendi modum1 sed etiam secundm exactissimam verborum significationem implerentur4--,if the reader calls to mind the prediction of our ,lord1 as it is elsewhere expressed1 without a figure--when ye shall see ,jerusalem compassed with ,,armies ,luke1 xxi4 #bj--;and compares it with the event1 he will hardly make a doubt whether eagles1 in those figurative predictions1 which respect the same subject1 namely1 the destruction of ,jerusalem1 were not intended by our ,lord to denote1 the ,,roman armies4 #gh --debellare superbos4 ,virg4 #gi ,assuredly this prophecy was not in the number of those1 of which it hath been said--,the prophecy is not occasioned by the event1 but the event by the prophecy--,l'evenement n'est pas predit parcequ'il arrivera2 mais il arrive parcequ'il a t predit4 ,,rousseau1 ,nouv4 ,hel4 t4 iv4 p4 #cad4 n4 ,neuf4 #agfd4 #hj ,matth4 xvi4 #bh4 #ha ,matth4 xxiv4 #cd4 #hb ,luke xxi4 #bj4 #hc ,luke xxi4 #ah4 ,acts ii4 #ba4 ,mark xiii4 #bj4 #hd ,see the learned ,bishop ,newton's ,dissertations on the ,prophecies1 vol4 ii1 p4 #bfh4 n4 #he ,deut4 xxviii4 #hf #a ,thess4 ii4 #af4 #hg ,luke xxi4 #bb4 #bd4 #hh ,rom4 xi4 #be4 #hi ,jer4 xlvi4 #bh4 #ij ,isai4 i4 #ba4 ,ezek4 vi4 #h4 #ia ,lev4 xxvi4 #dd4 #ib ,hear the profound and reflecting ,m4 ,pascal--,l'etat o l'on voit les ,juifs est une grande preuve de la ,religion4 ,car c'est une chose tonnante de voir ce peuple subsister depuis tant d'annes1 de le voir toujours miserable--et1 quoique il soit contraire1 ,d',,etre ,,miserable1 ,,de ,,subsister1 il subsiste neanmoins toujours malgr sa misre4 ,,pensees1 p4 #aae4 #ic --,mult minus nomen criminandum1 in captivitate sacratorum suorum1 qui supernam patriam veraci fide expectantes1 etiam in suis sedibus peregrinos se esse noverunt4 ,aug4 ,de ,civ4 ,dei1 l4 i4 #ae4 #id ,jer4 xlvi4 #bh4 #ie ,ps4 ii4 #h4 #if ,mal4 i4 #b4 #ig ,is4 xlix4 #f4 #ih ,mark xvi4 #ae4 #ii ,the reader may see many of them collected1 and the general argument from them well inforced1 by ,mr4 ,bullock1 in his ,,vindication1 ,part ,,ii4 #ajj ,as in the case of ,mahometanism1 for instance4 #aja ,what the ,philosopher ,celsus thought of such a project1 we learn from a curious passage in ,origen4 ,it being usual with the ,christians of that time1 as of every other1 to pray for the conversion of the whole world to the ,christian faith1 the philosopher laughs at the extravagance of this petition4 ,he observes upon it1 4 ,the words are not easily translated4 ,but the meaning of them is1 ,that he regarded an universal agreement in one mode of religious belief1 as a perfect chimra3 and the turn of the words is so contrived1 as to express the utmost contempt of those1 who1 in their supreme ignorance of mankind1 could entertain so senseless an idea4 ,contr4 ,celsum1 l4 viii4 sub4 fin4 #ajb ,matth4 xxiii4 #ae4 #ajc ,behold1 the days come1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will make a new covenant with the house of ,israel1 and with the house of ,judah1 not according to the covenant that ,i made with their fathers--but this shall be my covenant that ,i will make with the house of ,israel1 after those days1 saith the ,lord1 ,i will put my ,law in their inward parts1 and write it in their hearts1 c4 ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca-cc4 ,see also ,jer4 iii4 #af4 #ajd ,for behold1 ,i create new heavens and a new earth3 and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind4 ,is4 lxv4 #ag4 #aje ,the ,gentiles shall see thy righteousness1 and all ,kings1 thy glory3 ,and thou shalt be called by a new name1 which the mouth of the ,lord shall name4 ,is4 lxii4 #b4 #ajf ,is4 lx4 #bb4 #ajg ,matth4 xiii4 #ca1 #cb4 #ajh ,si enim et hostes exertos1 non tantm vindices occultos1 agere vellemus1 deesset nobis vis numerorum et copiarum8 ,tertull4 ,apologet4 c4 #cg4 #aji ,could it be foreseen1 that nothing of this sort would happen8 ,when the ,reformation was set on foot in ,germany1 ,luther and his adherents resolved to carry it on in the spirit of the ,gospel1 that is1 by pacific measures4 ,but how soon did passion and policy strike in1 to drive them from this purpose6 ,the ,catholics were intolerant3 the ,reformed grew powerful3 and then1 what was too naturally to be expected1 followed4 ,if it be said1 that the ,gospel hath not been always propagated1 without force2 ,i acknowledge1 it has not3 but then ,i observe1 #a4 that it was incontestably so propagated1 till the conversion of the ,roman empire2 in which event1 alone1 the prophecies appear to have had a reasonable completion4 #b4 that the force employed1 has generally been the force of one ,christian sect1 directed against some other 7in which scandalous contentions the prophecies have no concern71 not in the propagation of ,christianity itself in unbelieving countries4 #c4 that the way of force1 when professedly used against unbelievers1 though1 in some cases1 it has contributed to the enlargement of ,christ's kingdom1 has yet1 in others 7where1 too1 the utmost force and zeal were combined7 very signally failed of success2 of which the crusades against the ,mahometans afford a striking instance3 and #d4 lastly1 that we expect the final universal prevalence of the ,christian faith from the same spiritual arms only1 which were first employed with such success in the propagation of it4 #aaj ,an eminent writer1 with the view1 indeed1 of disgracing the ,reformation1 hath set this matter in a very just light3 8,que nos freres1 says he1 ouvrent donc les yeux2 qu'ils les jettent sur l'ancienne ,eglise1 qui durant tant de sicles d'une persecution si cruelle ne s'est jamais chape1 ni un seul moment1 ni dans un seul homme1 qu'on a v aussi somise sous ,diocletien1 et mme sous ,julien l'apostat1 lorsqu'elle remplissoit deja toute la terre1 que sous ,neron sous ,domitien1 lorsqu'elle ne faisoit que de naitre3 ,c',,est ,,la ,,qu',,on ,,voit ,,veritablement ,,le ,,doigt ,,de ,,dieu40 ,hist4 des ,variations1 l4 x4 c4 #ec4 ,the