ftroyed the Perfian and founded the Grecian Empire. Which Beaft, fays Daniel, bad upon the Back of it four Wings of a Fowl, and had alfo four Heads. Which is here inferted to denote the Divifion of this Empire into four Parts, which came to pass upon the Death of Alexander and Hercules, the two Sons of Alexander the Great; the four great Captains, viz. Caffander, Lyhmachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus, having by mutual Confent divided this great Empire amongst them; CASSANDER reigning over Macedon, Greece, and Epirus; LvSIMACHUS Over Thrace and Bithynia; PTOLEMY over Egypt, Libya, Arabia, Calofyria, and Palestine; and SELEUCUS over Syria; till they were all reduced again under one Head by Julius Cæfar, who eftablished the Roman Empire.

And behold, fays Daniel, a fourth Bea dreadful and terrible and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron Teeth; it devoured and brake in Pieces, and ftamped the Refidue with the Feet of it, and it was divers from all the Beafts that were before it, and it had ten Horns. Which is an Emblem to denote the Power of the Roman Empire, that was exceeding ftrong, and mighty like Iron, and devoured every Thing, and trampled all the

World

World under its Feet, and may be faid to have continued in its Grandeur and undivid ed till after the Time of Theodofius the Great when it began to break into a great Variety of leffer Principalities, reprefented in this Vision by the Emblem of ten Horns; as it was in the preceding Vision or Dream fhewed to Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, under the Emblem of ten Toes. Not that there is any Neceflity to interpret these ten Horns li terally of ten Kingdoms, the Word Ten being often used in the Language of the Scriptures to fignify many in general, as when El kanah faid to his Wife, Am I not better ta thee than ten Sons ? So we may alfo underftand thefe ten Horns as only denoting ma ny Principalities, though Sir Ifaac Newton, and others have endeavoured to reduce them precifely to that Number, and whoever has a Mind to be further fatisfied upon that Head, may confult thofe Authors; but as I do not think fo literal an Interpretation ta be neceffary, I choose to decline it at prefent, in order to avoid Difputes.

And fays Daniel, I confidered the Horns, and behold, there came up among them another ittle Horn, before whom there were three of

* 1 Sam. i. 8.

the

the firft Horns pluckt up by the Roots; and behold in this Horn were Eyes like the Eyes of a Man, and a Mouth fpeaking great Things. As this little Horn will be more particularly confidered by and by, I fhall only observe at prefent that it is here mentioned as having Eyes and a Mouth to denote its being a living Creature, or Beaft, which is an Emblem under which Kingdoms and Principalities are reprefented by Daniel in this Vifion; and under which Denomination of a Beast this little Horn is specified immediately after by this Prophet; for, fays Daniel, I beheld then because of the Voice of the Words, which the Horn fpake; I beheld even till the Beast, or little Horn, was flain, and his Body deftroyed and given to the burning Flames; that is, till this Principality was entirely overturned. As concerning the Reft of the Beafts, or the other remaining Horns or Kingdoms, they bad their Dominion taken away; yet their Lives were prolonged for a Seafon and a Time. That is, though their Dominion was fuperfeded, yet they were neither utterly nor immediately destroyed, as the little Horn was, but were received for a Seafon and a Time aş Subjects under the fuperior Dominion of one like the Son of Man.

And

And continues Daniel, 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 ever lafting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and his Kingdom that which fhall not be de Atroyed. Whence it is plain that the Domi nion of the little Horn is to laft till the Com→ ing of one like the Son of Man, to whom fhall be given, by the Ancient of Days, á Kingdom over all People, Nations and Lan guages, which fhall never be deftroyed: that is, till the Kingdom of the Meffiah cometh, which is to be an everlafting Kingdom, that fhall not pass away.

And now let us proceed, and fee how this agrees with the Explanation of this Vision, as it is unfolded by the Angel to Daniel in the fubfequent Part of this Prophecy. For fays Daniel, then I had a Mind to know the Truth, (or the true Meaning) of the fourth Beaft, which was divers from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whofe Teeth were of Iron, and

* Dan. vii. 19, &c.

3

and bis Nails Brafs, which devoured, brake in Pieces, and ftamped the Refidue with his Feet; and of the ten Horns that were in his Head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell, even of that Horn that bad Eyes, and a Mouth that fpake very great Things, whofe Look was more flout than bis Fellows. I beheld, and the fame Horn made War with the Saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and the Judgment was given to the Saints of the maft High, and the Time came that the Saints poffeffed the Kingdom.

In Anfwer to which thus, He, the Angel, faid; the fourth Beaft fhall be the fourth King dom upon Earth, that is the Roman Empire, which fhall be divers from all Kingdoms, on Account of its ten Horns, but more particu→ larly on Account of the little Horn, which the Angel declares is to be divers from all other Horns, and fhall devour the whole Earth, and fhall tread it down and break it in Pieces. And the ten Horns out of this Kingdom are ten Kings, or Kingdoms, that fhall arife; and another shall arise after them, and be shall be divers from the firft ten Horns, and he fball fubdue three Kings, or Kingdoms; and be fhall Speak great Words against the most

D

High,