Meffias; at the End of that Week, was cut off; and fo, at the end of the Seventy Weeks, did accomplish the purpofes, for which they were determin'd, viz. To make Reconciliation for Iniquity, and to bring in univerfal Righteousness: And laftly, that the Destruction of the City and Temple, confequent upon the Meffiah's Death, cannot be applied to the fhort Perfecution of Antiochus, which did not come up to the Prophet's Defcription, did not deftroy the Temple, did not reach the City to any great Degree, or depopulate the Land of its Inhabitants; but properly relates to that univerfal Havock and Devastation, which the Romans, under Titus, brought upon Jerufalem: and, confequently, that our Saviour does not mistake or mifapply the Prophecy, when he talks * of the Abomination of Defolation, Spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, ftanding in the Holy Place.

*Matt. xxiv. 15.

SECT

Of the Book of Daniel, and his
Prophecy, in Chap. ix.

An Ob.❝

je&tion

against

of the

BU

UT of what avail are any Citations out of Daniel, when, the Ge- " in all Probability, he was no Pronuineness" phet, but a certain Hiftorian, who "liv'd fome hundred of Years after "Daniel's time, and, relating Events, " which, a long while before were "paffed and gone, made ufe of Alle"gories, and a fymbolical Way of ex

Book of

Daniel.

preffing himself, merely to give his "Writings the Air of Prophefies. a For, "if the ancient Daniel, who was car"ried away in the Babylonifh Captivi<< ty, was the Author of this Book, "how comes it to pafs, that he mi"ftakes the very Names of the Princes, "whofe Courts he liv'd in, and uses "fo many Words derivative from the "Greek, which was a Language un"known to the Jews, till a long while "after this Captivity? How comes he "not to be found (as well as other "Books

Vid. Scheme of Literal Prophecy.

"Books in the Old Teftament) in the "Verfion of the Seventy; not to be named 66 among the Prophets recited b in Ec"clefiafticus; nor so much as taken No"tice of by Jonathan, who is fuppofed "to have made (fome time before Jesus) "the Paraphrases upon the Books of "the Prophets? Had he been thought "of canonical Authority, it is fcarce "imaginable how he could have been " paffed by in this dishonourable man"ner. But the Truth is, the Jews, to ❝ do themselves Credit, were great "Composers of Books under the Names "of their Prophets, and particularly "under the Name of Daniel. We. "have feveral fpurious Pieces, fuch 66 as The Song of the three Children, "the Stories of Sufanna and the two El"ders, and of Bell and the Dragon extant

at this Day; and in like manner have "reafon to believe, that the Author of "the Book of Daniel was a Counterfeit, "who liv'd about the Time of Antio"chus Epiphanes, and wrote of things

pass'd in a prophetical Stile; efpeci"ally confidering, that the Way of "representing large Scenes of Affairs

«

by fuch Images and Symbals, as he "makes use of, is entirely unlike the Books of the other Prophets, but very

Ecclef. xlix.

very agreeable to that turn of Wri"ting, which the Jews took up, when "they had been new form'd in the "Schools of the Greeks. But, allow"ing the Book of Daniel to be genuine,

yet if the going forth of the Com"mandment, (which is faid to be the Epocha of the feventy Weeks,) does "not fignify the going forth of a Royal "Decree, but the going forth of the "Word or Commandment of God to

Jeremiah the Prophet, promifing a << return from Captivity, and a re"building of Jerufalem; if the matters, << to be accomplish'd within the Com"pafs of the feventy Weeks, viz. the "" finishing of Tranfgreffion and making "an end of Sin; the making Reconcili"ation for Iniquity, and bringing in

everlafting Righteoufnefs, &c. vifibly "relate to the fetting up, and continu"ance of the Jewish State and Polity; "if the City and Sanctuary were not "destroy'd by any Army under Jefus,

in whofe time there was no War "against the Jews, and who himself (C was feven and thirty Years dead, "before this Defolation came upon "that People; if Jefus cannot be faid

to have confirm'd the Covenant for. one Week, who, by his Doctrine and "Practice, confirm'd it all his Life; 66 nor

“ nor did he cause the Sacrifice and Ob"lation to ceafe, either by any positive "Injunction, or by Virtue of his Death, "fince St. Paul (to fignify his Adherence to Jewish Ceremonies) fays ex"prefly, that he had not offended against the Temple; and, laftly, if the "Romans, when they deftroy'd Jerufalem, did not fet up their Idols in

any part of the Temple, which yet "was certainly done by the Order "and Command of Antiochus feveral "Years before; then is the whole Ap"plication of this Prophecy to Jefus grounded on palpable Mistakes; "Daniel's Meffias, who was to be cut

off, was not the Meffias of the Jews, "who was never to die; and the De"ftruction, which the Prophet alludes

to, must be what Antiochus, and not what Titus, brought upon that "People.

That there was fuch a Perfon, as AnswerDaniel, of the Jewish Captivity in Ba- ed, by bylon, famous for his Difcovery of fu- the Gefhewing ture Events, and for his great Piety nnineand Devotion towards God, cannot be nefs of denied; and that the Prophefies he de- Book, liver'd, were either by himself, or o- from anthers committed to Writing, and those ftimonies. Writings

Daniel's

cient Te