bears witness to the prophetical character of the first hiftorian. As without a divine impulfe he could not predict the events of a remote futurity, it cannot be incongruous to suppose, that, in composing the history of 25 paft centuries, he was under the influence of fupernatural direction.

DURING the late century, the patrons of facred literature fignified their wifh to have all the exifting manufcripts of the original Hebrew and Greek texts of both Teftaments carefully compared, that fome one copy, worthy to be admitted as the ftandard of textual purity, might be compiled from many, and retain the verity which pervades all. By the laudable industry and fkill of feveral accomplished maflers in facred criticism, have the fanguine hopes of the Proteftant churches been amply gratified, and not without the concurrence of the learned in the Romish communion.

SOME of the reafons urged for collating manuscript and printed copies, verfions, (ancient and modern), quotations, &c. merited immediate regard, and liberal encouragement. Others fpecious, but nugatory, captivated the attention of the public; and by a kind of difaftrous fatality," the worfe appeared the better reason, to perplex and dafh matureft counfels." For the preference of the amplified Greek chronology to the very moderate Hebrew notations, the arguments are," as the drop from a bucket, small duft in the balance, and lefs than nothing." Of a minute fcrutiny, the refult was a perfect harmony between all the chronological characters from Adam to Terah. Yet, as if the Hebrew

numbers

numbers had, as uniformly contradictory and meritorious of reprobation, forfeited every claim to proba bility; the report of the Greek tranflators, vague as it generally is, and, in its chronology, convicted of deliberate and wilful forgery, is fet forth by Whifton, Brett, Hay, Jackson, Kennicott, and Geddes, as the primary model of chronological precifion.

EVERY friend to the human race, and to christianity, which comprehends the interest of the whole fpecies, muft derive pure complacence from the continually multiplying editions of the English Bible from the British prefs. Many of them, as fpecimens of elaborate mechanifm, fuperfine paper, elegant types, fuperb binding, exquifite fculptures, and other exterior decorations, folicit and obtain extenfive and liberal encouragement.

It is with deference fubmitted to the judgement of an impartial and difcerning Public, what regard may be due to Proposals, of which the ultimate object is to accomplish Sir Ifaac Newton's arduous enterprize, fo as to make Sacred Hiftory fuit with itfelf, with the Annals of Paganism, with the natural measures of time, with national eras, . with the courfe of nature in the generations of men, and with civil magiftracies.

SUBSCRIPTIONS to be tranfmitted to any of the Bookfellers in Great Britain; or to the author, No. 6, Crown Court, Little Pultney Street, Weflminster. The papers, now ready for publication, will be fent to prefs, as soon as a competent fubfcription fhall be notified.

I

INTRODUCTION.

N an age when the natural measures of time are

exactly ascertained, and the arts of computation reduced to fyftematical precision, it may seem a paradox, that these arts have never been applied to thofe meafures, with a degree of fuccefs which infallibly determines the paft duration of the world.

CHRONOLOGY can be carried no farther back than the most remote point in hiftorical time. All beyond is the region of pure aftronomical operations, which mark imaginary limits in antemundan duration.

THE vulgar Chriftian Era, with refpect to which all dates are denominated prior or fubfequent, is, by immemorial prescription, accounted the center of aftronomical calculations. For example, from the first of January Å. D. 1795, count back 1794 folar tropical years, the reckoning is carried up to January 1ft in the number of the Julian period 4714, where the era begins with unity. Hence continue the retrograde series of natural years up to that firft point, which Mofes calls the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth; THERE measured Time begins. Com

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Computation may proceed farther, if the existence of the planetary fyftem be fuppofed: but beyond the primary fource of measured duration, divided into dif tinct portions, by the revolving luminaries, neither chronology nor history can proceed.

How is the quantity of this retrograde feries defined? By fixed periods, extending progreffively from the origin of things, to the time of the crucifixion. The hiftorical records of the Hebrews, it is true, leave a void space of more than four centuries, prior to the annals of the New Teftament. But this apparent deficiency is abundantly compenfated, by the infallible oracles of prophecy, which specify an interval of 490 years, to commence with a certain date, fubfequent to the return of the captives from Babylon, and to end with. the cutting off of the Meffiah. The feries in the retrograde order, is thus completed:

From the Crucifixion,

To the date of Ezra's Commiffion

490

Overthrow of Jerufalem and the Temple 130

Foundation of the first Temple

426

Ir is to be noted, that the computation begins with the time of the vernal equinox in the year of our Lord's. paffion; and therefore ends with the fame cardinal point in the first year of the world, though fix months after

7

after the creation; for at the Exodus was introduced a change of stile, by which the seventh month of the primitive year, as anciently computed, became the firft, as then altered: "This month fhall be unto you the beginning of months; it fhall be the first month of the year."

By the Julian calendar, every Hebrew year, counted from one autumnal equinox to another, falls in with two numbers of the Julian period. The firft year of the world therefore expired the 31st December 706; and the second began January 707. By this rule, the time of the crucifixion coincided with the feventh month of the year 4041 from the creation. Hence deduct 37, the current year of Chrift's life, the time of his nativity is connected with 4004.

THE prefumed uncertainty of an infallible standard in computation has long perplexed chronologers. In the Hebrew Annals the notations of time have every reasonable claim to preference. That those which define the interval from Adam to Abraham have been egregiously corrupted, by mutilation or accident, hath often been affirmed, but never ved. The numbers in the vth and xith chapters of Genefis, as exhibited in the Greek verfion, exceed thofe in the Hebrew original by about 1500 years. But the translators, in compliance with that epidemical affectation of a remote origin, which THEN had become prevalent among the Gentile nations, enlarged, (by one century each), the age of fifteen patriarchs at the birth of their fpecified fons. Impelled by the fame vanity, Josephus, having the Hebrew text full in his view, preferred the exaggerated

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