either to prevent or correct mistakes in the chronology of our Lord's life and miniftry. Ufher had involved the subject in such perplexity and confusion as to defeat the primary uses and ends of all the feptenary periods, whether measured by weeks of days, or of years. Sir Ifaac Newton, at a venture, affumed the poftulate, that a fabbatical year characterised that of the crucifixion, without the leaft apprehenfion, that fuch years were computed from two different fources.

THE 70 weeks of Daniel begin and end in Abib, or Nifan, of the facred Hebrew year. This criterion is common to each part of the entire number, and confequently to the 70th or last week. The prophet had no retrospect to the original ordinance concerning periodical refts for the land, release for bond fervants, remisfion of debts, &c. ;-ufages which had become obsolete almost fix centuries before his time. Nothing lefs. Of his commiffion it was the ultimate object to define, by, certain notes of number, a point in remote futurity, when a notable perfonage, often foretold by former prophets, and then firft denominated THE MESSIAH, fhould be cut off, but not for himself, as the fignal of a momentous revolution foon after to succeed.

NATURAL it is to conjecture, that a prediction of events, fo grand and awful, would roufe the attention of every inquifitive mind, to unfold the mystical terms in which it was delivered, and, if poffible to ascertain the time of its completion.

FROM the first year of Darius the Mede, A. M. 3471, when this prophecy was emitted, to the feventh of Longimanus,

Longimanus, in 3551, when the first of the 70 weeks began, is an interval of 80 years. From the month Abib, in the year laft mentioned, count forward 13 'years, the reckoning is continued to Tizri, in the 21st of the fame Longimanus ;-that very month, when Nehemiah, with the concurrence of the princes, priests, Levites, and the collective body of the people, entered into a curfe, and into an oath, that they would leave the feventh year, and the exaction of every debt. Thus is the coincidence of the laft year of the second prophetical week, with the first sabbatical year, in the feries from Nehemiah, demonftrated. It has been already fhewn, that every fabbatical year, in the original feries, falls in the center of a prophetical week from the date of Ezra's commiffion. According to this rule the feventh of the original feries muft likewife be the fourth of the 70th week, from the 21ft of Artaxerxes. In the first year of this week John the Baptift began his ministry, in the month Abib, A. M. 4034. Add 3 years, the reckoning terminates in Tizri 4038. About the time of the vernal equinox Jefus was baptifed, and "foon after opened his commiffion to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, in the fynagogue at Nazareth. Prolong the computation downward, from that cardinal point, 3 years more, the crucifixion is fixed by infallible chronological characters to the beginning of Abib, 4041 the latter part of which year was, by the new feries, fabbatical.

Neh. x. 29-31.

autumnal

To

To prevent the cenfure of audacious prefumption, in controverting the authority, not only of archbishop Ulher, but of Sir Ifaac Newton, and of flill more recent writers, eminent in the republic of letters, the author judged it necessary to elucidate the chronology and history of our Lord's miniftry, and that of his forerunner, by evidences derived from genuine records. The refult is, that the last prophetical week, divided into two equal portions, comprehends and exhausts the duration of both, in exact harmony with the prophecies of Daniel, the teftimony of the Evangelifts, and the repetitions of the three famous feptenary cycles, that of natural days from the creation, of aftronomical years from the divifion of Canaan, and alfo from the 21ft of Artaxerxes, rightly computed. To ascertain the true fources of these circulating periods, has been a work of labour and patience. But no merit is claimed from the discovery. That the ministry of John the Baptist, and of Jefus Chrift, was circumfcribed within the limits of feven years, has, from time immemorial, been the uniform belief of plain unlettered Chriftians, and of the learned before the reception of an erroneous chronology, which the accurate arrangements of Dr. Prideaux have not been fufficient to explode. The fubject is now brought to the test of ftrict calculation, and fubmitted to the tribunal of impartial criticism.

FROM Sir Ifaac Newton to Dr. Jofeph Prieftly, a great majority of the writers, on the chronology of the Evangelifts, has incurred the imputation of adopt

ing ambiguous principles, and of refting in abfurd conclufions. They generally compute by the Dionyfian era, and the Catonian years of Rome; and fo comprefs, within' too feanty limits, the interval from our Lord's nativity to his paffion. Thus the miniftry, either of Chrift or of John, or of both, is, without neceffity, and contrary to hiflorical evidence, abridged. But if seven years be allowed for both, and this period brought down to April A. M. 4041, coincident with the number of the Jul. Per. 4746, every difficulty is furmounted, confiftently with every criterion of time. ]

An eminent commentator on the Gospels, contemporary with both and inferior to neither in Biblical criticifm, Dr. Pearce, late bishop of Rochester, incurs this cenfure of adopt ́ing contracted epochs, and deficient measures. Dodwell had framed the Chronology of Vell. Paterculus to an agreement with Varro's Computation, which makes the first Julian year run parallel with 709, and the 78th with 786. The Right Reverend Critic, with a rafh, unfkilful hand, accommodated the Chronology of Jofephus and Paterculus to the Catonian fcheme, which retrenches two years from the Varronian. According to him Chrift was born in the 41ft Julian year, and suffered in the 74th ;-not as the truth of computation requires; -in the 40th and 77th.-Thus is the firft, and confequently the 15th of Tiberius, anticipated by two years; the crucifixion by no less than five and the refult is, that the 70th and last prophetical week began with the month Abib, about the middle of which the Meffiah was cut off. Thus, in effect, the ministry both of Chrift and his forerunner is anticipated, the clear in. terpretation of a very coherent prophecy diftorted, the whole computation by fabbatical terms fet afide, and the moft confiftent history ever written by the pen of man, involved in a deep gloom of artificial darkness.

:

CHAP.

CHAP. II.

Chronology of the Greek Empire.

HIS monarchy, founded by Alexander of Mace

T

don, rofe into political importance on the ruins of the Perfian. He is the mighty king, of whom it had been foretold, (257 years before the event), " that he fhould ftand up, rule with great dominion, and do according to his will ." The fupremacy of Providence is wonderfully displayed, in overruling the wills of princes, and in rendering their enterprises fubfervient to the accomplishment of its gracious defigns, even when the means employed seem to human wisdom inadequate, or of a contrary tendency.

to a leopard

"THIS kingdom is compared to fignify its fiercenefs. Its four heads and four 'wings fignify, that it should be divided into four kingdoms; for it continued in a monarchical form, during the reign of Alexander, of his brother Aridæus, and of his young fons, Alexander and Hercules; and then brake into four kingdoms, by the governors of provinces putting crowns on their own heads, reigning over their own provinces;-Gaffan Caffander over Macedon,