That they were extant before our Saviour's time, (which in great part had their original from the Jewish Theology) and they fpoke of the last Conflagration, or Diffolution of this prefent World; for fo Ovid testifies, Effe quoq; in fatis reminifcitur affore tempus I find in Barnabas's Epiftle, that he fays, in Six thousand Years the Lord fhall bring all to an end: And all the best Computations to the Millennium agree with the Jewish Opinion, to whom Barnabas wrote his Allegorical Letter. He compares the fix thousand Years to the fix Days in which the World was made, because one Day is as a thousand Years, and when CHRIST fhall come and abolish the Seafon of the Wicked, judge the Ungodly, and change the Sun, Moon, and Stars, then he fhall gloriously reft on the feventh; and the eighth is the beginning of the other World. By this 'tis manifeft that Barnabas believ'd the Millennium: His feventh Day is that thousand Years which he calls the glorious Reft; and the eighth Day is mention'd by the Sibyls as the beginning of another World. By this Quotation I now muft explain the eighth Day in the Oracles, which I did not at first understand. I will here place what I omitted concerning Efdras, that he explains the Hiftory of the Roman Empire where Daniel left left off; that is, the coming of the Saracens, Turks, and Tartars into Syria and Afia, the Destruction of Babylon by the Tartars, and the Saracens by the Turk, chap. 15; and chap. 17, he describes the three Heads of the Eagle (or Roman State), the Saracen, the Conftantinopolitan, and the Turk; and in the second Chapter he treats of the Millennium; ver. 13, that a Kingdom is prepar'd for the righteous Jews; ver. 16. Those that be dead I will raife up again, and bring them out of their Graves. Ver. 18, and prepar'd for them twelve Trees laden with divers Fruits. Ver. 19, and as many Fountains flow-` ing with Milk and Honey. Ver. 23. I will give thee the first place in my Refurrection. Ver. 34. Look for your Shepherd, he fhall give you Everlasting Reft: For he is nigh at hand that fhall come in the end of the World. Ver. 35. Be ready to the Reward of the Kingdom. Ver. 37. Give thanks unto him who hath call'd you to the Heavenly Kingdom. Ver. 38. Behold the number of thofe that are feal'd in the Feast of the LORD. Ver. 40, shut up those of thine who are cloath'd in white. Ver. 41, Efdras faw a great number on Mount Sion, who prais'd the LORD with Songs. Ver. 45. Thefe have confefs'd the Name of GOD, and have put on the immortal Cloathing, they are crown'd, and receive Palms. Ver. 43, & 47, the tall young Man who fet Crowns on their Heads, is the Son of GOD, whom they have confefs'd in the World. This is a plain defcription of the Jews Return and having a Kingdom; of the first Refurrection; of the fealing and crowning of the Saints, who confefs'd the Son of GOD in the World, and all the fame are plainly defcrib'd in the Sibyls. The Prejudice against Efdras is deriv'd from the Jews, because he prophefied fo plainly concerning the Son of GOD; therefore they will not acknowledge him as a Prophet, but fupprefs'd the original Copy: So Daniel has been ill us'd by them, because his Prophefie is fo plain in their cutting off the Meffiah. The Devil has brought a Scandal upon Efdras and the Sibyls by our late Criticks, tho' they both agree with the Revelations. The Romanifts will not permit that the 17th Chapter of the Revelations fhould be interpreted concerning the Corruptions of their Church; and their Moderns deny the Sibylline Oracles, because they defcribe the fame Fate of Rome as the Revelations do. Tho' Bellarmine allows that the Sibyls are true Propheteffes, they who are ignorant in these Studies, and Strangers to the Prophetic Stile, will not allow that 'tis poffible to understand them. To which I anfwer, that St. John's Angel commanded him not to feal up the Prophefies, for the time was at hand, Chap. 22, ver. 10. And Chap. I. ver. 3, he calls them Blessed that read and hear the Prophefies of that Book: And Daniel, chap. 12, ver. 10. None of the wicked Shall fhall understand, but the wife shall understand. And fince the Jews told Herod, from the Old Prophets, that CHRIST fhould be born at Bethlehem, and they then expected the Meffiah, why fhould it be thought abfurd that we may now observe that Antichrift is rifen, and that none can answer his Character but the prefent Ottoman in the Eaft? Chrift reproves the perverseness of the Jews, for not obferving the Signs deliver'd them in the Prophefies, Mat. 16. ver. 3. Ye Hypocrites! can you difcern the face of the Sky, but cannot difcern the figns of the Times? These things are plainly deliver'd in the Prophefies above-mention'd, the Conversion of the Gentiles after the Destruction of Jerufalem, the Divifion and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Rife of Antichrift in the Eaft, and the Whore in the Weft; and the next great thing we expect is the Return of the Jews, the Fall of the Whore, and afterwards of Antichrift, the Refurrection of the Juft, and the Millennium; these are so plainly defcrib'd, that we cannot mistake them, though the nice Computations, and fome other Circumftances, may remain uncertain till the Events explain them. The Hiftorical Order must be obferv'd in the Interpretation of Prophefies by Events, which always fucceed one another in order; and the Prophefies are only Symbolical Pictures of the History, and must keep the Order in which they are fucceffively deliver'd: What is want wanting in one Prophet is fupply'd by the other, and all agree in the fame Hiftory, for no other paft can fuit with the Prophctic Figures. IN The End of Appendix. 1 ERRATA. N the Preface, pag. iii, line 26, r. mifcuerit; p. 19. 1. 26, r. they folely; p. 34, 1. 27, r. Stadia; p. 41, 1.25, r. power; P. 97, 1. 4, r. Syria; p. 191, l. 25, r. 19th Chapter; P. 209, 1.5, r. by the Pope; p. 220, 1. 14, r. diftinct Fates; P. 244, 1.5, dele the Full-point at Millennium, and put it at mentions; p. 257, 1. 12, r. Nero's Character is made use of, (i. e. his killing his Mother) bis Name is mention'd, &c. p. 265, 1. 20, r. Iracke; p. 288, 1. 31, dele fo; p. 296, l. 20, r. Gog must come after. NB. There is just come to our hands a small Quarto, publish'd at Antwerp in the Year MDCI, wherein are represented the Heads of 12 Sibyls, done with exquifite Skill and Beauty, by Crispin Paffeus of Zeland, a famous Engraver. Before thefe Cutts there is printed a learned Collection of Teftimonies out of the graveft ancient Writers, very much to the advantage of the Oracles. Onuphrius Panvinius gives a large account of the Sibyls from Varro, Diodorus Siculus, Lactantius, Servius, Suidas, and St. Ferom; who all acknowledg, that they were thought to be Propheteffes divinely infpir'd: Varro names Ten, to which Onuphrius has added feveral other Sibyls, viz. Elyffa, Caffandra K. Priam's Daughter, Manto the Daughter of Tirefias, Carmenta the Mother of Evander, and all famous Propheteffes in facred or prophane Story. We have but juft room to name other |