Bayle, which confirm or illuftrate, what he has faid in the firft Part of his Book.

We'll give an Account of the fecond and third
Part of this Book in the two next Journals.

ARTICLE XIII:

Obfervations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypfe of St. John, in two Parts, by Sir ISAAC NEWTON, London, 4to. pp. 323. 1733. Printed by J. Darby, and T. Browne, and fold by J. Roberts, &c.

T

HE Name of Sir Ifaac Newton prefix'd

to a Book is enough to ftir up the Curiofity, not only of the Learned, but of all forts of Readers: and tho' this be a pofthumous Work, which the Author in all likelihood did not defign for the Prefs, yet we may venture to fay, that the Reader will find here a great many curious Obfervations, and fome Thoughts intirely new. The whole Work is divided into two Parts; the first, which is by far the largest, contains the Obfervations upon Daniel, and confifts of fourteen Chapters: the fecond, upon the Apocalypfe, contains but three Chapters.

CHAP. I. Is an Introduction concerning the Part I. Compilers of the Books of the Old Teftament: Sir Ifaac fhews here, that the Pentateuch, we now have, is the fame Book of the Law, that was extant in the days of David and Solomon ; fince the Affairs of the Tabernacle and Temple were ordered by them according to the Law of this Book, and David in the 78th Pfalm, admo

nifhing

で

nishing the People to give ear to the Law of God, means the Law of this Book; for in defcribing how their Forefathers kept it not, he quotes many hiftorical Things out of the Books of Exodus and Numbers.

'Tis well known, that there are in the Pentateuch feveral things, which could not be written by Mofes himself: The Pentateuch, fays our Author, is compofed of the Law and the Hiftory of God's People together, and the Hiftory has been collected from feveral Books, fuch as were the Hiftory of the Creation, compofed by Mofes, the Book of the Generation of Adam and the Book of the Wars of the Lord. Thefe were publick Books, and therefore not written without the Authority of Mo fes and fofhua; and Samuel had leifure, in the Reign of Saul, to put them into the form of the Books of Mofes and Joshua now extant. The Reader may eafily think what our Author says upon the other Books of the Old Teftament he fuppofes they were collected by Ezra from ancient Materials; we'll only fet down here, what he offers with regard to Daniel. The "Book of Daniel, fays he, is a Collection of Pa

66

A

pers written at several times; the fix laft Chap"ters contain Prophecies, written at feveral "times by Daniel himself; the fix first are a "Collection of hiftorical Papers, written by o"thers. The fourth Chapter is a Decree of "Nebucadnezzar. The first Chapter was writ "ten after Daniel's Death; for the Author fays,

that Daniel continued to the first Year of Cy"rus; that is, to his firft Year over the Perfians and Medes, and third Year over Babylon, "And for the fame Reason, the fifth and fixth "Chap

66

a Exod. ii. 4.

ib. v. 1.

• Numb.xxi. 14.

.. Chapters were alfo written after his death for they end with thefe Words, So this Daniel profpered in the Reign of Darius, and in the Reign of Cyrus the Perfian. Yet thofe Words might be added by the Collector of the Papers, whom I take to be Ezra." The remaining part of this Chapter is worth reading, and fhews that our celebrated Author was as good a Chriftian, as he was known to be a profound Mathematician and Philofopher.

CHAP. II. Treats of the Prophetic Language. This Language is taken from the Analogy between the World natural, and an Empire or Kingdom confider'd as a World politic. Accordingly, the whole World natural confifting of Heaven and Earth, fignifies the whole World politic, confifting of Thrones and People; and the loweft part of the Earth, called Hades or Hell, fignifies the lowest and most miferable part of the People; whence afcending towards Heaven, and defcending to the Earth, are put for rifing and falling in Power and Honour, &c. In the Heavens the Sun and Moon are by Interpreters of Dreams put for the Perfons of Kings and Queens; but in facred Prophecy, which regards not fingle Per fons, the Sun is put for the whole Species or the Race of Kings, in the Kingdom or King. doms of the World politic, fhining with regal Power and Glory: the Moon for the Body of the common People, confider'd as the King's Wife; the Stars for fubordinate Princes and great Men, or for Bifhops and Rulers of the People of God, when the Sun is Chrift; Light for the Glory, Truth, and Knowledge wherewith great and good Men fhine and illuminate

others;

others; Darkness for Obfcurity of Condition, and for Error, Blindness, and Ignorance, &c. As this whole Chapter confifts only of fuch Affertions as we have quoted, we cannot give a larger Abstract of it without tranfcribing the whole; we shall only obferve, that our Author does not alledge any Argument to support his Affertions; however, they deferve the Attention of the Reader, and if they are found true, they will give a great Light to the Writings of the Prophets.

CHAP. III. Treats of the Vifion of the Image compofed of four Metals. The Prophecies of Daniel, fays our Author, are all of them related to one another, as if they were but feveral Parts of one general Prophecy, given at feveral times. The firft is the eafieft to be understood, and every following Prophecy adds fomething new to the former. The firft was given in a Dream to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, in the fecond Year of his Reign, (fee Dan. ii. 31-45.) we find nothing particular in the Explication of this Prophecy; we'll only obferve, that Sir Ifaac does not explain the latter part of it, when Daniel fays, that the God of Heaven fall fet up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed, &c. Commentators underftand this of the Kingdom of Chrift, but our Author is intirely filent with regard to this laft Kingdom.:

CHAP. IV. Of the Vifion of the four Beasts. In this Vifion the Prophecy, of the four Empires, viz. of the Babylonian, Perfian, Greek, and Roman, is repeated with feveral new, Additions:

Dap. vii.

ditions: The first Beast was like a Lion, and had Eagle's Wings, to denote the Kingdoms of Babylonia and Media, which overthrew the Affyrian Empire, and divided it between them, and thereby became confiderable, and grew into great Empires. A Man's Heart was given to the Lion, that is, fays our Author, it was humbled and fubdued, and made to know its human State.

THE fecond Beaft was like a Bear, and represents the Empire of the Perfians. This Beaft raised itself up on one fide, the Perfians being under the Medes at the Fall of Babylon, but prefently rifing above them. And it bad three Ribs in the Mouth of it, between the Teeth of it, to fignify the Kingdoms of Sardes, Babylon, and Egypt, which were conquer'd by it, but did not belong to it; and it devoured much Flefb, that is, the Riches of those three Kingdoms..

THE third Beaft was the Empire of the Greeks it was like a Leopard, to fignify its Fierceness; and had four Heads and four Wings, to fignify that it fhould be divided into four Kingdoms; which happened accordingly, when after the Death of Alexander the Great, the Governours of Provinces put Crowns on their own Heads, and by mutual Confent reigned over their Provinces; Caffander over Macedon, Greece, and Epirus; Lyfimachus over Thrace, and Bithynia; Ptolemy over Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Calofyria, and Palestine; and Seleucus over Syria.

THE fourth Beaft, fays our Author, was the Empire which fucceeded that of the Greeks, and this was the Roman. This Beaft was exceeding dreadful and terrible, it had great

iron