17d Daniel's Prophecy Vindicated. nient concerning Tome particulars in this divine account, which, as we thall afterWards minifeft, is ofno great importance as to the principal, yea only End of the Predi b- on it felf, whetherwe can do fo or no. But yet that this difficulty is not fo inextri- cableas is pretended, but as capable of a fair Solution, as any computation oftime fo far pall and gone, we.Ihall I hope fu$iciently evidence in the account thatfhall be fub- joynedunto our Expedition andVindicationof the Prophecyits CA ÿt 4. From thisgeneral Coufideration, the LearnedAuthr proceeds to give five particular Reafons to provehis intention, which we (hallexamine in their order. And the tìr(t is as followeth. Becaufe, faith he, in no place of the NervTeffament this Propheg is tiledagainff the jars toprove the Meßiab-alreadycome. Anfw: Might this Reafon be allowed as cogent, it would difarm the Chriflian' Churchof the principal Tettimonies which in theOld Teliament it hathaiwayes relied in, toprove that the Meßiab is long fince come, and that `fefus of Nazareth is he. For as any ofthat naturearefparingly recorded in the Writings of the Go(pel, fo of the moll evident and illuttriousunto that purpofe, there is no mention at all therein. And it is moll evident, that as well in dealing with the Jews, as in his itiftruétiun of his own Difciples, theLord Jeftes made ufe of innumerable other Teltimonies, then what are recorded in the Books of the New Teftament. So alfodid his Apoftles, and other PrimitiveTeachers of the Gofpel. Hence are they faid to:prove Plus to be the Chrift out ofMofes and theProphets,and he tohave inftrudted his Difciples out ofMofees and all theProphets in the things concerninghimfelf; and yet the particular places, whereby the' one andother was performed,are not recorded. Befides, this Reafon laboureth under another unhappinefs, which is, that it isground- ed upon a mifcake. For indeed this Prophecy is exprelly made ufeof in the NewTe- ilament, todenote the time by us allotted unto it; and that byour Lord Jefus Chrilt himfelf. For Matt. 24. v. 15. fpeakingof the dellruElionof 3erufakm, which accord- ingunto this Prediáion, wasimmediately to fucceedupon his coming and fuffcring, he fayas unto hisDifciples, Whenye ¡hall fee the Abomination ofDefolation fßoken of by Da- niel thç Prophet Banding in the Holy Place, ( whofo readeth, let him underffand) then let them which be inJudæa flee into theMountains. That which here is called AtiAyua ,s itnpáaeae, .or e9hr ienuelasas, as the words of the Evangeliff are inferted into the Vet- fion of the LXX., in this .place ; is, oCwt) d +ylpW 4pn 4 ), the iDefolatet, or Wafter over a Wing of abominations ; that is, as Luke interpreteth the words, an Army compaßing Jerufalem unto the defilation thereof, Chap. as. v. 20. Wherefore our Saviour exprefly applying this Prophecy ofDaniel to theDeftruéiion ofHierufalem, which was the confe- quent ofhis Paillon, he plainly declares, that in his Suffering, and theDefolation that enfuedon the Jews, this whole Predigion and limitation of time is fulfilled, and ought not to be fought after in any other feafon of the Church. And `thisis abun- dantly Ifacient, noronly to render the foregoing Reafonutterly ufelefs; but alfo'to fuperfide all thefollowing Confderations and Arguments, as thofe which contend di- redly againftthe Interpretation of this Prophecy given us by the Lord Chrif him- felf. But yet havingmade this entrance, we !hall examine alfo the cnfuing Reafons intheir Order. §, S. h is added therefore Secondly, If the reftauration ofthe City, v. a5. is of thematerial Jerufalem after Nebuchadnezzars Captivity , it muff begin in the frlt year of Cyrus, from which time feventy weeks ofyears, willfully expire long before the Birth of Chrift. Anfwer. There are fundry LearnedMen who.defpaitnot to make good the compu- tation from thefirft ofCyrus, whofe Arguments it will not be fo mile to overthrow, . asto make theirfailure inChronologie, to be the foundation of fo great an inference, as that here propofed, namely, that thecomingof the Meßiah is not intended in this Prophecy. But we (hall afterwards prove, that there is not only no neceffity, that the Decree mentioned forthe Reflauration of f erufalem, v. 25. Ihould be thought to be that made in the firft year of Cyrus, that indeed it is impoffible that any fach Decree fhóuld be intended: feting no fuch was made by him, but onlyone about the re-edi- fying ofthe Temple, which here isno refpeí unto. Another Decree thereforeexprefs towhat the Angel hereaffirmeth, we (halldifcover, from whence unto the fufferings Of Chrilt, thefeventyWeeks arean exs6kmeafureof time. f. 6 He adds Thirdly, The ftrfi divifionof thefeeventy Weeks, is feven Weekt ofyears, v.25. 7be endwhereof is exprefly characterized, by the fitting up of a Mefliab Governour, which cannot be verified in the fittingup of the ffrB Governour of the Jews after the Captivity, much
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