whofe government and peace there fhall be no end *. The Chriftian interpretation of this paffage in Haggai, is farther evident from its being fo parallel to that in the 3d of Malachi; both thefe prophets defcribing the great perfon they fpeak of, as the object of the fingular delight and complacency of God's people, and as coming to the fecond temple; for it was in the time of that temple, after the captivity, that both of them prophesied. DANIEL ix. 24. &c. Whereas the prediction in the 9th of Daniel requires very particular confideration on various accounts, it will be proper to give a fhort explication of the chief branches of it, and to annex the proofs which fupport that explication, and vindicate the prediction from the charge of ambiguity. The true meaning of the chief branches of this prophecy may be thus briefly fummed up: 1. That from a certain edict for restoring Jerufalem, there would be feventy weeks of years, until the time of reconciliation for iniquity, &c. by the Meffiah; 2. That from that edict, to the coming of the Meffiah, there would be fixty-nine weeks in all, made up of feven weeks and of fixty-two; 3. That the city would be built in very troublefome times; 4. That after fixty-two weeks, reckoning, not from the edict itself, but from that which was the end and chief effect of it, viz. the completing of the restoration of Jerufalem, the Meffiah would be cut off; 5. That after this, the city and fanctuary would be deftroyed-as with a flood; 6. That as to the feventieth week, or the laft of the feventy, fixty-nine of which had been already spoken of, according to the partition made of them into feven and fixty-two, See alfo Pf. lxxii. Zech, ix. in that one week the Meffiah would be employed in confirming the covenant with many; 7. and, That, in the midst of that week, or about three years and a half after the Meffiah's beginming that public employment, (for confirming the covenant with many must be fuch an employment), he would do that which would virtually abolish all ceremonial oblations. ; As to the proofs of the first branch, though the firft verfe of the prediction does not fay, that the things it mentions, fuch as making reconciliation for iniquity, &c. were to be done by the Meffiah yet that this must be the meaning, may be thus made out. The whole fequel of the prophecy treats of the Meffiah; and the tranfition, y 25. Know "therefore, and understand," fhews, that this and the following verfes are defigned for particular explication of what is mentioned in a more general way in the former verfe, which is, as it were, an introduction to the reft. The fequel of the prophecy alfo fpeaks of three things relating to the Meffiah, which were to happen about feventy weeks from the edict in view. According to y 25. the Meffiah was to appear about fixty-nine weeks after that edict; according to y 26. he was to be cut off after fixty-two weeks, or in the fixty-third, reckon. ing, not from the edict, but from that completing of the building of the city which was the design of the edict; and it will be fully proved afterwards, that after fixty-two years from the building, is the fame with after fixty-nine from the edict; and according to 27. the Meffiah, in the feventieth week from the edict, was to do that which would virtually abolish ceremonial oblations. Thus the year of the finishing of tranfgreffion, making reconciliation for iniquity, &c. the year of the Meffiah's being cut off, and the year of his virtual abolishing of ceremonial oblations, do all three coincide. The expreffions in y 24. contain an exceeding remark able able declaration of what was formerly proved to be one of the moft fingular doctrinal characters of the Meffiah, relating to his priestly office. See what was faid at fome length on this head in the former chapters, particularly chap. 1. on Ifaiah liii. and chap. 2. on the Meffiah's facrifice. All these things put together, prove abundantly, that the beginning of this prediction in view, fpeaks of things that were to be done by the Meffiah. That the feventy weeks are not weeks of natural days, but weeks of years, (fuch weeks being expressly mentioned in other fcriptures), is evident; becaufe feventy weeks of days, amounting only to a year and four months, is vaftly too fhort a time for the events here mentioned; the giving out the edict for building up Jerufalem; the completing of that building, both as to walls and streets, and that in troublous times; the Meffiah's coming; his confirming the covenant with many, which being to continue only for half a week, is itself a proof, that it is not weeks of days that the prophecy means; then his being cut off, and making the oblation to ceafe befides that the close of the prediction