Mr. Blount's oracles of reason examined and answered in nine sections in which his many heterodox opinions are refuted, the Holy Scriptures and revealed religion are asserted against deism & atheism / by Josiah King ...

Pag. 159.

Other Prophecies are either general, and indefinitly exprest, as to the time of their ac∣complishment; or inexplicable from their obscurity, or uncertain as to their Authority: such as are the Weeks of Daniel, which Book the Jews reckon a∣mong their Hagiographa, or Sacred, but not Cano∣nical Books.

ANSWER.

The Prophesies of the Prophet Daniel, which expresly point at the time of the Messiah's Com∣ing, and concur with our JESUS, are very considerable. The Prophesy in the 9th. of Daniel, ver. 24, 25 and 26. 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 the everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophesy, and to anoint the most holy: Ver. 25. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment, to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the war, even in troublous times: Ver. 26. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the Prince

that shall come, shall destroy the city, and the san∣ctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the ends of the war desolations are determined: Ver. 27. And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of Abominations; he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

This Prophesy is clearly meant of the Mes∣siah, because here we have not only his Name, but his Sufferings; and the account of his Suf∣ferings, not for himself, but the People. The ancient Jews understood this place of the Mes∣siah: Hoornbeck to this purpose tells us, that R. Saadias a gaon, Rabbi Naahman Gerundensis, and divers others expound this place of the Messias. At last he gives us Manasse Ben Israel, which being very material, I shall quote it at large out of him: Verum ut addam illud interpretationis hu∣jus prophetiae, varie etiam illa ab hujus aevi Hebraeis explicata est, neque illud mirum cuique videre debet, si in prophetia tam obscura variant sententiae.

But that I might add this of the Interpretation of this Prophesy, for this is variously expounded by the Hebrews of this Age: neither let this be a wonder to any, if there be a difference of opi∣nions in so obscure a Prophesy.

There are therefore those who take these 70 weeks so, that they say, After the end of them the Mes∣siah is to come, who would constitute the Jews Lords of the whole Earth. And this truly all

those did imagine that took arms against the Roman Emperour: and altho' they were obno∣xious to many miseries and labours, yet not∣withstanding they always placed their hope in the Messias that was to come; because they thought he would afford the sight of himself when they were in the midst of their miseries: wherefore these words, To finish transgressions, they expounded, That after the expiration of 70 weeks, sins are pardoned. Thus far Hoorn∣beck out of Menasse Ben Israel.

We have here an evident testimony, that the Jews that lived about the time of the Destru∣ction of Jerusalem, looked for the Messias then to come, because they thought Daniel's Period was then ended; and tho' (by mistake) they expected a temporal Prince, yet 'tis evident they thought this Prophesy did concern the time, when the Messias should come. That which is most diffi∣cult here, is, the direct time of the Messias's cut∣ting off, is told us under the name of so many Weeks; which are not to be understood in our common acceptation of the word, but are to be taken for Years. The word Weeks in holy Scri∣pture signifieth sometime the space of seven Days, as here in this Prophesy, 10. ch. ver. 2. where Daniel says,

That he mourned three Weeks, or sevenets of Days:

And in the 16. of Deuteron. 9. ver. where commandment is given,

Seven Weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven Weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.

The word Weeks is sometime taken for Years in Scripture, and containeth seven Years: As in the 29. chap. Genes. ver. 27.

Fulfil her Week, and we will give thee this also, for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other Years.

As also Leviticus ch. 25. ver. 8.

And thou shalt number seven Sabbaths of Years unto thee, seven times seven Years, and the space of the seven Sabbaths of Years shall be unto thee forty and nine Years.

The Greek Word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in approved Authors, is in like manner used, not only for seven Days, but also for seven Years space; as in the end of the 7th Book of Aristotle's Politicks, where mention is made of such as di∣vided Ages by Sevenets of Years. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. And Varro in his first Book of Images, writeth, Se jam duodecimam annorum hebdomadam ingressum esse; That he had now entred into the twelfth Sennet of Years: which Expression is plain and full.

In this Signification the Word is to be taken in this place, understanding by 70 Seven∣nets, 490 Years, having Proof thereof from Holy Scripture, and Prophane Authors.

And to those before mentioned we may add, Censorinus de die Natali, c. 14. and Macrobius, Book first, in Somnium Scipionis, c. 6.

As for those who stretch the Word further to a Sevenet of Tenths, or Jubilies, or Hun∣dreds of Years, as some have done, their O∣pinion

hath neither warrant of God's Word, nor any likelyhood of Truth.

The greatest Difficulty is about the Begin∣ning of those Weeks, concerning which we need not say any thing, considering that those must be wilfully blind that deny the comple∣tion thereof.

But our Author is not to be born withal, as to what he says concerning the Prophecy's Authority; and that the Jews reckon it not among their Canonical Books.

Father Simon, who had well weighed this Point in his Critical History of the Old Testa∣ment, Book 1. Chap. 9. says, There are ma∣ny learned Men who find fault, that the Jews ex∣clude Daniel from the number of the Prophets, and Theodoret hath reproved them very severely. But it is easie to reconcile their Opinion in this Point, with that of the Christians, since they agree, that the Books of the Bible which are called Canonical, have been equally inspired by God; and moreover, that the Book of Daniel is of the number of these Canonical Books.

Josephus, in the Tenth Book of his Anti∣quities, Chap. 12. writing of Daniel, says, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, That he was endued with a Divine Spirit, and that he was of the number of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. He was one of the greatest Prophets, that his Books were read by the Jews, which abundant∣ly demonstrated that he conversed with God.

For he did not only foretel things to come to pass as the other Prophets did, but he deter∣mined the very time in which they were to be fulfilled. And whereas other Prophets pre∣dicted Calamities, and so lost their Esteem a∣mong the Princes and the People; He foretold Good Things to come, by which he concili∣ated the Favour of all Persons; and as for the certainty of Events, he obtained a Belief amongst all Men.

Porphiry the Philosopher, the Scholar of Plotinus, and cotemporary with Origen, who made it his Business to refel the Prophesies of Daniel; when he found all things so punctu∣ally delivered, as that there was no place for a Refutation, he finally assumed the Impudence to affirm, that not Daniel, but an Impostor under his Name, who lived in the time of An∣tiochus Epiphanes, Published these Prophecies. And this his Impudence was much more tole∣rable than that of Mr. Blount's, who asserts, that Daniel's 70 Weeks were uncertain as to their Authority.