Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel,

 

and the APOCALYPSE of St. JOHN.

In Two PARTS.    (and 17 chapters)

by Sir ISAAC NEWTON 1733

LONDON,

Printed by J. DARBY and T. BROWNE in Bartholomew-Close.

And Sold by J. ROBERTS in Warwick-lane,

J. TONSON in the Strand,

W. INNYS and R. MANBY at the West End of St.Paul's Church-Yard,

J. OSBORN and T. LONGMAN in Pater-Noster-Row,

J. NOON near Mercers Chapel in Cheapside,

T. HATCHETT at the Royal Exchange,

S. HARDING in St.Martin's lane,

J. STAGG in Westminster-Hall,

J. PARKER inPall-mall,

and J. BRINDLEY in New Bond-Street.

M.DCC.XXXIII

To the Right Honourable P E T E R

Lord K I N G,

Baron of Ockham, Lord High Chancellor of Great-Britain.

My Lord,

I shall make no Apology for addressing the following Sheets to Your Lordship, who lived in a long Intercourse of Friendship with the Author; and, like him, amidst occupations of a different nature, made Religion your voluntary Study; and in all your Enquiries and Actions, have shewn the same inflexible Adherence to Truth and Virtue.

I shall always reckon it one of the Advantages of my Relation to Sir Isaac Newton, that it affords me an opportunity of making this publick acknowledgment of the unfeigned Respect of My Lord,

Your Lordship's most obedient, and most humble Servant,

Benj. Smith.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel.

CHAP. I. Introduction concerning, the Compilers of the Books of the Old Testament.

CHAP. II. Of the Prophetic Language.

CHAP. III. Of the vision of the Image composed of four Metals.

CHAP. IV. Of the vision of the four Beasts.

5-8 Omitted?

CHAP. V. Of the Kingdoms represented by the feet of the Image composed of iron and clay.

CHAP. VI. Of the ten Kingdoms represented by the ten horns of the fourth Beast.

CHAP. VII. Of the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast.

CHAP. VIII. Of the power of the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast, to change times and laws.

CHAP. IX. Of the Kingdoms represented in Daniel by the Ram and He-Goat.

CHAP. X. Of the Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks.

CHAP. XI. Of the Times of the Birth and Passion of Christ.

CHAP. XII. Of the Prophecy of the Scripture of Truth.

13-14 Omitted ?

CHAP. XIII. Of the King who did according to his will, and magnified himself above every God, and honoured Mahuzzims, and regarded not the desire of women.

CHAP. XIV. Of the Mahuzzims, honoured by the King who doth according to his will.

PART II.

Observations upon the Apocalypse of St. John.

CHAP. I. Introduction, concerning the time when the Apocalypse was written.

CHAP. II. Of the relation which the Apocalypse of John hath to the Book of the Law of Moses, and to the worship of God in the Temple.

CHAP. III. Of the relation which the Prophecy of John hath to those of Daniel; and of the Subject of the Prophecy.

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                          CHAPTER ONE

Divisions 1-25

PART I.

Chapter 1. Introduction concerning the compilers of the books of the Old Testament.

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 1

1.

When Manasses [1] set up a carved image in the house of the Lord,

and built altars in the 2 courts of the house, to all the host of Heaven,

and us'd inchantments and witchcraft, and familiar spirits,

and for his great wickedness was invaded by the army of Asserhadon King of Assyria,

and carried captive to Babylon;

the book of the Law was lost till the 18th year of his grandson Josiah. the prophet James Strang

2.

Then [2] Hilkiah the High Priest, upon repairing the Temple, found it there:

and the King lamented that their fathers had not done after the words of the book,

and commanded that it should be read to the people,

and caused the people to renew the holy covenant with God.

3.

This is the book of the Law now extant.

4.

When [3] Shishak came out of Egypt and spoil'd the temple,

and brought Judah into subjection to the monarchy of Egypt (in the 5th year of Rehoboam),

the Jews continued under great troubles for about 20 years;

being without the true God, and without a teaching Priest, and without Law:

5.

and in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in,

yet great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries,

and nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city, for God did vex them with all adversity.

6.

Yet [4] when Shishak was dead, and Egypt fell into troubles, Judah had quiet 10 years;

and in that time Asa built fenced cities in Judah, and got up an army of 580,000 men,

with which, in the 15th year of his reign, he met and overcame Zerah the Ethiopian,

who had conquered Egypt and Lybia, and Troglodytica,

and came out with an army of 1,000,000 Lybians and Ethiopians,

to recover the countries conquered by Sesac.

7.

And after this victory [5] Asa dethroned his mother for idolatry,

and he renewed the Altar, and brought new vessels of gold and silver into the Temple;

and he and the people entered into a new covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers,

upon pain of death to those who worshiped other Gods;

8.

and his son Jehosaphat took away the high places of the Canaanites,

and in the third year of his reign sent some of his Princes, and of the Priests and Levites,

to teach in the cities of Judah:

and they had the book of the Law with them,

and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.

9.

This is that book of the Law that was afterwards lost in the reign of Manasses,

and found again in the reign of Josiah,

and therefore it was written before the 3rd year of Jehosaphat.

10.

The same book of the Law was preserved and handed down to posterity by the Samaritans,

and therefore was received by the ten Tribes before their captivity.

11.

For [6] when the ten Tribes were captivated,

a Priest of the captivity was sent back to Bethel, by order of the King of Assyria,

to instruct the new inhabitants of Samaria, in the manner of the God of the land;

and the Samaritans had the Pentateuch from this Priest,

containing the law or manner of the God of the land, that he was to teach them.

12.

For they persevered in the religion that he taught them,

joining with it the worship of their own Gods;

and by persevering in what they had been taught,

they preserved this book of their Law in the original character of the Hebrews,

while the 2 Tribes, after their return from Babylon, changed the character

to that of the Chaldees, that they had learned at Babylon.

13.

And since the Pentateuch was received as the book of the Law,

both by the two Tribes and by the ten Tribes,

it follows that they received it before they became divided into 2 Kingdoms.

14.

For after the division, they received not laws from one another, yet continued at variance.

15.

Judah could not reclaim Israel from the sin of Jeroboam, and Israel could not bring Judah to it.

16.

The Pentateuch therefore was the book of the Law in the days of David and Solomon.

17.

The affairs of the Tabernacle and Temple were ordered by David and Solomon,

according to the Law of this book;

and David in the 78th Psalm,

admonishing the people to give ear to the Law of God, means the Law of this book.

18.

For in describing how their forefathers kept it not,

he quotes many historical things out of the books of Exodus and Numbers.

19.

The race of the Kings of Edom, before there reigned any King over Israel,

is set down in the book of [8] Genesis;

and therefore that book was not written entirely in the form now extant, before the reign of Saul.

20.

The writer set down the race of those Kings till his own time,

and therefore wrote before David conquered Edom.

21.

The Pentateuch is composed of the Law and the history of God's people together;

and the history hath been collected from several books,

such as were the history of the Creation composed by Moses, Gen. ii. 4.

the book of the generations of Adam, Gen. v. i.

and the book of the wars of the Lord, Num. xxi. 14.

22.

This book of wars contained what was done at the Red Sea,

and in the journeying of Israel thru' the Wilderness,

and therefore was begun by Moses.

23.

And Joshua might carry it on to the conquest of Canaan.

For Joshua wrote some things in the book of the Law of God, Josh. xxiv. 26

and therefore might write his own wars in the book of wars, those being the principal wars of God.

24.

These were public books,

and therefore not written without the authority of Moses and Joshua.

25.

And Samuel had leisure in the reign of Saul,

to put them into the form of the books of Moses and Joshua now extant,

inserting into the book of Genesis, the race of the Kings of Edom,

until there reigned a King in Israel.

 

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                         CHAPTER TWO

Divisions 26-60

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 1

26.

The book of the Judges is a continued history of the Judges down to the death of Sampson,

and therefore was compiled after his death, out of the Acts of the Judges.

27.

Several things in this book are said to be done when there was no King in Israel, Judg. xvii. 6. xviii. 1. xix. 1. xxi. 25. and therefore this book was written after the beginning of the reign of Saul.

28.

When it was written, the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem, Jud. i. 21

and therefore it was written before the eighth year of David, 2 Sam. v. 8. and 1 Chron. xi. 6.

29.

The books of Moses, Joshua, and Judges,

contain one continued history, down from the Creation to the death of Sampson.

30.

Where the Pentateuch ends, the book of Joshua begins;

and where the book of Joshua ends, the book of Judges begins.

31.

Therefore all these books have been composed out of the writings of Moses, Joshua,

and other records, by one and the same hand,

after the beginning of the reign of Saul, and before the eighth year of David.

32.

And Samuel was a sacred writer, 1 Sam. x. 25.

acquainted with the history of Moses and the Judges, 1 Sam. xii. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

and had leisure in the reign of Saul, and sufficient authority to compose these books.

33.

He was a Prophet, and judged Israel all the days of his life,

and was in the greatest esteem with the people;

and the Law that he was to judge the people through

was not to be published by less authority than his own,

the Law-maker being not inferior to the judge.

34.

And the book of Jasher, that is quoted in the book of Joshua, Josh. x. 13.

was in being at the death of Saul, 2 Sam. i. 18.

35.

At the dedication of the Temple of Solomon, when the Ark was brought into the most holy place,

there was nothing in it except the 2 tables, 1 Kings viii. 9.

and therefore when the Philistines took the Ark,

they took out of it the book of the Law, and the golden pot of Manna, and Aaron's Rod.

36.

And this and other losses in the desolation of Israel, by the conquering Philistines,

might give occasion to Samuel, after some respite from those enemies,

to recollect the scattered writings of Moses and Joshua,

and the records of the Patriarchs and Judges,

and compose them in the form now extant.

37.

The book of Ruth is a history of things done in the days of the Judges,

and may be looked upon as an addition to the book of the Judges,

written by the same author, and at the same time.

38.

For it was written after the birth of David, Ruth iv. 17, 22. and not long after,

because the history of Boaz and Ruth, the great grandfather and great grandmother of David,

and that of their contemporaries, could not well be remembered above 2 or 3 generations.

39.

And since this book derives the genealogy of David from Boaz and Ruth,

and omits David's elder brothers and his sons;

it was written in honour of David,

after he was anointed King by Samuel, and before he had children in Hebron,

and by consequence in the reign of Saul.

40.

It proceeds not to the history of David,

and therefore seems to have been written presently after he was anointed.

41.

They judge well therefore who ascribe to Samuel the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth.

42.

Samuel is also reputed the author of the 1st book of Samuel, till the time of his death.

43.

The 2 books of Samuel cite no authors, and therefore seem to be originals.

44.

They begin with his genealogy, birth and education,

and might be written partly in his lifetime by him or his disciples the Prophets at Naioth in Ramah, 1 Sam. xix. 18, 19, 20.      and partly after his death by the same disciples.

 

45.

The books of the Kings cite other authors, namely the book of the Acts of Solomon,

the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel,

and the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah.

46.

The books of the Chronicles cite the book of Samuel the Seer,

the book of Nathan the Prophet,

and the book of Gad the Seer, for the Acts of David;

47.

the book of Nathan the Prophet,

the Prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite,

and the visions of Iddo the Seer, for the Acts of Solomon;

48.

the book of Shemajah the Prophet,

and the book of Iddo the Seer concerning genealogies, for the Acts of Rehoboam and Abijah;

49.

the book of the Kings of Judah and Israel for the Acts of Asa, Joash, Amaziah, Jotham,

Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Josiah;

the book of Hanani the Seer, for the Acts of Jehosaphat;

and the visions of Isaiah for the Acts of Uzziah and Hezekiah.

50.

These books were thus collected out of the historical writings of the ancient seers and prophets.

51.

And because the books of the Kings and Chronicles quote one another,

they were written at one and the same time.

52.

And this time was after the return from the Babylonian captivity,

because they bring down the history of Judah,

and the genealogies of the Kings of Judah, and of the High Priests, to that captivity.

53.

The book of Ezra was originally a part of the book of the Chronicles,

and has been divided from it.

54.

For it begins with the 2 last verses of the books of Chronicles,

and the 1st book of Esdras begins with the 2 last chapters thereof.

55.

Ezra was therefore the compiler of the books of Kings and Chronicles,

and brought down the history to his own time.

56.

He was a ready Scribe in the Law of God;

and for assisting him in this work Nehemias founded a library,

and gathered together the Acts of the Kings and the Prophets,

and of David, and the Epistles of the Kings, concerning the holy gifts, 2 Maccab. ii. 13.

57.

By the Acts of David I understand here the 2 books of Samuel, or at least the 2nd book.

58.

Out of the Acts of the Kings, written from time to time by the Prophets,

he compos'd the books of the Kings of Judah and Israel,

the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah, and the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

59.

And in doing this he joined those Acts together, in due order of time,

copying the very words of the authors, as is manifest from hence,

so that the books of the Kings and Chronicles frequently agree with one another in words for many sentences together.

60.

Where they agree in sense, there they agree in words also.

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                     CHAPTER THREE

Divisions 61-90

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 1

61.

So the Prophecies of Isaiah, written at several times, he has collected into one body.

62.

And the like he did for those of Jeremiah, and the rest of the Prophets,

down to the days of the second Temple.

63.

The book of Jonah is the history of Jonah written by another hand.

64.

The book of Daniel is a collection of papers written at several times.

65.

The 6 last chapters contain Prophecies written at several times by Daniel:

the 6 first are a collection of historical papers written by him and others.

66.

The 4th chapter is a decree of Nebuchadnezzar.

67.

The 1st chapter was written after Daniel's death:

for the author saith, that Daniel continued to the 1st year of Cyrus;

that is, to his 1st year over the Persians and Medes, and 3rd year over Babylon.

68.

And, for the same reason, the 5th and 6th chapters were also written after his death.

69.

For they end with these words:

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Yet these words might be added by the collector of the papers, whom I take to be Ezra.

70.

The Psalms composed by Moses, David, and others,

seem to have been also collected by Ezra into 1 volume.

71.

I reckon him the collector, because in this collection

I meet with Psalms as late as the Babylonian captivity, yet with none later.

72.

After these things Antiochus Epiphanes spoiled the Temple,

commanded the Jews to forsake the Law upon pain of death,

and caused the sacred books to be burnt wherever they could be found:

and in these troubles the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel was entirely lost.

73.

But upon recovering from this oppression,

Judas Maccabæus gathered together all those writings that were to be met with, 2 Maccab. ii. 14.

and in reducing them into order, part of the Prophecies of Isaiah, or some other Prophet,

have been added to the end of the Prophecies of Zechariah;

74.

and the book of Ezra has been separated from the book of Chronicles,

and set together in two different orders;

in one order in the book of Ezra, received into the Canon,

and in another order in the first book of Esdras.

75.

After the Roman captivity, the Jews for preserving their traditions,

put them in writing in their Talmud, and for preserving their scriptures,

agreed upon an Edition, and pointed it, and counted the letters of every sort in every book:

76.

and by preserving only this Edition, the antienter various lections,

except what can be discovered by means of the Septuagint Version, are now lost;

and such marginal notes, or other corruptions,

as by the errors of the transcribers, before this Edition was made,

had crept into the text, are now scarce to be corrected.

77.

The Jews before the Roman captivity, distinguished the sacred books into the Law, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa, or holy writings;

and read only the Law and the Prophets in their Synagogues.

78.

And Christ and his Apostles laid the stress of religion upon the Law and the Prophets,

Matt. vii. 12. xxii. 4.

Luke xvi. 16, 29, 31. xxiv. 44.

Acts xxiv. 14. xxvi. 22.

Rom. iii. 21.

 

By the Hagiographa they meant the historical books called Joshua, Judges, Ruth,

Samuel, Kings, Chronicles,

Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther,

the book of Job, the Psalms, the books of Solomon, and the Lamentations.

79.

The Samaritans read only the Pentateuch:

and when Jehosaphat sent men to teach in the cities,

they had with them only the book of the Law;

for the Prophecies now extant were not then written.

80.

And upon the return from the Babylonian captivity,

Ezra read only the book of the Law to the people,

from morning to noon on the first day of the seventh month;

and from day to day in the feast of Tabernacles:

for he had not yet collected the writings of the Prophets into the volume now extant;

yet instituted the reading of them after the collection was made.

81.

By reading the Law and the Prophets in the Synagogues,

those books have been kept freer from corruption than the Hagiographa.

82.

In the infancy of the nation of Israel, when God had given them a Law,

and made a covenant with them to be their God if they would keep his commandments,

he sent Prophets to reclaim them,

as often as they revolted to the worship of other Gods:

and upon their returning to him, they sometimes renewed the covenant which they had broken.

83.

These Prophets he continued to send, till the days of Ezra:

yet after their Prophecies were read in the Synagogues, those Prophecies were thought sufficient.

84.

For if the people would not hear Moses and the old Prophets,

they would hear no new ones, no not tho they should rise from the dead.

85.

At length when a new truth was to be preached to the Gentiles,

namely, that Jesus was the Christ, and God sent new Prophets and Teachers:

yet after their writings were also received and read in the Synagogues of the Christians,

Prophecy ceased a second time.

86.

We have Moses, the Prophets, and Apostles, and the words of Christ himself;

and if we will not hear them, we shall be more inexcusable than the Jews.

87.

For the Prophets and Apostles have foretold,

that as Israel often revolted and brake the covenant, and upon repentance renewed it;

so there should be a falling away among the Christians, soon after the days of the Apostles;

and that in the latter days God would destroy the impenitent revolters,

and make a new covenant with his people.

88.

And the giving ear to the Prophets is a fundamental character of the true Church.

For God has so ordered the Prophecies, that in the latter days the wise may understand,

yet the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand. Dan. xii. 9, 10

89.

The authority of Emperors, Kings, and Princes, is human.

90.

The authority of Councils, Synods, Bishops, and Presbyters, is human.

91.

The authority of the Prophets is divine, and comprehends the sum of religion,

reckoning Moses and the Apostles among the Prophets;

and if an angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel, than what they have delivered,

let him be accursed.

92.

Their writings contain the covenant between God and his people,

with instructions for keeping this covenant;

instances of God's judgments upon them that break it: and predictions of things to come.

93.

While the people of God keep the covenant, they continue to be his people:

when they break it they cease to be his people or church,

and become the Synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not.

94.

And no power on earth is authorized to alter this covenant.

95.

The predictions of things to come relate to the state of the Church in all ages:

and among the old prophets, Daniel is most distinct in order of time, and easiest to be understood:

and therefore in those things that relate to the last times, he must be made the key to the rest.

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                       CHAPTER FOUR

Divisions 96-120

the Prophetic Language.

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 2

96.

For understanding the Prophecies, we are, in the first place, to acquaint our-selves with

the figurative language of the Prophets.

97.

This language is taken from the analogy between the world natural,

and an empire or kingdom considered as a world politic.

98.

Accordingly, the whole world natural consisting of heaven and earth,

signifies the whole world politic, consisting of thrones and people,

or so much of it as is considered in the Prophecy:

and the things in that world signify the analogous things in this.

99.

For the heavens, and the things therein, signify thrones and dignities, and those who enjoy them;

and the earth, with the things thereon, the inferior people;

and the lowest parts of the earth, called Hades or Hell, the lowest or most miserable part of them.

 

100.

Whence ascending towards heaven, and descending to the earth,

are put for rising and falling in power and honour:

rising out of the earth, or waters, and falling into them,

for the rising up to any dignity or dominion, out of the inferior state of the people,

or falling down from the same into that inferior state;

101.

descending into the lower parts of the earth, for descending to a very low and unhappy estate; speaking with a faint voice out of the dust, for being in a weak and low condition;

102.

moving from one place to another, for translation from one office, dignity, or dominion to another;

great earthquakes, and the shaking of heaven and earth,

for the shaking of kingdoms, so as to distract or overthrow them;

103.

the creating a new heaven and earth, and the passing away of an old one,

or the beginning and end of the world,

for the rise and ruin of the body politic signified thereby.

 

104.

In the heavens, the sun and moon are by interpreters of dreams

put for the persons of kings and queens;

yet in sacred Prophecy, which regards not single persons,

105.

the Sun is put for the whole species and race of Kings, in the kingdom or kingdoms of the world politic, shining with regal power and glory;

106.

the Moon for the body of the common people, considered as the King's wife;

the Stars for subordinate Princes and great men,

or for Bishops and Rulers of the people of God, when the Sun is Christ;

107.

light for the glory, truth, and knowledge,

wherewith great and good men shine and illuminate others;

darkness for obscurity of condition, and for error, blindness and ignorance;

darkning, smiting, or setting of the Sun, Moon, and Stars,

108.

for the ceasing of a kingdom, or for the desolation thereof, proportional to the darkness;

darkning the Sun, turning the Moon into blood, and falling of the Stars, for the same;

new Moons, for the return of a dispersed people into a body politic or ecclesiastic.

 

109.

Fire and meteors refer to both heaven and earth, and signify as follows;

 

burning any thing with fire, is put for the consuming thereof by war;

a conflagration of the earth, or turning a country into a lake of fire, for the consumption of a kingdom by war;

110.

the being in a furnace, for the being in slavery under another nation;

the ascending up of the smoke of any burning thing for ever and ever,

for the continuation of a conquered people under the misery of perpetual subjection and slavery;

111.

the scorching heat of the sun, for vexatious wars, persecutions and troubles inflicted by the King;

riding on the clouds, for reigning over much people;

112.

covering the sun with a cloud or with smoke, for oppression of the king by the armies of a enemy;

tempestuous winds, or the motion of clouds, for wars;

thunder, or the voice of a cloud, for the voice of a multitude;

113.

a storm of thunder, lightning, hail, and overflowing rain, for a tempest of war

descending from the heavens and clouds politic, on the heads of their enemies;

114.

rain, if not immoderate, and dew, and living water, for the graces and doctrines of the Spirit;

and the defect of rain, for spiritual barrenness.

 

115.

In the earth, the dry land and congregated waters, as a sea, a river, a flood,

are put for the people of several regions, nations, and dominions;

116.

embittering of waters, for great affliction of the people by war and persecution;

turning things into blood, for the mystical death of bodies politic, that is, for their dissolution;

117.

the overflowing of a sea or river, for the invasion of the earth politic, by the people of the waters; drying up of waters, for the conquest of their regions by the earth;

118.

fountains of waters for cities, the permanent heads of rivers politic;

mountains and islands, for the cities of the earth and sea politic,

with the territories and dominions belonging to those cities;

119.

dens and rocks of mountains, for the temples of cities;

the hiding of men in those dens and rocks, for the shutting up of Idols in their temples;

120.

houses and ships, for families, assemblies, and towns, in the earth and sea politic;

and a navy of ships of war, for an army of that kingdom that is signified by the sea.

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                         CHAPTER FIVE

Divisions 121-145

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 2

121.

Animals also and vegetables are put for the people of several regions and conditions;

and particularly, trees, herbs, and land animals, for the people of the earth politic:

122.

flags, reeds, and fishes, for those of the waters politic;

birds and insects, for those of the politic heaven and earth;

a forest for a kingdom; and a wilderness for a desolate and thin people.

123.

If the world politic, considered in prophecy, consists of many kingdoms,

they are represented by as many parts of the world natural;

as the noblest by the celestial frame,

and then the Moon and Clouds are put for the common people;

124.

the less noble, by the earth, sea, and rivers,

and by the animals or vegetables, or buildings therein;

and then the greater and more powerful animals and taller trees,

are put for Kings, Princes, and Nobles.

 

125.

And because the whole kingdom is the body politic of the King,

therefore the Sun, or a Tree, or a Beast, or Bird, or a Man,

whereby the King is represented,

is put in a large signification for the whole kingdom;

126.

and several animals, as a Lion, a Bear, a Leopard, a Goat, according to their qualities,

are put for several kingdoms and bodies politic;

and sacrificing of beasts, for slaughtering and conquering of kingdoms;

and friendship between beasts, for peace between kingdoms.

127.

Yet sometimes vegetables and animals are,

by certain epithets or circumstances, extended to other significations;

as a Tree, when called the tree of life or of knowledge;

and a Beast, when called the old serpent, or worshipped.

 

128.

When a Beast or Man is put for a kingdom,

his parts and qualities are put for the analogous parts and qualities of the kingdom;

as the head of a Beast, for the great men who precede and govern;

the tail for the inferior people, who follow and are governed;

129.

the heads, if more than one, for the number of capital parts, or dynasties, or dominions in the kingdom, whether collateral or successive, with respect to the civil government;

130.

the horns on any head, for the number of kingdoms in that head, with respect to military power; seeing for understanding, and the eyes for men of understanding and policy, and in matters of religion for ?p?s??p??, Bishops; speaking, for making laws;

131.

the mouth, for a law-giver, whether civil or sacred;

the loudness of the voice, for might and power; the faintness thereof, for weakness;

eating and drinking, for acquiring what is signified by the things eaten and drank;

132.

the hairs of a beast, or man, and the feathers of a bird, for people;

the wings, for the number of kingdoms represented by the beast;

the arm of a man, for his power, or for any people wherein his strength and power consists;

133.

his feet, for the lowest of the people, or for the latter end of the kingdom;

the feet, nails, and teeth of beasts of prey, for armies and squadrons of armies;

134.

the bones, for strength, and for fortified places;

the flesh, for riches and possessions;

135.

and the days of their acting, for years;

and when a tree is put for a kingdom, its branches, leaves, and fruit,

signify as do the wings, feathers, and food of a bird or beast.

136.

When a man is taken in a mystical sense,

his qualities are often signified by his actions, and by the circumstances of things about him.

 

137.

So a Ruler is signified by his riding on a beast;

a Warrior and Conqueror, by his having a sword and bow;

a potent man, by his gigantic stature;

138.

a Judge, by weights and measures;

a sentence of absolution, or condemnation, by a white or a black stone;

139.

a new dignity, by a new name;

moral or civil qualifications, by garments;

honour and glory, by splendid apparel;

140.

royal dignity, by purple or scarlet, or by a crown;

righteousness, by white and clean robes;

141.

wickedness, by spotted and filthy garments;

affliction, mourning, and humiliation, by clothing in sackcloth;

dishonour, shame, and want of good works, by nakedness;

142.

error and misery, by drinking a cup of his or her wine that causeth it;

propagating any religion for gain,

by exercising traffick and merchandize with that people whose religion it is;

143.

worshipping or serving the false Gods of any nation,

by committing adultery with their princes, or by worshipping them;

a Council of a kingdom, by its image;

144.

idolatry, by blasphemy; overthrow in war, by a wound of man or beast;

a durable plague of war, by a sore and pain;

145.

the affliction or persecution which a people suffers in labouring to bring forth a new kingdom,

by the pain of a woman in labour to bring forth a man-child;

 

the dissolution of a body politic or ecclesiastic, by the death of a man or beast;

and the revival of a dissolved dominion, by the resurrection of the dead.