infinuates, that it would not be long after the feventy weeks in view, when the city, the building of which was to be authorifed by an edict only at the beginning of these weeks, fhould be again deftroyed, and come to an end, as with a flood. That 25. muft be fo pointed and read, that the first fentence fhall run thus, "From the going "forth of the commandment to restore and to "build up Jerufalem, unto the Meffiah the prince, "fhall be feven weeks and fixty-two weeks;" and not, "fhall be feven weeks; and fixty-two weeks "the street fhall be built again," &c. is not only agreeable to the best-pointed copies, and the judge ment of the best critics, but capable of strict proof otherwife: Because, 1. To fay, that from the edict to the Meffiah there would be only feven weeks or forty forty-nine years, and to ftop there, would be an evident contradiction to the very following verfe, where the cutting off of the Meffiah is put after fixty-two weeks, or 434 years, from the building of the city; which was not finifhed till long after the edict 2. Becaufe, by ftopping at the words feven weeks, the laft fentence in y 25. running thus, "and fixty-two weeks the street shall be built again, "and the wall," would have no meaning, unless it be fuppofed to mean, that it fhould take fixty-two weeks, or 434 years, to build the city; which is both contrary to fact, and would put the building of the city very near the destruction of it; and clashes with the whole tenor of the prediction: and, 3. After feven weeks from the edict, none appeared who profeffed himself to be the Meffiah, and was acknowledged as fuch, and was cut off; whereas after feven and fixty-two, making in all fixty-nine weeks, all this happened. As to the partition of the feventy weeks into three parts, viz. feven and fixty-two, mentioned in 25. 26. and one week mentioned y 27. the prediction itself, if duly attended to, gives an evident reafon for it. In y 25. it is faid, that from the edict to the Meffiah, there would be feven and fixtytwo weeks, which makes fixty-nine. As this fentence makes the partition, (as to its two firft branches), the two following fentences fhew the ground of it. The first following fentence fays in general, that the building of the city, authorised by the edict, fhould be completed in troublesome times. The next fentence runs thus: "And after fixty-two "weeks fhall Meffiah be cut off." That the meaning is, "After fixty-two weeks from the building of "the city fhall the Meffiah be cut off," may be proved thus. 1. In all other cafes, fuch expreflions, "After fo many years," relate to the event or period mentioned immediately before. Thus, if one fhould fay, that Rome was built by Romulus, and after after fo many years was burnt by the Gauls, the meaning would be, so many years after the building . of Rome: Therefore feeing these words, "After fixty-two weeks fhall Meffiah be cut off," come immediately after mention of the building of the city Jerufalem, the meaning muft be, "After fixty-two "weeks from the completing of that building." 2. The meaning cannot be, "After fixty-two weeks "from the edict, Meffiah fhall be cut off;" because it was faid before, that from the edict to the Meffiah there would be fixty-nine weeks, or feven and fixty-two weeks. 3. Seeing these things prove, that it is the meaning of the prophecy, that the Meffiah would appear about fixty-nine weeks after the edict, and after fixty-two weeks from the building would be cut off, it implies, that betwixt the edict and the building, there would be about feven weeks, or forty-nine years. It is ufeful to obferve the probability of the thing itself, that it might take fome fuch time after the edict, before the building of fo great a city, after fo great and long defolation, could be fo completed, in troublous times, that it might be faid, that both the wall and the streets were finifhed. The diftance of time betwixt the edict itself, and the full effect of it, feems to be directly intended in the words of the prediction, both about troublous times, which is a hint at fuch obftacles as are recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah to have retarded the building; and alfo about building both the ftreet and the wall; which fpeciality fhews, that it is not the beginning of the building, but the completing of it, that is meant. And whereas the distance betwixt the edict, and its full effect, might be apt to difcourage God's people, it was a very fuitable prefervative against this, that they had previous advertisement of that distance of time by a prediction. But though we should abstract from all the reafons of the partition we are fpeaking of, it is fufficient for proving the chief conclufion, O 2 that |