prediction improperly. "Thus Menasse Ben Israei, divides the Jews of those times into two opinions. They that believed, the city was doomed to Roman vengeance, submitted to the general, as thinking, he must be that prince (Messias) who was to come, before their final destruction. And They that thought, the Messias would come, before the end of the seventy weeks, comforted themselves that their city and temple could not be destroyed before he came, and therefore expected salvation to the last hour. Both sides took Daniel to be with them: We need not a fuller proof that they understood Daniel did, in this place, prophecy of the Messias... Daniel could mean no other, when among the other great works he ascribed to the Messias, he mentioned this, that he should seal up vision and prophecy. Things that are fulfilled and perfected, are wont to be sealed up; and prophecy and vision are therefore said here to be sealed, because they shall receive their complement in him. It is thus the Jews commonly interpret the words, all the prophecies shall be fulfilled at the coming of the Messias. We have then Daniel's own word for it, in his prophecy, that the prophets of old spoke of the Messias. And it will not be pretended by any Jew, that the prophets of old spoke of any other Messias than one, the true Messias of the lineage of David. ” i

The Messiah intended by Daniel was evidently to be a suffering Messiah; for he was (v. 26) to be cut off: that is, shall be slain, or put to death, by the sentence of a judge. But he was to be cut off for others, not for himself: And this agrees exactly with what Isaiah, long before the times of Daniel, had predicted

of him.

"He was cut off out of the land of the living:

Chand's. def. p. 146, 149.

for the transgression of my people was he stricken.' (Isaiah, liii. 8). And this also accords with the account, which is given in the New Testament of the end and design of Christ's death: "How that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures ... For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God... Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us. " k

The words, in the common translation, "But not for himself," may be rendered; "And it shall not be his" i. e. According to Sir. I. Newton, Jerusalem, or the people of the Jews shall no longer be his people. As they cut him off, and rejected him from being their Prince; so would he reject them as his own peculiar nation. In this point of view we have then a prediction of the rejection of the Jews, and an indirect intimation of the calling in of the Gentiles; and it answers to our Lord's words, (Mat. xxi. 43) "There fore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." So that whether we take the words" But not for himself"-as referring to the death of Christ, as an atonement for the sins of mankind, or as relating to the rejection of the Jews because of their unbelief towards him; still in either sense they were fulfilled: For not only did Christ taste of death for every man; but the Jews have been given up, for a season, to the ignorance of their mind, and to the hardness of their heart; "According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber; eyes that they should not see; and ears that they should not hear; unto this day" (Rom. xi. 8).

* 1. Cor. xv. 3. 1. Peter, ii. 18. 1. John, iii, 16.

But the Messiah was not only to suffer, he was also to perfect many great and important matters: Now these matters are particularly enumerated in the twenty-fourth verse, which may be considered as an epitome of the Gospel. "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision - and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." For is not this similar to what the angel of the Lord said to Joseph respecting Jesus? "Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.' It corresponds with what St. Paul says of Christ: "Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And is the same as when St John says, "For this purpose the son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil." "To finish the transgression and to make an end of sins," is the same as (Col. ii. 13, 14.); "And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us; and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross."

"To make reconciliation for iniquity," or to expiate sin; what is this, but the same as? "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ... God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them... And you that were some time alienated

Mat. i. 21. Tit. ii. 14. 1 John, iii. 8.

and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled, in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight." Was the Messiah of Daniel,

to bring in everlasting righteousness?" This was effected by Christ: "For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him... Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life... But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption...And this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. m And as to the sealing up the vision and prophecy, what can this intend, but that the Jewish dispensation should end, and the Gospel one begin in Christ? For the Mosaick dispensation, or the Jewish, was but the shadow of good things to come; but the body is of Christ: the law of Moses was to continue till the seed, Christ should come, of whose kingdom there should be no end. For thus says Christ to his disciples, "These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me.. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day" (Luke, xxiv 44, 46). And thus reasons Peter ( Acts, iii. 22, 23); "For Moses truly said unto the Fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; HIM shall ye hear in

m 2. Cor. v. 18, 19. Col. i. 21, 22. 2. Cor. v. 21. Rom. 1 Cor. i, 30, Jer. xxiii. 6.

v. 18.

1

all things whatsoever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people."

At the end of the seventy weeks also the Most Holy was to be anointed: This shews how that Jesus was to be anointed, as we know he was, with the Holy Ghost, for the great work of effecting the redemption of mankind. For, "unto the Son, he saith, thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity: therefore God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows... The Spirit of the Lord, (says Christ) is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor... How God anointed (says Peter) Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power ... For he, (says John the Baptist, referring to Christ) whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

" n

Daniel also predicts of the Messiah, (v. 27); "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week." Now our enquiry here is, what is meant by the covenant? And the answer is easy-The Gospel dispensation: For this was the covenant which Christ was to establish, and which he did establish and confirm by the most certain signs and miracles. Hence says Malachi (iii. 1); "And the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in "... And in like manner St. Paul, (Hebrews, viii.) speaks of the Gospel as a covenant compared with the

Hebrews, i. 8, 9. Luke, iv. 18. Acts, x. 38. John, iii. 34. /