fea is the kingdom which was feen in the vision of thy brother Daniel, but it was not expounded unto him, therefore now I declare it unto thee. Behold the days shall come that there fhall rise up a kingdom upon earth, and it fhall be feared above all the kingdoms that were before it. In the fame shall twelve kings reign, one after another; whereof the second shall begin to reign, and shall have more time than any of the twelve."

The Sibylline Oracles, another acknowledged forgery, contains nothing less than a pretty full history of both the Old and New Teftaments, in which we find not only the name of Jefus Chrift, but all the more remarkable tranfactions of his life, his miraculous conception, the vifit of the Magi, and their presents, his feeding of the five thousand, with the exact number of loaves and fishes, and the fame twelve baskets of fragments, which are mentioned by the evangelists.

In works in which there is no intended deception, but only an imitation of prophecy, by ingenious and pious men, we see how difficult

difficult it is to avoid this error of too great particularity, as in the prophecies that Milton puts into the mouth of Michael, in his difcourfe with Adam; in which he fhews him the murder of Abel by Cain, and all the more remarkable events in the history of his pofterity.

The prophecies of Daniel are conducted on a different plan, and more fuitable to divine wifdom; giving men a fufficient intimation of the nature of thofe future events in which they are most interested, as an exercise of their faith, hope, and patience, but not enabling them to tell with precifion either the particulars of the events, or the time at which they would take place; a happy medium which the ingenuity of man has never yet hit upon. But though future events are announced in this general manner, it may be fufficiently evident, when they have taken place, that they were clearly foreseen, and confequently that no other Being than He who can look into the most remote futurity could have defcribed them, even in that obfcure manner. And thefe indications of future events have, in the great plan of prophecy,

been

been given with greater diftinctness as the time of their accomplishment has approached.

Thus the future profperous ftate of the Hebrew nation was plainly announced to Abraham, more plainly to Mofes, but as to take place after a previous ftate of difperfion and calamity. It was revealed with many more particulars to Ifaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets who preceded the Babylonish captivity, and also its connexion with the happy final state of the world in general. In Daniel the fame final happy state of things, called by him the Kingdom of God, is announced, but as not to take place till after the fucceffion of four great monarchies, the first of which was the Babylonian, and the last to terminate in ten leffer kingdoms, to be accompanied with the rife of another power of a very different nature, hoftile to truth and goodness, which was to be destroyed together with them.

In the Revelation of John this last power is farther unfolded, and is made the fubject of a variety of prophetical reprefentations.. There also we have an indication of many more intervening events than are noticed in

the

the prophecies of Daniel; but without the books of Daniel we fhould want a very important link in the great chain of prophecy.

We now see the clear accomplishment of many of the particulars foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and of John. Confequently our faith is ftrengthened, and our views greatly enlarged with respect to the great events that are yet to take place, though without enabling us to fay beforehand what the particular events will be, or when the glorious times fo repeatedly announced to us will commence. Jefus himfelf did not know this, but, as he faid, his father only, Mark xiii. 32.

DISCOURSE VI. PART II.

9. THAT the book of Daniel was not written by any impoftor, who only perfonated that prophet, may be fafely inferred from the genuine marks of piety which are apparent through the whole of it. We every where perceive marks of a moft extraordinary

but

but natural character in this work, especially marks of the most undiffembled piety, and alfo of integrity, fuch as it must have been impoffible for any man to counterfeit, and which are utterly inconfiftent with fo deliberate an impofition on the world as the forgery of fuch a work implies. But for this evidence I must appeal to those who have themselves a sense of piety, and who have a feeling of the sentiments of piety fo naturally expressed in this book. Let the ninth chapter in particular be read with this view. Such fentiments as those which we discover there would be exceedingly difcordant with those of any person who should be capable of deliberately forging any thing, as a work divinely inspired. We fee nothing approaching to this in the Koran, or the writing of any known impoftor. The genuine book of Ezra will be found to be exceedingly different from the apochryphal Efdras in the fame respect. In the former there are marks of genuine piety, as in Daniel; but in the latter mere declamation, which might well be adopted by a man who had no real feeling of the fentiments fo expreffed.

VOL. III.

D d

10. The