economy, we must carefully weigh the quotations, that thus we may be able to judge whether the data on which these writers have come to their conclusions be correct or not.

"ELLIOT and MEDE have shown that the 2300 years, which Daniel gives as one of the great chronological epochs, terminate about the year 1821 or 1822; that is, dating them from the march of Xerxes and the meridian splendour of the Persian empire. But a very learned and able clergyman of the Church of England, who has written a work called 'The Terminal Synchronism of Daniel's Two Periods' differs from Mr. ELLIOT. He thinks that the 2300 years, one of Daniel's great epochs, after which, as I showed you, the Eastern Apostacy, or the waters of the river Euphrates that should overflow Europe, that is, the power of Mahomet, should begin to subside, began at the autumnal equinox of 433 B.C.; and if the 2300 years began at the autumnal equinox of 433 B.C., then that great period would terminate in the autumnal equinox of 1867. ELLIOT's opinion was that the 2300 years measure out the taking away of the daily sacrifice, and the exhaustion of that great eastern eclipse which was to overshadow the light and the sunshine of heaven in the eastern world, and that they end in 1821; at which time Mahometanism as a power in Europe was shaken to its centre, and began to cross the Bosphorus, and to fall back upon its ancient channels in Asia, and to cease to be a dominant triumphant, and advancing fanaticism. But this writer thinks that the proper date is 433 B.C.; and if so, then they would terminate in 1867, when, according to him, Mahometanism will be utterly expunged, and the cross will shine where the crescent now waves in triumph. But more than this; this writer thinks also that the expression time, times, and half a time,' which all commentators admit to be 360 years, twice 360 years, and 180 years, making altogether 1260 years, called in the Apocalypse, 42 prophetic months, which is the same thing, called also 1260 prophetic days-start from A.D., 607. Mr. ELLIOT, and NEWTON, and MEDE, think that the 1260 years, descriptive of the great Western Apostacy, began at the year 532, at which era Justinian constituted the Bishop of Rome to have supreme civil, ecclesiastical, and spiritual jurisdiction; they consider that at that period the Apostacy was invested with supreme civil and ecclesiastical power, and therefore with its permanent form as a politico-sacerdotal system. But this writer differs from them; says that the 1260 years do not begin at 532 after Christ, but that they begin at the year 607, when the Emperor Phocas constituted

he

Pope Boniface III. the universal head of the universal church, and the supreme and chief bishop, priest, and prelate of Christendom. If you take this latter opinion, then you add the 1260 years to the year 607, and it brings you down to the same period at which his 2300 years terminate, namely, 1867; and according, therefore, to this theory, not only will Mahometanism totally cease at that period, but the Papacy also, with its pope and its cardinals, and its whole ecclesiastical despotism, will sink like a millstone into the depths of the ocean; and the world east and west, emancipated from the incubus that has crushed and darkened it, shall reflect the beams of an unsetting sun, and form a portion of that great empire which constitutes the kingdom of our God and of His Christ. I must say I prefer Elliot's; but what I wish to impress is, the remarkable fact, that both interpretations land us in 1867, as a great dominant era, characterized by stupendous events, and involving mighty changes in the present constitution of things. The theory adopted by the interpreters I prefer, is that the 1260 years which were to mete out the dominant power of the Great Western Apostacy began in A.D. 532, when Justinian, in his 'Pandects,' gave the supreme authority to the Bishop of Rome. If you add 1260 years to 532 it brings you down to 1792. ingly, at the exhaustion of the 1260 years, in 1792, the Papacy, according to the description in the word of God, was to come under the judgment of Heaven, and gradually to be exhausted. Read Alison's History,' or any other authentic history, and you will find that the great outburst of the French Revolution in 1792 commenced so overwhelming an onslaught on the Papal power, with all its dependencies, that from that day to this Romanism has been a dying system, exhausted of its chiefest vitality, and struggling for a foothold in any land to which it can have access; so much So, that I have repeated again and again the conviction, that I have no more fear of Popery gaining the upper hand, than I have of Mahometanism or Hindooism gaining supremacy.

