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But there are two Propofitions advanced by a late Whifton's Learned Author, which intirely explode this method Accomplish. ment of Scrip. of Interpreting Scripture. Firft, That the Style of the ture Prophecies Prophet is always fingle and determinate, and not capable of thofe double Intentions and Typical Interpretations, which most of our late Chriftian Expofitors are fo full of upon all occafions. Secondly, That the Prophetic Style is not always intire, continu'd and coherent, through one Series of Reafoning, or Succeffion of Events, but is fometimes, at least in the prefent Order of the Prophecies, fbort, abrupt and difturb'd, by the coming on of other Matters of a very different Nature. The firft of thefe Propofitions is founded on the last, for it is impoffible to maintain this determinate Unity of Senfe, without allowing an extravagant latitude of changing the Perfon, or Subject, and overlooking the Connexion. And accordingly, if we caft an Eye on Mr. Whifton's P. 306. Collection of Scripture Prophecies, at the end of his P. 325. Effay on the Revelations, we fhall find he deals with Ifaiah; making fometimes a fingle Verfe an intire Prophecy; fometimes two, and fometimes three or four: Thus the four firft Verfes of Chap. 29. belong to the Deftruction of Jerufalem by the Romans; the next four to the Deftruction of the Turks at Hermageddon; and reft of the Chapter he leaves us to apply to the Times to which it belongs, viz. the Affyrian Invafion, of which the Prophet fpeaks from the beginning to the end. When the Turks are to be deftroy'd at Hermageddon, I know not; but fince the Deftruction of Jerufalem by the Romans, near two thousand Years are elaps'd, and yet the Turkish Empire ftands. Let us then fuppofe the Prophet to fpeak thus to his Countrymen: Above eight hundred Years hence, this abominable City Jerufalem, fhall be deftroy'd by the Romans, who fhall level her with 'the Ground; and fome thousands Years after that,

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the Turks, who will not exift many Ages, yet fhall "be deftroy'd at Hermageddon. Would they not have taken him for a Madman instead of a Prophet, had he talked to them at this rate? and yet thus he must have talk'd, according to Mr. Whifton's account of him. For the fifth Verfe, where this Prophecy relating to the Turks begins, is connected by Vau, and, to the four firft belonging to the Romans; and, after all, there is not one Word here of deftroying any Body but Sennacherib's Army: For by bringing her down, and making her Speak out of the Duft, is only meant reducing Jerufalem to great ftraights. Once more: The first twenty Verfes of the twenty-fourth Chapter belong, fays Mr. Whifton, to the Destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans. The twenty-fourth Verse makes up a Prophecy by it self, concerning the future. Restoration of the Jews to their own Country: And yet from the 17th to the 24th of this fame Chapter, are to be understood of the Deftruction of the Turks, and of Antichrift. So that the fame Verfes may be underftood of the Jews and the Turks, and the Destruction of both is foretold in the very fame Words; which cannot but appear mighty ftrange to me, who have fpar'd no Pains to fearch into the Meaning of the Words, and find the Prophet speaks of nothing else but the great Ravage the Affyrian Army fhould make in Judea, and of the Deftruction of that fame Army: And what adds to my Aftonishment, is, that of all the Commentators I have perus'd, which are not very few, tho' they are most of them Sagacious enough to find out the Day of Judgment, of which the Prophet, I dare fay, never thought, there is not one, tam emunita Naris, as to fmell out the Turks here, or Antichrift, or Hermageddon. Now if fuch a Liberty may be allow'd of putting what Senfe we please onproper Names, and entirely neglecting the Con

nexion.

nexion of an Author, there is fcarce a Poet, or Hi-
ftorian, but may fet up for a Prophet. Virgil not
only at this rate prophefied of the Birth of our Savi-
our, Jam redit & virgo, jam nova progenies cælo demit-
titur, but has given us a Prophetic Hiftory of him:
One who was very well vers'd in the Writings of
that great Poet, having writ the Life of our Saviour
in Virgil's Words. At this rate, we may fay, he Virgilius Evan
plainly foretold the Murder of our Royal Martyr: gelizans

-Bello audacis populi vexatus & armis,
Finibus extorris, complexu avulfus Iüli,
Auxilium imploret, videatque indigna fuorum
Funera, nec, cum fe fub leges pacis inique .
Tradiderit, regno aut optata luce fruatur,
Sed cadat ante diem-

