Cormput4taon of Daniel's VTleeks. T$9 hundred fixty two years. Now five hundred fixty two years exceeds the number of four hundred ninety llated in Daniels Vifion, feventy two years. It appears then, that the beginning and ending of the feventyWeeks, cannot be the Decree of Cyrus, and the death of ourSaviour; there being feventy two years between them, more then the Weeks contain, or can be extended unto. The end we have already fixed from the Text, and therefore it°dothnot appear that their date and rife can be taken from the Decree of Cyrus. Sundry things are offered to difintangle us' from this diffi- culty. ; Themoft learned Reynolds inhis Preiedions on the Apocryphal Books, allowing bur account above-mentioned, as to the fubftance of it, efpecially that which coneerneth the PerfranEmpire, about which alone there is anyconfiderable difference, refolves yet at length, that the number offeventy Weeks, which is a round compleat number, is put for anuncertain number, thereabouts, more or lefs, over or under, not much vary- ing from it. And on this fuppofition, he dates thebeginning of the Weeks in theDe-. creeof Cyrus. Toconfirm his, opinion, he giveth fundry inftances of this kind ofcom- putation in theScripture, and contends that the particular reafon oflimitingthe whole time unto feventy' Weeks, was to make it anfwer unto the feventy years captivity that immediately preceded it. The tittle to follow, being declared to be juft.feven timesAs much. This Interpretationof words, might it beadmitted, would, I confers, folve all diffi- 4. 12. cultic, and entirely preferve the facred andpropbane accounts from all appearance of enterfering. But there are two reafons , upon the account whereofI cannot affent un- to it. The firfl is, becaufe indeed there is no other inllance in the Scripture to give countenance unto it ; namely, wherein a number of years coming fo far fhort of the true and exact account, as this doth, is yet put for the whole; efpecially confidering this number is given out for this very purpofe, that men might aright compute it, and fo come to know the timeofits expiration. But to name 490, for 562, feettas rather to be a conjecture, then a Prophecy. Thismay then be the-eondition of fore few odd years; that maybe cart in unto a full round number, but of fo confiderable a part ofthe whole as 72 is, there is no reafon to fuppofe it fo difpofed of. Secondly, The word ufed by the Angelto exprefs the limitationofthis time lnn7 plainly proves that aprecife duration of time, and number of years is fignified. The. Vulgar Latine renders that wordabbreviate, fhortned, or cut fhort. And a learned man cf our own approves of that interpretation of it, in oppofition unto our own Tranfla- tion, and tha' of yaenius. De annis (faith he) porro loquitur fegnanter Propheta quedfine, non decifi, (as Junius) non determinati (as ours) apud Deumflatuti, (quod tarnen vetum eras) fedquod erant abbreviati quemadmodum tranffulit doetiffirnoas interpret vetus. Mon. App. adOrig. Eccl.And thereon difputes at large, how the years are Paid tobefloortned; andyet concludes, dicuntur autem abbreviate hebdomade, eo quod crane decife determi- n,ete ; as though fhortned or abbreviated was the proper fenfe of the word, only it might be interpreted determined; or that the daiesare laid to be fhortned, becaufe they were determined. But thetruth is inn doth not lignifie to abbreviate or make short ; and all the reafon given to thew why the times here are laid to b fhortned, are perfectly call away. It is in this place only ufed in the Scripture, and that in the ¡ngular number joynedwith a Noun of theplural, to intimate that every week of the whole number was limited and determined, and cut out, as is ufual in theHebrews. Among the Rabbins, it is to cut off; and from it is 7rntt a piece cut off, as -103 Inn Mllsyr, a pieceof ffeht 'cut off, and 'intt, is a cutting, or incifion. So that theword in itsprecife fignification, is cut out, or cut off, that is Pet apart, limited, or determined. A portion of time cut out; limited and apportioned unto the end, for the accomplifhment of the work fare- told. Now there is nothing more contrary unto a precife determination oftime, then that a certain number ofyears fhould be namedto lignifie anuncertain, and that fo ex- ceeding diflant from the exact account, as 49ea years are from 562. So that here -is noplace fortheeonjefkure of that molt learnedand renowned perfon. The Jews take another courfe to folve this difficulty, as alto togive fome coun- tenance unto their computation, in dating the weeks from the- deftruerion of the Temple by the Chaldean, and ending them in thedefolation of the fncond houle, by the Romans ; for they will allowno more Kings of Perfia, then are mentioned in the Scripture, nor that they reigned any longer then they find mention therein of theyears oftheir Reign ; As though whether they did good or evil towards 3erufalem, it was fatal
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