A Scripture Line of Time, Treatise · Part 1 · Section 1
SECT. I.
Of the Viſion of the Daily taken away, and therein of the 2300 Ev. Morn. or the Viſion call'd the Viſion of the Ev. Morn. in general. On Dan. chap. 8.
THE Viſion of the 2300 Evenings and Mornings, dates moſt exactly, and preciſely the Time from the very Beginning of the Perſian Monarchy or the First of Cyrus to the cleanſing of the Sanctuary, at the new Jeruſalem, and the breaking of Antichrist without hand, or by the ſtone cut out of the Mountains without hand, at the Kingdom of Chriſt, Dan. 8. 14. 25.
The order of the former Viſions, duely conſider'd, gives great light to this.
For firſt, there is in the courſe of Ezekiels Viſions a long allotment of Time, till the New Jeruſalem, and a peculiar Sanction of the prophetical Cypher of Time, or of a Day for a Year, Ezek. 4. 6.
That gives full ſcope aed room to thoſe Monarchies to run their Time, as in the Image, and the four Beaſts in Daniel's two precedent Viſions. …. 2. c. 7.
The former of thoſe two, or the Viſion of the Image, gives only a general Appearance of ſo many Monarchies or Kingdoms, or rather of a Monarchy univerſal, ſhifting from one People and their Kingdom to another, and all adverſe to the Kingdom of Chriſt; for that could not appear while they were in Play.
From hence ariſes ſuch a Line of Time; as neceſſarily is requir'd for four Monarchies to diſplay themſelves; but becauſe they may be ſhorter or longer in their duration, they give no certain meaſures; only, as that there is no Hiſtory of Action elder than Moſes's of the Creation, appearing in the World; it is an Argument of weight againſt the World's Eternity: ſo on the other ſide, the daily matter of Hiſtory ariſing from many other Kings and Kingdoms, and particularly of the Romans, aſſure us, the Kingdom of Christ is not yet come; becauſe while that laſts, the grand foretold Kingdom of Chriſt cannot come.
But now the next Viſion of the Four Beaſts, gives us in Prophetick Cypher the very meaſure of the Beast's Duration, as that Beaſt is ſymboll'd by the little Horn, viz. Time, Times, and half a Time.
But becauſe this does not aſſure us when thoſe Days begin, nor conſequently, where they end, the Viſion we are now entring upon will teach us that.
And it hath a threefold Aſpect upon Time to this end.
1. It continues the principal Line of Time from Creation, which, becauſe there will not be Scripture Hiſtory to maintain it, and alſo becauſe, and eſpecially becauſe, the Times of the Gentiles, (in whoſe Hiſtory Scripture little concerns it ſelf,) are drawn by it without leſſer Periods, but as the Accounts of the Churches Caſe in relation to them after requires it; they are given in one entire Line or Sum, 2300 Days, beginning contiguouſly from Ezekiel's 430 Days, and continuouſly alſo to ſo many Days for Years uniting with the former parcel-lines, and with the 430, as the laſt given Line; and ſo one whole Line from the Creation is conſtituted by uniting theſe ſeveral Parcels, by a divine Certainty.
2. It determines the particular Time from the beginning of the Perſian Monarchy, at literal Babylon fallen, to myſtical Babylon falling, as alſo at literal Jeruſalem reſtor'd, to new Jeruſalem appearing; for Antichriſt broken intends the former, and the Sanctuary cleans'd the latter.
3. It is a meaſure of the length of particular Lines given after this from Time to Time, as they are given in Scripture, that, as it ſelf is diſtinguiſh'd into ſeveral Periods by them, ſo it is a Boundary to them, when to begin and end; that together they may be ſymmetral to this whole Line, neither longer, nor ſhorter, and therein be juſtly proportion'd to one another; even till this Line, call'd moſt emphatically by our Lord, the Times of the Gentiles, Luc. 21. 24. be fulfill'd.
That the Viſion then, and the Line of Time it carries away, be rightly underſtood, theſe things are neceſſary to be premiſed.
1. That the principal thing in theſe Viſions of Daniel (except that ſingle Viſion next in order to that we are upon, that centers in Meſſiah's Coming and Death,) is the glorious Kingdom of Chriſt, and of his Saints, having the Dominion throughout the Earth, and the Deſtruction of that peculiar Enemy of his Kingdom, who is juſtly call'd Antichriſt, immediately preceeding his Kingdom, and before which it could not appear.