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                           CHAPTER SIX

Divisions 146-170

the vision of the statue composed of 4 metals

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 3

146.

The Prophecies of Daniel are all of them related to one another,

as if they were but several parts of one general Prophecy, given at several times.

147.

The first is the easiest to be understood,

and every following Prophecy adds something new to the former.

148.

The first was given in a dream to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon,

in the second year of his reign;

yet the King forgetting his dream,

it was given again to Daniel in a dream, and by him revealed to the King.

149.

And thereby, Daniel presently became famous for wisdom, and revealing of secrets:

insomuch that Ezekiel his contemporary, in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar,

spake thus of him to the King of Tyre:

150.

Behold, saith he, thou art wiser than Daniel,

there is no secret that they can hide from thee, Ezek. xxviii. 3.

151.

And the same Ezekiel, in another place, joins Daniel with Noah and Job,

as most high in the favour of God, Ezek. xiv. 14, 16, 18, 20.

152.

And in the last year of Belshazzar, the Queen-mother said of him to the King:

Behold there is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods;

and in the days of thy father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him;

153.

whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say,

thy father made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers:

154.

forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding,

interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts,

were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, Dan. v. 11, 12.

155.

Daniel was in the greatest credit amongst the Jews, till the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian:

and to reject his Prophecies, is to reject the Christian religion.

156.

For this religion is founded upon his Prophecy concerning the Messiah.

 

157.

Now in this vision of the image composed of 4 metals,

the foundation of all Daniel's prophecies is laid.

158.

It represents a body of 4 great nations, that should reign over the earth successively,

vis-vis the people of Babylonia, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans.

159.

And by a stone cut out without hands, that fell upon the feet of the Image,

and brake all the 4 metals to pieces, and became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth;

it further represents that a new kingdom should arise, after the 4,

and conquer all those nations, and grow very great, and last to the end of all ages.

160.

The head of the Image was of gold,

and signifies the nations of Babylonia, who reigned first, as Daniel interprets.

 

161.

Thou art this head of gold, saith he to Nebuchadnezzar.

162.

These nations reigned till Cyrus conquered Babylon,

and within a few months after that conquest revolted to the Persians,

and set them up above the Medes.

163.

The breast and arms of the Image were of silver, and represent the Persians who reigned next.

164.

The belly and thighs of the Image were of brass, and represent the Greeks, who,

under the dominion of Alexander the great, conquered the Persians, and reigned next after them.

165.

The legs were of iron, and represent the Romans who reigned next after the Greeks,

and began to conquer them in the eighth year of Antiochus Epiphanes.

166.

For in that year they conquered Perseus King of Macedon,

the fundamental kingdom of the Greeks;

and from thence forward grew into a mighty empire,

and reigned with great power till the days of Theodosius the great.

167.

Then by the incursion of many northern nations, they brake into many smaller kingdoms,

that are represented by the feet and toes of the Image, composed part of iron, and part of clay.

168.

For then, saith Daniel, [1] the kingdom shall be divided,

and there shall be in it of the strength of iron, but they shall not cleave one to another.

169.

And in the days of these Kings, saith Daniel,

shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed:

and the kingdom shall not be left to other people;

yet it shall break in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

170.

Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountains without hands,

and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver and the gold.

 

Notes to Chap. III.

[1] Chap. ii. 41, &c.

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                     CHAPTER SEVEN

Divisions 171-200

Of the vision of the 4 Beasts.

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 4

171.

In the next vision, that is of the 4 Beasts,

the Prophecy of the 4 Empires is repeated, with several new additions;

172.

the 2 wings of the Lion,

the 3 ribs in the mouth of the Bear,

the 4 wings and 4 heads of the Leopard,

the 11 horns of the 4th Beast,

 

and the son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven,

to the Antient of Days sitting in judgment.

173.

The 1st Beast was like a lion, and had eagle's wings,

to denote the kingdoms of Babylonia and Media,                         the southern Midian beach area

that overthrew the Assyrian Empire, and divided it between them,

and thereby became considerable, and grew into great Empires.

174.

In the former Prophecy, the Empire of Babylonia was represented by the head of gold;

in this both Empires are represented together by the 2 wings of the lion.

175.

And I beheld, saith [1] Daniel, till the wings thereof were pluckt,

and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man,

and a man's heart was given to it;

that is, till it was humbled and subdued, and made to know its human state.

 

176.

The 2nd Beast was like a bear,

and represents the Empire that reigned next after the Babylonians,

that is, the Empire of the Persians.

177.

Thy kingdom is divided, or broken, saith Daniel to the last King of Babylon,

and given to the Medes and Persians, Dan. v. 28.

178.

This Beast rose up on one side;

the Persians being under the Medes at the fall of Babylon,

yet presently rising up above them. [2]

179.

And it had 3 ribs in the mouth of it, between the teeth of it,

to signify the kingdoms of Sardes, Babylon, and Egypt,

that were conquered by it, yet did not belong to its proper body.

 

And it devoured much flesh, the riches of those 3 kingdoms.

 

180.

The third Beast was the kingdom which succeeded the Persian;

and this was the empire of the Greeks, Dan. viii. 6, 7, 20, 21.

181.

It was like a Leopard, to signify its fierceness;

and had 4 heads and 4 wings,

to signify that it should become divided into 4 kingdoms, Dan. viii 22.

182.

for it continued in a monarchical form during the reign of Alexander the great,

and his brother Aridæus, and young sons Alexander and Hercules;

 

and then brake into 4 kingdoms, by the governors of provinces putting crowns on their own heads, and by mutual consent reigning over their provinces.

183.

Cassander reigned over Macedon, Greece, and Epirus;

Lysimachus over Thrace and Bithynia;

Ptolemy over Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Cœlosyria, and Palestine;

and Seleucus over Syria.

184.

The 4th Beast was the empire that succeeded that of the Greeks, and this was the Roman.

185.

This beast was exceeding dreadful and terrible, and had great iron teeth,

and devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet;

and such was the Roman empire.

186.

It was larger, stronger, and more formidable and lasting than any of the former.

187.

It conquered the kingdom of Macedon, with Illyricum and Epirus,

in the 8th year of Antiochus Epiphanes, Anno Nabonass.. 580;

 

and inherited that of Pergamus, Anno Nabonass. 615;

and conquered that of Syria, Anno Nabonass. 679,

and that of Egypt, Anno Nabonass. 718.

188.

And by these and other conquests

it became greater and more terrible than any of the 3 former Beasts.

189.

This Empire continued in its greatness till the reign of Theodosius the great;

and then brake into ten kingdoms, represented by the ten horns of this Beast;

190.

and continued in a broken form,

till the Ancient of days sat in a throne like fiery flame,

and the judgment was set, and the books were opened,

191.

and the Beast was slain and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flames;

192.

and one like the son of man came with the clouds of heaven,

and came to the Ancient of days [3],

and received dominion over all nations,

and judgment was given to the saints of the most high,

and the time came that they possessed the kingdom.

193.

I beheld, saith [4] Daniel, till the Beast was slain,

and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flames.

194.

And concerning the rest of the Beasts, they had their dominion taken away:

yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

195.

And therefore all the 4 Beasts are still alive,

tho the dominion of the three first be taken away.

196.

The nations of Chaldea and Assyria are still the 1st beast.

Those of Media and Persia are still the 2nd beast.

197.

Those of Macedon, Greece, and Thrace,

and Asia minor, Syria, and Egypt, are still the 3rd.

And those of Europe, on this side Greece, are still the 4th.

198.

Seeing therefore the body of the 3rd beast is confined to the nations this side the river Euphrates,

and the body of the 4th beast is confined to the nations on this side Greece;

we are to look for all the 4 heads of the 3rd beast, among the nations this side the river Euphrates;

and for all the 11 horns of the 4th beast, among the nations on this side of Greece.

199.

And therefore, at the breaking of the Greek empire into 4 kingdoms of the Greeks,

we include no part of the Chaldeans, Medes, and Persians in those kingdoms,

because they belonged to the bodies of the 2 1st beasts.

200.

Nor do we reckon the Greek empire, seated at Constantinople, among the horns of the 4th Beast,

because it belonged to the body of the 3rd.

Notes to Chap. IV.

[1] Chap. Vii. 4. [2] Chap. vii. 5.

[3] Chap. Vii. 13. [4] Chap. vii. 11, 12

The book appears to leave off from a less objective view of the apocalypse to a more Renaissaince view of the last times of the great and dreadful day of lord and the End of Days.

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                      CHAPTER EIGHT

Divisions 201-225

4 chapters omitted from the canonical chapters

CHAP. V. Of the Kingdoms represented by the feet of the Image composed of iron and clay.

CHAP. VI. Of the ten Kingdoms represented by the ten horns of the fourth Beast.

CHAP. VII. Of the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast.

CHAP. VIII. Of the power of the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast, to change times and laws.

Here the text breaks off, the way it does in other books that are not all found worthy of the canon.

Chapters 5-8 sort thru the historic records of the generations to try to assign names to kingdoms read about in the book of Revelation. Some middle age history is taught in a useful way, reflecting the view of the midevial times in the post-Renaissance days. In the 9thchapter a study resumes that is not especially informative, in light of the relevance of the

Of the kingdoms represented in Daniel by the Ram and He-Goat.

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 9

1.

The 2nd and 3d Empires, represented by the Bear and Leopard,

are again represented by the Ram and He-Goat; yet with this difference,

that the ram represents the kingdoms of the Medes and Persians from the beginning of the 4 empires,

and the Goat represents the kingdom of the Greeks to the end of them.

2.

By this means, under the type of the Ram and He-Goat,

the times of all the 4 Empires are again described:

I lifted up mine eyes, saith [1] Daniel, and saw, and behold

there stood before the river [Ulai] a Ram which had 2 horns, and the 2 horns were high,

yet one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.

3.

—And the Ram having 2 horns, are the kings of Media and Persia:

not 2 persons yet 2 kingdoms, the kingdoms of Media and Persia;

and the kingdom of Persia was the higher horn and came up last.

4.

The kingdom of Persia rose up, when Cyrus having newly conquered Babylon,

revolted from Darius King of the Medes, and beat him at Pasargadæ,

and set up the Persians above the Medes.

5.

This was the horn that came up last.

6.

And the horn that came up first was the kingdom of the Medes,

from the time that Cyaxares and Nebuchadnezzar overthrew Nineveh,

and shared the Empire of the Assyrians between them.

7.

The Empires of Media and Babylon were contemporary,

and rose up together by the fall of the Assyrian Empire;

and the Prophecy of the 4 Beasts begins with one of them,

and that of the Ram and He-Goat with the other.

8.

As the Ram represents the kingdom of Media and Persia from the beginning of the 4 Empires;

so the He-Goat represents the Empire of the Greeks to the end of those Monarchies.

9.

In the reign of his great horn, and of the 4 horns that succeeded it,

he represents this Empire during the reign of the Leopard:

 

and in the reign of his little horn, that stood up in the latter time of the kingdom of the 4,

and after their fall became mighty yet not by his own power,

he represents it during the reign of the 4th Beast.

10.

The rough Goat, saith Daniel, is the King of Grecia, that is, the kingdom;

and the great horn between his eyes is the first King:

 

not the first Monarch, yet the 1st kingdom, that that lasted during the reign of Alexander the great,

and his brother Aridæus and 2 young sons, Alexander and Hercules. [2]

11.

Now that [horn] being broken off, whereas 4 [horns] stood up for it,

4 kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation [of the Greeks], yet not in his [the 1st horn's] power.

12.

The 4 horns are therefore 4 kingdoms; and by consequence,

the 1st great horn that they succeeded is the first great kingdom of the Greeks,

that that was founded by Alexander the great, An.

13.

Nabonass. 414, and lasted till the death of his son Hercules, An. Nabonass. 441.

14.

And the 4 are those of Cassander, Lysimachus, Antigonus, and Ptolemy, as above.

 

15.

[3] And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full,

a King [or new kingdom] of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up:

and his power shall be mighty, yet not by his own power.

16.

This King was the last horn of the Goat,

the little horn that came up out of one of the 4 horns, and waxed exceeding great.

17.

The latter time of their kingdom was when the Romans began to conquer them,

that is, when they conquered Perseus King of Macedonia, the fundamental kingdom of the Greeks.

18.

And at that time the transgressors came to the full:

for then the High-priesthood was exposed to sale,

the Vessels of the Temple were sold to pay for the purchase;

19.

and the High-priest, with some of the Jews, procured a licence from Antiochus Epiphanes

to do after the ordinances of the heathen,

and set up a school at Jerusalem for teaching those ordinances.

20.

Then Antiochus took Jerusalem with an armed force, slew 4000 Jews,

took as many prisoners and sold them,

spoiled the Temple, interdicted the worship, commanded the Law of Moses to be burnt,

and set up the worship of the heathen Gods in all Judea.

21.

In the very same year, An. Nabonass. 580, the Romans conquered Macedonia,

the chief of the 4 horns.

22.

Hitherto the Goat was mighty by its own power, but henceforward began to be under the Romans.

23.

Daniel distinguishes the times, by describing very particularly the actions of the Kings of the north and south, those two of the four horns which bordered upon Judea, until the Romans conquered Macedonia; and thenceforward only touching upon the main revolutions which happened within the compass of the nations represented by the Goat.

24.

In this latter period of time the little horn was to stand up and grow mighty, but not by his own power.

25.

The three first of Daniel's Beasts had their dominions taken away, each of them at the rise of the next Beast; but their lives were prolonged, and they are all of them still alive.

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                           CHAPTER NINE

Divisions 226-250

 

 

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 9

26.

The third Beast, or Leopard, reigned in his four heads, till the rise of the fourth Beast, or Empire of the Latins; and his life was prolonged under their power.

27.

This Leopard reigning in his 4 heads,

signifies the same thing with the He-Goat reigning in his 4 horns:

and therefore the He-Goat reigned in his 4 horns till the rise of Daniel's 4th Beast, or Empire of the Latins:

then its dominion was taken away by the Latins,

yet its life was prolonged under their power.

28.

The Latins are not comprehended among the nations represented by the He-Goat in this Prophecy:

their power over the Greeks is only named in it,

to distinguish the times in which the He-Goat was mighty by his own power,

from the times in which he was mighty but not by his own power.

29.

He was mighty by his own power till his dominion was taken away by the Latins;

after that, his life was prolonged under their dominion,

and this prolonging of his life was in the days of his last horn:

for in the days of this horn the Goat became mighty, yet not by his own power.

30.

Now because this horn was a horn of the Goat,

we are to look for it among the nations that composed the body of the Goat.

31.

Among those nations he was to rise up and grow mighty:

he grew mighty [4] towards the south, and towards the east, and towards the pleasant land;

and therefore he was to rise up in the north-west parts of those nations,

and extend his dominion towards Egypt, Syria, and Judea.

32.

In the latter time of the kingdom of the 4 horns,

it was to rise up out of one of them and subdue the rest, yet not by its own power.

33.

It was to be assisted by a foreign power, a power superior to its own power,

the power that took away the dominion of the third Beast, the power of the 4th Beast.

34.

And such a little horn was the kingdom of Macedonia,

from the time that it became subject to the Romans.

35.

This kingdom, by the victory of the Romans over Persius King of Macedonia, Anno Nabonass. 580, ceased to be one of the 4 horns of the Goat, and became a dominion of a new sort:

36.

not a horn of the 4th Beast, for Macedonia belonged to the body of the 3rd;

yet a horn of the 3rd Beast of a new sort,

a horn of the Goat that grew mighty yet not by his own power,

a horn that rose up and grew potent under a foreign power, the power of the Romans.

 

37.

The Romans, by the legacy of Attalus the last King of Pergamus, An. Nabonass. 615,

inherited that kingdom, including all Asia Minor on this side mount Taurus. An. Nabonass. 684 and 685 they conquered Armenia, Syria and Judea;

An. Nabonass. 718, they subdued Egypt.

38.

And by these conquests the little horn [5] waxed exceeding great towards the south,

and towards the east, and towards the pleasant land.

39.

And it waxed great even to the host of heaven;

and cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them,

that is, upon the people and great men of the Jews. [6]

40.

Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the Host, the Messiah, the Prince of the Jews,

whom he put to death, An. Nabonass. 780.

41.

And by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down,

viz. in the wars which the armies of the Eastern nations under the conduct of the Romans made against Judea, when Nero and Vespasian were Emperors, An. Nabonass. 816, 817, 818. [7]

42.

And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression,

and it cast down the truth to the ground, and it practised and prospered.

43.

This transgression is in the next words called the transgression of desolation;

and in Dan. xi. 31. the abomination that maketh desolate;

and in Matth. xxiv. 15.

the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.

44.

It may relate chiefly to the worship of Jupiter Olympius in his Temple built by the Emperor Hadrian, in the place of the Temple of the Jews,

and to the revolt of the Jews under Barchochab occasioned thereby,

and to the desolation of Judea that followed thereupon;

all the Jews, being thenceforward banished Judea upon pain of death.

45.

Then I heard, saith [8] Daniel, one saint speaking,

and another saint said unto that certain saint that spake,

 

How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice,

and the transgression of desolation,

to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?

46.

And he said unto me, Unto 2,300 days;

then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

47.

Daniel's days are years;

and these years may perhaps be reckoned either

from the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in the reign of Vespasian,

or from the pollution of the Sanctuary by the worship of Jupiter Olympius,

or from the desolation of Judea made in the end of the Jewish war

by the banishment of all the Jews out of their own country,

or from some other period which time will discover.

48.

Henceforward the last horn of the Goat continued mighty under the Romans,

till the reign of Constantine the great and his sons:

49.

and then by the division of the Roman Empire between the Greek and Latin Emperors,

it separated from the Latins, and became the Greek Empire alone,

except yet under the dominion of a Roman family;

and at present it is mighty under the dominion of the Turks.

50.

This last horn is by some taken for Antiochus Epiphanes, yet not very judiciously.

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                             CHAPTER TEN

Divisions 251-280

 

 

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 9

51.

A horn of a Beast is never taken for a single person:

it always signifies a new kingdom, and the kingdom of Antiochus was an old one.

52.

Antiochus reigned over one of the 4 horns,

and the little horn was a fifth under its proper kings.

53.

This horn was at first a little one, and waxed exceeding great,

yet not so did Antiochus.

54.

It is described great above all the former horns, and not so was Antiochus.

55.

His kingdom on the contrary was weak, and tributary to the Romans,

and he did not enlarge it.

56.

The horn was a King of fierce countenance, and destroyed wonderfully,

and prospered and practised;

that is, he prospered in his practises against the holy people:

yet Antiochus was frighted out of Egypt by a mere message of the Romans,

and afterwards routed and baffled by the Jews.

57.

The horn was mighty by another's power, Antiochus acted by his own.

58.

The horn stood up against the Prince of the Host of heaven, the Prince of Princes;

and this is the character not of Antiochus but of Antichrist.

59.

The horn cast down the Sanctuary to the ground, and so did not Antiochus;

he left it standing.

60.

The Sanctuary and Host were trampled under foot 2300 days;

and in Daniel's Prophecies days are put for years:

yet the profanation of the Temple in the reign of Antiochus did not last so many natural days.

61.

These were to last till the time of the end, till the last end of the indignation against the Jews;

and this indignation is not yet at an end.

62.

They were to last till the Sanctuary that had been cast down should be cleansed,

and the Sanctuary is not yet cleansed.

 

63.

This Prophecy of the Ram and He-Goat is repeated in the last Prophecy of Daniel.

64.

There the Angel tells Daniel, that [9] he stood up to strengthen Darius the Mede,

and that there should stand up yet 3 kings in Persia, [Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius Hystaspis]

and the 4th [Xerxes] should be far richer than they all;

and by his wealth thro' his riches he should stir up all against the realm of Grecia.

65.

This relates to the Ram, whose 2 horns were the kingdoms of Media and Persia.

66.

Then he goes on to describe the horns of the Goat by the [10] standing up of a mighty king,

that should rule with great dominion, and do according to his will;

and by the breaking of his kingdom into 4 smaller kingdoms,

and not descending to his own posterity.

67.

Then he describes the actions of 2 of those kingdoms which bordered on Judea,

viz. Egypt and Syria, calling them the Kings of the South and North, that is, in respect of Judea;

and he carries on the description till the latter end of the kingdoms of the 4,

and till the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, when transgressors were come to the full.

 

68.

In the 8th year of Antiochus, the year in which he profaned the Temple and set up the heathen Gods in all Judea, and the Romans conquered the kingdom of Macedon;

the prophetic Angel leaves off describing the affairs of the kings of the South and North,

and begins to describe those of the Greeks under the dominion of the Romans, in these words: [11]

69.

And after him Arms [the Romans] shall stand up,

and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength.

70.

As ???? signifies after the king, Dan. xi. 8; so here ???? may signify after him:

and so ??????? may signify after one of them, Dan. viii. 9.

Arms are every where in these Prophecies of Daniel put for the military power of a kingdom,

and they stand up when they conquer and grow powerful.

71.

The Romans conquered Illyricum, Epirus and Macedonia, in the year of Nabonassar 580;

and 35 years after, by the last will and testament of Attalus the last King of Pergamus,

they inherited that rich and flourishing kingdom, that is, all Asia on this side mount Taurus:

 

and 69 years after, they conquered the kingdom of Syria, and reduced it into a Province:

and 34 years after they did the like to Egypt.

72.

By all these steps the Roman arms stood up over the Greeks.

73.

And after 95 years more, by making war upon the Jews,

they polluted the sanctuary of strength, and took away the daily sacrifice,

and, in its room soon after, placed the abomination that made the Land desolate:

for this abomination was placed after the days of Christ, Matth. xxiv. 15.

74.

In the 16th year of the Emperor Hadrian, A. C. 132,

they placed this abomination by building a Temple to Jupiter Capitolinus,

where the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stood.

75.

Thereupon the Jews under the conduct of Barchochab rose up in arms against the Romans,

and in that war had 50 cities demolished,

985 of their best towns destroyed,

and 580000 men slain by the sword:

 

and in the end of the war, A.C. 136, they were all banished Judea upon pain or death;

and that time the land hath remained desolate of its old inhabitants.

76.

Now that the prophetic Angel passes in this manner from the 4 kingdoms of the Greeks

to the Romans reigning over the Greeks, is confirmed from hence,

that in the next place he describes the affairs of the Christians unto the time of the end, in these words: [12]

 

77.

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many,

yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil many days.

78.

Now when they shall fall they shall be holpen with a little help,

viz. in the reign of Constantine the great;

yet many shall cleave to them with dissimulation.

79.

And some of them of understanding there shall fall to try them,

and to purge them from the dissemblers;

and to make them white even to the time of the end.

80.

And a little after, the time of the end is said to be a time, times, and half a time:

which is the duration of the reign of the last horn of Daniel's fourth Beast,

and of the Woman and her Beast in the Apocalyps.

 

Notes to Chap. IX.

[1] Chap. Viii. 3. [2] Ver. 22.

[3] Ver. 23. [4] Chap. viii. 9.

[5] Chap. Viii. 9, 10. [6] Ver. 11.

[7] Ver. 12. [8] Ver. 13, 14.

[9] Dan. xi. 1, 2. [10] Ver. 3.

[11] Dan xi. 31. [12] Chap. xi. 33, &c.

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                     CHAPTER ELEVEN

Divisions 281-305

 

Of the Prophecy of the 70 Weeks.

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 10

81.

The Vision of the Image composed of 4 Metals was given first to Nebuchadnezzar,

and then to Daniel in a dream:

and Daniel began then to be celebrated for revealing of secrets, Ezek. xxviii. 3.

82.

The Vision of the 4 Beasts, and of the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven,

was also given to Daniel in a dream.

83.

That of the Ram and the He-Goat appeared to him in the day time, when he was by the bank of the river Ulay; and was explained to him by the prophetic Angel Gabriel.

84.

It concerns the Prince of the host, and the Prince of Princes:

and now in the first year of Darius the Mede over Babylon,

the same prophetic Angel appears to Daniel again, and explains to him

what is meant by the Son of man, by the Prince of the host, and the Prince of Princes.

85.

The Prophecy of the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven

relates to the 2nd coming of Christ;

that of the Prince of the host relates to his first coming:

and this Prophecy of the Messiah, in explaining them, relates to both comings,

and assigns the times thereof.

86.

This Prophecy, like all the rest of Daniel's, consists of 2 parts,

an introductory Prophecy and an explanation thereof; the whole I thus translate and interpret.

 

87.

[1] '70 weeks are [2] cut out upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression,

and [3] to make an end of sins, to expiate iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,

to consummate the Vision and [4] the Prophet, and to anoint the most Holy.

88.

'Know also and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to cause to return and to build Jerusalem, unto [5] the Anointed the Prince, shall be 7 weeks.

89.

'Yet 62 weeks shall [6] it return,

and the street be built and the wall;

yet in troublesome times:

and after the 62 weeks, the Anointed shall be cut off, and [6] it shall not be his;

but the people of a Prince to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary:

and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war, desolations are determined.

90.

'Yet shall he confirm the covenant with many for one week:

and in half a week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease:

and upon a wing of abominations he shall make it desolate,

even until the consummation, and that that is determined be poured upon the desolate.'

91.

Seventy weeks are cut out upon thy people, and upon thy holy city,

to finish transgression, &c.

92.

Here, by putting a week for 7 years, are reckoned 490 years from the time that the dispersed Jews should be re-incorporated into [7] a people and a holy city,

until the death and resurrection of Christ;

93.

whereby transgression should be finished, and sins ended,

iniquity be expiated, and everlasting righteousness brought in,

and this Vision be accomplished,

and the Prophet consummated, that Prophet whom the Jews expected;

and whereby the most Holy should be anointed,

he who is therefore in the next words called the Anointed, that is, the Messiah, or the Christ.

