Daniel's Prophecy Yndicáted.' . in their unbelief, donow Curti all that compute thee, timeof his coming, and conföuncding it with his fecond appearance it the end of the world, Cott it offto the loft day, ora fmall proportion of time immediately preceding it. TheProphecy its (elf, ( that we may return to its confideration ) contains a mix4 true of thins good and defrable with thofc that are terrible and dreadful. That there isa predh loon of things terrible and pcenal in defruc`dions and defolations up- on or after the clo(e of the LXx. weeks, isbothplain inthe Text, and acknówledged by the Jews. That there is any thing of Mercy,. Love and Grace contained in the words, forne ofthem deny. ,Thiscourfe takes Abarbinelinhis rsru i . or-Fountains ofSalvation. But this figment is direfkly contrary to thewhole Prophecy, the context, and ex- prefs words of the Text. TheVifton its felf *as granted unto Daniel in anfwer untohis prayer. .That the defgn of his folemn fupplication, was to Obtain Mercy and.Grace for Iliad isalfo plainly fet down. TheAnfwet is given him in a way of Mercy and Love, and for his Confolation in his great diftrefs c And is it not Ilrange that the Spirit ofGod hould dixed him to pray folemnly for Grace and Mercy, and give him a blelfed Anfwer for his comfort and fupportment, which Ihould contain nothingat all of the Mercy prayed for, but only terrine him withWars; DefolatZ- ons and De(lruêtions ? As Inch an Apprehention bath nothing in the Scriptureto warrant it, fo it is altogether diffonant From Reafon. Befrdes the things mentioned and fummedup,o. 24. contain the very extrasof all the good things that ever were promifed unto the Church from the foundation of the world ; and which it had for many Ages beennourished with the expedition of. But there thiftgs ,will be more particularly evinced, in our c nfúing DScourfe.' For the Computation its felf, the Jews univerfally acknowledge, that the Sevens here denote (evenof years; So that the whole duration of the LXX (evens comprizeth four hundred and ninety years. This is granted by R. Ssadias Hagaon, jarchi,arid Rimcbi on the place. Here we have no difference with them, nor . others. For it were loft labour to divert unto the consideration of the fancy of Origen , who Homif. 29. inMatthew would have every fven tocontain LXX. years, ten ¡rears to each day, and the account to begin at the creation of the world, making'the whole fumm ofyears to be 4900. which expired as he thought at the coming of Chrifl. Apallinsritalto' indulged to a more vain imagination, fuppoling the Prophecy tö give an account of the whole, fpace of time, from the death of our Saviour unto the end of the world. But there fancies are exploded Ly all; both Jews and Chr`ittians are generally agreed, that the precife duration of the time determined, is four hundred and ninety years s and not to extend farther then the deftruftion ofJerufakm by Titus s whe- then it reach fo far or no, (hall, afterwards be difcuffed. That which we have to prove andeftablifh from this Prophecy against the Jews, is, Firlt, That the true 'and only Me fah prom:fcd unto the Fathers, ishere fpokcit of and the time ofhis coming limited. Secondly; That he was to come; and todifchargehis wort before the expi- ration of the LXXweak', or four hundred and ninety years from their proper date, that is, before theSacrifice- and 05lstion were caufed to ceafe, in the destruction of the City and Temple. Thefe things, if wè clearly evince from theText, we have fatis- fled our Argument, and confirmed that theMepb is long lince come.. Neither are we as to the importanceof the Testimony its felf, concerned in that Chronological computation of the time limited, which' we frail, afterwards enquire info. The fidt thing incumbent on us, is to prove, that it is the true and only'Meffiab; and his coming that is here fpoken of. And this we thall do, (r. ). From theContext and fcopeof theProphecy. ( z.) The Name whereby he is called. (3.') The Work al- ligned unto hint. (4.) The general confeffion of the Jews of old. (5. )' The fol- lies and open miltakes of the latter Jews, rn fubttituting any other thingor Perfori in his Bead. Firtt, The Context and (cope of the place, evidence, him to be intended: . Thisiri general was beforedeclared. It was about the greatett concernment of that..people, thatDaniel had newly made his fupplications. The Anfwer given, hitn is as the Angel declares, rutted. unto hisdelires aad requetts s and it contained' an account Of theirBate and condition, untill the confummation of all things that concerned them. The Endof that people; or that for whore fake they were a Church And people, was as we have demonfirated, the bringing forth of him, in whom ap the Nations of the Aa earth f. 5. 26. 5. sb
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=