Upon the Account of this Kingdom of Chriſt, having its way made by the Deſtruction of Antichriſt, there are ſo many Repreſentations of the other Monarchies, of which elſe we may conceive, the Holy Spirit had no more touch'd their Prophecy, than it does their Hiſtory, which it never does, but in relation to the Church, or to ſet out God's Government Univerſal over the World, and his Judgment on ſinful Nations.
We find therefore in theſe Viſions of the Monarchies, Antichriſt, next to the Kingdom of Chriſt, is the greateſt Subject; and more Words laid out upon him, than upon all the reſt: ſo it is in Nebuchadnezzar's Dream, The Feet and Toes Dan. 2. v. 34. 41. &c.take up a greater Proportion of the Dream and Expoſition, than all the reſt; and then the Kingdom of Chriſt flows out upon the Image broken in the Feet. So in the Viſion of the four Beaſts, the fourth Beaſt, and in that the little Horn imploys the greateſt part of the whole Viſion in its Deſcription and Judgment: and the Kingdom of Chriſt then breaks out upon it; ſo proportionably in this Viſion: He then that would underſtand it, muſt be arm'd with this Rule, as preparatory.
2. It muſt be worthy our Advertency, that the Antichriſtian State in theſe Prophecies, and in the Revelation, is rank'd with Heatheniſm and Gentiliſm, and treated with much leſs regard than even Idolatrous Iſrael, or Judah; God not taking any notice of them, as his People, but as mere Gentiles: ſo that I do not remember any Paralleliſm of them with the People of Iſrael, even in their Apoſtacy, but altogether with thoſe that were Aliens, as Balaam, Jezebel, the Daughter of Elth Baal King of the Sydonians; with Sodom, Egypt, and moſt notoriouſly Babylon, and ſo is repreſented by the Gentiles treading the outward Court. And thus the Corruptions of Divine Worſhip among the Jews were expreſs'd by entertaining the manners of the Gentiles, defiling themſelves with them, falling in love with them, bringing them into the Sanctuary. The Beaſt united with the heathen idolatrous Monarchy, coming into the Seat of the Dragon, is the grand Apocalyptick Figure for Antichriſt, and nothing of Chriſt allow'd him, except to the other Beaſt having borns, as a Lamb, while he ſpake as a Dragon, nor of the Jews to the Antichriſtian Rev. 13. 11.Gentiles, but that in the Beginning of the Apoſtacy within the prophetical Church of Smyrna, Rev. 2. 9. They ſaid, They were Jews, but were not, but lyed, and were the Synagogue of Sathan; nor any thing of Jeruſalem to the Seat of Antichriſt, except one only alluſion to the City, where Our Lord was crucified (where a Heathen Power preſided in Revel. 11. 8.his Condemnation, and that a Roman too) to ſignifie its extream Hate to the True Chriſt. Its deep dye in Blood, and its irrecoverable Deſtruction, for which Jeruſalem was ſo infamous, and for which the Roman Church like the Jewiſh Church, was broken off from the true Olive; and all conſider'd as a Church in Conjunction with it, as the Apostle had foretold. Rom. 11. 6. make the Alluſion.
On the other ſide, The True Chriſtianity and Worſhip of it are ſymboliz'd by the pure Jewiſh Worſhip; The Temple, its Meaſures, Ordinances, as they ſtood in Iſraels beſt Eſtate, are the Ichnography of the Perfect, Pure, Chriſtian Church; But the drawing men from True Chriſtianity, to Antichriſtianiſm; the Perſecution of Men for it, the laſt Deliverance from Anti-Christianiſm, and its Perſecutions are continually given out in Parallelliſmes, betwixt the ſame Things heretofore between the Jews, and the Gentiles, and unite with the Jews great Deliverance, and the New Jeruſalem at laſt.
Theſe two things are moſt neceſſary to be premoniſh'd, for the true Interpretation of this Viſion, and other Viſions alſo, as we ſhall ſee, as we paſs along, to preſerve all clear and free from Confuſion.
