of Sardinia and Spain; and be ready to fufpect, that the overthrow at least of these tyrannic governments is not removed to any very remote distance? It is obferved in v. 42, that the Toes of the Feet were part of iron and part of clay, i. e. fays Mat. Henry, the Ten Kingdoms differed in point of ftrength; and in the next verse it is added, whereas thou faweft iron mixt with miry clay, they fhall mingle themselves with the feed of men, but they shall not cleave one to another. This, fays Mr. Lowth, fignifies that these Ten Kingdoms fhall be a med'ley of people of different nations, laws, and cuftoms: * and although the kings of the feveral nations fhall try to strengthen themselves by marriage-alliances into one ' another's families, yet the different interests which they 'pursue, will make them often engage in wars with each other.' Before it was otherwife. Antecedently to the. dominion and independence of thefe countries, Pagan Rome formed one firm compact body, governed by the fame laws, and acknowledging the fame sovereign. 、 6 'It is,' declares Dr. More, the univerfal fense of all ' ecclefiaftic writers, that the Fourth Beaft is the Roman empire, as both Cornelius a Lapide and Gaspar Sanc'tius, both of them jefuits, yet do roundly affert 27.' That the Roman empire,' fays Dr. Worthington 28, was to be divided into Ten Kingdoms, was understood 'from this prophecy, and from Daniel's vifion of the Fourth Beast, with Ten Horns, correfponding to it, by 6 many of the ancient fathers 29, who lived fome centuries 'before any fuch divifion was made, or feemed in the least probable. And that this was the tradition of ec'clefiaftical writers in general before his time, is testified by St. Jerom. To the fame purpose speaks Joseph 6 " Myft. of Iniq. p. 410. Mede. Mede. That the Roman empire was the fourth king'dom of Daniel was believed by the church of Ifrael 'both before and in our Saviour's time; received by the difciples of the apoftles, and the whole Chriftian church for the firft 400 years", without any known contradiction. And I confefs, having fo good ground ' in fcripture, it is with me tantum non articulus fidei, ' little less than an article of faith 32.' It is to ch. vii. which contains the parallel vifion of the Four fymbolic Beafts, that the attention of the reader is now folicited. Here alfo the fame events are predicted, and the monarchies both of Europe and of Asia are threatened. After giving a prophetic account of the four firft Beafts, Daniel fays in v. 7, I was feeing after this in the vifions of the night, and behold a fourth Beaft formidable and terrible, and strong exceedingly, which had large teeth of iron; it devoured and broke in pieces, and trampled upon the remains with its feet, and it was diftinguished from all the Beafts that were before it, for it had Ten Horns 33. The Ten Toes and the Ten Horns,' fays bp. Newton, were alike fit emblems of the Ten Kingdoms, which arofe out of the divifion of the Roman empire. The generality of commentators, though they hefitate not to acknowledge, that the Ten Horns fignify the modern kingdoms feated in the Western part of the Roman empire, yet, without any reason which I can difcover, but a well-founded apprehenfion of giving offence, think proper to apply all the former defcriptive part of the verfe to Pagan Rome. But that they are not authorized in this reftricted application of 6 See'this point proved at length in Dr. Creffener's Appendix to his Demonft. of the First Principles of the Prot. Appl. of the Apoc. 32 Vol. II. p. 899. 33 This is from the Improved Verfion of Mr. Wintle. 3 Vol. I p. 496. it, an unprejudiced inspection of the prophet's own words will be fufficient to fhew. The defcription is alike applicable to the general conduct of the Roman emperors, and to that of the Ten princes who have fince ruled over the Western provinces of their empire; nor could the prophet, without departing from his fymbol, have pourtrayed it in language more ftrong and expreffive. This emblematic perfonage had large iron-teeth. Now Dr. Lancaster informs us, that teeth are frequently used in fcripture as the fymbols of cruelty, or of a devouring enemy.' Its flamping of the remains or the refidue with its feet alludes,' fays Mr. Lowth, to the fury of wild beafts, who ftamp upon that part ot their prey which they cannot devour.' And have not the tyrants of Europe been equally lavish in their expences; equally violent in their oppreffions? Of the revenues extorted by them from their fubjects, have they not wasted much more than they have enjoyed? Having treated of the Ten Horns in v. 7 and 8, Danicl immediately fubjoins in v. 9 and 10, I beheld till the thrones were caft down, and the Ancient of Days did fit, and the judgment was fet, i. e. fays Mr. Sam. Clark, God did judge and punish thefe tyrannical em'pires, and delivered his people from their oppreffion,' In v. 9 the prophet, fpeaking of the Supreme Being, fays, his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels 36 as burning fire; i. e. according to the explication of the fame annotator, the Revolutions and difpenfations of 35 To this claufe Poole and Clark, bp. Hall and Dr. Priestley, afcribe without hesitation the obvious fenfe; but the Hebrew word, fays Calvin, may be tranflated thronos fuiffe vel creclos vel dejectos. The expreffion, fays Dr. Priestley, clearly implies" violence in their diffolution,' Faft Serm. for Feb. 28, 1794, p. 6. 