son is of opinion that it was the Roman arms, in their wars with the Jews," that polluted the sanctuary of strength, and took away the daily sacrifice, and then placed the abomination of desolation." High, however, as the authority of such an intellect as that of Sir Isaac Newton must be, on any point which it undertook to investigate, yet we would, with all due deference, beg leave to differ from that eminent man as to the sense which he assigns to v. 31. Sir Isaac here imputes to the Roman arms, within little more than a century after the birth of our Saviour, all the three perpetrations mentioned in v. 31; but we humbly presume, that all we are justified in concluding from the text is, that human power or force standing in Syria shall do the three acts mentioned in that passage, without assigning the power or force to any particular single nation, or giving it any other name than arms or human power, or any other local habitation than Syria, the kingdom of Antiochus Epiphanes. With Sir Isaac Newton we perfectly concur, however, in thinking, that the Roman arms under Titus the emperor perpetrated the first of the three acts -viz. that they polluted the sanctuary of strength, or the temple of the Jews; but we would beg the privilege of differing from that illustrious person altogether, in assigning to the Roman arms, within the time specified by him, the other two remaining acts mentioned in v. 31-viz. the taking away of the "jugis cultus," and the placing of the abomination that maketh desolate for we do contend, 1st, That, even supposing the words rendered in our version, "daily sacrifice," and in Tremellius's Latin, "jugis cultus,” did mean the worship by daily offerings at the temple, &c., it was not taken away by the Roman arms, but had ceased to be the true mode of worship some time before the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem: for our readers must understand, that ever since the promulgation of the law from Mount Sinai, the jugis cultus, or constant true worship, was according to the Mosaic covenant; but that the worship ceased to be according to this covenant ever since the preaching of John the Baptist, when the Christian worship superseded it altogether; "the law and the prophets," says St Luke, "were until John; since that time, the kingdom of God is preached." So that, at the time the temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Roman arms, the worship by the daily sacrifice was not the "jugis cultus," and therefore the "jugis cultus" was not taken away at the time of the sack of Jerusalem by the Roman power. 2d, That the abomination that maketh desolate, so far from being placed by the Roman arms a few years after the death of our Saviour, is to be placed, on the contrary, a few years before his second advent in power and glory; for it will appear from the exposition which we shall give of the xxiv. chap. of St Matthew, that our Saviour enumerates the standing of the abomination of desolation in the holy place, Jerusalem, as one of the signs immediately precursory of his second advent; and we are informed by the prophet Daniel accordingly, that at the time of the end, the wilful king, whose history commences with Daniel, xi. 36, shall set up his palaces between the seas in the glorious holy mountain, at that time of great trouble alluded to by our

Saviour, Matthew, xxiv. 21, when, according to Daniel, xii. 1, the people of the Jews are to be delivered. 3d, That it clearly appears from Daniel, xii. 11, that the setting up or placing of the abomination that maketh desolate, is an event posterior in date at least to the close of the papal period, and therefore must be, as we shall see, yet in the womb of futurity. But although we have thus expressed our dissent from the interpretation which Sir Isaac Newton has given of v. 31, as to the time at which the two last of the acts mentioned there were perpetrated; yet we do not at present find it convenient to enter into a detail of our own views as to the dates of these two acts, and the powers by which they were effected, till we come to the exposition of the eighth chapter of Daniel in our Second Dissertation, when we shall have occasion to treat of the taking away of the daily sacrifice, as well as the setting up of the abomination that maketh desolate we shall only express our opinion in the meantime, that the polluting of the sanctuary of strength, and the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and the placing of the abomination that maketh desolate, seem to be separate acts divided from each other by two long

intervals of time.

