CHAP. I.
CHAP. II.
CHAP. III.
CHAP. IV.
CHAP. V.
CHAP. VI.
CHAP. VII.
CHAP. VIII.
CHAP. IX.
CHAP. X.
CHAP. XI.
CHAP. XII.
CHAP. XIII.
CHAP. XIV.
PART II.
CHAP. I.
CHAP. II.
CHAP. III.
Advertisement.
CHAP. I.
Introduction
concerning the Compilers of the books of the Old Testament.When
Manasses [1]
set up a carved image in the house of the Lord, and built altars in
the two courts of the house, to all the host of Heaven, and us'd
inchantments and witchcraft, and familiar spirits, and for his great
wickedness was invaded by the army of
Asserhadon King of
Assyria, and
carried captive to
Babylon; the book
of the Law was lost till the eighteenth year of his grandson
Josiah. Then
[2] Hilkiah
the High Priest, upon repairing the Temple, found it there: and the
King lamented that their fathers had not done after the words of the
book, and commanded that it should be read to the people, and caused
the people to renew the holy covenant with God. This is the book of
the Law now extant.When
[3] Shishak
came out of Egypt
and spoil'd the temple, and brought
Judah into
subjection to the monarchy of
Egypt, (which was
in the fifth year of
Rehoboam) the
Jews continued
under great troubles for about twenty years; being
without the true God, and without a teaching Priest, and without Law:
and in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to
him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants
of the countries, and nation was destroyed of nation, and city of
city, for God did vex them with all adversity.
But [4]
when Shishak
was dead, and Egypt
fell into troubles,
Judah had quiet ten
years; and in that time
Asa built fenced
cities in Judah,
and got up an army of 580000 men, with which, in the 15th year of his
reign, he met and overcame
Zerah the
Ethiopian, who had
conquered Egypt
and Lybia,
and Troglodytica,
and came out with an army of 1000000
Lybians and
Ethiopians, to
recover the countries conquered by
Sesac. And after
this victory [5]
Asa dethroned his
mother for idolatry, and he renewed the Altar, and brought new
vessels of gold and silver into the Temple; and he and the people
entered into a new covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers,
upon pain of death to those who worshiped other Gods; and his son
Jehosaphat took
away the high places, and in the third year of his reign sent some of
his Princes, and of the Priests and Levites, to teach in the cities
of Judah:
and they had the book of the Law with them, and went about throughout
all the cities of
Judah, and taught
the people. This is that book of the Law which was afterwards lost in
the reign of
Manasses, and found
again in the reign of
Josiah, and
therefore it was written before the third year of
Jehosaphat.The
same book of the Law was preserved and handed down to posterity by
the Samaritans,
and therefore was received by the ten Tribes before their captivity.
For [6]
when the ten Tribes were captivated, a Priest or the captivity was
sent back to Bethel,
by order of the King of
Assyria, to
instruct the new inhabitants of
Samaria, in
the manner of the God of the land;
and the Samaritans
had the Pentateuch
from this Priest, as containing the law or
manner of the God of the land,
which he was to teach them. For
[7] they
persevered in the religion which he taught them, joining with it the
worship of their own Gods; and by persevering in what they had been
taught, they preserved this book of their Law in the original
character of the
Hebrews, while the
two Tribes, after their return from
Babylon, changed
the character to that of the
Chaldees, which
they had learned at
Babylon.And
since the Pentateuch
was received as the book of the Law, both by the two Tribes and by
the ten Tribes, it follows that they received it before they became
divided into two Kingdoms. For after the division, they received not
laws from one another, but continued at variance.
Judah could not
reclaim Israel
from the sin of
Jeroboam, and
Israel could not
bring Judah
to it. The
Pentateuch
therefore was the book of the Law in the days of
David and
Solomon. The
affairs of the Tabernacle and Temple were ordered by
David and
Solomon, according
to the Law of this book; and
David in the 78th
Psalm, admonishing the people to give ear to the Law of God, means
the Law of this book. For in describing how their forefathers kept it
not, he quotes many historical things out of the books of
Exodus and
Numbers.The
race of the Kings of
Edom, before there
reigned any King over
Israel, is set down
in the book of [8]
Genesis; and
therefore that book was not written entirely in the form now extant,
before the reign of
Saul. The writer
set down the race of those Kings till his own time, and therefore
wrote before David
conquered Edom.
