Chap. III. Shewing the four feveral COMMANDMENTS, which in their feveral Seafons went forth in favour of Jerufalem; and alfo which Commandment of the four it was, which in the litteral, and true Senfe thereof, was the Commandment mention'd in the Prophecy before us to have gone forth to rebuild Jerufalem, the WALL and the STREETS thereof: Which Commandment was confequently the Commandment, from the going forth of which the first feven Weeks of this Prophecy take their Beginning, p. 115, &c. Chap. IV. Wherein are confider'd and anfwer'd Dr. Prideaux's Objecti ons to the Beginning of these weeks from the twentieth of Artaxerxes Longimanus King of Perfia.

p. 126 &c. Chap. V. Concerning the Ending of the Seven weeks of this Prophecy.

p. 159, &c. The SECOND PART. Which treateth of the feven weeks, and fixty two weeks, As the faid two numbers of weeks together making fixty nine weeks conftitute the fecond Period of weeks in this Prophecy.

Ib. &c.

P. 172, &c. Chap. I. Concerning the Beginning of the seven weeks, and fixty two weeks. Chap. II. In which is confider'd the Ending of the feven weeks, and fixty two weeks, or as together they make fixty nine weeks, or four bundred and eighty three Years, in Dr. Prideaux's Hypothefis thereof.

p. 182, &c. Chap. III. In which is confider'd, and established the late Bishop Lloyd bis Ending of the feven weeks, and fixty two weeks, or four hundred and eighty three Years, the fecond period of this Prophecy. p. 198, &c.

Chronological Tables, Wherein the LXIX Weeks, or 483 Years are adjusted with their concurrent Julian years, and with the years of Kings Reigns in Ptolemy's Canon: By which particular Calculation it is diftinctly hewn how the MESSIAH was cut off, or Christ our PASSOVER was facrificed for us, at the Paffover next immediately following after the expiration of the seven Weeks, and fixty two Weeks of this Prophecy as the faid weeks are reckon'd from the going forth of the Commandment to rebuild Ferufalem in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes Longimanus. p. 216, &c. Chap. IV. Concerning the Form of year, by which the years of this Prophecy are to be reckoned.

The THIRD PART.

P. 233.

Of the third Period of weeks, or the feparate ONE WEEK, or SINGLE WEEK of the Seventy Weeks of this Prophecy.p.253.&c. A Chronological TABLE, fhewing the particular Matters of Fact, or Accomplishment of the Exprefs Characters of the feven years of the ONE, or SINGLE Week, v. 27, that is the Laft of the Seventy mention'd in v. 24.

P. 270, &c.

FHI

The Words of the Prophecy in our English Tranflation. Ch. ix. v. 24.

SEventy weeks are

determined upon thy people and upon thy holy City, to finifh the Tranfgreffion, and to make an end of Sins, and to make reconciliation for Iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righte oufnefs, and to feal up the Vifion and Prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

THE

PROPHECY

Of the LXX Weeks of Daniel explained in the Hypothefis thereof as afferted and maintained in the following Treatife.

I

AM come to fhew thee, faith the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Daniel, v. 23, forafmuch as at the beginning of thy Supplications, the Commandment (a) from the throne of God came forth to me for to go unto thee with the following meffage concerning thy people, and thy holy City, for whom in prayer (b) thou art fo folicitous.

Know thou therefore that God hath determined a certain period of time for general Events to befall them therein: And that is a period of feventy weeks of Years, or 496 Years. Thou shalt presently have the particulars relating to thy people, and thy holy City. But as I have withal an important meffage to deliver concerning the Meffiah, let me therefore speak of that in the first place, as being what concerns all mankind, as well as the Jews, tho' them in the first place, as Salvation is of the Jews (). It is that in the fulness of time (d); and

B

(a) Or the Word, as in Chapter x. 12. as the fame Hebrew word is us'd in both places. (b) Dan, ix. 16. (c) John iv. 22. For of them according to the Flesh Christ came. Rom. ix. 5. (d) Gal. iv. 4.

and that alfo thou fhalt precisely know anon; for 'tis within these Seventy Weeks, God hath determined to finish the Tranfgreffion, or to reftrain the power of the extended guilt of the Sin of the first Adam by the Messiah, the second Adam, his taking it away (a); and alfo to make a full end of fin, and to make reconciliation for the fins of the people (b) in, and through him; as God hath for thefe great purposes, within this predicted period determined to anoint him the most holy One, with the Holy Ghoft and with power (c), for to bring into the place of the Law of Mofes the Gofpel of everlasting (d) righteoufness, by the Grace (e) of God, which shall therein appear unto all men, freeing them from the power (f), and by his blood from the guilt and punishment of fin, as the Meffiah will himself become the Sacrifice for it (g) to the fulfilling (b) the things concerning himself as predicted in the Old Teftament Scriptures, beginning at Mofes, and all the Prophets, as according to them he ought to SUFFER (i).

Note these things in general; this number of Weeks determined upon thy people, and these things concerning the Meffiah.

I now require thy farther attention while I inform thee of particulars.

