came to him, and said, "O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, for I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved, therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." (v. 23.)

Now, what was the matter of particular Revelation by the Angel to Daniel? Read the 13th verse of the viiith Chapter. Daniel "heard one saint" ask "another," "how long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" The answer was, "unto 2300 days." (v. 14.) This therefore was the point which Daniel desired to understand. And this was the matter revealed to him by the angel: and, in the following manner,

From the 2300 days, Daniel is told to deduct 70 weeks or 490 days, as a season of mercy to the Jews, upon their restoration, the details of which are given as follows: the 490 days are divided into 3 parts, thus, 1st. Seven weeks, or 49 days, during which the commandment was sent forth to restore and build Jerusalem. 2nd. 62 weeks, or 434 days, within which period Messiah's first advent should occur. And 3rd, one week, or 7 days, in which, (1.) Messiah should be cut off —(2.) the covenant should be established with many for or during the whole week, -and (3.) in the midst of the week, sacrifice and oblation should cease: i. e., the sacrifices and obla

tions of the Mosaic Economy should terminate forever, by the one sacrifice of Christ once for all."

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But, it is to be remembered, that the Revelation of the Angel Gabriel to Daniel did not close here. The events in detail of the 70 weeks having received their accomplishment, the prophet is informed that "the City and Sanctuary" should be "destroyed" by “the people of the prince that should come," "the end of which should be with a flood," and that unto the end of the war, desolations" were "determined; and that "for the overspreading of abominations he should make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined, shall be poured upon the desolator." This period relates to the remainder of the 2300 days.

Of these days, however, as we have said, years must be understood; for, as the city and temple of Jerusalem could not have been rebuilt in 47 literal days, so the 2300 days of Chap. viii., if taken literally, would not have afforded scope sufficient for the first events of that vision; which, as they relate to the conflicts between the ram and the he-goat, occupy the reigns of the five kings of Persia down to Alexander king of Greece. But this is not all. The aggregate of the events in this vision reach down to the cleansing of the sanctuary, (viii., 14,) with which the "indignation" is to "end." (verses 17, 19.) The city and temple of Jerusalem, however, are still in the hands of the spoiler. The Jews yet remain a people, "scattered and peeled." The "indignation" is not

yet come to a "full end." The 2300 days have not yet expired.

We come now to observe, that we are furnished with internal evidence that the 2300 days of Chap. viii., 14, and the 70 weeks of Chap. ix., 24, have a common commencement, as that the days and weeks mean days and weeks of years. For, as the events detailed in the 70 weeks, and which commenced with "the command to restore and to build Jerusalem," ch. ix., 25, were all to receive their fulfilment before the commencement of " the overspreading of abominations," (v. 27,) which, like the desolating lava of a volcano, was to lay waste the fairest inheritance of God's ancient but rebellious people to the end of the 2300 years; and, as the 70 weeks or 490 years were to be deducted from the 2300 years, it follows, that both these prophetic numbers commence with the above command, to restore and build Jerusalem.

As, however, there were no less than THREE of the above named commands, delivered by three different kings (viz., Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes Longimanus, Ezra vi., 4,) at three different periods, it becomes a matter of vast importance in these premises to determine from which one of the three the above 70 prophetic weeks, and 2300 days date their commencement.*

* To correct a misapprehension as to the time whence we are to date the commencement of Daniel's 70 prophetic weeks, which is, that it immediately followed the decree issued by Cyrus, we remark, that, according to the learned Prideaux, under this decree "the State of Judah and Jerusalem only "began to be restored." And that it was not until the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, under the reign

Happily, even admitting that the chronology of that period, as some contend, is exceedingly confused, the fulfilment of the events as detailed in the 70 weeks, furnish what to our mind is irrefragible evidence, in determining the point of our inquiry. Irrefragible, we say, because that evidence is internal.

First. Take the "one week," (v. 27,) which is the last of the 70, and during which the covenant was to be confirmed with many. Now, it was "in the midst of this week" that Messiah was to be "cut off." Here we avail ourselves of the general acknowledgment that Christ commenced his ministry at 30 years of age,1 and that he exercised that ministry among the Jews only for precisely three years and a half, when he was crucified. It is also admitted that, commencing immediately after his death, the gospel was preached to the Jews only for three years and a half, when, by the conversion of Cornelius, the partition wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down, and the Gospel was proclaimed equally to all.

On the subject of the termination of the last week of the 70, placing it at the conversion of Cornelius, ra

of Artaxerxes Longimanus, that the church and state of the Jews, by virtue of several decrees, were finally and thoroughly restored. With this representation agrees Ezra vi., 14, which plainly intimates that "the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem" mentioned Dan. ix., 25, was reiterated through the reigns successively of Cyrus, Darius Hystaspes, and Artaxerxes Longimanus. As an aid to those who would wish to examine this subject minutely, I would respectfully refer them to the references appended to the tabular view of the viith Period, pages 219 & 240 of this work. 1. Luke iii., 23.

ther than at the crucifixion, "in the midst" (middle or first half) of which, Messiah was to be "cut off," we find ourselves at issue with the learned Prideaux, who, in order to complete the establishment of the covenant with many for that week, brings in the ministry of John the Baptist. But, we respectfully submit, that while this places the cutting off of Messiah at the end of the week, which seems to contradict Dan. ix., 27; it assigns also to the nature and design of John's ministry, as the forerunner of Christ, what does not belong to it. True, of that distinguished personage it is said, that "among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater" than he; and Christ himself testified both to the spirituality and superiority of his ministry over all that had preceded it. He was "more than a prophet." Still, says the Savior, "He that is least in THE KINGDOM Of HeaVEN is greater than he." Now, if we understand of this the Christian dispensation, then John the Baptist was not "in" it-he did not belong to it. This was evidently the dispensation which he had set forth as "at hand," i. e. as not yet established. The old prophets had declared that Christ was coming; John showed that Christ was then among them. But it remained for the Apostles and their successors " to prove that this Christ has suffered, and entered into his glory, and that repentance and remission of sins are proclaimed through his blood." John was beheaded, and his ministry sealed by his blood, ere the Messiah, whose way he proclaimed, had been betrayed, or tried, or condemned, or crucified, or was risen from the