the most eminent philofophers, those who have done honor to the nation, done. honor to human nature itself, have also been believers and defenders of revelation, have studied fcripture as well as nature, have followed God in his word as well as in his works, and have even made comments on feveral parts of holy writ. So juft and true is the obfervation of the (9) Lord Bacon, one of the illustrious perfons here intended; "A little philofophy in"clineth man's mind to atheism, but depth "in philofophy bringeth mens minds about "to religion." (9) Lord Bacon's Effays, XVII. DISSERTATIONS ΟΝ ΤΗΕ PROPHECIES. XV. DANIEL'S vifion of the RAM and H1 HE GOA t. ITHERTO the prophecies of Daniel, that is from the fourth verfe of the fecond chapter to the eighth chapter, are written in Chaldee. As they greatly concerned the Chaldæans, fo they were published in that language. But the remaining prophecies are written in Hebrew, because they treat altogether of affairs fubfequent to the times of the Chaldæans, and no ways relate to them, but principally to the church and people of God. Which is a plain proof, that the fcriptures were originally written in fuch a manner as they might be best understood by the people: and confequently it is defeating the very end and design of writing them, to take away the key of knowlege, and to keep them locked up in an unknown tongue. We may obferve too that in the former part of the book of Daniel he is generally spoken of in the third perfon, but in the latter part he fpeaketh of himself in the first perfon, which is fome kind of proof that the book was written, if not by different perfons, yet at different times. 4 Daniel's former vifion of the four great beafts, representing the four great empires of the world, was (VII. 1.) in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. He had another vifion in the third year of the reign of the fame king Belshazzar, that is (1) about 553 years before Christ. (VIII.1.) In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar, a vifion appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. (1) See Ufher, Prideaux, and other chronologers. (2) Obfervemus etiam aliis apparuiffe vifiones hujufmodi, quæ futura portenderent. Ita, Plutarcho tefte in vita Syllæ, In Campania, circa Tiphaton montem (qui aliis Tifata) interdiu wifi funt confligere magni birci duo, et ea omnia facere et pati, quæ viri in pugna folent: Spectrum autem, e terra fenfim ela It tum, paulo poft diffipatum, et ex oculis elapfum, eft. Nec multo poft Sylla, Mario Juniore et Norbano confule, in eo ipfo loco fufis, et profligatis, et cæfis hominum feptem millibus, con- . fulem inclufit Capuæ. Et in Accii Bruto, qui a Cicerone citatur libro primo De Divina tione, Tarquinius fuperbus fuum hoc fomnium narrat. It was exhibited to him (ver. 2.) at the palace in Shufhan, and by the fide of the river Ulai, or Eulaus, as it is called by the Greeks and Romans. And I faw in a vifion, (and it came to pass when I faw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam) and I faw in a vifion, and I was by the river Ulai. So likewise the prophet Ezekiel faw visions by the river Chebar; as if the holy Spirit had delighted to manifeft himself in fuch retired fcenes: and the gifts and graces of the Spirit are often in fcripture-language described by the metaphors of springs and streams of water, than which nothing was more agreeable and refreshing in hot and dry countries. Such was the time and place of the vision. The vifion itself was of a ram and he-goat. And we may obferve with the learned (2) Bochart, that others also have had like vifions, portending future events. So Plutarch reports Vifum eft in fomnis paftorem ad me appellere C 4 in nium infurgens, eum regno fuo fpoliavit. Bocharti Hierozoic. Pars Prior. Lib. 2. Cap. 46. Col. 527. (3) Quam in the life of Sylla, that two great goats were feen fighting in Campania, and fuddenly the vision vanished: nor long afterwards in that very place Sylla having routed and flain seven thousand men befieged the conful in Capua. In the Brutus of Accius, which is cited by Cicero in his first book of divination, Tarquinius Superbus relates his dream, " that a fhepherd drove his flock to him; two rams of the fame breed were felected from thence, both choice and beautiful, and he killed the finer of them ; the other rushed upon him with` his horns, and caft him down and wounded him." These rams of the fame breed fignified Lucius Junius Brutus and his brother; one of whom was flain by Tarquin, and the other rose against Tarquin, and defpoiled him of his kingdom. So that the probabilities of the poets and hiftorians bear fome resemblance to the realities of holy writ. Or rather, in this inftance of prophecy, as in the ceremonials of religion and the modes of government, God was pleased to condescend and conform to the customs and manners of the age, to make thereby a stronger impreffion on the minds of the people. Nor is fuch a condefcenfion un (3) Quam melius' itaque ex linguis orientis potuiffet hujus rel fons erui? quibus, ut id eft jam contritum, eadem voce worthy cornu, corona, patentia, ac fplendor nuncupantur. Unde cornu, regium infigne apud Phoenices, et Hebræorum feu cornu, Chal |