176 Daniel's"Prûphecy ¡nditated. conclude any thing fromthe account ofGabriel given unto Daniel in this place. This they plainly acknowledge in a Difputation whichthey hadwith a converted Jew be- fore the Bithop of Rome recorded in their Shebet Jehuda. Only they would except Daniel himCelf, affirming that he was not 1Wt1P, a Computer of the time,. but a Seer ; as though theQueftion'were about the way and means whereby we attain a juft computation of the time, andnot aboutthe thing it felt. Daniel received the knowledge ofthis time by Revelation, ashe did the time of the accomplifhment of the Captivity, though he made ufe of thecomputationof timelimited in the Prophecy of Jeremiab ; but in bothhe gives us a perfect Calculation of the time, and fo cannot be exemptedfrom the Talmudical Maledid`kion. And 1 mention there things in the en- trance of our Confiderations of this Prophecy, to manifeft how far the Jews defpair ofany tolerable defence of their caufe, if the things recordedin it be duly weighed. This then we fee in general, that the Holy Gholt direéted theChurch to compute the time 'of its fpiritual deliverance by the coming of the Meffiah, no lefs evidently then he did that of their temporal deliverancefrom the Babylonian-Captivity. Neither art theremore differences among Chriflians, about'the precife beginning and ending of Daniels LXX. weeks, then were and are about the beginning andending of the LXX, years of Jeremiah amongfl the yews. This Rule was given them by God himCelf, to directand guide them, ifthey wouldhave attended unto it, in that darknefs, and under thofe prejudices, 'which the coming of the Meabwas attended withall. 24 And it is obCervable, that although it was not the will of God, that they Ihould exactly know the year and dayof theaccomplifhment of this Promife, or that they could not attain unto it, or had loft the Tradition of the fence of it , . yet about the end of the time pointed unto in this cornpntation, theywere all of them raifed.up to agreat, expe6ation of the comingofthe Melliiah. And this is not only evident from theGofjSel, wherein we find that upon the fielt preaching of John BaptiJt, they feat untohim to know whether he-were the Meffah or no , and were all. of them in eX" pee`hation and Cufpenfé about it,' untill he publickly difavowed any Inch pretence, and direc`ked them to himwhowas fo indeed ; but alto from fundry other Tettimonics which themfelves can put in no exception unto. Their own Hiftorian tells us, that what principally moved and inttigated them to undertake an unequal War with the Romans, was the ambiguity ( as he thought.) of the Oracle, 'that about that time one. of their Nationfhould obtain the Monarchyof the world ; Jofiph..de Bed. Judaic. lib. y. cap. t 2: which he to play his own -Cards, wrclled unto VeJßafian, who was far enough from beingone of their Nation. Now Divine Oracle about the coming of the Mfab at that feafon they had none but this ofDaniel. Andfo renowned was this Oraclean the world, that it is taken notice of by both the Famous Roman Hiforians, who wrote the occurrences of thofe dayes. Pluribus perfuafio inerat antiquis Sacerdotum bteris cóntineri, eo ipfo tempore ut valeferet Orient, preefeelique Judea, rerun potirentur-; -faith Tacitus, Htfior. lib. 5. .Many had aperfuafeon, that therewasa Prophecy in the antient faered Books, that at that time the Eaft Amid prevail, and that the Governours of Judaafhould. have the Empire of the world. And Suetanius, in the life of "Vefj aftan; percrebuerat toto Oriente vetus e'v conf}ans opini , ut eo tempore Judea pr.efedi return. potirentur. sin an- tient and confiant perfuafion, wasfamous all over the Eaft, that at that time Governors of JudasJhould have the Enipire : and this, as he adds,drew theJews into their Rebellion and War again!! the Romans. Now this Oracle was no other but this Prophecyof Daniel, whole accomplilhment at that time the Jews all over the Eáß expedked. And they acknowledge in their Talmud, that they were made prodigiouflyobftinate in the War they had undertaken againfttheRomans, by their continual expectation every day and moment, that their Meüìahwhowas to come about that time, would appearfor their relief : For becaufe of Come expretiions in this Prophecy, they alwayes looked for his coming in Come time of great difirefs. But this through their Tufts and blindnefs was hid from them, that their difirefs indeed note from their rejection ofisim, who was come, and had adkttallycalled them unto that Repentance, which alone would have prevented it. And this perfwafionthatthe Minhwas to come at, or about the end ofDaniels Weeks; and that thole weeks were now cometo an end, was fo fixed intheir minds,that when they found, that he came not; is they thought, according unto their expedlation, they ,attempted to make a Mefliab themfelves, even the famous Barcosbi, which proved the means and taufe of their utter extirpation out of the Land ofCanaan, as bath been declared. That was it with them of old, whorepofferity through obilinácy in their
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