his falfe Gloffes on the Text, and mifapplication of thefe Times. He hath here fo miferably abufed the Text, and eluded the great END of this part of the Prophecy, that One cannot but wonder how he could poffibly away with it himself, if he had no turn to ferve in it. One while, (viz. in Verfe 25) He reads thofe words, Unto MESSIAH the PRINCE, ad Unitum Ducem : Anon (in Verfe the 26th) what we truly read (b) the MESSIAH fhall be CUT OFF, he reads, Exterminabitur ei Unitio (i). In this miftaken Senfe he runs away with the fixty two Weeks from his arbitrary (k) Beginning, to his arbitrary Ending of them in the times of Antiochus Epiphanes. It would furely weary the Reader's Patience to follow Sir J. M. through all his Abfurdities, and Inconfiftencies, and groundless Application of thefe Times. It may fuffice to note in general, as follows, that had Sir J. M, been confiftent either with the Prophecy, or with himfelf here, then First, The Word Meffiah which he understood as meaning Unitus in one place, he ought to have understood it fo likewife in the other: for to turn his (1) Argument upon him here, if that were of any confequence, in Hebrew Punctuation the Word Meffiah is the fame in both Places. But Secondly, The Meffiah the Prince in v. 25, as he hath understood him to have been Cyrus, or otherwife Zorobabel, or Jeshua, the one, or other of them, (fo loose did Sir 7. M. fit to the Perfon furely predicted, and no wonder when he overlook'd the true Meffiab here) he should have ftuck to the fame Meffiah the Prince however, to one, or other (b) According to the Syr. and Arab. Verf, and V. L. and Com. in locum, &c. (i) With the Greek indeed: But here Sir 7. M. leaves the Current [See the Note foregoing] merely to fuit his Hypothefis. And 'tis for that likewife that he again cites Ter llian here fallaciously, as he referr'd the ceafing of Sacrifice, [as above fhewn] not with Sir J. M. to the Days of Ant. Epiph. but to the times of the Romans. (k) Sub Templo fecundo Ritus Sacri din fe bene habebunt. Anno 70 redibit Populas, et Urbs edificari incipiet; poft anuos inde 22, abfoluto Templo inftaurabitur juge Sacrificium Quod cum duraverit annos 342, Antiochus Epiphanes (alterum Judæorum flagellum) Tegnabit. Here are the Numbers by which Sir J. M. hath proceeded, which I call Arbitrary,as there is none of them in this Prophecy; nor any thing in the leaft countenancing them, or even admitting of fuch fancied Senfe,and Reference, as we shall fee presently. (/) See the laft Note (m). other of them in Verfe the twenty fixth: as one and the fame Meffiah is fpoken of throughout. I add Thirdly, Before he had referred the Hebrew (m) Word, which we moft truly render CUT OFF, to the ceafing of Sacrifice and Oblation, he fhould have been better in form'd of the true and proper Signification, and of the peculiar (2) Importance of that Word, as having weight in it vaftly greater than his little, and mistaken Accom-. plishment hath given it. I add Fourthly, And efpecially Sir J. M. for his Credit fhould have confider'd better, before he run into that wretched, and unpardonable Mistake, and abfurdity of applying those Words (0) of the People of the Prince that should come, to the People of Antiochus Epiphanes, and therein to the making Antiochus to be the PRINCE there predicted (p), and confequently to his being the MESSIAH the PRINCE in Verse 25; as in the plain and obvious Sense of the Prophecy but One, and the fame Meffiah, and one and the fame Prince, that is Prince MESSIAH, is spoken of throughout. This is a neceffary Confequence here, if we will preferve the natural Senfe of the Prophecy, or indeed allow it to have any. Now to come to the Point here. Is it not a monstrous Abfurdity that Sir J. M. hath been (9) guilty of, in referring this facred and fingular Denomination of Meffiah the Prince, to fuch a Miscreant of a Prince, I may fay of a Man alfo, as was Antiochus (r) Epiphanes? And all was for the fake of the Third (n) See Bishop Chandler's Defence of Christ. p. 135. (0) In verse 26. See alto the enfuing Treatife in p. 4. to Meffiah the Son of David by the Prophet Ifaiah, lv. 4. Sir Third Period in this Prophecy, to which I now proceed, as he would have us to fuppofe with him that the Exprefs Character (s) of Daniel's (t) ONE WEEK, and thofe (z) of the HALF (w) Part thereof really had their accomplishment in the times of Antiochus Epiphanes: when there was truly a Ceafing of the Daily Sacrifice (x) and Oblation, and when alfo there was (y) a fetting up of the Abomination that maketh defolate. But thefe Facts in Antio chus's time, were after all, the fure Accomplishments of the like Events predicted by the Prophet (a) in other Prophecies, but not poffibly in this (6), as it may be eafily collected from the (c) foregoing Reafons, and as it must be alfo concluded from those which here follow. First, Not even the One Week it felf will admit of fuch Reference of Accomplishment in refpect of the grand Purpose of it. That, as 'tis evident from the whole fcope of the Prophetick (d) Text is the total Subverfion and utter Extirpation of Daniel's People, and Holy City (e). But not fo as this was it with the Jews, in the times of Antiochus. For though the Holy City did then come into the hands of the Heathen, and though the Sanctuary was trodden under foot, first by Antiochus (f), and two Years