. ⚫ antichriftian Tyranny2, and the manifestation of Christ, that is, of his power and fpirit; and then may com mence a better and happier æra, and such a renovation, as may be called New Heavens and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth righteoufnefs'. But the reader will, I hope, in the courfe of the work, fee reafon to believe, not only that they are prefigured, but that they are exprefsly and primarily foretold; and will affent to the opinion of Daubuz and of Dr. Lancaster with respect to these predictions. The former in his Commentary, and the latter in his Symbolical Dictionary, observe (and I am forry that their incidental introduction of the paffage permitted them not to be more copious on the fubject), that when Jefus faid (Mat. xxiv. 29), that the Powers of the Heavens fhall be fhaken, it is easy to conceive that 'he meant, that THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD SHOULD BE OVERTHROWN TO SUBMIT TO HIS 'KINGDOM'.' Our Lord's words are thefe: Immediately after the tribulation of those days fhall the fun be darkened, and the moon fhall not give her light, and the ftars fhall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens fhall be fhaken. Certainly our Saviour,' fays Jofeph Mede, here ufeth a prophetical expreffion.' It cannot, as he fhews, be literally understood. Whither,' he asks, 'fhall the stars fall from heaven, which are either as big, or many times bigger, than the globe of the earth? Where fhall there be room for them" In like manner, Dr. Wells fays, that Mat. xxiv, 29 may fecondarily be understood of the final deftruction of the antichriftian state. 6 P. 761. One of Mede's moft illuftrious contemporaries, Hugo Grotius, omits not to observe, that to the expreffions of this verse a symbolic meaning must be annexed. This point then being taken for granted, it next remains to enquire, what is the eftablished acceptation of the fublime fymbols which our Lord has employed. There are two ways of afcertaining their meaning. First, by consulting parallel paffages; fecondly, by feeking the interpretation as given by writers of acknowledged eminence. I begin with a parallel paffage. In the viiith ch. of the book of Revelation it is faid: and the fourth angel founded, and the third part of the fun was fmitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the fars; fo as the third part of them was darkened. I now transcribe the words of Mr. Pyle's paraphrase. The fourth angel founded the complete fall of this apoftate Western empire, and an end of the very name and title of the Roman Cæfars. This was represented to me by a darknefs fpread over the fun, moon, and *ftars; that is to say, the ruin of its monarchy; of its 'prince, nobles, fubordinate magiftrates and powers. And thus it was fulfilled, in this Empire of Europe, 'ftyled the third part of the then known world.' That the fourth trumpet predicts the abolishing of the whole Roman majefty, in their fenate, confuls, and prefidents; the fun and moon in thofe parts having no light. remaining,' is the declaration of Mede'. There is no ' longer,' fays Dr. H. More, any king of Rome, denoted by the fun, nor confular power, nor fenatorian, nor the power of other known ancient magiftrates of • Rome, denoted by the moon and ftars.' This fourth trumpet,' fays Mr. Whilton, eclipfes the European fun, moon, and ftars, i. e. it extinguishes the Western emperor and his fubordinate governors.' From the 7 P. 738. 8 P. 166. Cc 2 general general harmony of the commentators on this fubject, a crowd of fimilar paffages might be produced. I am next to enquire, what is the interpretation given to our Lord's fymbols by writers of acknowledged eminence. After remarking, that it is admitted on all hands, that our Lord did certainly fometimes employ the word heaven in a fymbolic fenfe'; I fhall, on the import of that expreffion, extract an obfervation from Dr. Lancafter, though indeed his opinion respecting it has been flightly referred to in a note, which was introduced in ch. ix. According to the extent of the subject, Heaven fignifies, fymbolically, the Ruling Power or Govern'ment; that is, the whole affembly of the ruling powers, ' which, in respect of the subjects or earth, are a politi 'cal heaven, being over and ruling the fubjects, as the 'natural heaven ftands over and rules the earth.' Mighty changes and revolutions,' bp. Newton more briefly obferves, according to the prophetic