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ple in his time, that they should laugh the Sardonian Laughter; and there is a Proverbial Phrafe, Ne Camarinam agita, in Book 3, all which rofe in the World in later times than the Sibyls liv'd. The Poet ufes many Fictions, as that of the Sibyl's being in the Ark, and her Joy after the Flood. The Sibyl is represented as feeing the last Ages at the Destruction of the World; the Conftellations, as fighting with one another; these are plainly Poetical Fictions, as well as the Difcourfe of God to Noah, and his Discourse with the People: Befides, the Obfervations of the numeral Letters in divers Names are only the Poet's sporting with Numbers, and the derivation of Names are only his Fancy. 'Tis probable thefe Oracles were writ short and obfcure, in few words, but the Poet has more largely and fully defcrib'd 'em, after a poetical manner, which is only the Flourish of the Grecian Poets. The Greeks knew not the original History of the Flood, but from the Chaldean Hiftorians, from whence they had the History of the Titans, Babel, and that the Ark rested in Phrygia.

Since Noah liv'd 300 Years after the Flood, the Traditions of Religion reveal'd to Adam and Noah could not foon be loft, but was committed to fome Writings, by which the History of the new and old World, as well as Religion, were preferv'd; thefe afterwards corrupted Religion by the Worfhip of the Sun, Moon, and Stars; and after the Affyrian Empire was fet up, the Hero Worship was introduc'd, by deifying their

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Emperors; and the ancient Monuments and Hiftories were corrupted by the additions of Hiftorians. In this state the Sibyls found the World when they were infpir'd to reftore the Worship of one God by defcribing the Creation, and the Punishment of the firft - World by the Flood, and that at last there would be a Judgment of all Mankind, and a Conflagration of the World, but the Godly fhould be rewarded in a Millennium. The fe Oracles contain good Inftructions against all Vice, and fhew, that God punishes them by Wars, Plague, and Famine in this World. As Mofes had his Hiftory of the Creation, the Flood, and Patriarchs, from fome written Traditions before him, fo the Poet, or these Sibyls, took the Gentile Hiftories, which they found at Babylon or in Afia, to declare the Creation, Paradife, the Flood, and four Monarchies. None of the hiftorical parts of the Oracles which preceded the Sibyls were infpir'd, but only thofe things which were fucceeding, in the Rife or Ruin of the Roman Empire, or the Grecian.

St. John mentions Titus's Conquefts of Ferufalem, which was before he writ in an. 96, that the fucceeding Emperors, who were to deftroy the Jews, might be more easily understood; and here the Sibyls mention only the four Monarchies, to lead us to the Roman Affairs.

6. The Events in the Roman Empire muft interpret these Prophefies, if they be taken in their natural order, and compar'd with the Prophefies. As Daniel mentions the

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Affyrian and Median Empires, which were past when the Image of all the four Monarchies appear'd, fo thefe Oracles being to treat chiefly of the Roman Empire, premises fomething of the preceding Empires; and they keep the natural order of History, viz. the Creation, Paradife, the Flood, Babel, the four Monarchies, and the Roman laft: The account of the Romans is chiefly the first fifteen Emperors, and the Birth of Chrift in the peaceable time of Auguftus, when Ægypt was conquer'd; then the time of the Martyrs is defcrib'd, the Conftantinopolitan Empire, the Invasion of the Goths, the Saracens, and at last the coming of Antichrift into Syria, the Reign of the Woman, the Reformation of Religion.

The Erythraan Sibyl, as Eufebius affures us, liv'd in the fixth Generation after the Flood, and fhe wrote the third Book, in which the Conqueft of the Turks in Afia and Greece are defcrib'd. The next remarkable Book for Prophefies is the fifth, which chiefly relates the coming of the Turk into Syria. and Egypt, and afterwards the Fall of Rome and the Turkish Empire. The third Book of evident Prophefies is the eighth, attributed to the Cumaan Sibyl, the fourth, fixth, and seventh are imperfect, like old Monuments whose Infcriptions are defaced by, Time, or ill keeping. Thefe Prophefies which remain are very valuable and useful Antiquities, and fufficient to explain the Wars of Antichrift, his Miracles, the Deftruction of his Kingdom, the Return of the Jews,

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Jews, and the state of Chrift's Reign upon Earth before the end of the World. If we only retain the Morality, the worship of one God, and the Prophefies defcrib'd in these Oracles, as divine Revelations, we may reject many Descriptions, as the effect of the Poet's Fancy that compil'd 'em into Greek Verfe.

7. I will next confider the Usefulness of the study of these Oracles: First, They will confirm the Truth of the Gofpel-History concerning Chrift's Death and Refurrection and the Prophefies of St. John. The Fathers allow'd them as true Prophefies, and quoted 'em against the Heathen, to prove the Unity of the Godhead, to condemn Idolatry, to, prove the Coming of Chrift and the Millennium, the Return of the ten Tribes at last, the burning of the World, and the Refurrection of the Body: So far the firft Chriftians understood of 'em, and in these things found them to agree with the Revelations, but fince their times they have been neglected, the Copies decay'd, and the Oracles are now difcredited, by the bold Critics, and those who reject all Revelation, as alfo by the Roman Church, whofe Idolatry is here defcrib'd as well as the Ruin of it at laft. · The Copy I us'd was that of Opfopaus, printed 1607; I have feen a former Edition, in 1599, and lately Gallaus's Edition, 1689; from these I have made the best Translation I could, and have chiefly aim'd at the Senfe, but have left the Niceties to the Critics. I have began the Design of applying the feve

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ral Prophefies to the History of the Turks, but must leave it to Posterity to finish.

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Secondly, Twill appear by this Tract, that the fame History of Events in the Roman Empire will interpret both the Oracies and Revelations; and, that thefe Events are more clearly describ'd in the Oracles; fo that by comparing the Oracles with the Revelations, I will explain fome parts of the latter better than has yet been done, efpecially the 14th, 15th, and 16th Chapters; for the Oracles declare the Return of the ten Tribes before the Destruction of Rome; and the Destruction of the Harvest and Vintage in the Destruction of the Saracen Beast in the East and Weft; the feven Vials will chiefly belong to the first Decay of the Turks: And all this must happen before the Destruction of Rome, tho' the final Deftruction of the Turk will be after the Fall of Rome.

Thirdly, 'Twill appear, that God by his Providence raises and destroys all Empires, and appoints Signs of these things, as Comets, Earthquakes, Inundations, eruption of Fire from the burning Mountains; before great Changes thefe happen; and Plagues, Famine, the Sword of Antichrift, are the common Punishment of Idolatry,&c.

Fourthly, By thefe 'twill appear that the Corruption in the Roman Church in the Weft, and the Tyranny in the East under the Turk, will last to the end of the World.

Fifthly, By the Oracles 'twill appear, that the Millennium is a description of the happy state of the Christian Church in this World after

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