'with Ten Horns. However unlikely, this and other 'prophecied events may appear at the time, yet the Al⚫ mighty hand of the only wife God can foon bring them 'about, when least expected3.'

Near the beginning of the prefent century, fentiments of a fimilar caft were advanced by Mr. WHISTON. 'There was a Great Earthquake, and the Tenth Part af • the city fell; το δεκαίον της πολεως έπεσε, the Tenth or laft of the kingdoms into which the Roman empire was originally divided, and which arofe the Tenth in order of 'time.' But was the Gallic monarchy the latest in its formation? In proof of this, Mr. Whiston appeals to hiftoric documents; and, after the allegation of them, adds: fo this kingdom of the Franks is the laft, the To AxaTOV, the Tenth kingdom in the order of rifing; and ' in our age, has arrived also at that greatness, as to be at 'least a to dexatov, a Tenth Part of the European fhare of 'the old Roman empire.' Elsewhere also he observes, that as the kingdom of the Franks is diftinguished above 'all the reft,' from being laft in the order of its rise, it 'therefore denominated the Beast, a Beast with Ten Horns". That the Tenth Part of the City denoted France was the opinion of COCCEIUS, as may be seen in the commentary of that celebrated German. An apocalyptical writer of the last century, whofe fignature was S. E, as quoted by Dr. More, fays, verfe 13 of ch. xi. ' feems to aim at ⚫ fome GREAT REVOLUTION, to the fubverting of the 'antichriftian ftate of affairs in one of the Ten Kingdoms the empire was divided into, and fo introducing fuch a fettlement as to be a prelude and pattern to what is to 'fucceed in other dominions.

3 Twelve Sermons by John Willison, M. A. Min. of Dundee. Lond. printed, Glasgow reprinted in 1745, p. 147.

He quotes in particular Baronius and the learned Dr. Howel.

5 See p. 90, 227, and 235.

• Answer to Remarks, &c. by Dr. More, 1684, p. 71.

Thefe

Thefe writers may foon be difmiffed,

But there are

On this

others to whom ampler room must be allotted. prophecy Dr. Thomas Goodwin, Jurieu, and an anonymous French commentator, though they wrote more than a century ago, all speak a language more diftinct and more remarkable.

Dr. THOMAS GOODWIN', head of Magdalen College, Oxford, who wrote his Expofition on the Apocalypfe in 1639, fays, By the Tenth Part of the city, I understand, as Mr. Brightman before me, fome one Tenth part of Europe;-city being put here, as it often is in this book, for the extent of the jurifdiction of the city of Rome. This Tenth Part of it is so shaken, that 'it falls: that is, ceaseth to be a part of the city, or to 'belong unto its jurisdiction any longer; or (which is all one) falls off (as we fay) from being of the number of ⚫ those that give their power to the BEAST.-And as earth. quakes are from inward motions in the bowels of the earth, fo this here may feem to arise from within that 'kingdom itself.' He thinks it probable, that FRANCE may be this country: and that in this Revolution men will be deprived of their NAMES and TITLES, which are to be rooted out for ever, and condemned to perpe'tual forgetfulness;' and that the Titles and Dignities thus abolished will be extremely numerous. Of FRANCE he alfo fuppofes, that it may have the honour to have 'the last great ftroke in the ruining of Rome:' and he

་

7 The early part of his life was spent in the university of Cambridge, at Chrift College and at Catherine Hall. Diffatisfied, however, with the terms of conformity, he relinquished that preferment which he had already obtained; and fome years afterwards, to avoid the increasing heat of perfecution, paffed over into Holland, where he became pastor of the English church at Arnheim. It was not till ten years afterwards, in 1649, that he became president of Magdalen college. See his Life prefixed to the last volume of his works, which are five volumes in folio.

• See Pref. to vol. II. of his works.

appre

apprehends' that this figurative earthquake, though happening only in one country, may extend its effects to others, fo that a great shaking of States,' as well political, as ecclefiaftical, may be intended.

The words of our tranflation are: And the fame hour was there a Great Earthquake, and the Tenth Part of the City fell, and in the Earthquake were flain of men feven thoufand. Some of my readers will probably ask with furprize, is it from fuch a paffage as this, which appears to be completely filent on the question, that Dr. Goodwin derives the abolition of titles? Let them, however, more narrowly inspect the prediction of St. John, and perhaps they will rather be disposed to wonder, that it should not have been oftener viewed in the fame light. The fact is, that commentators have been accustomed to view it through a false medium. The original of the latter claufe is : και απεκίανθησαν εν τω σεισμω ονομαλα ανθρώπων Xiades ETTα. This might with propriety be rendered: and in this commotion the names or titles of men" being many in number were deftroyed 12, or, to use a more appropriate word, were abolished.

But

THIS INSURRECTION, OR RISING OF THE PEOPLE, in the Tenth Part of the City,' he elsewhere observes (p. 172), ends in the ruin of Rome.'

