Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

ends the seventy weeks, proves Daniel's prophecy true, establishes the vision, confounds the Jew, confutes the infidel, and ought to establish the mind of every believer in the remainder of the vision.

Here, then, is a combination of facts and circumstances, together with dates and times, which throws upon the mind such strong array of testimony, that it would seem no rational being could withstand the proof. And methinks I hear some say, Why all this argument? No one but a Jew ever disputed, but that the seventy weeks were fulfilled at the death of Christ, and that a day in this prophecy was a figure of a year.

I should not have been thus particular, and have trespassed so much on your time to prove a given point in Christendom, had I not recently met with more than one Christian professor, and even teachers in Zion, who deny that the seventy weeks ended with the death of Christ, or that a day in this prophecy means a year. Some have gone so far in infidelity as to deny that "Most Holy," in our text, and "Messiah," in our context, means Christ. This surely would make a Jew blush. I agree that 1 never anticipated that any objection could be raised on those points, without a wilful perversion of language, and a total disregard of the word of God.

But man, in his fallen state, is an unaccountable, strange being; if his favorite notions are crossed, he will, to avoid conclusions, deny even his own senses. Therefore it becomes necessary for me to prove, what has been considered by many, even of the objectors themselves in previous time, given points in theology.

It is not more than four years since many of the clergy and D.D.'s in the city of New York met a delegation of the Jewish patriarchs from the East, and in their conference the clergy and doctors brought forward the seventy weeks in Daniel, as proof positive of Jesus of Nazareth being the true Messiah. They explained the seventy weeks in the same manner I have to you, and asked the Jews how they could avoid the conclusion? and I understood they could get no answer. Now, suppose these same clergy and D.D.'s should meet me on the question now pending; I should not be

greatly disappointed if they should deny my premises. "Why would they do thus ?" say you. I answer, For the same reason that the lawyer hesitated, when he learned that it was his bull that gored the farmer's ox.

"But might we not understand the seventy weeks to be so many literal weeks, that is, 490 common days?" say you. I answer, If so, then the command to build Jerasalem must have been given only a year and a third before Christ's death; and it would have been very improper for Gabriel to have said, "Unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks," when he had already come, and had been preaching more than two years before the weeks began. No, my friends; every reasonable controversialist must acknowledge there is no possible way to get rid of our conclusion but to deny that Most Holy, and Messiah, means Christ, in our text and context. And I pity, and leave the man in the hands of him who knows all hearts, that is forced on to ground so untenable as this.

If I have got a right understanding of the seventy weeks, that a day stands for a year, and I have never been able to find a Christian expositor who disagrees with me on this point, either modern or ancient, then the conclusion is, as far as I can see, unavoidable, that the vision of Daniel is 2300 years long, and that the 490 years before Christ's death is not only the key to unlock the commencing of the vision, but shows conclusively how and when, and manner and time, the kingdoms of this world will be broken to pieces and carried away, and no place found for them, by the stone which will become a great mountain and fill the whole earth.

For the seventy weeks must seal up the vision and make the prophecy of Daniel true. Then, if 2300 days is the length of the vision, and 490 days of that vision were fulfilled in 490 years ending with Christ's death, so must 1810 days end the vision, which, upon precisely the same rule, will be fulfilled in 1810 years after Christ's death, or in 1843 after his birth, which is the same thing.

But, say some, "Daniel did not understand the vision

COINSCHAL 24 CH inre self He says, "At the

tre of the emi shall be the vision.”

Arun: f Jane Lit nx maderstand, the angel must 14 Jeen ustanemed, for the angel says, "Behold, I .. mis tee know what shall be in the last end of the gacon; ir a the time appointed, (2300 days,) the

A fi di not understand the vision and
DE IS 19 veris cannot be taken as evidence.
ADY VS Wei uno Dumel, and the thing was

È the time 170cmed 2300 days) was long." is shows that June erstood the time; for he says Ys me fa ne man would have called 2300 comsauce seven years: a long time for so TENT THE AD mportant events, as are noticed in the SAI TUSIN And be understood the thing, 2 and had understanding of the vision."

Nok, it herector quarrel with Gabriel and Daniel e nases. I have their testimony, and shall give han the reference. Sorze say, God has not revealed e me I ast, then Who revealed this vision to Br whose command was the answer given, RC ins? Who revenied the seventy weeks, the ZURA TURS, SOÈ a 7? How came Daniel by his 34′ and 188 årys? Who said to Daniel, “But go hau nhẹ my till the end be, for thou shalt rest and stand 2 st at the ma of the days"? Read Daniel ii. 20, §. ani. Da verses, and let the objector lay his hands Nu, dis mouth and be silent. Has man become so bold | sus that he will contradict angels, defame the prophs derr the word of God, that we may cry peace id subty, when sudden destruction cometh? “But ve will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither d you though one rose from the dead." Peter says, There shall be scoffers in the last day, saying, Where the promise of his coming?" God has not revealed time of the end, say you; therefore it

[merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

cometh"? For this must be before he comes no time then to cry; for it will be as sudden as the lightning, says the dear Savior.

Let the objectors look to it, that they do not reject the council of God against themselves.

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, (ignorant of the revelation of God,) that that day shall overtake you as a thief." Amen

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.

THIS text has caused as much speculation as any text in the whole Bible; rivers of ink have been shed to explain its meaning, brains have been addled in trying to find some great mystery which the wisdom of this world, as was supposed, could only discover; and in trying to be wise above what was written, men have lost their balance, and fell into absurdities too ridiculous to mention. Some have searched through all the vocabulary of Greek names, to find one whose numerical letters would make the number 666, and they have been wonderfully blest, for they found a number; but here again there remained a difficulty to surmount, which required as much ingenuity as the former; but to remedy the evil, every Greek scholar chose the one his fancy dictated, wrote his book on the number 666, and then died, and his wonderful name died with him; for every wise Greek had his own favorite name. Also, the Latin book-worms, not wishing to be outdone by their Greek brethren, rummaged all the old goatskin parchments and musty books in the cloisters of all the monks in Christendom; and behold, a much greater harvest was the fruit of their labor; for now every Latinus had three or more names to his share; and in all this wisdom, all other nations were left without any wisdom, except

« PoprzedniaDalej »