39, take that of the fon 26, the furplus 16, is the current year of Jofiah at the birth of Jehoahaz. This age of procreation, in the case of a first born, is unexceptionable; but otherwife fcarcely confiftent with phyfical probability.

Is it poffible to discover the father's age at the nativity of his first three fons? The four had two mothers. Jéhoiakim, (and probably Johanan), was born of Zebudah;-Zedekiah and Jehoahaz of Hamutal. Certain it is, that all were not children of the fame year. For Jehoiakim the fecond fucceeded, on the removal of Jehoahaz, at the age of 25; and was therefore born in the 14th of Jofiah's life. This fact is without example in the Bible history of 42 generations, and being beyond the line of experience, may properly be transferred to the chapter of paradoxes. The fame mother had, at feparate births, Johanan and Jehoiakim. The elder was confequently born in the 13th or perhaps the 12th of their father's age. Here is a train of improbabilities, which diftinctly, but much more in a flate of compofition, fet even credulity at defiance. Zedekiah was the third in order, and confequently 24 years old at the death of his father, for he was the elder fon by Hainutal, Jehoahaz the younger, and therefore they were not twins. Zedekiah's age at the death of Jehoiakim, if years after Jofiah, must have been 35. But in three texts it is erroneously marked 21.

2 Kings, xxiv. 18. and 2 Chron. xxxvi. 11. Jer. lii. 1.

ALL thefe abfurdities in computation render it credible, that Jofiah fucceeded his father, at a more advanced stage of life than eight years. By the neceffary emendation above proposed, Amon died at the age 44. The birth of Jofiah may be referred to any year not repugnant to the courfe of nature. Be it then fuppofed at a venture, that the facred hiftorians in the two texts abovementioned wrote 18, not 8. In the Hebrew alphabet denotes 8, 10, and 18. The fmall, and fometimes fcarcely perceptible character, ", might easily have been overlooked, and with it the number 10 was loft, to the great detriment not only of textual coherence, but of phyfical poffibility.

By this highly probable conjecture every difficulty vanishes. In matters of fingular intricacy even bold conjectures are justifiable; but in framing conclufions, judgment must proceed with caution and coolness. Precipitance is the bane of criticism. One enquiry ftill remains. Does this conjecture derive confirmation from the poffible or actual interchange, omiffion, or transposition, of the fame numerical fignatures, in other inftances? Suppofable it is, that the like fources of perplexity may occur in various paffages, where the fame combination of alphabetical numbers is repeated, with the fame deviations from the truth of computation. Happily one appofite example is obvious and decisive. The fame pair of letters, intended to exprefs the fame age, in a diftinct perfonage, is exhibited with the fame omiffion of 10. "Jehoiachin was (1) eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three years

and

and ten days in Jerufalem *." In the Aldine and Alexandrine editions of the Septuagint, as alfo in the Hebrew text and Greek verfion of 2 Kings, ch. xxiv. 8. the original notation, 18, has happily been preferved. In this latter context, a circumftance altogether incompatible with the number eight is recorded: "The king of Babylon took and carried away Jehoiachin, and the king's WIVES." A youth of 18 it may be prefumed had wives; but this could not be affirmed of a child whofe age did not exceed eight years.

No probable reason forbids the use of this arithmemetical experiment, in afcertaining the real age of Jofiah at the time of his acceffion. It is perfectly confiftent with the repeated evidences of his early piety. The recorded fpecifications denote rather a gradual and continued progrefs in goodnefs, than a premature entrance on a religious courfe. For inftance, " In the eighth year of his reign," that is, the 26th of his life, "while he was yet young, he began to feek after the God of David, his father and in the 12th year," that is, the 30th of his life," he began to purge Judah and Jerufalem from the high places, groves, images," &c. The Hebrew phrafeology denominates men young at 30. Again, "In the 18th of his reign," that is, the 36th of his life," he issued a commiffion for repairing the temple, folemnised a magnificent passover, and introduced a general reformation, not only in Judah, but also in

Samaria t."

2 Chron. xxxvi. 9.

:

+ 2 Chron xxxiv. 3—33.

IN the very beft difpofitions, the feeds and symptoms of supereminent excellence may begin to unfold themfelves at the age of eight years. But fchemes of public usefulness, projected with a felicity of design, and executed with persevering vigour, require a maturity of faculties; and when young princes of fuch a character are providentially raised up on a confpicuous theatre, for the benefit of the human kind; then the counfels, influence, and authority of wise and good men, in the fubordinate functions of magiftracy, are commonly employed to call forth into exertion the latent virtues of a young fovereign.

THUS Joafh, king of Judah, from the tender age of feven years, did that which was good in the fight of the Lord all his days, wherein Jehoiadah, the high priest, inftructed him *.

IN like manner young Jofiah was happily instructed in the principles of wisdom, and the measures of good government, under the pious tuition of Hilkiah the high priest, and other upright counsellors, in a very degenerate age t. His heart having a right bias from the ftate of infancy, his virtue acquired ftrength from good culture, and in advanced life he discharged with eminent honour all the functions of a patriot king, with the well-directed zeal of an exemplary reformer.

By a minute difquifition into various notations of time, from Solomon to Jofiah, many important emen

2 Kings, xii. 2. and 2 Chron. xxiv. 2.

† 2 Kings, xxii, 2—20.

dations

nature.

dations of numbers, which embarrass computation, have not only been fuggested, but reconciled with truth and It is humbly prefumed, that nothing remains to fhock belief, nothing to violate probability. Every decifion is admiffible, coherent, perfpicuous. Chronology harmonises with history, and both with the regular process of nature, during the lapfe of 15 generations; -a period of time which has hitherto derived very little elucidation from criticism.

2. Jehoiakim.

"JOSIAS begat Jeconias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were carried away to Babylon, Jeconias begat Salathiel *." &c.

DR. Trapp very properly obferves, "The two names JEHOIAKIM and JEHOIACHIN being fo like, the fame Greek word ferves for both. The former was the son of Jofiah, and he is meant verfe 11th. The latter was the son of Jehoiakim, and he is meant verse 12th t."

NOTHING can be more conformable to history than this remark of that eminent critic. It is confirmed by the uniform report of all the Old Teftament regifters, and by very clear diftinctions in the phrafeology of this Evangelift; for inftance,

* Matthew, i. 11, 12.

Trapp's Explanatory Notes on Matthew, i. 12.