huzzim themselves: and he paraphrases it after this manner: "Yea he shall distribute the earth among his Mahuzzim: so that besides several patrimonies which in every country he shall allot them, he shall share whole kingdoms and provinces among them: Saint George shall have England, Saint Andrew Scotland, Saint Denis France, Saint James Spain, Saint Mark Venice, &c. and bear rule as presidents and patrons of their several countries."* But it appears more natural and easy to understand it of the principal teachers and propagators of the worship of Mahuzzim, the bishops, and priests, and monks, and religious orders and that they have been honoured, and reverenced, and almost adored in former ages; that their authority and jurisdiction have extended over the purses and consciences of men; that they have been enriched with noble buildings and large endowments, and have had the choicest of the lands appropriated for church lands; are points of such public notoriety, that they require no proof, as they will admit of no denial. Such was the degeneracy of the Christian church; and now we shall see its punishment, especially in the eastern part of it.. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him, and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow, and pass over,' ver. 40. "These things also Porphyry refers to Antiochus: that in the eleventh year of his reign he warred again against his sister's son, Ptolemy Philometor, who, hearing of his coming, gathered together many thousands of the people; but Antiochus, like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with a great fleet, entered into many countries, and, in passing over, laid all waste; and came to the famous land, that is, Judea, and fortified the citadel out of the ruins of the walls of the city, and so marched forwards into Egypt."+ But here Porphyry may be convicted of falsifying history; for after Antiochus was dismissed out of Egypt by the Romans, he never ventured to go thither again. The * Mede's Works, p. 672. Et hæc Porphyrius ad Antiochum refert: quod undecimo anno regni sui rursu contra sororis filium Ptolemæum Philometorem dimicaverit. Qui audiens venire Antiochum, congregavit multa populorum milliâ. Sed Antiochus quasi tempesta valida in curribus, et in equitibus, et in classe magna ingressus sit terras plurimas, et transeundo universa vastaverit: veneritque ad terram inclytam, id est, Judæam,e arcem munierit de ruinis murorum civitatis, et sic perrexerit in Ægyptum.-Hieron. ibia "Translated in the text.] eleventh was the last year of his reign:* and all historians + agree, that the latter part of his reign was employed in his eastern expedition, in reducing Artaxias, king of Armenia, to his obedience, and in collecting the tribute among the Persians; and before he returned he died. Others therefore have said, that the prophet here resumes his former subject of the wars between Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, and Ptolemy Philometor, king of Egypt. But it is not likely, after giving an account of the conclusion of those wars by the interposition of the Romans, that he should return to them again. Having hitherto deduced things in a regular series, it is more probable that he should continue that series, and proceed to other subsequent events, than that of a sudden he should stop short, and revert to Antiochus, after the intermixture of so many other affairs. But the question is not so much what it was probable for him to do, as what he actually hath done; and we shall find that the remaining parts of the prophecy are more applicable to other subsequent events than to the transactions of Antiochus. The kings of the south and the north are to be taken and explained according to the times of which the prophet is speaking. As long as the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria were subsisting, so long the Egyptian and Syrian kings were the kings of the south and the north: but when these kingdoms were swallowed up in the Roman empire, then other powers became the kings of the south and the north. And at the time of the end,' that is, (as Mr. Mede rightly expounds it‡) in the latter days of the Roman empire; shall the king of the south push at him :' that is, the Saracens, who were of the Arabians, and came from the south: and under the conduct of their false prophet Mohammed and his successors, made war upon the Emperor Heraclius, and with amazing rapidity deprived him of Egypt, Syria, and many of his finest provinces. They were only to 'push at,' and sorely wound the Greek empire, but they were not to subvert and destroy it. And the king of the north shall • Obiit cum regnasset annos solidos undecim.