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CHA P. IV.

The Practice of other Hiftorians, as well as the Evangelifts, to neglect the Order of Time. Several Inftances out of the Old Teftament Hiftory. Inftances out of Profane Authors. Several Reasons, why the Evangelifts neglect the Order of

Time.

HOWEVER ftrange, it may feem to fome, that these sa

cred writers fhould thus difregard the order of time, and confequently differ fo much from each other; yet this will not at all derogate from their honour and authority, if the matter be duly and impartially confidered. For as this is very often, upon many accounts, undoubtedly the best way of writing history, so it has been the practice of the best hiftorians, both facred and profane, in all ages and countries. Mr. Whiston indeed tells us, that those who do not take his method, and fuppofe St. Matthew's Gospel in our present copies mifplaced, are forced on another method, which plainly implies the frequent inaccuracy, if not falsehood, of the infpired writers themselves". This is a very hard charge indeed, which at once falls upon all the harmonizers and commentators of the Gospels, that ever wrote before Mr. Whifton. It is ftrange that all these good men, who had so great a veneration for inspired writers, fhould thus charge the Evangelifts with inaccuracies, if not falsehood; Mr. Whiston will agree with me, they had none of them this defign, and then I am not afraid to affert, that no fuch thing follows from the method they took, to reconcile the Evangelifts.

The fubftance of their charge amounts to no more than this, viz. That they fuppofe the Evangelifts, not to have al ways, and in every particular inftance, obferved the order of time; but this is fo far from fuppofing an inaccuracy or falfehead in the Evangelifts, that it is only supposing them to have

a P. 112.

taken

taken the best method, and the method the best hiftorians have taken, before and fince their time.

For the clearing of this matter, I will endeavour to fhew:

I. That this is a thing very common in the history of the Old Teftament.

II. That it has been the practice of the best profane hifto

rians.

III. Offer fome reasons, why the Evangelists neglected the

order of time.

I. The writers of the hiftory of the Old Teftament very frequently deviate from the order of time, in relating several branches of their hiftory; fometimes placing them much sooner, fometimes much later, than the time, in which they really came to pass. This was very remarkably the practice of that best and moft accurate of all hiftorians, Mofes. For inftance,

Gen. xxv. 7, 8, 9. He places the death of Abraham before the birth of Ifaac's two fons, Efau and Jacob, ver. 24, 25, &c. whereas it is very certain, that Abraham was alive when they were born, aud lived at least fifteen years afterwards, as will appear by the following account.

Abraham was a hundred years old, when his fon Ifaac was born, Gen. xxi. 5. Ifaac was threefcore years old, when his fons Efau and Jacob were born, ch. xxv. 26. therefore Abraham was but a hundred and threefcore at their birth. But Abraham lived till he was a hundred and feventy five, ch. xxv. 7. and therefore it is evident, that the death of Abraham is placed at least fifteen years too soon, being placed before the birth of Efau and Jacob; whereas if the order of time had been obferved, it must have been placed at least fifteen years afterwards.

The fame may be obferved alfo, concerning the hiftorian's placing his account of the death of Isaac, Gen. xxxv. 28, 29. It is placed before the felling of Joseph into Egypt by his brethren, ch. xxxvii. whereas, if the order of time had been obferved, it ought to have been placed after; it being certain,

that

that Ifaac lived at least twelve years after that time, as will appear by the following account.

Jofeph was thirty years old, when he was advanced by Pharaoh in Egypt, Gen. xli. 46. After this there came feven years of plenty, ver. 47, 53. and two years of famine, before Jacob came down to Egypt, ch. xlv. 6. So that Jofeph was at least thirty nine years old, when Jacob his father came down to Egypt; Jacob, when he came down to Egypt, was a hundred and thirty years old, ch. xlvii. 9. Now from the time of Jofeph's being fold by his brethren, till this time, (viz. till his 39th year) were twenty two years, because he was fold in his Seventeenth year, ch. xxxvii. 2. If then we take the twenty two years, which Jofeph was in Egypt, from the hundred and thirty of Jacob; it is plain that Jacob was a hundred and eight, when Jofeph was feventeen, and confequently, when Joseph was fold to Egypt, Ifaac was no more than a hundred and fixty ight; for Jacob (who was at this time but a hundred and eight) was born, when Ifaac was fixty years old, ch. xxv. 26. Now Ifaac lived till he was a hundred and eighty years old, ch. xxxv. 28. and confequently twelve years after Joseph was fold into Egypt. So that it is evident, the account of Ifaac's death is not placed according to the order of time, but at leaft twelve years fooner, than that order required."