94.

For by joining the accomplishment of the vision with the expiation of sins,

the 490 years are ended with the death of Christ.

95.

Now the dispersed Jews became a people and city when they first returned into a polity or body politick;

and this was in the 7th year of Artaxerxes Longimanus,

when Ezra returned with a body of Jews from captivity, and revived the Jewish worship;

and by the King's commission created Magistrates in all the land,

to judge and govern the people according to the laws of God and the King, Ezra vii. 25.

96.

There were but two returns from captivity, Zerubbabel's and Ezra's;

in Zerubbabel's they had only commission to build the Temple,

in Ezra's they first became a polity or city by a government of their own.

97.

Now the years of this Artaxerxes began about 2 or 3 months after the summer solstice,

and his 7th year fell in with the 3rd year of the 80th Olympiad;

and the latter part thereof, wherein Ezra went up to Jerusalem,

was in the year of the Julian Period 4257.

98.

Count the time from thence to the death of Christ, and you will find it just 490 years.

99.

If you count in Judaic years commencing in autumn,

and date the reckoning from the first autumn after Ezra's coming to Jerusalem,

when he put the King's decree in execution;

the death of Christ will fall on the year of the Julian Period 4747, Anno Domini 34;

and the weeks will be Judaic weeks, ending with sabbatical years;

300.

and this I take to be the truth:

yet if you had rather place the death of Christ in the year before, as is commonly done,

you may take the year of Ezra's journey into the reckoning.

301.

Know also and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to cause

to return and to build Jerusalem, unto the Anointed the Prince, shall be 7 weeks.

302.

The former part of the Prophecy related to the first coming of Christ,

being dated to his coming as a Prophet;

this being dated to his coming to be Prince or King, seems to relate to his second coming.

303.

There, the Prophet was consummate, and the most holy anointed:

here, he that was anointed comes to be Prince and to reign.

304.

For Daniel's Prophecies reach to the end of the world;

and there is scarce a Prophecy in the Old Testament concerning Christ,

which doth not in something or other relate to his second coming.

305.

If divers of the ancients, as [8] Irenæus, [9] Julius Africanus, Hippolytus the martyr,

and Apollinaris Bishop of Laodicea, applied the half week to the times of Antichrist;

why may not we, by the same liberty of interpretation, apply the 7 weeks to the time when Antichrist shall be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming?

 

Sir Isaac Newton's Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel                    CHAPTER TWELVE

Divisions 306-3

 

 

NEWTON'S OBSERVATIONS 10

306.

The Israelites in the days of the ancient Prophets,

when the 10 Tribes were led into captivity, expected a double return;

and that at the first the Jews should build a new Temple inferior to Solomon's,

until the time of that age should be fulfilled;

and afterwards they should return from all places of their captivity,

and build Jerusalem and the Temple gloriously, Tobit xiv. 4, 5, 6:

307.

and to express the glory and excellence of this city,

it is figuratively said to be built of precious stones, Tobit xiii. 16, 17, 18. Isa. liv. 11, 12. Rev. xi.

and called the New Jerusalem, the Heavenly Jerusalem, the Holy City,

the Lamb's Wife, the City of the Great King,

the City into which the Kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour.

308.

Now while such a return from captivity was the expectation of Israel, even before the times of Daniel, I know not why Daniel should omit it in his Prophecy.

309.

This part of the Prophecy being therefore not yet fulfilled, I shall not attempt a particular interpretation of it, but content myself with observing, that as the 70 and the sixty two weeks were Jewish weeks, ending with sabbatical years;

 

so the 7 weeks are the compass of a Jubilee, and begin and end with actions proper for a Jubilee, and of the highest nature for which a Jubilee can be kept:

and that since the commandment to return and to build Jerusalem, precedes the Messiah the Prince 49 years;

 

it may perhaps come forth not from the Jews themselves, but from some other kingdom friendly to them, and precede their return from captivity, and give occasion to it;

 

and lastly, that this rebuilding of Jerusalem and the waste places of Judah is predicted in Micah vii. 11. Amos ix. 11, 14. Ezek. xxxvi. 33, 35, 36, 38. Isa. liv. 3, 11, 12. lv. 12. lxi. 4. lxv. 18, 21,22. and Tobit xiv. 5. and that the return from captivity and coming of the Messiah and his kingdom are described in Daniel vii. Rev. xix. Acts i. Mat. xxiv. Joel iii. Ezek. xxxvi. xxxvii. Isa. lx. lxii. lxiii. lxv. and lxvi. and many other places of scripture.

 

The manner I know not. Let time be the Interpreter.

 

 

Yet threescore and two weeks shall it return,

and the street be built and the wall, but in troublesome times:

and after the threescore and two weeks the Messiah shall be cut off, and it shall not be his;

but the people of a Prince to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, &c.

 

Having foretold both comings of Christ, and dated the last from their returning and building Jerusalem;

to prevent the applying that to the building Jerusalem by Nehemiah,

he distinguishes this from that, by saying that from this period to the Anointed shall be,

not 7 weeks, but threescore and two weeks, and this not in prosperous but in troublesome times;

 

and at the end of these Weeks the Messiah shall not be the Prince of the Jews, but be cut off;

and Jerusalem not be his, but the city and sanctuary be destroyed.

 

Now Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in the 20th year of this same Artaxerxes,

while Ezra still continued there, Nehem. xii. 36, and found the city lying waste, and the houses and wall unbuilt, Nehem. ii. 17. vii. 4, and finished the wall the 25th day of the month Elul, Nehem. vi. 15, in the 28th year of the King, that is, in September in the year of the Julian Period 4278.

 

Count now from this year threescore and two weeks of years, that is 434 years,

and the reckoning will end in September in the year of the Julian Period 4712 that is the year in which Christ was born, according to Clemens Alexandrinus, Irenæus, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Jerome, Orosius, Cassiodorus, and other antients;

and this was the general opinion, till Dionysius Exiguus invented the vulgar account,

that Christ's birth is placed in 2 years later.

 

If with some you reckon that Christ was born 3 or 4 years before the vulgar account,

yet his birth will fall in the latter part of the last week, that is enough.

 

How after these weeks Christ was cut off and the city and sanctuary destroyed by the Romans,

is well known.

 

 

Yet shall he confirm the covenant with many for one week.

 

He kept it, notwithstanding his death, till the rejection of the Jews,

and calling of Cornelius and the Gentiles in the 7th year after his passion.

 

And in half a week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease;

that is, by the war of the Romans upon the Jews:

which war, after some commotions, began in the 13th year of Nero, A.D. 67, in the spring,

when Vespasian with an army invaded them;

and ended in the second year of Vespasian, A.D. 70, in autumn, Sept. 7,

when Titus took the city, having burnt the Temple 27 days before:

so that it lasted 3 years and an half.

 

And upon a wing of abominations he shall cause desolation, even until the consummation, and that which is determined be poured upon the desolate.

 

The Prophets, in representing kingdoms by Beasts and Birds, put their wings stretcht out over any country for their armies sent out to invade and rule over that country.

 

Hence a wing of abominations is an army of false Gods:

for an abomination is often put in scripture for a false God;

as where Chemosh is called 10 the abomination of Moab, and Molech the abomination of Ammon.

 

The meaning therefore is, that the people of a Prince to come shall destroy the sanctuary,

and abolish the daily worship of the true God, and overspread the land with an army of false gods;

and by setting up their dominion and worship,

cause desolation to the Jews, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

 

For Christ tells us, that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel was to be set up in the times of the Roman Empire, Matth. xxiv. 15.

 

 

Thus have we in this short Prophecy,

a prediction of all the main periods relating to the coming of the Messiah;

the time of his birth, that of his death, that of the rejection of the Jews,

the duration of the Jewish war whereby he caused the city and sanctuary to be destroyed,

and the time of his second coming:

and so the interpretation here given is more full and complete and adequate to the design,

than if we should restrain it to his first coming only, as Interpreters usually do.

 

We avoid also the doing violence to the language of Daniel,

by taking the 7 weeks and 62 weeks for one number.

 

Had that been Daniel's meaning, he would have said 69 weeks,

and not 7 weeks and 62 weeks, a way of numbring used by no nation.

 

In our way the years are Jewish Luni-solar years, [11] as they ought to be;

and the 70 weeks of years are Jewish weeks ending with sabbatical years, that is very remarkable.

 

For they end either with the year of the birth of Christ, 2 years before the vulgar account,

or with the year of his death, or with the 7th year after it:

all which are sabbatical years.

 

Others either count by Lunar years, or by weeks not Judaic:

and, which is worst, they ground their interpretations on erroneous Chronology,

excepting the opinion of Funccius about the 70 weeks, that is the same with ours.

 

For they place Ezra and Nehemiah in the reign of Artaxerxes Mnemon,

and the building of the Temple in the reign of Darius Nothus,

and date the weeks of Daniel from those two reigns.

 

 

The grounds of the Chronology here followed, I will now set down as briefly as I can.

 

The Peloponnesian war began in spring An. 1 Olymp. 87,

as Diodorus, Eusebius, and all other authors agree.

 

It began two months before Pythodorus ceased to be Archon, Thucyd. l. 2.

that is, in April, two months before the end of the Olympic year.

 

Now the years of this war are most certainly determined by the 50 years distance of its first year from the transit of Xerxes inclusively, Thucyd. l. 2. or 48 years exclusively, Eratosth. apud Clem. Alex. by the 69 years distance of its end, or 27th year,

from the beginning of Alexander's reign in Greece;

by the acting of the Olympic games in its 4th and 12th years, Thucyd. l. 5;

and by three eclipses of the sun, and one of the moon, mentioned by Thucydides and Xenophon.

 

Now Thucydides, an unquestionable witness, tells us,

that the news of the death of Artaxerxes Longimanus was brought to Ephesus,

and from thence by some Athenians to Athens, in the 7th year of this Peloponnesian war, when the winter half year was running;

and therefore he died An. 4 Olymp. 88, in the end of An. J.P. 4289, suppose a month or 2 before midwinter;

for so long the news would be in coming.

 

Now Artaxerxes Longimanus reigned 40 years, by the consent of Diodorus, Eusebius, Jerome, Sulpitius;

or 41, according to Ptol. in can. Clem. Alexand. l. 1. Strom. Chron. Alexandr. Abulpharagius, Nicephorus, including therein the reign of his successors Xerxes and Sogdian, as Abulpharagius informs us.

 

After Artaxerxes reigned his son Xerxes two months, and Sogdian 7 months;

yet their reign is not reckoned apart in summing up the years of the Kings,

yet is included in the 40 or 41 years reign of Artaxerxes:

omit these 9 months, and the precise reign of Artaxerxes will be 39 years and 3 months.

 

And therefore since his reign ended in the beginning of winter An. J.P. 4289,

it began between midsummer and autumn, An. J.P. 4250.

 

 

The same thing I gather also thus.

 

Cambyses began his reign in spring An. J.P. 4185,

and reigned 8 years, including the 5 months of Smerdes;

and then Darius Hystaspis began in spring An. J.P. 4193, and reigned 36 years,

by the unanimous consent of all Chronologers.

 

The reigns of these two Kings are determined by 3 eclipses of the moon observed at Babylon, and recorded by Ptolemy;

so that it cannot be disputed.

 

One was in the seventh year of Cambyses, An. J.P. 4191, Jul. 16, at 11 at night;

another in the 20th year of Darius, An. J.P. 4212, Nov. 19, at 11h. 45' at night;

a third in the 31st year of Darius, An. J.P. 4223, Apr. 25, at 11h. 30 at night.

 

By these eclipses, and the Prophecies of Haggai and Zechary compared together,

it is manifest that his years began after the 24th day of the 11th Jewish month,

and before the 25th day of April, and by consequence about March.

 

Xerxes therefore began in spring An. J.P. 4229:

for Darius died in the 5th year after the battle at Marathon, as Herodotus, lib. 7, and Plutarch mention;

and that battle was in October An. J.P. 4224, 10 years before the battle at Salamis.

 

Xerxes therefore began within less than a year after October An. J.P. 4228,

suppose in the spring following:

for he spent his first 5 years, and something more,

in preparations for his expedition against the Greeks;

and this expedition was in the time of the Olympic games, An. 1 Olymp. 75, Calliade Athenis Archonte, 28 years after the Regifuge, and Consulship of the first Consul Junius Brutus, Anno Urbis conditæ 273, Fabio & Furio Coss.

 

The passage of Xerxes's army over the Hellespont began in the end of the 4th year of the 74th Olympiad, that is, in June An. J.P. 4234, and took up 1 month:

and in autumn, 3 months after, on the full moon, the 16th day of the month Munychion,

was the battle at Salamis,

and a little after that an eclipse of the sun, that by the calculation fell on Octob. 2.

 

His 6th year therefore began a little before June, suppose in spring An. J.P. 4234,

and his first year consequently in spring An. J.P. 4229, as above.

 

Now he reigned almost 21 years, by the consent of all writers.

 

Add the 7 months of Artabanus, and the sum will be 21 years and about 4 or 5 months,

that end between midsummer and autumn An. J.P. 4250.

 

At this time therefore began the reign of his successor Artaxerxes, as was to be proved.

 

The same thing is also confirmed by Julius Africanus,

who informs us out of former writers, that the 20th year of this Artaxerxes was the 115th year from the beginning of the reign of Cyrus in Persia, and fell in with An. 4 Olymp. 83.

 

It began therefore with the Olympic year, soon after the summer Solstice, An. J.P. 4269.

 

Subduct 19 years, and his first year will begin at the same time of the year An. J.P. 4250, as above.

 

His 7th year therefore began after midsummer An. J.P. 4256; and the Journey of Ezra to Jerusalem in the spring following fell on the beginning of An. J.P. 4257, as above.

 

Notes to Chap. X.

[1] Chap. ix. 24, 25, 26, 27.

[2] Cut upon. A phrase in Hebrew, taken from the practise of numbring by cutting notches.

[3] Heb. to seal, i.e. to finish or consummate: a metaphor taken from sealing what is finished. So the Jews compute, ad obsignatum Misna, ad obsignatum Talmud, that is, ad absolutum.

[4] Heb. the Prophet, not the Prophecy.

[5] Heb. the Messiah, that is, in Greek, the Christ; in English, the Anointed. I use the English word, that the relation of this clause to the former may appear.

[6] Jerusalem.

[7] See Isa. xxiii. 13.

[8] Iren. l. 5. Hær. c. 25.

[9] Apud Hieron. in h. l.

[10] 1 Kings xi. 7.

[11] The antient solar years of the eastern nations consisted of 12 months, and every month of 30 days: and hence came the division of a circle into 360 degrees. This year seems to be used by Moses in his history of the Flood, and by John in the Apocalypse, where a time, times and half a time, 42 months and 1260 days, are put equipollent. But in reckoning by many of these years together, an account is to be kept of the odd days which were added to the end of these years. For the Egyptians added five days to the end of this year; and so did the Chaldeans long before the times of Daniel, as appears by the Æra, of Nabonassar: and the Persian Magi used the same year of 365 days, till the Empire of the Arabians. The antient Greeks also used the same solar year of 12 equal months, or 360 days; but every other year added an intercalary month, consisting of 10 and 11 days alternately.

The year of the Jews, even from their coming out of Egypt, was Luni-solar. It was solar, for the harvest always followed the Passover, and the fruits of the land were always gathered before the feast of Tabernacles, Levit. xxiii. But the months were lunar, for the people were commanded by Moses in the beginning of every month to blow with trumpets, and offer burnt offerings with their drink offerings, Num. x. 10. xxviii. 11, 14. and this solemnity was kept on the new moons, Psal. lxxxi. 3,4,5. 1 Chron. xxiii. 31. These months were called by Moses the first, second, third, fourth month, &c. and the first month was also called Abib, the second Zif, the seventh Ethanim, the eighth Bull, Exod. xiii. 4. 1 Kings vi. 37, 38. viii. 2. But in the Babylonian captivity the Jews used the names of the Chaldean months, and by those names understood the months of their own year; so that the Jewish months then lost their old names, and are now called by those of the Chaldeans.

The Jews began their civil year from the autumnal Equinox, and their sacred year from the vernal: and the first day of the first month was on the visible new moon, which was nearest the Equinox.

Whether Daniel used the Chaldaick or Jewish year, is not very material; the difference being but six hours in a year, and 4 months in 480 years. But I take his months to be Jewish: first, because Daniel was a Jew, and the Jews even by the names of the Chaldean months understood the months of their own year: secondly, because this Prophecy is grounded on Jeremiah's concerning the 70 years captivity, and therefore must be understood of the same sort of years with the seventy; and those are Jewish, since that Prophecy was given in Judea before the captivity: and lastly, because Daniel reckons by weeks of years, which is a way of reckoning peculiar to the Jewish years. For as their days ran by sevens, and the last day of every seven was a sabbath; so their years ran by sevens, and the last year of every seven was a sabbatical year, and seven such weeks of years made a Jubilee.

 

CHAP. XI.

 

Of the Times of the Birth and Passion of Christ.

 

The times of the Birth and Passion of Christ, with such like niceties, being not material to religion, were little regarded by the Christians of the first age.

 

They who began first to celebrate them, placed them in the cardinal periods of the year;

as the annunciation of the Virgin Mary, on the 25th of March, that when Julius Cæsar corrected the Calendar was the vernal Equinox;

the feast of John Baptist on the 24th of June, that was the summer Solstice;

the feast of St. Michael on Sept. 29, that was the autumnal Equinox;

and the birth of Christ on the winter Solstice, Decemb. 25, with the feasts of St. Stephen, St. John and the Innocents, as near it as they could place them.

 

And because the Solstice in time removed from the 25th of December to the 24th, the 23d, the 22d, and so on backwards, hence some in the following centuries placed the birth of Christ on Decemb. 23, and at length on Decemb. 20:

and for the same reason they seem to have set the feast of St. Thomas on Decemb. 21, and that of St. Matthew on Sept. 21.

 

So also at the entrance of the Sun into all the signs in the Julian Calendar, they placed the days of other Saints;

as the conversion of Paul on Jan. 25, when the Sun entred Aquarius;

St. Matthias on Feb. 25, when he entred Pisces; St. Mark on Apr. 25, when he entred Taurus; Corpus Christi on May 26, when he entred Gemini;

St. James on July 25, when he entred Cancer;

St. Bartholomew on Aug. 24, when he entred Virgo; Simon and Jude on Octob. 28, when he entred Scorpio:

and if there were any other remarkable days in the Julian Calendar, they placed the Saints upon them, as St. Barnabas on June 11, where Ovid seems to place the feast of Vesta and Fortuna, and the goddess Matuta;

and St. Philip and James on the first of May, a day dedicated both to the Bona Dea, or Magna Mater, and to the goddess Flora, and still celebrated with her rites.

 

All which shews that these days were fixed in the first Christian Calendars by Mathematicians at pleasure, without any ground in tradition;

and that the Christians afterwards took up with what they found in the Calendars.

 

Neither was there any certain tradition about the years of Christ.

 

For the Christians who first began to enquire into these things, as Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, Tertullian, Julius Africanus, Lactantius, Jerome, St. Austin, Sulpicius Severus, Prosper, and as many as place the death of Christ in the 15th or 16th year of Tiberius, make Christ to have preached but one year, or at most but two.

 

At length Eusebius discovered four successive Passovers in the Gospel of John,

and thereupon set on foot an opinion that he preacht three years and an half;

and so died in the 19th year of Tiberius. Others afterwards, finding the opinion that he died in the Equinox Mar. 25, more consonant to the times of the Jewish Passover, in the 17th and 20th years, have placed his death in one of those 2 years.

 

Neither is there any greater certainty in the opinions about the time of his birth. The first Christians placed his baptism near the beginning of the 15th year of Tiberius;

and thence reckoning thirty years backwards, placed his birth in the 43d Julian year, the 42d of Augustus and 28th of the Actiac victory.

 

This was the opinion which obtained in the first ages, till Dionysius Exiguus, placing the baptism of Christ in the 16th year of Tiberius, and misinterpreting the text of Luke, iii. 23. as if Jesus was only beginning to be 30 years old when he was baptized, invented the vulgar account, in which his birth is placed 2 years later than before.

 

As therefore relating to these things there is no tradition worth considering;

let us lay aside all and examine what prejudices can be gathered from records of good account.

 

The fifteenth year of Tiberius began Aug. 28, An. J.P. 4727.

 

So soon as the winter was over, and the weather became warm enough, we may reckon that John began to baptize;

and that before next winter his fame went abroad, and all the people came to his baptism, and Jesus among the rest.

 

Whence the first Passover after his baptism mentioned John ii. 13. was in the 16th year of Tiberius.

 

After this feast Jesus came into the land of Judea, and staid there baptizing, whilst John was baptizing in Ænon, John iii. 22, 23.

 

Yet when he heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee, Mat. iii. 12.

being afraid, because the Pharisees had heard that he baptized more disciples than John, John iv. 1.

and in his journey he passed thro' Samaria 4 months before the harvest, John iv. 35.

that is, about the time of the winter Solstice.

 

For their harvest was between Easter and Whitsunday,

and began about a month after the vernal Equinox.

 

Say not ye, saith he, there are yet 4 months, and then cometh harvest?

 

Behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest;

meaning, that the people in the fields were ready for the Gospel, as his next words shew[1].

 

John therefore was imprisoned about November, in the 17th year of Tiberius;

and Christ thereupon went from Judea to Cana of Galilee in December,

and was received there of the Galileans, who had seen all he did at Jerusalem at the Passover:

and when a Nobleman of Capernaum heard he was returned into Galilee, and went to him and desired him to come and cure his son, he went not thither yet, but only said,

Go thy way, thy son liveth; and the Nobleman returned and found it so, and believed, he and his house, John iv.

 

This is the beginning of his miracles in Galilee;

and thus far John is full and distinct in relating the actions of his first year,

omitted by the other Evangelists.

 

The rest of his history is from this time related more fully by the other Evangelists than by John; for what they relate he omits.

 

From this time therefore Jesus taught in the Synagogues of Galilee on the sabbath-days,

being glorified of all:

and coming to his own city Nazareth, and preaching in their Synagogue,

they were offended, and thrust him out of the city,

and led him to the brow of the hill on which the city was built to cast him headlong;

yet he passing thro' the midst of them, went his way, and came and dwelt at Capernaum, Luke iv.

 

And by this time we may reckon the second Passover was either past or at hand.

 

All this time Matthew passeth over in few words,

and here begins to relate the preaching and miracles of Christ.

 

When Jesus, saith he, had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;

and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt at Capernaum,

and from that time began to preach and say,

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matth. iv. 12.

 

Afterwards he called his disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John;

and then went about all Galilee, teaching in the Synagogues,

—and healing all manner of sickness:

—and his fame went thro'out all Syria; and they brought unto him all sick people,—

and there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis,

and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan, Matth, iv. 18, 25.

 

All this was done before the sermon in the mount:

and therefore we may certainly reckon that the second Passover was past before the preaching of that sermon.

 

The multitudes that followed him from Jerusalem and Judea, shew that he had lately been there at the feast.

 

The sermon in the mount was made when great multitudes came to him from all places,

and followed him in the open fields; which is an argument of the summer-season:

and in this sermon he pointed at the lilies of the field then in the flower before the eyes of his auditors. Consider, saith he, the lilies of the field, how they grow;

they toil not, neither do they spin;

and yet Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these.

 

Wherefore if God so clothe the grass of the field,

which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven, &c. Matth. vi. 28.

 

So therefore the grass of the field was now in the flower,

and by consequence the month of March with the Passover was past.

 

Let us see therefore how the rest of the feasts follow in order in Matthew's Gospel:

for he was an eye-witness of what he relates,

and so tells all things in due order of time, that Mark and Luke do not.

 

 

Some time after the sermon in the mount, when the time came that he should be received,

that is, when the time of a feast came that he should be received by the Jews,

he set his face to go to Jerusalem:

 

and as he went with his disciples in the way,

when the Samaritans in his passage thro' Samaria had denied him lodgings,

and a certain Scribe said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest,

 

Jesus said unto him,

The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests,

yet the Son of man hath not where to lay his head, Matth. viii. 19. Luke ix. 51, 57.

 

The Scribe told Christ he would bear him company in his journey,

and Christ replied that he wanted a lodging.

 

Now this feast I take to be the feast of Tabernacles,

because soon after I find Christ and his Apostles on the sea of Tiberias in a storm so great,

that the ship was covered with water and in danger of sinking,

till Christ rebuked the winds and the sea, Matth. viii. 23.

 

For this storm shews that winter was now come on.

 

 

After this Christ did many miracles, and went about all the cities and villages of Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness, and every disease among the people, Matth. ix. he then sent forth the twelve to do the like, Matth. x. and at length when he had received a message from John, and answered it, he said to the multitudes, From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence;

and upbraided the cities, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not, Matth. xi. Which several passages shew, that from the imprisonment of John till now there had been a considerable length of time:

the winter was now past, and the next Passover was at hand;

for immediately after this, Matthew, in chap. xii. subjoins, that Jesus went on the sabbath-day thro' the corn, and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat,

—rubbing them, saith Luke, in their hands:

the corn therefore was not only in the ear, but ripe;

and consequently the Passover, in which the first-fruits were always offered before the harvest, was now come or past.

 

Luke calls this sabbath de?te??p??t??, the 2nd prime sabbath,

that is, the 2nd of the 2 great feasts of the Passover.

 

As we call Easter day high Easter, and its octave low Easter or Lowsunday:

so Luke calls the feast on the 7th day of the unlevened bread, the second of the 2 prime sabbaths.

 

 

In one of the sabbaths following he went into a Synagogue, and healed a man with a withered hand, Matth. xii. 9. Luke vi. 6.

 

And when the Pharisees took counsel to destroy him,

he withdrew himself from thence, and great multitudes followed him;

and he healed them all, and charged them that they should not make him known, Matth. xii. 14.

 

Afterwards being in a ship, and the multitude standing on the shore,

he spake to them 3 parables together, taken from the seeds-men sowing the fields, Matth. xiii.

by which we may know that it was now seed-time,

and by consequence that the feast of Tabernacles was past.