-Petavii Rat. Temp. part 1, lib. 4, cap. 10. [He died when he had reigned eleven full years.] So likewise Eusebius, Jerome, and Sulpitius Severus. Usher's Annals, A. M. 3840. Prideaux Connect, part 2, b. 3, anno 164. 1 Macc. iii. 31, &c. vi. 1, &c. 2 Macc. ix. 1, &c. Joseph. Antiq. lib. 12, cap. 8, sect. 1, p. 544, edit. Hudson. Valesii Excerpta ex Polybio, p. 145. Appian de Bell. Syr. p. 131, edit. Steph.; p. 212, edit. Tolii. Diodorus Siculus apud Hieron. col. 1131. + Menochius, Sanctius, Maldonatus, &c. apud Poli Synops. Calmet, Houbigant, &c in locum. § Mede's Works, book 3, p. 674, and book 4, p. 816. come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over:' that is, the Turks, who were originally of the Scythians, and came from the north; and after the Saracens seized on Syria, and assaulted with great violence the remains of the Greek empire, and in time rendered themselves absolute masters of the whole. The Saracens dismembered and weakened the Greek empire, but the Turks totally ruined and destroyed it and for this reason, we may presume, so much more is said of the Turks than of the Saracens. Their chariots,' and their 'horsemen' are particularly mentioned; because their armies consisted chiefly of horse, especially before the institution of the Janizaries, and their standards still are horse-tails. Their 'ships' too, are said to be 'many;' and indeed without many ships they could never have gotten possession of so many islands and maritime countries, nor have so frequently vanquished the Venetians, who were at that time the greatest naval power in Europe. What fleets, what armies were employed in the besieging and taking of Contantinople, of Negropont or Euboea, of Rhodes, of Cyprus and lastly, of Candy or Crete? The words shall enter into the countries, and overflow, and pass over,' give us an exact idea of their overflowing the western parts of Asia, and then passing over into Europe, and fixing the seat of their empire at Constantinople, as they did under their seventh emperor Mohammed the second. Among his other conquests this king of the north was to take possession of the holy land, and to subdue the neighbouring countries; but the mixed people of Arabia were to escape out of his hands. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.ver. 41. Porphyry and those of his opinion "affirm, that Antiochus marching hastily against Ptolemy the king of the south, did not meddle with the Idumeans, and Moabites, and Ammonites, who were situated on the side of Judea; lest his being engaged in another war should render Ptolemy the stronger."* Grotius saith, that Antiochus spared these nations, because they obeyed all his commands ;" and " therefore the Maccabees made war upon them, as the friends of Antiochus."+ An ancient commentator, and venerable * Antiochus, aiunt, festinans contra Ptolemæum regem austri, Idumæos, et Moabitas, et Ammonitas, qui ex latere Judææ erant, non tetigit: ne occupatus alio prælio, Ptolemæum redderet fortiorem. [Translated in the text.] Hieron. ibid. + His pepercit Antiochus, quod omnia imperata facerent. Vide 1 Macc. v. Ideo father, Theodoret, on the contrary, asserts, that "neither do these things any more than the rest fit Antiochus; for having overthrown these nations, he constituted rulers over them, one of whom was Timotheus the commander of the Ammonites."* This Timotheus, I suppose, was the same who is mentioned in the fifth chapter of the first book of Maccabees. The diversity of these accounts de monstrates the difficulty of accommodating this passage to Antiochus. If we believe Theodoret, it cannot be applied to Antiochus in any sense. If we rather follow Porphyry or Grotius, it can be applied to Antiochus only in an improper sense. The words are, Many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape out of his hand.' The manner of expression sufficiently implies, that he should attempt to conquer these' as well as the rest, but not with the same success. These' should not like the rest be overthrown ;' they should deliver themselves, and,' escape out of his hand;' and we read of no such transaction in the history of Antiochus. We shall find that the whole may be much better accommodated to the Othman empire. He shall enter also into the glorious land:' the same expression, 'of the glorious land' was used before, ver. 16; and in both places it is rendered by the Syriac translator'the land of Israel.'