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Apoc.xii. 14.

Apoc. xi. 9.11.

Apoc. viij. 7.

Dan.vij. 25.

fignify any duration between 3 and 3 years. Thus alfo three days and an half may contain any period between 34 and 34 days. And fo in all other cafes whatsoever. But without particular evidence they ought not to be extended any farther. And it is to be observ'd that tho' the Computations in this Effay do not always take exprefs notice of this Latitude; yet that it may and ought to be allow'd and understood upon all occafions. VII. Wherever any general word is us'd indefinitely, without a particular note of distinction, there the most eminent and remarkable of that kind is to be in reafon understood by it. Thus To TITOV TS s, the third part of the Earth, is to be understood of the most eminent and remarkable third part which can be fuppos'd. Thus alfo Time, Times, and a divifion or part of time, i. e. three years, and a divifion or part of a year, muft fignify three years and a month, because the most eminent and remarkable divifion, or part of a year, is a Month; as the most eminent and remarkable divifion, or part of a month with us, is a week; and of a week, a day; and of a day, an hour, and so in all other cafes proportionably.

LEM

LEMMATA, or PREPARATORY PROPOSITIONS.

I.

A Day, in thofe Prophecies both of "Daniel and vid. Cl. Mori

P. 176. &c.

St. John, which concern Christianity, the Times Op. Theolog. of the Meffias, and the Church of the Gentiles, fig- and Mr. Garnifies a Tear and by confequence feven Days, or a ret's Difcourfe Week, fignifies feven Tears: and thirty Days, or a concerning Antichrift, p. 322. Month, thirty Years: and fo in other cafes and this through the whole Series of their Prophecies.

The Arguments for this Propofition are thefe following.

-348.

I. 'Twas not at all agreeable to the Nature and Genius of thefe Enigmatical Writings to make ufe of plain Words in the determination of its feveral Periods: and fo to use the known word a Year standing for it felf, without any cover or character. Hiftories indeed, being plain and literal Representations of paft Events and Actions; and being intended for the Underftanding of all Men immediately, muft ufe that and the like words in their strict and obvious meaning: and fuch Predictions also as were much of the fame nature, and were deliver'd in plain and clear Words, ought in the fame manner to obferve the decorum throughout, and to determin their Periods in the common Phrase and Language of Mankind. But as in Mythological and Parabolical Narrations we do not expect that evePhrafe fhould be Historical and Obvious; fo neither can we expect that the Duration of the feveral Periods in Prophecies Hieroglyphical, Obfcure, and Mystical, fhould be determin'd by the fame common Measure of Time, which was made ufe of in the before-mention'd plain and clear Predictions. When God faid in clear and exprefs Words, that the Jews fhould serve the King of Babylon 70 Years; and that after 70 Years they Jer.xxv.11,12. fhould be reftor'd to their own Land again: I do not feek any & xxix. 10. other than a literal fenfe of the word Tears, becaufe all the other words, as Babylon, and Judah, and Captivity, and the reft, are

ry

taken

taken in their ordinary Acceptation, without any Mystery or Allegory at all. But when I find Times and Laws given into Dan.v11.24,25. the hands of a Little Horn for a time, and times, and a divifion of time; or for fomewhat above three Years; I confider that the time, times, and a divifion of time, or three Years, and a part of another, may as well be Enigmatical, as the Horn is certainly fo: And therefore I do not immediately conclude, that all the Tyranny of that Impious Dominion, fignify'd by the Little Horn, is confin'd to a bare fpace of between three and four Years but fearch farther what is the Myftical fignification of a Time or Year in this Mystical Prophecy. So when I find Apoc.1x.5, 10. Locusts tormenting Men five Months: I enquire what the Interpretaton of five Months is in Prophetick ftyle, as well as what is the Interpretation of Locufts; and do not immediately conclude that fo great a Noife is made about a Calamity of less than half a Year's continuance: and fo of the reft.

See Jurieu, part 1. C.25.

II. 'Twas not at all confiftent with the Defign of God in thefe Prophecies, to make every thing evident and unquestionable by plain and exprefs words. For tho' the Jewish Prophe cies, which were generally to be fulfill'd by Heathens, who regarded them not, might and were plain and explicit; yet the Chriftian Prophecies being to be fulfill'd by thofe that believ'd' them, they ought not to be fo: For as the Principal of them determin'd the Time for the Death of the Meffiah; fo the reft generally determin the Times of Antichrift, to be fet up in the Church of Chrift. Now if God had faid by Daniel, that immediately after 483 Chaldean Years, from the 20th of Artaxerxes Longimanus the Meffias fhould be Cut off; Can we imagin that the Jews would ever have Crucify'd Jefus of Nazareth at that very time? And if God had faid by St. John, that 360 Years after his feeing the Vifions of the Apocalypfe, ten Aptichriftian Kingdoms fhould arife, and domineer in his Church for 1260 Years together; can we once fuppofe it poffible that the Church fhould have fubmitted to them? No certainly; If thefe Prophecies had all been plain and explicit, and a Year, the common Measure of Time, had been everywhere us'd to determin the feveral Periods, in its common fignification, they had plainly hindred their own Completion;

and

and, without a fatal Determination of humane Actions, must have prevented all thofe Events which they foretold thould come to pafs: as 'tis very eafy for every one to discern on a fmall Confideration.