 

After this he went into his own country, and taught them in their Synagogue,

yet did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

 

Then the 12 having been abroad a year, returned, and told Jesus all that they had done:

and at the same time Herod beheaded John in prison, and his disciples came and told Jesus;

and when Jesus heard it,

he took the 12 and departed thence privately by ship into a desert place belonging to Bethsaida:

and the people when they knew it, followed him on foot out of the cities, the winter being now past;

and he healed their sick, and in the desert fed them to the number of 5,000 men, besides women and children, with only 5 loaves and 2 fishes, Matth. xiv. Luke ix. at the doing of which miracle the Passover of the Jews was nigh, John vi. 4.

 

Yet Jesus went not up to this feast;

yet after these things walked in Galilee,

because the Jews at the Passover before had taken counsel to destroy him,

and still sought to kill him, John vii. i.

 

Henceforward therefore he is found first in the coast of Tyre and Sidon,

then by the sea of Galilee, afterwards in the north coast of Cæsarea Philippi;

and lastly at Capernaum, Matth. xv. 21, 29. xvi. 13. xvii. 34.

 

 

Afterwards when the feast of Tabernacles was at hand,

his brethren upbraided him for walking secretly, and urged him to go up to the feast.

 

Yet he went not till they were gone, and then went up privately, John vii. 2.

and when the Jews sought to stone him, he escaped, John viii. 59.

 

After this he was at the feast of the Dedication in winter, John x. 22.

and when they sought again to take him, he fled beyond Jordan, John x. 39, 40. Matth. xix. 1. where he stayed till the death of Lazarus,

and then came to Bethany near Jerusalem, and raised him, John xi. 7, 18.

whereupon the Jews took counsel from that time to kill him:

 

and therefore he walked no more openly among the Jews,

yet went thence into a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim;

and there continued with his disciples till the last Passover, in which the Jews put him to death, John xi. 53, 54.

 

 

Thus have we, in the Gospels of Matthew and John compared together,

the history of Christ's actions in continual order during 5 Passovers.

 

John is more distinct in the beginning and end; Matthew in the middle:

what either omits, the other supplies.

 

The first Passover was between the baptism of Christ and the imprisonment of John, John ii. 13. the 2nd within 4 months after the imprisonment of John,

and Christ's beginning to preach in Galilee, John iv. 35.

and therefore it was either that feast to which Jesus went up,

when the Scribe desired to follow him, Matth. viii. 19. Luke ix. 51, 57. or the feast before it.

 

The third was the next feast after it, when the corn was eared and ripe, Matth, xii. 1. Luke vi. 1.

 

The fourth was that which was nigh at hand when Christ wrought the miracle of the 5 loaves, Matth. xiv. 15. John vi. 4, 5.

and the 5th was that in which Christ suffered, Matth. xx. 17. John xii. 1.

 

 

Between the 1st and 2nd Passover John and Christ baptized together,

until the imprisonment of John, that was 4 months before the second.

 

Then Christ began to preach, and call his disciples;

and after he had instructed them a year, lent them to preach in the cities of the Jews:

at the same time John hearing of the fame of Christ, sent to him to know who he was.

 

At the third, the chief Priests began to consult about the death of Christ.

 

A little before the 4th, the 12 after they had preached a year in all the cities, returned to Christ;

and at the same time Herod beheaded John in prison,

after he had been in prison 2 years and a quarter:

and thereupon Christ fled into the desart for fear of Herod.

 

The 4th Christ went not up to Jerusalem for fear of the Jews,

who at the Passover before had consulted his death, and because his time was not yet come.

 

Thenceforward therefore till the feast of Tabernacles he walked in Galilee,

and that secretly for fear of Herod:

and after the feast of Tabernacles he returned no more into Galilee,

yet sometimes was at Jerusalem, and sometimes retired beyond Jordan, or to the city Ephraim by the wilderness, until the Passover in which he was betrayed, apprehended, and crucified.

 

 

John therefore baptized two summers, and Christ preached three.

 

The first summer John preached to make himself known, in order to give testimony to Christ.

 

Then, after Christ came to his baptism and was made known to him,

he baptized another summer, to make Christ known by his testimony;

and Christ also baptized the same summer, to make himself the more known:

and by reason of John's testimony there came more to Christ's baptism than to John's.

 

The winter following John was imprisoned;

and now his course being at an end,

Christ entered upon his proper office of preaching in the cities.

 

In the beginning of his preaching he completed the number of the 12 Apostles,

and instructed them all the first year in order to send them abroad.

 

Before the end of this year, his fame by his preaching and miracles was so far spread abroad,

that the Jews at the Passover following consulted how to kill him.

 

In the 2nd year of his preaching, it being no longer safe for him to converse openly in Judea,

he sent the 12 to preach in all their cities:

and in the end of the year they returned to him, and told him all they had done.

 

All the last year the twelve continued with him to be instructed more perfectly,

in order to their preaching to all nations after his death.

 

And upon the news of John's death, being afraid of Herod as well as of the Jews,

he walked this year more secretly than before; frequenting desarts,

and spending the last half of the year in Judea, without the dominions of Herod.

 

 

Thus have we in the Gospels of Matthew and John all things told in due order,

from the beginning of John's preaching to the death of Christ,

and the years distinguished from one another by such essential characters that they cannot be mistaken.

 

The second Passover is distinguished from the first,

by the interposition of John's imprisonment.

 

The third is distinguished from the second, by a double character:

first, by the interposition of the feast to which Christ went up, Mat. viii. 19. Luke ix. 57.

and secondly, by the distance of time from the beginning of Christ's preaching:

for the second was in the beginning of his preaching, and the third so long after, that before it came Christ said, from the days of John the Baptist until now, &c.

and upbraided the cities of Galilee for their not repenting at his preaching,

and mighty works done in all that time.

 

The 4th is distinguished from the 3rd,

by the mission of the 12 from Christ to preach in the cities of Judea in all the interval.

 

The 5th is distinguished from all the former by the 12's being returned from preaching,

and continuing with Christ during all the interval, between the 4th and 5th,

and by the passion and other infallible characters.

 

 

Now since the first summer of John's baptizing fell in the fifteenth year of the Emperor Tiberius, and by consequence the first of these 5 Passovers in his sixteenth year;

the last of them, in which Jesus suffered, will fall on the twentieth year of the same Emperor;

and by consequence in the Consulship of Fabius and Vitellius, in the 79th Julian year, and year of Christ 34, that was the sabbatical year of the Jews.

 

And that it did so, I further confirm by these arguments.

 

 

I take it for granted that the passion was on friday the 14th day of the month Nisan,

the great feast of the Passover on saturday the 15th day of Nisan,

and the resurrection on the day following.

 

Now the 14th day of Nisan always fell on the full moon next after the vernal Equinox;

and the month began at the new moon before, not at the true conjunction,

yet at the first appearance of the new moon:

for the Jews referred all the time of the silent moon, as they phrased it, that is, of the moon's disappearing, to the old moon;

and because the first appearance might usually be about 18 hours after the true conjunction,

they therefore began their month from the sixth hour at evening, that is, at sun set, next after the eighteenth hour from the conjunction.

 

And this rule they called ?? Jah, designing by the letters ? and ? the number 18.

 

 

I know that Epiphanius tells us, if some interpret his words rightly, that the Jews used a vicious cycle, and thereby anticipated the legal new moons by two days.

 

Yet this surely he spake not as a witness, for he neither understood Astronomy nor Rabbinical learning, but as arguing from his erroneous hypothesis about the time of the passion.

 

For the Jews did not anticipate, but postpone their months:

they thought it lawful to begin their months a day later than the first appearance of the new moon, because the new moon continued for more days than one;

but not a day sooner, lest they should celebrate the new moon before there was any.

 

And the Jews still keep a tradition in their books,

that the Sanhedrim used diligently to define the new moons by sight:

sending witnesses into mountainous places, and examining them about the moon's appearing,

and translating the new moon from the day they had agreed on to the day before,

as often as witnesses came from distant regions,

who had seen it a day sooner than it was seen at Jerusalem.

 

Accordingly Josephus, one of the Jewish Priests who ministred in the temple,

tells us [2] that the Passover was kept on the 14th day of Nisan, ?ata se?????

according to the moon, when the sun was in Aries.

 

This is confirmed also by two instances, recorded by him,

that totally overthrow the hypothesis of the Jews using a vicious cycle.

 

For that year in which Jerusalem was taken and destroyed, he saith,

the Passover was on the 14th day of the month Xanticus, that according to Josephus is our April;

and that 5 years before, it fell on the 8th day of the same month.

 

Which 2 instances agree with the course of the moon.

 

 

Computing therefore the new moons of the first month according to the course of the moon and the rule Jah, and thence counting 14 days, I find that the 14th day of this month in the year of Christ 31, fell on tuesday March 27; in the year 32, on sunday Apr. 13; in the year 33, on friday Apr. 3; in the year 34, on wednesday March 24, or rather, for avoiding the Equinox which fell on the same day, and for having a fitter time for harvest, on thursday Apr. 22. also in the year 35, on tuesday Apr. 12. and in the year 36, on saturday March 31.

 

 

But because the 15th and 21st days of Nisan, and a day or two of Pentecost, and the 10th, 15th, and 22d of Tisri, were always sabbatical days or days of rest, and it was inconvenient on two sabbaths together to be prohibited burying their dead and making ready fresh meat,

for in that hot region their meat would be apt in two days to corrupt:

to avoid these and such like inconveniences, the Jews postponed their months a day, as often as the first day of the month Tisri, or, which is all one, the third of the month Nisan, was sunday, wednesday or friday:

and this rule they called ??? Adu, by the letters ? , ? , ? signifying the numbers 1, 4, 6; that is, the 1st, 4th, and 6th days of the week;

which days we call sunday, wednesday and friday.

 

Postponing therefore by this rule the months found above;

the 14th day of the month Nisan will fall in the year of Christ 31, on wednesday March 28;

in the year 32, on monday Apr. 14; in the year 33, on friday Apr. 3;

in the year 34, on friday Apr. 23; in the year 35, on wednesday Apr. 13, and in the year 36, on saturday March 31.

 

 

By this computation therefore the year 32 is absolutely excluded, because the Passion cannot fall on friday without making it five days after the full moon, or two days before it;

whereas it ought to be upon the day of the full moon, or the next day.

 

For the same reason the years 31 and 35 are excluded,

because in them the Passion cannot fall on friday,

without making it three days after the full moon, or four days before it:

errors so enormous, that they would be very conspicuous in the heavens to every vulgar eye.

 

The year 36 is contended for by few or none, and both this and the year 35 may be thus excluded.

 

 

Tiberius in the beginning of his reign made Valerius Gratus President of Judea;

and after 11 years, substituted Pontius Pilate, who governed 10 years.

 

Then Vitellius, newly made President of Syria, deprived him of his honour, substituting Marcellus, and at length sent him to Rome:

but, by reason of delays, Tiberius died before Pilate got thither.

 

In the mean time Vitellius, after he had deposed Pilate, came to Jerusalem in the time of the Passover, to visit that Province as well as others in the beginning of his office;

and in the place of Caiaphas, then High Priest, created Jonathas the son of Ananus, or Annas as he is called in scripture.

 

Afterwards, when Vitellius was returned to Antioch, he received letters from Tiberius, to make peace with Artabanus king of the Parthians.

 

At the same time the Alans, by the sollicitation of Tiberius, invaded the kingdom of Artabanus;

and his subjects also, by the procurement of Vitellius, soon after rebelled:

for Tiberius thought that Artabanus, thus pressed with difficulties, would more readily accept the conditions of peace.

 

Artabanus therefore straightway gathering a greater army, opprest the rebels;

and then meeting Vitellius at Euphrates, made a league with the Romans.

 

After this Tiberius commanded Vitellius to make war upon Aretas King of Arabia.

 

He therefore leading his army against Aretas, went together with Herod to Jerusalem,

to sacrifice at the publick feast which was then to be celebrated.

 

Where being received honourably, he stayed 3 days,

and in the mean while translated the high Priesthood from Jonathas to his brother Theophilus:

 

and the 4th day, receiving letters of the death of Tiberius,

made the people swear allegiance to Caius the new Emperor;

and recalling his army, sent them into quarters.

 

All this is related by Josephus Antiq. lib. 18. c. 6, 7.

 

Now Tiberius reigned 22 years and 7 months, and died March 16, in the beginning of the year of Christ 37;

and the feast of the Passover fell on April 20 following, that is, 35 days after the death of Tiberius:

 

so that there were about 36 or 38 days, for the news of his death to come from Rome to Vitellius at Jerusalem;

which being a convenient time for that message,

confirms that the feast which Vitellius and Herod now went up to was the Passover.

 

For had it been the Pentecost, as is usually supposed,

Vitellius would have continued 3 months ignorant of the Emperor's death:

which is not to be supposed.

 

However, the things done between this feast and the Passover which Vitellius was at before, namely, the stirring up a sedition in Parthia, the quieting that sedition, the making a league after that with the Parthians, the sending news of that league to Rome, the receiving new orders from thence to go against the Arabians, and the putting those orders in execution;

required much more time than the 50 days between the Passover and Pentecost of the same year:

and therefore the Passover which Vitellius first went up to, was in the year before.

 

Therefore Pilate was deposed before the Passover A.C. 36,

and by consequence the passion of Christ was before that Passover:

for he suffered not under Vitellius, nor under Vitellius and Pilate together, yet under Pilate alone.

 

 

Now it is observable that the high Priesthood was at this time become an annual office,

and the Passover was the time of making a new high Priest.

 

For Gratus the predecessor of Pilate, saith Josephus, made Ismael high Priest after Ananus;

and a while after, suppose a year, deposed him, and substituted Eleazar, and a year after Simon, and after another year Caiaphas;

and then gave way to Pilate.

 

So Vitellius at one Passover made Jonathas successor to Caiaphas,

and at the next Theophilus to Jonathas.

 

Hence Luke tells us, that in the 15th year of Tiberius, Annas and Caiaphas were high Priests, that is, Annas till the Passover, and Caiaphas afterwards.

 

Accordingly John speaks of the high Priesthood as an annual office:

for he tells us again and again, in the last year of Christ's preaching, that Caiaphas was high Priest for that year, John xi. 49, 51. xviii. 13.

 

And the next year Luke tells you, that Annas was high Priest, Acts iv. 6. Theophilus was therefore made high Priest in the first year of Caius, Jonathas in the 22d year of Tiberius, and Caiaphas in the 21st year of the same Emperor:

and therefore, allotting a year to each, the Passion, when Annas succeeded Caiaphas, could not be later than the 20th year of Tiberius, A.C. 34.

 

 

Thus there remain only the years 33 and 34 to be considered;

and the year 33 I exclude by this argument.

 

In the Passover 2 years before the Passion, when Christ went thro' the corn,

and his disciples pluckt the ears, and rubbed them with their hands to eat;

this ripeness of the corn shews that the Passover then fell late:

and so did the Passover A.C. 32, April 14, yet the Passover A.C. 31, March 28th, fell very early.

 

It was not therefore 2 years after the year 31,

yet 2 years after 32 that Christ suffered.

 

Thus all the characters of the Passion agree to the year 34;

and that is the only year to which they all agree.

 

Notes to Chap. XI.

[1] I observe, that Christ and his forerunner John in their parabolical discourses were wont to allude to things present. The old Prophets, when they would describe things emphatically, did not only draw parables from things which offered themselves, as from the rent of a garment, 1 Sam. xv. from the sabbatic year, Isa. xxxvii. from the vessels of a Potter, Jer. xviii, &c. but also when such fit objects were wanting, they supplied them by their own actions, as by rending a garment, 1 Kings xi. by shooting, 2 Kings xiii. by making bare their body, Isa. xx. by imposing significant names to their sons, Isa. viii. Hos. i. by hiding a girdle in the bank of Euphrates, Jer. xiii. by breaking a potter's vessel, Jer. xix. by putting on fetters and yokes, Jer. xxvii. by binding a book to a stone, and casting them both into Euphrates, Jer. li. by besieging a painted city, Ezek. iv. by dividing hair into three parts, Ezek. v. by making a chain, Ezek. vii. by carrying out houshold stuff like a captive and trembling, Ezek. xii, &c. By such kind of types the Prophets loved to speak. And Christ being endued with a nobler prophetic spirit than the rest, excelled also in this kind of speaking, yet so as not to speak by his own actions, that was less grave and decent, but to turn into parables such things as offered themselves. On occasion of the harvest approaching, he admonishes his disciples once and again of the spiritual harvest, John iv. 35. Matth. ix. 37. Seeing the lilies of the field, he admonishes his disciples about gay clothing, Matth. vi. 28. In allusion to the present season of fruits, he admonishes his disciples about knowing men by their fruits, Matth. vii. 16. In the time of the Passover, when trees put forth leaves, he bids his disciples learn a parable from the fig tree: when its branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh, &c. Matth. xxiv. 32. Luke xxi. 29. The same day, alluding both to the season of the year and to his passion, which was to be two days after, he formed a parable of the time of fruits approaching, and the murdering of the heir, Matth. xxi. 33. Alluding at the same time, both to the money-changers whom he had newly driven out of the Temple, and to his passion at hand; he made a parable of a Noble-man going into a far country to receive a kingdom and return, and delivering his goods to his servants, and at his return condemning the slothful servant because he put not his money to the exchangers, Matth. xxv. 14. Luke xix. 12. Being near the Temple where sheep were kept in folds to be sold for the sacrifices, he spake many things parabolically of sheep, of the shepherd, and of the door of the sheepfold; and discovers that he alluded to the sheepfolds which were to be hired in the market-place, by speaking of such folds as a thief could not enter by the door, nor the shepherd himself open, but a porter opened to the shepherd, John x. 1, 3. Being in the mount of Olives, Matth. xxxvi. 30. John xiv. 31. a place so fertile that it could not want vines, he spake many things mystically of the Husbandman, and of the vine and its branches, John xv. Meeting a blind man, he admonished of spiritual blindness, John ix. 39. At the sight of little children, he described once and again the innocence of the elect, Matth. xviii. 2. xix. 13. Knowing that Lazarus was dead and should be raised again, he discoursed of the resurrection and life eternal, John xi. 25, 26. Hearing of the slaughter of some whom Pilate had slain, he admonished of eternal death, Luke xiii. 1. To his fishermen he spake of fishers of men, Matth. iv. 10. and composed another parable about fishes. Matth. xiii. 47. Being by the Temple, he spake of the Temple of his body, John ii. 19. At supper he spake a parable about the mystical supper to come in the kingdom of heaven, Luke xiv. On occasion of temporal food, he admonished his disciples of spiritual food, and of eating his flesh and drinking his blood mystically, John vi. 27, 53. When his disciples wanted bread, he bad them beware of the leven of the Pharisees, Matth. xvi. 6. Being desired to eat, he answered that he had other meat, John iv. 31. In the great day of the feast of Tabernacles, when the Jews, as their custom was, brought a great quantity of waters from the river Shiloah into the Temple, Christ stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, John vii. 37. The next day, in allusion to the servants who by reason of the sabbatical year were newly set free, he said, If ye continue in my word, the truth shall make you free. Which the Jews understanding literally with respect to the present manumission of servants, answered, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayeth thou, ye shall be made free? John viii. They assert their freedom by a double argument: first, because they were the seed of Abraham, and therefore newly made free, had they been ever in bondage; and then, because they never were in bondage. In the last Passover, when Herod led his army thro' Judea against Aretas King of Arabia, because Aretas was aggressor and the stronger in military forces, as appeared by the event; Christ alluding to that state of things, composed the parable of a weaker King leading his army against a stronger who made war upon him, Luke xiv. 31. And I doubt not but divers other parables were formed upon other occasions, the history of which we have not.

[2] Joseph. Antiq. lib. 3. c. 10.

12

Of the Prophecy of the Scripture of Truth.

 

The kingdoms represented by the second and third Beasts, or the Bear and Leopard, are again described by Daniel in his last Prophecy written in the third year of Cyrus over Babylon, the year in which he conquered Persia.

 

For this Prophecy is a commentary upon the Vision of the Ram and He-Goat.

 

 

Behold, saith [1] he, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia, [Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius Hystaspes] and the fourth [Xerxes] shall be far richer than they all:

and by his strength thro' his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.

 

And a mighty king [Alexander the great] shall stand up,

that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

 

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken,

and shall be divided towards the 4 winds of heaven;

and not to his posterity [but after their death,] nor according to his dominion which he ruled:

for his kingdom shall be pluckt up, even for others besides those.

 

Alexander the great having conquered all the Persian Empire, and some part of India, died at Babylon a month before the summer Solstice, in the year of Nabonassar 425:

and his captains gave the monarchy to his bastard brother Philip Aridæus, a man disturbed in his understanding; and made Perdiccas administrator of the kingdom.

 

Perdiccas with their consent made Meleager commander of the army, Seleucus master of the horse, Craterus treasurer of the kingdom, Antipater governor of Macedon and Greece, Ptolemy governor of Egypt;

Antigonus governor of Pamphylia, Lycia, Lycaonia, and Phrygia major;

Lysimachus governor of Thrace, and other captains governors of other Provinces;

as many as had been so before in the days of Alexander the great.

 

The Babylonians began now to count by a new Æra, which they called the Æra of Philip, using the years of Nabonassar, and reckoning the 425th year of Nabonassar to be the first year of Philip.

 

Roxana the wife of Alexander being left big with child, and about three or four months after brought to bed of a son, they called him Alexander, saluted him King, and joined him with Philip, whom they had before placed in the throne.

 

Philip reigned three years under the administratorship of Perdiccas, two years more under the administratorship of Antipater, and above a year more under that of Polyperchon;

in all six years and four months; and then was slain with his Queen Eurydice in September by the command of Olympias the mother of Alexander the great.

 

The Greeks being disgusted at the cruelties of Olympias, revolted to Cassander the son and successor of Antipater.

 

Cassander affecting the dominion of Greece, slew Olympias; and soon after shut up the young king Alexander, with his mother Roxana, in the castle of Amphipolis, under the charge of Glaucias, An. Nabonass. 432.

 

The next year Ptolemy, Cassander and Lysimachus, by means of Seleucus, form'd a league against Antigonus;

and after certain wars made peace with him, An. Nabonass. 438, upon these conditions:

that Cassander should command the forces of Europe till Alexander the son of Roxana came to age; and that Lysimachus should govern Thrace, Ptolemy Egypt and Lybia, and Antigonus all Asia.

 

Seleucus had possest himself of Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Sustana and Media, the year before.

 

About three years after Alexander's death he was made governor of Babylon by Antipater;

then was expelled by Antigonus;

but now he recovered and enlarged his government over a great part of the East:

which gave occasion to a new Æra, called Æra Seleucidarum.

 

Not long after the peace made with Antigonus, Diodorus saith the same Olympic year;

Cassander, seeing that Alexander the son of Roxana grew up, and that it was discoursed thro'out Macedonia that it was fit he should be set at liberty, and take upon him the government of his father's kingdom, commanded Glaucias the governor of the castle to kill Roxana and the young king Alexander her son, and conceal their deaths.

 

Then Polyperchon set up Hercules, the son of Alexander the great by Barsinè, to be king;

and soon after, at the sollicitation of Cassander, caused him to be slain.

 

Soon after that, upon a great victory at sea got by Demetrius the son of Antigonus over Ptolemy, Antigonus took upon himself the title of king, and gave the same title to his son.

 

This was An. Nabonass. 441.

 

After his example, Seleucus, Cassander, Lysimachus and Ptolemy,

took upon themselves the title and dignity of kings,

having abstained from this honor while there remained any of Alexander's race to inherit the crown.

 

Thus the monarchy of the Greeks for want of an heir was broken into several kingdoms;

4 of which, seated to the 4 winds of Heaven, were very eminent.

 

For Ptolemy reigned over Egypt, Lybia and Ethiopia;

Antigonus over Syria and the lesser Asia; Lysimachus over Thrace;

and Cassander over Macedon, Greece and Epirus, as above.

 

 

Seleucus at this time reigned over the nations which were beyond Euphrates,

and belonged to the bodies of the two first Beasts;

yet after 6 years he conquered Antigonus, and thereby became possest of 1 of the 4 kingdoms.

 

For Cassander being afraid of the power of Antigonus, combined with Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus, against him:

and while Lysimachus invaded the parts of Asia next the Hellespont, Ptolemy subdued Phœnicia and Cœlosyria, with the sea-coasts of Asia.

 

 

Seleucus came down with a powerful army into Cappadocia, and joining the confederate forces, fought Antigonus in Phrygia and flew him, and seized his kingdom, An. Nabonass. 447.

 

After which Seleucus built Antioch, Seleucia, Laodicea, Apamea, Berrhæa, Edessa, and other cities in Syria and Asia;

and in them granted the Jews equal privileges with the Greeks.

 

 

Demetrius the son of Antigonus retained but a small part of his father's dominions,

and at length lost Cyprus to Ptolemy;

but afterwards killing Alexander, the son and successor of Cassander king of Macedon,

he seized his kingdom, An. Nabonass. 454.

 

Sometime after, preparing a very great army to recover his father's dominions in Asia;

Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus and Pyrrhus king of Epirus, combined against him;

and Pyrrhus invading Macedon, corrupted the army of Demetrius, put him to flight, seized his kingdom, and shared it with Lysimachus.

 

After 7 months, Lysimachus beating Pyrrhus, took Macedon from him,

and held it 5 years and a half, uniting the kingdoms of Macedon and Thrace.

 

Lysimachus in his wars with Antigonus and Demetrius, had taken from them Caria, Lydia, and Phrygia;

and had a treasury in Pergamus, a castle on the top of a conical hill in Phrygia,

by the river Caicus, the custody of which he had committed to one Philetærus,

who was at first faithful to him, but in the last year of his reign revolted.

 

For Lysimachus, having at the instigation of his wife Arsinoe, slain first his own son Agathocles, and then several that lamented him;

the wife of Agathocles fled with her children and brothers, and some others of their friends, and sollicited Seleucus to make war upon Lysimachus;

whereupon Philetærus also, who grieved at the death of Agathocles,

and was accused thereof by Arsinoe, took up arms, and sided with Seleucus.