The Pentateuch
is composed of the Law and the history of God's people together; and
the history hath been collected from several books, such as were the
history of the Creation composed by
Moses,
Gen. ii. 4. the
book of the generations of
Adam,
Gen. v. i. and the
book of the wars of the Lord,
Num. xxi. 14. This
book of wars contained what was done at the Red-sea, and in the
journeying of Israel
thro' the Wilderness, and therefore was begun by
Moses. And
Joshua might carry
it on to the conquest of
Canaan. For
Joshua wrote some
things in the book of the Law of God,
Josh. xxiv. 26 and
therefore might write his own wars in the book of wars, those being
the principal wars of God. These were publick books, and therefore
not written without the authority of
Moses and
Joshua. And
Samuel had leisure
in the reign of
Saul, to put them
into the form of the books of
Moses and
Joshua now extant,
inserting into the book of
Genesis, the race
of the Kings of
Edom, until there
reigned a King in
Israel.The
book of the Judges
is a continued history of the
Judges down to the
death of Sampson,
and therefore was compiled after his death, out of the Acts of the
Judges. Several
things in this book are said to be done
when there was no King in
Israel, Judg.
xvii. 6. xviii. 1. xix. 1. xxi. 25. and therefore this book was
written after the beginning of the reign of
Saul. When it was
written, the
Jebusites dwelt in
Jerusalem,
Jud. i. 21 and
therefore it was written before the eighth year of
David, 2
Sam. v. 8. and 1
Chron. xi. 6. The
books of Moses,
Joshua, and
Judges, contain one
continued history, down from the Creation to the death of
Sampson. Where the
Pentateuch ends,
the book of Joshua
begins; and where the book of
Joshua ends, the
book of Judges
begins. Therefore all these books have been composed out of the
writings of Moses,
Joshua, and other
records, by one and the same hand, after the beginning of the reign
of Saul,
and before the eighth year of
David. And
Samuel was a sacred
writer, 1 Sam.
x. 25. acquainted with the history of
Moses and the
Judges, 1
Sam. xii. 8, 9, 10,
11, 12. and had leisure in the reign of
Saul, and
sufficient authority to compose these books. He was a Prophet, and
judged Israel
all the days of his life, and was in the greatest esteem with the
people; and the Law by which he was to judge the people was not to be
published by less authority than his own, the Law-maker being not
inferior to the judge. And the book of
Jasher, which is
quoted in the book of
Joshua,
Josh. x. 13. was in
being at the death of
Saul, 2
Sam. i. 18.At
the dedication of the Temple of
Solomon, when the
Ark was brought into the most holy place, there was nothing in it but
the two tables, 1
Kings viii. 9. and
therefore when the
Philistines took
the Ark, they took out of it the book of the Law, and the golden pot
of Manna, and
Aaron's Rod. And
this and other losses in the desolation of
Israel, by the
conquering
Philistines, might
give occasion to
Samuel, after some
respite from those enemies, to recollect the scattered writings of
Moses and
Joshua, and the
records of the Patriarchs and Judges, and compose them in the form
now extant.The
book of Ruth
is a history of things done in the days of the
Judges, and may be
looked upon as an addition to the book of the
Judges, written by
the same author, and at the same time. For it was written after the
birth of David,
Ruth iv. 17, 22.
and not long after, because the history of
Boaz and
Ruth, the great
grandfather and great grandmother of
David, and that of
their contemporaries, could not well be remembered above two or three
generations. And since this book derives the genealogy of
David from
Boaz and
Ruth, and omits
David's elder
brothers and his sons; it was written in honour of
David, after he was
anointed King by
Samuel, and before
he had children in
Hebron, and by
consequence in the reign of
Saul. It proceeds
not to the history of
David, and
therefore seems to have been written presently after he was anointed.
They judge well therefore who ascribe to
Samuel the books of
Joshua,
Judges, and
Ruth.Samuel
is also reputed the author of the first book of
Samuel, till the
time of his death. The two books of
Samuel cite no
authors, and therefore seem to be originals. They begin with his
genealogy, birth and education, and might be written partly in his
lifetime by himself or his disciples the Prophets at
Naioth in
Ramah, 1
Sam. xix. 18, 19,
20. and partly after his death by the same disciples.The
books of the Kings
cite other authors, as the book of the Acts of
Solomon, the book
of the Chronicles
of the Kings of
Israel, and the
book of the
Chronicles of the
Kings of Judah.
