10. The first wrote Wine is the strongest— 11. The second wrote, the king is the strongest. 12 The third wrote, Women are the strongest: But above all things truth beareth away the victory. 1. Esdras 3.10–11–12
I began the reading of the Apocrypha. four chapters a day. And still extract from them one verse more, to introduce the daily Diary— I begin with the curious discussion between the officers of the guards of king Darius of the question of the relative strength of Wine, the King, women and Truth, which led to the rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem— This event has an important and indispensable connection with the advent, and history of the Messiah; although it is not easy to perceive why the restoration of the temple should have been necessary to introduce the founder of a system of religion which was to supersede the temple and all its modes of worship and all its sacrifices— There is not the most distant allusion to this in any one of the prophets— Under the doctrines of the Law from Sinai, there was but one lawful place for the worship of Jehovah, and from the days of David that was Jerusalem, to which he had brought the ark of the covenant— The restoration apparently promised by all the prophets was that Jerusalem should again be the only place of worship, not only for the children of Israel, but for all Nations— And that the priesthood, and the worship of sacrifice should be restored as well as the Temple.—
I went to Boston this morning in the train cars which left the depot of
Quincy at half past ten— On alighting at Boston I walked first to
my Son’s office where I saw
Mrs
Beck of Charlestown, who has a petition and a claim before
Congress, the condition of which I could not inform her—but which I must
not forget at Washington next December— At noon I attended the meeting
of the Massachusetts historical Society— There were 22 members present,
but no business of importance transacted— The meeting adjourned soon
after 1. I dined with Judge John
Davis. His two widow daughters, Mrs
Goodwin and Mrs Plympton
two of his grandsons, children of
his deceased son John Watson, the
Revd. Doctor
John Codman of Dorchester and Daniel Appleton White, judge of probate for the County of
Essex, constituted the party— After dinner about 4, I called on the
Revd. Dr Frothingham,
and had a short conversation with him— I asked him the meaning of the
word Huzzab Nahum 2–7. which he could not tell me, but he found in
Richardson’s Dictionary
the word tabering and many old authorities for its use—smiting as upon a
tabor. I came home in the train of Cars which left Boston at half past 4
and got home at 5. Met in the Cars the Revd. Mr Miner, baptist minister heretofore at Neponset
now at Pittsfield— My Son went to Boston this evening and presided at a
meeting where Charles Sumner
was nominated as a Candidate against Winthrop to represent the Boston District in the 30th. Congress.