 

On this occasion Seleucus and Lysimachus met and fought in Phrygia;

and Lysimachus being slain in the battel, lost his kingdom to Seleucus, An. Nabonass. 465.

 

Thus the Empire of the Greeks, which at first brake into four kingdoms, became now reduced into two notable ones, henceforward called by Daniel the kings of the South and North.

 

For Ptolemy now reigned over Egypt, Lybia, Ethiopia, Arabia, Phœnicia, Cœlosyria, and Cyprus;

and Seleucus, having united three of the four kingdoms,

had a dominion scarce inferior to that of the Persian Empire, conquered by Alexander the great.

 

All which is thus represented by Daniel:[2]

And the king of the South [Ptolemy] shall be strong, and one of his Princes [Seleucus, one of Alexander's Princes] shall be strong above him, and have dominion;

his dominion shall be a great dominion.

 

After Seleucus had reigned seven months over Macedon, Greece, Thrace, Asia, Syria, Babylonia, Media, and all the East as far as India;

Ptolemy Ceraunus, the younger brother of Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt, slew him treacherously, and seized his dominions in Europe:

while Antiochus Soter, the son of Seleucus, succeeded his father in Asia, Syria, and most of the East;

and after nineteen or twenty years was succeeded by his son Antiochus Theos;

who having a lasting war with Ptolemy Philadelphus, at length composed the same by marrying Berenice the daughter of Philadelphus:

but after a reign of fifteen years, his first wife Laodice poisoned him, and set her son Seleucus Callinicus upon the throne.

 

Callinicus in the beginning of his reign, by the impulse of his mother Laodice, besieged Berenice in Daphne near Antioch, and slew her with her young son and many of her women.

 

Whereupon Ptolemy Euergetes, the son and successor of Philadelphus, made war upon Callinicus;

took from him Phœnicia, Syria, Cilicia, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Sustana, and some other regions;

and carried back into Egypt 40000 talents of silver,

and 2500 images of the Gods, amongst which were the Gods of Egypt carried away by Cambyses.

 

Antiochus Hierax at first assisted his brother Callinicus,

yet afterwards contended with him for Asia.

 

In the mean time Eumenes governor of Pergamus beat Antiochus,

and took from them both all Asia westward of mount Taurus.

 

This was in the fifth year of Callinicus, who after an inglorious reign of 20 years was succeeded by his son Seleucus Ceraunus; and Euergetes after four years more, An. Nabonass. 527, was succeeded by his son Ptolemy Philopator.

 

All which is thus signified by Daniel:[3] And in the end of years they [the kings of the South and North] shall join themselves together:

for the king's daughter of the South [Berenice] shall come to the king of the North to make an agreement, but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall she stand, nor her seed, but she shall be delivered up, and he [Callinicus] that brought her, and he whom she brought forth, and they that strengthned her in [those] times, [or defended her in the siege of Daphne.] But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his seat [her brother Euergetes] who shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress [or fenced cities] of the king of the North, and shall act against them and prevail: and shall carry captives into Egypt, their Gods with their Princes and precious vessels of silver and gold; and he shall continue some years after the king of the North.

 

Seleucus Ceraunus, inheriting the remains of his father's kingdom, and thinking to recover the rest, raised a great army against the governor of Pergamus, now King thereof, but died in the third year of his reign. His brother and successor, Antiochus Magnus, carrying on the war, took from the King of Pergamus almost all the lesser Asia, recovering also the Provinces of Media, Persia and Babylonia, from the governors who had revolted: and in the fifth year of his reign invading Cœlosyria, he with little opposition possest himself of a good part thereof; and the next year returning to invade the rest of Cœlosyria and Phœnicia, beat the army of Ptolemy Philopator near Berytus; he then invaded Palestine and the neighbouring parts of Arabia, and the third year returned with an army of 78000: but Ptolemy coming out of Egypt with an army of 75000, fought and routed him at Raphia near Gaza, between Palestine and Egypt; and recovered all Phœnicia and Cœlosyria, Ann. Nabonass. 532. Being puffed up with this victory, and living in all manner of luxury, the Egyptians revolted, and had wars with him, but were overcome; and in the broils sixty thousand Egyptian Jews were slain. All which is thus described by Daniel: [4] But his sons [Seleucus Ceraunus, and Antiochus Magnus, the sons of Callinicus] shall be stirred up, and shall gather a great army; and he [Antiochus Magnus] shall come effectually and overflow, and pass thro' and return, and [again the next year] be stirred up [marching even] to his fortress, [the frontier towns of Egypt;] and the King of the South shall be moved with choler, and come forth [the third year] and fight with him, even with the King of the North; and he [the King of the North] shall lead forth a great multitude, but the multitude shall be given into his hand. And the multitude being taken away, his heart shall be lifted up, and he shall cast down many ten thousands; but he shall not be strengthned by it: for the king of the North shall return, &c.

 

About twelve years after the battle between Philopator and Antiochus, Philopator died; and left his kingdom to his young son Ptolemy Epiphanes, a child of five years old. Thereupon Antiochus Magnus confederated with Philip king of Macedon, that they should each invade the dominions of Epiphanes which lay next to them. Hence arose a various war between Antiochus and Epiphanes, each of them seizing Phœnicia and Cœlosyria by turns; whereby those countries were much afflicted by both parties. First Antiochus seized them; then one Scopas being sent with the army of Egypt, recovered them from Antiochus: the next year, An. Nabonass. 550, Antiochus fought and routed Scopas near the fountains of Jordan, besieged him in Sidon, took the city, and recovered Syria and Phœnicia from Egypt, the Jews coming over to him voluntarily. But about three years after, preparing for a war against the Romans, he came to Raphia on the borders of Egypt; made peace with Epiphanes, and gave him his daughter Cleopatra: next autumn he passed the Hellespont to invade the cities of Greece under the Roman protection, and took some of them; but was beaten by the Romans the summer following, and forced to return back with his army into Asia. Before the end of the year the fleet of Antiochus was beaten by the fleet of the Romans near Phocæa: and at the same time Epiphanes and Cleopatra sent an embassy to Rome to congratulate the Romans on their success against their father Antiochus, and to exhort them to prosecute the war against him into Asia. The Romans beat Antiochus again at sea near Ephesus, past their army over the Hellespont, and obtain'd a great victory over him by land, took from him all Asia westward of mount Taurus, gave it to the King of Pergamus who assisted them in the war; and imposed a large tribute upon Antiochus. Thus the King of Pergamus, by the power of the Romans, recovered what Antiochus had taken from him; and Antiochus retiring into the remainder of his kingdom, was slain two years after by the Persians, as he was robbing the Temple of Jupiter Belus in Elymais, to raise money for the Romans. All which is thus described by Daniel. [5] For the King of the North [Antiochus] shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and shall certainly come, after certain years, with a great army and with much riches. And in those times there shall many stand up against the King of the South, [particularly the Macedonians;] also the robbers of thy people [the Samaritans, &c.] shall exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall fall. So the King of the North shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities; and the arms of the South shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there he any strength to withstand. But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which shall fail in his hand. He shall also set his face to go with the strength [or army] of all his kingdom, and make an agreement with him [at Raphia;] and he shall give him the daughter of women corrupting her; but she shall not stand his side, neither be for him. After this he shall turn his face unto the Isles, and shall take many: but a Prince for his own behalf [the Romans] shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his face towards the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.

 

Seleucus Philopator succeeded his father Antiochus, Anno Nabonass. 561, and reigned twelve years, but did nothing memorable, being sluggish, and intent upon raising money for the Romans to whom he was tributary. He was slain by Heliodorus, whom he had sent to rob the Temple of Jerusalem. Daniel thus describes his reign. [6] Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom, but within few days be shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor in battle.

 

A little before the death of Philopator, his son Demetrius was sent hostage to Rome, in the place of Antiochus Epiphanes, the brother of Philopator; and Antiochus was at Athens in his way home from Rome, when Philopator died: whereupon Heliodorus the treasurer of the kingdom, stept into the throne. But Antiochus so managed his affairs, that the Romans kept Demetrius at Rome; and their ally the King of Pergamus expelled Heliodorus, and placed Antiochus in the throne, while Demetrius the right heir remained an hostage at Rome. Antiochus being thus made King by the friendship of the King of Pergamus reigned powerfully over Syria and the neighbouring nations: but carried himself much below his dignity, stealing privately out of his palace, rambling up and down the city in disguise with one or two of his companions; conversing and drinking with people of the lowest rank, foreigners and strangers; frequenting the meetings of dissolute persons to feast and revel; clothing himself like the Roman candidates and officers, acting their parts like a mimick, and in publick festivals jesting and dancing with servants and light people, exposing himself by all manner of ridiculous gestures. This conduct made some take him for a madman, and call him Antiochus ?p?µe???. In the first year of his reign he deposed Onias the high-Priest, and sold the high-Priesthood to Jason the younger brother of Onias: for Jason had promised to give him 440 talents of silver for that office, and 15 more for a licence to erect a place of exercise for the training up of youth in the fashions of the heathen; which licence was granted by the King, and put in execution by Jason. Then the King sending one Apollonius into Egypt to the coronation of Ptolemy Philometor, the young son of Philometor and Cleopatra, and knowing Philometor not to be well affected to his affairs in Phœnicia, provided for his own safety in those parts; and for that end came to Joppa and Jerusalem, where he was honourably received; from thence he went in like manner with his little army to the cities of Phœnicia, to establish himself against Egypt, by courting the people, and distributing extraordinary favours amongst them. All which is thus represented by Daniel. [7] And in his [Philometor's] estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they [the Syrians who set up Heliodorus] shall not give the honour of the kingdom. Yet he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries [made principally to the King of Pergamus;] and the arms [which in favour of Heliodorus oppose him] shall be overflowed with a food from before him, and be broken; yea also [Onias the high-Priest] the Prince of the covenant. And after the league made with him, [the King of Egypt, by sending Apollonius to his coronation] he shall work deceitfully [against the King of Egypt,] for he shall come up and shall become strong [in Phœnicia ] with a small people. And he shall enter into the quiet and plentiful cities of the Province [of Phœnicia;] and [to ingratiate himself with the Jews of Phœnicia and Egypt, and with their friends] he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers fathers: he shall scatter among them the prey and the spoil, and the riches [exacted from other places;] and shall forecast his devices against the strong holds [of Egypt] even for a time.

 

These things were done in the first year of his reign, An. Nabonass. 573. And thenceforward he forecast his devices against the strong holds of Egypt, until the sixth year. For three years after, that is in the fourth year of his reign, Menelaus bought the high-Priesthood from Jason, but not paying the price was sent for by the King; and the King, before he could hear the cause, went into Cilicia to appease a sedition there, and left Andronicus his deputy at Antioch; in the mean time the brother of Menelaus, to make up the money, conveyed several vessels out of the Temple, selling some of them at Tyre, and sending others to Andronicus. When Menelaus was reproved for this by Onias, he caused Onias to be slain by Andronicus: for which fact the King at his return from Cilicia caused Andronicus to be put to death. Then Antiochus prepared his second expedition against Egypt, which he performed in the sixth year of his reign, An. Nabonass. 578: for upon the death of Cleopatra, the governors of her son the young King of Egypt claimed Phœnicia and Cœlosyria from him as her dowry; and to recover those countries raised a great army. Antiochus considering that his father had not quitted the possession of those countries[8], denied they were her dowry; and with another great army met and fought the Egyptians on the borders of Egypt, between Pelusium and the mountain Casius. He there beat them, and might have destroyed their whole army, but that he rode up and down, commanding his soldiers not to kill them, but to take them alive: by which humanity he gained Pelusium, and soon after all Egypt; entring it with a vast multitude of foot and chariots, elephants and horsemen, and a great navy. Then seizing the cities of Egypt as a friend, he marched to Memphis, laid the whole blame of the war upon Eulæus the King's governor, entred into outward friendship with the young King, and took upon him to order the affairs of the kingdom. While Aniochus was thus employ'd, a report being spread in Phœnicia that he was dead, Jason to recover the high-Priesthood assaulted Jerusalem with above a thousand men, and took the city: hereupon the King thinking Judea had revolted, came out of Egypt in a furious manner, re-took the city, slew forty thousand of the people, made as many prisoners, and sold them to raise money; went into the Temple, spoiled it of its treasures, ornaments, utensils, and vessels of gold and silver, amounting to 1800 talents; and carried all away to Antioch. This was done in the year of Nabonassar 578, and is thus described by Daniel. [9] And he shall stir up his power, and his courage against the King of the South with a great army; and the King of the South shall be stirrd up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they, even Antiochus and his friends, shall forecast devices against him, as is represented above; yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat, shall betray and destroy him, and his army shall be overthrown, and many shall fall down slain. And both these Kings hearts shall be to do mischief; and they, being now made friends, shall speak lyes at one table, against the Jews and against the holy covenant; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end, in which the setting up of the abomination of desolation is to prosper, shall be at the time appointed. Then shall he return into his land with great riches, and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall act, against it by spoiling the Temple, and return into his own land.

 

The Egyptians of Alexandria seeing Philometor first educated in luxury by the Eunuch Eulæus, and now in the hands of Antiochus, gave the kingdom to Euergetes, the younger brother of Philometor. Whereupon Antiochus pretending to restore Philometor, made war upon Euergetes; beat him at sea, and besieged him and his sister Cleopatra in Alexandria: while the besieged Princes sent to Rome to implore the assistance of the Senate. Antiochus finding himself unable to take the city that year, returned into Syria, leaving Philometor at Memphis to govern Egypt in his absence. But Philometor made friendship with his brother that winter; and Antiochus, returning the next spring An. Nabonass. 580, to besiege both the brothers in Alexandria, was met in the way by the Roman Ambassadors, Popilius Læna, C. Decimius, and C. Hostilius: he offered them his hand to kiss, but Popilius delivering to him the tables wherein the message of the Senate was written, bad him read those first. When he had read them, he replied he would consider with his friends what was fit to be done; but Popilius drawing a circle about him, bad him answer before he went out of it: Antiochus, astonished at this blunt and unusual imperiousness, made answer he would do what the Romans demanded; and then Popilius gave the King his hand to kiss, and he returned out of Egypt. The same year, An. Nabonass. 580, his captains by his order spoiled and slaughtered the Jews, profaned the Temple, set up the worship of the heathen Gods in all Judea, and began to persecute and make war upon those who would not worship them: which actions are thus described by Daniel. [10] At the time appointed he shall come again towards the South, but the latter shall not be as the former. For the ships of Chittim shall come, with an embassy from Rome, against him. Therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant. So shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.

 

In the same year that Antiochus by the command of the Romans retired out of Egypt, and set up the worship of the Greeks in Judea; the Romans conquered the kingdom of Macedon, the fundamental kingdom of the Empire of the Greeks, and reduced it into a Roman Province; and thereby began to put an end to the reign of Daniel's third Beast. This is thus exprest by Daniel. And after him Arms, that is the Romans, shall stand up. As ???? signifies after the King, Dan. xi. 8; so ???? may signify after him. Arms are every where in this Prophecy of Daniel put for the military power of a kingdom: and they stand up when they conquer and grow powerful. Hitherto Daniel described the actions of the Kings of the North and South; but upon the conquest of Macedon by the Romans, he left off describing the actions of the Greeks, and began to describe those of the Romans in Greece. They conquered Macedon, Illyricum and Epirus, in the year of Nabonassar 580. 35 years after, by the last will and testament of Attalus the last King of Pergamus, they inherited that rich and flourishing kingdom, that is, all Asia westward of mount Taurus; 69 years after they conquered the kingdom of Syria, and reduced it into a Province, and 34 years after they did the like to Egypt. By all these steps the Roman Arms stood up over the Greeks: and after 95 years more, by making war upon the Jews, they polluted the sanctuary of strength, and took away the daily sacrifice, and then placed the abomination of desolation. For this abomination was placed after the days of Christ, Math. xxiv. 15. In the 16th year of the Emperor Adrian, A.C. 132, they placed this abomination by building a Temple to Jupiter Capitolinus, where the Temple of God in Jerusalem had stood. Thereupon the Jews under the conduct of Barchochab rose up in arms against the Romans, and in the war had 50 cities demolished, 985 of their best towns destroyed, and 580000 men slain by the sword; and in the end of the war, A.C. 136, were banished Judea upon pain of death, and thenceforward the land remained desolate of its old inhabitants.

 

In the beginning of the Jewish war in Nero's reign, the Apostles fled out of Judea with their flocks; some beyond Jordan to Pella and other places, some into Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia minor, and elsewhere. Peter and John came into Asia, and Peter went thence by Corinth to Rome; but John staying in Asia, was banished by the Romans into Patmos, as the head of a party of the Jews, whose nation was in war with the Romans. By this dispersion of the Christian Jews, the Christian religion, which was already propagated westward as far as Rome, spred fast into all the Roman Empire, and suffered many persecutions under it till the days of Constantine the great and his sons: all which is thus described by Daniel. [11] And such as do wickedly against the covenant, shall he, who places the abomination, cause to dissemble, and worship the heathen Gods; but the people among them who do know their God, shall be strong and act. And they that understand among the people, shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, and by captivity, and by spoil many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help, viz. in the reign of Constantine the great; and at that time by reason of their prosperity, many shall come over to them from among the heathen, and cleave to them with dissimulation. But of those of understanding there shall still fall to try God's people by them and to purge them from the dissemblers, and to make them white even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

 

Hitherto the Roman Empire continued entire; and under this dominion, the little horn of the He-Goat continued mighty, but not by his own power. But now, by the building of Constantinople, and endowing it with a Senate and other like privileges with Rome; and by the division of the Roman Empire into the two Empires of the Greeks and Latins, headed by those two cities; a new scene of things commences, in which which [12] a King, the Empire of the Greeks, doth according to his will, and, by setting his own laws above the laws of God, exalts and magnifies himself above every God, and speaks marvellous things against the God of Gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished.—Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the lawful desire of women in matrimony, nor any God, but shall magnify himself above all. And in his seat he shall honour Mahuzzims, that is, strong guardians, the souls of the dead; even with a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honour them, in their Temples, with gold and silver, and with precious stones and valuable things. All which relates to the overspreading of the Greek Empire with Monks and Nuns, who placed holiness in abstinence from marriage; and to the invocation of saints and veneration of their reliques, and such like superstitions, which these men introduced in the fourth and fifth centuries. [13] And at the time of the end the King of the South, or the Empire of the Saracens, shall push at him; and the King of the North, or Empire of the Turks, shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots and with horsemen, and with many ships; and be shall enter into the countries of the Greeks, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children Ammon: that is, those to whom his Caravans pay tribute. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape; but he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Lybians and Ethiopians shall be at his steps. All these nations compose the Empire of the Turks, and therefore this Empire is here to be understood by the King of the North. They compose also the body of the He-Goat; and therefore the Goat still reigns in his last horn, but not by his own power.

 

Notes to Chap. XII.

[1] Chap. xi. 2, 3, 4.

[2] Chap. xi. 5.

[3] Chap. xi. 6, 7, 8.

[4] Chap. xi. 10, &c.

[5] Chap. xi. 13-19.

[6] Chap. xi. 20.

[7] Chap. xi. 21, &c.

[8] 2 Maccab. iii. 5, 8. & iv. 4.

[9] Chap. xi. 25, &c.

[10] Chap. xi. 29, 30.

[11] Chap. xi. 32, &c.

[12] Chap. xi. 36, &c.

[13] Chap. xi. 40, &c.

 

 

The end of the first Part

 

 

PART II.

OBSERVATIONS upon the APOCALYPSE of St. JOHN.

CHAP. I.

Introduction, concerning the time when the Apocalypse was written.

 

Irenæus introduced an opinion that the Apocalypse was written in the time of Domitian; but then he also postponed the writing of some others of the sacred books, and was to place the Apocalypse after them: he might perhaps have heard from his master Polycarp that he had received this book from John about the time of Domitian's death; or indeed John might himself at that time have made a new publication of it, from whence Irenæus might imagine it was then but newly written.

 

Eusebius in his Chronicle and Ecclesiastical History follows Irenœus;

but afterwards [1] in his Evangelical Demonstrations, he conjoins the banishment of John into Patmos, with the deaths of Peter and Paul:

and so do [2] Tertullian and Pseudo-Prochorus, as well as the first author, whoever he was, of that very antient fable, that John was put by Nero into a vessel of hot oil, and coming out unhurt, was banished by him into Patmos.

 

Tho this story be no more than a fiction yet was it founded on a tradition of the first churches, that John was banished into Patmos in the days of Nero.

 

Epiphanius represents the Gospel of John as written in the time of Domitian, and the Apocalypse even before that of Nero. [3]

 

Arethas in the beginning of his Commentary quotes the opinion of Irenæus from Eusebius, but follows it not:

 

for he afterwards affirms the Apocalypse was written before the destruction of Jerusalem,

and that former commentators had expounded the 6th seal of that destruction.

 

With the opinion of the first Commentators agrees the tradition of the Churches of Syria, preserved to this day in the title of the Syriac Version of the Apocalypse, which title is this: The Revelation which was made to John the Evangelist by God in the Island Patmos, into which he was banished by Nero the Cæsar. The fame is confirmed by a story told by [4] Eusebius out of Clemens Alexandrinus, and other antient authors, concerning a youth, whom John some time after his return from Patmos committed to the care of the Bishop of a certain city. The Bishop educated, instructed, and at length baptized him; but then remitting of his care, the young man thereupon got into ill company, and began by degrees first to revel and grow vitious, then to abuse and spoil those he met in the night; and at last grew so desperate, that his companions turning a band of high-way men, made him their Captain: and, saith [5] Chrysostom, he continued their Captain a long time. At length John returning to that city, and hearing what was done, rode to the thief; and, when he out of reverence to his old master fled, John rode after him, recalled him, and restored him to the Church. This is a story of many years, and requires that John should have returned from Patmos rather at the death of Nero than at that of Domitian; because between the death of Domitian and that of John there were but two years and an half; and John in his old age was [6] so infirm as to be carried to Church, dying above 90 years old, and therefore could not be then suppos'd able to ride after the thief.

 

This opinion is further supported by the allusions in the Apocalypse to the Temple and Altar, and holy City, as then standing; and to the Gentiles, who were soon after to tread under foot the holy City and outward Court. 'Tis confirmed also by the style of the Apocalypse itself, which is fuller of Hebraisms than his Gospel. For thence it may be gathered, that it was written when John was newly come out of Judea, where he had been used to the Syriac tongue; and that he did not write his Gospel, till by long converse with the Asiatick Greeks he had left off most of the Hebraisms. It is confirmed also by the many false Apocalypses, as those of Peter, Paul, Thomas, Stephen, Elias and Cerinthus, written in imitation of the true one. For as the many false Gospels, false Acts, and false Epistles were occasioned by true ones; and the writing many false Apocalypses, and ascribing them to Apostles and Prophets, argues that there was a true Apostolic one in great request with the first Christians: so this true one may well be suppos'd to have been written early, that there may be room in the Apostolic age for the writing of so many false ones afterwards, and fathering them upon Peter, Paul, Thomas and others, who were dead before John. Caius, who was contemporary with Tertullian, [7] tells us that Cerinthus wrote his Revelations as a great Apostle, and pretended the visions were shewn him by Angels, asserting a millennium of carnal pleasures at Jerusalem after the resurrection; so that his Apocalypse was plainly written in imitation of John's: and yet he lived so early, that [8] he resisted the Apostles at Jerusalem in or before the first year of Claudius, that is, 26 years before the death of Nero, and [9] died before John.

 

These reasons may suffice for determining the time; and yet there is one more, which to considering men may seem a good reason, to others not. I'll propound it, and leave it to every man's judgment. The Apocalypse seems to be alluded to in the Epistles of Peter and that to the Hebrews and therefore to have been written before them. Such allusions in the Epistle to the Hebrews, I take to be the discourses concerning the High-Priest in the heavenly Tabernacle, who is both Priest and King, as was Melchisedec; and those concerning the word of God, with the sharp two-edged sword, the saßßat?sµ??, or millennial rest, the earth whose end is to be burned, suppose by the lake of fire, the judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries, the heavenly City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God, the cloud of witnesses, mount Sion, heavenly Jerusalem, general assembly, spirits of just men made perfect, viz. by the resurrection, and the shaking of heaven and earth, and removing them, that the new heaven, new earth and new kingdom which cannot be shaken, may remain. In the first of Peter occur these: [10] The Revelation of Jesus Christ, twice or thrice repeated; [11] the blood of Christ as of a Lamb foreordained before the foundation of the world; [12] the spiritual building in heaven, 1 Pet. ii. 5. an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us, who are kept unto the salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, 1 Pet. i. 4, 5. [13] the royal Priesthood, [14] the holy Priesthood, [15] the judgment beginning at the house of God, and [16] the Church at Babylon. These are indeed obscurer allusions; but the second Epistle, from the 19th verse of the first Chapter to the end, seems to be a continued Commentary upon the Apocalypse. There, in writing to the Churches in Asia, to whom John was commanded to send this Prophecy, he tells them, they have a more sure word of Prophecy, to be heeded by them, as a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in their hearts, that is, until they begin to understand it: for no Prophecy, saith he, of the scripture is of any private interpretation; the Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake, as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Daniel [17] himself professes that he understood not his own Prophecies; and therefore the Churches were not to expect the interpretation from their Prophet John, but to study the Prophecies themselves. This is the substance of what Peter says in the first chapter; and then in the second he proceeds to describe, out of this sure word of Prophecy, how there should arise in the Church false Prophets, or false teachers, expressed collectively in the Apocalypse by the name of the false Prophet; who should bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, which is the character of Antichrist: And many, saith he, shall follow their lusts [18]; they that dwell on the earth [19] shall be deceived by the false Prophet, and be made drunk with the wine of the Whore's fornication, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed; for [20] the Beast is full of blasphemy: and thro' covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you; for these are the Merchants of the Earth, who trade with the great Whore, and their merchandize [21] is all things of price, with the bodies and souls of men: whose judgment—lingreth not, and their damnation [22] slumbreth not, but shall surely come upon them at the last day suddenly, as the flood upon the old world, and fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrha, when the just shall be delivered [23] like Lot; for the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished, in the lake of fire; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, [24] being made drunk with the wine of the Whore's fornication; who despise dominion, and are not afraid to blaspheme glories; for the beast opened his mouth against God [25] to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. These, as natural brute beasts, the ten-horned beast and two-horned beast, or false Prophet, made to be taken and destroyed, in the lake of fire, blaspheme the things they understand not:—they count it pleasure to riot in the day-time—sporting themselves with their own deceivings, while they feast [26] with you, having eyes full of an [27] Adulteress: for the kingdoms of the beast live deliciously with the great Whore, and the nations are made drunk with the wine of her fornication. They are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, the false Prophet [28] who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel. These are, not fountains of living water, but wells without water; not such clouds of Saints as the two witnesses ascend in, but clouds that are carried with a tempest, &c. Thus does the author of this Epistle spend all the second Chapter in describing the qualities of the Apocalyptic Beasts and false Prophet: and then in the third he goes on to describe their destruction more fully, and the future kingdom. He saith, that because the coming of Christ should be long deferred, they should scoff, saying, where is the promise of his coming? Then he describes the sudden coming of the day of the Lord upon them, as a thief in the night, which is the Apocalyptic phrase; and the millennium, or thousand years, which are with God but as a day; the passing away of the old heavens and earth, by a conflagration in the lake of fire, and our looking for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

 

Seeing therefore Peter and John were Apostles of the circumcision, it seems to me that they staid with their Churches in Judea and Syria till the Romans made war upon their nation, that is, till the twelfth year of Nero; that they then followed the main body of their flying Churches into Asia, and that Peter went thence by Corinth to Rome; that the Roman Empire looked upon those Churches as enemies, because Jews by birth; and therefore to prevent insurrections, secured their leaders, and banished John into Patmos. It seems also probable to me that the Apocalypse was there composed, and that soon after the Epistle to the Hebrews and those of Peter were written to these Churches, with reference to this Prophecy as what they were particularly concerned in. For it appears by these Epistles, that they were written in times of general affliction and tribulation under the heathens, and by consequence when the Empire made war upon the Jews; for till then the heathens were at peace with the Christian Jews, as well as with the rest. The Epistle to the Hebrews, since it mentions Timothy as related to those Hebrews, must be written to them after their flight into Asia, where Timothy was Bishop; and by consequence after the war began, the Hebrews in Judea being strangers to Timothy. Peter seems also to call Rome Babylon, as well with respect to the war made upon Judea, and the approaching captivity, like that under old Babylon, as with respect to that name in the Apocalypse: and in writing to the strangers scattered thro'out Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, he seems to intimate that they were the strangers newly scattered by the Roman wars; for those were the only strangers there belonging to his care.