Know therefore of a truth, and understand that before these great Concernments of all People be wrought by, and in the perfon of the Meffiah, thy own People yet in captivity fhall however after a little time, return into their own Land (k); God's determined time (1) thereof now drawing on (m) a-pace to

wards

(a) As the Jews themselves held, as faith Buxt. Neve Shallom. (b) Heb. ii. 17. (c) Acts x. 38. (d) The Gofpel may most properly be termed Righteousness, because by its promifes, and threatnings, and many and great helps and advantages which it hath above the Law of Mofes, it tends infinitely more to the making men righteous, than that Lam poffibly could for any thing there is in it of this nature, and to that purpofe. And it may therefore be faid to be EVERLASTING, as it is to continue not as did the LAW for a Seafon only, but till Chrift's coming again. For the Days thereof are the laft Days. [Heb. i. 2.] (e) Titus ii. II. (f) And therefore the Gofpel is call'd the LAW of LIBERTY. James i. 25. ii. 12. (g) Heb. ix. 26. (b) For so the Original word fignifieth as well as to feat up. (i) Luke xxiv. 27. (k) Jer. xxix. 10.

(viz. of a 70 Years Captivity. Jer. xxv. 12. xxix. 10. (m) For the Prophecy of thefe Weeks was giv'n in the hrft of Darins [Dan. ix. 1.] within two years of the fema

return.

The Pro. as it ftands in our Tranflation. and the Wall even in troublous times.

wards its conclufion. And in process of time Jerufalem thy Holy City now lying in her Defolations, in which the was left by Nebuchad nezzar the King of Babylon's Army, when they burnt the City and Temple thereof (a), fhall furely be raised out of them. For whereas this is what thou haft fo much had at thy heart, and made it the earnest request of thy lips (b), even that God would behold, and caufe to be rebuilded thy now defolate City, Know affuredly that God hath determined in favour of her, that in process of time a royal Commandment, or exprefs Licence from a King of Perfia fhall be iffued forth for the caufing her to be rebuilt.

Therefore note thou this for thy own immediate comfort, and fatisfaction with respect to the certain restoration of thy holy City.

And with respect to the far more important restoration of the loft world, or the redemption of few, and Gentile from the tyranny and Subjection of Sin, Satan, and Death immediately to be accomplished through the merits and fatisfaction of a fuffering Meffiah, Let the whole world, and thy people especially look for him as fuch. And let them learn the precife time by God determined for his Suffering, from the actual going forth of the now mention'd Commandment.

For let this be noted as a fure characteristic thereof, that from the going forth of the Commandment to rebuild Jerufalem unto the Meffiah the Prince victorious in his Sufferings, and in his Crofs (c) openly triumphing over Powers and Principalities, there fhall be reckon'd in precife computation of the time thereof feven weeks, and threescore and two Weeks of these Seventy Weeks here in general determined upon Jerufalem.

And whereas I have now giv'n thee two particular and diftinct periods of these Weeks, Note thou also the leffer (d) of these two for

B 2

the

(a) 2 Kings xxv. 8. and paral. places. (b) Dan. ix. 16, 17,

18, 19. (c) Coloff. ii. 15. (4) they pis

Anguftia temporum, the narrow space of these two periods, or the pityance of time: and that was the Seven Weeks. In the beginning whereof the Walls of JERUSALEM were fet up by NEHEMIAH, and by his provident management the City was put into a way of being rebuilt, as we thall fee hereafter.

The Pro. as it ftands in our Tranflation.

v. 26. And after threefcore and two weeks fball Meffiah be cut off, but not for himself: And the people of the Prince that hall come fhall deftroy the City, and the Sanctuary; and the End thereof shall be with a flood; and unto the end of the War, Defolations are determined.

the rebuilding of thy holy City. For the WALLS thereof which are now in their rubbish shall be repair'd, and fet up again; and the HOUSES alfo of the now naked and ruinous streets fhall be rebuilt within the firft feven Weeks reckon'd from the going forth of the Commandment licenfing fuch rebuilding.

But especially let the greater of these two periods be here noted; for that is of the utmoft importance to all the fons of men: And therefore I again repeat it, and the precife time thereof, for their more folemn attention, and by way of full explanation of my felf in those preceding words, Unto Meffiah the Prince; viz. that AFTER, or precisely in the PASSOVER next following upon the expiration of these threescore and two weeks, added to the foregoing seven weeks, Shall the MESSIAH be cut off: [crucified] (a). For as I before told thee, that from the going forth of the Commandment now mention'd, there must be reckon❜d feven weeks, and threescore and two weeks unto Meffiah the Prince triumphing on the Cross (b), so I hereby confirm the fame, by expreffly declaring unto thee, and to all mankind, that after those feven weeks, and threefcore and two weeks the Meffiah fhall furely die the death of the Cross (c).

Even thy people, they of thy holy City fhall be the principal Actors in this Tragedy. The Meffiah will come unto them as HIS OWN, but they will not receive him (d): Tea they will

reject

(a) The original word here is He shall be cut off. Now to be cut off, in the true fignification of the word, is to be cut off Judicially, either by man's judgement or by the judgement of God. The learned Jews may find that the word fignifieth fo in forty places of their Scripture. And it is never used otherwise in fpeaking of a perfon Affirmatively, as it is here in this Prophecy.-------Now as to our bleffed Saviour's cafe, he was cut off Judicially both ways. First, He was by the judgement of God, in being made a Curfe for us; [Gal. iii. 13.] and that according to the fentence of the Law; Which faith, He that is hanged is accurfed of God. [Deut. xxi. 23.] Secondly, He was by the judgement of Man. For according to the ufual practice upon accurfed Criminals, He was taken, and tried for his life, and being adjudged guilty, he was condemned, and put to death; even to fuch a death as the Law of the Land had prefcrib'd for the crime whereof he was accufed as particularly in the Roman Empire for any one of fervile condition that was found guilty of any State crime, by their Law He was to be crucified. (b) Coloff. ii. 15.

(c) See the Note 4. (d) Johni. II.