702

Review of New Publications.

the Roman; the fame emblems, to prefigure the kingdom of the beaft and falfe prophet, are alfo employed by St. John; from whom we further learn, that his appropriated place of refidence is the city of Rome. If Daniel veftrains the fovereignty of this Roman power to the European or western part of the empire, after it was divided into ten shares; the fame restriction is intimated in one of the cpiftles of St. Paul, and is more explicitly declared by the beloved difciple in the Apocalypfe. If Daniel reprefents the nature of this ufurped dominion as different from every other; St. Paul and St. John inftruct us, that this diverfity confifts in its being a fpiritual, not a civil, dominion; which is therefore to be fought for, not in heathen, but in Christian Rome. If the inftances, in which this fpiritual dominion is exerted, according to Daniel, be chiefly thefe, afpiring to fupreme and uncontroulable authority over the inhabitants of the earth, affecting divine titles and honours, enjoining the worship of demons and departed faints, prohibiting marriage, working falfe miracles, and perfecuting and killing thofe who oppofe its claims; the fame particulars are related, and with new additions and explications, in the writings of St. Paul and St. John. If the dura tion of this ecclefiaftical polity be limited by Daniel to a time and times and the dividing of time; the fame duration is expreffed, and in a variety of phrafes, by St. John; by whom the reign of the beaft is fixed to a time and times and half a time, or to three years and a half, or forty-two months, or twelve hundred and fixty days. And lastly, if the demolition of this extraordinary polity be denounced by the prophet of the Old Teftament; the fame interesting event is promifed by the two apoftles of the New. Such a number of coincidencies, all fo ftrange and unusual in their kinds, to be found in the compofitions of three perfons, living in different and one in a very remote period, cannot fairly be afIcribed to any other caufe, than to the impulfe of the felf fame fpirit, who taught them all things, which it was neceffary fhould be

communicated for the admonition of the

church of Chrift, upon whom the ends of the world should come.

"Now of the characters recorded in Scripture as the undoubted marks of Antichrift, many at least have been fhewn to belong, exclufively, to the tyranny now existing in papal Rome. For, firft of all, this power is certainly a Roman one; fecondly, it is confined to the limits of the Latin or western empire; thirdly, it arofe among the ten kingdoms, into which that empire was parted by the northern barbarians; fourthly, its throne or feat is in the city of Rome; fifthly, it is a Chriftian power; and, fixthly, it is difcriminated from all others, by being of the fpiritual or ecclefiaflical kind. Thefe are circumftances to plainly realized in

App.

that part of Chriftendom which is subject to the Roman pontiff, that it is not poffible, by any art or fubtlety of our adverfaries, they can be evaded or denied."

CCXVII.A free Inquiry into Daniel's Vifion or Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. In which the Vifion is applied to the State of the Feros under the Perfian Monarchy, and the Weeks are fhewn to be Weeks of Days. With an Appendix on the Jewish Notion of a Meffiab. 4to. 25. 63. Payne.

This inquirer labours to prove that the celebrated prophecy of Daniel hath not the leaft reference to the death of Chrift, but that Cyrus was the Meffiah Prince which he intended. What follows is the fubftance of the inquiry.

"Jeremiah had foretold that Jerufalem fhould be defolate feventy years. Near the expiration of the term predicted, Daniel, who well knew of the prophecy, was fervently praying for the reftoration of the holy city; and as he was greatly beloved by Jehovah, Gabriel is commiffioned from heaven to acquaint him with the divine orders concerning it, which had been given out at the beginning of his prayers.

"The angel comes to him, and opens his information, ch. ix. ver. 24, in terms implying, that within feventy weeks the Jews fhould return from captivity, the worship of Jehovah fhould be introduced again, and Jeremiah fhould be found to have been a true prophet. He then proceeds to a more cir cumftantial detail, and tells him,

"1. That Cyrus, who was to fend back his countrymen to their land, and to reftore Jerufalem, fhould fucceed to the throne in feven weeks.

"2. That in fixty-two weeks from his acceffion, the streets of Jerufalem should be

rebuilt.

66 3. That after thefe weeks, Cyrus fhould be flain, and the Samaritans, inftigated by the edict of his fucceffor Cambyfes, and by a spirit of revenge, fhould come fuddenly upon the Jews in their low condition, and lay wafte the city and the fanctuary, that fhould be building in it, and that Jerufalem fhould continue defolate, without a temple and without walls, till the fecond year of Darius Hyftafpes, a time of profound peace throughout the Perfian empire, when it should begin to rise again out of its ruins.

4. That in the first week after the fixty-two, or the feventieth from the vision, the temple should be founded, and many of the Jews be encouraged by this, to expect the firm re-establishment of their covenant with Jehovah, but that in the midft of the week the Samaritans should oblige them to defift from their worship, by polluting the altar that had been fet up about feven months before, which fhould remain deferted and unhallowed, till the death of Cambyfes, the enemy of the Jews, who was to perifh miferably."

CCXVIII.

Review of New Publications.

* Timantbes, a celebrated Grecian painter. Py one of thofe fudden thoughts which denote fuperior genius, be gained particular applaufe by bis facrifice of Iphigenia: for, though the greatest master of his art, be attempted not to pourtray the features of Agamemnon; but, throwing a veil over sobat be did not think poffible to do justice to, left the fpectator to imagine the diftraction of a father who was eye witness of the violent death of a darling daughter. + Mag, for 1774, p. 450.

POETICAL ESSAYS.

PROLOGUE

To the new Tragedy of SEMIRAMIS. Written by the AUTHOR of the Piece, and Spoken by Mr. REDDISH.

RITICS! I come your favour to im

POETICAL ESSAYS in APPENDIX, 1776.

Phabus forefend-left he new dangers run,
And rife, like Icarus, too near the fun;
On waxen pinions juft about to fink,
On bis own rabnefs then too late he'll?

INDE X

TO THE

PARLIAMENTARY HISTORY,

TO THE

ESSAYS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS,

AND TO THE

Domestic and Foreign Occurrences, for the Year 1776.