equivocal here (verse 11): for neither was it foretold that it should be cast down, in that sense, but rather cast away as a thing of nought. The same term is applied, and with the same signification, to "the truth" (verse 12). The meaning is more fully expressed (verse 13) "trodden under foot," vilified, profaned. Accordingly it follows (verse 14)-" Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" not rebuilt (Comp. xi. 31). Another term entirely different is employed to signify destruction (verse 25; ix. 26).

That this part of the prophecy was punctually fulfilled in the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes has been proved, I think, by very strong and sufficient circumstantial evidence. In the Jewish calendar, the 23rd of the month Tisri is the festival of "the rejoicing of the law;" and was an additon of one day (a ninth) to the feast of tabernacles. Whether it was added soon after the time of Antiochus I know not; it is certain that his profanation of the temple began about the time of the feast of tabernacles (2 Mac. x. 5-8). However, it has been calculated that this day of the festival would fall in the year B.c. 168, on the 17th of October; to which if you add 1,150 days you arrive at the 12th of December, B.C. 165 -the very day when the sanctuary was cleansed (1 Mac. iv. 52); and in that same year, в.c. 168, when the temple was profaned, Antiochus himself bowed before the Roman power, and even Macedon also, the stock of the whole Grecian empire.

All this notwithstanding, the events of that period certainly did neither exhaust nor even satisfy the oracle; and especially in this particular, that the little horn was to sprout forth a little separate kingdom out of one of the four great horns: whereas Antiochus ruled over one of those four horns; and, except in the case of Alexander-which is the apology for the foregoing exposition-a horn in Scripture, which signifies a kingdom, is not identified with the ruler of that kingdom. The objection is Sir Isaac Newton's, though he does not mention the exception, and indeed it may be an apology, but is no sufficient reason. Out of that very horn, however, over which Antiochus ruled, the little horn in question, as I believe, is yet to sprout: for, as Mr. Birks has justly remarked, when you consider the expressions in v. 19-26, that the vision was for many days, and for the last end of the indignation, it is against all reason to suppose that this solitary prophecy of Daniel should terminate 2,000 years before every other of his chronological prophecies, which all extend through the times of the fourth empire. Doubtless, I think, there is a time yet to come, a "latter time of

their kingdom, when the transgressors will be accomplished;" and who can tell whether "the wonderful Numberer" may not perhaps have calculated the 2,300 oblations for that time also, seeing that the term employed strictly signifies oblations as distinguished from animal sacrifices (Psalm xl. 7; Mal. i. 11)? But whether in the first or second sense, no sufficient reason can I perceive why the prophecy should be expounded otherwise than as of a compulsory cessation of public worship for the space of 1,150 natural days, and that only in the Holy Land. For the feet of the great image and the little horn of the fourth wild beast have indeed their locus standi both in the west, and those visions are written in the Chaldaic portion of the volume: but this little horn of the he-goat, and henceforth whatever else is written, in the Hebrew portion of it, must be assigned, generally speaking (i. e., if you except Egypt), to the east and to the Holy Land.

(3). DAN. ix. 24-27.

This is the third chronological prophecy in order of time. Hippolytus, one of the earliest writers on prophecy, a martyr, and Sir Isaac Newton, one of the latest, and a miracle of a man, have coincided in thinking that this prophecy relates to both advents of Christ the martyr applied the one week and the philosopher the seven weeks to the second advent. But every man has his several gift. "Nature and nature's law lay hid in night,

God said, Let Newton be-and all was light."

As to prophecy, Newton himself says-" Amongst the interpreters of the last age there is scarce one of note who hath not made some discovery worth knowing; and thence I seem to gather that God is about opening these mysteries. The success of others put me upon considering it." Yet Newton, with all his natural sagacity and with his eyes open, declined to follow the investigation of the martyr, and pursued, surely, a false scent. Certainly our blessed Lord did not leave the fathers of His Church altogether without aid of the Holy Spirit-the Giver of inspiration-the Guide of interpretation: much less will He leave their spiritual posterity disregarded orphans; to them His spiritual alms shall not be doled out the least at their last need. Never was it so in the old time : never shall it be so to the last (Gen. xl. 8; Dan. ii. 28; xii. 10; 2 Peter i. 19 to ii. I). I am aware of what a currency Bishop Horsley's exposition of the last passage referred to has obtained but surely the true exposition of it is simply this-that as there

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were of old time true prophets and false, so in the last times there should be true teachers and false; but the true prophets spake by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the true teachers shall interpret their prophecies by the gift of the same Spirit, and not every man suo Marte. And if withal we "know but in part," yet is there “ more excellent way." Meanwhile, so far as light has hitherto been vouchsafed, I understand this famous prophecy as unfolding a twofold sense, both of the first and second advent of our Lord; and that it consists of two parts, the prediction being given-first, in general (v. 24); secondly, in particular, and for further explanation (v. 25-27).

I. In general (v. 24) we have, first, a certain space of time given; and, secondly, certain events which are to occur during that space.