And upon this Premonition, I ſay, this Viſion beginning with the Perſian Reign, goes on through the Grecian, and ſo paſſes through the whole Roman Monarchy, firſt and laſt, and deſcribes a Line running parallel with the whole Times of the Gentiles, after the Babyloniſh Empire, at the end of which, Ezekiels 430 Days ended, as hath been made to appear. And they being the laſt Joynt of the Line from Creation, this Line of 230 Days joyns with it, and continues the whole Acts. 3. 21.Line from Creation to the Reſtitution of all Things.
Upon this Premonition I ſay further, That Antiochus, as the moſt Infamous Heathen Prince for treading down the holy and pure Jewiſh Worſhip, from the Days of Cyrus, while that Worſhip remain'd to be Gods Worſhip; from which impure Peſſundation, that Holy Worſhip was moſt wonderfully vindicated; and the Time of his Tyranny being in the moſt intimate part of it in literal or natural Account, near the Time of Antichriſts 1260. Days, at a day for a year, and near the whole 2300 in the whole of it, and being broken by an immediate Hand from Heaven, without an earthly Hand, as Antichriſt ſhall be; He is made a moſt notable and eminent Type of Antichrist, and ſo with Relation to Him, and his Time, a Line is drawn from Cyrus to the cleanſing of the Sanstuary, polluted by Antichristian Gentiles, and to the breaking of Antichriſt without Hand; Antiochus ſtanding all this while in open view, as a Type, and his Time, as a Typical Line of Time.
And yet while his Time will ſerve a Typical End, It is not exact enough to either main Intention, to be the principal Thing to be meaſured by that Line of Time.
And for the making good theſe Aſſertions, I ſhall now apply my ſelf to the ſolemn Proof of theſe two Propoſitions.
1. That the 2300 Days are a definitive Line of Time, from the beginning of the Perſian Monarchy, to the very End of the Monarchies, and till the Supream Monarchy of Chriſt; and ſo are to be joyn'd to the end of the laſt Line, and thereby to the ſeveral Lines from the Creation; that altogether may reach that End.
2. That the Viſion principally intends Antichriſt in every Part, wherein Antiochus ſtands, as a Type.
For the Proof of the firſt Aſſertion I uſe this firſt Argument. Argu. 1
There is a plain Concatenation or Connexion of this Viſion with the former, as following orderly upon or after it; For that purpoſe and to make it known it is ſo, Daniel tells us, This Viſion appear'd unto him, after that, which appear'd c. 8. v. 1.unto him at the firſt; Now that this was not intended, as any Date of the Viſion, is very plain, in that It is more particularly dated by aſſigning it to the third Year of Belſhazzar, whereas the firſt was aſſign'd to the firſt year of the ſame Belſhazzar, and ſo muſt needs be after the firſt Viſion, even as Belſhazzars Third Year muſt be after his Firſt.
Theſe words therefore cannot, but be of further Importance, and ſignifie to us; This Viſion comes after the Former in a juſt Order, and promotes the ſcope of it, and adds further Light to it; Now it is moſt evident, the four Beaſts intending four Kingdoms, and Antichrist, the little Horn with his Time, Times, and half a Time, and then his being deſtroy'd, and the Kingdom of Chriſt ſucceeding, are the Principal Objects of that Viſion, and therefore they muſt be ſo of This. And in ſome notable Inſtance thereof, It muſt exceed the Notices of the former, and what can that be but in the Notices of Time? Wherein it is ſo particular as to 2300 Evenings, Mornings, for to ſhew it one Line of Time, It is in the Hebrew 2300 Evening Morning, not 2300 Evenings Mornings, although for Arguments ſake with Ordinary Language, and in Agreement with the ſence we may expreſs them in the plural Number, and it is alſo call'd the Viſion of the Evening Morning, as ſo many Evenings and Mornings combin'd into one, from the Monarchy of Cyrus, the Perſian, to the Monarchy of Christs Ʋniverſal Kingdom.
The Viſion begins at the Perſian Monarchy, goes on General Argu. 2.through the Grecian Monarchy, and ſo to the End; and the Line of Time runs parallel with the Viſion, therefore the Line of 2300 Evenings Mornings muſt reach from the Beginning of the Perſian Monarchy to the Monarchy of Chriſt, which is the known and moſt undoubted End of the Four Monarchies, and of all Monarchy, but under him.
This Argument conſiſts of theſe three main Propoſitions.
1. That the Viſion begins at the Perſian Monarchy.
2. That it runs on through the Grecian Monarchy to the End.
3. That the Line of Time runs Parallel with the Viſion.