The books of the
Chronicles cite the
book of Samuel
the Seer, the book of
Nathan the Prophet,
and the book of Gad
the Seer, for the Acts of
David; the book of
Nathan the Prophet,
the Prophecy of
Ahijah the
Shilonite, and the
visions of Iddo
the Seer, for the Acts of
Solomon; the book
of Shemajah
the Prophet, and the book of
Iddo the Seer
concerning genealogies, for the Acts of
Rehoboam and
Abijah; the book of
the Kings of Judah
and Israel
for the Acts of Asa,
Joash,
Amaziah,
Jotham,
Ahaz,
Hezekiah,
Manasseh, and
Josiah; the book of
Hanani the Seer,
for the Acts of
Jehosaphat; and the
visions of Isaiah
for the Acts of
Uzziah and
Hezekiah. These
books were therefore collected out of the historical writings of the
antient Seers and Prophets. And because the books of the
Kings and
Chronicles quote
one another, they were written at one and the same time. And this
time was after the return from the
Babylonian
captivity, because they bring down the history of
Judah, and the
genealogies of the Kings of
Judah, and of the
High Priests, to that captivity. The book of
Ezra was originally
a part of the book of the
Chronicles, and has
been divided from it. For it begins with the two last verses of the
books of Chronicles,
and the first book of
Esdras begins with
the two last chapters thereof.
Ezra was therefore
the compiler of the books of
Kings and
Chronicles, and
brought down the history to his own time. He was a ready Scribe in
the Law of God; and for assisting him in this work
Nehemias founded a
library, and
gathered together the Acts of the Kings and the Prophets, and of
David, and the
Epistles of the Kings, concerning the holy gifts,
2 Maccab.
ii. 13. By the Acts of
David I understand
here the two books of
Samuel, or at least
the second book. Out of the Acts of the
Kings, written from
time to time by the Prophets, he compos'd the books of the Kings of
Judah and
Israel, the
Chronicles of the
Kings of Judah,
and the Chronicles
of the Kings of
Israel. And in
doing this he joined those Acts together, in due order of time,
copying the very words of the authors, as is manifest from hence,
that the books of the
Kings and
Chronicles
frequently agree with one another in words for many sentences
together. Where they agree in sense, there they agree in words also.So
the Prophecies of
Isaiah, written at
several times, he has collected into one body. And the like he did
for those of
Jeremiah, and the
rest of the Prophets, down to the days of the second Temple. The book
of Jonah
is the history of
Jonah written by
another hand. The book of
Daniel is a
collection of papers written at several times. The six last chapters
contain Prophecies written at several times by
Daniel himself: the
six first are a collection of historical papers written by others.
The fourth chapter is a decree of
Nebuchadnezzar. The
first chapter was written after
Daniel's death: for
the author saith, that
Daniel continued to
the first year of
Cyrus; that is, to
his first year over the
Persians and
Medes, and third
year over Babylon.
And, for the same reason, the fifth and sixth chapters were also
written after his death. For they end with these words:
So this Daniel
prospered in the reign of
Darius and in the
reign of Cyrus
the Persian. Yet
these words might be added by the collector of the papers, whom I
take to be Ezra.The
Psalms composed by
Moses,
David, and others,
seem to have been also collected by
Ezra into one
volume. I reckon him the collector, because in this collection I meet
with Psalms as late as the
Babylonian
captivity, but with none later.After
these things
Antiochus Epiphanes
spoiled the Temple, commanded the
Jews to forsake the
Law upon pain of death, and caused the sacred books to be burnt
wherever they could be found: and in these troubles the book of the
Chronicles of the
Kings of Israel
was entirely lost. But upon recovering from this oppression,
Judas Maccabæus
gathered together all those writings that were to be met with, 2
Maccab. ii. 14. and
in reducing them into order, part of the Prophecies of
Isaiah, or some
other Prophet, have been added to the end of the Prophecies of
Zechariah; and the
book of Ezra
has been separated from the book of
Chronicles, and set
together in two different orders; in one order in the book of
Ezra, received into
the Canon, and in another order in the first book of
Esdras.After
the Roman
captivity, the Jews
for preserving their traditions, put them in writing in their
Talmud, and for
preserving their scriptures, agreed upon an Edition, and pointed it,
and counted the letters of every sort in every book: and by
preserving only this Edition, the antienter various lections, except
what can be discovered by means of the
Septuagint Version,
are now lost; and such marginal notes, or other corruptions, as by
the errors of the transcribers, before this Edition was made, had
crept into the text, are now scarce to be corrected.The
Jews before the
Roman captivity,
distinguished the sacred books into the Law, the Prophets, and the
Hagiographa, or
holy writings; and read only the Law and the Prophets in their
Synagogues. And Christ and his Apostles laid the stress of religion
upon the Law and the Prophets,
Matt. vii. 12.
