two thousand three hundred years be computed back from 1792, they bring us to the identical year, A. C. 508, when I have endeavoured to show, that Daniel first saw the ram pushing northward, westward, and southward.* These various, and mutual

It may, without injury to the foregoing arguments respecting the date of the vision of the ram, be admitted, that it would have been impossible to determine, a priori, the true era from which to calculate the commencement of the period of 2300 years, without the help of some fixed data for ascertaining its termination. But as it has been shown that the 1260 and 2300 years conterminate, and that the former period ended in 1792, we are thus furnished with the data we require: and calculating backwards, we arrive at a period when the Persian empire was in the exact situation signified by the actions of the symbolical ram, as first seen by the prophet. It is on the same principle, that the date of Daniel's seventy weeks, and various other periods mentioned in the scriptures, are calculated: viz. first, by ascertaining their termination, and then computing backwards. Thus, it would be impossible to decide, a priori, from which of the three edicts passed for the restoration of the Jews by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, the seventy weeks are to be reckoned; or at what precise time the seventy years' captivity in Babylon commenced, or the four hundred years during which the posterity of Abraham were to dwell in Egypt.

The same principle for ascertaining the dates of the prophetic period in Dan. viii. 14, has been adopted by Mr. Faber; but as he has found it impossible to make the number of 2300 tally with his own supposed end of the 1260 years, he has on the authority of the Vatican edition of the Septuagint, adopted the reading of 2400 in that passage, and this period he computes from the first year of Cyrus, and supposes it to end in the year 1866. In two papers in the Christian Observer, I have shown, that there is no support given to this various reading either by the genuine principles of scriptural criticism, or by any other edition of the Seventy; for they all, with the exception of the Vatican edition, agree with the Hebrew text. Moreover the Vatican manuscript also supports the common reading. It appears to me, that it would be quite as admissible to found an interpretation of prophecy upon an error which were to creep into a particular edition of our English Bible, as upon this various reading of the Vatican edition of the Seventy, which must, upon every sound principle of criticism, be pronounced a typographical error.

coincidences, therefore, both confirm each separate conclusion to which they have relation, and also give new strength to all the arguments already advanced, respecting the commencement and end of the twelve hundred and sixty years.

Among the various objections which have been made to the conclusion that the prophetical period of twelve hundred and sixty years ended in the year 1792,* I am not aware that any is entitled to much weight, excepting one which is founded on a passage in the last chapter of the book of Daniel. At the conclusion of the prophecy contained in the 11th, and the beginning of the 12th chapter, it is said, v. 5, "Then I Daniel looked, and behold there "stood other two, the one on this side of the bank "of the river, and the other on that side of the bank "of the river. And one 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? "And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was 66 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: and when he shall "have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. And I

heard, but understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? "And he said, Go thy way, O Daniel, for the words

* See various papers on this subject, by Mr. Faber, in the Christian Observer, for the years 1803, 9, 10, and 11. See also papers on the same subject, under the signature of Talib, in the above publication, for the years 1807, 8, 9, and 11.

"are closed up, and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified and made white, and tried, "but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the "wicked shall understand, but the wise shall under"stand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice "shall be taken away, and the abomination that "maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand "two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that r waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred "and five and thirty days. But go thy way till the "end be; for thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at "the end of the days."

In the above passage, three different numbers are mentioned; the first is a time, times, and a half, (i. e. the twelve hundred and sixty years)-the second number is twelve hundred and ninety days—and the third is thirteen hundred and thirty-five days; and in both of the last numbers, the days being prophetical, are to be taken for years. It is now agreed by most writers on prophecy, that the three numbers all begin together; that the second contains a period of thirty years over and above the first, and the third a further term of forty-five years beyond the second. It is evident that the end of the last period of thirteen hundred and thirty-five years, is to be a time of great blessedness; and it probably introduces the full glories of the millenium after the binding of Satan. At the close of the twelve hundred and sixty years, we have seen that the judgment mentioned in the seventh chapter of Daniel and the destruction of the papacy commenced, and also the celestial signs mentioned by our Lord, in Luke xxi. 25. as the forerunners of the redemption of the

church. What is to occur at the conclusion of the intermediate period, is no where expressly revealed, and we cannot with certainty conjecture; but it seems probable that it will be marked by some great and conspicuous event, which I formerly thought would be the battle of Armageddon. But events had not then explained, that the vision of the holding of the winds in the seventh chapter, indicates a period of universal peace, before the end, which necessarily retards the development of the concluding scenes of the prophecy. I now conceive, that the close of the intervening period of thirty years may very probably be marked by the commencement of the national restoration of Judah ;* and that the dreadful day of Armageddon, and the treading of the wine press will take place, at some time between the end of the twelve hundred and ninety, and thirteen hundred and thirty-five days. Be this as it may, the end of the twelve hundred and ninety days, if the reasoning contained in this and the foregoing chapter be just, will be in the year 1822.

The argument which Mr. Faber founds upon the preceding passage, against my conclusion, with respect to the termination of the twelve hundred and sixty years, is as follows. The man clothed in linen declares, in the seventh verse, that "it shall be for

It is worthy of notice, that though it was revealed to Abraham, Gen. xv. 13, that his seed should dwell in a land not their's 400 years yet, in Exod. xii. 40, we learn, that the actual period of their sojourning was 430 years. Now as almost every past event of the history of God's ancient people shadowed forth something future, I am inclined from these passages to infer, that precisely at the end of Daniel's 1290 years, their present captivity shall cease, that number being thirty years more than the 1260.

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a time, times, and a half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." Now Mr. Faber reasons, that we are to conclude from these words, that the restoration of Judah, "the "accomplishing to scatter the power of the holy "people," shall begin precisely when the twelve hundred and sixty years end; but the restoration of Judah is not yet commenced, therefore the twelve hundred and sixty years cannot be elapsed.

In answer to this argument, I observe that the angel does not say that the accomplishing to scatter the power of the holy people shall be at the close of the time, times, and an half; but he affirms that it shall be when all the things contained in the preceding prophecy are finished: when he shall have accomplished to scatter, &c. "all these things (all the

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things before predicted) shall be finished." Now the last of the things before predicted, Mr. Faber himself being the judge, is the fall of the wilful king between the seas on the glorious holy mountain, (Dan. xi. 45) which event Mr. Faber places, not at the end of the twelve hundred and sixty, but of the twelve hundred and ninety years. Therefore, even the principles of Mr. Faber, when applied to the form of expression used by the angel, lead us to conclude, that the restoration of Judah, "the accomplishing to scatter the power of the holy people,” does not happen till the end of the twelve hundred and ninety years.

Were my view of this passage singular, I might have reason to suspect its accuracy, and to acknowledge that there is some weight in the objection of