By this deduction it appears, that the truth of Ezekiel's prediction is fully attefted by the whole feries of the hiftory of Egypt from that time to the prefent. And who could pretend to fay upon human conjecture, that fo great a kingdom, fo rich and fertil a country, fhould ever afterwards become tributary and fubject to ftrangers? It is now a great deal above two thousand years fince this prophecy was firft delivered; and what likelihood or appearance was there, that the Egyptians fhould for fo many ages bow under a foreign yoke, and never in all that time be able to recover their liberties, and have a prince of their own to reign over them? But as is the prophecy, fo is the event. For not long afterwards Egypt was conquered by the Babylonians, and after the Babylonians (7) by the Perfians; and after the Perfians it became fubject to the Macedonians, and after the Macedonians to the Romans, and after the Romans to the Saracens, and then to the Mamalucs; and is now a province of the Othman empire. Thus we fee how Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre and Egypt, the great adverfaries and oppreffors of the Jews, have been vifited by divine vengeance for their enmity and cruelty to the people of God. Not that we must. think God fo partial as to punish thefe nations only for the fake of the Jews; they were guilty of other flagrant fins, for which the prophets denounced the divine judg ments upon them. Egypt in particular was fo feverely threatened by the prophet Ezekiel, (Chap. XXIX. XXX. XXXI. XXXII.) for her idolatry, her pride, and her wickednefs. And the Egyptians have generally been more wretched, as they have generally been more wicked than other nations. Ancient authors defcribe them every where as fuperftitious and luxurious, as an (8) unwarlike and unferviceable people, as (9) a faithlefs and fallacious nation, always meaning one thing and (7) See Prideaux Connect. Part 1. B. 1. Anno 589. Zedekiah 10. (8) Strabo. Lib. 17. p. 819. Edit. Paris. p. 1175. Edit. Amftel. 1707. Juvenal Sat. XV. 126, imbelle et Q 2 inutile vulgas. (9) Lucan V. 58. non fide gentis. Hirtius de Bell. Alex. and Cap. 16. fallacem gentem, femperque alia cogitantem, alia fimulantem. pre pretending another as (1) lovers of wine and ftrong drink, as (2) cruel in their anger, as (3) thieves and tolerating all kinds of theft, as (4) patient of tortures, and though put to the rack, yet choofing rather to die than to confefs the truth. Modern authors paint them still in blacker colors. The famous (5) Thevenot is very ftrong and fevere; "The people of Egypt (generally fpeaking) are all fwarthy, exceeding wicked, great rogues, cowardly, lazy, hypocrites, buggerers, rob"bers, treacherous, fo very greedy of money, that they "will kill a man for a maidin or three halfpence." Bihop (6) Pococke's character of them is not much more favorable, though not fo harsh and opprobrious; "The "natives of Egypt are now a flothful people, and delight 66 in fitting ftill, hearing tales, and indeed feem always to have been more fit for the quiet life, than for any "active fcenes.They are alfo malicious and envious to a great degree, which keeps them from uniting "and fetting up for themfelves; and though, they are "very ignorant, yet they have a natural cunning and "artifice as well as falfehood, and this makes them always fufpicious of travelers-The love of money is fo rooted in them, that nothing is to be done without bribery They think the greatest villanies are expiated, when once they wafh their hands and feet."Their words pafs for nothing, either in relations, pro 66 mifes, or profeffions of friendfhip, &c." Such men are evidently born not to command, but to ferve and obey. They are altogether unworthy of liberty. Slavery (1) Athenæus ex Dione Lib. 1. p. 34. Edit. Calaubon. φιλονες και φι Aostolac, vinolos ac bibaces. (2) Polyb. Lib. 15. p. 719. Edit: Cafaubon. Δείνη γαρ τις ή παρά τις Jones writing by frele var mala tu Αιγυπτον ανθρώπων. Et enim hoc Egyptiis hominibus innatum, ut dum fervent ira mirum in modum fint crudeles. (3) A. Gellius. Lib. 11. Cap. 18. Ex Ariftone. furta omnia fuiffe licita et impunita. Diod. Sic. Lib. 1. p. 50. Edit. Steph. p. 72. Edit. Rhod. (4) Ælian. Var. Hift. Lib. 7. και ότι Cap. 18. Afurling Pao deiras of- (5) Thevenot in Harris's collection." Vol. 2. Chap. 8. p. 429. (6) Pococke's Defcription of the Ealt. Vol. 1, Book 4. Chap. 4. p." 177, &c. is the fittest for them, as they are fitteft for flavery. It is an excellent political aphorifm of the wifeft of kings, and all history will bear witnefs to the truth of it, that (Prov. XIV. 34.) righteoufnefs exalteth a nation, but fin is a reproach and ruin to any people. XIII. NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM OF THE GREAT EMPIRES. WE have feen how it pleafed God to reveal unto the prophets the future condition of feveral of the neighbouring countries; but there are other prophecies which extend to more remote nations, those nations ef pecially and their tranfactions, wherein the church of God was particularly interefted and concerned. It pleafed God too to make thefe revelations, at a time when his people feemed in other refpects abandoned and forfaken, and did not fo much deferve, as ftand in need of light and comfort. Ifaiah and Jeremiah prophefied in the declenfion of the kingdoms of Ifrael and Judah. Ezekiel and Daniel prophefied during the time of the