xxii. 4. Luke
xvi. 16, 29, 31. xxiv. 44.
Acts xxiv. 14.
xxvi. 22. Rom.
iii. 21. By the
Hagiographa they
meant the historical books called
Joshua,
Judges,
Ruth,
Samuel,
Kings,
Chronicles,
Ezra,
Nehemiah, and
Esther, the book of
Job, the
Psalms, the books
of Solomon,
and the
Lamentations. The
Samaritans read only the
Pentateuch: and
when Jehosaphat
sent men to teach in the cities, they had with them only the book of
the Law; for the Prophecies now extant were not then written. And
upon the return from the
Babylonian
captivity, Ezra
read only the book of the Law to the people, from morning to noon on
the first day of the seventh month; and from day to day in the feast
of Tabernacles: for he had not yet collected the writings of the
Prophets into the volume now extant; but instituted the reading of
them after the collection was made. By reading the Law and the
Prophets in the Synagogues, those books have been kept freer from
corruption than the
Hagiographa.In
the infancy of the nation of
Israel, when God
had given them a Law, and made a covenant with them to be their God
if they would keep his commandments, he sent Prophets to reclaim
them, as often as they revolted to the worship of other Gods: and
upon their returning to him, they sometimes renewed the covenant
which they had broken. These Prophets he continued to send, till the
days of Ezra:
but after their Prophecies were read in the Synagogues, those
Prophecies were thought sufficient. For if the people would not hear
Moses and the old
Prophets, they would hear no new ones, no not
tho they should rise from the dead.
At length when a new truth was to be preached to the
Gentiles, namely,
that Jesus was the Christ,
God sent new Prophets and Teachers: but after their writings were
also received and read in the Synagogues of the Christians, Prophecy
ceased a second time. We have
Moses, the
Prophets, and Apostles, and the words of Christ himself; and if we
will not hear them, we shall be more inexcusable than the
Jews. For the
Prophets and Apostles have foretold, that as
Israel often
revolted and brake the covenant, and upon repentance renewed it; so
there should be a falling away among the Christians, soon after the
days of the Apostles; and that in the latter days God would destroy
the impenitent revolters, and make a new covenant with his people.
And the giving ear to the Prophets is a fundamental character of the
true Church. For God has so ordered the Prophecies, that in the
latter days the wise
may understand, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the
wicked shall understand,
Dan. xii. 9, 10. The authority of Emperors, Kings, and Princes, is
human. The authority of Councils, Synods, Bishops, and Presbyters, is
human. The authority of the Prophets is divine, and comprehends the
sum of religion, reckoning
Moses and the
Apostles among the Prophets; and
if an Angel from Heaven preach any other gospel,
than what they have delivered,
let him be accursed.
Their writings contain the covenant between God and his people, with
instructions for keeping this covenant; instances of God's judgments
upon them that break it: and predictions of things to come. While the
people of God keep the covenant, they continue to be his people: when
they break it they cease to be his people or church, and become
the Synagogue of Satan, who say they are
Jews and are not.
And no power on earth is authorized to alter this covenant.The
predictions of things to come relate to the state of the Church in
all ages: and amongst the old Prophets,
Daniel is most
distinct in order of time, and easiest to be understood: and
therefore in those things which relate to the last times, he must be
made the key to the rest.Notes
to Chap. I.[1]
2 Chron. xxxiii. 5, 6, 7.[2]
2 Chron. xxxiv.[3]
2 Chron. xii. 2, 3, 4, 8, 9. & xv. 3, 5, 6.[4]
2 Chron. xiv. 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12.[5]
2 Chron. xv. 3, 12, 13, 16, 18.[6]
2 Kings xvii. 27, 28, 32, 33.[7]
2 Kings xvii. 34, 41.[8]
Gen. xxxvi. 31.