finger of ,god1 as the learned writer says1 was indeed conspicuous in this conduct of the primitive ,christians1 because it fulfilled the prophecies 7so unlikely to be fulfilled7 concerning the manner in which ,christianity was to obtain an establishment in the world4 ,if the conduct of the reformed had not this merit1 it was because the prophecies did not extend to the reformation of ,christian religion1 but to the introduction and first settlement of it4 ,the agents1 in this last work of ,providence1 were therefore left to the natural influence of their passions1 and they acted too frequently as those passions impelled them4 ,for the rest1 how far the general precepts of the ,gospel require a passive submission and non-resistance to outrageous intolerance1 whether absolutely1 and in all cases1 is a point of nice discussion2 in which ,i take no part1 at present1 because ,i am not now making the apology of the reformed1 but shewing the completion of the prophecies concerning the propagators of ,christianity3 and the wonder to see them so punctually completed1 is not lessened1 but increased1 by supposing1 that the precepts of the ,gospel leave mankind to the free use of their natural rights1 in the case of extreme violence and injustice4 #aaa ,the vision is yet for an appointed time1 but at the end it shall speak1 and not lye3 though it tarry1 wait for it1 because it shall surely come1 it will not tarry4 ,habakkuk1 ii4 #c4 #aab ,by the word ,tyranny1 here and elsewhere in these discourses1 as applied to the ,pope1 ,i would be understood to mean1 that super-eminent dominion1 which he exercised1 or claimed a right of exercising1 over the princes and states of his communion1 in all affairs both temporal and spiritual4--,i use the word 7somewhat improperly1 perhaps7 for the sake of brevity1 as ,i know of no other single term1 that so well expresses my meaning4 #aac ,what is here said of the scriptural division of time1 with regard to the affairs of the ,church1 is enough for my purpose4 ,there is another division of time1 in the prophetic scriptures1 with regard to the kingdoms of the world2 concerning which the reader may consult ,,bishop ,,kidder',s ,dem4 of the ,messiah1 ,part iii4 ch4 ix42 and especially ,mr4 ,,mede',s ,apostasy of the latter times1 ch4 xi4 #aad ,matth4 xxiv4 #bd4 ,mark xiii4 #ba4 #aae #a ,ep4 ,john1 iv4 #c4 #aaf --1 in the sense either of pro1 or contra4 #aag ,grotius says1 8,sicut ,anticsarem dicimus qui contra ,csarem se ,csarem vult dici atque ,csar haberi1 sic ,antichristus est qui se vero ,christo opponit eo modo ut ipse ,christus haberi velit40 ,,op4 t4 iv4 p4 #dij4--,the learned commentator did not reflect1 that words are not always used according to the strict import of their etymologies4 ,false ,christs1 we will say1 are1 in the strict sense of the word1 ,antichrists4 ,but the question is1 in what sense this word is used of the person called1 by way of eminence1 ,,the ,,antichrist4 ,this must be collected from the attributes given to him in the prophecies themselves1 not from the rigorous etymology of the term4 ,the case was plainly this4 ,st4 ,john is speaking of the false ,christs1 who had appeared in his time2 and1 to disgrace them the more effectually in the minds of those to whom he writes1 he brands them with the name of ,antichrists3 not so much respecting the exact sense of the word1 as the ideas of aversion1 which1 he knew1 it would excite4 ,for the tradition of the church concerning ,antichrist1 had made this appellation1 of all others1 the most opprobrious1 and hateful4--,besides1 it is not so clear1 as ,grotius supposes1 that the strict sense of the word1 ,antichristus1 must be--is1 qui se vero ,christo opponit eo modo ut ipse ,christus haberi velit4 ,csar1 who generally expressed himself with exact propriety1 thought fit1 on a certain occasion1 to assume the name and character of1 ,,anticato4 ,was it ,csar's purpose to say1 or was it his ambition to pretend1 8that he opposed himself to the true ,cato1 ,,eo ,,modo ut ipse ,,cato haberi vellet80 #aah ,eusebius mentions1 ,,judas1 ,h4 ,e4 l4 vi4 c4 #b2 and ,,dionysius1 ,e4 ,h4 l4 vii4 c4 #aj4--,others1 seemed to expect that ,antichrist would appear as the ,messiah of the ,jews2 but in the person of a ,roman ,emperor2 as will be explained presently4 ,see the next note4 #aai ,see many citations to this purpose in ,dr4 ,lardner's ,cred4 p4 ii4 v4 p4 #baj1 #aa1 #ab4 #abj ,jerom1 in ,dan4 vii4 ,mede1 p4 #feg4 #aba ,quisquis se universalem vocat1 vel vocari desiderat1 in elatione su ,antichristum prcurrit4 ,,greg4 ,m4 ,op4 ,ep4 xxx4 l4 vi4 ,par4 #aecc4 #abb ,in hc ejus superbi1 quid aliud nisi propinqua jam ,antichristi esse tempora designatur8 ,ep4 xxxiv4 l4 iv4 #abc ,with all his merits1 ,gregory the ,great1 it is to be feared1 had some ,antichristian marks upon him2 and his adversary of the ,east might have gone some way towards fixing them upon his ,grandeur1 if he had but observed1 that ,antichrist1 whoever he was1 and whensoever to appear in the world1 is clearly marked out in the prophecies1 as having his seat in old ,rome4 #abd ,a4 #iia4 #abe ,quid hunc1 reverendi patres1 in sublimi solio residentem1 veste purpure et aure radiantem2 quid hunc1 inquam1 esse censetis8 ,nimirum1 si charitate destituitur1 solque scienti inflatur et extollitur1 ,,antichristus est1 in templo ,dei sedens1 et se ostendens tanquam sit ,deus4 ,,usser4 de ,christian4 ,eccl4 successione statu1 c4 ii4 p4 #cf4 ,lond4 #afac4--;,,illyrici ,cat4 ,test4 ,ver4 p4 #aeeh4 ,officin4 ,jacob4 ,stor et ,jacob4 ,choul4--,this ,arnulph1 ,bishop of ,orleans1 was esteemed1 in his day1 the wisest and most eloquent of all the ,gallican prelates4 ,arnulphus--de quo sic initio ejus synodi scriptum est--,inter omnes ,galliarum episcopos sapienti et eloquenti clarissimus habebatur4 ,ib4 #abf 8,ecclesiam vanitatis1 ,,sedem ,,satan vocabat40 ,,usser4 de ,christian4 ,eccl4 succes4 statu1 c4 #g4 s4 xxiv4 p4 #aif4--;,in ,apocalypsin scripsisse testatur ,bostonius ,buriensis4 ,,cave1 ,h4 ,l4 vol4 ii4 p4 #aca4 ,oxon4 #agdc4 #abg ,plerique omnes boni1 aperti1 justi1 ingenui1 simplices1 tum imperium ,antichristi cpisse1 quod ea qu ,christus servator noster tot annos ante nobis cantavit1 evenisse eo tempore cernebant1 memori literarum prodidre4 ,,annal4 ,,boiorum1 l4 v4 p4 #eia4 ,ingolstad4 #aeed4 #abh ,,cave1 ,h4 ,l4 vol4 ii4 p4 #beh4 ,conc4 ,flor4 #aajd4 ,,usser4 ,de ,christ4 ,eccl4 succ4 stat4 c4 v4 s4 v4 p4 #aji4 #abi ,,ministri ,,christi ,,sunt1 ,,et ,,serviunt ,,antichristo ,serm4 sup4 ,cantic4 xxxiii4--,it is true1 by ,antichrist1 he seems not to mean the ,pope1 but1 in general1 an evil principle1 which then domineered in the church4 ,yet he refers us to the famous passage in the first ,epistle to the ,thessalonians1 ch4 ii4 ,and he tells us in his #efth epistle1 that he had heard one ,norbert1 a man of exemplary piety1 say1 ,that ,antichrist would be revealed in that age4 ,hence it seems probable1 that some one person or power was in his eye4 ,after all1 he says1 that ,norbert's reasons did not satisfy him4 ,yet1 in another epistle1 he asserts expressly--,bestia illa de ,apocalypsi1 cui datum est os loquens blasphemias1 et bellum gerere cum sanctis1 ,,petri ,,cathedram ,,occupat1 tanquam leo paratus ad prdam4 ,ep4 cxxv3 which was1 in other words1 to call the ,pope1 ,antichrist4 ,it is evident that ,st4 ,bernard applied the prophecies in the ,revelation to the successor of ,st4 ,peter4--,i mention these things so particularly1 to shew1 what his sentiments on this head really were2 which have been misrepresented by hasty writers1 who transcribe from each other1 without examining1 themselves1 the authorities1 they quote4 #acj ,,cave1 ,h4 ,l4 v4 ii4 #bgh4 ,,rog4 ,,de ,,hoveden1 ,,annal4 ,pars ,post4 p4 #fha4 ,ed4 ,franc4 #afja4--;,in this age ,x,i,ith1 was composed a very remarkable tract on the subject of ,antichrist1 which may be seen in ,mede's ,works1 p4 #gba4--,mr4 ,mede supposes1 and seems indeed to have proved1 that the true doctrine of ,antichrist was1 and was intended to be1 a mystery1 or secret1 till the #abth century4 ,whence it follows that the testimonies1 hitherto alledged1 are only passionate or declamatory exaggerations1 or to be esteemed1 as he says1 pro parabolic et ' dictis1 declamatorum more4 ,works1 p4 #gbb4 ,i admit the truth of the observation3 but hold1 that the use of the deduction1 here made1 is not in the least affected by it4 ,for my purpose in giving this catalogue of witnesses to the doctrine of ,antichrist1 was not to justify that doctrine1 in the true1 that is1 ,protestant sense of it 7for then1 not only the preceding testimonies1 but even some of the following1 would have been omitted7 but merely to shew that the general1 at least1 and confused idea of some such doctrine did1 in fact1 subsist in the ancient ,christian church4 ,that what idea they had of this doctrine was founded on the prophecies1 is clear from the terms in which they express themselves4 ,and1 though the doctrine itself was very imperfectly conceived1 and inconsequentially applied by them1 still their language shews that they had some notion of a corrupt spiritual power1 which was1 in their sense of the prophets1 to domineer in the church of ,rome3 whence ,i draw this conclusion 7for the sake of which1 this whole deduction is made71 ,that the present application of the prophecies concerning ,antichrist to papal ,rome1 is not wholly new and unauthorized2 as the prejudice1 ,i am here combating1 supposeth it to be4 #aca ,,vitringa in ,apoc4 p4 #gdg4 ,amst4 #agai4 ,,usser4 ,de ,eccl4 succ4 stat4 c4 #f and #h4 ,,thuanus1 l4 vi4 s4 #af4 vol4 i4 p4 #bba4 ,ed4 ,buckley4 #acb ,see1 especially1 the famous speech of ,everhard1 bishop of ,saltzbourg1 at the assembly of ,ratisbonne1 in the time of ,gregory the ,i,xth2 inserted at large in ,aventinus1 ,ann4 ,boior4 l4 vii4 p4 #fhd4 ,the following extracts from it will be thought curious4 ,hildebrandus ante annos centum atque septuaginta primus specie religionis ,antichristi imperii fundamenta jecit4 p4 #fhd4 ,flamines illi ,babyloni meaning the ,bishops of ,rome soli regnare cupiunt1 ferre parem non possunt1 non desistent donec omnia pedibus suis conculcaverint1 atque in templo ,dei sedeant1 extollanturque supra omne id1 quod colitur4 ,ib4 ,nova consilia sub pectore volutat1 ut proprium sibi constituat imperium1 leges commutat1 suas sancit2 contaminat1 diripit1 spoliat1 fraudat1 occidit1 perditus homo ille 7quem ,antichristum vocare solent7 in cujus fronte contumeli nomen scriptum est1 8,deus sum1 errare non possum10 in templo ,dei sedet1 long latque dominatur4 ,ib4 --,reges decem pariter existunt--,decem ,cornua--,cornuque parvulum--,quid hc propheti apertius8 p4 #fhe4 #acc ,,matth4 ,,paris1 ad ann4 #abec4 p4 #hgd4 ed4 ,watts1 #afdj4 #acd ,purgat4 #cb4 #ace ,epistolarum sine titulo ,liber4 ,ep4 xvi4 p4 #acj4 ,basil4 #aeha4--,many strokes in this epistle are1 to the last degree1 severe and caustic4 ,addressing himself to ,rome1 8,illa equidem ipsa es1 says he1 quam in spiritu sacer vidit ,evangelista4--,populi et gentes et lingu1 aqu sunt super quas meretrix sedes2 recognosce habitum4 ,mulier circumdata purpur1 et coccino1 et inaurata auro1 et lapide pretioso1 et margaritis1 habens poculum aureum in manu su1 plenum abominatione et immunditi fornicationis ejus4--,audi reliqua4 ,et vidi 7inquit7 mulierem ebriam de sanguine sanctorum1 et de sanguine martyrum ,jesu4 ,quid siles80--,and so goes on to apply the prophecies of the ,revelation to the church of ,rome1 in terms that furnish out a good comment on the famous verse in one of his poems-- ,gia ,roma1 hor ,babylonia false ria-- ,numberless passages in the writings of ,petrarch speak of ,rome1 under the name of ,babylon4 ,but an equal stress is not to be laid on all of these4 ,it should be remembered1 that the ,popes1 in ,petrarch's time1 resided at ,avignon2 greatly to