had all that time been in uncertainty about the points that were not explained to him in that vision. He now seems to catch at the thought, that it must be the "sanctuary" at Jerusalem, to which the vision related, and he at once commences praying accordingly. He, at the 17th verse, prays especially about the sanctuary. "Now, therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake." Daniel's mind is evidently on the vision, and he seems to suppose he has got the clue to the sanctuary that is to be "cleansed;" but Gabriel comes flying "swiftly," to stop Daniel in the midst of his prayer. See verse 21: " Yea, while ] was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation."

Gabriel, why this haste? Why, I see Daniel is wrong—he don't understand the matter—he thinks the vision related to the sanctuary at Jerusalem, and I must stop him, for he is going astray.

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Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision," says Daniel. What vision? Where had Daniel seen Gabriel in vision? Evidently nowhere but in the vision of 2300 days. "Well," says Gabriel, "I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding—therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision."

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How is it possible that anything can be plainer than that both Daniel and Gabriel have the vision in mind, that none understood," at the close of the eighth chapter? Now," says Gabriel, "understand the mater, a by your prayer I see you did not, and consider the vision—direct your attention to what I have now to say of it. Seventy weeks are determined [cut off, so the word signifies] upon thy people." "Cut off from what?" Surely not from indefinite space; but from some time previously given. What time had Daniel given him before? None, except the 2300 days. The natural inference, then, is that the 70

weeks were cut off from those days: there is nothing else to cut them off from. For what are they cut off? Several objects are specified; but one especially, viz., "to seal up [or, as the word signifies, see Dan. vi. 17, make sure the vision." That is, to confirm and establish the vision: so that, as certain as 70 weeks are accomplished at the death of Messiah, so shall all the vision be accomplished in 2300 days. Now if these 70 weeks are weeks of years, so are all the 2300 days, years. Can the things to be accomplished in those 70 weeks, transpire in so many literal weeks, i. e., in one year and 18 weeks? Certainly not. Then they must be reckoned in some other way. How else can they be reckoned? Is there any Scripture rule for reckoning days for years? See Ezekiel iv. 4—6: "Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie 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, so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days; I have appointed thee each day for a year." Here, then, we have an example of days being put for years. The 70 weeks, then, may be reckoned a day for a year, or 490 years. "But," say some, "the expression is seventy sevens, and means seventy sevens of years, or 490 years." Thank the objector; for he only strengthens my argument; for they are cut off from the 2300, and as you cannot cut off 490 years from 2300 days, it establishes the fact that those 2300 days are years, and that that was what the angel intended to teach Daniel.

The next point on which the angel would inform Daniel, is, where to commence his reckoning. This he does at the 25th verse: "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Mes

siah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."

Here we observe, that the point of beginning is at the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, and the termination of the 70 weeks is at the cutting off of Messiah: the angel then briefly states, that "the people of the prince that shall come," i. e., the same power denoted by the "exceeding great horn," "shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;" thus giving Daniel to understand that so far from the sanctuary at Jerusalem being cleansed, it was to be utterly destroyed. The angel, also, runs down in his explanation to the "consummation" of the whole 2300 years.

Let us now inquire when the "commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" went forth. It is true, there were several decrees relating to that subject. It cannot be either of the first two; because, neither of them can be made to harmonize with the history of Christ's death. There is but one of the four decrees relating to this matter that can agree with the event; and the commencement of the vision is clearly at the height of the Persian empire, as Daniel sees the "last horn" of the ram at its highest point when the vision first presents itself to him, and the ram is “ pushing," also, in the detailed explanation that the angel gives Daniel in the eleventh chapter, second verse, he points directly to the king of Persia, who "by his strength through his riches" should "stir up all against the

realm of Grecia." The Persian empire was at its height under Artaxerxes. In that period, therefore, we should expect to find the decree referred to. Accord ingly we find it, in Ezra vii. 21—26, given by Artaxerxes; and Ezra tells us, 8th chap. 31st verse, Then we departed from the river Ahava, on the twelfth of the first month, to go unto Jerusalem." The Jews reckoned their year from the spring equinox; hence, the 12th of the first month would be the fore part of our April. This, according to the chronology of our Bibles, was in the year before the birth of Christ, by the common reckoning, 457. Now from 2300, the whole length of the vision, take 457

and 1843 remains.

But, for the sake of the argument, suppose we are mistaken in respect to the precise year in which the commandment went forth; all commentators, I believe, agree in the fact, that our Lord was crucified just 490 years from that period. This admission is necessary in any argument with a Jew in proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah, and hence all Christians have used it. Dr. Adam Clarke says, that 490 years, to a day, transpired from the going forth of the commandment to the time that our Lord hung upon the cross. Thus, then, we have settled, by common consent, that 490 years terminated at the cross. But it will be seen that these 490 years, or 70 weeks, are divided into three very unequal parts, as follows:

7 weeks; 7 times 7 are 49 years. 62 weeks; 7 times 62 are 4 3 4 years. 1 week; 7 times 1 are

70 weeks,

7 years.

490 years.

The 49 years were employed under Ezra and Nehemiah in restoring and building Jerusalem; then 434 years more to Messiah, making 69 weeks. The term Messiah. signifies anointed." When was Jesus anointed? At his baptism, when the Holy Spirit

descended upon him, and the voice from heaven proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Then when our Lord came preaching, Mark i. 15, he says, "the time is fulfilled." What time? Clearly, the 69 weeks no other time had been given for his manifestation. One week more remains to be filled up before he is cut off; and the chronology of nearly all our Bibles shows that his ministry lasted seven years. Turn to your Polyglott Bibles, and you will see, Matt. ii. 1: "Now when Jesus was born" -the note, by the translators, in the margin, saying, "4th year before the account called Anno Domini." Then turn to the 27th chapter, and you will find 33 as the year of his crucifixion; making his ministry 7 years. You will also find by an examination of the other Evangelists, that the chronology of our Lord's baptism is the year 26, and his death 33. The 70 weeks, or 490 years, then, extend to the year of our Lord which we call 33; and it has been made certain, by astronomical calculations, that that was the year of our Lord's death.

Some tell us, "Messiah was cut off in the midst of the week." The text says no such thing. It simply says "In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. "The first inquiry here is, what are we to understand by "the midst ?" It does not necessarily mean, in the middle of a thing. Absalom was "in the midst of the oak;" 2 Sam. xviii. 15. David would praise God "in the midst of the congregation;" Psalm xxii. 22. "God is working salvation in the midst of the earth;" Psalm lxxiv. 12. God let "flesh fall in the midst of" the Israelites' " Psalm lxxviii. 28. Christ is to "rule in the midst of his enemies;" Psalm ex. 2. Some men lie" down in the midst of the sea;" Prov. xxiii. 34. “ Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us;" Jer. xiv. 9. Christ is "in the midst of" two or three who meet in his name; Matthew xviii. 20. Jesus "stood in the midst of" his disciples when they were gathered together, after his resurrection. All these expressions show, that the phrase "in the midst of," denotes no more than, some

camp ;"