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X.

The prophecies concerning BABYLON.

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FTER Nineveh was deftroyed, Babylon became the queen of the eaft. They were both equally enemies to the people of God; the one fubverted the kingdom of Ifrael, and the other the kingdom of Judah; the one carried away the ten tribes, and the other the two remaining tribes into captivity. No wonder therefore that there are feveral prophecies relating to each of thefe cities, and that the fate of Babylon is foretold as well as of Nineveh. As Jeremiah faid, (L. 17, 18.) Ifrael is a scattered Sheep, the lions have driven him away; first the king of Affyria bath devoured him, and laft this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon bath broken his bones: Therefore thus faith the Lord of hosts the God of Ifrael, Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Affyria.

(1) περιβαλετο τείχος τη που 21 Sadian Trans. CCCLX ftadiorum muro urbem circumdedit. Diod. Sic. Lib. 2. p. 68. Edit. Steph. p. 95. Edit. Rhod. Totius operis ambitus

Babylon

CCCLXVIII ftadia complectitur. Quint. Curt. Lib. 5. Cap. 1.

(2) κείται εν πεδίω μεγαaw, μsyados exca, pelwπor inasur, #1x90 και εκαίον σαδίων, ε8σης τεξα.

Babylon was a very great and a very ancient. city as well as Nineveh. It is indeed generally reckoned less than Nineveh; for according to Strabo (who was cited in the last discourse) it was only 385 furlongs in compafs, or 360 according to (1) Diodorus Siculus, or 368 ac-. cording to Quintus Curtius: but (2) Herodotus, who was an older author than any of them, represents it of the fame dimenfions as Nineveh, that is 480 furlongs or above 60 miles in compafs; but the difference was, that Nineveh was conftructed in the form of a parallelogram, and Babylon was an exact fquare, each fide being 120 furlongs in length. So that according to this account Babylon contained more ground in it than Nineveh did; for by multiplying the fides the one by the other, it will be found, that Nineveh contained within its walls only 13500 furlongs, and that Babylon contained 14400. It was too as ancient, or more ancient than Nineveh; for in the words of Moles fpeaking of Nimrod (Gen. X. 10.) it was the beginning of his kingdom, that is the first city, or

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the

centenûm vicenûm ftadiorum, in fumma quadringentorum et octoginta, in circuitu quatuor laterum urbis. Herod. Lib. 1. Cap. 178. p. 74. Edit. Gale. (3) Semi

the capital city in his dominions. Several heathen authors fay that Semiramis, but most (as (3) Quintus Curtius afferts) that Belus built it: and Belus was very probably the fame as Nimrod. But whoever was the first founder of this city, we may reasonably fuppofe that it received very great improvements afterwards, and Nebuchadnezzar particularly repaired, and inlarged, and beautified it to fuch a degree, that he may in a manner be faid to have built it; as he boafted himself (Dan. IV. 30.) Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? Nor is this afferted only in fcripture, but is likewise attested by heathen authors, Megafchenes, Berofus, and Abydenus, whose words are quoted by (4) Jofephus and Eufebius. By one means or other Babylon became fo great and famous a city as to give name to a very large empire; and it is called in fcripture (Dan. IV. 30.) great Babylon; (If. XIII. 19.) the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency; (If. XIV. 4.) the golden city; (II. XLVII. 5.) the lady of kingdoms; (Jer. LI.

(3) Semiramis eam condiderat: vel, ut plerique credidere, Belus. Quint. Curt. ibid.

(4) Jofeph. Antiq. Lib. 10.

Cap. 11. Sect. 1. p. 459. Edit.
Hudfon. Eufeb. Præpar.Evang.
Lib. 9. Cap. 41. p. 457. Edit.
Vigeri.

LI. 13.) abundant in treasures ; (Jer. LI. 41.) the praife of the whole earth: and its beauty, ftrength, and grandeur; its walls, temples, palaces, and hanging gardens; the banks of the river, and the artificial canals and lake made for the draining of that river in the feasons of its overflowings, are described with fuch pomp and magnificence by heathen authors, that it might deservedly be reputed one of the wonders of the world. The fulleft and beft account of these things in English is to be found in the fecond. book of that very valuable and very useful work, Dr. Prideaux's Connection. Tho' Babylon was feated in a low watry plain, yet in fcripture (Jer. LI. 25.) it is called a mountain on account of the great highth of its walls and towers, its palaces and temples: and (5) Berofus fpeaking of fome of its buildings, faith that they appeared most like mountains. Its gates of brass and its broad walls are particularly mentioned in fcripture: (If. XLV. 2. Jer. LI. 58.) and the city (6) had an hundred gates, 25 on each side, all made of folid brafs: and its walls according to (7) Herodotus were 350 feet in highth, and 87

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87 in thickness, and fix chariots could go abreaft upon them, as (8) Diodorus affirms after Ctefias.

Such a city as this, one would imagin, was in no danger of being totally abandoned, and coming to nought. Such a city as this might furely with lefs vanity than any other, boast that the fhould continue for ever, if any thing human could continue for ever. So the vainly gloried, (If. XLVII. 7, 8.) I shall be a lady for ever; I am, and none elfe befide me; I fhall not fit as a widow, neither fall I know the loss of chil dren. But the prophets Ifaiah and Jeremiah plainly and particularly foretold the destruction of this city. They lived during the declenfion of the kingdom of Judah; and as they predicted the captivity of the Jews, fo they likewise foretold the downfall of their enemies: and they fpeak with fuch affurance of the event, that they defcribe a thing future as if it were already paft. (If. XXI. 9.) Babylon is fallen, is fallen and all the graven images of her gods be bath broken unto the ground. (Jer. LI. 8.) Babylon is Juddenly fallen and deftroyed; bowl for her,

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