Verse 32" And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed." It must be here carefully observed, that the "he" in v. 32 cannot, by any means, be made to refer to Antiochus Epiphanes; for arms in Syria, succeeding to him, are said to have polluted the sanctuary of strength, which arms, from the very nature of the deed which they are said to perpetrate, must be the Roman arms, since it was they which destroyed the Jewish city and temple; and since, at the date at which they did this, the Christian covenant was the true one: the "he" in v. 32 must needs, therefore, relate to the power of the Roman commonwealth; and the covenant, in the same verse, must necessarily be the Christian covenant. But we are led to believe, from v. 33, that the "he" refers not to the successive emperors of Rome, but to the Popes with the power of the Roman empire at their command; for, from that verse, we are given to understand that they who are acquainted with the true method of Christian worship, and instruct others therein, shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, days, there being no word corresponding to many in the original. Now, it is well known to those who are in the slightest degree conversant with the study of prophecy, that the supremacy of the papal power was to continue for a period of 1260 days, to be interpreted years; and it is equally well known, that no separate period was marked out for the sway of the successive

imperial heads, but in so far as they imparted to the Popes the power which they possessed; and it is also well known what an inveterate enemy the papal power has always been against the true covenant of the Christian religion. It is, moreover, of the highest consequence to remark here, that as before the time of the preaching of St John the Baptist, those powers alone were taken notice of in the prophetical narrative, which warred against the elect people and church of God at Jerusalem - viz. the kings of the north and south, or of Syria and Egypt; so, after the Jews are banished, and the Christian church is the elect of God, the next power that will succeed in the narrative will be one directed against the Christian covenant, which, however, has no peculiar nation for its locality; and, accordingly, we have, in the above quoted narrative, the persecution of no single nation or people, but only of those who understand the true Christian covenant in its purity of faith and worship. Though the narrative of v. 32, 33, 34, and 35, comprising a period of 1260 years, must needs be very succinct, and therefore obscure, yet we may venture, after what we have said, to paraphrase it thus: -And such as do wickedly against the Christian covenant shall the Popes cause to dissemble, and to assume the appearance of that holiness which they do not really possess; and thus, by an outward show of what they are utterly destitute of, more easily ensnare men under their power and influence ; but the people that do know their God, (the Protestant Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus, and the Protestant Britons,) shall be strong, and do exploits. And they among the people who shall understand the Christian covenant in its purity, shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, during a period of 1260 years. Now when they, the Protestant followers of the true faith, shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help; but many hypocritical and false professors shall cleave to them with flatteries; and some of them of understanding shall fall to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end ["temps marqué," tempus determinatum"]: because it is yet for a time appointed. This verse seems to close the narrative of the papal power, and yet at the same time points out its continuance in being; for v. 36 evidently commences with the story of a power which is altogether different in character from the papal. Concerning the exposition of v. 35, we can properly add nothing more at present; but we shall recur to it again in the explanation of the next chapter, which we are just about to enter upon.

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The last act of the wilful king, whose narrative commences at chap. xi. 36, is the planting of his palaces between the seas in the glorious holy mountain of Jerusalem. In the beginning of chap. xii. we have the angel informing Daniel, that at a certain time, into the date of which we are not at present prepared to inquire, there shall be a time of great trouble, such as never was since there was a nation; when the people of the prophet are to be delivered (from their captivity among the nations?) In chap. xii. 4, Daniel is told to shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end (the “tempus