III. And fince the Nature and Genius of the Prophetick Style, as well as the Defign of the Almighty in revealing thefe things, did require that a Year, the moft ufual and stated Meafure of Time, fhould not be exprefs'd by it felf, but by fome other; It is evident from not a few Reafons and Testimonies in the rest of the Scripture, that a Day is of all other the most fit and proper for it; nay, is certainly and frequently made ufe

of therein to reprefent it on other occafions; as I have elfe where New Theory prov'd. But, not to infift on the other Texts, at prefent I p. 81, &c. fhall only inftance in two of the most remarkable, and fuch

as feem directly to guide us to the true Prophetick importance

of that word, and fo of thofe derived from it. Your Children, Numb.xiv.33, fays God to the Difobedient Ifraelites, fall wander in the Wil- 34. dernefs forty years; after the number of the days in which ye fearch

bear

ed the Land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall you your iniquities, even forty years. And ftill more fully and exprefsly to our prefent purpofe in that Eminent Historical Prophecy of Ezekiel: Lye thou, fays God to him, on thy left fide, Ezek. v. 4,6. and lay the iniquity of the house of Ifrael upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lye upon it, thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; fo fhalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Ifrael. And when thou hast accomplish'd them, lye again on thy right fide, and thou fbalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have

a day for a year, a day : יום לשנה יום לשנה appointed thee

for a year.

IV. This appears by fuch Prophecies of Daniel as have their Periods determin'd by days, or words equivalent thereto, or de riv'd from it. Because it may easily be prov'd, that not one of them were fulfill'd in that literal and ordinary acceptation for bare days: Whereas it will hereafter appear, that in the other Prophetick fignification for years, all that are expir'd have already been fulfill'd; and fo there can be no reafon to doubt of the fulfil

Dan. vij. 25.

Dan.xij. 7.

25, 32.

Dan. xi. 13.

ling of the reft in their due seasons hereafter. Now fince this Argument is of all others the most important in this matter; and such as, if it can be well prov'd, determins the difpute; I shall more particularly infift upon it. And in order to the more convincing Evidence, I fhall examin all Daniel's Numbers in Order; and fhew of every one in particular, that it was not fulfill'd according to the Expofition of those who interpret days according to the letter of fo many bare natural days only and fo fhew the abfolute neceffity of recurring to that other Prophetick fignification, of which we are now discourfing. The first Text in Daniel, which determins a Period by a Collection or Number of Days, is that of the Little Horn, growing up among Ten Horns; which fhould have Times and Laws given into his hand until a time and times, and a divifion or part of time. Which words, Time and Times, both by the Dan. iv. 16, 23, feven times that were to pafs over Nebuchadnezzar; which are generally fuppos'd to have been feven years: By a Parallel place in the fame Book, the King of the North fhall certainly come at the End of Times, that is to fay, Tears, as my Lord Bishop of Worcester well obferves: for the Hebrew being not in regimine, but in appofition, cannot properly be otherwife rendred: Apoc.xij.6,14. and by St. John's Expofition of 'em in the Apocalypfe, appear to be three Chaldean Years, and a part of a Year. Now fince this Number belongs to that remarkable Period of the Fourth, of Roman Monarchy, after the Rife of its ten Horns, or Divifion into ten Kingdoms; (which is known not to have been till the Fifth Century of Chriftianity;) as the Context will fhew to any who confults it: And fince it ends not till the conclufion of that Fourth or Roman Monarchy, and the commencing of our Saviour's glorious Kingdom upon its deftruction; as is clear from the Angel's Expofition of it: We fhall only need to count the Time fince the Fifth Century, to know whether by thefe three years, and a part of another, i. e. as we fhall fee hereafter three years and one month, fo many bare years are intended or not. For 'tis but too plain, that the laft State of the Roman Monarchy is not yet over; and that our Saviour's Kingdom of Righteoufnefs and Peace is not yet fet up in the World. Nay, if we should leave the clear and evident Sence

of

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