These Words are as plain a Defcription of the hard
Fate of that unhappy Prince, as could have been
made by an Eye-Witnefs of his Tragical End; but
by looking into the Author himfelf, and confidering
what precedes, and what follows, we find he had
no fuch diftant Views, and only makes Queen Dido
heartily curfe her unfaithful Lover. At this rate,
we may fay, he foretold the finding out the most ce-
lebrated Specific for a Fever, the Jefuit's-Bark; be-
cause he fays,

Hi motus animorum atque hæc certamina tanta,
Pulveris exigui jactu compreffa quiefcent?

What Words can better express the allaying the vi-
olent Motion of the Blood, and the Disorder of the
over-heated Spirits? And yet, if we read the prece-
ding and fubfequent Lines, we fhall find the Poet
defcribing the eager Skirmishes and warm Rencoun-
d2

ters

Georg. lib. 4.

Chap. 1..

ters of inrag'd Bees. This is enough to fhew the Unreasonableness of taking fome of the Words of any Writer, and applying them to a Perfon or Action, without confidering the Series of the Writer's Reafoning, whether they belong to fuch a Perfon or Thing, or not. But I fhall now more directly prove against Mr. W'hifton, That the Prophetic Style (I mean of Ifaiah, for at prefent I think my felf no farther concern'd) is alway Intire, Continu'd and Coherent, thro' one Series of Reasoning, or Succeffion of Events. That is, as I beg leave to exprefs my felf, Whatever Subject he difcourfes of, he goes thro' with it, and never fuffers any new Matter to interrupt him, till he has quite done with it; and when he passes to another Subject, he gives plain Notice of it, and keeps to it: And this will oblige me to give a Compendium, or fhort Summary of the Predictions of Ifaiah.

In the first Chapter he prophefies, in general Terms, of the Devaftation of Judea by Sennacherib and foreseeing that Calamity would not prove effectual to their Reformation,he threatneth them with the Babylonian Captivity, by which God would purely purge away their Drof, promifing to those who fhould be mended by it, a happy Restoration. In the next the fame Subject is continu'd, tho' it was probably deliver'd at another time, because there is a Title prefixt to it, which fhews that it was the Subject of another Revelation. Very likely he fpoke it the next Day, while the former was ftill fresh in their Minds, because it begins with the Particle Vau, which I cannot think idle, or infignificant in this place. He promis'd, at the later End of the first Chapter, That the Good fhould be redeem'd out of Captivity: In this he tells them, They fhould not only be Redeem'd, but rife to the fame flourishing Con

C.

dition as before: The Temple should ftand again on the Mountain of the Lord, and People flock to it from every Quarter. Then he tells them, He would not have fuffer'd them to be carry'd into Captivity, had it not been for their crying Sins; and then defcribes that Deftruction in Parabolical Terms, advising them not to think to escape it by their own Strength, or any other Human Power; For, behold, God, before that time, would take away c. 3.from them every thing which they might be apt to depend on; he would give them weak Princes, and oppreffing Magiftrates, and fend Divifions among them, to prepare the Way for their Deftruction, and make their Conqueft more eafy, because of their open flagrant Sins, and the Pride and Extravagance of their Women. And this Deftruction fhould fall fo heavy on the Men of Judah,

C. 4.

C. 5..

That their furviving Numbers fhould bear no proportion to the Women; but those who should be preferv'd, fhall be reftor'd to their own Poffeffions, • and flourish under God's Protection, when he shall have wash'd away the Filth of the Daughters of • Zion, and have purg'd away the Blood of Jerufalem from the midft thereof, by a long Captivity, Then he complains of the unfuitable Returns made by the Jewish Nation, under thofe great Advantages they enjoy'd above the reft of the World, by the Parable of a well-cultivated Vineyard, affuring them, that for their Sins they fhould be carry'd into Captivity, and defcribing the Strength of their Enemies, whom he design'd to make use of to execute his Vengeance upon them. In the next Chapter he receives c. 6. a fresh Commiffion from God, who in a Vifion reveal'd himself to him, with all his Heavenly Attendants about him, and commanded him to tell the Jews, That they were a ftupid, infenfible Generation,

and

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