t; were it opposed to their selfishness they might hinder its easy completion. How earnestly those Christians and Jews, who believe in the carnal theory, labor to secure the restoration of the Jews; should they succeed, they might claim their fanaticism a fulfillment predicted antithetic to this; had Europe believed it foretold that our country would rise and destroy the scepter of monarchs, would they have connived at our republic or fought for our independence? Their ambition had rather been to crush and bind us, and only miracle had prevented their overpowering hostility in our infancy. The original obscurity of prophecy was intentional and useful; but it is yet inquired, may not this obscurity prevent the realization from being clearly shown? We answer no. It is then asked how we make this appear? We reply: 1. All prophecy forms but one system of predictions; that each major subject is predicted many times, either by one or by several prophets; and that each important prediction, taken separately, is composed of several prominent parts, and that in the fulfillment a realization. of all things, foretold of a single subject, transpire simultaneously. Thus, there are many predictions of Christ, quite a number of Israel, Egypt, Persia, and Rome, and when one is fulfilled the realization of each separate prediction forms a part of the strength of proof of inspiration; but all combined produce overpowering demonstration. The seventy weeks uttered by Gabriel, form a part of a detailed historic prophecy of the Jewish state, and the realization of one part, though clear in itself, is yet so joined with other parts, that their simultaneous fulfillment with it, confirms its truth, and all taken together, remove all ambiguity either with reference to fulfillment or the original intent of the prophecy. 2. As from the nature of obscure prophecy, it is susceptible of various, a priori, meanings, there is no way of arriving at the only, a priori, meaning of the text intended, except by fulfillment. This is self-evident. The true meaning of the text will, therefore, lie between several meanings,

each of which may be legitimately attributed to the text. Now, fulfillment will accord with such, only, of these meanings, as was originally intended; by consequence, fulfillment in determining the exact meaning of the prophecy must determine which, a priori, sense is the correct or intended one. This, also, is self-evident. In showing that an obscure prediction is realized, all that can be required of an expositor is for him to show that his interpretation is legitimate. A legitimate, a priori, exposi tion is one which opposes neither the context nor the nature of things existing, prior to the realization. Now, then, upon these self-evident principles, if we show that events coincide with our expositions, and that our expositions are legitimate, we shall prove that they were intended by inspiration, and also exhibit an unequivocal fulfillment. With these premises we proceed another step. We showed that it was legitimate to suppose, that in a chronologic prophecy, a day might stand for a year of some one kind or more known to the Hebrews. We may now ascertain its exact length as intended by inspiration, if we can, a prophecy in which it exists whose fulfillment is certainly known to have transpired. But one such fulfilled prophecy is known, and that is the famous one of Gabriel to Daniel, concerning the restoration and final desolation of typical Israel. It contains a chronologic prophecy of weeks, which measure accurately the space of time transpiring between certain great historical epochs. As days, weeks, months, and times, or years, are mutually convertible, if we find the intended length or lengths of weeks in solar time, we shall find a key which will, a priori, unlock the symbolic days, months, and times of both Daniel and John.

We here quote the prophecy and inquire with wha legitimate, a priori, expositions it coincides.

CHAPTER I.

INTERPRETATION OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS.

1. "UNDERSTAND the matter and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression and make an end of sins." That this part refers, a priori, to the destruction of Jerusalem, admits of no question; hence the seventy weeks have an ending there.

2. "To make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness; to seal up (VELACHTOM, to finish or complete) the vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy." This refers to the crucifixion, (see various commentators.) Hence the seventy weeks were to end here also.

3. "Know, therefore, and understand that from the going forth of (by) the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks; the street shall be built again and the wall, even in troublous times. And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself." Here the decree of restoration and the time of the appearing of Christ in his office of Messiah, and the length of time between them, are fully stated. The beginning of these weeks is at the decree of restoration; the end, at the beginning of Christ's ministry; the length of time, sixty-nine weeks. The crucifixion is to transpire after the end of the sixty-nine weeks, and not at the end; keep this in view. That the seventy weeks are to begin at the same point as the sixty-nine, is plain; otherwise, they have no beginning point, which is not supposable.

Whatever may be the true, a priori, explanation of these weeks, one thing is clear, which is, that their exact

length in solar time is determined by fulfillment. It devolves upon us, therefore, to ascertain the amount of this solar time. To do this, we must ascertain the time when the restoring decree took effect, and when the crucifixion and desolation transpired. As history does not record the date of Christ's entry upon his ministry, with exactness, we shall pay no attention to it.

4. "And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city, and sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." This is explanatory of the seventy weeks ending "upon thy people and holy city," already quoted. The invasion of the Romans is here to be understood. "The end of the war," being spoken of, after the desolation of Israel, must refer to the long desolation of the true Israel's nationality.

5. "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week (end of the week, says Prideaux) he shall cause the sacrifice and 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." Dan. ix.

The explanation of this one week being useless to confirm our theory, we shall not trouble the reader with it. We shall proceed, first, to determine the precise time of the restoring decree or decrees, and of the crucifixion and desolation; secondly, to show that the seventy weeks may be dated from two decrees of restoration; thirdly, to exhibit a number of legitimate, a priori, expositions of the text; fourthly, to show that fulfillment coincides with four of these expositions, thus demonstrating the

true modes of interpreting symbolic days, and unsealing the last vision of Daniel, and all other sealed prophecies.

SECTION I.

THE DECREE OF RESTORATION-THE CRUCIFIXION-THE FALL OF JUDEA.

History shows us that there were two principal decrees given for the restoration of the Jews; the first, and full decree, was by Cyrus; and the second was given to Ezra, by Artaxerxes Longimanus; by the first, Jerusalem and the temple were rebuilt, and the country resettled; and by the second, the Jewish ritual was reformed. We will consider each in order.

Paragraph I.

THE DECREE OF CYRUS.

This was given in the last part of the year 537, before Christ. In the first year of Cyrus, according to Ezra, first chapter, and the last of 2d Chronicles, the decree for Judea's restoration was issued. Keep it in mind, that it was the first year of Cyrus. Now, by the combined aid of astronomy, scripture, and history, we shall show, that this first year synchronizes with 537, B. C. There was an eclipse of the sun on the 20th of September, A. U. C., 601, which had been foretold by Thales, the Milesian, and this was the 147th year of Nabonassar, and the 9th of Jehoiakim, king of Judah.-(Prid. Conn. vo.. i.) Now, Daniel, in his first chapter, says that Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem, and besieged it; and the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hands, in the third year of his reign. Subtracting, therefore, the 3d