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Accord

Assuming that 532 began the 1260 years, what is next to take place, Daniel tells us in this passage, to which I specially ask attention, as confirmatory of the theory I am trying to uphold, that first of all there shall be time, times, and half a time, or 1260 years, and then there shall be 1290 years. In other words, Daniel says that 1260 years shall be augmented by 30 years more; at the end of which 30 years there shall be some great event, which we have to ascertain. Now if we add to 1792, when the 1260 years terminated, an additional 30 years, it brings us down to 1822.

of the 2300 years also, Well, did anything take

But 1822 is the terminating period according to Elliot's interpretation. place in 1822 that could justify that period as a terminating epoch? We find that Turkey, in the language of Lamartine, began to die for want of Turks; the whole force of that great system of propagandism then began its rapid exhaustion; and from that day to this even our efforts to keep back Russia have not kept up Turkey; it is at this moment in the pangs of dissolution. I stated four or five years ago that it would be so; and however justified we were, and we were justified in trying to prevent Russia from disturbing the balance of the power of Europe; yet, as I then said, our efforts to preserve Turkey would be vain. Russia has still a signboard near Petersburgh, on which is written 'The way to Constantinople;' and in the lapse of years Constantinople will be hers, and Russia will yet play a part in the history of the world probably unprecedented for a thousand years.

But Daniel says 'Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.' Here is still an additional period. He adds 75 years to the 1260, or 45 years to the 1290. He mentions three periods, you observe, all beginning, we here assume, at 532; first 1260, ending in 1792; then 1290, ending in 1822; and then 1335, ending in 1867; so that, according to this theory, Daniel's period, when he shall be blessed or happy that waiteth, and cometh to the close of the 1335 years, that period assumed by ELLIOT to be the millenial rest, would begin in the year 1867, and last for a thousand years of uninterrupted felicity; and blessedness, and peace. But what I wish to impress is that, according to both theories, 1867 again evolves as the year of stupendous changes. And it is very remarkable too, what will confirm this, and what I shall quote passages to prove that FINES CLINTON, the ablest chronologist of the age, has shown, and I think with irresistible force, that our era at present, namely 1859, is not the correct and real era in the chronology of the world. His idea is that Christ came about the year of the world 4138; and that in the course of a few years more we shall have arrived at the close of the sixth thousand, and at the commencement of the seventh thousand year of the world. What it is interesting to show in connection with this is the universal belief among Jews and Gentiles, Rabbinists, Talmudists, and Fathers, that the seventh thousand year of the world is to correspond to the seventh day of the week; six days the working week, and the seventh day the Sabbath-day rest; 6000 years for the working world week,

and the 7000th year to be what the apostle describes as the rest, or the oaßßariouòs, that remaineth for the people of God."

After citing Mr. CUNNINGHAM, of Lainshaw, the late Rev. EDWARD BICKERSTETH, and Mr. SCOTT, in favour of the year 1867 as a great prophetical era, Dr. CUMMING proceeds:

"I have given these extracts from competent authorities, all coming to one conclusion-that the seventh thousand year of the world is to be its millenial rest; and I have shewn you that, if the chronology of Mr. FINES CLINTON be correct,—and I am satisfied it is correct, -we are at this very moment within eight years of the close of the sixth thousand year, and therefore, if our dates be right, within eight years of the commencement of what all these writers hope is the everlasting rest, the dawn of heaven, the millenial blessedness of the people of God."

There can be no mistake as to the real opinions of Dr. CUMMING. According to a Chronology which he is "satisfied is correct," the year 1867 will be the commencement of the millenium, and, consequently-as he is a firm believer in the pre-millenial advent-the period of the coming of the Son of man with power and great glory."

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CHAPTER II.

The Great Period of Twelve Hundred and
Sixty Hears.

THE capital error of Dr. CUMMING-so far we have any insight into the meaning of Divine Prophecy-consists in this, that he regards the twelve hundred and sixty years, or time, times, and half a time, as already past. He expressly says that they closed in the year 1792, the era of the first French Revolution. As the result of this serious mistake -as we regard it-by adding together the two supplemental periods of thirty and forty-five years, the author is enabled, with some show of probability, to represent the year 1867 as the time of "the coming of the Son of man." If the reader will favour us with his attention, it will be easy to show, that the great era denoted by the close of the "time, times, and half a time" is not yet arrived, and that not only the testimony of prophecy, but also the events of history, unmistakeably prove, that we are now living under the period spoken of by Daniel and John, in various places of their prophecies, as the twelve hundred and sixty days.

Such of our readers as are familiar with that wondrous book- the Apocalypse of John - cannot fail to have