CHAP. II.
Of
the Prophetic Language.
For
understanding the Prophecies, we are, in the first place, to acquaint
our-selves with the figurative language of the Prophets. This
language is taken from the analogy between the world natural, and an
empire or kingdom considered as a world politic.
Accordingly,
the whole world natural consisting of heaven and earth, signifies the
whole world politic, consisting of thrones and people, or so much of
it as is considered in the Prophecy: and the things in that world
signify the analogous things in this. For the heavens, and the things
therein, signify thrones and dignities, and those who enjoy them; and
the earth, with the things thereon, the inferior people; and the
lowest parts of the earth, called
Hades or Hell, the
lowest or most miserable part of them. Whence ascending towards
heaven, and descending to the earth, are put for rising and falling
in power and honour: rising out of the earth, or waters, and falling
into them, for the rising up to any dignity or dominion, out of the
inferior state of the people, or falling down from the same into that
inferior state; descending into the lower parts of the earth, for
descending to a very low and unhappy estate; speaking with a faint
voice out of the dust, for being in a weak and low condition; moving
from one place to another, for translation from one office, dignity,
or dominion, to another; great earthquakes, and the shaking of heaven
and earth, for the shaking of kingdoms, so as to distract or
overthrow them; the creating a new heaven and earth, and the passing
away of an old one, or the beginning and end of the world, for the
rise and ruin of the body politic signified thereby.
In
the heavens, the Sun and Moon are, by interpreters of dreams, put for
the persons of Kings and Queens; but in sacred Prophecy, which
regards not single persons, the Sun is put for the whole species and
race of Kings, in the kingdom or kingdoms of the world politic,
shining with regal power and glory; the Moon for the body of the
common people, considered as the King's wife; the Stars for
subordinate Princes and great men, or for Bishops and Rulers of the
people of God, when the Sun is Christ; light for the glory, truth,
and knowledge, wherewith great and good men shine and illuminate
others; darkness for obscurity of condition, and for error, blindness
and ignorance; darkning, smiting, or setting of the Sun, Moon, and
Stars, for the ceasing of a kingdom, or for the desolation thereof,
proportional to the darkness; darkning the Sun, turning the Moon into
blood, and falling of the Stars, for the same; new Moons, for the
return of a dispersed people into a body politic or ecclesiastic.
Fire
and meteors refer to both heaven and earth, and signify as follows;
burning any thing with fire, is put for the consuming thereof by war;
a conflagration of the earth, or turning a country into a lake of
fire, for the consumption of a kingdom by war; the being in a
furnace, for the being in slavery under another nation; the ascending
up of the smoke of any burning thing for ever and ever, for the
continuation of a conquered people under the misery of perpetual
subjection and slavery; the scorching heat of the sun, for vexatious
wars, persecutions and troubles inflicted by the King; riding on the
clouds, for reigning over much people; covering the sun with a cloud,
or with smoke, for oppression of the King by the armies of an enemy;
tempestuous winds, or the motion of clouds, for wars; thunder, or the
voice of a cloud, for the voice of a multitude; a storm of thunder,
lightning, hail, and overflowing rain, for a tempest of war
descending from the heavens and clouds politic, on the heads of their
enemies; rain, if not immoderate, and dew, and living water, for the
graces and doctrines of the Spirit; and the defect of rain, for
spiritual barrenness.
In
the earth, the dry land and congregated waters, as a sea, a river, a
flood, are put for the people of several regions, nations, and
dominions; embittering of waters, for great affliction of the people
by war and persecution; turning things into blood, for the mystical
death of bodies politic, that is, for their dissolution; the
overflowing of a sea or river, for the invasion of the earth politic,
by the people of the waters; drying up of waters, for the conquest of
their regions by the earth; fountains of waters for cities, the
permanent heads of rivers politic; mountains and islands, for the
cities of the earth and sea politic, with the territories and
dominions belonging to those cities; dens and rocks of mountains, for
the temples of cities; the hiding of men in those dens and rocks, for
the shutting up of Idols in their temples; houses and ships, for
families, assemblies, and towns, in the earth and sea politic; and a
navy of ships of war, for an army of that kingdom that is signified
by the sea.