10 Goodwin's Works, 1683, vol. II. p. 173-178.

The prophetic descriptions are fometimes literal, even when they appear moft figurative.' Hurd, vol. II. p. 102.

sa For a tranflation, thus widely differing from the common one, substantial reasons ought to be alleged. Of every word, which admits of any degree of doubt, a feparate notice fhall therefore be taken.

I scarcely need observe, that aæxlaydnoav is a 1ft aorift, from aπoxleww; and that a Troxler is tranflated in the lexicons not only by occido, but by aboleo to abolish, and by perimo, the proper meaning of which is to take away wholly or to destroy. It has exactly this sense in ch. ix. v. 5. St. John fpeaking of the Saracens or fymbolic locufts, fays, and to them it was given, iva jun awonleivwon aures, that they should not destroy them. This is

'to

But it was not to be expected, that an event, altogether fo unlooked for, so improbable, and so alarming to many, as the abolition of titles, although it were predicted with all poffible clearnefs, fhould be rightly underftood by the generality of interpreters; or, if underftood, that it should always receive an undisguised expli

་

Not

'to be explained,' fays Daubuz,' according to the nature of the subject.— It fignifies not that individuals fhall not be flain; for as these locufts are 'armies of men, it cannot be imagined that armies can come into other 'countries to plunder, without fhedding of blood. Nay, their torment 'implies a great flaughter; but the exception of not killing muft be under'ftood to imply, that the locusts are not quite to make an end of these men.' With refpect to the number 7000 Goodwin, Vitringa, and many other writers justly observe, that it is an indefinite number put for many;' and the former of these commentators adds, that this mode of joining names and men together is not fo to be found in the whole book of God.' In Mede (Commentationes Apocalyptica, lib. III.) a fimilar obfervation occurs. to mention that none of the Greek M. S. omit oval, and that Jofeph Mede (lib. III. of the Latin work just mentioned) has accordingly tranflated it by nomina, I have confulted the verfion called the Vulgate and that of Erafmus, and they both agree in giving the words nomina hominum feptem millia: and I may be permitted to obferve, that, in determining the readings of the Sacred Text, theVulgate, in the opinion of Mill, of Simon, of Bengelius, and of other diftinguifhed critics (fee Michaelis's Lect. Lond. 1761, fect. lxvii.) is of fuch antiquity as to carry with it an unrivalled authority. Our old English bibles speak a fimilar language. The fame expreffion, the names of men, was not only preferved in the obsolete translation of Wickliffe, but in that of a fubfequent date, which was published by national authority. Whence then, it may be asked, were the revisers of our English version induced to hazard fo important an omiffion? This I will endeavour to explain. They were led to innovate by their misconception of the paffage, and by the manifeft abfurdity of the exifting tranflation. In our older teftaments it ftood thus: and in the earthquake were flaine names of men feven thousande. To speak of names being flain was felt to be language grofsly inadmiffible; but our fcriptural emendators knew not how to reconcile the two ideas, and they therefore cut away the difficulty at once, by expelling one of the words. They ventured not, however, on this step, without fome fhew of caution. Whilft the present translation was introduced by them into the text, the excluded word was fometimes fuffered

to take refuge in the margin.

cation,

in

cation. Dr. Goodwin is not, however, the only writer, who has commented on this particular claufe with fome degree of freedom. This prediction is perhaps directed, fays Mr.Kershaw, against men of rank as well civil as ecclefiaftical. And feems to imply the utter ruin of these ORDERS OF MEN, in the place where the earthquake happens 13.' Mr. Pyle, fpeaking of this text and of the tyrannic power of Artichrift, fays, it will lofe a tenth part of the dominions it was poffeffed of; and a vast • number of the dignities, honours, and preferments its ⚫ votaries had enjoyed, will die and be loft.' Mr. Whiston, after applying this verse to France, fays (though it must be acknowledged with a darkness of diction), ⚫ that earthquake 7000 names of men are to be flain 14. St. John's expreffion fignifies,' fays Mr. Lauchlan Taylor, that, upon this event, no less than 7000 men ⚫ of rank and eminence shall be deprived of their dignities. That the word name doth fignify dignity, appears clearly from the 2d chapter to the Philippians, ⚫verse 915. Even Dr. H. More, though fpeculatively a moft zealous advocate for civil and ecclefiaftical titles, has been led, from the clearnefs of the original Greek, unguardedly to make the following obfervations on the text.. They are called names of men,' fays he, de⚫ noting that they are Titles, Dignities, Offices, or Orders of men.-Nothing can be more natural than the expounding the feven thoufand names flain of extin-. guishing those feveral Orders and Offices of men 16.' To the fame purpose he elsewhere fays: in that this ⚫ number of feven is multiplied into a thousand, it figni

13 Eff. on the Rev. by Jam. Kerfhaw, Stockton, 1780, vol. II. p. 124.

14 P. 271.

15 An Eff. on Some Important Parts of the Rev. 1770, p. 15.

6 On the Apoc. p. 108; and Paralipomena Proph. p. 342.