And as St. Jerome farther obferves, that Nebuchadnezzar might admire the grace of divine inspiration, Daniel not only told him what he saw in his dream, but alfo what he thought within himself before his dream. (ver. 29.) As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind, upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth fecrets, maketh known unto thee what shall come to pass.

Nebuchadnezzar's dream was of a great image. This great image, (ver. 31.) whose brightnefs was excellent, ftood before him, and the form thereof was terrible. It appears from ancient coins and medals, that cities and people were often represented by figures of men and women. A great terrible human figure was therefore not an improper emblem of human power and dominion; and the various metals of which it was compofed, not unfitly typify the various kingdoms which should arife. It confifted of four different metals, gold and filver and brass and iron mixed with clay; and these four metals, according to Daniel's own interpretation, mean so many kingdoms; and the

order

(5)Pars ftatuæ quò fuperior,eò priora, quò inferior, eò feriora teinpora fignificat. Grot, in loc,

(6) Ex hoc Danielis loca hauferunt poetæ fabulas fuas de quatuor fæculis, aureo, argen

teo,

order of their fucceffion is clearly denoted by the order of the parts, the (5) head and higher parts fignifying the earlier times, and the lower the parts, the later the times. From hence, (6) as Calvin conceives, the poets drew their fables of the four ages of the world, the golden, the filver, the brazen, and the iron age; by which declenfion in this place it is fignified, that the world always degenerates, and manners grow worse and worse. But Hefiod, who lived above 200 years before Daniel, mentioned the four ages of the world; fo that this vifion was formed agreeably to the common received notion, and the common received notion was not firft propagated from hence. Whether this notion of the world's degenerating and growing worfe and worse be true or not, these different kingdoms will naturally conftitute the different heads of our difcourse. And we fhall follow the best commentators from Jofephus down to Sir Ifaac Newton, but we shall regard no commentator fo much as the truth of hiftory, the evidence of reason, and the analogy of fcripture.

teo, æneo, ferreo; qua declinatione h. 1. fignificatur, mundum femper decidere, et mores pro

I. This

labi in deterius. Calvin apud Poli Synops.

Dd 4

(7) Κράλησαν

1. This image's head was of fine gold, (ver. 32.) which Daniel interprets (ver. 38.) Thou art this head of gold, thou, and thy family, and thy reprefentatives. The Babylonian therefore was the first of thefe kingdoms; and it was fitly reprefented by the head of fine gold, on account of its great riches; and Babylon for the fame reafon was called by Ifaiah (XIV. 4.) the golden city. The Affyrian is usually said to be the first of the four great empires; and the name may be allowed to pafs, if it be not taken too strictly. For the Affyrian empire properly fo called was diffolved before this time; the Babylonian was erected in its ftead: but the Babylonians are fometimes called Affyrians in the best claffic authors, Herodotus, Xenophon, Strabo, and others, as well as in the holy fcriptures, Daniel addreffeth Nebuchadnezzar, as if he was a very powerful king, and his empire very large and extenfive; (ver. 37.) Thou, O king, art a king of kings. He perhaps might think, like fome of his predeceffors, that his conquests were owing to his own fortitude and prudence:

(If. X. 13.) By the ftrength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, for I am prudents and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treafures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man. But the prophet affures him that his fuccefs must be primarily imputed to the God of heaven; (ver. 37 and 38:) For the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and ftrength, and glory: And wherefoever the children of men dwell, the beafts of the field, and the fowls of the heaven hath be given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all.

All the ancient eaftern hiftories almoft are loft: but there are fome fragments even of heathen hiftorians yet preferved, which speak of this mighty conqueror and his extended empire. Berofus in Jofephus (7) faith, that he held in fubjection Egypt, Syria, Phoenicia, Arabia, and by his exploits furpaffed all the Chaldæans and Babylonians who reigned before him. Jofephus (8) fubjoins, that in the archives of the Phoenicians there are written. things

things confonant to thofe which are faid by Berofus concerning this king of the Babylonians, that he fubdued Syria and all Phoenicia : With these likewife agrees Philoftratus in his hiftory, and Megafthenes in the fourth book of his Indian history, throughout which he attempts to fhow, that the forementioned king of the Babylonians exceeded Hercules in fortitude and greatness of exploits; for he affirms that he fubdued the greatest part of Lybia and Spain. Strabo likewife from the fame Megafthenes (9) afferts, that this king among the Chaldæans was more celebrated than Hercules, and that he proceeded as far as to the pillars of Hercules, and led his army out of Spain into Thrace and Pontus. But his empire, though of great extent, was yet of no long duration; for it (1) ended in his grandfon Belshazzar, not 70 years after the delivery of this prophecy, nor above