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tation, and muft by confequence be taken in a greater Latitude; in many of which, I doubt not, but the Holy Prophets did principally and chiefly intend a general and univerfal War in the laft Days, which fhould engage all Nations, and of which all the leffer Defolations brought upon any People, but especially Judea, by the Sword of an Enemy, were Types and Prefigurations. The firft of this Kind that I fhall mention, fhall be the 25th Chap. of Jeremiah, v. 15. where God commands the Prophet to take the Wine-cup of his Fury, and cause all the Nations (whom he afterwards enumerates) to drink of it. And he is commanded to begin at Jerufalem and the Cities of Fudab, to make them a Defolation, an Aftonishment, an Hiffing and a Curfe, v. 18. Thence he is order'd to proceed to Agypt, v. 19. To all the mingled People (* that is the Arabians) to all * the Kings of the Land of Uz, (probably con- any jectur'd to be that Tract of Land that lay mifcuit. South of Damafcus, comprehending Palestine, the lower Parts of Calefyria, and the adjoyning Borders of Arabia Petræa, and Deferta) and all the Kings of the Philistines, (fuppos'd to inhabit the Weftern Parts of the Land of Canaan, bordering upon the Mediterranean) v. 20. Then to Edom, Moab, and Ammon, (lying Eaft of Judea) v. 21. The + so the Kings of Tyre and Zidon, (lying North, or Words rather North-West of Jerufalem) and the Kings of the Ifles that are beyond (or besides) the Sea; that is, the Great Sea or Mediter- wieg If it be the former, it must be dons in understood of the Weftern or European may be Continent render'd.

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Continent and Islands; if the latter, it may not improbably be meant of the leffer Afia or Agean Isles, which may be properly faid to lye befide, or on one fide of the Sea, v. 22. Thence to Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmoft Corners; or * as the Words * may be rendred, and as the LXX understood it †, that have the Cor †≈āv m- ners of their Head polled or fhaven; who Enapé are fuppofed to be the Arabians, i. e. The Ihmaelites, Madianites, and Amalekites, who inhabited great part of Arabia, efpecially Deferta and Petraa. Which is expreffed again in the next Verfe, by all the Kings of Arabia, and all the Kings of the mingled People that dwell in the Defert, v. 23, 24. Then all the Kings of Zimri, or the Zamareni, a base ignoble People mention'd by Pliny; and which may be mention'd to fhow us, that there is no Nation or People, however little, mean, or contemptible, but shall be of fome Account at that time, and fhall accordingly bear their Part in that laft dreadful Scene. Then the Kings of Elam, i. e. Perfia, and the Kings of the Medes, v. 25. Thus far all feems pretty agreeable to the fore-mention'd Hypothefis, That this Judg ment doth only intend the Destruction brought upon thefe Countries by the King of Babylon, who conquer'd all or most of them. But let us look farther to the two next Verfes, which are thefe; And all the Kings of the North far and near, and all the Kingdoms of the World, which are upon the Face of the Earth; and the King of Shefhach Shall drink after them. Therefore thou shalt Say unto them,

them, Thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, Drink ye and be drunken, and fpue and fall, and rife no more, because of the Sword which I fend among you, v. 26, 27. Which two Verfes (with the following) do, I think, plainly exprefs that this War or Judgment of the Sword fhall be Univerfal, even upon all the Kingdoms of the World, that are upon the Face of the Earth.

THIS Interpretation may be abundantly confirm'd, by comparing this with many other Places of Holy Scriptures, of which I fhall take notice only of two or three that are most remarkable. The firft fhall be the 24th Chap. of Ifaiah, where the Holy Prophet does in lofty Expreffions, foretel the utter Defolation of the whole Earth. Behold (faith he) v. r. The Lord maketh the Earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upfide down, and fcattereth abroad all the Inhabitants thereof, &c. Now, that fome of the Ancients underftood this Chapter in the Senfe here intended, will appear by comparing the 13th Verfe of this Chapter, and v. 6. of the 17th, with the 16th of the Second Book of Efdras, for that Scarcity of Men which Isaiah fpeaks of as the confequence of this great Defolation; fo that they fhall appear like the two or three Olives that are left after the Shaking of an Olive-tree, or the gleaning Grapes when the Vintage is done; the fame is mention'd by Efdras, as not confin'd or limited to any one People or Nation, but in the most general and univerfal Senfe, as denounced against the whole World, which does moft plainly appear by many Paffages

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of that Chapter, notwithstanding it begins with a woe to Babylon, and Afia, Egypt and Syria. And if it be but allow'd that this Book is Ancient, tho' written by a Chriftian, it fhews however, that the Chriftians of that Age understood it in this Sence.

*

A SECOND Argument fhall be drawn from the 30th Verfe of this 25th Chapter of Jeremiah, compar'd with the 3d Chapter of the Prophet Joel, and the 14th Chapter of the Revelations. Jeremiah fays, The Lord fhall roar from on bigh, and utter his Voice from his Holy Habitation; he shall give a fhout as them that tread the Grapes, against all the Inhabitants of the Earth, So the English Bible reads it: But the Original feems more expreffive, *faying it fhall be heard, or answered by, or it fhall found to all the Ends of the Earth. The Prophet Joel fpeaks of the roaring, v. 16. and v. 13. he bids them put in the Sickle, for the Harvest is ripe, the Prefs is full, the Fats overflow, their Wickedness is + - great; or as the LXX † understood it, their Iniquities are full. This overflowing atau of the Fats, and fulness of the Prefs, anfwers to the treading of the Grapes aforemention'd. In the Apocalypfe, Chap. 14. V. 18. The Angel that had the harp Sickle, was commanded to thrust it in, and gather the Clufters of the Vine of the Earth, and cast it into the Wine-prefs of the Wrath of God; and, v.20. the Wine-prefs was trodden, &c. Now that thefe three Prophecies are of the fame Defign and Extent, will, I prefume, be difputed by none that are acquainted with

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the Idea and Genius of Prophetical Scripture. The Vine then that is mention'd to be trodden, is the wicked and antichriftian Church, which is the earthly Vine, whose Clusters and Grapes are bitter, like the Vine of Sodom and Gomorrah, Deut. 32. 32, 33 as the true Church, and Holy Members of it, are called the Vine of the Lord and of Chrift, Ifa. 5. Pfal.80. John 15. And as the reaping of the Harveft fignifies the gathering of the Saints at the firft Refurrection, as our Lord tells us, Matth. 13. 24. fo the gathering of the Vintage, the gathering together of the Wicked to Deftruction.

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S4. AGAINST the Univerfality of this 4. An ob Judgment, as proved from the former place jection an of Jeremy, there are two main Objections. Swer'd. I. THE Firft is, That in the beginning of the Chapter, the Holy Ghoft has, as it were, given us a Key for the understanding of the whole, in a more narrow and limited Senfe; telling us, v. 1. That the Word (or Prophecy following) was concerning the Land of Judah. In anfwer to which, I think it is plain that this Chapter consists of two Parts, from the Beginning to v. 15. and thence to the End, of a quite diftinct Argument and Defign. The former Part refpecting the Jews, the Inhabitants of Judab, and threatning them with the long Seventy Years Captivity to be brought upon them by the King of Babylon, whom he fays, v. 12. that he will punish with the Chaldeans with utter Defolation, after the Accomplishment of the Captivity. From C

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