Explained and Audsìated. I$ the !aft King of the Jews , who, as they fay withhisfon Monabafiuswas cut offor flame at Rome by Vefpafian. A learned man in his Apparatus adOriginesEcckfiafficas, miflakes this Agrippa for Herod Agrippa, who was oxÀs4fit oz6Rs, Aíís 12. But he who dyed long before the deflrudion,of the City is not intended by them, but the younger Agrippa the Brother and Husband,of Berenice. . Neither is there any colour ofpro- bability in this Fancy. For neither was that Agrippa properly ever King of the Jets, having only Galike under his JurifdiEtion , nor was he ever annointed to be theirKing, nor defigned of God unto any work on the account whereofhe might becalled his Annointed, nor was he of the poflerity of Ifrael, nor did by any thing deserve an illufirious mention in this Prophecy. Betides in the Taft fatal War, he was Bill . of the Roman fide and party, nor was he cut off or (lain byVeffiaftan, but after the War lived at Rome in honour, and dyed in peace. Yea, he did not only out-liveVef¢afran, but Titus and Domitianhis Sons alto, and continued unto the third year ofírajan, 'as Juf uc the 7iberian affures us in his Hiffory, whofe words are re-- rifted by Photius in his Bibliotbeca. So that ail, uyiéy there is nothing ofTruth, no colourof probability in this defperatefigment. Their last evafion is, that by Mefliah the Prince, the Office of Magifiracy and Prieft- hood, and in them all annointed unto Authority are intended. Thefe they fay were to be cut offin the deftru ion of the City. And herein they have the content of Africanus, Ckmens Alexandrinusç and Eufebius among the Antients; who are alfofol- lowed by force later Writers. But this evafion alfo is of the fame nature with the former, yea, more vain theft they , if any thing may be allowed fo to be. The Angel twice mentioneth the Meffiah in his meffage. Fitti, His coming and annoint- ing, v. 25. and then hiscutting off, v. 26. Ifthe fame perfon or thing be not intended in both places, the whole Difcourfe.is equivocal and unintelligible , no circumftance being.added tó difference between them, who me called by the fame Name in the fame place. And to fuppofe that the Holy GhoB by one and the fame Name, within a fewwords, continuing his fpeech of the fame matter without anynote ofDiffe- rence or dittinétion, shouldlignifie things diverfe from one another, is to leave no place for the undedfanding of,any thing that is fpoken by him. The Meffiah therefore who was to corne, and be annointed and cut off, is one and the fame individual perfon Now it is exprefly faid, that there [hall be [eeven Weeks, and fluty two Weeks , that is four hundred eighty three years from the goingforth of the Decree unto Mefliab,ehe Prince, I delire therefore to know. whether that fpace of time was paired before they had any fueh Magiffrares or Prieffs, as they pretend af- terwards were cut off: This is fo. far fromTruth, that before that time; the Rule of theHafmoneans;the laft Supream Magiltrates of their own Nation,was putto an end. Thispretence therefore may pafs with the former. And this perplexity of the Mo- dern Jews in their attempts to apply this Prophecy unto any other thingor perfon betides the trueMefliab, confirms our Expofition and Application of it. There is no other perfon that they can imagine, unto whom any one thing here mentioned, mayTeem to belongs much lefs can they think of any , in whom they should all center and agree. It is then the promifed Meiah, the hope and expectation of the Fathers, whole coming andcutting off; is here foretold.' That which remains for the full confirmation of out Argument from this place, is, that according unto this Prophecy, she promifed Mefiah was to come whileft theTemple was Banding, and thedaily Sacrifice continued, before the expiration of theLXXWeeks of years limited by the Angel. This is put beyond all Qeeftion in theText its felt , nor is it denyed by the Jews, all whofe exceptions lye against the perfon fpoken of, whomwe have proved to be the Mefliah. LXX Weeks are affigned by the Angel for the Accomplishment of the whole Prophecy. , and all things contained. in it. After VII, Weeks, and LXXIIWeeks, that is, in the begin- ning or middle ofthe laJf Week , the Nkfliab was to be cut off When this was pall, and, theCovenant confirmed withmany, unto the expiration of the whole time limited, the daily Sacrifice was to ceafe , and an overflowing defolation was to come upon the City and Temple. This the Jews themfelves acknowledge to be the desaru6rion brought upon them by the Romans; nor do any of them extend the four hundred and ninety years, any farther. It remains therefore that the Mefliah came before that Defolation, which is that we undertook to demonJirate from this place., are yet force Arguments to the fame purpofe with thole foregoing that, remain. 4. 4r.
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