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derfully preferved as a distinct people, while their great conquerors are every where deftroyed; their land lying defolate, and themfelves cut off from being the people of God, while the Gentiles are advanced in their room. You fee Nineveh fo completely deftroyed, that the place thereof is not, and cannot be known; Babylon made a defolation for ever, a poffeffion for the bittern, and pools of water; Tyre become like the top of a rock, a place for fifhers to fpread their nets upon; and Egypt a bafe kingdom, the bafest of the kingdoms, and ftill tributary and fubject to strangers. You fee of the four great empires of the world the fourth and laft, which was greater and more powerful than any of the former, divided in the weftern part thereof into ten leffer kingdoms; and among them a power with a triple crown divers from the firft, with a mouth speaking very great things, and with a look more flout than his fellows, speaking great words against the most High, wearing out the faints of the most High, and changing times and laws. You fee a power caft down the truth to the ground, and profper and practife, and deftroy the holy people, not regarding the God of his fathers, nor the defire of wives, but honoring Mahuzzim, Gods-protectors or faintsprotectors, and caufing the priests of Mahuzzim to rule over many, and to divide the land for gain. You fee the Turks fretching forth their hand over the countries, and particularly over the land of Egypt, the Libyans at their steps, and the Arabians ftill escaping out of their hands. You fee the Jews led away captive into all nations, and Jerufalem troden down of the Gentiles, and likely to continue fo until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, as the Jews are by a constant miracle preferved a diftinct people for the completion of other prophecies relating to them. You fee one who oppofeth and exalteth himself above all laws divine and human, fitting as God in the church of God, and fhowing himself that he is God, whofe coming is after the working of Satan with all power and figns, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteouf nefs. You fee a great apoftacy in the Chriftian church, which confifts chiefly in the worship of demons, angels or departed faints, and is promoted thro' the hypocrify of VOL. II.

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liers, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abftain from meats. You fee the feven churches of Afia lying in the fame forlorn and defolate condition that the angel had fignified to St. John, their candlestick removed out of its place, their churches turned into mofques, their worship into fuperftition. In fhort you fee the characters of the beaft and the false prophet, and the whore of Babylon, now exemplified in every particular, and in a city that is feated upon fecen mountains; fo that if the bishop of Rome had fat for his picture, a greater resemblance and likenefs could not have been drawn.

As there is a near affinity between this and what Dr. Clarke (1) hath faid in the conclufion of his discourse of prophecies, it may be proper to confirm and illuftrate the argument with fo great an authority: and indeed these things are of fuch importance, and fo deferving to be known, that they cannot be inculcated too frequently, nor fhown in too many lights.

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"I fhall conclude this head with pointing at fome particular extraordinary prophecies, which deferve to "be carefully confidered and compared with the events, "whether they could poffibly have proceeded from "chance or from enthufiafm. Some of them are of fuch "a nature, as that they can only be judged of by per"fons learned in hiftory; and thefe I fhall but juft " mention. Others are obvious to the confideration of the whole world; and with thofe I fhall finish what "I think proper at this time to offer upon this fubject.

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Concerning Babylon it was particularly foretold, "that it should be shut up and befieged by the Medes, Ela"mites, and Arminians; that the river fhould be dried "up; that the city fhould be taken in the time of a feast, "while her mighty men were drunken; Which accord

ingly came to país, when Belthazzar and all his thou"fand princes, who were drunk with him at the feaft, "were flain by Cyrus's foldiers. Alfo it was particularly foretold, that God would make the country of Baby"lon a poffeffion for the bittern and pools of water; Which

(1) Clarke's Works, Vol. 2. The Evidences of natural and revealed religion, p. 720, &c.

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was accordingly fulfilled by the overflowing and "drowning of it, on the breaking down of the great "damm in order to take the city. Could the cor"refpondence of thefe events with the predictions, be "the refult of chance? But fuppofe thefe predictions were forged after the event, can the following ones "alfo have been written after the event? or with any. "reafon be afcribed to chance? The wild beasts of the "defert fhall dwell there, and the owels fhall dwell therein: "and it fhall be no more inhabited for ever, neither shall "it be dwelt in from generation to generation: As God "overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, &c. They shall not "take of thee a ftone for a corner,-but thou Jhalt be de"folate for ever, faith the Lord:-Babylon Jhall become heaps, a dwelling-place for dragons, an astonishment and "an hifing without an inhabitant :-It shall fink, and "fhall not rife from the evil that I will bring upon her.

