private house. It may be added too, that many learned critics have been weak or ridiculous enough to return it a ferious anfwer. The learned. Jofeph Mede fomewhere replies to this effect (though perhaps in different words): "As Chrift was himself the temple, the altar, the oblation, and the priest, all these formalities were fuperfeded." This may be approved as a vigorous fentiment, but must be rejected as a feeble answer. Much more proper it is to note, that the ordinance itself was out of date, a new inftitution being that very night fubftituted as a memorial of better things. Or rather, as juft now hinted, the whole ritual of facrifice and oblation had virtually ceased at the time of Chrift's baptifm. This paffover was the last act of conformity with the prefigurative situal. For Jefus, while difpenfing that ordinance of fubftitution, the facrament of his own body and blood, thus expreffed a change of administration already begun: "Verily I fay unto you, I will not henceforth drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom*,"

Mat. xxvi. 29. Our Lord in these words intimates his intention to partake neither of the paffover, nor of the new facrament, till the things fignified by both fhould be fulfilled in the gofpel difpenfation, which was nigh at hand or that he would not partake with them in any joy; till he rejoiced with them in the communications of the Holy Spirit, Macknight's Harmony, 545.

Chronology of HEROD, AUGUSTUS, and TIBERIUS NERO, including that of JESUS CHRIST, from the firft JULIAN Year to the Acceffion of CALIGULA adjufled to the VARRONIAN Years of ROME.

A. P. J. 4668

Reformation of the Roman Calendar A. M. 3964 1. First Julian year. Tiberius born A. U. Var. 709 12. Julius Cefar affaflinated

3. Battle at Mutina. First, confulate of Octa

vius

1

4. Defeat of Brutus and Caffius at Philippi

710

711.

712

6. Antigonus and Herod rival kings in Judea"

714

9. Antigonus flain. Herod reigns.

10. Battle at Actium

717

723

16. Firft year of the Roman empire

724

18. Cenfus and luftrum reftored

726

27. Herod begins to rebuild the temple

29. It was made fit for fervice in two years 38. A fecond luftrum.

737

Herod dedicates the

temple

746

41. Chrift born.

42. Herod dies. True date of the Chriftian era

45. Dionyfian, or Vulgar, year of the Nativity 46. First year of the vulgar era

52. Archelaus dethroned

53. Chrift 12 years old. Cyrenius levies a tax 57. Tiberius joint emperor

750.

59. Tiberius fole emperor. Val. Gratus procurator of Judea

69. Val. Gratus recalled

71. P. Pilate fucceeds. 15th of Tiberius. John's miniftry begins. Jefus about 30 years. old

75. Jefus is baptifed, tempted, works miracles, preaches

76. Phlegon's eclipfe, in the 4th of the 202d

olympiad *

77. Crucifixion

78. Tiberius dies, in the 78th of his life and 23d of his reign

ous.

779

783

785

786

787

A. M. 4042
Jul. Per. 4747

This eclipfe, as a character of time, is extremely ambiguEven the year is uncertain. The fragment preferved by Eufebius runs thus, τῶ δε έτει της σβ Ολυμπιαδος εγένετο εκλειψις ήλιου μεγίςη τῶν εγνωσμένων πρότεξον, και νύξ ώρα ς της ημερας εγίνετο αστέ και άστερας εν ουρανο φαγηται. "But on the (oo) year of the 202d olympiad was a very great eclipse of the fun, fuch as was not formerly known, and night came on at the 6th hour of the day (12 at noon), fo that the ftars were visible in the firmament."

Such is the vague account of this very strange phenomenon. Bifhop Beveridge, making a vain effort to ftrike a spark out of chaos, propofes an emendation in the first clause. Tã di #TH, he changes into Tru, fo as to transform the particle &, but, into the numerical 8, 4, and thus renders the words, In the 4th year of the zozd olympiad, &c. Admit this correction as

04

not

not improbable, ftill no month and no day of a month is fpecified. Aftronomers are puzzled in the fearch of a natural eclipfe of this luminary at that hour, in a series of years before or after that olympiad. But though this report were marked with more characters of verifimilitude, the 4th of the 202d olympiad was the year before the crucifixion; and thefe difcordant notations of time cannot be brought into the point of coincidence, without either antedating our Lord's birth, or abridging the years of his life. If one or the other be done, all the links which compose the compact chain of chronological characters above conftructed, for the hiftory of more than 40 centuries, are violently torn asunder.

In a lefs advanced stage of calculation, the time was when that preternatural darkness, suppose it did happen at the time of our Lord's passion, obtained the credit of a very striking collateral teftimony in confirmation of the gofpel hiftory: As fuch Dr. Clarke confidered it, in the first edition of his Sermons, at Boyle's Lecture. In the full perfuafion that this corner-stone was fufficient to fupport any quantity of preffure, that great man fet forth the argument, with all the advantage it could derive from his eminent abilities. His friend Dr. Sykes fuggefted the impropriety of refting the caufe of Christianity on equivocal proofs, and prevailed with him to expunge it from the fubfequent impreffions.

The argument has fince been revived, and the teftimony of Phlegon vindicated with a needlefs parade of genius and erudition. In this controversy Dr. Chapman diftinguished himself in a manner which might have done service to a better caufe i and those who approve his fentiments of the subject, boast that his defence is not yet convicted of weakness or fallacy. It is a very unacceptable service to undeceive fuch as have fallen into a pleafing reverie. Si populus decipi vult, decipiatur. Mean time those who have not yet contracted an infurmountable predilection in favour of Phlegon's authority, aṛe cau tioned to withhold their full affent, till it be certain that the

phenomenon

phenomenon under examination was observed on the very day of the crucifixion. Aftronomical characters are not to be applied at random. A deep eclipfe of that pafchal full moon, like that which happened at Raameses on the night of the first paffover, could it be certified by calculation, would be much more to the purpose.

Christianity acquires no credit from injudicious defences, and lofes no strength from the removal of tottering bulwarks... The time was when the inspiration of the facred writers was not judged fufficient, except the attribute of infallibility were likewise ascribed to every amanuenfis. Printers, however, it was obferved, had fallen into fome mistakes, and MSS. werę not found to agree in every minute circumftance. Critics were cautious of correcting palpable errors, left they should incur the fufpicion of herefy. No fooner was it admitted, that the facred texts in fome paffages were faulty, than Freethinkers gave the alarm that uncertainty pervaded all. Bentley, by fhewing that the multiplicity of various readings affords the means of reftoring the true fenfe, defeated infidelity by repelling its weapons on itself. Christianity has suffered nothing by the objections of the learned to the credibility of the thundering legion, to the early ceffation of miracles in the primitive church, to the vision said to have been exhibited to Conftantine, to the defeat of Julian's attempts to rebuild Jerufalem. Nor would the grounds of the Chriftian faith be fhaken, fhould certain writings, which fome vifionary critics believe to be canonical, be pronounced spurious.

GENEALOGY.