Another very remarkable instance to the fame purpose, viz. of the author of the book of Genefis not obferving the order of time in his hiftory, we have ch. xxxviii. The feveral matters there related, are placed between the account of Joseph's being fold into Egypt, and his advancement before Pharaoh. This interval, or space of time, confifts of no more than thirteen years; for Jofeph was fold in his feventeenth, and advanced in his thirtieth year. Now upon a close consideration of the circumftances of the hiftory, it will appear morally impoffible, that all the feveral matters, related in that chapter, fhould have come to pafs in that time, as will be evident by juft naming them.

First, Judah leaves his father's family, and marries, and fucceffively begat three fons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. When the eldest came to age, he married Tamar; fome time after

the

the Lord flew him, and Onan the second brother married his widow; after his death fhe continued a confiderable time a widow, expecting the time, when the third fon would be grown up and marry her. He grows up, but refuses to marry her; therefore fhe plays the harlot with her father in law Judah, and by him the hath two fons. And all this must have been in lefs than the space of thirteen years, unless we suppose the hiftorian not to have obferved the order of time; which certainly he did not, a great part of what is here related, having undoubtedly come to pafs, a confiderable time before Jofeph was fold into Egypt".

These are inftances fufficient to prove, that though the Evangelists did not always confine themselves to obferve the order of time, yet they had the example of the best historian in the world, to juftify their practice in neglecting it.

Nor was this only the practice of Mofes, but of most, if not all, the writers of the facred hiftory of the Old Testament. There is a noted example of this in the book of Judges, the laft five chapters of which history ought, if the order of time had been obferved, to have been placed near the beginning of it. The ftory of Micah's idolatry, and the expedition of the tribe of Dan, ch. xvii. and xviii. of the Levite's concubine, and the war on her account, ch. xix. xx. and xxi. are each of them placed above 200 years too late, which is easy enough to be proved. Hence Jofephus has placed the history of the three laft chapters, before the history of the Judges, and the Old Hebrew Chronologer has placed the story of Micah, and the tribe of Dan's idolatry, and the ftory of the Levite's concubine in the time of Othniel, the first of the Judges; and, as far as I can find, moft chronologers and commentators are of the fame mind".

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The story of Shimei's death, 1 Kings ii. 39. &c. is evidently placed three years too foon in the history.

Abundance of other fuch inftances might be collected out of the hiftorical books, were it neceffary. Those that have a mind to fee them, may confult Dr. Lightfoot and Ufher", &c. I would only add, that this has been a very antient and common obfervation; and that for this purpose the famous fixth rule of Ticonius, called Recapitulatio, was invented. But,

II. This is not a practice peculiar to the facred writers, but made ufe of by all hiftorians. The moft accurate and exact among those, who are called profane writers, have taken this liberty in compofing their hiftories. Livy, Plutarch, Tacitus, Suetonius, Florus, &c. have all upón particular occafions neglected the exact order of time. Suetonius, for inftance, is very frequent in this practice; continually laying matters of a like nature together, without regard to the order of time, in which they were done. In the Life of Augustus he expressly tells us, it was his defign to do fod: "not to confine himself to "ftrict chronology, or the order of time, in which the several "things were done; but instead of being punctual to the "time, join actions of a like nature together, that so they "might be more clearly perceived and known." This any one, who reads his memoirs of Auguftus's life, will perceive, he has done, just as St. Matthew and the other Evangelifts, in writing the memoirs of our Saviour's life.

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To the fame purpose Lucius Florus intimates, "That he "would not observe the ftrict order of time; but that the

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