36 Grotius obferves, that the ancient thrones and fella curules had wheels.' Wintle. ĈOLLEGE LIBRARY 4 his providence" will be very deftructive to the 'wicked.' Daniel adds in v. 11, I was attentive till the Beaft was flain, and its body destroyed, and it was delivered up to the burning of fire. To kill or flay,' fays Dr. Lancaster,' is to be explained according to the nature of the fubject fpoken of;' and to kill a kingdom is to deftroy utterly the power it had to act as fuch.' That to burn with fire is an expreffion of fimilar import, there has before been occafion to note. In v. 12 the prophet announces, that concerning the rest of the Beafts, they had their dominion taken away. Beafts,' fays Jurieu on this paffage, do certainly denote states and em'pires; fo that it feems as if all fovereign power, i. e. Monarchical, fhould be taken away 39,' The fymbols of the prophet are indeed interpreted for us in this very chapter, as they were apparently communicated to him in his vifion by an angelic being. I came near, says Daniel (v. 16), unto one of them that flood by, and afked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the thing. We are accordingly informed by the angel of the vifion, that the Fourth Beaft, which had Ten Horns, fhall be the Fourth Kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverfe from all kingdoms, and fhall devour the whole earth, and fhall tread it down, and break it in pieces; and that the Ten Horns out of this Kingdom are Ten Kings that fhall 37 Agreeably to this bp. Newcome obferves, in commenting on the 1ft ch, of Ezekiel, that the wheels spoken of by that prophet, ' are supposed to 'exprefs the Revolutions of God's providence, which are regular, though they appear intricate.' 38 This is from Mr. Wintle's Improved Version. 39 Vol. II. p. 382. From a comparison of this paffage with p. 379, where he declares, that the millennium will not be a state of anarchy, but that there fhall be fome to govern, and others to obey,' Jurieu appears to have expected, that Republics would be every where established. arife. And in v. 26 it is added (the angel still speaks), But the judgment fhall fit, and they shall take away his dominion, to confume and to deftroy it unto the end. But who are the reft was to be taken away? of the Beafts, whofe dominion Let Sir I. Newton inform us. In explaining this paffage, he obferves, that all the four Beafts are still alive;' and adds, that the nations of 'Chaldea and Affyria are fill the first Beaft. Those of • Media and Perfia are still the second Beaft. 'Macedon, Greece, and Thrace, Afia Minor, Syria and 'Egypt, are still the third 42.' Whilft the Hebrew prophet declares, that the ten-horned Beast was flain, he adds of these other emblematic Beasts (v. 12), yet THEIR lives were prolonged for a feafon and time. Does not this claufe plainly enough intimate, that, after the arbitrary 43 monarchies of Europe fhall have been obliterated, the defpotic governments of Afia and of Africa, though their existence will indeed be prolonged for a 40 V. 23 and 24. 41 With refpect to this verfe, cited in a former chapter, it fcarcely needs be observed, that it manifeftly refers to the Ten Horns, as well as to the little Horn, of the Beaft. See Brenius. ** Obf. on Dan. p. 31. Another interpretation, yet more extensive in its import, is noticed and explained by Mede. The expreffion, the rest of the Beasts, may, he fays (p. 255), be understood as not limited to the three first symbolic Beasts, but as comprehending the kingdoms of the world in general. Vau, rendered in our verfion, as concerning, he obferves may be tranflated alfo; alfo the reft of the Beafls, &c. As for the word Beafts to be 'taken here for other kingdoms as well as the Four great ones, it needs make no fcruple. For we fhall find it fo in the next chapter, where it is faid of the Medo-Perfian Ram (verse 4), that no Beafts might stand before him, that is, no State or Kingdom was able to refift his power: fo here may the rest of the Beafts be the States and Kingdoms contemporary with the Fourth Beaft.' 43 I confefs, that if I followed the commentators, I should not restrict this deftruction of monarchies to those which are arbitrary, but should say the monarchies in general seated in that part of the world of which the prophet fpeaks. On this point the reader muft judge for himself. |