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cannot be admitted to mean any state this side of the state of immortality; for Peter says plainly, "yet nevertheless we look for a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." This would be a new state, surely, nothing gross or vile in this kingdom, whoever may be king; and John expressly says "they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years,' ," and says "this is the first resurrection." Now admit there is such a time, how or by what rule shall we call it a thonsand years.

Again, where in all the prophecies can any one show me that the church will be blessed and holy, or happy and righteous, as it may be rendered, until he comes, that is at Christ's second appearance. And where in the word are we to learn that the kingdoms of this world are to be destroyed, before the coming of the ancient of days? Do we believe that the anti-christian beast or mystical Babylon will be on the earth during this millenial reign? No, it cannot be; yet all must acknowledge that she is only destroyed by the brightness of his coming. Who can read the 19th chapter of Revelation, without being convinced that the marriage supper of the Lamb, the treading of the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God and the supper of the great God, are events which must take place before the millenium? And if so, who can believe that after the marriage of the Lamb to the bride; after she is arrayed in linen clean and white, which is the righteousness of the saints; after they have received a crown of righteousness which the righteous judge shall give to all them who love his appearing in that day, Christ will not be with her in person? None. But our text tells us he will live and reign with them, and they shall be priests to God.

Again, while in this state of mortality and trial we are called the servants and ministers of Christ, but then in the millenial blessedness, we shall be called priests of God and of Christ. You may ask why this distinction in the language? I answer there is a great difference between the kingdom of Christ as it was established when Christ was here on earth, and the kingdom given up to God, even the Father. The subjects of Christ's kingdom in this state of things may be, and in fact are imperfect. Hypocrites and false professors may and do obtain an entrance into it, for an enemy hath sown tares. But the kingdom of God, no man, says Christ, can see or enter, without being born of God. Here they may deceive the sentinels which guard

the kingdom of Christ, but in the kingdom of God "there shall in no wise enter into it, any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life." Here the children of the kingdom are persecuted, tormented, perplexed, cast down; but in the kingdom of God their enemies are all slain; they are comforted, glorified, justified, exalted, and not a dog to move his tongue. Here they weep, but there will rejoice; here they sin and repent, they there will be holy without fault before his throne. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrec'ion." Amen.

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LECTURE III

DANIEL viii. 13, 14. "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, unto two thousand three hundred days: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed:" or justified, as it might have been translated.

The hearer will, at the first view of our text, perceive that there is something very important communicated in the question and answer given; or why are saints commissioned (as we may reasonably suppose) from the courts of heaven, to ask and answer the question contained in the text, in presence of the prophet? And that it concerned. Daniel, and us for whom the prophet wrote his prophecy, to understand, is evident from the answer being given to Daniel," and he said unto me," instead of being given to the << saint," " who made the inquiry. Then we are not treading on forbidden ground my dear hearer, to search to understand the meaning and truth of our subject.

I shall then treat our subject in the following manner: I. Explain some of the figures and expressions used in the text.

II. Show what the "daily sacrifice vision" is, and

III. The time or length of the vision "unto two thousand three hundred days: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."

I. I am to explain some of the figures used in the text, and

1st. The "daily sacrifice." This may be understood by some to mean the Jewish rites and ceremonies; and by others the Pagan rites and sacrifices. As both Jews and Pagans had their rights and sacrifices both morning and evening, and their altars were kept smoking with their victims of beasts, and their holy fire was preserved in their

national altars and temples devoted to their several deities or gods. We might be at a loss to know which of these to apply this figurative expression to, did not our text and context explain the meaning. It is very evident, when we carefully examine our text, that it is to be understood as referring to Pagan and Papal rites, for it stands coupled with "the abomination of desolation," and performs the same acts, such as are ascribed to the Papal abomination, "To give both the sanctuary and host to be trodden under foot." See also Rev. xi. 2, "But the court which is without the temple leave out and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot, forty and two months." This last text only has reference to the Papal beast, which was the image of the Pagan; but the text in consideration, has reference to both Pagan and Papal. That is, How long shall the Pagan trangression, and the Papal transgression tread under foot the sanctuary and host? This must be the true and literal meaning of our text, it could not mean the anti-christian abomination alone, for they never desolated the Jewish church; neither could it mean Antiochus the Syrian king; for he and his kingdom were made desolate and destroyed before Christ; and it is evident that Christ had an allusion to this very power when he told his disciples, Matt. xxiv. 15, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place. "I believe all commentators agree that Christ meant the Roman power, if so, then Daniel has the same meaning; for this is the very passage to which Christ alluded. Then the "daily sacrifice" means Pagan rites and sacrifices, and the transgression of desolation, the Papal, and both together shall tread under foot the "sanctuary and host," which brings me to show what may be understood by "sanctuary and host." By sanctuary we must understand the temple at Jerusalem and those who worship therein, which was trodden under foot by the Pagan kingdoms of the world, since the days of Daniel the writer of our text. Then by the Chaldeans, afterwards by the Medes and Persians, next by the Grecians, and lastly by the Romans, who destroyed the city and sanctuary, leveled the temple with the ground, and caused the plow to pass over the place. The people of the Jews, too, were led into captivity and persecuted by all these kingdoms successively, and finally by the Romans were taken away and destroyed.

as a nation. And as the prophet Isa. Ixiii. 18, says, "The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary." Jeremiah also in Lam. i 10, "The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things; for she hath seen that the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command that they should not enter into thy congregation." The word host is applied to the people who wor ship in the outer court, and fitly represents the Christian church, who are said to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth, having no continuing places but looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. Jeremiah, speaking of the Gospel church, says, iii. 19, "But I said, how shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the host of nations," evidently meaning the church from the Gentiles. "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed or justified," means the true sanctuary which God has built of lively stones to his own acceptance, through Christ, of which the temple at Jerusalem was but a type, the shadows having long since fled away, and that temple and people now destroyed, and all included in unbelief. So whosoever looks for the worldly sanctuary to be built again will find themselves as much mistaken as the unbelieving Jews were, when they looked for a temporal prince in the Messiah. For there is not a word in the Prophets or Apostles, after Zerubbabel built the second temple, that a third one would ever be built. Except the one which cometh down from heaven, which is a spiritual one, and which is the mother of us all, (Jew and Gentile) and which is free and when that new Jerusalem is perfected, then shall we be cleansed and justified. For Paul says to the Philippians, iii. 20, 21, "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself;" that is, "they that are his at his coming." "We see by these texts, and many more might be quoted, that the spiritual sanctuary will not be cleansed until Christ's second coming, and then all Israel shall be raised, judged, and justified in his sight.

II. We shall now try to understand what is meant by the "Vision," in the tex'.

The vision spoken of in the text alludes to three sepa

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