nezzar's Pofterity, that fhould fucceed him, till the Deftruction of that Monarchy, are foretold, Jer. xxvii. 7. The Destruction of Babylon, with the manner of Taking the City, as it was foretold and defcribed by the Prophet, agrees punctually with the Account of it by s Herodotus. One poft fhall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to fhew the king of Babylon that his City is taken at one end, and that the paffages are ftopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted. And this was declared in a memorable and folemn manner, by writing it down, and by cafting the Book into Euphrates, Jer. li. 31, 32, 62, 63. The Hiftorian informs us, that the City of Babylon being provided with all Neceffaries to endure a Siege for to endure a Siege for many Years, Cyrus order'd the Banks of the River to be cut, and the Waters to be drained, till it became fordable, and then furprised the City by the Channel, both at the entrance of the River into the City, and at its Paffage out again. And this Stratagem he contrived to execute on a Festival, when the People, without any apprehenfion of Danger, were entertaining themselves with Dancings and other Diverfions. And his Soldiers at the fame time entring the most diftant Places of fo great a City; both Ends were taken, before they that dwelt in the midft of the City, knew of it. So that Meffengers were fent from both Parts of the City, in great haste and confufion, to inform the King, that his City was taken at the end, that is, by a common Hebraifm, at each end, or from end to end; for one is not in the Hebrew, but is added by our Tranflators in a different Character: or, which is the fame thing, each Messenger should tell the King, that his City was taken at one end. That they fhould run from each

T

s Herodot. Clio, c. 191.

A fummo ufq; ad fummum. verf. vulgat.

end,

u

end, the Prophet plainly foretels, in saying, that they
fhould meet one another. " Ariftotle fays, it was re-
ported, that the City had been taken three days be-
fore the People in all parts of the City knew of it.

Jeremiah alfo prophefied, That the Seed of Ifrael
fhould never ceafe from being a Nation to the End of
the World; which we fee fulfill'd, in their continuing
a diftin& Nation, tho' difpers'd in all Parts of the
World, Jer. xxxi. 35.

""

The Destruction of Tyre and Zidon, and of Egypt, was foretold by the Prophet Ezekiel; and the Reftoration of the Egyptians, after forty Years, Ezek. xxviii. 19. and xxix. 12, 13. As Ifaiah had foretold the Deftruction of the latter Tyre by Alexander, long before it had any Being; fo Ezekiel prophefied, that Nebuchadnezzar fhould deftroy Palatyrus, or Tyre, on the Continent, but fituate at the entry of the fea, Ezek. xxvii. 3. which was never to be rebuilt, chap. xxvi. 14, 21. xxvii. 36. But Tyrus in the Ifle had its Rife from the Ruins of this. The Prophet fays, that this Tyre was ftrong in the fea, chap. xxvi. 17. that its borders were in the midft of the Seas, chap. xxvii. 4. which a learned Author understands of its Maritime Power. And whereas the Prophet afterwards adds, that this Tyre was made very glorious in the midst of the feas, ver. 25. that the eaft-wind had broken her in the midst of the feas, ver. 26. and that this Lamentation fhould be made over her, What city is like Tyrus, like the deftroyed in the midst of the fea? ver. 32. The fame Author underftands thefe, and other Expreffions of the like nature, to be fpoken allegorically. But they feem rather to imply, that the City, tho' ftanding on the Continent, was in great meafure encompaffed by the Sea, being fituate on a Rock, (as the Name Tzor fignifies) or a large Promontory, reaching into the Sea. Alexander the Great's Victory at the River Granicus,

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Ariftot. Polit. I. 3. c. 2. w Marfham. Can. Chron. § 18.
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his

his Vanquishing Darius, and his Conqueft of the
Medes and Perfians, and the Divifion of his Empire,
after his Death, between Ptolemæus Lagi, Philip or
Arideus the Brother of Alexander, Seleucus Nicanor, and
Antigenus, are firft allegorically defcrib'd, and then
explain'd, by the Angel Gabriel.

The Prophanation of the Temple, and of the San-
Auary, by Antiochus Epiphanes, with the Death of An-
tiochus, and a Defcription of his Temper, and of his
very Countenance, was clearly delivered by Daniel,
four hundred and eight Years before the Accomplish-
ment, Dan. viii. Daniel likewife defcribed the Faté
of the four Monarchies, the Reftoration of the Jews,
and the Rebuilding of their City, and the Birth and
Death of the Meffias, with the precife Time of both,
and of the Deftruction of the City and the Sanctuary.
And Alexander the Great is faid y to have been en
courag'd by Daniel's Prophecy, in his Expedition.
Indeed, his Prophecy, and the Hiftory of the four
Monarchies, are fo exactly parallel, that Porphyry
could find no other Evafion, but to fay, That the
Book of Daniel was written after the Events: Which,
as Grotius obferves, is as abfurd, as if a Man fhould
maintain, that the Works of Virgil were not written
under Auguftus, but after his time: For the Book of
Daniel was as publick, and as much difpers'd, and as
univerfally received, as ever any Book could be.

