An Apology in Brief Assertions, Exegesis 1
A DEFENCE OF I. CALVIN, our notes vponupon the Geneua Bible, Emmamanuel Tremelius, Matthew Beroaldus, Henrie Wolphius, and Romists yeelding vntounto them, Gilbert Genebrard, and others: for the beginning, ending, and certeintie of Daniels ſeauens, conteined in Gabriels ſpeech, the key of the old Testament, by H. B. of the ſame opinion in Conc. Ser.
THeir beginning is ſo cleare by the Text, that the ſharpeſt aduerſarie is driuen to grant this for their beginning, as followeth: Quod ad rationes attinet è ſcriptura ſacra, etſi mihi quidem maximè videatur rationi eſſe conſentaneum, ut verbum exiſtimetur id ſignificare quod verſibus ſuperiorib. Gabriel commemorat, verbum Iehouae eiuſque decretum, uti explicauimus: quoniam tamen referri poteſt ad illud tempus quores ipſa implenda fuit, non tamen quo primum enuntiata eſt, idcirco relinquatur nobis liberum, ut potuiſſe iudicemus id tempus deſignari, quo Cyrus Iudaeis libertatem conceſſurus erat è Babilonica captiuitate redeundi, & instaurandi Hieroſolyma. Pag 150. Taken out of a Lecture booke written.
And alſo this much for the ending of them: Septuaginta ſeptimanis completis exciſus eſt Chriſtus. A man would hauehave thought, that he who was driuen to graunt ſuch a carefull limitation for beginning & ending, ſhould not ſeeke an impoſſibilitie for a greater ſpace in the middle partes than the whole is.
Notwithſtanding his ſtrife is againſt Art, himſelfe, Daniel, all men, and againſt an Angell, in theſe wordes: Si Angelus dixiſſet poſt octies ſeptuaginta annos excidetur Chriſtus, hic quidem praeciſe & proprie loquutus eſſet Angelus: quoniam preciſe ab eo tempore interceſſerunt anni 560.
This is farre worſe: Conſtat per ſynecdochen certum numerumpro incerto poni, ita in hoc ipſo Danielis loc reſtatiam nobis confirmandum: non poſſe praeciſe intelligi annos 490: ſed alium aliquem numerum, incertum per certum. Firſt take this much againſt his vncertainty, for propriety. Afterwardes againſt his account of 560. yeres.
1 The proprietie of Scripture whereupon actions of men muſt be altered through all the worlde, is ſurer than heauen and earth, which ſhall paſſe: but it ſhall not.
2 He that granteth an Antichriſtian, that the fulnes of time for redemption, differeth 70. yeres from the Angels ſpeech, turneth the proprietie of Scripture againſt our faith, and ſhaketh Gods word: whereby prophaneneſſe onelyonly will beare ſway, and the Goſpell ſhall be nothing worth.
3 He maketh the Angell a greater deceauer than euer Apollo was: ſpeaking ſo, that of two thouſande yeres none euer, Iew nor Gentile vnderſtoode him vntill 1590. in a matter touching a principle of faith.
4 He maketh Daniel not to vnderſtande his owne prophecie: who yet ſaith, he vnderſtoode, and that the Angel came to teache him knowledge: and profeſſedly confuteth Daniels meaning. He ſhould hauehave found vponupon his victorie farre more glorie, if he had plainely tolde his hearers, that he would teach Daniel better to vnderſtand the Angel: though he told them not obſcurely in diſputing that Daniel vnderſtood it not: and granteth or muſt grant that Daniel thought it properly ſpoken: and ſo is the prophet of mine opinion and with me confuted.
5 The charge to vnderſtand Daniel Math. 24. were in vaine for a time indefinite: for ſtill the mind would be vnquiet, if 70. yeares before the worde required, that all things ſhould be performed.
6 Seauen in a trope ſignifieth many: ſo ſeauenty ſeauen muſt ſignifie an exceeding great number. So extreamitie of Iudaiſme ſhoulde be eſtabliſhed. For the Iewes looke yet for Chriſt to come, and hold him bad that preſcribeth a time.
7 The ceremonies hauehave no warrant from expreſſed wordes, when they ſhoulde ende: but cleane contrary, are long to continue, for any word of prophet, if Gabriels ſpeech be indefinite.
8 It were in vaine to lay downe ſo exact a Chronicle from Adam to Cyrus, that Iewes or Gentiles of olde hauehave rightly helde thoſe yeares plainely, the learned of them, if from Cyrus to Chriſt, where moſt neede was, a certaine ſpeech ſhoulde be vttered, but an vncertaine meaning left, and no Scripture handle the cauſe.