the disparagement of themselves1 as he thought1 and especially of ,rome2 of which this singular man was little less than idolatrous4 ,the situation of the place1 surrounded by waters1 and his splenetic concern for the exiled ,church 7for under this idea1 he painted to himself the ,pope's migration to the banks of ,avignon7 brought to his mind the condition of the ,jewish church in the ,babylonian captivity4 ,and this parallel was all1 perhaps1 that he meant to insinuate in most of those passages4 ,but1 when he applies the prophecies to ,rome1 as to the ,apocalyptic ,babylon 7as he clearly does in the epistle under consideration7 his meaning is not equivocal3 and we do him but justice to give him an honourable place among the ,,testes ,,veritatis4 #acf ,see the catalogue of his works in ,cave's ,hist4 ,lit4 vol4 ii4 ,app4 p4 #fc2 in which is the following book of ,dialogues4 ,dialogorum libri quatuor2 quorum--quartus ,roman ,ecclesi sacramenta1 ejus pestiferam vocationem1 ,,antichristi ,,regnum1 fratrum fraudulentam originem atque eorum hypocrisim1 variaque nostro vo scitu dignissima1 perstringit4 #acg ,mandantes omnibus1 c4--tempus quoque prfixum futurorum malorum1 vel ,,antichristi ,,adventum--prdicare1 vel asserere1 nequaquam prsumant4 ,,bin4 ,,conc4 ,lateran4 v4 sub ,leone ,x4 ,sess4 xi4 p4 #fcb4 #ach ,m4 d',alembert1 indeed1 goes further4 ,he acquaints us1 that this charge is now out of date1 and that nobody1 either within or without the ,romish communion1 makes it any longer4 ,for1 speaking of a public inscription at ,geneva1 in which the ,pope is called ,antichrist1 he animadverts on this disgrace of that ,protestant people1 and very kindly suggests to them what their improved sentiments and language should be on that subject4 ,as for the ,catholics 7says he1 very gravely17 the ,pope is regarded by them1 as the ,head of the true ,church3 ,by sage and moderate ,protestants1 he is seen in the light of a sovereign prince1 whom they respect1 though they do not obey him3 ,but1 in an age like this1 ,,he ,,is ,,no ,,longer ,,antichrist ,,in ,,the ,,opinion ,,of ,,anybody4 8,pour les ,catholiques1 le ,pape est le chef de la veritable ,eglise2 pour les ,protestants sages modrs1 c'est un ,souverein qu'ils respectent comme ,prince sans lui obir3 mais dans un sicle tel que ntre1 il n'est plus l',antichrist pour personne40 ,encyclopedie1 ,art4 ,,geneve4--,if the present age be1 here1 truly characterized1 it was high time1 or rather it was too late1 to found this ,protestant ,lecture4 #aci ,rompons leurs liens1 dit-il1 et rejettons leur joug de dessus nos ttes4 ,bossuet1 ,h4 ,v4 l4 i4 c4 #bf4 #adj ,come out of her1 my people1 that ye be not partakers of her sins1 and that ye receive not of her plagues4 ,rev4 xviii4 #d4 #ada ,il ,luther condamnoit les ,bohemiens qui s'etoient separez de ntre communion1 et protestoit qu'il ne lui arriveroit jamais de tomber dans un semblable ,schisme4 ,bossuet1 ,hist4 des ,variat4 l4 i4 p4 #ba4 ,par4 #agdj4 ,and again1 p4 #bh2 ,apres1 dit-il ,luther1 que j'eus surmont tous les argumens qu'on proposoit1 il en restoit un dernier qu' peine je pus surmonter par le secours de ,jesus ,christ avec une extrme difficult beaucoup d'angoisse2 c'est qu'il falloit couter l',eglise4--,one sees for what purpose ,m4 ,bossuet quotes these passages1 and others of the same kind1 from the writings of ,luther4 ,however1 they shew very clearly how deep an impression the idea of ,schism had made on the mind even of this intrepid ,reformer4 #adb ,contra ,bullam ,antichristi--a tract of ,luther1 so called1 against the ,bull of ,leo ,x4 #adc ,luther reconnoit aprs la rupture ouverte1 que dans les commencemens il toit comme au desespoir-- ,bossuet1 ,h4 ,v4 c4 #bf4 #add ,hor4 #a ,ep4 vi4 #ae4 #ade ,grotius was more than a great1 he was a fashionable man4 ,no wonder therefore that1 under the influence of two such prejudices1 his opinions should find followers2 which yet they would scarce have found with us1 if the political state of that time had not been a third prejudice in their favour4 ,see the ,bishop of ,gloucester's ,sermon1 ,on the rise of ,antichrist4 #adf 8,the folly of interpreters has been1 to foretell times and things by this prophecy1 as if ,god designed to make them prophets40 ,sir ,i4 ,newton1 p4 #bea4 #adg 8,god gave this1 and the prophecies of the ,old ,testament1 not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things2 but that1 after they were fulfilled1 they might be interpreted by the event2 and his own providence1 not the interpreter's1 be then manifested thereby to the world40 ,sir ,i4 ,newton1 p4 #bea4 #adh 8',tis a part of this prophecy1 that it should not be understood before the last age of the world2 and therefore it makes for the credit of the prophecy1 that it is not yet understood40 ,sir ,i4 ,newton1 p4 #bea4 #adi ,st4 ,jerom1 who lived in this time1 speaks in the very terms1 here supposed1 ,romanus orbis ,,ruit4 ,ep4 iii4 #aej ,isai4 lxv4 #ag4--b ,pet4 iii4 #d4 #ac4 #aea ,rev4 x4 #g4 #aeb ,daniel xii4 #aj4 #aec ,mede1 ,more1 ,daubuz1 ,vitringa1 and1 above all1 the learned ,founder of this ,lecture4 #aed ,hence1 the allusion of our great poet1 --or from behind the moon ,in dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds ,on half the nations1 and with fear of change ,perplexes monarchs--,p4 ,l4 i4 #eif4 #aee ,see these two works1 published together1 under the title of ,artemidori ,daldiani et ,achmetis ,sereimi ,f4 ,oneirocritica1 by ,nicolaus ,rigaltius4 ,lutet4 #afjc4 #aef ,non enim credo1 nullo percepto aut cteros artifices versari in suo munere1 aut eos1 qui divinatione utantur1 futura prdicere4 ,cic4 de ,fato1 c4 #f4 #aeg ,ezekiel xiii4 #i4 #aeh ,see ,dr4 ,lancaster's ,symbolical and ,alphabetical ,dictionary1 prefixed to his abridgment of the ,commentary on the ,revelations1 by ,mr4 ,daubuz4 #aei ,see this objection urged by ,mr4 ,collins in his ,grounds and ,reasons1 c4 p4 #bbj4 ,lond4 #agcg4 #afj ,jeremiah xxxiv4 #c4 #afa ,ezek4 xii4 #ac4 #afb ,see ,grotius on ,matth4 xxvi4 #bc4 #afc ,as to the authority of this extraordinary book 7although the discussion of this point be foreign to my present purpose7 it may be proper to acquaint such persons1 as have not made the inquiry for themselves1 and are perhaps incapable of making it1 with the sentiments1 which our ablest writers have entertained of it4 ,mr4 ,mede1 a capable inquirer1 if there ever was any1 says roundly--8,the ,apocalypse hath more human 7not to speak of divine7 authority1 than any other book of the ,new ,testament besides1 even from the time it was first delivered40 ,works1 p4 #fjb4 --,and to the same purpose1 ,sir ,isaac ,newton--8,i do not find any other book of the ,new ,testament so strongly attested1 or commented upon so early1 as this of the ,apocalypse40 ,observations on ,daniel1 c4 page #bdi4 ,thus1 these two incomparable men4 ,what some minute critics have said1 or insinuated to the contrary1 is not worth mentioning2 farther1 than just to observe1 that1 if the authority of this momentous book be indeed questionable1 the church of ,rome could hardly have failed long since to make the discovery1 or to triumph in it4 ,hoc ,ithacus velit1 et magno mercentur ,atrid4 #afd ,mal4 i4 #aa4 #afe ,lament4 i4 #ae4 #aff ,isaiah xl4 #bj4 #afg ,ezek4 xx4 #dg4 #afh ,isaiah ii4 #b4 #afi ,chap4 xvii4 #agj ,the learned ,bishop ,andrews says expressly--8,you shall scarce find a phrase in the ,revelations of ,st4 ,john1 that is not taken out of ,daniel1 or some other prophet40 ,vix reperias apud ,johannem phrasin aliquam1 nisi vel ex ,daniele1 vel ex alio aliquo prophet desumptam4 ,resp4 ad ,bellarm4 ,apol4 p4 #bcd4 #aga ,an eminent writer gives an exact idea of it1 in these words--8,the style of the ,revelations is very prophetical1 as to the things spoken3 ,and very hebraizing1 as to the speaking of them4 ,exceeding much of the old prophets language and matter adduced to intimate new stories3 ,and exceeding much of the ,jews language and allusion to their customs and opinions1 thereby to speak the things more familiarly to be understood40 ,dr4 ,,lightfoot1 ,harm4 of the ,n4 ,t4 p4 #aed1 ,london1 #afee4 #agb ,i have heard it affirmed1 on good grounds1 that the late ,dr4 ,samuel ,clarke1 being asked in conversation by a friend1 whether1 as he had taken much pains to interpret the other books of ,scripture1 he had never attempted any thing on the ,revelations1 replied1 ,he had not2 but that1 notwithstanding1 he thought he understood every word of it3 ,not meaning1 we may be sure1 that he knew how to apply every part of that prophecy1 but that he understood the phraseology1 in which it was written2 which a man1 so conversant as he was in the style of scripture1 might very well do4--,calvin1 indeed1 has been commended for making the opposite declaration3 ,and1 it may be1 with good reason3 ,for 7not to derogate in any respect from the character of this great man7 the language of the ,scriptures1 and especially of the prophetical scriptures1 was in no degree so well understood in his time1 as it was in that of ,dr4 ,s4 ,clarke4 #agc 8,as for me1 ,i am conscious of my weakness and unworthiness2 being1 when these kind of thoughts first possessed me1 looking another way with a prejudice incompatible to this40 ,general ,pref4 to ,mede's ,works1 p4 #bj1 from a ,,ms ,letter4 #agd ,he printed only a few copies of his ,clavis ,apocalyptica in #afbg1 at his own expence1 and for the use of his friends4 ,pref4 to his ,commentary4 #age ,his ,commentary1 on the principles of his ,clavis1 did not appear till #afcb4 #agf 8,i am by nature cunctabundus in all things1 but in this his ,exposition let no man blame me1 if ,i take more pause than ordinary40 ,,ms ,letter in ,gen4 ,pref4 p4 #bb4 ,and again1 in a ,letter of reply ad animadversiones ,ludovici de ,dieu1 8,eo ingenio sum 7delicatulo1 an moroso7 ut nisi ubi interpretatio commod et absque salebris eat1 nunquam mihi satisfacere soleam40 ,,works1 p4 #efi4 ,yet of this sage man1 could the ,bishop of ,meaux allow himself to speak thus negligently--,il s'est rendu de nos jours clbre en ,angleterre ,,par ,,ses ,,doctes ,,reveries sur l',apocalypse4 ,hist4 des ,var4 l4 xiii4 p4 #beg4 ,but ,m4 de ,meaux knew what he did1 when he affected this contempt of ,joseph ,mede4 ,he was then at liberty to turn himself from the ablest advocate of the ,protestant cause1 to the weakest2 ,i mean1 ,m4 ,jurieu1 whose indiscretions afforded1 indeed1 ample scope for the raillery of this lively prelate4 ,mr4 ,mede was not a man to be confuted in this way1 and still less by a fanciful and ill-supported ,exposition of the ,apocalypse4 #agg ,as appears from his backwardness to publish his discoveries1 and from his unconcern about the reception of them4 ,but see his ,letter to ,mr4 ,hartlib1 ,ep4 #if1 p4 #hha2 and compare with his answer to ,dr4 ,twisse1 ,ep4 #ea1 p4 #haa4 ,see also ,ep4 #ih1 to ,mr4 ,hartlib1 ,aug4 #f1 #afch1 not long before his death1 in which are these words3 8,i have not been very obtrusive unto men1 to acquaint them with my notions and conceits--for some of them that are but lately known have lain by me above these twenty years40 ,p4 #hhc4 #agh ,the point of the ,pope's being ,antichrist1 as a dead fly1 marred the savour of ,,that ,,ointment--meaning the merit he had of being known to entertain some opinions2 then much cherished by the ruling clergy4 ,ep4 #ef1 p4 #hah4 ,he says afterwards of himself1 in the same ,letter1 ,i thank ,god1 ,i never made any thing hitherto the caster of my resolution1 but reason and evidence1 on what side soever the advantage or disadvantage fell4 #agi ,his friends speak much of his chearful disposition4--,but ,i draw this conclusion from the tenour of his life and writings2 and1 above all1 from that famous declaration which he made in confidence to a friend1 that1 if he might but obtain a ,donative sine cur1 of so much value as1 together