7. The Holy Spirit gives us the defcription of this monarchy under the ram: He tells us that the two horns came up one after the other, and the laft grew higheft, which was Cyrus a Perfian. How he came to the throne, hiftorians differ: 1ome fay by conqueft, this could not be: others by marriage, or fome natural alliance, which is probable; but that is not material to me, it's fufficient that I find the Scriptures say that he came to the throne.

8. Now thele twenty-one years, I judge, are the twentyone day, (a day for a year) the angel. faith the Prince of the kingdom of Pertia withfts & him, Dan. x. 13. For the better underftanding of which,

(1.) In Dan. ix. atter Daniel had understood by books the expiration of the feventy years captivity under the Babylonians, he fets himielf to pray for mercy and deliverance, and hath no other aufwer than the vifion of feventy weeks, and the divifion of them, Dan. ix. 25, 26. which account was to begin from the going forth of the commandment to build the city of Jerufalem: Seven weeks it should be building; and built fixty-two to the Meich: and in the mist of the last week the Meffiah fhould be cut off. So that in all this there is no direct anfwer to Daniel's prayer for prefent deliverance; for the temple took up a long time in building, through the long death upon the work, before the command here fpoken of for the building of the city came forth. Now as his prayer was in the firft year of Darius, that is, not of his being a King, but his taking Babylon, and fo being concerned with the church of GoD, (for GOD in his word takes little or no notice of earthly powers, but as in relation to his people ;) fo when Daniel was even now going out of the world, he fets himself to pray again, in chap. x. which is faid to be in the third of Cyrus, ver. 1. and has this for answer, That God was not unmindful of his prayer, as ver. 12. and gives a reafon why deliverance was not yet to come; the Prince of the kingdom of Perfia, not the Prince of Perfia, but the Prince of the kingdom of Perfia, (i. e. Darius, who, though he was of the feed of the Medes, was Prince of the kingdom of Perfia) withstood him, that is, had not let Ifrael go, though he had ftrengthened him in his kingdom, chap. xi. 1. Now this third year of Cyrus might poffibly be but the first of his abfolute reign; for 'tis like he might under Darius, being old, rule two years before his death, becaufe 'ti faid, 2 Chron. the laft, and Ezra i. 1. that in the first of Cyrus he let Ifracl go; and 'tis probable that Daniel died in the firft of his abfolute reign, Dan. i. laft, for he con

tinued but to the first of King Cyrus. Now the continuance here cannot relate to his honours that King Nebuchadnezzar advanced him to, chap ii. 48. for after his death, if not be fore, he retired and lived obfcure at court, chap. v. 11, 13. Neither did the prophet Daniel come out of captivity, which it's like he had done, if he had lived to the time of liberty to return, being a man whofe heart was fo engaged for the good of the church of GoD: befides, it hath been, that fuch as were to fucceed in the throne, have been in the management of the government before the death of him that preceded, as in the cafe of Solomon: and Darius being fixty-two years old when he took Babylon, must be eighty-one when Cyrus came to the government, if he managed thefe affairs the two laft years of his life, as it's probable he did; and eightv-three when he died, being the third of Cyrus his being concerned in the government, but the firft of his abfolute rule: and then The gives liberty to the people of GOD to return and build the temple. Now this work, after they entered upon it, did foon meet with interruptions in the time of Cyrus, that made the decree for building the temple, Ezra iv. 5, 24. But in the reign of Darius, as ver. 25. with chap. v. i. in the fecond year of his reign, Hag. i. 1. Zech. i. 1. GOD ftirred up the fpirit of his people to fet about the work afresh, encouraged from the prophefying of thofe two prophets, speaking to them from the mouth of GOD, and GoD difpofing the heart of that Prince to encourage it also, so that it was finifhed in four years, i.. the fixth of his reign, Ezra vi. 14, 15. How many years this interruption continued, or how many years it was between the first decree of Cyrus, when they laid the foundation of the temple, including the years of preparation, Ezra iii. 8, 12. and the decree of this Darius, in the fixth year of whole reign it was finished, the prophet Zechariah gives us an ecount, chap. i. 12. to be feventy years; for the feventy years here intended, cannot be the feventy of their captivity in Ba lon, in which time they were to pray for the peace of the ot and of the place where they were carried captive: For GoD promifed that in the peace thereof they should have pea e, till the time came of their return according to divine appointment; they were to build houses, to plant and to marry, Ja xxix. 5, 6, 7. without attempting to return to build the temple, till the feventy years were out: therefore in that time to build houfes in Babylon, and not God's houfe in Jerufalem, was no crime. But the great thing the prophets Zechariah and H gai reprove them for, was this,-Confider, (1) The prophes