+ Now nothing is better known, than that the Turks took possession of the holy land, and remain masters of it to this day. Sultan Selim entered into Jerusalem in his way to Egypt. And many countries shall be overthrown:' Aleppo, Damascus, Gaza, and the neighbouring cities and countries were forced to submit, and receive the yoke of the conqueror. But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon:' these were some of the people who inhabited Arabia, and the Arabians the Turks have never been able with all their forces to subdue entirely. Sultan Selim their ninth emperor, was the Maccabæi his populis, ut Antiochi amicis, bellum intulere. Grot in locum. [Translaed in the text.] * Ούδε ταυτα δε άρμοττει τω Αντιοχων και γαρ τοτος καταςρεψαμενος, ἡγεμόνας αὐτοῖς κατέςησεν, ὧν εἰς ἦν ὁ Τιμοθεος Αμμανίτων ἡγεμενος. Neque hæc Antiocho conveniunt; etenim cum hos subegisset, duces ipsis præfuit, ex quibus unus erat Timotheus dux Ammanitarum. Theodoret in locum, p. 690, edit. Sirmondi. [Translated in the text.] + Stabitque in terra Israelis. [And he shall stand in the land of Israel,] ver. 16. Pervenietque ad terram Israelis. [And he shall come into the land of Israel.] ver. 41. Syr. Savage's Abridgement of Knolles and Rycaut; Vol. 1, p. 243. Prince Cantemir's Hist. of the Othman empire in Selim I, sect. 21, p. 163; Joannis Leunclavii Pandect. Hist. Turcic. cap. 210, p. 486, edit Paris.; p. 366, edit Venet. Pauli Jovii Hist. lib. 17 et Rerum Turc. Comment. in Selymo conqueror of the neighbouring countries, and annexed them to the Othman empire; but he could not make a complete conquest of the Arabians. By large gifts he brought over some of their chieftains and so bribed them to a submission :* and ever since his time, the Othman emperors have paid them an annual pension of forty thousand crowns of gold for the safe passage of the caravans and pil grims going to Mecca :† and for their farther security the Sultan commonly orders the Basha of Damascus to attend them with sol diers and waterbearers, and to take care that their number never fall short of fourteen thousand. This pension was not paid for some years on account of the war in Hungary: and what was the consequence? One of the Arabian princes, in the year 1694, with several thousand of his countrymen, attacked and plundered the caravan going in pilgrimage to Mecca, and made them all prisoners. The neighbouring Bashas were sent against him; but the prince defeated them all by a stratagem, and put them to flight. Among the prisoners who had been taken was the most illustrious Chan of Tartary, whom the Arabians dismissed upon his parole, that he would carry their complaints to the Sultan, and procure the continuance of the pension. He stood to his engagement, and never ceased importuning the Othman court, till the arrears of the pension were duly paid. But notwithstanding this pension, the Arabians, as often as they find a lucky opportunity, rob and plunder the Turks as well as other travellers. An instance of the same kind happened lately, and is related in the London Gazette of Feb. 11, 1758. "Constantinople, December 23. The Mecca caravan, which has been lately plundered by the Arabs, was attacked by a numerous body of that people, some say, from 30 to 40,000. The action lasted 16 hours. They first cut off the Basha of Sidon, who marched out as usual to supply the pilgrims with provisions; he was killed in the engagement; then they turned and attacked the caravan. The Emir Hadgé, or commanding Basha, offered them 1000 purses of money to desist; but they refused any terms, being determined by a mere principle of revenge, for their tribes having Savage, ibid. p. 248. Itaque Selymus per idoneos homines plures eorum duces data fide ad se Memphim evocavit, et summa liberalitate prosecutus est: quorum exemplo fiebat, ut cæteri quotidie accederent, acceptisque muneribus in verba ejus continuo iurarent. [Therefore Selim, by proper persons, invited many of their leaders to Memphis, granting them a safe conduct, and entertaining them with the greatest liberality; whence others followed their example, and having received presents, swore allegiance to him.] Pauli Jovii Hist. lib. 18. p. 1064, edit Gryphii, 1561. + Prince Cantemir's Hist. in Ahmed 11. sect. 49, p. 393, with the note, and also in Bajazet If. sect. 1, p. 116, with note 2. |