Animals
also and vegetables are put for the people of several regions and
conditions; and particularly, trees, herbs, and land animals, for the
people of the earth politic: flags, reeds, and fishes, for those of
the waters politic; birds and insects, for those of the politic
heaven and earth; a forest for a kingdom; and a wilderness for a
desolate and thin people.
If
the world politic, considered in prophecy, consists of many kingdoms,
they are represented by as many parts of the world natural; as the
noblest by the celestial frame, and then the Moon and Clouds are put
for the common people; the less noble, by the earth, sea, and rivers,
and by the animals or vegetables, or buildings therein; and then the
greater and more powerful animals and taller trees, are put for
Kings, Princes, and Nobles. And because the whole kingdom is the body
politic of the King, therefore the Sun, or a Tree, or a Beast, or
Bird, or a Man, whereby the King is represented, is put in a large
signification for the whole kingdom; and several animals, as a Lion,
a Bear, a Leopard, a Goat, according to their qualities, are put for
several kingdoms and bodies politic; and sacrificing of beasts, for
slaughtering and conquering of kingdoms; and friendship between
beasts, for peace between kingdoms. Yet sometimes vegetables and
animals are, by certain epithets or circumstances, extended to other
significations; as a Tree, when called the
tree of life or
of knowledge; and a
Beast, when called
the old serpent, or
worshipped.
When
a Beast or Man is put for a kingdom, his parts and qualities are put
for the analogous parts and qualities of the kingdom; as the head of
a Beast, for the great men who precede and govern; the tail for the
inferior people, who follow and are governed; the heads, if more than
one, for the number of capital parts, or dynasties, or dominions in
the kingdom, whether collateral or successive, with respect to the
civil government; the horns on any head, for the number of kingdoms
in that head, with respect to military power; seeing for
understanding, and the eyes for men of understanding and policy, and
in matters of religion for Επισκοποι, Bishops; speaking, for
making laws; the mouth, for a law-giver, whether civil or sacred; the
loudness of the voice, for might and power; the faintness thereof,
for weakness; eating and drinking, for acquiring what is signified by
the things eaten and drank; the hairs of a beast, or man, and the
feathers of a bird, for people; the wings, for the number of kingdoms
represented by the beast; the arm of a man, for his power, or for any
people wherein his strength and power consists; his feet, for the
lowest of the people, or for the latter end of the kingdom; the feet,
nails, and teeth of beasts of prey, for armies and squadrons of
armies; the bones, for strength, and for fortified places; the flesh,
for riches and possessions; and the days of their acting, for years;
and when a tree is put for a kingdom, its branches, leaves and fruit,
signify as do the wings, feathers, and food of a bird or beast.
When
a man is taken in a mystical sense, his qualities are often signified
by his actions, and by the circumstances of things about him. So a
Ruler is signified by his riding on a beast; a Warrior and Conqueror,
by his having a sword and bow; a potent man, by his gigantic stature;
a Judge, by weights and measures; a sentence of absolution, or
condemnation, by a white or a black stone; a new dignity, by a new
name; moral or civil qualifications, by garments; honour and glory,
by splendid apparel; royal dignity, by purple or scarlet, or by a
crown; righteousness, by white and clean robes; wickedness, by
spotted and filthy garments; affliction, mourning, and humiliation,
by clothing in sackcloth; dishonour, shame, and want of good works,
by nakedness; error and misery, by drinking a cup of his or her wine
that causeth it; propagating any religion for gain, by exercising
traffick and merchandize with that people whose religion it is;
worshipping or serving the false Gods of any nation, by committing
adultery with their princes, or by worshipping them; a Council of a
kingdom, by its image; idolatry, by blasphemy; overthrow in war, by a
wound of man or beast; a durable plague of war, by a sore and pain;
the affliction or persecution which a people suffers in labouring to
bring forth a new kingdom, by the pain of a woman in labour to bring
forth a man-child; the dissolution of a body politic or ecclesiastic,
by the death of a man or beast; and the revival of a dissolved
dominion, by the resurrection of the dead.