with his fellowship of ,christ's ,college in ,cambridge1 should enable him to keep a horse1 for his recreation1 he would set up his staff for this world4 ,app4 to his ,life1 p4 #dj4--,the simplicity of this declaration1 makes one confident of its truth4 ,and a man of so moderate desires1 was in no danger of having his temper soured by disappointments4 #ahj ,siquidem1 qu isti tuo ,vaticinio jam1 ut dixi1 cognito1 ctera contemporaverint ,vaticinia1 iisdem procul dubio temporibus sunt applicanda2 qu autem prcedunt1 non nisi de prcedaneis2 qu succedunt1 pariter de succedaneis eventibus sunt interpretanda4 ,clavis ,apocalyptica1 in ,mede's ,works1 p4 #dcb4 #aha ,from ch4 iv4 to the end of ch4 ix3 ,and from ch4 x4 to the end4 #ahb ,the sounding of the seventh trumpet4 #ahc ,ch4 x4 #g4 #ahd ,ch4 xi4 #ae4 #ahe ,the reader may form a distinct idea of the method1 in which the whole book of the ,apocalypse is disposed1 by observing that it is resolvable into ,,three great parts4 ,the ,,first part1 is that of the ,,epistles to the seven churches1 contained in the three first chapters1 and is not at all considered by ,mr4 ,mede4 ,the ,,second part 7with which ,mr4 ,mede begins his commentary7 is that of the ,,sealed ,,book1 from ch4 iv4 to ch4 x2 and contains the fates of the ,empire1 or its civil revolutions1 yet1 with a reference1 still1 to the state and fortune of the ,christian ,church4 ,the ,,third part1 is that of the ,,open ,,book1 with what follows to the end2 and exhibits in a more minute and extended view1 the fates of the ,christian ,church1 especially during its ,apostacy1 and after its recovery from it4 ,this ,,third division may1 further1 be considered as consisting of ,,two parts4 ,the ,,first contains1 in ch4 xi1 a summary view of what should befal the ,christian ,church1 contemporary with the events deduced in the second part concerning the ,empire2 and is given in this place1 in order to connect the second and third parts1 and to shew their correspondence and contemporaneity4 ,see ,mr4 ,mede's ,clavis1 p4 #dbd2 and ,comment4 ,apocalypt4 p4 #dgf4 ,the ,,second part of the last division1 from ch4 xii4 to the end1 gives a detailed account of what should befal the ,christian ,church in distinct1 and1 several of them1 synchronical visions4 ,it has been thought by some an objection to ,mr4 ,mede's scheme1 8,that the prophecy of the open book1 7which contains1 according to him1 all the remaining visions to the end of the ,revelations7 is not only1 for the subject1 more considerable1 but1 for the size of the volume1 larger1 than the ,prophecy of the sealed book2 whereas1 the name given to it1 1 or little book1 seems very clearly to express the contrary40 ,if this objection be thought material 7for ,i do not find that ,mr4 ,mede condescends to take any notice of it7 it might1 perhaps1 be obviated by supposing1 ,that the little book contains the xith chapter1 only1 being a compendium of the third division1 and inserted in this place to shew the contemporaneity of the two last and principal parts2 and that all which follows to the end1 is to be regarded as a sort of comment on the little book1 or larger explication of its contents3 ,as if the design had been to consult our weakness1 in presenting us1 first1 with an abridged view of a great scheme1 and then1 in drawing it out at large1 for our more distinct information4 ,but the truer answer to the difficulty ,i take to be1 ,that the sealed book is represented under the idea of a book1 properly so called1 which1 upon being opened1 presents to the eye the several objects and schemes of the prophecy1 distinctly delineated on the roll1 or volume1 when it comes to be unfolded1 and which1 therefore1 must needs be considered as a large one4 ,the open book1 on the other hand1 is to be regarded1 not as a real1 but metaphorical book2 and is not produced to be read or contemplated1 after a gradual evolution of it1 but to be eaten1 at once1 by the prophet2 like that book1 to which it alludes1 and from which the imagery is taken1 in the visions of ,ezekiel ii4 #h4 and iii4 #a1 #b1 #c4--to eat a book1 being1 in the hieroglyphics1 to meditate upon1 and to digest1 its contents4 ,so that this book1 to distinguish it from the other1 is named a little book3 not1 that the revelations1 conveyed by it1 are less considerable1 or less numerous1 than the other1 but that the use1 to which it is put1 required only that it should be spoken of1 as a book simply2 the diminutive form being here suggested in the term 1 that the metaphor of eating it might seem the easier2 and 7because the former sealed book was of an immense size7 might1 under this idea1 present itself the more naturally1 and give less offence1 to the imagination4 #ahf ,i am not ignorant that many interpreters have thought otherwise4 ,but possibly they have not enough attended to the advice1 which ,mr4 ,mede used to give to such of his friends as did not enter into his ideas--,,expende4 ,my meaning is1 that1 if they had possessed the patience1 or the sagacity1 to understand this great ,inventor1 before they objected to him1 they would perhaps have seen cause to acquiesce in the ,method1 pointed out by him1 instead of attempting in various ways1 and to little purpose1 to improve upon it4 #ahg ,dan4 vii4 #g1 #h4--;,i saw in the night visions1 and behold1 a fourth beast--had ten horns4 ,i considered the horns1 and behold1 there came up among them another little horn--,compare with ver4 #bd4--,the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings 7or kingdoms7 that shall arise3 and another shall arise after them4 #ahh ,mede1 p4 #gab4 #ahi ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 p4 #ca4 #aij ,dan4 vii4 #aa1 #ab4--;,concerning the rest of the beasts1 they had their dominion taken away3 yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time4 #aia ,rev4 xvii4 #c1 #d4 #i4 #ab4 #ah4 #aib ,martial4 l4 iv4 ep4 #fd4 #aic ,propert4 l4 ,,iii4 ix4 #eg4 #aid ,georg4 l4 ii4 ver4 #ecb4 #aie ,compare n4 vi4 ver4 #ggf4 c4 #aif ,rev4 xvii4 #a4 #aig ,ibid4 ver4 #ae4 #aih ,septem ,,besti capita1 duplex typus3 prim1 septem montes seu colles sunt1 super quos urbs ,besti metropolis sita est2 deinde1 septem quoque1 idque in iisdem 7quod unitas typi denotat7 ,collibus1 ,regum seu ,dynastarum successivorum ordines4 ,works1 p4 #ebd4 #aii ,the whole passage in the original stands thus-- 1 1 ' 1 --of which the following is the literal translation--,the ,,seven ,,heads are seven hills1 where the woman sitteth upon them1 ,,and are seven kings--,every one sees that the connective particle1 ,,and1 refers to heads1 and not to hills4 #bjj ,dan4 vii4 #bd4--,the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise3 and another shall arise after them1 and ,he shall be diverse from the first-- #bja #b ,thess4 ii4 #d4 #bjb ,see ,grotius1 on the place3 who applies this prophecy to ,caius ,csar1 and thinks it was fulfilled when that ,emperor commanded his statue to be placed in the temple of ,jerusalem4 ,a strange conjecture6 which many writers1 and very lately an excellent prelate1 has well confuted4 ,bishop ,newton's ,diss4 on the ,prophecies1 ,vol4 ii4 p4 #cge4 #bjc ,hierosolyma in scriptis prophetarum occurrit ut emblema alterius cujusdam ,hierosolym1 mystic sic dicend2 qu ,hierosolyma non potest esse urbs qudam in montibus ,zione ,acra constructa1 qualis fuit antiqua illa2 sed oportet esse rem spiritualem1 in qu attributa antiqu ,hierosolym mystic demonstrentur4 ,,vitringa1 ,apocalyps3 ,exp4 ,illustr4 p4 #gfb4 #bjd ,rev4 xiii4 #aa4 #bje ,john i4 #bi4 #bjf ,dan4 vii4 #h4 #bj4 ,rev4 xvii4 #a4 #af1 #ag4 #bjg ,dan4 vii4 #ba4 ,rev4 xvii4 #ad4 xiii4 #g4 #af4 #bjh ,rev4 xvii4 #e4 #bji ,le saint aptre a bien pris garde de ne pas nommer la prostitue1 dont il parle1 une adultere1 1 1 mais une femme publique--sans jamais avoir employ le mot d'adultere2 tant il toit attentif viter l'ide d'une pouse infidelle4--,loin de marquer la ,prostitue1 comme une ,eglize corrompu1 nous avons montr clairement qu'il a pris des ides toutes contraires celles-l1 puis qu'au lieu de produire une ,jerusalem infidelle1 ou du moins une ,samarie1 autrefois partie du peuple saint1 commee il auroit fait s'il avoit voulu nous reprsenter une eglise corrompu1 il nous propose une ,babylone1 qui jamais n'a et nomme dans l'alliance de ,dieu4 ,nous avons aussi remarqu qu'il n'avoit jamais donn la ,prostitue le titre d'pouse infidelle ou repudie2 mais que par tout il s'toit servi du terme de fornication1 et de tous ceux qui revenoient au mme sens4 ,je sais que ces mots se confondent quelquefois avec celui d'adultere1 mais le fort du raisonnement consiste en ce que de propos deliber ,saint ,jean evite toujours ce dernier mot qui marqueroit la foi viole1 le mariage souill1 et l'alliance rompu1 c4--,l' ,apocalypse avec une ,explication2 par ,messire ,jaques ,benigne ,bossuet1 ,evque de ,meaux4 ,,pref4 #bf1 #bi4 ,,avertisement1 p4 #cba-cbc4 ,par4 #afij1 #abo4 #baj ,the reason ,i take to be1 ,that fornication1 that is1 vague lust1 and general prostitution1 served best to express the unbridled and indiscriminate passion of the ,jews for the dmon-worship of their neighbours3 ,whereas the crime of adultery1 though of a blacker dye1 and1 in that view1 more proper to expose the malignity of their offence1 does not convey the same ideas of universal pollution1 being usually committed1 because it is so criminal1 with more distinction and restraint4 #baa ,isaiah xxiii4 #af1 #ag4 ,nahum iii4 #d4 #bab --for it is the land of graven images1 and they are mad upon their idols4 ,jer4 l4 #ch4 ,again3 ,babylon hath been a golden cup in the ,lord's hand1 that made all the earth drunken3 the nations have drunken of her wine1 therefore the nations are mad4 ,jer4 li4 #g4 ,compare ,rev4 xvii4--the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication4 #bac ,mr4 ,mede4 ,works1 p4 #di4 #bad ,deut4 xxiii4 #ag4 #bae ,rev4 xvii4 #f 4 #baf ,not held of the civil power1 or acknowledged to be so held1 but usurped upon it1 and insolently directed against it2 as is well known from ecclesiastical history4 ,the ,pope is not ,antichrist3 ,god forbid6 7says the good ,abb ,fleury1 with a zeal becoming a member of the ,papal communion47 ,but neither is he impeccable1 nor has he an absolute authority in the church over all things both temporal and spiritual--,le pape n'est pas l',antichrist2 ,dieu ne plaise2 mais il n'est pas impeccable1 ni monarque absolu dans l'eglise pour le temporel et pour le spirituel #d;eme disc4 sur l'hist4 ecclesiastique1 p4 #agc4 ,par4 #agdg1 #abo4 ,the ,pope1 he says1 is not an absolute monarch in the church over all things temporal and spiritual3 ,that is1 he ought not to arrogate to himself the power of an absolute monarch2 for that the pope assumes to be such a monarch1 and1 in fact1 exercised this supreme monarchical power in the church1 through many ages1 the learned and candid writer had indisputably shewn1 in the discourse1 whence these words are quoted4 ,but now this monarchical sovereignty in all things temporal1 as well us spiritual1 is certainly one prophetical note or character1 by which the person or power1 styled ,antichristian1 is distinguished4 ,let the ,pope1 then1 be what he will1 we are warranted by ,m4 ,fleury himself to conclude1 that he hath1 at least1 this mark of ,antichrist4 #bag ,in the persecution of heretics2 which ,m4 ,bossuet regards as so little dishonourable to his communion1 that he thinks it a point not to be called in question--calls the use of the sword in matters of religion1 an undoubted right--and concludes1 that there is no illusion more dangerous than to consider ,,toleration1 as a mark of the true ,church--l'exercise de la puissance du glaive dans les matieres de la religion de la conscience2 chose1 que ne pet tre revoque en doute--le droit est certain--il n'y a point d'illusion plus dangereuse que de donner ,,la ,,souffrance