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"Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it;
will surely come, it will not tarry."-HAB. ii. 2, 3.

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PUBLISHED BY JOHN GOODYEAR,

N.W. CORNER OF SEVENTEENTH AND PINE STREETS,

PHILADELPHIA.

1864.

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IN obedience to the precept of Heaven, that we "consider the vision" (Dan. ix. 23), the author, having for seven years been searching the Scriptures, prying into the chronological order of the holy oracles of God, and making astronomical calculations extending through more than six thousand years, to ascertain the truth, can, with confidence, offer this work to the public as worthy of the most serious and prayerful attention of every lover of truth; for, though we may differ in opinion as to prophetic dates and the time of the second coming of our blessed Lord, every intelligent man, who will take the trouble to examine for himself, must admit that if those dates, as found in our Hebrew Bible, can be credited, we have at least settled the long-disputed question as to the age of our world, and ESTABLISHED THE CORRECT CHRONOLOGY of our Bible. This alone claims for this work a place in every library. But that which appears unto the author, at least, to make this work of so much real worth, and worthy of the strictest investigation, is that he can by his own experience with confidence say that no man with a well-balanced mind, open to conviction,—no, not even the most confirmed infidel, atheist, or deist,—can make himself master of its contents without being compelled to admit that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; and those who in sincerity and truth really "love the appearing" of our Lord, are taught with holy, solemn awe to listen to the admonition of Christ: "Look up and lift up your heads;" yea, rejoice; "for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke xxi. 28.)

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HAVING, through the light of astronomy, examined those unerring records of God's celestial calendar, as given "For a declaration of times and a sign of the world" (Ecclesiasticus xliii. 6), and thus discovered the truth as to the correct chronology of our Bible, which removes the seal and opens the book of Daniel, my object in this work is to "Write the vision and make it plain upon tables" (Hab. ii. 2); to disclose that portion of the "sure word of prophecy" (2 Pet. i. 19) which was "shut up and sealed till the time of the end" (Dan. xii. 4, 9); and prepare a book of reference for the convenience of those who, calling no man "father upon earth” (Matt. xxiii. 9), wish to act the more noble part in that they examine for themselves and "search the scriptures daily as to whether those things are so." (Acts xvii. 11.)

Those who will take the trouble to notice the connection in which each reference is found, and so ponder the subject at issue as to have an understanding of the matter, will find the Bible a new book, or a new and rich theme issuing from its exhaustless fount on which the soul delights to feast.

In that "book" which, being "shut up," was handed down to us both "closed up and sealed" (Dan. xii. 4, 9), we now read that

which is truly sublime; for its sacred truths are now unfurled, and "THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND." (Dan. xii. 10.)

Upon the page of this newly-opened book we discover a new internal evidence of the divine inspiration of our Bible,—a clear and positive demonstration of its heavenly origin, which, having been concealed under the heavy seal that closed the book of Daniel, had never before been seen. But the truth-testing powers of astronomy having removed the seal and opened the book, that all important question,-"Is the Bible the book of God?" is ANSWERED NOW; or, at least, the author, who was not only a deist, but even doubted the existence of a God, can now truly say-not that "I believe," but "I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth." (Job xix. 25.)

If, ceasing to be drifted on with the current of popular opinion, man would only suffer wisdom-the more noble faculty of the soul-to speak; would let reason and the weight of evidence govern and control the mind, then-as darkness is dispelled by the rising sun-infidelity would vanish, and the earth be lighted up by those brilliant rays now beaming forth from the sacred page of this newly-opened book; the church renouncing the doctrine and traditions of men, would put on her celestial robe of righteousness,-even that of obedience to Christ; and thus mirror forth the loveliness of the gospel plan of salvation.

But, alas! the prejudice even of the deist is not so impervious to the light of truth, as that of those whose god is the custom of the age in which they live, and whose faith is but an assent to the religion of their fathers. But since those newly developed truths, which have not yet appeared to the world, have already been instrumental in the salvation of one for whom Christ died, may we not be encouraged to raise the light, to send the newly-opened book to earth's remotest bound; for, though none of the wicked shall understand, the authorities of heaven declare "THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND.”

INTRODUCTION.

THOSE Who wish to understand the book of Daniel must bear in mind the two prominent points as presented in that book:

First. That it was to be sealed up until the time of the end. Second. At the time of the end "THE WISE SHALL UNDERSTAND." From the first declaration, we learn that, until the time of the end, this book cannot be understood. Who can read a letter until the seal is broken? If "no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book" before the seals were loosed (Rev. v. 3), we cannot expect to gather information concerning the vision of Daniel from the writings of those who lived before the time of the end. Indeed, what they have written concerning the matter, has only vailed in obscurity those rich and sublime truths as found in the book of Daniel. For example:

The Jews commenced the seventy weeks of Daniel (ix. 24) with the ruin of the first temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and extended them to the destruction of the second by Titus. The “ seven weeks," they say, is forty-nine years, commencing at the going forth of the commandment by Cyrus, and reaching to the second year of Darius; and by the expression, "anoint the Most Holy," they understand that the King of Persia should become great so as to build Jerusalem.

A. C. McLaughlin extends the seventy weeks to the year A.D. 87, which is seventeen years after the destruction of Jerusalem.

Though Daniel informs us that the sixty-nine weeks are to be commenced at the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem (Dan. ix. 25), the learned Bishop Usher commences them at the twentieth of Artaxerxes. Had Daniel not informed us that these things were sealed up and closed until the time. of the end, we would feel truly astonished at the bishop-who has exhibited so much learning on other subjects—thus commencing them eighty

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