after by Apollonius (g) who was over the Tribute; and tho' thus the City did become defolate of its natural Inhabitants (b), in all this there was indeed, yet it was no more than a great Devaftation. And though, as to the Temple alfo, as before noted, there was now truly a very great Pollution, or Prophanation of it, and Interruption of the Service of the true God; yet which much alters this Cafe from what it was with the Jews in the Roman times, it was as I here call it, only an Interruption. These things were but for a fhort Seafon of Perfecution. The People ix. 27. (y) Verle 54. of (t) Dan. upon (s) He shall confirm the Covenant with many in One Week. (u) He shall caufe the Sacrifice, and the Oblation to cease, and the Temple to ftand the Idols of the Defolator. (w) Ib. (x) I Mac. i. 45: (a) VIII. ii. xi. 31. xii. 11. (b) Vix. ch. ix. 27. (c) As it hath appear'd that Antiochus his People were not, could not be the Party here predicted to accomplish, &c. (d) Verfes (e) As they are call'd in this Prophecy, v. 24. (f) 1 Mac. i. i, 21. This was in the Year before Chrift 170. Year before Chrift 168. 1 Mac. i. 29, Antiochus Epiphanes having fent him with an Army of two and twenty thousand, 2 Mac. V. 24, 26, 27. (g) In the (h) 1 Mac. i. 38. of God faw an end of them even before the Death of their great Oppreffor. Their City and Temple were both recover'd. To the former were reftor'd her Inhabitants; to the latter the Daily Sacrifice, and Oblation: And tho' it had been polluted by the Heathen, yet upon its recovery there enfued a new Cleanfing and Dedication (i) for the Service of God: and in fhort the Jewish Worship was again reftor'd, and carried on in it, as in former times. But Secondly, This One Week of Daniel here (k) will not admit of Sir J. M. his conceived Accomplishment of the Express Characters of it in the times of Antiochus Epiphanes on another account alfo, viz. because that of the (2) "One Week, and alfo thofe of the HALF Week (m) were all of them to have their Accomplishment in one and the fame Week, as is evident from the exprefs Letter of this Prophecy. 'Tis evident from the twenty fourth Verse of this Prophecy, that it was no more than (2) of Seventy Weeks. And the Angel having accounted with Daniel for no more than fixty nine Weeks, before he comes to fpeak of the One Week in Verfe the twenty feventh, that therefore is plainly the laft, and only remaining Week of the feventy and confequently the Half Week there fpoken of, can be no other than a more diftinguished Half Part thereof, even of the latter Half Part, as the exact Accomplishment of its predicted Events in that Deftruction of Jerufalem which was by the Romans, (as it will appear hereafter,) doth evidently demonftrate. Now if these predicted Events had really a primary Accomplishment, in the times of Antiochus, they must all of them neceffarily have had in it one and the fame Week, in order to prove the Truth of fuch affigned Accomplishment in full Agreement with the Prophecy. And if this be not fhewn, then all is nothing to the purpose. But this is fo far from being done in Sir 7. M. his Hypothefis, that 'tis not fo much as pretended. He (nn) makes Antiochus to confirm the Covenant with Many in One Week, in the first seven Years of his Reign: and fo in thus accounting for this Week, and having before, after his manner accounted for feven Weeks, and fixty two Weeks, and now in the whole for Seventy Weeks, the Prophetick number of Weeks determined upon Jerufalem; after all he makes bold to throw in a Half Week of his own for the conceived Accomplishment of the Prophetick Characters of Daniel's Half Week, in the latter part of the Reign of Antiochus. Alass, What is this but making a new Prophecy, instead of giving us the Accomplishment of the feveral Express Characters of this as they lye in their connected order of Accomplishment in the Prophetick Text?→→→→ However Sir J. M. having thus given his imaginary Completion to the laft of Daniel's Seventy Weeks, at length he bethought himself that our Saviour Chrift (0) had giv'n it a Completion yet to come, even after his time, viz. in the Destruction of Jerufalem by the Romans. Hence he bestowed a Note here, that truly Chrift did fo: but as if this would serve his turn, he adds (p) that Chrift did this by way of Allufion only, and that his referring his Difciples to the Abomination of Defolation fpoken of by Daniel the Prophet, doth not argue that Daniel immediately prophefied of that Deftruction which should be by Titus, but gives us only to understand as much as this by it, viz. that thofe Words of Daniel, (which our Saviour cited) were very applicable to the Subject of Difcourfe then in hand. And thus according to Sir J. M., and the Quoter of him, we are to understand this Citation. Truly no wonder either that Sir J. M. thought, and writ thus, for it was for his Hypothefis; or that the latter cited his Opinion here, for that was alfo for his Purpose. But 15. (nn) Antiochus confirmabit pactum multis Hebdomada una: non ftatim, regno inito, prophanabit Templum; fed poft annos pene Septem. (0) Viz. in Mat. xxiv. (P) Εβ autem Παρωδία: Illud τὸ ῥηθὲν 2α Δανιηλ τοῦ Προ Párov non innuit peculiarem a Daniele editam fuiffe Prophetiam, de Calamitate a Tito inferenda; fed fignificat verba Danielis rei de qua Sermo eft optime convenire. [In Hebd. Dan. fub fine.] |