 

This account of things agrees best with history when duly rectified. For [29] Justin and [30] Irenæus say, that Simon Magus came to Rome in the reign of Claudius, and exercised juggling tricks there. Pseudo-Clemens adds, that he endeavoured there to fly, but broke his neck thro' the prayers of Peter. Whence [31] Eusebius, or rather his interpolator Jerom, has recorded, that Peter came to Rome in the second year of Claudius: but [32] Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem, Philastrius, Sulpitius, Prosper, Maximus Taurinensis, and Hegesippus junior, place this victory of Peter in the time of Nero. Indeed the antienter tradition was, that Peter came to Rome in the days of this Emperor, as may be seen in [33] Lactantius. Chrysostom [34] tells us, that the Apostles continued long in Judea, and that then being driven out by the Jews they went to the Gentiles. This dispersion was in the first year of the Jewish war, when the Jews, as Josephus tells us, began to be tumultuous and violent in all places. For all agree that the Apostles were dispersed into several regions at once; and Origen has set down the time, [35] telling us that in the beginning of the Judaic war, the Apostles and disciples of our Lord were scattered into all nations; Thomas into Parthia, Andrew into Scythia, John into Asia, and Peter first into Asia, where he preacht to the dispersion, and thence into Italy. [36] Dionysius Corinthius saith, that Peter went from Asia by Corinth to Rome, and all antiquity agrees that Peter and Paul were martyred there in the end of Nero's reign. Mark went with Timothy to Rome, 2 Tim. iv. 11. Colos. iv. 10. Sylvanus was Paul's assistant; and by the companions of Peter, mentioned in his first Epistle, we may know that he wrote from Rome; and the Antients generally agree, that in this Epistle he understood Rome by Babylon. His second Epistle was writ to the same dispersed strangers with the first, 2 Pet. iii. 1. and therein he saith, that Paul had writ of the same things to them, and also in his other Epistles, ver. 15, 16. Now as there is no Epistle of Paul to these strangers besides that to the Hebrews, so in this Epistle, chap. x. 11, 12. we find at large all those things which Peter had been speaking of, and here refers to; particularly the passing away of the old heavens and earth, and establishing an inheritance immoveable, with an exhortation to grace, because God, to the wicked, is a consuming fire, Heb. xii. 25, 26, 28, 29.

 

Having determined the time of writing the Apocalyse, I need not say much about the truth of it, since it was in such request with the first ages, that many endeavoured to imitate it, by feigning Apocalypses under the Apostles names; and the Apostles themselves, as I have just now shewed, studied it, and used its phrases; by which means the style of the Epistle to the Hebrews became more mystical than that of Paul's other Epistles, and the style of John's Gospel more figurative and majestical than that of the other Gospels. I do not apprehend that Christ was called the word of God in any book of the New Testament written before the Apocalypse; and therefore am of opinion, the language was taken from this Prophecy, as were also many other phrases in this Gospel, such as those of Christ's being the light which enlightens the world, the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world, the bridegroom, he that testifieth, he that came down from heaven, the Son of God, &c. Justin Martyr, who within thirty years after John's death became a Christian, writes expresly that a certain man among the Christians whose name was John, one of the twelve Apostles of Christ, in the Revelation which was shewed him, prophesied that those who believed in Christ should live a thousand years at Jerusalem. And a few lines before he saith: But I, and as many as are Christians, in all things right in their opinions, believe both that there shall be a resurrection of the flesh, and a thousand years life at Jerusalem built, adorned and enlarged. Which is as much as to say, that all true Christians in that early age received this Prophecy: for in all ages, as many as believed the thousand years, received the Apocalypse as the foundation of their opinion: and I do not know one instance to the contrary. Papias Bishop of Hierapolis, a man of the Apostolic age, and one of John's own disciples, did not only teach the doctrine of the thousand years, but also [37] asserted the Apocalypse as written by divine inspiration. Melito, who flourished next after Justin, [38] wrote a commentary upon this Prophecy; and he, being Bishop of Sardis one of the seven Churches, could neither be ignorant of their tradition about it, nor impose upon them. Irenæus, who was contemporary with Melito, wrote much upon it, and said, that the number 666 was in all the antient and approved copies; and that he had it also confirmed to him by those who had seen John face to face, meaning no doubt his master Polycarp for one. At the same time [39] Theophilus Bishop of Antioch asserted it, and so did Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, and Origen soon after; and their contemporary Hippolytus the Martyr, Metropolitan of the Arabians, [40] wrote a commentary upon it. All these were antient men, flourishing within a hundred and twenty years after John's death, and of greatest note in the Churches of those times. Soon after did Victorinus Pictaviensis write another commentary upon it; and he lived in the time of Dioclesian. This may surely suffice to shew how the Apocalypse was received and studied in the first ages: and I do not indeed find any other book of the New Testament so strongly attested, or commented upon so early as this. The Prophecy said: Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this Prophecy, and keep the things which are written therein. This animated the first Christians to study it so much, till the difficulty made them remit, and comment more upon the other books of the New Testament. This was the state of the Apocalypse, till the thousand years being misunderstood, brought a prejudice against it: and Dionysius of Alexandria, noting how it abounded with barbarisms, that is with Hebraisms, promoted that prejudice so far, as to cause many Greeks in the fourth century to doubt of the book. But whilst the Latins, and a great part of the Greeks, always retained the Apocalypse, and the rest doubted only out of prejudice, it makes nothing against its authority.

 

This Prophecy is called the Revelation, with respect to the scripture of truth, which Daniel [41] was commanded to shut up and seal, till the time of the end. Daniel sealed it until the time of the end; and until that time comes, the Lamb is opening the seals: and afterwards the two Witnesses prophesy out of it a long time in sack-cloth, before they ascend up to heaven in a cloud. All which is as much as to say, that these Prophecies of Daniel and John should not be understood till the time of the end: but then some should prophesy out of them in an afflicted and mournful state for a long time, and that but darkly, so as to convert but few. But in the very end, the Prophecy should be so far interpreted as to convince many. Then, saith Daniel, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be encreased. For the Gospel must be preached in all nations before the great tribulation, and end of the world. The palm-bearing multitude, which come out of this great tribulation, cannot be innumerable out of all nations, unless they be made so by the preaching of the Gospel before it comes. There must be a stone cut out of a mountain without hands, before it can fall upon the toes of the Image, and become a great mountain and fill the earth. An Angel must fly thro' the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach to all nations, before Babylon falls, and the Son of man reaps his harvest. The two Prophets must ascend up to heaven in a cloud, before the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of Christ. 'Tis therefore a part of this Prophecy, that it should not be understood before the last age of the world; and therefore it makes for the credit of the Prophecy, that it is not yet understood. But if the last age, the age of opening these things, be now approaching, as by the great successes of late Interpreters it seems to be, we have more encouragement than ever to look into these things. If the general preaching of the Gospel be approaching, it is to us and our posterity that those words mainly belong: [42] In the time of the end the wise shall understand, but none of the wicked shall understand. [43] Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this Prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.

 

The folly of Interpreters has been, to foretel times and things by this Prophecy, as if God designed to make them Prophets. By this rashness they have not only exposed themselves, but brought the Prophecy also into contempt. The design of God was much otherwise. He gave this and the Prophecies of the Old Testament, not to gratify men's curiosities by enabling them to foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled they might be interpreted by the event, and his own Providence, not the Interpreters, be then manifested thereby to the world. For the event of things predicted many ages before, will then be a convincing argument that the world is governed by providence. For as the few and obscure Prophecies concerning Christ's first coming were for setting up the Christian religion, which all nations have since corrupted; so the many and clear Prophecies concerning the things to be done at Christ's second coming, are not only for predicting but also for effecting a recovery and re-establishment of the long-lost truth, and setting up a kingdom wherein dwells righteousness. The event will prove the Apocalypse; and this Prophecy, thus proved and understood, will open the old Prophets, and all together will make known the true religion, and establish it. For he that will understand the old Prophets, must begin with this; but the time is not yet come for understanding them perfectly, because the main revolution predicted in them is not yet come to pass. In the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets: and then the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever, Apoc. x. 7. xi. 15. There is already so much of the Prophecy fulfilled, that as many as will take pains in this study, may see sufficient instances of God's providence: but then the signal revolutions predicted by all the holy Prophets, will at once both turn mens eyes upon considering the predictions, and plainly interpret them. Till then we must content ourselves with interpreting what hath been already fulfilled.

 

Amongst the Interpreters of the last age there is scarce one of note who hath not made some discovery worth knowing; and thence I seem to gather that God is about opening these mysteries. The success of others put me upon considering it; and if I have done any thing which may be useful to following writers, I have my design.

 

Notes to Chap. I.

[1] Dem. Evang. l. 3.

[2] Vid. Pamelium in notis ad Tertull. de Præscriptionbus, n. 215 & Hieron l. 1. contra Jovinianum, c. 14. Edit.Erasmi.

[3] Areth. c. 18, 19.

[4] Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 23.

[5] Chrysost. ad Theodorum lapsum.

[6] Hieron. in Epist. ad Gal. l. 3. c. 6.

[7] Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 28. Edit. Valesii.

[8] Epiphan. Hæres. 28.

[9] Hieron. adv. Lucif.

[10] 1 Pet. i. 7, 13. iv. 13. & v. 1.

[11] Apoc. xiii. 8.

[12] Apoc. xxi.

[13] Apoc. i. 6. & v. 10.

[14] Apoc. xx. 6.

[15] Apoc. xx. 4, 12.

[16] Apoc. xvii.

[17] Dan. viii. 15, 16, 27. & xii. 8, 9.

[18] ase??e?a?, in many of the best MSS.

[19] Apoc. xiii. 7, 12.

[20] Apoc. xiii. 1, 5, 6.

[21] Apoc. xviii. 12, 13.

[22] Apoc. xix. 20.

[23] Apoc. xxi. 3, 4.

[24] Apoc. ix. 21. and xvii. 2.

[25] Apoc. xiii. 6.

[26] Apoc. xviii. 3, 7, 9.

[27] µ???a??d??.

[28] Apoc. ii. 14.

[29] Apol. ad Antonin. Pium.

[30] Hæres. l. 1. c. 20. Vide etiam Tertullianum, Apol. c. 13.

[31] Euseb. Chron.

[32] Cyril Catech. 6. Philastr. de hæres. cap. 30. Sulp. Hist. l. 2. Prosper de promiss. dimid. temp. cap. 13. Maximus serm. 5. in Natal. Apost. Hegesip. l. 2. c. 2.

[33] Lactant de mortib. Persec. c. 2.

[34] Hom. 70. in Matt. c. 22.

[35] Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.

[36] Euseb. Hist. l. 2. c. 25.

[37] Arethas in Proæm. comment. in Apoc.

[38] Euseb. Hist. l. 4. cap. 26. Hieron.

[39] Euseb. Hist. l. 4. c. 24.

[40] Hieron.

[41] Dan. x. 21. xii. 4, 9.

[42] Dan. xii. 4, 10.

[43] Apoc. i. 3.

CHAP. II.

Of the relation which the Apocalypse of John hath to the Book of the Law of Moses, and to the worship of God in the Temple.

 

The Apocalypse of John is written in the same style and language with the Prophecies of Daniel, and hath the same relation to them which they have to one another, so that all of them together make but one complete Prophecy; and in like manner it consists of two parts, an introductory Prophecy, and an Interpretation thereof.

 

The Prophecy is distinguish'd into seven successive parts, by the opening of the seven seals of the book which Daniel was commanded to seal up: and hence it is called the Apocalypse or Revelation of Jesus Christ. The time of the seventh seal is sub-divided into eight successive parts by the silence in heaven for half an hour, and the sounding of seven trumpets successively: and the seventh trumpet sounds to the battle of the great day of God Almighty, whereby the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ, and those are destroyed that destroyed the earth.

 

The Interpretation begins with the words, And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the Ark of his Testament: and it continues to the end of the Prophecy. The Temple is the scene of the visions, and the visions in the Temple relate to the feast of the seventh month: for the feasts of the Jews were typical of things to come. The Passover related to the first coming of Christ, and the feasts of the seventh month to his second coming: his first coming being therefore over before this Prophecy was given, the feasts of the seventh month are here only alluded unto.

 

On the first day of that month, in the morning, the High-Priest dressed the lamps: and in allusion hereunto, this Prophecy begins with a vision of one like the Son of man in the High-Priest's habit, appearing as it were in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, or over against the midst of them, dressing the lamps, which appeared like a rod of seven stars in his right hand: and this dressing was perform'd by the sending seven Epistles to the Angels or Bishops of the seven Churches of Asia, which in the primitive times illuminated the Temple or Church Catholick. These Epistles contain admonitions against the approaching Apostacy, and therefore relate to the times when the Apostacy began to work strongly, and before it prevailed. It began to work in the Apostles days, and was to continue working till the man of sin should be revealed. It began to work in the disciples of Simon, Menander, Carpocrates, Cerinthas, and such sorts of men as had imbibed the metaphysical philosophy of the Gentiles and Cabalistical Jews, and were thence called Gnosticks. John calls them Antichrists, saying that in his days there were many Antichrists. But these being condemned by the Apostles, and their immediate disciples, put the Churches in no danger during the opening of the first four seals. The visions at the opening of these seals relate only to the civil affairs of the heathen Roman Empire. So long the Apostolic traditions prevailed, and preserved the Church in its purity: and therefore the affairs of the Church do not begin to be considered in this Prophecy before the opening of the fifth seal. She began then to decline, and to want admonitions; and therefore is admonished by these Epistles, till the Apostacy prevailed and took place, which was at the opening of the seventh seal. The admonitions therefore in these seven Epistles relate to the state of the Church in the times of the fifth and sixth seals. At the opening of the fifth seal, the Church is purged from hypocrites by a great persecution. At the opening of the sixth, that which letted is taken out of the way, namely the heathen Roman Empire. At the opening of the seventh, the man of sin is revealed. And to these times the seven Epistles relate.

 

The seven Angels, to whom these Epistles were written, answer to the seven Amarc-holim, who were Priests and chief Officers of the Temple, and had jointly the keys of the gates of the Temple, with those of the Treasuries, and the direction, appointment and oversight of all things in the Temple.

 

After the lamps were dresed, John saw the door of the Temple opened; and by the voice as it were of a trumpet, was called up to the eastern gate of the great court, to see the visions: and behold a throne was set, viz. the mercy-seat upon the Ark of the Testament, which the Jews respected as the throne of God between the Cherubims, Exod. xxv. 2. Psal. xcix. 1. And he that sat on it was to look upon like Jasper and Sardine stone, that is, of an olive colour, the people of Judea being of that colour. And, the Sun being then in the East, a rainbow was about the throne, the emblem of glory. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; answering to the chambers of the four and twenty Princes of the Priests, twelve on the south side, and twelve on the north side of the Priests Court. And upon the seats were four and twenty Elders sitting, clothed in white rayment, with crowns on their heads; representing the Princes of the four and twenty courses of the Priests clothed in linen. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings, and voices, viz. the flashes of the fire upon the Altar at the morning-sacrifice, and the thundering voices of those that sounded the trumpets, and sung at the Eastern gate of the Priests Court; for these being between John and the throne appeared to him as proceeding from the throne. And there were seven lamps of fire burning, in the Temple, before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God, or Angels of the seven Churches, represented in the beginning of this Prophecy by seven stars. And before the throne was a sea of glass clear as chrystal; the brazen sea between the porch of the Temple and the Altar, filled with clear water. And in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four Beasts full of eyes before and behind: that is, one Beast before the throne and one behind it, appearing to John as in the midst of the throne, and one on either side in the circle about it, to represent by the multitude of their eyes the people standing in the four sides of the peoples court. And the first Beast was like a lion, and the second was like a calf, and the third had the face of a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. The people of Israel in the wilderness encamped round about the tabernacle, and on the east side were three tribes under the standard of Judah, on the west were three tribes under the standard of Ephraim, on the south were three tribes under the standard of Reuben, and on the north were three tribes under the standard of Dan, Numb. ii. And the standard of Judah was a Lion, that of Ephraim an Ox, that of Reuben a Man, and that of Dan an Eagle, as the Jews affirm. Whence were framed the hieroglyphicks of Cherubims and Seraphims, to represent the people of Israel. A Cherubim had one body with four faces, the faces of a Lion, an Ox, a Man and an Eagle, looking to the four winds of heaven, without turning about, as in Ezekiel's vision, chap. i. And four Seraphims had the same four faces with four bodies, one face to every body. The four Beasts are therefore four Seraphims standing in the four sides of the peoples court; the first in the eastern side with the head of a Lion, the second in the western side with the head of an Ox, the third in the southern side with the head of a Man, the fourth in the northern side with the head of an Eagle: and all four signify together the twelve tribes of Israel, out of whom the hundred forty and four thousand were sealed, Apoc. vii. 4. And the four Beasts had each of them six wings, two to a tribe, in all twenty and four wings, answering to the twenty and four stations of the people. And they were full of eyes within, or under their wings. And they rest not day and night, or at the morning and evening-sacrifices, saying, holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. These animals are therefore the Seraphims, which appeared to Isaiah [1] in a vision like this of the Apocalypse. For there also the Lord sat upon a throne in the temple; and the Seraphims each with six wings cried, Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. And when those animals give glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth upon the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty Elders go into the Temple, and there fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. At the morning and evening-sacrifices, so soon as the sacrifice was laid upon the Altar, and the drink-offering began to be poured out, the trumpets sounded, and the Levites sang by course three times; and every time when the trumpets sounded, the people fell down and worshiped. Three times therefore did the people worship; to express which number, the Beasts cry Holy, holy, holy: and the song being ended, the people prayed standing, till the solemnity was finished. In the mean time the Priests went into the Temple, and there fell down before him that sat upon the throne, and worshiped.

 

And John saw, in the right hand of him that sat upon the throne, a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals, viz. the book which Daniel was commanded to seal up, and which is here represented by the prophetic book of the Law laid up on the right side of the Ark, as it were in the right hand of him that sat on the throne: for the festivals and ceremonies of the Law prescribed to the people in this book, adumbrated those things which were predicted in the book of Daniel; and the writing within and on the backside of this book, relates to the synchronal Prophecies. [2] And none was found worthy to open the book but the Lamb of God. And lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four Beasts, and in the midst of the Elders, that is, at the foot of the Altar, stood a lamb as it had been slain, the morning-sacrifice; having seven horns, which are the seven Churches, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came, and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne: And when he had taken the book, the four Beasts and four and twenty Elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us, unto our God, Kings and Priests, and we shall reign on the earth. The Beasts and Elders therefore represent the primitive Christians of all nations; and the worship of these Christians in their Churches is here represented under the form of worshiping God and the Lamb in the Temple: God for his benefaction in creating all things, and the Lamb for his benefaction in redeeming us with his blood: God as sitting upon the throne and living for ever, and the Lamb as exalted above all by the merits of his death. And I heard, saith John, the voice of many Angels round about the throne, and the Beasts and the Elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, honour, glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four Beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty Elders fell down and worshiped him that liveth for ever and ever. This was the worship of the primitive Christians.

 

It was the custom for the High-Priest, seven days before the fast of the seventh month, to continue constantly in the Temple, and study the book of the Law, that he might be perfect in it against the day of expiation; wherein the service, which was various and intricate, was wholly to be performed by himself; part of which service was reading the Law to the people: and to promote his studying it, there were certain Priests appointed by the Sanhedrim to be with him those seven days in one of his chambers in the Temple, and there to discourse with him about the Law, and read it to him, and put him in mind of reading and studying it himself. This his opening and reading the Law those seven days, is alluded unto in the Lamb's opening the seals. We are to conceive that those seven days begin in the evening before each day; for the Jews began their day in the evening, and that the solemnity of the fast begins in the morning of the seventh day.

 

The seventh seal was therefore opened on the day of expiation, and then there was silence in heaven for half an hour. And an Angel, the High-Priest, stood at the Altar, having a golden Censer; and there was given him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints, upon the golden Altar which was before the throne. The custom was on other days, for one of the Priests to take fire from the great Altar in a silver Censer; but on this day, for the High-Priest to take fire from the great Altar in a golden Censer: and when he was come down from the great Altar, he took incense from one of the Priests who brought it to him, and went with it to the golden Altar: and while he offered the incense, the people prayed without in silence, which is the silence in heaven for half an hour. When the High-Priest had laid the incense on the Altar, he carried a Censer of it burning in his hand, into the most holy place before the Ark. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the Saints, ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand. On other days there was a certain measure of incense for the golden Altar: on this day there was a greater quantity for both the Altar and the most holy Place, and therefore it is called much incense. After this the Angel took the Censer, and filled it with fire from the great Altar, and cast it into the earth; that is, by the hands of the Priests who belong to his mystical body, he cast it to the earth without the Temple, for burning the Goat which was the Lord's lot. And at this and other concomitant sacrifices, until the evening-sacrifice was ended, there were voices, and thundrings, and lightnings, and an earthquake; that is, the voice of the High-Priest reading the Law to the people, and other voices and thundrings from the trumpets and temple-musick at the sacrifices, and lightnings from the fire of the Altar.

 

The solemnity of the day of expiation being finished, the seven Angels found their trumpets at the great sacrifices of the seven days of the feast of tabernacles; and at the same sacrifices, the seven thunders utter their voices, which are the musick of the Temple, and singing of the Levites, intermixed with the soundings of the trumpets: and the seven Angels pour out their vials of wrath, which are the drink-offerings of those sacrifices.

 

When six of the seals were opened, John said: [3] And after these things, that is, after the visions of the sixth seal, I saw four Angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another Angel ascending from the East, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. This sealing alludes to a tradition of the Jews, that upon the day of expiation all the people of Israel are sealed up in the books of life and death. For the Jews in their Talmud [4] tell us, that in the beginning of every new year, or first day of the month Tisri, the seventh month of the sacred year, three books are opened in judgment; the book of life, in which the names of those are written who are perfectly just; the book of death, in which the names of those are written who are Atheists or very wicked; and a third book, of those whose judgment is suspended till the day of expiation, and whose names are not written in the book of life or death before that day. The first ten days of this month they call the penitential days; and all these days they fast and pray very much, and are very devout, that on the tenth day their sins may be remitted, and their names may be written in the book of life; which day is therefore called the day of expiation. And upon this tenth day, in returning home from the Synagogues, they say to one another, God the creator seal you to a good year. For they conceive that the books are now sealed up, and that the sentence of God remains unchanged henceforward to the end of the year. The same thing is signified by the two Goats, upon whose foreheads the High-Priest yearly, on the day of expiation, lays the two lots inscribed, For God and For Azazel; God's lot signifying the people who are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads; and the lot Azazel, which was sent into the wilderness, representing those who receive the mark and name of the Beast, and go into the wilderness with the great Whore.

 

The servants of God being therefore sealed in the day of expiation, we may conceive that this sealing is synchronal to the visions which appear upon opening the seventh seal; and that when the Lamb had opened six of the seals and seen the visions relating to the inside of the sixth, he looked on the backside of the seventh leaf, and then saw the four Angels holding the four winds of heaven, and another Angel ascending from the East with the seal of God. Conceive also, that the Angels which held the four winds were the first four of the seven Angels, who upon opening the seventh seal were seen standing before God; and that upon their holding the winds, there was silence in heaven for half an hour; and that while the servants of God were sealing, the Angel with the golden Censer offered their prayers with incense upon the golden Altar, and read the Law: and that so soon as they were sealed, the winds hurt the earth at the sounding of the first trumpet, and the sea at the sounding of the second; these winds signifying the wars, to which the first four trumpets sounded. For as the first four seals are distinguished from the three last by the appearance of four horsemen towards the four winds of heaven; so the wars of the first four trumpets are distinguished from those of the three last, by representing these by four winds, and the others by three great woes.