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Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,fhall be as when God "overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah: It shall never be inha"bited, neither hall it be dwelt in from generation to gene"ration: Neither fhall the Arabian pitch tent there; "neither fhall the Shepherds make their fold there; But "wild beafts of the defert fhall lie there, and their houses fhall be full of doleful creatures, and owls fhall dwell

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Concerning Egypt was the following prediction forged after the event? or can it, with any reafon, be "afcribed to chance? Egypt fhall be a base kingdom: It fhall be the bafeft of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: For I will diminish "them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

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"Concerning Tyre, the prediction is no lefs re"markable: I will make thee like the top of a rock; thou fhalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more.--Thou shalt be no more; the merchants among "the people fhall hifs at thee, thou shalt be a terror, and never fhalt be any more. All they that know thee among "the people, fhall be aftonished at thee.

The defeription of the extent of the dominion of "that people, who were to poffefs Judea in the latter days was it forged after the event? or can it rea

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fonably be ascribed to chance? He fhall come with "horsemen, and with many ships, and hall overflow and "pass over: He fhall enter alfo into the glorious land, "[and shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the feas in the glorious holy mountain] and many countries fhall be overthrown: But thefe fhall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall ftretch forth his hand also upon "the countries, and the land of Egypt fhall not escape. "But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and

of filver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; "and the Libyans and Ethiopians fhall be at his fteps.

"When Daniel, in the (2) vifion of Nebuchad“nezzar's image, foretold four great fucceffive mo"narchies; was this written after the event? or can "the congruity of his defcription with the things themfelves, reasonably be afcribed to mere chance?

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"When the fame Daniel foretels a tyrannical power, "which fhould wear out the faints of the moft High, and they fhall be given into his hand, until a time, and times, "and the dividing of time; and again for (3) a time, times, and a half: (Which can be no way applied to "the short perfecution of Antiochus, because these prophecies are exprefly declared to be for many days; "concerning what shall befall thy people in the latter days; for yet the vifion is for many days; concerning "the time of the end; what shall be in the last end of the indignation; concerning those who shall fall by the fword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil, many days to try them, even to the time of the end, because it is yet for a time appointed; concerning a time of trouble, fuch "as never was fince there was a nation; the time when God fhall have accomplished to fcatter the power of the holy people; the time of the end, till which the words are clofed up and fealed; to which the prophet is com

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manded to shut up his words and feal the book, for many fhall run to and fro, and knowlege fhall be increafed; even the end, till which Daniel was to reft, "and then ftand in his lot at the end of the days.) When “Daniel, I fay, foretels fuch a tyrannical power, to "continue fuch a determined period of time: And St. "John prophefies, that the Gentiles fhould tread the holy city under foot forty and two months; which is exactly "the fame period of time with that of Daniel: And again, that two witnesses, clothed in fackcloth, should prophefy a thousand two hundred and threefcore days; "which is again exactly the very fame period of time: "And again, that the woman which fled into the wilderness from perfecution, fhould continue there a thoufand two hundred and threefcore days: And again, that "the fhould fly into the wilderness, for a time, and times, "and half a time; which is ftill the very fame period: "And again, that a wild beast, a tyrannical power, to "whom it was given to make war with the faints, and to "overcome them, was to (4) continue forty and two months, (ftill the very fame period of time) and to have power over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations, fo "that all that dwell upon the earth fhould worship him: "Is it credible or poffible that ignorant and enthufi"aftical writers fhould by mere chance hit upon fuch "coincidences of [occult] numbers? especially fince

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(4) "There has prevailed among "learned men a very important error, "as if the 1260 days (or years) here fpoken of, took their begin"ning from the rife of the tyranny here defcribed. Whereas, on the "contrary, the words of Daniel are "exprefs, that, not from the time of "his rife, but after his having made "war with the faints, and from the "time of their being given into his "hand, fhould be a time and times "and the dividing of time, Chap. "VII. 24, 25. And St. John no "less exprefly fays, that the time, "not of the two witnesses prophesying, "(for in part of that time they had "great power) but of their prophesy"ing in fackcloth, fhould be a thoufand two hundred and threescore Dd

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"days, Rev. XI. 3. And the perse"cuted woman, after her flight, was

to be actually in the wilderness a "thousand two hundred and three"fcore days. Chap. XII. 6. Where"fore allo the forty and two months, "(the very fame period) during "which time power was given unto "the wild beast to continue, (in the "original it is wrong to do what he "pleafed, Rev. XIII. 3.) evidently "ought not to be reckoned from his "rife or from the time when the "ten kings (Chap. XVII. 12.) re"ceived power with him; but from "the time of his having totally over

come the faints, and of his being "worshipped by all that dwell upon "the earth, Chap. XIII. 7, 8."

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