cal description, as juftly in the main as to this fubject. For inftance, they may do fo as to the most undoubted hiftories of the founders of any of the great monarchies. How will they be able to find any events, or any atchievements, in any of thefet hiftories, of which it can be demonftrated, that it is abfolutely impoffible that they should happen again, in fome future period, in the fame parts of the world?

It would have very extraordinary confequences, if men fhould lay down fuch a general principle as this, That hiftorical defcriptions must be reckoned too indefinite to have a determinate meaning, or to be meant of any particular facts, or feries of facts, and to proceed from true information of them, though they have a true, real, and evident conformity to past facts, if it is not fimply impossible that the like facts may be repeated in fome future ages.

Such a principle muft put an end to all hiftorical certainty, fo far that it may be inferred from it, that the hiftories hitherto moft uncontefted may not have proceeded from any information, but may have been the fruits of invention, forged at random before the events happened, and then verified and fulfilled by chance; and that not only once, but

often.

If it be evidently abfurd to lay ftrefs on principles and reafonings leading to fuch confequences in any other cafes, to lay ftrefs on them in the prefent must be the most unreafonable partiality.

To fhorten the reafoning on this head, it is proper to refer to the remarks made above in the introduction, about the things that make up a fingular or peculiar defcription of any event, or complication of events. The more circumftantial a defcription is as to time and place, and the more fingular and extraordinary the things defcribed are, the more evident it must be, that the defcription is

not

not too indefinite and undetermined, but that it is really meant of the things to which it is known to be peculiarly applicable, exclufively of any other paft events; in which cafe, more abstract reafonings, about fimple poffibility, as to events that may be yet to come, cannot be regarded, without leading men to the confequences above hinted at.

Though the defcription of the little horn in Daniel takes in a great compafs, as to time and place, this does not hinder the defcription from being fufficiently circumftantial, but renders it the more fingular and extraordinary, that a power and authority of fo unusual and aftonishing a kind fhould have both fo great extent and duration. Both these are plainly circumfcribed within the bounds of the divided western empire, and the time intervening between that divifion and the most extensive spreading of the Meffiah's kingdom. In the nature of the thing, as was formerly hinted, the downfall of fo great and extenfive oppofition, muft not only have fome tendency to that happy revolution, but must indeed be one principal part of it, of various important fubferviency to the other parts of it; which thews with what propriety prophetic defcriptions connect these things together.

As the defcription, with regard to time and place, is fufficiently circumftantial to refute the imputation of being indefinite and undetermined; fo the things described are of fo eminently diftinguishing and fingular a nature, that the power defcribed is, to use Daniel's expreffions, more diverse from all others, more unlike and diffimilar, by much, than any of the mere fecular monarchies that ever appeared have been to one another. And this important difparity, which fets the defcription fo far above the unjust charge of being too indefinite or indeterminate, extends to all the primary characters fo fully infifted on above, fuch as the vaftly unequal extent of the different kinds of complex authority D d

and

and jurifdiction, namely, the fecular and the fpiritual; the nature of the claim made, (viz. as to changing the laws of religion), and the amazing fubmiffion to it; the means of acquiring and maintaining fo fingular power, and its amazing effects and duration.

Whereas oft-times, in other cafes, reafonings that are really convincing, may, notwithstanding, require prolix and laborious deductions, which is often the cafe in the moft demonftrative fciences, where the proof of a conclufion, fomewhat remote from the first principles and elements, must presuppose a great number of antecedent proofs; it may be inferred from what has been faid, that the neceffary deductions, in the prefent cafe, instead of being very laborious, are very capable of being made fimple, obvious, and eafy, at leaft in comparifon of many others, provided an impartial inquirer vouchsafe moderate attention. The prophetic emblems are few in number; and they are interpreted in the prophecies themfelves. The facts needful to make a fingular defcription, and needful to be compared with the predictions, are alfo few in number, and are at once of the most extraordinary nature, and of the moft public uncontested notoriety.

By thefe means, the following fmall number of characters, to be gathered by plain and easy reasoning from a few paflages in one prophet, (Daniel), make up a fingular defcription, not applicable to any power that ever was, or will be, but one: "A

feducing power that was to arife after the con"verfion, the downfall, and divifion of the Roman « empire, established in the weltern parts of that "empire, when divided into fo many fovereign"ties; little in comparison of these others as to fe"cular authority, but claiming and obtaining an "univerfal fpiritual authority over the body of the "weftern kingdoms; acquiring and maintaining "this through policy and craft, (these are words in Daniel),

"Daniel), procuring a voluntary furrender of power "from really fuperior fovereigns; improving it fo

as to be the ringleader to thofe others in apofta"fy, perfecution, and various oppofition to the "truth; and continuing to exert fuch power for "fuch ends, during a confiderable number of a"ges."

It is no juft objection against what is faid about the shortnefs and eafinefs of the reafonings that can make up a convincing proof, that this fubject is fo oft treated in a prolix manner: it is the effect of the ftrength of the evidence which the predictions afford, that the various branches of the reafonings, founded on them, admit of fo many ufeful confirmations; none of which fhould be overlooked, confidering the importance of the subject, and the prejudices of many against it.

SECT. V. Of the book of Revelation.

Though it is the chief defign of this effay, to treat of the Old-Teftament prophecies, it is, on various accounts, proper, not to leave the fubject laft infifted on, without taking fome view of New-Teftament prophecies relative to it, as these two forts of predictions reciprocally illuftrate each other, so as to render the complex evidence refulting from them much more striking.

I. In New-Teftament prophecies on this fubject, it feems very obfervable, that it is mentioned as a fubject which it was of importance to Chriftians even of the first age to be acquainted with; and about which they were accordingly carefully instructed, notwithstanding the distance of the event predicted. When the Apostle Paul fpeaks to the Theffalonians of a fingular future apoftafy, while he plainly fuppofes it to be at a confiderable diftance, feeing its being yet to come is the very argument

by which he refutes the mistake of those who thought the day of Chrift was at hand; he exprefsly reminds them, that this was a fubject about which he had taken care to inftruct them when among them, 2 Theff. ii. 5. "Remember ye not, that "when I was yet with you, I told you these "things?" And when the Apostle John fays, in his general epiftle, the direction of which is not reftricted to any particular church or perfon, "Ye "have heard that Antichrift fhall come," 1 John ii. 18. it feems plainly to imply, that the body of Christians in general, even in that age, were inftructed about that important fubject of prophecy : And it is obfervable, that whereas the name Antichrift, in its literal and general meaning, fignifies an oppofer of Chrift, the oppofition treated of in the context, is what was made, not by the most avowed adverfaries, but by thofe who were, or had been, profeffed members of the church, but had become ringleaders in apoftafy and feduction; which may very naturally lead back an attentive inquirer's thoughts to the paffage laft cited from Paul, plainly pointing out an extraordinary falling away, or apoftafy, in which the ringleader would be the man of fin, fitting in the temple or profeffing church of God. And when to these things we add, that the book of Revelation, in the very introduction, commends the bleffedness of reading the prophecy it contains; which can be proved to treat more abundantly of the fubject in view than of any other; all these things put together fhew, that what was juftly reckoned fo interefting before the events predicted happened, ought to appear much more fo, after all feems fulfilled, except the bleffed complete triumph of truth over fo extenfive and lafting oppofition, and the changes moft immediately fubfervient to that triumph.

It shows a very furprising conformity and coincidence in the predictions of Daniel and John, that

the