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Den. II.

35.

Math.

The Chaff of the Summer Threshing Floor, has an evident Allufion to the Time when our Saviour was to come with a Fan in his Hand, 11. 12 that he may throughly Purge his Floor, and gather the Wheat into his Garner, and burn up the Chaff 30. 36 with unquenchable Fire. And to the Parable of Burning the Tares of the Field, and to the Harvest xiv. 14. of the Earth, that was Ripe, in St. John's Reve15. 16 lation.

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43.

Rev.

Which Inftances may ferve at prefent for a Specimen of the Harmony and exact Conformity. of the Figures used in Scripture in different places.

But as it is impracticable to discover all the Comparisons that may be made of this Vifion of the Image, with other Paffages, till the principal Vision which is Paralell to it, of the Four Becfts is explained, I fhall proceed to give as particular an Explanation of that Vision, as I have of the Other, and then what has been already fhewn in a tranfient View, will be better Understood, and fet in a much stronger Light.

SECT.

SECT. V.

Daniel's Vision of the Four great Beafts.

N the first Year of Belshazzar King of

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Babylon, Daniel had a Dream and Visions Dan. vii, "of his Head upon his Bed, then he wrote the "Dream, and told the Sum of the Matters.

"Daniel fpake and faid, I faw in my Vision. "by Night, and behold the Four Winds of the "Heaven ftrove upon the great Sea.

"And Four great Beafts came up from the "Sea diverse one from another.

2.

3.

This is the first Vision, which we have an Account, was originally communicated to Daniel, The four Winds of Heaven reprefent the Powers verf. 2. of the World, as in Jeremiah.

"Upon Elam will I bring the four Winds "from the four Quarters of Heaven, and I will "fcatter them towards all thefe Winds, and there "fhall be no Nation, whither the Out-cafts of "Elam fhall not come.

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The

Jer!

ix. 36.

The great Sea being the place where the natural Winds have their full play, it is a proper Metaphor, for that Extent of Country which is the Scene of thefe Winds in the Figurative Sence, which are the contending Nations of the World.

And in this fence Ifaiah fays: "The Wicked are Ifa.Lvii. «like the troubled Sea, when it cannot rest, "whose Waters caft up Mire and Dirt. The word Beafts is afterwards explained.

20.

Dan. vii 17.

vii. 4.

"These great Beafts which are four, are four "Kings, which shall arife out of the Earth.

And this being all the Interpretation, given in this Chapter, of the three first Beafts, I fhall Interpret every one fingly, and, as I go along, confider what light other Chapters of Daniel afford to explain them.

The meaning then of this general abstract of the Vision is, that the great Contentions among the Nations of the World should produce Four great Empires different from one another, and fucceffive,as appears by what immediately follows. "The firft was like a Lion, and had Eagles

Wings :

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Wings: and I beheld till the Wings thereof were pluck't, and it was lifted up from the Earth, and made ftand upon the Feet as a Man, "and a Mans Heart was given to it.

Jeremiah explains the Lions coming out of his Jer. IV. Thicket, by The Destroyer of the Gentiles being 7. on his way. And as the Lion was always reckoned the King of Beafts, fo it was a natural Figure to reprefent the firft Monarch, whom Daniel called a King of Kings: The rest of the defcrip- Dan. II. tion is taken from a Paffage in a Vision which belongs to Nebuchadnezzar alone, which is thus expreffed,

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"The fame Hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from Men, and did eat Grafs as Oxen, and his Body was "wet with the Dew of Heaven, till his Hairs "were grown like Eagles Feathers and his Nails "like Birds Claws.

“And at the end of the Days, I Nebuchad"nezzar lift up mine Eyes unto Heaven, & mine « Understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I Praifed and Honoured

37.

IV. 33.

34.

Dan.

1

"him that liveth For Ever, whofe Dominion is "an Everlafting Dominion, and his Kingdom i c from Generation to Generation.

This is an exact Commentary upon the Expreffions in the defcription of the first Beast, and it must not be wondered at, that Nebuchad nezzar alone is defcribed, and not his Succeffors, because in him fell the Glory of that first Monarchy, tho' it was not Destroyed till Belshazzar'ı Time, and we fhall find that Daniel mentions no more Particulars of the other Beafts, than their firft and moft bright Tranfactions, as fhall be fhown in all the reft, as they come in order, and indeed it would be impoffible to do more in fo fhort a Compass as the bounds of a Chapter.

"And behold another Beaft, a fecond like to VII. 5. "a Bear, and it raised up itself, on one fide, and "it had three Ribs in the Mouth of it, between "the Teeth of it, and they faid thus unto it, "Arife devour much Flefh.

Prox.
XVIII.

Solomon explains this Figure of a Bear, that of a Lion, when he fays,

As a roaring Lion and a ranging Bear, fo is

15. Wicked Ruler over the Poor People.

3.5.

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