Babylonish captivity. And the prophecies of Daniel are fo clear and exact, that in former as well as in later times it hath confidently been afferted, that they must have been written after the events, which they are pretended to foretel. The famous Porphyry (who florifhed at the latter end of the third century after Chrift) was I think the first who denied their genuinenefs and authority. He wrote (1) fifteen books against the Chriftian religion, the twelfth of which was defigned to depreciate the prophecies of Daniel; and therein he affirmed, that they were not compofed by Daniel whofe name they bore, but by fome body who lived in Judea about the time of Antiochus Epiphanes; because all to that time contained (1) Cave Hift. Lit. Vol. 1. p. 156. Hieron. Præf. in Danielem, Vol. 3. p. 1072. Edit. Benedict. Q3 true true history, but all beyond that were manifeftly falfe. This work of Porphyry together with the answers of Eufebius, Apollinarius, and Methodius, is wholly loft, excepting a few fragments and quotations, which are preferved in Jerome and others of the fathers. But as (2) Jerome rightly obferves, this method of oppofing the prophecies is the strongest teftimony of their truth, For they were fulfilled with fuch exactnefs, that to infidels the prophet feemed not to have foretold things future, but to have related things paft. The celebrated author of the Scheme of Literal Prophecy confidered hath followed the fteps of Porphyry. He hath collected every thing, that in the courfe of his reading he thought could be turned to the difparagement of the book of Daniel. He hath framed all that he had collected into eleven objections against it; and upon the whole concludes with much, pofitiveness and affurance, that it must be written in the days of the Maccabees. But his (3) two learned opponents, both of the fame name, have folidly and clearly refuted his eleven objections, and fhown them all to be mere cavils or direct falfities, groundlefs affertions, wrong quotations, or plain contradictions. And indeed it may be proved, it hath been proved to a demonftration, as much as any thing of this nature can be proved to a demonftration, by all the characters and teftimonies both internal and external, that the prophecies of Daniel were written at the time that the fcripture fays they were written, and he profpered on account of these prophecies (Dan. VI. 28.) in the reign of Darius the Mede, and in the reign of Cyrus the Perfian: that is between five and fix hundred years before Christ. It is very capricious and unreasonable in unbelievers to object, as Collins doth, to the prophecies of Daniel, fometimes that they are too plain, and fometimes that they are too obfcure. But it will entirely overthrow the no (2) Cujus impugnatio teftimonium veritatis eft. Fanta enim dictorum fides fuit, ut propheta incredulis hominibus non videatur futura dixiffe, fed narraffe præterita. Hieron. ibid. (3) See Bp. Chandler's Vindica tion of his Defense of Chriftianity, and Mr. Sam. Chandler's Vindication of the Antiquity and Authority of Daniel's Prophecies, in answer to the Scheme of Literal Prophecy confidered. tion of their being written in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes or of the Maccabees, and will eftablish the credit of Daniel as a prophet beyond all contradiction, if it can be proved that there are feveral prophecies of his which have been fulfilled fince the days of Antiochus Epiphanes and the Maccabees as well as before, nay that there are prophecies of his which are fulfilling in the world at this very time. Daniel's firft prophecy, and the groundwork as I may fay of all the reft, was his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream. This monarch in the fecond year of his reign (Dan. II. 1.) according to the Babylonian account, or the fourth according to the Jewith, that is in the fecond year of his reigning alone, or the fourth from his firft reigning jointly with his father, having fubdued all his enemies, and firmly established his throne, was thinking upon his bed, (ver. 29.) what should come to pass hereafter, what fhould be the future fuccefs of his family and kingdom, and whether any or what families and kingdoms might arife after his own: and as our waking thoughts ufually give fome tincture to our dreams, he dreamed of fomething to the fame purpofe, which aftonished him, but which he could not rightly understand, The dream affected him ftrongly at the time; but awaking in confufion, he had but an imperfect remembrance of it, he could not recollect all the particulars. He called therefore (ver. 2.) for the magicians and aftrologers; and as abfurdly as imperiously demanded of them (ver. 5.) upon pain of death and deftruction, to make known unto him both the dream and the interpretation thereof. They answered very reasonably, that no king had ever required fuch a thing, that it tranfcended all the powers and faculties of man, God alone or only beings like God could difclofe it; (ver. 10, 11.) There is not a man upon earth that can how the king's matter; therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked fuch things at any magician, aftrologer, or Chaldean: And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can fhow it before the king, except the God, whofe dwelling is not with flesh. But the pride of abfolute power cannot hear any reafon, or bear any controll; and the king Q 4 greatly |