1. The Time.

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city"-that is the precise period. And here the question first arises are these weeks literal or figurative? Though in the old time such a question might more naturally have arisen— for the natural presumption is that they might have understood them at first sight-however they might have been too prudent to have expounded them off hand-as literal. On the one hand no explanation is given here, as in former instances, of "a day for a year;" no instance had yet occurred in which a septenary of a lower denomination was first to be resolved into its units, and then to be interpreted upon that principle as one of a higher denomination; and finally, 70 literal weeks amount to something more than a year and a half-a larger space of time than Ezekiel's prophecy foretold. But yet there was even for them internal evidence that such events as were now foretold could not be crowded into so short a space of time, nor a return to Jerusalem be accompanied so soon by such disasters. But, for us, the correspondence of history with the particulars of this prophecy is proof all-sufficient and super-abundant that these were 70 figurative weeks, distinguished from "weeks of days" (x. 2). In fact, when the sacred historian says (2 Chron. xxxvi. 21), "that the land kept 70 sabbatic years of which she had been robbed," that implies she had been so robbed by the space of 70 weeks of years; and it was a plain application of the law and the prophet to the event itself (Lev, xxvi, 34; Jer, xxy, 11-12, xxix, 10), And now it was revealed to Paniel, a man greatly beloved and who studied

both those sacred volumes, that the same space of 70 weeks of years was still determined on, "for his people, and for his holy city"—a long reach taken altogether; extending backward even from the reign of Saul, and forward even to the second coming of that King who is the Righteousness of eternal ages. The particu lars of the 70 weeks will follow.

2. The Events.

When we recollect that the holy city herself is not the chief object of the Divine providence and prophecy, but her people, we shall not be surprised to find those events which are more directly of a moral character immediately declared first, and the more political subordinated to them. It is left to be afterwards particularized and explained; but the great moral objects are these ;— To finish the transgressions, and to seal up sins;

To atone for iniquity, and to bring in the Righteousness of eternal ages;

To seal up the vision, and prophet;

And to anoint the Most Holy.

II. In particular, we have both the first and second advent of our Lord (25-27). The division of the subject being at the end of the first clause of v. 26. Thence the second advent begins.

1. The First Advent.

In this part of the prophecy the time and the events are interwoven; but, because the time is the more prominent of the two, therefore for perspicuity it will be necessary to make that the ground of our exposition, examining separately these 70 weeks. (1). As to their epoch-by which I mean their starting point. (2). As to their era-by which I mean the entire range of 70 years. (1.) The Epoch.-" From the going forth of an edict to bring back (the people) and to build Jerusalem” (v. 25). Here are two events; to bring back the people and to build the city. For the first, to bring back is the right version (see the Hebrew; Gen. xiv. 16; 1 Sam. xxx. 19; Jer. xlii. 12). Now this was the precise object of the decree in the seventh year of Artaxerxes, B.C. 457, namely, to cause the people to return and to appoint their magistrates (Ezra vii. 18-25). But for the second, to build the city, it must be confessed that nothing of the kind was mentioned in that decree; but what then? The exactness of the prophecy is thereby rendered only the more. conspicuous for the same king did by certain official letters, dated in the 20th year of his reign, and which were a sort of rider to

his original and only public decree, expressly provide for rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem (Neh. i. 3, ii. 5-8.)

2. The Era.-"Unto the anointed one, the Leader shall be 7 weeks and 62 weeks. The street shall be built and the rampart in the strait (or short space) of the times. And after (the) 62 weeks shall the Anointed One be cut off; and He is not for her" (v. 26). Here are three events.

(1). The first: "The anointed one, the Leader," is an exact literal version (Comp. Is. lv. 4). From the epoch B.c. 457 we are to reckon forward 49+434=483 years; and this brings us to A.D. 26, the year when the baptism of John began, which was the beginning of the Gospel (Luke iii. 1; Mark i. 1), and when Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power, to be the Leader of the people (Acts x. 37, 38)—" To anoint the Most Holy" (v. 24).

(2). The second: "In the short space of times," is the literal version; viz. the 7 years, the only conspicuous part of the 7+62=69 weeks. From the epoch B.C. 457 we are to reckon forward 49 years, and this bring us to B.C. 408. For what were these 49 years conspicuous? First, politically, far within that period the street and the rampart were built, according to grant by the official letters of Artaxerxes, in the 20 th year of his reign (Neh. vi. 15, xii. 27-43). Yet that event fell so far within the period that however it might. comfort the faith of that generation, it does not much confirm ours.

But secondly, morally, that period was so distinguished as to suggest at once the reason why it was separated from the longer space of time: for, first, it has been argued with the highest probability that on or about the year B.C. 408, which terminated the period, Nehemiah, who had fortified the city, at length completed the reformation of the people (Neh. xiii. 23-31). And next, Malachi, "the seal of prophecy," closed the canon of the Old Testament by a prophecy which bears internal evidence that it was subservient to the same reformation (Comp. Neh. xiii. 11-12; Mal. i. 13, iii. 8; Neh. xiii. 23; Mal. ii. 10-16). The first step preparatory to the first advent of our Lord was to close the dispensation of the law and the prophets; and this was done when Malachi the last of the prophets concluded by foretelling that Elias who should be the immediate harbinger of Him who founded the kingdom of heaven. This was the main event intended in the prophecy. "To seal up the vision and prophet" (v. 24).

(3). The third: "And after (the) 62 weeks the Anointed One shall be cutoff; and He is not for her" (v. 26). The Syriac vulgate properly applies the last words of this clause to Jerusalem, the last antecedent.