9 Iewes and Gentiles hitherto vnderſtood Gabriel in proprietie: and a ſmall Librarie wil affoord a hundred ſeuerall writers witneſſes hereof.
10 The deadly enemie Aben Ezra granteth, that the time is from the word to Daniel, vntil the Meſſiah is ſealed: and alſo that it is 490. yeares.
11 The Phariſees might hauehave obiected Scripture againſt Chriſt, Matth. 16. touching the time, if it had not properly fallen out: when our Lord doth blame them for not knowing the time.
12 Herod had not feared: nor the ſage Magy come to Ieruſalem: nor after, Andrew, the Samaritans, and they Luk. 19. Act. 2. or they that were in Barcozbas daies, looked for a Meſſias: but by Scripture. If proprietie had bin caſt off 70. yeares further, ſome ſimple, 70. yeres ſooner would hauehave looked for Chriſt. But none did.
13 Auctor Chazon Moed and Barbinel ſhould iuſtly accuſe all Chriſtians of extreame ignorance in this text, if all hauehave bin deceaued, who thought that Gabriel limited the time for Chriſt.
14 To part an indefinite time, reaſon can not ſuffer, and no author euer went about: therefore it paſſeth reaſon to make not onelyonly the ſeauentie ſeauens vncertaine, but the 7. alſo, the 62. alſo, the one alſo in his two partes.
15 Daniel knew before Gabriel came to him euerie point of that which the angel ſpake of, ſauing the time when our Lord ſhould dye. Wherefore either that is it which he taught him: or he ſpake vntruly in promiſing to teach him knowledge.
Concluſion. Seauentie ſeauens of errours may be obiected againſt the inuentor of that opinion: wherefore it muſt be aboliſhed.
Obiections of aduerſaries.
1 The 400. yeres Gen. 15. are not exact: ſo Gabriels yeares, may be taken for a number vncertaine.
2 Likewiſe the 300. yeares Iud. 11.
3 Alſo the time of the three dayes, and three nights tolde by our Lord for being in the graue, are not iuſt ſo fully.
4 Likewiſe many expoūd the Angel as in his commentary or ſecond ſpech, cutting of his laſt ſeauen in the middle, and ſome of the aboue named ſo do: therfore it is not preciſely. 490. yeares.
5 As autor Concentus maketh the three yeres and halfe which are in Apoc. 13. to be ſpoken by a ſynecdoche: ſo may Gabriels ſeauens be.
Anſwers.
The firſt is exact, and alwayes hath ſo ben taken, from ſince Iſmael perſecuted Iſaak, vntil the departure from Egipt: yeares preciſely 400.
Moreover, if by a prophet from the old teſtamēt any could proue it contrould, he ſhould helpe himſelfe nothing: for God by propriety ſhoulde tel what he meant, and give warrant for a trope.
So the ſpech of Iephte for the. 300 yeresis controld by Scripture, and was ſuch as the cauſe required. For wheras the king of Ammon complained of iniury done at the comming from Egipte, not knowing, or not regardinge the. 40. yeares continuance in the wildernes, it had ben a curioſitie for Iephte to be quarreling for that which nothing altered the pley: and ſo he ſpeaketh of the time from their owne ſuppoſition. 305. it was. But who in that caſe woulde be trifling for the od fiue.
For the three dayes, and three nightes, the Euangeliſts make the meaning plaine, ſhewing that the ſixt day our Lord was buried, and aroſe the firſt day.
The fourth obiection is twiſe faulty. For it woundeth the obiecter more ſharpely. For if the angel ſaid 490. yeres ſauing three yeares and an halfe, he calleth to a moſt ſtraight reckoning.
Moreouer, how can he make vp 560. preciſely, if the angel cut of three yeres & an halfe. But that the angel in his commentarie croſſed not his owne text, many lerned old and new ſhew: and to ſtriue for ſuch quirkes it is no grauitie. The vſe of the text is to ſhew the time of redemtion expreſsing a redeemer. If men further will contend, the Church of God hath no ſuch cuſtome.
Laſtly if the 3. yeres & half & Gabriels ſeauens be equal concerning trope & propriety: by a conſequent the Pope ſhuld be freed frō being Antechriſt: by the general teſtimony of writers, that hold Daniels ſpech to be proper: & ſo a learned mā that ſo thinketh by his owne voice ſhuld diſgrace his learned works writtē againſt the Pope.