Differtation III.

ON THE TIME FIXED, IN THE

BOOKS OF

DANIEL AND HAGGAI FOR THE APPEAR. ANCE OF THE MESSIAH, THE EXPECTA. TIONS OF THE JEWS CONCERNING HIM, AND THEIR DIVISION ON THIS SUBJECT.

NOTWITHSTANDING all

the confidence with which it has been afferted, that "the word prophet was the bible word for poet, and that the word prophefying meant the art of making poetry, and fetting poetry to mufic;”* yet, nothing is more certain, than that, a prophet, in the Hebrew Church, was understood to mean a perfon commiffioned by God, to deliver truth, and to predict future events; otherwife the dif tinction between a true and a falfe prophet would have been impertinent, and the rules for distinguishing them ufelefs. Their difcourfes were delivered, either in poetry or profe; often in the

* Age of Reafon, page 30.
+ See Numbers, xii. 6.

D

Deut. xiii. 1, 3. xviii. 21, 22.

hieroglyphic style, but fometimes with remarkable perfpicuity and even mathematical precifion.*

Of this laft kind is the prediction in Daniel, (chap. ix. 24,) refpecting the time of the appearance of the Meffiab, which limits it to Seventy weeks," from the time when the decree was given, for the restoration of the Jewish government, and the rebuilding of Jerufalem, after the expiration of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon.

That such a perfon as the Meffiah, was the subject of many predictions, delivered to the Jewish Church, by the miniftry of their prophets, is a truth in which both Jews and Chriftians agree. He was predicted under different titles; all of which were expreffive of the dignity of his perfon, the characters which he should affume, and the benefits which he fhould confer. He was called the feed of the Woman, the feed of Abraham, in whom all the families

The reader who would have a juft view of the prophetic writings, is referred to SHERLOCK's use and intent of prophecy, and HERD's introduction to the fudy of the prophecies.

of the earth fhould be bleffed, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Son of David,

a prophet like Moses, a priest after the order of Melchifedec, a king in Zion, a redeemer, a deliverer, a faviour and the defire of all nations.

As the time of his advent approached, the predictions became more clear and distinct, and the feries of prophecy was not clofed, till he was fo particularly defcribed, and the time of his appearance was fo diftinctly fixed, that unless JESUS CHRIST were the Meffiah, no fuch fon has yet appeared in the world.

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The name by which he is familiarly known fully expreffes the character, in which he appeared; JESUS fignifies a Saviour, and: CHRIST, the anointed ; THE ANOINTED SAVIOUR, or the perfon commiffioned by GoD to be the fav-iour of the world, dor

The ancient Jews were led by their prophecies, as interpreted by themselves, 1 to expect that they would be completed 2 at the time in which, the chriftians fay, they were completed; and it was not

till after the coming of Chrift that they began to interpret them differently, and to look out for another completion of them. Judge then, if they, or we, are likely to have erred moft; through prejudice, in expounding and applying the prophecies. Judge, if the natural and : proper fenfe, is not that, in which we take them; for that fenfe occured first to themfelves, and was their fenfe before we adopted it. I mean, efpecially in respect to the time which they had fixed, for the accomplishment of the prophecies concerning the Meffiah."*.

. year of reft.

It is well known, that the Jews numbered not only weeks of days but weeks of years. Not only every feventh day was a fabbath, or day of reft; but, every feventh year was a fabbatical year, or of reft. Befides thefe, every seven times feven years there was a grand fabba- tical year,called the jubilee, in which libcrty was proclaimed through the land,and every man returned to the poffeffion of his paternal inheritance. The weeks. * Hurd's introduction, page 147. + See Leviticus, Chap. xxv.

years,

spoken of by Daniel are weeks of each containing the fpace of feven years; which, being multiplied by feventy, will give four hundred and ninety years, and if to these we add the nine years of jubilee which intervened, the period will -be five centuries.*

In addition to this chronological prediction, the coming of the Meffiah, is limited by the prophet Haggai, to the time in which the fecond temple thould be ftanding. For whilft the aged Jews who had returned from the captivity in Babylon, faw the erection of the fecond temple, and compared it with the magnificent ftructure which had been built

It is very remarkable, that notwithstanding the obfcurity of ancient chronology, and the different opinions of the most learned men, refpecting the beginning and ending of thefe feventy weeks, yet there is no greater difference in their reckonings than thirteen years.

The questions which have been agitated among them are

thefe.

1. Whether the years are lunar or folarThe difference this question is between fix and seven years..

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2. Whether the weeks are to be computed from the commif Ifion given to Ezra in the feventh year of Artaxerxes?[Ezra vii.7.] Or from that given to Nehemiah in the twentieth year of the ? [Neh. ii. 1.] The difference is thirteen years.

Jame reign the reign of Artaxerxes began when his father.

3.

took him as a partner of the throne Or at his father's death? The difference is nine years. Thefe queftions are fully debated in Sir I. Newton on the prophecies, Dr. Prideaux's connection, and Dr. Lowth's commentary on Daniel,