 

In one of Ezekiel's visions, when the Babylonian captivity was at hand, six men appeared with slaughter-weapons; and a seventh, who [5] appeared among them clothed in white linen and a writer's ink-horn by his side, is commanded to go thro' the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations done in the midst thereof: and then the six men, like the Angels of the first six trumpets, are commanded to slay those men who are not marked. Conceive therefore that the hundred forty and four thousand are sealed, to preserve them from the plagues of the first six trumpets; and that at length by the preaching of the everlasting gospel, they grow into a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people and tongues: and at the sounding of the seventh trumpet come out of the great tribulation with Palms in their hands: the kingdoms of this world, by the war to which that trumpet sounds, becoming the kingdoms of God and his Christ. For the solemnity of the great Hosannah was kept by the Jews upon the seventh or last day of the feast of tabernacles; the Jews upon that day carrying Palms in their hands, and crying Hosannah.

 

After six of the Angels, answering to the six men with slaughter-weapons, had sounded their trumpets, the Lamb in the form of a mighty Angel cane down from heaven clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the Sun, and his feet as pillars of fire, the shape in which Christ appeared in the beginning of this Prophecy; and he had in his hand a little book open, the book which he had newly opened; for he received but one book from him that sitteth upon the throne, and he alone was worthy to open and look on this book. And he set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. It was the custom for the High-Priest on the day of expiation, to stand in an elevated place in the peoples court, at the Eastern gate of the Priests court, and read the Law to the people, while the Heifer and the Goat which was the Lord's lot, were burning without the Temple. We may therefore suppose him standing in such a manner, that his right foot might appear to John as it were standing on the sea of glass, and his left foot on the ground of the house; and that he cried with a loud voice, in reading the Law on the day of expiation. And when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. Thunders are the voice of a cloud, and a cloud signifies a multitude; and this multitude may be the Levites, who sang with thundering voices, and played with musical instruments at the great sacrifices, on the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles: at which times the trumpets also sounded. For the trumpets sounded, and the Levites sang alternately, three times at every sacrifice. The Prophecy therefore of the seven thunders is nothing else than a repetition of the Prophecy of the seven trumpets in another form. And the Angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, that after the seven thunders there should be time no longer; but in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets. The voices of the thunders therefore last to the end of this world, and so do those of the trumpets.

 

And the voice which I heard from heaven, saith John, spake unto me again and said, Go and take the little book, &c. And I took the little book out of the Angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey, and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings. This is an introduction to a new Prophecy, to a repetition of the Prophecy of the whole book; and alludes to Ezekiel's eating a roll or book spread open before him, and written within and without, full of lamentations and mourning and woe, but sweet in his mouth. Eating and drinking signify acquiring and possessing; and eating the book is becoming inspired with the Prophecy contained in it. It implies being inspired in a vigorous and extraordinary manner with the Prophecy of the whole book, and therefore signifies a lively repetition of the whole Prophecy by way of interpretation, and begins not till the first Prophecy, that of the seals and trumpets, is ended. It was sweet in John's mouth, and therefore begins not with the bitter Prophecy of the Babylonian captivity, and the Gentiles being in the outward court of the Temple, and treading the holy city under foot; and the prophesying of the two Witnesses in sackcloth, and their smiting the earth with all plagues, and being killed by the Beast; but so soon as the Prophecy of the trumpets is ended, it begins with the sweet Prophecy of the glorious Woman in heaven, and the victory of Michael over the Dragon; and after that, it is bitter in John's belly, by a large description of the times of the great Apostacy.

 

And the Angel stood, upon the earth and sea, saying, Rise and measure the Temple of God and the Altar, and them that worship therein, that is, their courts with the buildings thereon, viz. the square court of the Temple called the separate place, and the square court of the Altar called the Priests court, and the court of them that worship in the Temple called the new court: but the great court which is without the Temple, leave out, and measure it not, for it is given to the Gentiles, and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. This measuring hath reference to Ezekiel's measuring the Temple of Solomon: there the whole Temple, including the outward court, was measured, to signify that it should be rebuilt in the latter days. Here the courts of the Temple and Altar, and they who worship therein, are only measured, to signify the building of a second Temple, for those that are sealed out of all the twelve tribes of Israel, and worship in the inward court of sincerity and truth: but John is commanded to leave out the outward court, or outward form of religion and Church-government, because it is given to the Babylonian Gentiles. For the glorious woman in heaven, the remnant of whole seed kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony of Jesus, continued the same woman in outward form after her flight into the wilderness, whereby she quitted her former sincerity and piety, and became the great Whore. She lost her chastity, but kept her outward form and shape. And while the Gentiles tread the holy city underfoot, and worship in the outward court, the two witnesses, represented perhaps by the two feet of the Angel standing on the sea and earth, prophesied against them, and had power, like Elijah and Moses, to consume their enemies with fire proceeding out of their mouth, and to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their Prophecy, and to turn the waters into blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will, that is, with the plagues of the trumpets and vials of wrath; and at length they are slain, rise again from the dead, and ascend up to heaven in a cloud; and then the seventh trumpet sounds to the day of judgment.

 

The Prophecy being finished, John is inspired anew by the eaten book, and begins the Interpretation thereof with these words, And the Temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of the Testament. By the Ark, we may know that this was the first Temple; for the second Temple had no Ark. And there were lightnings, and voices, and thundrings, and an earthquake, and great hail. These answer to the wars in the Roman Empire, during the reign of the four horsemen, who appeared upon opening the first four seals. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun. In the Prophecy, the affairs of the Church begin to be considered at the opening of the fifth seal; and in the Interpretation, they begin at the same time with the vision of the Church in the form of a woman in heaven: there she is persecuted, and here she is pained in travail. The Interpretation proceeds down first to the sealing of the servants of God, and marking the rest with the mark of the Beast; and then to the day of judgment, represented by a harvest and vintage. Then it returns back to the times of opening the seventh seal, and interprets the Prophecy of the seven trumpets by the pouring out of seven vials of wrath. The Angels who pour them out, come out of the Temple of the Tabernacle; that is, out of the second Temple, for the Tabernacle had no outward court. Then it returns back again to the times of measuring the Temple and Altar, and of the Gentiles worshiping in the outward court, and of the Beast killing the witnesses in the streets of the great city; and interprets these things by the vision of a woman sitting on the Beast, drunken with the blood of the Saints; and proceeds in the interpretation downwards to the fall of the great city and the day of judgment.

 

The whole Prophecy of the book, represented by the book of the Law, is therefore repeated, and interpreted in the visions which follow those of sounding the seventh trumpet, and begin with that of the Temple of God opened in heaven. Only the things, which the seven thunders uttered, were not written down, and therefore not interpreted.

 

Notes to Chap. II.

[1] Isa. vi.

[2] Apoc. v.

[3] Apoc. vii

[4] Buxtorf in Synogoga Judaica, c. 18, 21.

[5] Ezek. ix.

CHAP. III.

The relation that the Prophecy of John hath to those of Daniel; and of the subject of the Prophecy.

The whole scene of sacred Prophecy is composed of three principal parts: the regions beyond Euphrates, represented by the two first Beasts of Daniel; the Empire of the Greeks on this side of Euphrates, represented by the Leopard and by the He-Goat; and the Empire of the Latins on this side of Greece, represented by the Beast with ten horns. And to these three parts, the phrases of the third part of the earth, sea, rivers, trees, ships, stars, sun, and moon, relate. I place the body of the fourth Beast on this side of Greece, because the three first of the four Beasts had their lives prolonged after their dominion was taken away, and therefore belong not to the body of the fourth. He only stamped them with his feet.

 

By the earth, the Jews understood the great continent of all Asia and Africa, to which they had access by land: and by the Isles of the sea, they understood the places to which they sailed by sea, particularly all Europe: and hence in this Prophecy, the earth and sea are put for the nations of the Greek and Latin Empires.

 

The third and fourth Beasts of Daniel are the same with the Dragon and ten-horned Beast of John, but with this difference: John puts the Dragon for the whole Roman Empire while it continued entire, because it was entire when that Prophecy was given; and the Beast he considers not till the Empire became divided: and then he puts the Dragon for the Empire of the Greeks, and the Beast for the Empire of the Latins. Hence it is that the Dragon and Beast have common heads and common horns: but the Dragon hath crowns only upon his heads, and the Beast only upon his horns; because the Beast and his horns reigned not before they were divided from the Dragon: and when the Dragon gave the Beast his throne, the ten horns received power as Kings, the same hour with the Beast. The heads are seven successive Kings. Four of them were the four horsemen which appeared at the opening of the first four seals. In the latter end of the sixth head, or seal, considered as present in the visions, it is said, five of the seven Kings are fallen, and one is, and another is not yet come; and the Beast that was and is not, being wounded to death with a sword, he is the eighth, and of the seven: he was therefore a collateral part of the seventh. The horns are the same with those of Daniel's fourth Beast, described above.

 

The four horsemen which appear at the opening of the first four seals, have been well explained by Mr. Mede; excepting that I had rather continue the third to the end of the reign of the three Gordians and Philip the Arabian, those being Kings from the South, and begin the fourth with the reign of Decius, and continue it till the reign of Dioclesian. For the fourth horseman sat upon a pale horse, and his name was Death; and hell followed with him; and power was given them to kill unto the fourth part of the earth, with the sword, and with famine, and with the plague, and with the Beasts of the earth, or armies of invaders and rebels: and as such were the times during all this interval. Hitherto the Roman Empire continued in an undivided monarchical form, except rebellions; and such it is represented by the four horsemen. But Dioclesian divided it between himself and Maximianus, A.C. 285; and it continued in that divided state, till the victory of Constantine the great over Licinius, A.C. 323, which put an end to the heathen persecutions set on foot by Dioclesian and Maximianus, and described at the opening of the fifth seal. But this division of the Empire was imperfect, the whole being still under one and the same Senate. The same victory of Constantine over Licinius a heathen persecutor, began the fall of the heathen Empire, described at the opening of the sixth seal: and the visions of this seal continue till after the reign of Julian the Apostate, he being a heathen Emperor, and reigning over the whole Roman Empire.

 

The affairs of the Church begin to be considered at the opening of the fifth seal, as was said above. Then she is represented by a woman in the Temple of heaven, clothed with the sun of righteousness, and the moon of Jewish ceremonies under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars relating to the twelve Apostles and to the twelve tribes of Israel. When she fled from the Temple into the wilderness, she left in the Temple a remnant of her seed, who kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony of Jesus Christ; and therefore before her flight she represented the true primitive Church of God, tho afterwards she degenerated like Aholah and Aholibah. In Diocesian's persecution she cried, travelling in birth, and pained to be delivered. And in the end of that persecution, by the victory of Constantine over Maxentius A.C. 312, she brought forth a man-child, such a child as was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, a Christian Empire. And her child, by the victory of Constantine over Licinius, A.C. 323, was caught up unto God and to his throne. And the woman, by the division of the Roman Empire into the Greek and Latin Empires, fled from the first Temple into the wilderness, or spiritually barren Empire of the Latins, where she is found afterwards sitting upon the Beast and upon the seven mountains; and is called the great city which reigneth over the Kings of the earth, that is, over the ten Kings who give their kingdom to her Beast.

 

But before her flight there was war in heaven between Michael and the Dragon, the Christian and the heathen religions; and the Dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, who deceiveth the whole world, was cast out to the earth, and his Angels were cast out with him. And John heard a voice in heaven, saying, Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe be to the inhabiters of the earth and sea, or people of the Greek and Latin Empires, for the devil is come down amongst you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

 

And when the Dragon saw that he was cast down from the Roman throne, and the man-child caught up thither, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child; and to her, by the division of the Roman Empire between the cities of Rome and Constantinople A.C. 330, were given two wings of a great eagle, the symbol of the Roman Empire, that she might flee from the first Temple into the wilderness of Arabia, to her place at Babylon mystically so called. And the serpent, by the division of the same Empire between the sons of Constantine the great, A.C. 337, cast out of his mouth water as a flood, the Western Empire, after the woman; that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. And the earth, or Greek Empire, helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood, by the victory of Constantius over Magnentius, A.C. 353, and thus the Beast was wounded to death with a sword. And the Dragon was wroth with the woman, in the reign of Julian the Apostate A.C. 361, and, by a new division of the Empire between Valentinian and Valens, A.C. 364, went from her into the Eastern Empire to make war with the remnant of her seed, which she left behind her when she fled: and thus the Beast revived. By the next division of the Empire, which was between Gratian and Theodosius A.C. 379, the Beast with ten horns rose out of the sea, and the Beast with two horns out of the earth: and by the last division thereof, which was between the sons of Theodosius, A.C. 395, the Dragon gave the Beast his power and throne, and great authority. And the ten horns received power as Kings, the same hour with the Beast.

 

At length the woman arrived at her place of temporal as well as spiritual dominion upon the back of the Beast, where she is nourished a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent; not in his kingdom, but at a distance from him. She is nourished by the merchants of the earth, three times or years and an half, or 42 months, or 1260 days: and in these Prophecies days are put for years. During all this time the Beast acted, and she sat upon him, that is, reigned over him, and over the ten Kings who gave their power and strength, that is, their kingdom to the Beast; and she was drunken with the blood of the Saints. By all these circumstances she is the eleventh horn of Daniel's fourth Beast, who reigned with a look more stout than his fellows, and was of a different kind from the rest, and had eyes and a mouth like the woman; and made war with the saints, and prevailed against them, and wore them out, and thought to change times and laws, and had them given into his hand, until a time, and times, and half a time. These characters of the woman, and little horn of the Beast, agree perfectly: in respect of her temporal dominion, she was a horn of the Beast; in respect of her spiritual dominion, she rode upon him in the form of a woman, and was his Church, and committed fornication with the ten Kings.

 

The second Beast, which rose up out of the earth, was the Church of the Greek Empire: for it had two horns like those of the Lamb, and therefore was a Church; and it spake as the Dragon, and therefore was of his religion; and it came up out of the earth, and by consequence in his kingdom. It is called also the false Prophet who wrought miracles before the first Beast, by which he deceived them that received his mark, and worshiped his image. When the Dragon went from the woman to make war with the remnant of her seed, this Beast arising out of the earth assisted in that war, and caused the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the authority of the first Beast, whose mortal wound was healed, and to make an Image to him, that is, to assemble a body of men like him in point of religion. He had also power to give life and authority to the Image, so that it could both speak, and by dictating cause that all religious bodies of men, who would not worship the authority of the Image, should be mystically killed. And he causeth all men to receive a mark in their right hand or in their forehead, and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name; all the rest being excommunicated by the Beast with two horns. His mark is Cross Cross Cross, and his name ???????S, and the number of his name 666.

 

Thus the Beast, after he was wounded to death with a sword and revived, was deified, as the heathens used to deify their Kings after death, and had an Image erected to him; and his worshipers were initiated in this new religion, by receiving the mark or name of this new God, or the number of his name. By killing all that will not worship him and his Image, the first Temple, illuminated by the lamps of the seven Churches, is demolished, and a new Temple built for them who will not worship him; and the outward court of this new Temple, or outward form of a Church, is given to the Gentiles, who worship the Beast and his Image: while they who will not worship him, are sealed with the name of God in their foreheads, and retire into the inward court of this new Temple. These are the 144000 sealed out of all the twelve tribes of Israel, and called the two Witnesses, as being derived from the two wings of the woman while she was flying into the wilderness, and represented by two of the seven candlesticks. These appear to John in the inward court of the second Temple, standing on mount Sion with the Lamb, and as it were on the sea of glass. These are the Saints of the most High, and the host of heaven, and the holy people spoken of by Daniel, as worn out and trampled under foot, and destroyed in the latter times by the little horns of his fourth Beast and He-Goat.

 

While the Gentiles tread the holy city under foot, God gives power to his two Witnesses, and they prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days clothed in sackcloth. They are called the two Olive-trees, with relation to the two Olive-trees, which in Zechary's vision, chap. iv. stand on either side of the golden candlestick to supply the lamps with oil: and Olive-trees, according to the Apostle Paul, represent Churches, Rom. xi. They supply the lamps with oil, by maintaining teachers. They are also called the two candlesticks; which in this Prophecy signify Churches, the seven Churches of Asia being represented by seven candlesticks. Five of these Churches were found faulty, and threatned if they did not repent; the other two were without fault, and so their candlesticks were fit to be placed in the second Temple. These were the Churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia. They were in a state of tribulation and persecution, and the only two of the seven in such a state: and so their candlesticks were fit to represent the Churches in affliction in the times of the second Temple, and the only two of the seven that were fit. The two Witnesses are not new Churches: they are the posterity of the primitive Church, the posterity of the two wings of the woman, and so are fitly represented by two of the primitive candlesticks. We may conceive therefore, that when the first Temple was destroyed, and a new one built for them who worship in the inward court, two of the seven candlesticks were placed in this new Temple.

 

The affairs of the Church are not considered during the opening of the first four seals. They begin to be consider'd at the opening of the fifth seal, as was said above; and are further considered at the opening of the sixth seal; and the seventh seal contains the times of the great Apostacy. And therefore I refer the Epistles to the seven Churches unto the times of the fifth and sixth seals: for they relate to the Church when she began to decline, and contain admonitions against the great Apostacy then approaching.

 

When Eusebius had brought down his Ecclesiatical History to the reign of Dioclesian, he thus describes the state of the Church: Qualem quantamque gloriam simul ac libertatem doctrina veræ erga supremum Deum pietatis à Christo primùm hominibus annunciata, apud omnes Græcos pariter & barbaros ante persecutionem nostrâ memoriâ excitatam, consecuta sit, nos certè pro merito explicare non possumus. Argumento esse possit Imperatorum benignitas erga nostros: quibus regendas etiam provincias committebant, omni sacrificandi metu eos liberantes ob singularem, qua in religionem nostram affecti erant, benevolentiam. And a little after: Jam vero quis innumerabilem hominum quotidiè ad fidem Christi confugientium turbam, quis numerum ecclesiarum in singulis urbibus, quis illustres populorum concursus in ædibus sacris, cumulatè possit describere? Quo factum est, ut priscis ædificiis jam non contenti, in singulis urbibus spatiosas ab ipsis fundamentis exstruerent ecclesias. Atque hæc progressii temporis increscentia, & quotidiè in majus & melius proficiscentia, nec livor ullus atterere, nec malignitas dæmonis fascinare, nec hominum insidiæ prohibere unquam potuerunt, quamdiu omnipotentis Dei dextra populum suum, utpote tali dignum præsidio, texit atque custodiit. Sed cum ex nimia libertate in negligentiam ac desidiam prolapsi essemus; cum alter alteri invidere atque obtrectare cæpisset; cum inter nos quasi bella intestina gereremus, verbis, tanquam armis quibusdam hastisque, nos mutuò vulnerantes; cum Antistites adversus Antistites, populi in populos collisi, jurgia ac tumultus agitarent; denique cum fraus & simulatio ad summum malitiæ culmen adolevisset: tum divina ultio, levi brachio ut solet, integro adhuc ecclesiæ statu, & fidelium turbis liberè convenientibus, sensim ac moderatè in nos cæpit animadvertere; orsà primùm persecutione ab iis qui militabant. Cum verò sensu omni destituti de placando Dei numine ne cogitaremus quidem; quin potius instar impiorum quorundam res humanas nullâ providentiâ gubernari rati, alia quotidiè crimina aliis adjiceremus: cum Pastores nostri spretâ religionis regulâ, mutuis inter se contentionibus decertarent, nihil aliud quam jurgia, minas, æmulationem, odia, ac mutuas inimicitias amplificare studentes; principatum quasi tyrannidem quandam contentissimè sibi vindicantes: tunc demùm juxta dictum Hieremiæ, obscuravit Dominus in ira sua filiam Sion, & dejecit de cælo gloriam Israel,—per Ecclesiarum scilicet subversionem, &c. This was the state of the Church just before the subversion of the Churches in the beginning of Dioclesian's persecution: and to this state of the Church agrees the first of the seven Epistles to the Angel of the seven Churches, [1] that to the Church in Ephesus. I have something against thee, saith Christ to the Angel of that Church, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Nicolaitans are the Continentes above described, who placed religion in abstinence from marriage, abandoning their wives if they had any. They are here called Nicolaitans, from Nicolas one of the seven deacons of the primitive Church of Jerusalem; who having a beautiful wife, and being taxed with uxoriousness, abandoned her, and permitted her to marry whom she pleased, saying that we must disuse the flesh; and thenceforward lived a single life in continency, as his children also. The Continentes afterwards embraced the doctrine of Æons and Ghosts male and female, and were avoided by the Churches till the fourth century; and the Church of Ephesus is here commended for hating their deeds.

 

The persecution of Dioclesian began in the year of Christ 302, and lasted ten years in the Eastern Empire and two years in the Western. To this state of the Church the second Epistle, to the Church of Smyrna, agrees. I know, saith [2] Christ, thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich; and I know the blasphemy of them, which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: Behold, the Devil shall call some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. The tribulation of ten days can agree to no other persecution than that of Dioclesian, it being the only persecution which lasted ten years. By the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan, I understand the Idolatry of the Nicolaitans, who falsly said they were Christians.

 

The Nicolaitans are complained of also in [3] the third Epistle, as men that held the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to Idols, and [4] to commit spiritual fornication. For Balaam taught the Moabites and Midianites to tempt and invite Israel by their women to commit fornication, and to feast with them at the sacrifices of their Gods. The Dragon therefore began now to come down among the inhabitants of the earth and sea.

 

The Nicolaitans are also complained of in the fourth Epistle, under the name of the woman Jezabel, who calleth herself a Prophetess, to teach and to seduce the servants of Christ to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to Idols. The woman therefore began now to fly into the wilderness.

 

The reign of Constantine the great from the time of his conquering Licinius, was monarchical over the whole Roman Empire. Then the Empire became divided between the sons of Constantine: and afterwards it was again united under Constantius, by his victory over Magnentius. To the affairs of the Church in these three successive periods of time, the third, fourth, and fifth Epistles, that is, those to the Angels of the Churches in Pergamus, Thyatira, and Sardis, seem to relate. The next Emperor was Julian the Apostate.

 

In the sixth Epistle, [5] to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia, Christ saith: Because in the reign of the heathen Emperor Julian, thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which by the woman's flying into the wilderness, and the Dragon's making war with the remnant of her seed, and the killing of all who will not worship the Image of the Beast, shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth, and to distinguish them by sealing the one with the name of God in their foreheads, and marking the other with the mark of the Beast. Him that overcometh, I will make a pillar in the Temple of my God; and he shall go no more out of it. And I will write upon him the name of my God in his forehead. So the Christians of the Church of Philadelphia, as many of them as overcome, are sealed with the seal of God, and placed in the second Temple, and go no more out. The same is to be understood of the Church in Smyrna, which also kept the word of God's patience, and was without fault. These two Churches, with their posterity, are therefore the two Pillars, and the two Candlesticks, and the two Witnesses in the second Temple.

 

After the reign of the Emperor Julian, and his successor Jovian who reigned but five months, the Empire became again divided between Valentinian and Valens. Then the Church Catholick, in the Epistle to the Angel of the Church of Laodicea, is reprehended as lukewarm, and [6] threatned to be spewed out of Christ's mouth. She said, that she was rich and increased with goods, and had need of nothing, being in outward prosperity; and knew not that she was inwardly wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. She is therefore spewed out of Christ's mouth at the opening of the seventh seal: and this puts an end to the times of the first Temple.

 

About one half of the Roman Empire turned Christians in the time of Constantine the great and his sons. After Julian had opened the Temples, and restored the worship of the heathens, the Emperors Valentinian and Valens tolerated it all their reign; and therefore the Prophecy of the sixth seal was not fully accomplished before the reign of their successor Gratian. It was the custom of the heathen Priests, in the beginning of the reign of every sovereign Emperor, to offer him the dignity and habit of the Pontifex Maximus. This dignity all Emperors had hitherto accepted: but Gratian rejected it, threw down the idols, interdicted the sacrifices, and took away their revenues with the salaries and authority of the Priests. Theodosius the great followed his example; and heathenism afterwards recovered itself no more, but decreased so fast, that Prudentius, about ten years after the death of Theodosius, called the heathens, vix pauca ingenia & pars hominum rarissima. Whence the affairs of the sixth seal ended with the reign of Valens, or rather with the beginning of the reign of Theodosius, when he, like his predecessor Gratian, rejected the dignity of Pontifex Maximus. For the Romans were very much infested by the invasions of foreign nations in the reign of Valentinian and Valens: Hoc tempore, saith Ammianus, velut per universum orbem Romanum bellicum canentibus buccinis, excitæ gentes sævissimæ limites sibi proximos persultabant: Gallias Rhætiasque simul Alemanni populabantur: Sarmatæ Pannonias & Quadi: Picti, Saxones, & Scoti & Attacotti Britannos ærumnis vexavere continuis: Austoriani, Mauricæque aliæ gentes Africam solito acriùs incursabant: Thracias diripiebant prædatorii globi Gotthorum: Persarum Rex manus Armeniis injectabat. And whilst the Emperors were busy in repelling these enemies, the Hunns and Alans and Goths came over the Danube in two bodies, overcame and slew Valens, and made so great a slaughter of the Roman army, that Ammianus saith: Nec ulla Annalibus præter Cannensem ita ad internecionem res legitur gesta. These wars were not fully stopt on all sides till the beginning of the reign of Theodosius, A.C. 379 & 380: but thenceforward the Empire remained quiet from foreign armies, till his death, A.C. 395. So long the four winds were held: and so long there was silence in heaven. And the seventh seal was opened when this silence began.

 

Mr. Mede hath explained the Prophecy of the first six trumpets not much amiss: but if he had observed, that the Prophecy of pouring out the vials of wrath is synchronal to that of sounding the trumpets, his explanation would have been yet more complete.

 

The name of Woes is given to the wars to which the three last trumpets sound, to distinguish them from the wars of the four first. The sacrifices on the first four days of the feast of Tabernacles, at which the first four trumpets sound, and the first four vials of wrath are poured out, are slaughters in four great wars; and these wars are represented by four winds from the four corners of the earth. The first was an east wind, the second a west wind, the third a south wind, and the fourth a north wind, with respect to the city of Rome, the metropolis of the old Roman Empire. These four plagues fell upon the third part of the Earth, Sea, Rivers, Sun, Moon and Stars; that is, upon the Earth, Sea, Rivers, Sun, Moon and Stars of the third part of the whole scene of these Prophecies of Daniel and John.

