exaggerated chronology of thefe interpreters, under the false pretence of tranflating faithfully from the original. The Samaritan copy differs from both, fometimes by defect, fometimes by excefs; but none of all the three is of equal authority with the genuine Hebrew Annals. Or the world's origin Mofes gave, the first, and the only authentic account; and thence to the year of his own death continued the hiflory in an orderly series of friking events, intermixed, or rather infeparably connected with fuch decifive characters of time, as define the paft duration of the world, at the entrance into Canaan. The whole interval is 2554 aftronomical years, fix months. WITH equal fignatures of precifion, and without one vacant space, is the chronology of the Hebrews profeffedly, and of the Pagan nations incidentally continued from one flage to another. Where the history by Mofes ends, there that' by Joshua begins, not with out obvious hints of a continuation. In the fame manner is the line of chronological order prolonged in the history of the Judges, including that of Ruth, to the death of Samfon In the two books of Samuel, and the first of the Kings, is the hiftory of Samuel's government, with that of the first two monarchs, defcribed, in a regular feries of events, and with requifite notations of time. In the 4th of Solomon were the foundations of the Temple laid, during the currency of the 480th year from the Exodus. Deduct the 40 years spent in the defart; the interval from the paffage over Jordan is 440: and 440 +2554 = 2994, which fum fum is the age of the world in full years, not including the 4th of Solomon, whence a new term in computation begins. . FROM the 4th of Solomon to the 3d of Jehoiakim, both included, is a period of 408 years. Add the 70 years of the captivity; 408 + 70478+2994 = 3472, the age of the world at the return from Babylon, excluding the first of Cyrus. FROM Darius the Mede to the 15th of Darius Nothus, beyond which the canonical records of the Hebrews do not extend, the intermediate fpace is 128 years, which bring down the computation to A. M. 3600. THIS long period with refpect to the Hebrews, (no part being UNKNOWN or FABULOUS) is all purely HISTORICAL. It has been pronounced an imperfection in the Hebrew annals, that the hiftory contained in them can be authenticated by no collateral teftimony. But neither can it be difproved by authentic records of equal antiquity, and credit. Paganism had neither oracles, nor national hiftories, of fo early a date, or fo well attested. As the final period of the Hebrew monarchy drew nigh, the facred writers had the precaution, or, rather, were fupernaturally directed, to connect their national chronology with that of the co-exiftent Pagan ftates. For inftance, Jofiah was contemporary with Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt :-the 4th of Jehoiakim was the 1ft of Nebuchadnezzar; whofe 18th was the 10th of Zedekiah:-In the 1ft of Cyrus were the Jews honourably difmiffed from Babylon :-in the 6th of Darius B 3 Darius Hyftafpis was the fecond temple finished:in the 7th of Artaxerxes Longimanus did Ezra receive his commiffion; Nehemiah his in the 20th. These and the like notations, though feemingly incidental, are of fignal use in .connecting the Jewish history with that of the Gentiles. To the fame important end are the feveral chronological eras of paganism eminently fubfervient ;-the Greek Olympiad, the Varronian Epochs of Rome, Nabonaffar, the Seleucidæ ; Ptolemy's Mathematical Syntaxis, &c. IN the long interval from Nehemiah to the Evangelifts, (and indeed ever after the return from Babylon), the Jews having become tributary to the four monarchies in fucceffion, their hiftory is intermixed, with that of the nations among whom they were dispersed; and is yet extant in the writings, which have been transmitted, either in part or entire, to the prefent age. Certain fragments of their ftory, no where else to be found, are preferved in the two Apocryphal books of the Maccabees. Jofephus, the glory of his nation, in its laft period, has exhibited a perpetual commentary on the infpired hiftorical books, and a continuation of the national annals, collected with great induftry and judgment from many repofitories of authentic hiftorical information, long fince deftroyed; but ftill extant in his valuable books of the Jewish Antiquities and Wars; which extend nearly to the fecond century of our era. The ingredients of the intermediate hiftory, fo far from being deficient, are in far greater abundance, than is neceffary to conduct the patient and fkilful chronologer from one ftage to another, another, in computation, till he arrive at that brilliant period in pagan literature;-the Auguftan age. AMONG the Greek authors, of superior note, the following, in the order of time, merit fpecial regard: Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, Diodorus Sic. Dionyfius Hal. Plutarch, Arrian, Appian, Diogenes Laert. Philoftratus, Dion Caffius. The principal Roman Writers whofe works yet remaining conduce to adjust the chronology and history of their own nation to computations in ufe among other states, are either the general historians, as Livy ;-those who wrote of particular periods, as Salluft, Julius Cæfar;— epitomifts, as Eutropius, Florus, Paterculus ;-antiquaries, as Cato, Varro, Gellius;-biographers, as C. Nepos, &c. Thus was it providentially ordained that no blank space should be left in the long period from the firft to the fecond Adam. In fhort, from the feventh day of the primeval week, when the Almighty refted from the work of creation, to the first day of that week, when Jefus Chrift rose from the grave, as the LIVING HEAD of a NEW WORLD, whether the computation proceed by the combination of natural days into weeks, lunations, equinoxes, and folftices; by fingle aftronomical years, or circulating periods of fuch years; by the generations of men, or the duration of reigns, pontificates, and other magiftracies not one day can be acquired or loft, during the lapfe of 4040 years, fix months *. THE * It must be admitted, that, in reckoning from the primary fource of measured time, to the erucifixion, by the Julian year, (a recent B4 THE years from the day on which Chrift rofe from the grave, to that on which the Creator refted from his work, have, by notations expreffed in the holy oracles, been circumfcribed within the limits of 4040 years, fix months. A perfect cube, thrown in any direction, on a plain furface, must ever light upon an equal fide. If the computation now proceed in the progreffive order, from the 7th of the primeval week, to the day on which our Lord rofe to an endless life, the refult in days, weeks, and years, will be the fame; even though periods different in quantity be adopted. Years from the first of Adam, in the year of the world To the end of Noah's 601ft year Commencement of Abraham's 1657 fojourning 428 2085 (a recent and unaftronomical measure), an excrefcence of 31 fupernumerary days is collected. But retrench this nominal quantity of time, which has no root in planetary revolutions, no difference will remain, except that between time real and apparent, which is itself the subject of calculation. CHAP. |