pour un caractere le vraye ,eglise4 ,hist4 des ,var4 l4 x4 p4 #ea4 ,par4 #agdj1 #abo4 ,thus1 this great doctor of the ,catholic church1 towards the close of the last century4 ,and just now1 another eminent writer of that communion very roundly defends the murder of the ,bohemian martyrs at ,constance1 and 7what is more provoking still7 the fraud and ill-faith1 through which the pious and tender-hearted ,fathers of that council rushed to the perpetration of it4 ,m4 ,crevier1 ,hist4 de l',universit de ,paris1 t4 iii4 l4 vi4 p4 #dce1 c4 ,par4 #agfa1 #abo4--,can it be worth while to spend words in fixing this charge of intolerance on the church of ,rome1 when her ablest advocates1 as we see1 even in our days1 openly triumph in it8 ,but1 then1 hath she forgotten who it was that the prophet saw1 drunken with the blood of the saints1 and with the blood of the martyrs of ,jesus--,rev4 xvii4 #f84 ,alas1 no3 ,but she wonders1 by what figure of speech heretics are called ,saints2 and rebels to the ,pope1 ,martyrs of ,jesus4 #bah ,see ,vitringa ,apocalyps4 ,exp4 p4 #fjc1 and the authors cited by him3 ,but1 above all1 see ,mr4 ,mede's exquisite and unanswerable discourse1 entitled1 ,the ,apostacy of the latter times4 ',tis true1 the ,bishop of ,meaux is pleased to divert himself with one part of this discourse2 ,i mean1 that part1 which contains ch4 xvi4 and xvii4 the learned writer's interpretation of ,daniel's prophecy1 concerning the ,gods ,mahuzzim4 ,he finds something pleasant in this idea1 or rather in this hard word1 which he repeats so often1 and in such a way1 as if he thought the very sound of ,mahuzzim1 was enough to expose the comment and ,commentator to contempt4 ,hist4 des ,var4 l4 xiii4 p4 #bfj1 #bfa4 ,but1 after all1 the ingenious ,prelate would have done himself no discredit by being a little more serious in discussing an interpretation1 which ,sir ,isaac ,newton adopts without scruple ,obs4 on the prophecies of ,daniel1 c4 p4 #aib2 and which1 in mere respect to the prophet1 he should1 at least1 have condescended to replace by some other and more reasonable interpretation4 ,but it is the infirmity of this lively man1 to be jocular out of season4 ,thus1 again1 he raillies ,luther1 for an assertion of his1 delivered1 it seems1 with some assurance1 and1 in the form1 as he pretends1 of a prediction1 ,that the ,papal power would speedily decline and come to nothing1 in consequence of the ,reformation4 ,the event1 he says1 has belied the prophet2 the ,pope still keeps his ground2 and then 7in an unlucky parenthesis7 laughs to think1 how many others1 besides ,luther1 will be dashed to pieces against this ,,stone--bien d'autres1 que ,luther1 se briseront contre cette ,,pierre ,var4 l4 xiii4 p4 #bdd4 ,now1 if the glory of saying a good thing had not infatuated this ,catholic ,bishop1 could he have helped starting at his own comparison of a stone1 as applied to ,luther and the ,reformation1 when it might so naturally have put him in mind of that prophetical ,,stone1 which shall one day become a great mountain1 and break in pieces a certain ,,image1 and stand for ever ,dan4 ii4 #ce1 #dd48 #bai ,l',eglise1 en nous enseignant qu'il est utile de prier les ,saints1 nous enseigne les prier dans ce mme esprit de charit1 selon cet ordre de socit fraternelle qui nous porte demander le secours de nos freres vivans sur la terre2 le ,catechisme du ,concile de ,trente conclut de cette doctrine1 que si la qualit de ,mediateur1 que l'ecriture donne ,jesus ,christ1 recevoit quelque prjudice de l'intercession des ,saints qui regnent avec ,dieu1 elle n'eu recevroit pas moins de l'intercession des fideles qui vivent avec nous4 ,m4 ,,bossuet1 ,exposition de la doctrine de l',eglise ,catholique1 p4 #ag1 #ah4 ,paris1 #afga4 #bbj ,vitringa1 p4 #fjc1 #fjd4 #bba ,heb4 x4 #bd4 #bbb #a ,thess4 v4 #be4 #a ,tim4 ii4 #a4 and elsewhere1 passim4 #bbc ,coloss4 ii4 #ah4 #bbd ,heb4 vii4 #be4 #bbe ,page #bbh-bca1 and p4 #bee4 #bbf 8,whatsoever time of ,messiah's appearing ,almighty ,god pointed out by ,daniel's ,,lxx ,weeks1 yet ,i believe not that any ,jew before the event1 could infallibly design the time without some latitude2 because they could not know infallibly where to pitch the head of their accounts1 until the event discovered it3 yet in some latitude they might40 ,mede1 ,works1 p4 #geg4 ,and so in other instances4 8,i do not believe that the ,jews themselves could certainly tell from which of their three captivities to begin that reckoning of ,,lxx years1 whose end should bring their return from ,babylon1 until the event assured them thereof40 ,mede1 ,works1 p4 #ffb4 #bbg ,dan4 vii4 #bbh #b ,thess4 ii4 #f1 #g4 #bbi ,p4 #ahb-ahd4 ,but see especially ,mede's ,works1 p4 #feg4 #bcj ,rev4 xvii4 #g4 #bca ,rev4 i4 #a4 #bcb ,rev4 ii4 #h4 xxi4 #f4 #bcc ,heb4 ii4 #c4 #bcd ,hab4 ii4 #ad4 ,is4 xxvi4 #i4 #bce ,rev4 v4 #aj4 #bcf ,ibid4 xix4 #f4 #bcg ,rev4 xviii4 #f4 #bch ,rev4 xviii4 #d4 #bci ,m4 de ,meaux3 ,l',apocalypse avec une explication4 ,avertisement aux ,protestants1 p4 #cjc1 c4 ,par4 #afij4 #bdj ,sermon ,,viii4 #bda ,m4 ,daill4 #bdb ,lord ,falkland1 ,lord ,digby1 ,dr4 ,jer4 ,taylor1 c4 #bdc ,serm4 ,i4 ,,ii4 ,,iii4 #bdd ,serm4 ,,iv4 #bde ,serm4 ,v4 ,,vi4 #bdf ,serm4 ,,vii4 ,,viii4 #bdg ,serm4 ,,ix4 ,x4 #bdh ,serm4 ,,xi4 #bdi ,sermon ,,xii4 #bej ,verum non est desperandum4 ,fortasse1 non canimus surdis4 ,nec enim tam in malo statu res est1 ut desint san mentes1 quibus et veritas placeat1 et monstratum sibi rectum iter et videant et sequantur4 ,lactant4 ,div4 ,inst4 l4 v4 p4 #dag4 ed4 ,sparke4 #bea 1 1 ,fl4 ,joseph4 ,b4 ,j4 l4 iv4 #f4 #beb ,gal4 v4 #a4 #bec #b ,tim4 iii4 #af4 #bed ,acts xiii4 #dj1 #da4 #bee ,judith iii4 #h4 #bef ,see his ,posthumous ,works1 published by ,lord ,sheffield1 #b vols4 in #dto4 ,lond4 #agif4 ,vol4 ,i4 p4 #dfc4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation are as in the original4 ,greek words beginning with have had the character replaced with 4