his two former visions, Daniel declared-" he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.”* It is the opinion of Bishop Newton, that the subject of this last prophecy is the same with that of the vision of the ram and he-goat. He says of it," The memorable events which were revealed to Daniel in the vision of the ram and he-goat, are here again more clearly and explicitly revealed, in his last vision, by an angel; so that this latter prophecy may not improperly be said to be a comment and explanation of the former." The arguments by which he confirms the correctness of this remark seem quite conclusive. "This revelation," says he, "was made in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, when Daniel was very far advanced in years." "Old as he was, he set his heart to understand the former revelations that had been made to him, and particularly the vision of the ram and he-goat, as I think we may collect from the sequel: and for this purpose he prayed and fasted three weeks(chap. x. 2, 3.) His fasting and prayers had the desired effect; for an angel was sent, and said unto him-(chap. x. 12,)—' Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words are heard, and I am come for thy words. The angel declares the design of his coming, —(verse 14,)— Now am I come to make thee understand what shall befal thy people in the latter days; for yet the vision is for many days.""‡ Dissert. xvi.-Bishop Newton thus saw, and clearly demonstrated, the identity of subject, in the vision of the ram and he-goat, and in that of the things noted in the scripture of truth. He even interpreted Bishop Newton thus proves the identity of the subjects of these two prophecies by an argument drawn from the language of the angel, who says, he had come because of Daniel's desire to understand. He came to instruct him, not in any thing of which he was before quite ignorant, but in that which had been exhibited to him in two former visions, one of which he did not understand,* while he gives no intimation that he any more understood the other. The language of the angel thus, we see, intimates, that his communications were to be confined to the subjects of the former visions. We find that, in point of fact, they were so, when we go on to compare the revelations made in this last vision, with those made in that of the ram and he-goat, and with those made in the prophecy of the seventy weeks. The opening up of the prophecy of the things noted in the scripture of truth agrees exactly with that of the vision of the ram and he-goat. The kings of Persia-the mighty king standing up and ruling with great dominion -and his kingdom divided towards the four winds of heaven,† of the former, are severally the same with the kings of Persia-the first king of Grecia-and the four kingdoms, that, after his fall, stand up out of the nation,+ of the latter. The commencement of the prophecy of the seventy weeks differs, indeed, from both these; having reference to the restoration of Jerusalem after the Babylonish captivity, which Daniel at the time deeply interested himself in, as we have already noticed. We have learnt, the latter in strict consistency with the former, a great way on from the beginning of it; and yet, in interpreting the latter part of it, he went far away from any thing fully opened up in the vision of the ram and he-goat. *Daniel viii. 27. + Daniel xi. 2-4. Daniel viii. 20-22. however, from the language of Gabriel in communicating it to Daniel, that it, too, illustrates remarkable passages in the vision of the ram and he-goat. * But, in the conclusions of all the three prophecies, there are remarkable agreements. We have already seen how the king of fierce countenance, who shall destroy the mighty and the holy people, in the vision of the ram and he-goat, agrees with the prince, whose people shall come and destroy the city and the sanctuary and occasion great desolation, in the prophecy of the seventy weeks.† The destruction and abomination of desolation, and taking away of the daily sacrifice, in the conclusion of this lastnamed prophecy, equally agree with the time of trouble, the complete scattering abroad of the power of the holy people, and the abomination of desolation, and taking away of the daily sacrifice,§ of the prophecy of the things noted in the scripture of truth. Thus we are directed, by the terms contained in themselves, to consider the three prophecies as containing the same subject-matter of revelation; announced in some of them more briefly and obscurely, and in some of them more circumstantially and clearly. They thus throw a mutual light on each other, and enable us to ascertain, with more precision, the events which formed their fulfilment.|| *Daniel viii. 24. + Daniel ix. 26, 27. Daniel xii. 1, 7. This is not the only instance, in the Book of Daniel, where the same series of events has been made the subject of distinct visions and prophecies, seen and uttered at different times. It is evident from the whole terms of the two, and is allowed by the commentators, that Daniel's own vision, in the seventh chapter, foreshows the same series of remarkable But we have now to make an observation,-which we could not have made so intelligibly until after presenting these detailed comparisons,-that there is one part of the prophecy of the ram and he-goat which obviously reaches out into a longer futurity than any parts of the other two prophecies extend to. We deem it necessary, to prevent any misconception of our argument in this branch of our subject, to notice, in some detail, its nature and conditions. The vision of the ram and he-goat comes down, in what may be called the description of the machinery, to a time when the little horn, that waxed exceeding great, "magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.—And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice, by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised and prospered."* The explanation given of this by Gabriel, who was ordered to make Daniel understand the vision, is, "when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand."+ Here, both in events, that had been before foreshewn by Nebuchadnezzar's dream, as explained by Daniel in the second chapter. *Daniel viii. 9-12. + Daniel viii. 23-25. the vision, and the explanation of it, we have the passage that corresponds with the respective conclusions of the two succeeding prophecies of the seventy weeks and the things noted in the scripture of truth. Bishop Newton has well proved, in his Fifteenth Dissertation, that this passage of the little horn predicts the rise and conquests of the Romans,-their crucifixion of the Saviour, and persecution of his followers,-and their destruction of Jerusalem, and dispersion of the Jewish people. But this vision of the viii. chapter gives, with regard to one point, as we have observed, a view into futurity, much beyond the time of the taking away the daily sacrifice, and casting down the place of the sanctuary of the Jews. After Daniel saw the sacrifice taken away, and the sanctuary cast down, by the little horn, he "heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, 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? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."* Gabriel, while he explained all the former part of the vision, did not explain this additional prediction, which is thus otherwise detached, and peculiarly distinguished, from every thing that accompanies it in the vision, by being given in a colloquy between certain saints. Gabriel only said of it, "The vision of the evening and the morning, which was told, is true: wherefore *Daniel viii. 13, 14. |