year

determinatum"); and the angel adds, by way of characteristic of that determined time, that many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased: a prediction which the reader will see was remarkably verified, when we shall have established, from the numerical data of Daniel in this chapter and the Apocalypse, the date of the "tempus determinatum," the determined time here mentioned. Daniel then informs us, v. 5, that he looked, and behold, there stood other two men, one on this side of the bank (or lip) of the river Hiddekel on which he was standing, and the other on that side of the bank of the river (or on the river); the latter of whom, according to Tremellius's version, said to the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? Now the reader must be careful to observe, that the personage who asks this question of the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river, was standing upon the water of the river Hiddekel on the 24th day of the first month of the third year of Cyrus, or in the 534 B. C., and that he asks how long it shall be from the moment he is speaking, to the last act mentioned in the narrative which the angel had just given to Daniel, -how long it was from the year 534 B. C., till the time when the power designated by the king that shall do according to his will (chap. xi. 36), shall plant his palaces between the seas in the glorious holy mountain of Jerusalem. Daniel next tells us, that he "heard the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, times, and a half (a part of a time): and when he" (the man clad in linen which was upon the waters of the river) "shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." Now, one would have thought that the period of time comprehended in the algebraical formula, "time, times, and a part of a time," laid between the third year of Cyrus, or the year 534 B. C., and the date of the last act of the narrative of chap. xi., or the time when the wilful king of chap. xi. 36, establishes himself at Jerusalem, had the man upon the waters added nothing after the formula of time but it seems from what he has added, that the end of the wonders, or the last act of the narrative of chap. xi., was synchronous, not with the close of the period of time comprehended in the formula, but with the date when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people. The close of the period of time comprehended in the formula, must therefore correspond to some part of the narrative before its end; and the difficulty is in finding out at what part of the narrative of chap. xi. the close of that period falls in. Let us see if we cannot derive any hint from an analysis of the following verses, which may enable us to solve this difficulty. Daniel proceeds to inform us that he heard, but he understood not. Then said Daniel, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? or, as Bishop Newton makes it, What or how long shall be these latter times or latter wonders? And the man clothed in linen which was upon the waters of the river said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up, and sealed

;

till the time of the end ["temps marque," "tempus determinatum"] that is, as we understand the meaning of these expressions, that the formula in xii. 7 containing the number from which the date of the last act of the narrative of chap. xi. shall be determined, shall not be deciphered till a date called in the English version "the time of the end,” and in the French, “temps marque," and in Tremellius's Latin, "tempus determinatum," shall have transpired. But here again the difficulty recurs anew, how are we to find at what part of the narrative of chap. xi. this " temps marque," this " tempus determinatum," falls in. Proceeding to v. 10, the angel makes use of an expression there, abruptly introduced, and entirely without meaning or purpose, unless it be designed as a hint to lead us to that part of the narrative where the "time of the end," the " temps marque," the "tempus determinatum," falls in. "Many shall be purified, made white, and tried !" These very words occur in v. 35, conjoined with the very expressions, "time of the end," " temps marque,” and “ tempus determinatum," in the English, French, and Tremellius's Latin versions respectively; which verse closes, as we have seen, the narrative of the papal power. Proceeding on the assumption, then, that the close of the period of time contained in the indeterminate algebraical formula is synchronous with that part of the narrative ending with v. 35, let us endeavour to find the numbers contained in that formula, from which alone the date of the close of the papal period of supremacy is to be determined; for we know no other period of time given in chaps. xi. and xii. beginning with a known date in profane history.

The problem we propose to ourself, then, is to resolve the formula contained in Daniel, xii. 7, into plain numbers. Whatever period of time we assign to the word "time," it is evident that the expression, "time, times, and a part of a time," must signify one time, together with some unknown multiple of a time, and some unknown fraction of a time. It is also plain, that, though we did know the space of time comprehended in the word "time," the expression, "time, times, and a part of a time," would still be indeterminate, and might be resolved into an infinity of numbers; the multiple, and part of a time, or, to speak algebraically, the co-efficient, would still be an unknown quantity. Regarding the extent of time comprehended in the word "time," however, revelation has not left us in the dark. Every one in the slightest degree conversant with the text of the prophet Daniel will know, that the period of the papal supremacy is given by him, chap. vii. 25, in an indeterminate formula, similar to that which we are just considering; and that that indeterminate formula, comprehending the period of the papal domination, is resolved into plain numbers by a more special revelation of St John in the Apocalypse, where, in chap. xi. 2, we have the papal period stated to be "forty and two months;" and in chap. xii. 6, to be a thousand two hundred and threescore days; and in chap. xiii. 5, again to be "forty and two months." The time, and times, and the dividing of time, in chap. vii. 25, is, therefore, equivalent to three and a half years. Now, assuming, for the sake of simplicity, a time to be a year; and taking