H

СНАР. III.

Second Age of the World.

ERE a new term of computation begins with unity. "Arphaxad was born two years after the Flood." The author of the Annals, reckoning the first year of the new world to have begun with the first day of the first month, when Noah removed the covering of the ark, connects the birth of Arphaxad with A. M. 1658. But as Noah evacuated the ark in the 601ft year of his life, which ran parallel with 1657, this year is evidently characterised by the sacred hiftorian as the laft of the old world; and hence, exclufively, muft the new computation proceed. Arphaxad was therefore born during the currency of 1659, and from the subsequent year is his age of 438 years counted. This anticipation abridges the chronology of this and the fucceeding periods. But other dates, in this section of the ANNALS, are much more exceptionable.

Time of the Difperfion.

THE date of Peleg's birth, in whose days the earth was divided, coincides with the first year of the second century after the deluge. At the time of his birth, Jofephus fays, the difperfion of the nations to their several countries did happen *. But as the world was not then fufficiently populous, this interpretation of the facred hiftorian's words, "In his days," is unnatural. The phrafe is ftrictly proper if

underflood to intimate, that the difperfion took place in

his life-time.

USHER, Bedford, and Bryant, conjecture that Noah divided the lands among his fons, about the time of Peleg's birth, and before the general difperfion. But pure conjecture, without the colour of historical evidence, is not to be admitted.

THE arduous attempt at Babel, the extent of that fructure, as described by the ancients, and the ftill perceptible veftiges of its ruins, indicate a ftage of population, and of progress in arts, incongruous with the hypothefis, that the enterprise was defeated fo early as the lapse of the first century from the flood. Every circumftance in the state of the world, taken in connection with the concife reports of facred hiftory, admits, nay requires, the confufion of tongues, with the confequent feparation from Babel, to be brought so low as 100 years before the birth of Abraham. Suppofe the 277th year after the flood to be the true date, Noah, Shem, Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, were then all living, and most probably Japheth, Ham, and Nimrod. During the interval thence to the fojourning of Abraham, a period of 150 years, feveral political establishments might have been erected, and magnificent cities built, fo as to accord with the advanced state of population in that age. Admit this arrangement, no neceffity occurs for having recourfe to the exaggerated chronology of the Greek Pentateuch.

On the other hand, if the Archbishop's date of the difperfion be judged preferable, the romantic project at Babel was defeated almoft as foon as begun; and no ftronger

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ftronger objection to the accuracy of Mofes as a chronologer, and to his veracity as a hiftorian, is fuppofable. But why should his reputation fuffer from the unfkilful positions of his commentators ?

A BRIEF abftract of corrected dates, in this period, is fubjoined, with their chronological characters.

ANNALS. Yrs of the W. J. P. B. C. ARRANGEMENTS. W. J. P. B. C.

Termination of 1656 2365 2349

the flood

1657 2362 2351

1659 2364 2349

51758 2463 2250 21934 2639 2074

2009 2714 1999 2084 2789 1924

SIR W. Raleigh obferves, with much judgement and equal fpirit, "If we advisedly confider the state and countenance of the world, fuch as it was in Abraham's time, yea, before his birth, we shall find, that it were very ill done, by following opinion without the guide of reason, to pare the times over deeply between the flood and Abraham, because, in cutting them too near the quick, the reputation of the whole ftory might perchance bleed *.”” This pertinent remark is the refult of his determination concerning the two questions, whether the time of Peleg's birth were the true date of the difperfion, and the 70th of Terah the year of Abraham's birth? The refolution of thefe enquiries affirmatively, is the true reason why the Septuagint chronology hath been fo generally preferred to the Hebrew, which, if fairly interpreted, removes every objection to the numbers of mankind, at both periods.

TH

CHAP. IV.

Third Age of the World.

1. Date of the Sojourning.

75th year. But the In the intermediate afterward denomi

HE Annals reprefent the removal of Abraham, first from Ur, then from Syria, and his entrance into Canaan, as the events of his hiftory requires a longer interval. flage he built a village, or town, nated a city, for the accommodation of his little colony. This certainly was not the work of a few months. It feems he called it Haran, after the name of his brother, who had died in the land of his nativity. This circumftance implies the profpect of a permanent refidence. By a divine fignal, or monition, there he pitched his tent, and from the hiftory it does not appear, that he entertained the thought of a fubsequent removal. The primate, however, affumes the poftulate, that the patriarch left Chaldea with the explicit foreknowledge of an inheritance in Palefline;-that his progrefs was interrupted by the indifpofition, and death of his father at Haran;-and that he fet out thence for Canaan, the place of his final defination, whither he arrived, before the expiration of one full year from the time he left his country, his kindred, and his father's houfe.

EVERY clause of this complex poftulate is controvertible. At the command of God, the patriarch departed from Ur, into a land afterwards to be fhewn to him. From these premises an Apoftle infers a conclufion, at variance with the archbishop's pofition: "By FAITH," not by PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE, "Abraham, when he was called to go out unto a place, which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and went out, not knowing whither he went."

ABRAHAM and Lot had gathered fubftance, and gotten fouls, in Haran. Their chief fubftance was cattle, which had increafed by procreation. Their domestics too had multiplied by birth, and by purchase; or, as the Chaldee paraphraft conjectures, by profelytism. All these circumstances justify the fuppofition, that Abraham confidered Syria as the place of his ultimate deftination, and that his abode there was protracted beyond the space of a few months.

MUCH more probable is the opinion of Petau and Shuckford, who fuppofe, that Abraham, with his attendants, was warned to retreat from Ur in his 70th year; that he refided in Haran five years, and entered Canaan at the Age of 76. Of this last date we have the utmost certainty. For after Abraham had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and when he was fourfcore and fix years old, Hagar bare Ishmael. This notation ferves for a proof, that the fojourning in Canaan and Egypt was adopted as a new term of computation. It is carefully to be noted, that the anticipation of one year in this place, and of another at the