190 Computation of Daniel's VVeeks. fatal unto them ; fo that they mutt needs die immediately upon it. i Thus they allow not above four or five Kings of Perfia at molt, and thereby take in the duration of that Empire from twohundred years and upwards, unto fifty years at the molt. Bitt this fuppofition Bands in open contradicîion to all generally allowed computation of time in theworld : And not only fo, but itexcludes all confiderations ofthings done, as notorious to mankind, as that ever there was fucha thing as the Perfran Empire. Of this nature are the tranfaétions and wars with other Nations, efpecially the Gre- cians, which fell not out in the dales of any .of the Kings mentioned in the Scripture; efpecially that famousexpedition of Xerxes, which the whole world lookedon, and waited for its event. And yet I acknowledge that this imagination might defervecon -. fideration, could it pretend that the Books of Ezra andNehemiah did intentionally give us an account and Hi.ftory of the Perfran Empire, and the Reign of the Kings thereof, as Come Books doof the Kings of Iliad and Judah: But whereas it is evident, that their defign being quite otherwife, and that they onlyoccafionally mention f me ofthe Kings of Perfia, andfame years of their Reign, asthey -relatedunto the flareand adions of the people of the Jews : It is no left madneP and folly tocontend from thence, that there were nomore Kingsof Perfia, then arementioned in them, and that they reign. ed no longer. then is in them expreffed, -then it would be to fay that there were never above three or .four Kings of the ArianEmpire; becaufe there are no more mentioned in the Scripture, and fo many of them are fpoken of: This drisotkriG is beneath all confidetation. 4. 14. Others there are, men learnedand pious, who refolving to date theft Weeks from the 6rft of.Cyrus, and tomake 490 years the exalt meafure ofthe time from thence unto the death of Meffiah, and not being able tó difprove the computation from Alex- ander unto that time, fall alfoupon the Perfian Empire, and cut it fhortabove fiftyyears ofthe trueaccount ofits duration,to fit it unto theplace and meafure provided for it. To this end, they rejedt the accounts of the Chalddans, Grecians and Romans, con- cerning the timeof itscontinuance, as fabulous, and give us a new arbitraryaccount of theReign of theft Kings whom they will allow. Thiscourfe BeersBeroaldus, Broughton, Genebrard, and Willet, with fundry others. And the truth is, were-the fuppofitiononce cleared, that the Decree or Commandment , mentionedby Gabriel , mutt needs begiven out by Cyrus, there were fome colour for offeringofthisviolence, unto all confint oftime, with accountof things done, written bymenprudent and fober in their own daies. But this is fo far frombeing a balls or foundation fufñcient to warrant filch á procedure, that take it riakedly of it fell without the burden upon it, and it is dellitute of. all probability. The word, De- cree, or Commandment mentioned unto Daniel, is that for the building of Je- rufalem ; that is the relioring of it into a condition of pule and government ; that is thebuildingof aCity, and notonly the fetting up of honks. Confequent .unto this, there building of thewalls alfo for the defenceofthepeople is mentioned. Of this it is faid,thae itshould fall out in a troubkfome time, or á timeof ftreights, as accordingly it did fall out in the dales of Nehemiah. In the whole there is not the leáft irienti9u of buildingeheTemple, which had it been intended, could not I fuppolo have been omit ted. Butin the Decree of Cyrus, the principal thingmentioned and aimed at, is the re-edificationof the Temple, the Citie and theWalls thereof being not fpoken ofin it, as may be feen in the firft of Ezra at large. It Items then evident, that the Decree mentionedby Daniel for the building ofthe Citieand Walls, not the Temple, and that given out by Cyrus for thebuilding of the Temple, and not the Citie and Walls, were divers.. Befides this Decree ofCyrur, al- though foretold long before, and made famous becaufe it was the entrance into the peoples return and fettlement, yetit took effedi for fo (hors a (pace oftime, being ob- ftru&ed within left then three years, and utterly fruftrated within foils- or five, that it is not likely tobe the dateofthis Prophecy, which kerns to take place from fouie good fettiementof thepeople. That alone which is pleaded withany colour for this Decree of Cyrus is the prudiétion recorded, Ifa. 44.28. It is prophesied of him, that he (hould fay to Jerufalem, thoufhaltbe built, and to the Temple, thyfoundations fhall'be laid : Butyet neither is it here foretold that Cyrus (hould make any. Decree for the building of3erufalem; orthat it fhould bedone in his daies, as indeed it was not until anhundredyears after, as it is evident from the Boxy in Nehemiah. The whole intention of this Prophecy, is only that he fhould eaufe the people to be Yet at liberty from *their captivity, and give them leave to return to Jerufalem, whichhedid-accordingly, and
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