And therefore what was already past, was not to make any part of the Dream. The Affyrian Monarchy had been very Powerful, and the Babylonish Kingdom, (which was founded on the Ruins of it) had fubfifted fome years before Nebuchadnezzar, but it was the Design of this Prophetical Dream, to describe only what was Tet to come; and fo the firft Kingdom, meant by the Head of Gold, contained only Nebuchadnezzar and his Followers to the Third Generation, as it is limited in Feremiah's Prophecy,

6.

1. "And now have I given all thefe Lands into Jerem. the Hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the King of xxvii. Babylon, my Servant, and the Beasts of the Field have I given him alfo, to ferve him. "And all Nations fhall ferve him, and his Son, and his Sons Son, until the very time of his Land come, and then many Nations and great C Kings fhall ferve themselves of him. "

He was, undoubtedly, the greatest Conqueror of his Time, and had Succefs where-ever he made War, and fo was a King of Kings, or a great Monarch; and the Spoils of every Nation

201

which

7.

Dan. II.

39.

Dan, II.

39.

which he attempted to Conquer, were given into his Hand. And this Babylonish Kingdom lasted till the Death of his Grand-Son Belshazzar.

And after thee shall arise another Kingdom Inferior to thee---

The word Inferior denotes, That the second Kingdom was Represented by the Breast and Arms, which were lower in the Image than the Head, and were of Silver, a Mettal next, in order of Mettals, to Gold, and for the fame reason, the Third is called, juft after, The Kingdom of Brafs, which carries on the Order obferved in the Description of the Image; But neither of these Expreffions means, that these Monarchies were lefs Confiderable than the first.

This Second Kingdom was the Kingdom of the Medes and Perfians, which was the prevailing Monarchy after the taking of Babylon, till the Time of Alexander the Great; and then came another Third Kingdom of Brafs, which shall bear ·Rule over all the Earth.

This Grecian Monarchy, began by Alexander, comprehended many Countries in Europe, which

had

had not fubmitted to either of the two firft Mo¬ narchies, and indeed, at its first setting up, took in all that was then confiderably Peopled in the World, which is according to the Stile of the Scripture, meant by All the Earth. For the Romans were then a very fmall inconfiderable Colony, tho' afterwards they grew strong enough to put a Period to all the Branches of the Grecian Monarchy.

But the Expreffion, Shall bear Rule over all the Earth, may well be thought to relate further to a Time when the Grecian Empire was to be fet up again by Conftantine, whofe Dominion was much more Extenfive than Alexander's. I fhall in the Sequel of this Difcourfe produce feveral probable Reafons for this laft Interpretation. But now I must go on in Order.

"And the Fourth Kingdom shall be strong, as "Iron, forafmuch as Iron breaketh in pieces and "fubdueth all things; and as Iron, that breaketh "all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise...

This was the Roman Power, which Conquered, all that had belonged to the Babylonish, Persian or Grecian

G

Dan. II.

40.

42.

43

Grecian Monarchies, and this Power continueă
Strong and United for a very long Period, but
at last there came a very great Change in their
Affairs, which is next defcribed.

"And whereas thou faweft the Feet and Toes, "part of Potters Clay, and part of Iron; The "Kingdom fhall be Divided, but there shall be "in it of the Strength of the Iron, forafmuch as thou fawest the Iron mixed with Miry Clay.

"And as the Toes of the Feet were part of "Iron and part of Clay, fo the Kingdom fhall ❝ be partly Strong and partly Broken.

...

And whereas thou faweft Iron mixt with "Miry Clay, they fhall mingle themselves with "the feed of Men, but they fhall not Cleave "one to another, even as Iron is not mixed with "Clay.

Here is an Account of the great Change in the Roman Empire, when the Barbarous Nations, well defcribed by Clay, poffeffed the Western part of the Roman Empire, and the Roman Em perors ftill preferyed the Eastern part to Themfelves:

29

felves: Thus They mingled themselves with the the Seed of Men: in the fame Sence that The Sons Gen. Vr of God faw the Daughters of Men, and took to them Wives, of all which they chofe, That is, the Princes of the World took as many Womcn, among the common People, as they liked. And this appears to be Mofes's meaning, by what follows,

When the Sons of God came in to the Daughters of Men, they bore Children to them, the fame became Mighty Men, which were of Old,. Men of

Renown:

Gen. VI

4.

6.

Dan. II.

In the fame manner, when the Noble and Antient Roman Emperors were to fhare the Em pire with Mean and Upstart Nations, as the Goths, Pfalm Vandals, &c. They (that is, thefe Emperors LXXXII who were as Gods) Mingled Themselves with the Seed of Men. But they did not cleave one to another. Their Dominions became entirely Seperate, and they did not interfer with one another in the fame Countrics, but fubfifted at the fame time as two Neighbouring Powers, till at last, "And in the days of these Kings fhall the God 44.

43.