death. 2. He was not oppressed by pecuniary
exactions, as is said of the subject of this prophecy. 3. He was
never taken from prison to die, for he was never in one. 4. He did
not "see his seed," nor "prolong his days," since he died childless;
and we will not permit the word "seed" to be spiritualized on this
occasion, for the word "seed" in the Old Testament, means
nothing else, than literally "children," which it is not pretended he
ever had; and how could he "prolong his days," when he was cut
off in his 33d year. 5. Besides, who were "the strong and mighty,"
with whom he divided the spoil? Were they the twelve fishermen
of Galilee? and what was the spoil divided? In a word, the literal
application of this prophecy to Jesus is now given up by the most
learned Hebrew scholars, who allow, that the literal sense of the
original can never be understood of him. [See Priestley's notes on
the scriptures, in loco; and the context before and after.]

We have now come to the last subject proposed to be considered in
this chapter, viz., Daniel's prophecy of the seventy weeks, the
"instar omnium" of the prophetical proofs of Christianity, and
which was for ages held up to the view of "the unbelieving race,"
as cutting off beyond doubt their "hope of Israel" from ever
appearing, since the time so distinctly foretold had elapsed. But
such is the instability of human opinions, that it was at length
suspected, and at last ascertained-by the learned, that "the stubborn
Israelites" had some reason for denying that prophecy, any voice in
the affair.

During many years, one learned man after another, had amused
himself with destroying the system of his predecessor, and
replacing it with his own, not a whit better, but tending to the same
end, viz., to make the prophecy of the seventy weeks tally and fit
with the event of the crucifixion. At length Marsham, a learned
Englishman, declared, and demonstrated, that his predecessors, in
this enquiry, had been grossly mistaken, for that the prophecy in
all its parts was totally irrelevant and irreconcileable with the time
of the crucifixion. The appearance of his book put all the
theologians of that age in an uproar! But many learned Christians
in the last, and present, century, now freely acknowledge, that
Daniel is not on their side, but as much a Jew as his brethren.

This celebrated prophecy, literally translated from the original, is
as follows:--Dan. ix. 24, &c.--"Seventy weeks are