 

The plague of the eastern wind [7] at the sounding of the first trumpet, was to fall upon the Earth, that is, upon the nations of the Greek Empire. Accordingly, after the death of Theodosius the great, the Goths, Sarmatians, Hunns, Isaurians, and Austorian Moors invaded and miserably wasted Greece, Thrace, Asia minor, Armenia, Syria, Egypt, Lybia, and Illyricum, for ten or twelve years together.

 

The plague of the western wind at the sounding of the second trumpet, was to fall upon the Sea, or Western Empire, by means of a great mountain burning with fire cast into it, and turning it to blood. Accordingly in the year 407, that Empire began to be invaded by the Visigoths, Vandals, Alans, Sueves, Burgundians, Ostrogoths, Heruli, Quadi, Gepides; and by these wars it was broken into ten kingdoms, and miserably wasted: and Rome itself, the burning mountain, was besieged and taken by the Ostrogoths, in the beginning of these miseries.

 

The plague of the southern wind at the sounding of the third trumpet, was to cause a great star, burning as it were a lamp, to fall from heaven upon the rivers and fountains of waters, the Western Empire now divided into many kingdoms, and to turn them to wormwood and blood, and make them bitter. Accordingly Genseric, the King of the Vandals and Alans in Spain, A.C. 427, enter'd Africa with an army of eighty thousand men; where he invaded the Moors, and made war upon the Romans, both there and on the sea-coasts of Europe, for fifty years together, almost without intermission, taking Hippo A.C. 431, and Carthage the capital of Africa A.C. 439. In A.C. 455, with a numerous fleet and an army of three hundred thousand Vandals and Moors, he invaded Italy, took and plundered Rome, Naples, Capua, and many other cities; carrying thence their wealth with the flower of the people into Africa: and the next year, A.C. 456, he rent all Africa from the Empire, totally expelling the Romans. Then the Vandals invaded and took the Islands of the Mediterranean, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Ebusus, Majorca, Minorca, &c. and Ricimer besieged the Emperer Anthemius in Rome, took the city, and gave his soldiers the plunder, A.C. 472. The Visigoths about the same time drove the Romans out of Spain: and now the Western Emperor, the great star which fell from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, having by all these wars gradually lost almost all his dominions, was invaded, and conquered in one year by Odoacer King of the Heruli, A.C. 476. After this the Moors revolted A.C. 477, and weakned the Vandals by several wars, and took Mauritania from them. These wars continued till the Vandals were conquered by Belisarius, A.C. 534. and by all these wars Africa was almost depopulated, according to Procopius, who reckons that above five millions of men perished in them. When the Vandals first invaded Africa, that country was very populous, consisting of about 700 bishopricks, more than were in all France, Spain and Italy together: but by the wars between the Vandals, Romans and Moors, it was depopulated to that degree, that Procopius tells us, it was next to a miracle for a traveller to see a man.

 

In pouring out the third vial it is [8] said: Thou art righteous, O Lord,—because thou hast judged thus: for they have shed the blood of thy Saints and Prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy. How they shed the blood of Saints, may be understood by the following Edict of the Emperor Honorius, procured by four Bishops sent to him by a Council of African Bishops, who met at Carthage 14 June, A.C. 410.

 

Impp. Honor. &. Theod. AA. Heracliano Com. Afric.

 

Oraculo penitus remoto, quo ad ritus suos hæreticæ superstitionis abrepserant, sciant omnes sanctæ legis inimici, plectendos se pœna & proscriptionis & sanguinis, si ultra convenire per publicum, execrandâ sceleris sui temeritate temptaverint. Dat. viii. Kal. Sept. Varano V.C. Cons. A.C. 410.

 

Which Edict was five years after fortified by the following.

 

Impp. Honor. & Theod. AA. Heracliano Com. Afric.

 

Sciant cuncti qui ad ritus suos hæresis superstitionibus obrepserant sacrosanctæ legis inimici, plectendos se pœnâ & proscriptionis & sanguinis, si ultra convenire per publicum exercendi sceleris sui temeritate temptaverint: ne quâ vera divinaque reverentia contagione temeretur. Dat. viii. Kal. Sept. Honorio x. & Theod. vi. AA. Coss. A.C. 415.

 

These Edicts being directed to the governor of Africa, extended only to the Africans. Before these there were many severe ones against the Donatists, but they did not extend to blood. These two were the first which made their meetings, and the meetings of all dissenters, capital: for by hereticks in these Edicts are meant all dissenters, as is manifest by the following against Euresius a Luciferan Bishop.

 

Impp. Arcad. & Honor. AA. Aureliano Proc. Africæ.

 

Hæreticorum vocabulo continentur, & latis adversus eos sanctionibus debent succumbere, qui vel levi argumento à judicio Catholicæ religionis & tramite detecti fuerint deviare: ideoque experientia tua Euresium hæreticum esse cognoscat. Dat. iii. Non. Sept. Constantinop. Olybrio & Probino Coss. A.C. 395.

 

The Greek Emperor Zeno adopted Theoderic King of the Ostrogoths to be his son, made him master of the horse and Patricius, and Consul of Constantinople; and recommending to him the Roman people and Senate, gave him the Western Empire, and sent him into Italy against Odoacer King of the Heruli. Theoderic thereupon led his nation into Italy, conquered Odoacer, and reigned over Italy, Sicily, Rhætia, Noricum, Dalmatia, Liburnia, Istria, and part of Suevia, Pannonia and Gallia. Whence Ennodius said, in a Panegyric to Theoderic: Ad limitem suum Romana regna remeâsse. Theoderic reigned with great prudence, moderation and felicity; treated the Romans with singular benevolence, governed them by their own laws, and restored their government under their Senate and Consuls, he himself supplying the place of Emperor, without assuming the title. Ita sibi parentibus præfuit, saith Procopius, ut vere Imperatori conveniens decus nullum ipsi abesset: Justitiæ magnus ei cultus, legumque diligens custodia: terras à vicinis barbaris servavit intactas, &c. Whence I do not reckon the reign of this King, amongst the plagues of the four winds.

 

The plague of the northern wind, at the sounding of the fourth trumpet, was to cause the Sun, Moon and Stars, that is, the King, kingdom and Princes of the Western Empire, to be darkned, and to continue some time in darkness. Accordingly Belisarius, having conquered the Vandals, invaded Italy A.C. 535, and made war upon the Ostrogoths in Dalmatia, Liburnia, Venetia, Lombardy, Tuscany, and other regions northward from Rome, twenty years together. In this war many cities were taken and retaken. In retaking Millain from the Romans, the Ostrogoths slew all the males young and old, amounting, as Procopius reckons, to three hundred thousand, and sent the women captives to their allies the Burgundians. Rome itself was taken and retaken several times, and thereby the people were thinned; the old government by a Senate ceased, the nobles were ruined, and all the glory of the city was extinguish'd: and A.C. 552, after a war of seventeen years, the kingdom of the Ostrogoths fell; yet the remainder of the Ostrogoths, and an army of Germans called in to their assistance, continued the war three or four years longer. Then ensued the war of the Heruli, who, as Anastasius tells us, perimebant cunctam Italiam, slew all Italy. This was followed by the war of the Lombards, the fiercest of all the Barbarians, which began A.C. 568, and lasted for thirty eight years together; factâ tali clade, saith Anastasius, qualem à sæculo nullus meminit; ending at last in the Papacy of Sabinian, A.C. 605, by a peace then made with the Lombards. Three years before this war ended, Gregory the great, then Bishop of Rome, thus speaks of it: Qualiter enim & quotidianis gladiis & quantis Longobardorum incursionibus, ecce jam per triginta quinque annorum longitudinem premimur, nullis explere vocibus suggestionis valemus: and in one of his Sermons to the people, he thus expresses the great consumption of the Romans by these wars: Ex illa plebe innumerabili quanti remanseritis aspicitis, & tamen adhuc quotidiè flagella urgent, repentini casus opprimunt, novæ res & improvisæ clades affligunt. In another Sermon he thus describes the desolations: Destructæ urbes, eversa sunt castra, depopulati agri, in solitudinem terra redacta est. Nullus in agris incola, penè nullus in urbibus habitator remansit. Et tamen ipsæ parvæ generis humani reliquiæ adhuc quotidiè & sine cessatione feriuntur, & finem non habent flagella cœlestis justitiæ. Ipsa autem quæ aliquando mundi Domina esse videbatur, qualis remansit Roma conspicimus innumeris doloribus multipliciter attrita, defolatione civium, impressione hostium, frequentiâ ruinarum.—Ecce jam de illa omnes hujus fæculi potentes ablati sunt.—Ecce populi defecerunt.—Ubi enim Senatus? Ubi jam populus? Contabuerunt ossa, consumptæ sunt carnes. Omnis enim sæcularium dignitatum ordo extinctus est, & tamen ipsos vos paucos qui remansimus, adhuc quotidié gladii, adhuc quotidié innumeræ tribulationes premunt.—Vacua jam ardet Roma. Quid autem ista de hominibus dicimus? Cum ruinis crebrescentibus ipsa quoque destrui ædificia videmus. Postquam defecerunt homines etiam parietes cadunt. Jam ecce desolata, ecce contrita, ecce gemitibus oppressa est, &c. All this was spoken by Gregory to the people of Rome, who were witnesses of the truth of it. Thus by the plagues of the four winds, the Empire of the Greeks was shaken, and the Empire of the Latins fell; and Rome remained nothing more than the capital of a poor dukedom, subordinate to Ravenna, the seat of the Exarchs.

 

The fifth trumpet sounded to the wars, which the King of the South, as he is called by Daniel, made in the time of the end, in pushing at the King who did according to his will. This plague began with the opening of the bottomless pit, which denotes the letting out of a false religion: the smoke which came out of the pit, signifying the multitude which embraced that religion; and the locusts which came out of the smoke, the armies which came out of that multitude. This pit was opened, to let out smoke and locusts into the regions of the four monarchies, or some of them. The King of these locusts was the Angel of the bottomless pit, being chief governor as well in religious as civil affairs, such as was the Caliph of the Saracens. Swarms of locusts often arise in Arabia fælix, and from thence infest the neighbouring nations: and so are a very fit type of the numerous armies of Arabians invading the Romans. They began to invade them A.C. 634, and to reign at Damascus A.C. 637. They built Bagdad A.C. 766, and reigned over Persia, Syria, Arabia, Egypt, Africa and Spain. They afterwards lost Africa to Mahades, A.C. 910; Media, Hircania, Chorasan, and all Persia, to the Dailamites, between the years 927 and 935; Mesopotamia and Miafarekin to Nasiruddaulas, A.C. 930; Syria and Egypt to Achsjid, A.C. 935, and now being in great distress, the Caliph of Bagdad, A.C. 936, surrendred all the rest of his temporal power to Mahomet the son of Rajici, King of Wasit in Chaldea, and made him Emperor of Emperors. But Mahomet within two years lost Bagdad to the Turks; and thenceforward Bagdad was sometimes in the hands of the Turks, and sometimes in the hands of the Saracens, till Togrul-beig, called also Togra, Dogrissa, Tangrolipix, and Sadoc, conquered Chorasan and Persia; and A.C. 1055, added Bagdad to his Empire, making it the seat thereof. His successors Olub-Arflan and Melechschah, conquered the regions upon Euphrates; and these conquests, after the death of Melechschah, brake into the kingdoms of Armenia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Cappadocia. The whole time that the Caliphs of the Saracens reigned with a temporal dominion at Damascus and Bagdad together, was 300 years, viz. from the year 637 to the year 936 inclusive. Now locusts live but five months; and therefore, for the decorum of the type, these locusts are said to hurt men five months and five months, as if they had lived about five months at Damascus, and again about five months at Bagdad; in all ten months, or 300 prophetic days, which are years.

 

The sixth trumpet sounded to the wars, which Daniel's King of the North made against the King above-mentioned, who did according to his will. In these wars the King of the North, according to Daniel, conquered the Empire of the Greeks, and also Judea, Egypt, Lybia, and Ethiopia: and by these conquests the Empire of the Turks was set up, as may be known by the extent thereof. These wars commenced A.C. 1258, when the four kingdoms of the Turks seated upon Euphrates, that of Armenia major seated at Miyapharekin, Megarkin or Martyropolis, that of Mesopotamia seated at Mosul, that of all Syria seated at Aleppo, and that of Cappadocia seated at Iconium, were invaded by the Tartars under Hulacu, and driven into the western parts of Asia minor, where they made war upon the Greeks, and began to erect the present Empire of the Turks. Upon the sounding of the sixth trumpet, [9] John heard a voice from the four horns of the golden Altar which is before God, saying to the sixth Angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four Angels which are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four Angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour and a day, and a month and a year, for to slay the third part of men. By the four horns of the golden Altar, is signified the situation of the head cities of the said four kingdoms, Miyapharekin, Mosul, Aleppo, and Iconium, which were in a quadrangle. They slew the third part of men, when they conquered the Greek Empire, and took Constantinople, A.C. 1453. and they began to be prepared for this purpose, when Olub-Arslan began to conquer the nations upon Euphrates, A.C. 1063. The interval is called an hour and a day, and a month and a year, or 391 prophetic days, which are years. In the first thirty years, Olub-Arslan and Melechschah conquered the nations upon Euphrates, and reigned over the whole. Melechschah died A.C. 1092, and was succeeded by a little child; and then this kingdom broke into the four kingdoms above-mentioned.

 

 

Notes to Chap. III.

 

[1] Apoc. ii. 4, &c.

 

[2] Apoc. ii. 9, 10.

 

[3] Ver. 14.

 

[4] Numb. xxv. 1, 2, 18, & xxi. 16.

 

[5] Apoc. iii. 10, 12.

 

[6] Apoc. iii. 16, 17.

 

[7] Apoc. viii. 7, &c.

 

[8] Apoc. xvi. 5, 6.

 

[9] Apoc. ix. 13, &c.

 

 

THE END.

 

 

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The last pages of these Observations having been differently drawn up by the Author in another copy of his Work; they are here inserted as they follow in that copy, after the 22d line of the 261st page foregoing.

 

 

And none was found worthy to open the book till the Lamb of God appeared; the great High-Priest represented by a lamb slain at the foot of the Altar in the morning-sacrifice. And he came, and took the book out of the hand of him that sat upon the throne. For the High-Priest, in the feast of the seventh month, went into the most holy place, and took the book of the law out of the right side of the Ark, to read it to the people: and in order to read it well, he studied it seven days, that is, upon the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth days, being attended by some of the priests to hear him perform. These seven days are alluded to, by the Lamb's opening the seven seals successively.

 

Upon the tenth day of the month, a young bullock was offered for a sin-offering for the High-Priest, and a goat for a sin-offering for the people: and lots were cast upon two goats to determine which of them should be God's lot for the sin-offering; and the other goat was called Azazel, the scape-goat. The High-Priest in his linen garments, took a censer full of burning coals of fire from the Altar, his hand being full of sweet incense beaten small; and went into the most holy place within the veil, and put the incense upon the fire, and sprinkled the blood of the bullock with his finger upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat seven times; and then he killed the goat which fell to God's lot, for a sin-offering for the people, and brought his blood within the veil, and sprinkled it also seven times upon the mercy-seat and before the mercy-seat. Then he went out to the Altar, and sprinkled it also seven times with the blood of the bullock, and as often with the blood of the goat. After this he laid both his hands upon the head of the live goat; and confessed over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat; and sent him away into the wilderness by the hands of a fit man: and the goat bore upon him all their iniquities into a land not inhabited, Levit. chap. iv. & chap. xvi. While the High-Priest was doing these things in the most holy place and at the Altar, the people continued at their devotion quietly and in silence. Then the High-Priest went into the holy place, put off his linen garments, and put on other garments; then came out, and sent the bullock and the goat of the sin-offering to be burnt without the camp, with fire taken in a censer from the Altar: and as the people returned home from the Temple, they said to one another, God seal you to a good new year.

 

In allusion to all this, when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And an Angel stood at the Altar having a golden Censer, and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints, upon the golden Altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angel's hand. And the Angel took the Censer, and filled it with fire of the Altar, and cast it to the earth, suppose without the camp, for sacrificing the goat which fell to God's lot. For the High-Priest being Christ himself, the bullock is omitted. At this sacrifice there were voices and thundrings, of the musick of the Temple, and lightnings of the sacred fire, and an earthquake: and synchronal to these things was the sealing of the 144000 out of all the twelve tribes of the children of Israel with the seal of God in their foreheads, while the rest of the twelve tribes received the mark of the Beast, and the Woman fled from the Temple into the wilderness to her place upon this Beast. For this sealing and marking was represented by casting lots upon the two goats, sacrificing God's lot on mount Sion, and sending the scape-goat into the wilderness loaden with the sins of the people.

 

Upon the fifteenth day of the month, and the six following days, there were very great sacrifices. And in allusion to the sounding of trumpets, and singing with thundring voices, and pouring out drink-offerings at those sacrifices, seven trumpets are sounded, and seven thunders utter their voices, and seven vials of wrath are poured out. Wherefore the sounding of the seven trumpets, the voices of the seven thunders, and the pouring out of the seven vials of wrath, are synchronal, and relate to one and the same division of the time of the seventh seal following the silence, into seven successive parts. The seven days of this feast were called the feast of Tabernacles; and during these seven days the children of Israel dwelt in booths, and rejoiced with palm-branches in their hands. To this alludes the multitude with palms in their hands, which appeared after the sealing of the 144000, and came out of the great tribulation with triumph at the battle of the great day, to which the seventh trumpet sounds. The visions therefore of the 144000, and of the palm-bearing multitude, extend to the sounding of the seventh trumpet, and therefore are synchronal to the times of the seventh seal.

 

When the 144000 are sealed out of all the twelve tribes of Israel, and the rest receive the mark of the Beast, and thereby the first temple is destroyed; John is bidden to measure the temple and altar, that is, their courts, and them that worship therein, that is, the 144000 standing on mount Sion and on the sea of glass: but the court that is without the temple, that is, the peoples court, to leave out and measure it not, because it is given to the Gentiles, those who receive the mark of the Beast; and the holy city they shall tread under foot forty and two months, that is, all the time that the Beast acts under the woman Babylon: and the two witnesses prophesy 1260 days, that is, all the same time, clothed in sackcloth. These have power, like Elijah, to shut heaven that it rain not, at the sounding of the first trumpet; and, like Moses, to turn the waters into blood at the sounding of the second; and to smite the earth with all plagues, those of the trumpets, as often as they will. These prophesy at the building of the second temple, like Haggai and Zechary. These are the two Olive-trees, or Churches, which supplied the lamps with oil, Zech. iv. These are the two candlesticks, or Churches, standing before the God of the earth. Five of the seven Churches of Asia, those in prosperity, are found fault with, and exhorted to repent, and threatned to be removed out of their places, or spewed out of Christ's mouth, or punished with the sword of Christ's mouth, except they repent: the other two, the Churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia, which were under persecution, remain in a state of persecution, to illuminate the second temple. When the primitive Church catholick, represented by the woman in heaven, apostatized, and became divided into two corrupt Churches, represented by the whore of Babylon and the two-horned Beast, the 144000 who were sealed out of all the twelve tribes, became the two Witnesses, in opposition to those two false Churches: and the name of two Witnesses once imposed, remains to the true Church of God in all times and places to the end of the Prophecy.

 

In the interpretation of this Prophecy, the woman in heaven clothed with the sun, before she flies into the wilderness, represents the primitive Church catholick, illuminated with the seven lamps in the seven golden candlesticks, which are the seven Churches of Asia. The Dragon signifies the same Empire with Daniel's He-goat in the reign of his last horn, that is, the whole Roman Empire, until it became divided into the Greek and Latin Empires; and all the time of that division it signifies the Greek Empire alone: and the Beast is Daniel's fourth Beast, that is, the Empire of the Latins. Before the division of the Roman Empire into the Greek and Latin Empires, the Beast is included in the body of the Dragon; and from the time of that division, the Beast is the Latin Empire only. Hence the Dragon and Beast have the same heads and horns; but the heads are crowned upon the Dragon, and the horns upon the Beast. The horns are ten kingdoms, into which the Beast becomes divided presently after his separation from the Dragon, as hath been described above. The heads are seven successive dynasties, or parts, into which the Roman Empire becomes divided by the opening of the seven seals. Before the woman fled into the wilderness, she being with child of a Christian Empire, cried travelling, viz. in the ten years persecution of Dioclesian, and pained to be delivered: and the Dragon, the heathen Roman Empire, stood before her, to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who at length was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne in the Temple, by the victory of Constantine the great over Maxentius: and the woman fled from the Temple into the wilderness of Arabia to Babylon, where she hath a place of riches and honour and dominion, upon the back of the Beast, prepared of God, that they should feed her there 1260 days. And there was war in heaven, between the heathens under Maximinus and the new Christian Empire; and the great Dragon was cast out, that old serpent, which deceiveth the whole world, the spirit of heathen idolatry; he was cast out of the throne into the earth. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

 

And when the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child, stirring up a new persecution against her in the reign of Licinius. And to the woman, by the building of Constantinople and equalling it to Rome, were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might flee into the wilderness into her place upon the back of her Beast, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent, upon the death of Constantine the great, cast out of his mouth water as a flood, viz. the Western Empire under Constantine junior and Constans, after the woman: that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth, the nations of Asia now under Constantinople, helped the woman; and by conquering the Western Empire, now under Magnentius, swallowed up the flood which the Dragon cast out of his mouth. And the Dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, which in that war were sealed out of all the twelve tribes of Israel, and remained upon mount Sion with the Lamb, being in number 144000, and having their father's name written in their foreheads.

 

When the earth had swallowed up the flood, and the Dragon was gone to make war with the remnant of the woman's seed, John stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a Beast rise out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns. And the Beast was like unto a Leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a Bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a Lion. John here names Daniel's four Beasts in order, putting his Beast in the room of Daniel's fourth Beast, to shew that they are the same. And the Dragon gave this Beast his power and his seat and great authority, by relinquishing the Western Empire to him. And one of his heads, the sixth, was as it were wounded to death, viz. by the sword of the earth, which swallowed up the waters cast out of the mouth of the Dragon; and his deadly wound was healed, by a new division of the Empire between Valentinian and Valens, An. 364. John saw the Beast rise out of the sea, at the division thereof between Gratian and Theodosius, An. 379. The Dragon gave the Beast his power, and his seat and great authority, at the death of Theodosius, when Theodosius gave the Western Empire to his son Honorius. After which the two Empires were no more united: but the Western Empire became presently divided into ten kingdoms, as above; and these kingdoms at length united in religion under the woman, and reign with her forty and two months.

 

And I beheld, saith John, another Beast coming up out of the earth. When the woman fled from the Dragon into the kingdom of the Beast, and became his Church, this other Beast rose up out of the earth, to represent the Church of the Dragon. For he had two horns like the Lamb, such as were the bishopricks of Alexandria and Antioch: and he spake as the Dragon in matters of religion: and he causeth the earth, or nations of the Dragon's kingdom, to worship the first Beast, whose deadly wound was healed, that is, to be of his religion. And he doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men; that is, he excommunicateth those who differ from him in point of religion: for in pronouncing their excommunications, they used to swing down a lighted torch from above. And he said to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the Beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live; that is, that they should call a Council of men of the religion of this Beast. And he had power to give life unto the image of the Beast, that the image of the Beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the Beast should be killed, viz. mystically, by dissolving their Churches. And he causeth all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right band or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name; that is, the mark Cross, or the name ???????S, or the number thereof ???, 666. All others were excommunicated.

 

When the seven Angels had poured out the seven vials of wrath, and John had described them all in the present time, he is called up from the time of the seventh vial to the time of the sixth seal, to take a view of the woman and her Beast, who were to reign in the times of the seventh seal. In respect of the latter part of time of the sixth seal, then considered as present, the Angel tells John: The Beast that thou sawest, was and is not, and shall ascend out of the abyss, and go into perdition; that is, he was in the reign of Constans and Magnentius, until Constantius conquered Magnentius, and re-united the Western Empire to the Eastern. He is not during the reunion, and he shall ascend out of the abyss or sea at a following division of the Empire. The Angel tells him further: Here is the mind which hath wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth; Rome being built upon seven hills, and thence called the seven-hilled city. Also there are seven Kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space: and the Beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. Five are fallen, the times of the five first seals being past; and one is, the time of the sixth seal being considered as present; and another is not yet come, and when he cometh, which will be at the opening of the seventh seal, he must continue a short space: and the Beast that was and is not, even he is the eighth, by means of the division of the Roman Empire into two collateral Empires; and is of the seven, being one half of the seventh, and shall go into perdition. The words, five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come, are usually referred by interpreters to the time of John the Apostle, when the Prophecy was given: but it is to be considered, that in this Prophecy many things are spoken of as present, which were not present when the Prophecy was given, but which would be present with respect to some future time, considered as present in the visions. Thus where it is said upon pouring out the seventh vial of wrath, that great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath; this relates not to the time of John the Apostle, but to the time of pouring out the seventh vial of wrath. So where it is said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and thrust in thy sickle and reap, for the time is come for thee to reap; and the time of the dead is come, that they should be judged; and again, I saw the dead small and great stand before God: these sayings relate not to the days of John the Apostle, but to the latter times considered as present in the visions. In like manner the words, five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come, and the Beast that was and is not, he is the eighth, are not to be referred to the age of John the Apostle, but relate to the time when the Beast was to be wounded to death with a sword, and shew that this wound was to be given him in his sixth head: and without this reference we are not told in what head the Beast was wounded. And the ten horns which thou sawest, are ten Kings, which have received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as Kings one hour with the Beast. These have one mind, being all of the whore's religion, and shall give their power and strength unto the Beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, at the sounding of the seventh trumpet; and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings; and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful. And he saith unto me, the waters which thou sawest where the whore sitteth, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, composing her Beast. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the Beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, at the end of the 1260 days. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree and give their kingdom unto the Beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman which thou sawest, is that great city which reigneth over the Kings of the earth, or the great city of the Latins, which reigneth over the ten Kings till the end of those days.

 

FINIS.