ftyle, are 'expreffed by great commotions in the earth and in the heavens. In the prophetic language,' fays Dr. Sykes, the heavens are put for the higher powers, and 'those who enjoy great dignities and honours". In like manner Jofeph Mede, in the paragraph which follows his citation of our Lord's prophecy, declares, that, in the diction of fcripture, the political world is fometimes spoken of as having an earth and a heaven, with a figurative host of kings, princes, peers".' Mr. Townfon, fpeaking of the verfe under confideration, says, this is the fymbolical language of prophecy to fignify 'the ruin of great perfonages and kingdoms13;' Brenius afferts, that the fymbols employed in it are every where As in his prediction about the fate of Capernaum. Luke x. 15. 1 Vol. III. p. 56. 12 P. 761. "On Heb. xii. 26. ufed 6 ufed to denote the overthrow of kingdoms and a mighty revolution in human affairs; and it is declared by Dr. Wall, that by thefe names of fun, moon, ftars, falling, are fo conftantly meant temporal powers, kings, princes, governments, that we must underftand' them so here 1. Sir Ifaac Newton indeed lays it down as a matter to be taken for granted, that in facred prophecy, 'which regards not fingle perfons, THE SUN IS PUT FOR THE WHOLE SPECIES AND RACE OF KINGS, in the kingdom or kingdoms of the world 'politic, fhining with regal power and glory. The fun,' fays Vitringa, in the prophetic diction fignifies kings fhining with great majefty1.' • Kings and princes,' obferves Mr. Lowth, are expreffed in the prophetical ftyle by the name of fun, moon and ftars".' The learned Dr. John Owen, who was dean of Christ's Church and vice-chancellor of Oxford, fays, you may ' take it for a rule, that in the denunciations of the judgments of God, through all the prophets, heavens, fun, moon, fars--are taken for governments, governors, ⚫ dominions in political states1. The holy prophets,' fays bp. Warburton, call kings and empires by the names of the heavenly luminaries;' and a little farther he adds, ftars falling from the firinament are employed 'to denote the deftruction of the nobility". In like manner Sir I. Newton fays, the ftars are put for fubordinate princes and great men.' This long lift of teftimonies I fhall conclude by ftating the opinion of an 6 14 Crit. Notes on the New Teft. 1730, p. 31. Dr. Wall would interpret Mat. xxiv. 29, of the overthrow of the Jewish princes and priefts, or of the fall of the Roman empire. illuftrious Jew of the 12th century. Mofes Maimonides, in commenting on thofe words of Ifaiah (xxxiv. 4), the hoft of heaven fhall be diffolved, and in obferving that ftars, in the fymbolic diction of prophecy, fignify men of rank and dignity, declares it to be fo clear and evident, that he should not have thought it neceffary to have faid a fingle word on the import of thefe expreffions, had not fome very improperly annexed to them a literal interpretation 20 I may add, that, in the fymbolic language of antiquity, the fun always ftood for a monarch or for monarchy; whilft the moon and the stars represented perfons of inferior but elevated rank in the ftate 21. In proof of this I fhall tranflate, as doctors More and Lancaster have done, from the Greek 22 of Achmet. According to the Indians, Perfians, and Egyptians, the fun is invariably interpreted of the perfon of the king, and the 6 moon of him who is next in power to him: Venus re'fers to the queen, and the other stars of largest magnitude to those who are greateft with the fovereign"." Again in the next chapter, fpeaking of the mode of interpretation established in Persia and in Egypt, he fays, 20 More Nevochim, a Buxtorfio, Baf. 1629, p. 267. It is of this celebrated Jew, who lived in Egypt as physician to the Soldan, that Cafaubon, after declaring him to have been a man of great abilities and of found learning,' fays (Exercit. contra Baron. xvi. 77), that he was the first of 'his tribe who ceafed to be a trifler.' His profound knowledge of the Hebrew fcriptures admits not of dispute. "In hieroglyphic writing the fun, moon, and fears were used to repre'fent ftates and empires, kings, queens, and nobility.' Warburton's Div. Legat. of Mofes, vol. II. p. 152. By faying this, I mean not to decide on the question, whether the treatife of Achmet was originally written in the language of Greece or of Arabia. Most probably it is a tranflation from the Arabic. Achmetis Oneirocritica, cap. 167. 'the |