A Letter to a Friend Touching Mordecais Age 2, Title page – Printer to the reader
A Letter to a Friende, touching Mardochai his age;
Which helpeth much to holde the trueth, for that chiefe Prophecie of our ſaluation in Gabriels Seuenties: which ſhew, that moſt exactly 490, yeares after the Angels ſpeach, Chriſt the moſt Holy ſhould be killed, to giuegive life. Dan. 9.23.
1. Cor. 1.25.
The fooliſhneſſe of God is wiſer then men.
Imprinted at London by Wil. VVhite, in Cow-lane. 1612.
The Printer to the READER.
THAT the Letter following might better be vnderſtood, I requeſted the Authour, that one ſpeciall Text might be ſet before it, as hee had tranſlated it. Daniel, 9.24. I heard him affirme, that none, for skill in Hebrew, would blame that Tranſlation: and though many differ, it was not for ignoraunce of the tongue; but by their conceite touching the matter, drawing the words as they iudged of the whole cauſe. Thus he tranſlated that poynt, which was Gabriels ſpeach; who came to Daniel, praying at the time of the Euening offering, or three of the clocke, or ninth houre by Scripture phraſe: (§For ſo he writeth in the letter. at which houre 490. yeares after moſt exactly, our Lord gaue vp the Ghoſt, and told, that at the beginning of his*So the author taught. that euen the faythles Iew Aben Ezra vponupon Dan. 9. beginneth the time from the word that came forth at Daniels prayer, and endeth it when Chriſt is ſealed. And that the Iew though he could not caſt the times particularly, nor knew Chriſt to be the moſt Holy, yet durſt not depart from the proprietie of plaine wordes, to peruert the ſpeach of the liuing God; & be wiſhed others that circumſpection. Such as begin & end to that effect, may not make here a certaine number, for an vncertaine. Prayer, came foorth the word (or anſwere from God) which he came to ſhew, and ſayth thus. Seauentie ſeauens (of yeares) are cut out, for thy people, and for thy holy Citie; to conſume wickedneſſe, and to aboliſh ſinnes, and to make reconciliation for iniquitie, and to bring righteouſneſſe euerlaſting, and to ſeale Viſion and Prophet, and to ſhew Chriſt, the Holy of Holy. Know and marke; from the out-going of the Word, to returne and to build Ieruſalem, vntounto Chriſt the Gouernour, ſhalbe ſeauen ſeauens (of yeares,) and ſixtie and two ſeauens: (in th'other) it ſhall be reſtored and built, Street and Wall; and troublous shall theſe times be. In that after the ſixtie and two ſeauens, Chriſt shall be killed; and not for him ſelfe: thereupon the Citie and Holy place shall he deſtroy, the Gouernours owne people to come, & their end shalbe with a Flood: and at the end of Warre, it shall hauehave a finall iudgement to deſolation. But hee shall confirme the Testament for many the laſt Seauen; when in Halfe that Seauen, hee shall end the Sacrifice and Oblation. Afterwardes, by an Armie abominable, hee shall make a deſolation, euen till vtter deſtruction, and finall iudgement flow vponupon the deſolate.
And thus much for the Readers preparation, to vnderſtand the Epiſtle following.