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7. MEANS of preferving traditional knowledge, prior to the era of written language.

8. GRADUAL preparations for the introduction of the gospel.

ILLUSTRATED with aftronomical calculations, and chronological tables. The whole intended for an improvement of Archbishop Ufher's Annals, and Sir I. Newton's Chronology.

By the Rev. ROBERT WALKER, Rector of Shingham, Norfolk.

LONDON to be printed for T. Cadell jun. and W. Davies, (Succeffors to Mr. Cadell) in the Strand.

CONDITIONS.

THE work will be printed on a fine paper, and elegant type, in two volumes quarto, price 21. 2 s. to be paid when copies are delivered to SUBSCRIBERS.

ADVERTISEMENT.

SOME readers may pronounce every attempt to erect the fabric of ancient Univerfal Hiftory, on the basis of Aftronomical Chronology, a vifionary project, to the execution of which the human faculties are inadequate. In the presumption, that the scheme is practicable, the author proceeded to collect materials, which he found to be various, fuitable to the propofed end, and sufficient to enforce conviction. To facilitate the ftudy of, facred literature, by evincing that the objections, daily

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urged

urged against the credibility of the Holy Oracles, rife from ignorance and fophiftry, was his prevailing motive to this arduous enterprize.

Of truth in all its modifications God is the original fource, and all his works it pervades. Nature, Providence, and Grace, are diftinct departments of one grand and complex, but harmonious fcheme, in which are differences of adminiftrations, but the fame Lord; and diversities of operations, but the fame God, who worketh all in all that is, whofe all powerful energy conducts to admirable and beneficial ends, the feparate and combined tendencies of fecondary causes, and fubordinate means; not to speak of moral agents, contributing their aid, without knowledge, and often beyond their intention.

IN the fashionable phraseology, nature is an independent principle, and providence, chance.-Words, as thus applied, are without a meaning. Grace too is exploded by the profeffed pupils of fatality, as the chimera of fuperftition and impofture. But if the universe be the refult of Effential Perfection, if the events of time be overruled by all-directing Wisdom, and if the discoveries contained in the Bible were indeed vouchfafed by the "Father of Lights, who appointed the fun, moon, and flars, their circuits in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night, and to be for figns and for feasons, and for days and years," the obvious inference is, "That NATURE and PROVIDENCE are fubfervient to the difpenfation of GRACE." If the three modes of government have one common object,

as

as they have one common Lord, a perfect harmony of operation is fuppofable, in the means, caufes, and effects, employed during all the intermediate stages.

THE Sacred Annals, together with the Prophetical Oracles, define with fcientifical precifion the interval, in days, weeks, months, and aftronomical years, from Adam to the reign of Caligula; nay foretel fuch events as are now fulfilling, or yet to be fulfilled, prior to the confummation of things. No where else is a primary fource of computation to be found. This interval is fubdivided into diftin&t parts, each of a determinate length, and all conducive both to the ease and certainty of reckoning;-for example,

FROM Adam to Noah; hence to Abraham, and from him to Mofes, is the patriarchal economy continued, and the several periods circumfcribed within limits characterised by defined aftronomical quantities.

IN like manner is afcertained the space from Mofes to Joshua, and from the intermediate judges, to Samuel; whence the computation proceeds by Kings to the rife of the Chaldean monarchy.

THE canonical hiftory of the Jews ends about 440 years before the crucifixion, that is, half a century after the commencement of the famous feventy prophetical weeks: 368 years from the reftoration of the Olympiad, 345 from the Varronian era, and 339 from that of Nabonaffar. By the feventy prophetical weeks is the chronological chain continued, from the first point in measured time, without the lofs of one link; and by these three notable eras of the gentiles, is the Sacred

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Sacred Hiftory brought into aftronomical connexion with that of the pagan empires, in continuous fucceffion, and co-exiftent periods.

CHRISTIANITY, or the doctrine of grace, is not quite fo ancient as the creation. But it certainly did commence immediately with the apoftacy in paradise. Before fin entered into the world, the luminaries had begun their courfes, and by their periodical revolutions are measured, with an exactnefs, which extends to the minuteft fractional parts of time, thofe intermediate ages from the prime fource of computation to the very day, when the second Adam rose from the grave, to an

endless life and univerfal dominion.

THOUGH it is not affirmed, that a diftinct knowledge of the chronological characters, in the Bible, is of equat importance and neceffity with belief in the doctrines. and facts of Revelation; yet, if the veracity of the facred writers can be established on the basis of demonstrative science, it must appear, that the objections, ftill urged against the credibility of the holy oracles, are the offspring of ignorance and sophistry.

FOR evincing the certainty of the Bible Hiftory, Genealogy is an effential ingredient. During the first three ages of the world, that is, from the creation to the Exodus, the fum of the intervals in family defcents is the past duration of the planetary fyftem. In afcertaining this criterion of chronological truth, one axiom is fundamental: "The age of procreation must accord with the standard of natural life, in the feveral ages. of the world." This axiom merits exemplification.

1. "ALL

1. "ALL the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died." This notation harmonifes with that other chronological character, which connects the birth of Enoch with the 262d year of the same Jared.

course of nature.

2. FROM the birth of Arphaxad to that of Nahor the grandfather of Abraham, (seven generations), the usual standard of natural life was between 250 and 300 years, and the common age of procreation 30, plus minus. These arrangements are congruous with the But in the generations, after Nahor, the ultimate period of mortality was compreffed within lefs protracted limits; and, at the fame time, the mean proportion of generations was extended to 60 years and upwards, in the line at leaft of Terah by Abraham. That, in all the other families of Noah's progeny, and even those in the line of Shem by Haran and Nahor, the fons of Terah, procreation made a lefs rapid progrefs, during a series of generations, is not credible. But probable reasons may be affigned for a longer space between descents in the families of Ifaac and Jacob, than of Ifhmael and Efau.

cation would be improper.

Here a minute fpecifi

3. AFTER Terah was the ftandard of natural life comprised within the space of two centuries; yet if the reckoning be continued from Judah exclusively to the descent into Egypt, he was the grandfather of two twins, Hezron and Hamul, by Pharez, the youngest of four fons, at the time of that defcent: fcarcely half. a century. The improbable circumftances are ;