were contemporary, and prophefied in the fecond of Darius, the time that the temple-work is revived and finished. (2) They tell the people, 1. That GOD was fo displeased with their fathers, and now with them. 2. For what he was dif pleafed, viz. for minding their own private things, and letting the house of GOD lie wafte. 3. The effects, in blafting all their labours, (3) He promifeth them upon their applying themselves to the work of finishing his houfe and the fervice of it, he would abundantly blefs them: So that the prophets applying it to that time, we have reafon to judge, that it was no other but the interruption upon the work, which was, as all apprehended, fome confiderable length of time, but are at great uncertainty how to reckon it, when the labour may be faved, and we at no lofs in the thing, when the Holy Spirit hath reckoned it for us. Now the Scripture tells us, that as the work was revived after seventy years death upon it, in the fecond year of Darius, fo it was finished in his fixth year,. Ezra vi. 15. which fixth year was his laft, Artaxerxes fucceeding him; in the feventh of whose reign there is another decree to beautify the houfe of GOD, and to provide it with facrifices, Ezra vii. 21, 22, 23, 24, 27. for this decree relates only to the houfe of GOD, and his worship therein. In the twentieth of whofe reign, another decree comes forth to build the city, Neh. ii. 1. to the ninth; and here begins Daniel's leventy weeks of years. So that if this account be right, we have a very plain and certain account of the time, adding the seventy weeks of years to the death of CHRIST. I know it is the opinion of molt, if not all, to reckon otherwife; and indeed they cannot otherwife do, that go by hiftory, which tells of more Kings reigning, and that fome of thefe I have mentioned did reign longer; as that this Darius, in the fixth of whofe reign the temple was finished, reigned in all nineteen. years, as Helvicus, Junius, Alsted, and others fay; but whence have they the account which we with fo much confidence take up from them? It's from no infallible writ. They fay alfo, that from Cyrus, including him, there were fourteen Kings reigned in the Perfian monarchy before it was taken by the Grecians; alfo that Cyrus in the nineteeth year of his Perfian monarchy conquered Darius the Mede, King of Babylon. All which could not be. For,

1. The Babylonih monarchy was to end, and did in Nebu chadnezz r's grandfon's reign, Jer. xxvii. 6, 7. which was Beifhazzar.

2. Darius, who was of the feed of the Medes, Dan. ix. 1.

was King of Media and Perfia when he took Babylon, Dan. v. 28, 31.

3. There were to be but four Kings in Perfia after Cyrus, how then could thirteen reign? Dan. xi. 2. The angel, for the help of our faith, tells Daniel, he would fhew him the truth; and that there fhould ftand up yet (that is, after Cyrus, for this vifion was in the third of Cyrus, as before I have noted; for the 10th, 11th, and 12th chapters are but the continuance of the fame vifion; for, as I have noted alío, Daniel died this year) three Kings, and the fourth fhall be richer, &c. and shall stir up all against the realm of Greece, and here this monarchy ends.

I. 21

To fum up all that we have said, there is,

Years

II. 70

III. 4

IV. 7

Years

V. 13

Of Darius, before Cyrus came to absolute regal power.

Interruption after Cyrus's decree for building the houfe.

Of Darius in finishing it after they fet to the work again.

To the decree of Artaxerxes to furnish it with facrifices.

To that of the 20th of Artaxerxes to build the city of Jerufalem.

In all 115 years, after the seventy years captivity in Babylon was out, before they began to build the city of Jerufalem again. In Dan. ix. 24, the angel tells Daniel, that feventy weeks are determined upon his people and the holy city, to finish tranfgreffion, to make an end of fin, to make reconciliation for the people, and to bring in everlafting righteoufnefs. Then ver. 25. he divides them, that from the going forth of the commandment to build the city fhould be feven weeks, that is, before it fhould be built and finifhed, fo long in building, fortynine years; and fixty-two weeks it fhould be built, but it fhould be troublesome times, and it was with the Jews, what by the Grecian monarchy, and after the Roman; for when the MESSIAH CHRIST came, they were tributary to the Romans: and in the midft of the laft week the MESSIAH fhould be cut off, but not for himfelf, by whofe death the exerlafting cove nant was fealed, ratified and confirmed, and all the typical facrifices and oblations to ceafe, as now no longer useful to the true church of God: and great defolation was to enfue upon

that people for their unbelief; which' accordingly fell out, and was brought upon them by Titus, fon of Vefpafian, fome years after the death of CHRIST, as CHRIST allo fore-admonished them, Matt. xxiv. 15. Luke xxi. 20. Add now these 69 weeks of years, and week (for he was to fuffer in the midft of a week) which amounts to 486 unto the 115 years aforementioned, and it makes up 601.

As to all the other numbers, Dan. vii. 25. of time, times, and dividing of time, and the fame Dan. xii. 7. and 1290, and the 1335; I conceive all relate to the times under the gospel: and in Dan. xi. 31. and xii. 11. when 'tis faid the daily facrifice thall be taken away, and the abomination that makes defolate placed in the room of it; and Dan xii. 11. that from the time that this fhall be done there fhall be 1290 days, that is, years, as before, Dan. viii. 14. the fanctuary fhall be cleanfed, that the purity of God's worship fhall be restored at the end of that time, and bleffed is he that comes to 1335, which is forty-five more than 1290. As thefe relate to the church under the gospel, and GOD's worship there, therefore not properly rendered facrifices, as Dan. ix. 27. but by way -of fupplement; io i fhall rather offer my thoughts of them under that of the witneffes prophefying, &c. only all must and do fall in within the time of this great number of 2300 years and from what hath been spoken to it, we may guess how long it will be before it will expire. There are 601 £ to the death of CHRIST; and if we are right in the tradition of years fince his birth (for divine writ being finished a little after his death, we have nothing elfe to go by) taking off the years of his life, which were thirty, Luke iii. 23. when he entered upon his miniftry, which he accomplished in or about three years or half-week fpoken of by Daniel: fo that thirtythree from 1686, there refts 1653, which added to 601 1-half, makes 2254 1-half, which laft fubftracted from the capital number 2300, there remains forty-five 1-half, the only overplus of Daniel's laft number: fo that I hope deliverance to the church and people of GOD is not far off, and all our fad fights are but good figns.

To what hath been faid there is fomething objected, the which, with the anfwers, take as followeth.

Object. 1. That this calculation cannot be right, because it's faid, that when the foundation of this fecond temple was laid, many of the Priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers, that were ancient men, and had feen the first temple, wept; when others that were young, and had not feen the first house, re