“‘Another kind of evidence that vitally affected my mind was the chronology of the Scriptures. I found, on pursuing the study of the Bible, various chronological periods extending, according to my understanding of them, to the coming of the Saviour. I found that predicted events, which had been fulfilled in the past, often occurred within a given time. The one hundred and twenty years to the flood; Gen. 6:3; the seven days that were to precede it, with forty days of predicted rain; Gen. 7:4; the four hundred years of sojourn of Abraham’s seed; Gen. 15:13; the three days of the butler’s and baker’s dreams; Gen. 40:12-20; the seven years of Pharaoh’s; Gen. 41:28-54; the forty years in the wilderness; Num. 14:34; the three and a half years of famine: 1 Kings 17:1; the sixty-five years to the breaking of Ephraim; Isa. 7:8; the seventy years’ captivity; Jer. 25:11; Nebuchadnezzar’s seven times; Dan. 4:13-16; and the seven weeks, three-score and two weeks, and the one week, making seventy weeks, determined upon the Jews; Dan. 9:24-27; the events limited by these times were all once only a matter of prophecy, and were fulfilled in accordance with the predictions.
“‘When, therefore, I found the 2300 prophetic days, which were to mark the length of the vision from the Persian to the end of the fourth kingdom, the seven times’ continuance of the dispersion of God’s people, and the 1335 prophetic days to the standing of Daniel in his lot, all evidently extending to the advent,[14] with other prophetical periods, I could but regard them as ‘the times before appointed,’ which God had revealed ‘unto his servants the prophets.’ As I was fully convinced that ‘all Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable,’—that it came not at any time by the will of man, but was written as holy men were moved by the Holy Ghost, and was written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope,—I could but regard the chronological portions of the Bible as being as much a portion of the word of God, and as much entitled to our serious consideration, as any other portion of the Scriptures.
“‘I, therefore, felt that, in endeavoring to comprehend what God had in his mercy seen fit to reveal to us, I had no right to pass over the prophetic periods. I saw that, as the events predicted to be fulfilled in prophetic days had been extended over about as many literal years; as God, in Num. 14:34, and Eze. 4:4-6, had appointed each day for a year; as the seventy weeks to the Messiah were fulfilled in 490 years, and the 1260 prophetic days of the papal supremacy in 1260 years; and as these prophetical days extending to the advent were given in connection with symbolic prophecy, I could only regard the time as symbolical, and as standing each day for a year, in accordance with the opinions of all the standard Protestant commentators. If, then, we could obtain any clue to the time of their commencement, I conceived we should be guided to the probable time of their termination, and, as God would not bestow upon us a useless revelation, I regarded them as conducting us to the time when we might confidently look for the coming of the Chiefest of ten thousand, One altogether lovely.
“‘From a further study of the Scriptures, I concluded that the seven times of Gentile supremacy must commence when the Jews ceased to be an independent nation, at the captivity of Manasseh, which the best chronologers assigned to B. C. 677; that the 2300 days commenced with the seventy weeks, which the best chronologers dated from B. C. 457; and that the 1335 days, commencing with the taking away of the daily, and the setting up of the abomination that maketh desolate, Dan. 12:11, were to be dated from the setting up of the papal supremacy, after the taking away of pagan abominations, and which, according to the best historians I could consult, should be dated from about A. D. 508. Reckoning all these prophetic periods from the several dates assigned by the best chronologers for the events from which they should evidently be reckoned, they would all terminate together, about A. D. 1843.
“‘I was thus brought, in 1818, at the close of my two years’ study of the Scriptures, to the solemn conclusion that in about twenty-five years from that time all the affairs of our present state would be wound up; that all its pride and power, pomp and vanity, wickedness and oppression, would come to an end; and that, in the place of the kingdoms of this world, the peaceful and long-desired kingdom of the Messiah would be established under the whole heaven; that, in about twenty-five years, the glory of the Lord would be revealed, and all flesh see it together—the desert bud and blossom as the rose, the fir-tree come up instead of the thorn, and, instead of the briar, the myrtle-tree—the curse be removed from off the earth, death be destroyed, reward be given to the servants of God, the prophets and saints, and them who fear his name, and those be destroyed that destroy the earth.
“‘I need not speak of the joy that filled my heart in view of the delightful prospect, nor of the ardent longings of my soul for a participation in the joys of the redeemed. The Bible was now to me a new book. It was indeed a feast of reason; all that was dark, mystical or obscure, to me, in its teachings, had been dissipated from my mind before the clear light that now dawned from its sacred pages; and oh, how bright and glorious the truth appeared!
“‘All the contradictions and inconsistencies I had before found in the word were gone; and, although there were many portions of which I was not satisfied I had a full understanding, yet so much light had emanated from it to the illumination of my before darkened mind, that I felt a delight in studying the Scriptures which I had not before supposed could be derived from its teachings. I commenced their study with no expectation of finding the time of the Saviour’s coming, and I could at first hardly believe the result to which I had arrived; but the evidence struck me with such force that I could not resist my convictions. I became nearly settled in my conclusions, and began to wait, and watch, and pray for my Saviour’s coming.
“The above are the conclusions to which he arrived on the general subject of prophecy; but his views on other scriptural topics may not be uninteresting in this connection. His general theological opinions may be inferred from his connecting himself with a Calvinistic Baptist church, as the one most congenial to his faith. But he has left, among his papers, an unfinished compendium of his belief, which bears date, and is appended to the annexed certificate, as follows:—
“‘Low Hampton, Sept. 5, 1822.