Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

and made ftand upon the Feet as a Man, and • Man's Heart was given to it. And bebold another Beast, a fecond, like to a BEAR, and i raised itself upon one Side, and it had three Ribs in the Mouth of it, between the Teeth of it. And they faid thus unto it, arife, devour much Flefb. After this I beheld, and lo, ano aber like a LEOPARD, which had upon the Back of it four Wings of a Fowl; the Beast. bad alfo four Heads; and Dominion was given woit. After this I faw in the Night Visions and behold a fourth Beaft, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron Teeth, it devoured and brake in Pieces, and flamped the Refidue with the Feet of it, and it was divers from all the Beafts that were before it, and it bad ten Horns. 1 confidered the Horns, and behold, there came up among them another little Horn, before whom there were three of the firft Horns plucked up by the Roots: and bebold, in this Horn were Eyes like the Eyes of a Man, and a Mouth Speaking great Things. I beheld till the Thrones which belonged to thefe Beafts were caft down, and the Ancient of Days did fit, whofe Garment was white as Snow, and the Hair of his Head like the pure Wool: His Throne was like the fiery Flame, and its Wheels as burning Fire :

[ocr errors]

4

A fiery Stream iffued, and came forth from before him: The Judgment was fet, and the Books were opened: I beheld then, because of the Voice of the great Words which the Horn Spake; I bebeld even till the Beast was flain, and his Body deftroyed, and given to the burn ing Flame.

As concerning the rest of the Beafts, they bad their Dominion taken away; yet their Lives were prolonged for a Seafon and a Time.

I faw in the Night-Vifions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, came with the Clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, and Nations, and Languages should ferve him: His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and his Kingdom that which fhall not be deftroyed.

I Daniel was grieved in my Spirit, in the Midst of my Body, and the Vifions of my Head troubled me. I came near unto one of them which food by, and asked him the Truth of all this: fo be told me, and made known the Interpretation of the Things. Thefe great Beafts which are four, are four Kings, which

C

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

fhall arife cut of the Earth; but the Saint's of the most High fhall take the Kingdom, and poffefs the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

Here then let us stop a little, for although we are not yet come to the most material Part of this Prophecy of Daniel, with Regard to our present Purpofe, yet it may not be improper to take Breath for a Moment, and recollect the Purport of what hath been already mentioned; and upon a Revisal of it, it will appear to be a fecond, but more particular Defcription of the fame Period of Time, and of the fame Tranfactions, with 'the Dream fhewed before to Nebuchadnez zar, only under a different Set of emblematical Representations, exhibiting to us an Abstract of the moft material Affairs, that were to happen in this World from the Time of the Delivery of this Vision to Daniel, till the triumphant State of the Kingdom of the Meffiah.

For fays the Angel to Daniel, Thefe great Beafts which are four, are four Kings, or Kingdoms. That is, these four Beasts are the emblematical Representations of the four great Empires of the World, viz. the Af fyrian, Perfian, Grecian and Roman, which

are.

are to fucceed each other, and after the Determination of which no other univerfai Monarchy fhall arife, till the Saints of the moft High fhall take the Kingdom, and poffefs it for ever, even for ever and ever.

Let us therefore fee how this Interpretation will agree with the Particulars of the foregoing Parts of this Prophecy. The first Beaft, fays Daniel, or the Affyrian Empire, was like a Lion and bad Eagles Wings; that is, was furnished with great Power and Strength of various Kinds; but fays he, I bebeld till the Wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the Earth, andmade to ftand like a Man, that is, I beheld, till I faw it deprived of a great Part of its Strength, by having its Wings plucked, that is, fome of its Territories taken from it; and being at the fame Time deprived as it were of two of its Feet, by the Revolt of two of its Provinces, Media and Perfia, on the * Destruction of the Army of Sennacherib before Jerufalem, it was made to ftand up only on two Legs as a Man, feeble, tottering and weak; and had a Man's Heart, given it; that is, instead of being fierce like a Lion, it became fearful and timorous.

[blocks in formation]

See Ifai, xxxvii. 1. and Prid. Con, Part i, B. I.

Now it is to be obferved that this Vifion was in the firft Year of Belshazzar King of Babylon, who was the laft Prince that filled the Throne of the Affyrian Empire; which was then upon the Decline, or according to the Vision on its laft Legs. For it was during the Reign of this Prince that Babylon was taken by Darius the Mede, which laid the Foundation of the Perfian Empire under Cyrus.

And the Second Beaft, fays Daniel, was like a Bear, and it raised itfelf upon one Side; that is, it raised itself on one Side first, by Darius the Mede taking Babylon; and then it got upon its Legs by the Conquests of Cyrus, who established the Perfian Empire; and had three Ribs in the Mouth of it, between the Teeth of it, that is, the three Principalities of Sardis, Babylon and Egypt, which were reduced under the Perfian Dominion by Cyrus and his Succeffors.

After this I beheld another, fays Daniel, like a Leopard. The Activity of which Beaft, and the fudden Vivacity with which it feizeth its Prey, being no unfuitable Emblem to represent the extraordinary Impetu ofity, with which the Conquefts of Alexander the Great were carried on, who de

ftroyed

« AnteriorContinuar »