Lafly, Haggai and Malachi prophefied, That Chrift fhould come before the Deftruction of the fecond Temple, Hag. ii. 7, 9 Mal. ii. 1. Hofea foretold the prefent State of the People of Ifrael, in thofe rel markable Words, They fhall be wanderers among the na tions, Hof. ix. 17. And Amos in a more particular manner declar'd, That the finful Kingdom fhould be deftroyed, but that the Houfe of Jacob fhould be pre

A

Jofeph. Antiq. 1. 12. c. fi. 2 Hieron. in Dan. Procem.

y Ibid. I. II. c. 8. Vid. Hieron. ad Dan. viii.

ferved

1

1

ferved: I will not utterly deftroy the house of Jacob, faith the Lord; for lo, I will command, and I will fift the house of Ifrael among all nations, like as corn is fifted in a fieve, yet fhall not the leaft grain fall upon the earth, Amos ix. 8,9. After the Deftruction of their Kingdom and Government, and the Difperfion of the People into all Parts of the Earth, they were still to remain a feparate People, diftinguifhed from those among whom they lived.

Not to infift therefore upon other Miracles and Prophecies, which were concerning things of leffer moment, or lefs remarkable in the eyes of the World; thefe may fuffice, which were of that publick nature, that there could be no Deceit or Mistake in them: Multitudes of Men, whom Prejudice or Malice had prepared to make the utmost Discoveries, were Witneffes to the Miracles; and both the Prophecies themfelves, and the Fulfilling of them, were notorious to other Nations, as well as to the Jews, to whom they were deliver'd, and in whofe hands they have ever fince been, being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath-day. The Jews had as good Evidence, for Inftance, that Elijah wrought his Miracles, as they could have, that there was fuch a Man in the World. And when the Publick Tranfactions and Councils of Princes, the Fate and Revolution of Empires, with the prefix'd Time and Place, and the very Names of the Perfons, were fo particularly foretold, two or three hundred Years before the Things came to pass; we may as well queftion the Truth of all Hiftory, as the Certainty of these Revelations: For indeed, they are the History of Things that were to come, fet down in the very Circumftances in which they afterwards were brought to pafs. And yet if a Man fhould difpute whether there ever were fuch a Man as Elijah, or fuch a Prince as Jofiah, or Cyrus, he would but make himself ridiculous; but if he deny that Elijah wrought such Miracles, or that Isaiah spoke of Cyrus,

Cyrus, and another Prophet of Jofiah, by Inspiration, perhaps he may be thought to have made fome great Discovery, and to know fomething above the reft of Mankind, and fhall be likely to meet with Applause, inftead of that Contempt which fuch Pretences deferve fo ftrangely partial are Men for any thing which is but against the Authority of the Scriptures.: For I think it will be hard for Men to bring better Proof, that there were fuch Men as Elijah, and Jofiah, and Cyrus, than may be brought to fhew, that the latter were by Name prophefied of long before their Birth, and that the firft wrought all the Miracles related of him; or to produce clearer Evidence, that there was fuch a City as Jerufalem before the Reign of Cyrus, than we have, that the Deftruction of the City and Temple, aud the Captivity of the People, with their Refloration after feventy Years, was foretold by Jeremiah.

The Prophets did their Miracles in the most publick manner; and their Prophecies were deliver'd, not in Corners, but openly, before all the People; not in obfcure and ambiguous Words, but in plain Terms, with a particular Account of Perfons, and Time, and Place: They were kept, they were read and ftudied by that very People who at first as little regarded them, as any Man now amongst us can do, but flew the Prophets themselves, and rejected their Prophecies with Rage and Indignation; but were afterwards, by the Event of Things, fo fully convinced (which was likewife foretold, Ezek. xxxiii. 33.) of their Divine Inspiration and Authority, that they wholly depended and rely'd upon them, and liv'd in an uncomfortable Exile, upon the fole Hope and Expectation of feeing the rest of their Prophecies fulfill'd. And therefore, the Pofterity of those who had flain the Prophets, had the highest Veneration for the Memory of these Prophets whom their Fore-fathers had kill'd; they built and adorn'd their Sepulchres, when it was fo

reproach