Years before 1285 1245. and peace and liberty in one part, when there was war and flavery in another. The eaftern part, that had fhaken off the yoke of Moab, had reft 80 years; but, in the mean while, the Philiflines invaded the western parts, and were repulfed by Shamgar, Judg. iii. 31. Afterward Jabin afflicted the northern tribes, chap. iv. 2. while the eastern parts ftill remained in peace. See Bp. PATRICK on Judg. xi. 26. To the deliverance of North Ifrael from Jabin, by Deborah and Baruch. [After which that part of the land had reft 40 years. Judg. v. 31.] To the bondage of North and Eaft Ifrael under the Midianites, for 7 years. NoteIn fome of those 7 years, probably, Elimelech removed into the land of Moab, by reafon of the famine, occafioned by the depredations of the Midianites, Ruthi. 1, 2. Judg. vi. 4. To their deliverance by Gideon. To Abimelech's ufurpation, 40 1238 1199 Years. Proofs. Years before 1152 1147 1140 1135 1133 1130 1122 Judg. xiii. 1. In the first About the fifth year of Elon, 17. pro Authors within the Period from the EXODUS to the Founding of SOLOMON'S Temple. BOUT the beginning of this Period books began to be written; and it hath furnished the world with the nobleft productions, both in hiftory, poetry, and the inftructive kind. The Book of JOB. IF Job wrote his own book; or if it was written by Elihu, one of the interlocutors, as fome gather from chap. xxxii. 10, 15, &c. where he fpeaks in the language of the writer of the Book; and if Mofes found it when he was with Jethro in Midian, and tranfcribed it, adding the hiftorical parts at the beginning and the end; then this Book of Job is earlier than this Period, and the oldest Book in the world. And, as it is worthy of the highest antiquity, any of thefe fuppofitions is far more probable than theirs who imagine it was written in a later age, about the time of the Babylonifh captivity. The PENTATEUCH. THAT Mofes wrote the Pentateuch, or fivefold volume, (from TTE, quinque, and ry, volumen, liber, (containing the five books in the Bible, we have the fame reafon to believe, as we have that Homer wrote the the Iliad; namely, the consent of all the learned in all ages. The first of these books is Genefis, NT containing the only hiftory of the world from the creation down to Jacob's removing into Egypt, for 2298 years. 2. Exodus, now is the hiftory of the departure of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and of the erecting and furnishing of the tabernacle. 3. Leviticus, in which are the laws, ceremonies, and facrifices of the Jewish religion, and what particularly related to the Levites. 4. Numbers, begins with the numbering of the Ifraelites; after which feveral laws and remarkable events are recorded. 5. Deuteronomy, '17 is a repetition and an abridgement of the law, with exhortations and motives to the obfervance of it. The Book of JOSHUA, JOSHUA probably wrote the last chapter of Deuteronomy, and the Book of Joshua, containing an account of his own acts, in conquering and dividing the land of Canaan; and Phineas, the high priest, might add the five last verses relating to the death of Joshua, and of his father Eleazar the high-priest. The Book of JUDGES, WAS certainly written before the fecond book of Samuel; compare 2 Sam. xi. 21. with Judg. ix. 53; and before David had taken Jerufalem, 2 Sam. v. 6. Judg. i. 21. Samuel, the Prophet, or Seer, the laft of the Judges, was an hiftorian, I Chron. xxix. 29. and probably wrote this Book of Judges; in which we read the great efficacy of religion to make a nation happy, and the difmal calamities which impiety brings along with it. St. Paul (Heb. xi. 32.) points out fome examples of heroic, and furprisingly fuccefsful faith in Gideon, Barak, Samfor, and Jephthah, whofe hiftory is recorded in this Book. It confifts of two parts, the one containing the hiftory of the Judges, from Othniel to Samuel, which part ends with the xvith chapter; the other, containing feveral memorable actions, performed not long after the death of Joshua, is thrown to the end of the Book, that it might not interrupt the thread the hiftory. The Book of RUTH. RUTH may be confidered as an appendage to the book of Judges, and brings down the hiftory to the times of Samuel, who probably was the author of it, and draws the lineage of Judah down to David. chap. iv. 18. Which makes it not unlikely, that it was written after David was anointed by Samuel. 1 Sam. xvi. 13. Here it may not be improper to obferve, that Samuel was not only an author, but otherwife feems to have been a great promoter of literature and religion. We never read of the companies or colleges of Prophets till this time; and therefore, probably, he erected them. They were feminaries for the inftruction of youth in the knowledge of the law, and for training them up in the exercises of piety; particularly in the finging of facred hymns, in concert with inftrumental mufic. This, in the language of those times, was prophefying, 1 Sam. x. 5. 1 Chron. XXV. 1, 2, 3, 7. They were not, ftrictly speaking, all of them Prophets; but upon fome of them God bestowed the fpirit of prophecy, or of predicting future events, 2 Kings 11. 3. And we may fuppofe, that most of the Prophets, properly so called, came out of thofe fchools. Amos excepts himfelf, chap. vii. 14-I was no Prophet, neither was I a Prophet's fon, i. e. Difciple; for the scholars were called the fons of the Prophets. At their head, as governor, they had fome venerable truly-infpired Prophet, who was called their father. I Sam. x. 12. 2 Kings ii. 12. Samuel was one, and perhaps the first of those fathers, or governors. 1 Sam. xix. 20. Elijah was another. 2 Kings ii. 12. And Elifba fucceeded him in this office. 2 Kings iv. 8. Elifba came to Gilgal-and the fons of the Prophets were fitting before him. The mafter, or father, fat above; and the fcholars below, before him, at his feet. 2 Kings ii. 3. Knoweft thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head? or from the feat, where he fits above thy head-See Acts xxii. 3. They lived together in fociety, 2 Kings vi. 1; and when they had done their lectures, and religious exercites, were wont to eat together with their mafters. 2 Kings iv. 38, &c. This inftitution had a manifeft tendency to advance religion and learning. I. II. SAMUEL. 1 SAMUEL was wrote before 1 Kings. 1 Kings ii. 17. 1 Sam. ii. 31, 35, compared; and it is not unreasonably fuppofed, that Samuel wrote the firft 24 chapters; and that, after his death, the hiftory of David was continued in the firft and fecond Books of Samuel by the Prophets Gad and Nathan. 1 Chron, xxix. 29. I. II. KINGS. THESE BOOKS contain the hiftory of the kings of Judah and Ifrael, from Solomon to the captivity in Babylon, for the space of 423 years. In this Period were feveral hiftoriographers; for we read of the book of the Ats of Solomon, 1 Kings xi. 41. which Acts of Solomon were recorded in the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the Prophecy of Ahijab the Shilonite, and in the Vifuns of Iddo the Seer. 2 Chron. ix. 29. Which Iddo was employed, together with Shemaiah the Prophet, in writing the Acts of Rel ovoam. 2 Chron. xii. 15. We also read of the book of Jehu, the Prophet, relating the Acts of king Jehoshaphat. 2 Chron. xx. 34. 1 Kings xvi. 1. And Ifaiah, the Prophet, wrote the Acts of king Uzziah, 2 Chron. xxvi. 22; and alfo of king Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxii. 32. And it is highly probable, that he wrote the hiftory of the two intermediate |