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awful distance from him. He had incense burnt in the apartments, which he was expected to visit. He told the senate, on receiving their address, on his assuming the consulship for life, that he was called by the Almighty to restore the reign of order, justice, and peace, upon earth. In the beginning of the war between England and France, he allowed the clergy of the latter to entitle him the new Cyrus, and the Christ of Providence. -He got the Jews together, and set them haranguing about him till they hailed him the chosen of the LordHis cherished anointed-The minister of eternal justice -The living image of the Deity. He admitted the hairbrained students of Leipsic to address him in the language almost of deification. On his return to Paris, after the peace of Tilsit, he disclosed the impious object that was lurking in his mind, by ordering a temple of victory opposite the legislative mansion, and his palace, to be placed between them. To humor the same feeling, on his return from Bayonne, (in 1808) the people of the South of France were ordered to strew branches of palm trees before him; and, instead of his being received by the municipal bodies, the archbishop of Thoulouse was directed to issue his mandamus to the clergy, prescribing the peculiar ceremonies they were to use on his entering their parishes. In his Catechism, which he published, he tells his people, and orders them to believe, that he is the image of God upon earth, and that to honour and serve him, is to honour and serve God himself."

Here we shall leave this part of our work, though in an unfinished state, and wait the event, which appears to be awful and alarming, under every view of the subject, to the nations of Europe, and proceed to the consideration of the seventh head.

THE

PRESENT AGE OF THE WORLD,

AS TO ITS DURATION, WITH THE GENERAL IDEAS OF THE ANCIENTS, BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES, AS TO THE TRADITIONS RECEIVED FROM THE PATRIARCHS AND PHILOSOPHERS, RELATIVE TO ITS EXISTENCE UNDER THE PRESENT PERIOD, afTER WHICH IT IS TO UNDERGO A FAVOURABLE REVOLUTION.

THERE are difficulties in the chronology of the world, that have long puzzled the ablest proficients in that branch of science; and perhaps will ever puzzle them till the great period arrives, which shall solve all difficulties, and ascertain, with precision, the great eras of Revelation. Cum Elias venerit, solvet nodos.

The present difficulties, in some measure, arise from the difference in the copies of the Pentateuch with each other, as well as with the New Testament. The Hebrew numerals were very easily mistaken by copyists, and may have caused some small mistakes, in the account of the ages of men and countries. The letter koph, in Hebrew, stands for 100, and the letter mem for 40, yet the last differs from the first, but by a slight stroke of the pen. In the 11th chapter of Genesis 32d verse, it is said that the days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran or Charran; yet St. Stephen in recounting the genealogy of the Jews from the patriarch Abraham, in 7th Acts, 4th verse, says, "that when his father was dead, Abraham removed into the land of Canaan," and in Genesis 12th ch. 4th v. he is then said to be but 75 years old, and in

11th ch. and 26th v. that Terah begat Abraham at the 70th year of his age, so that according to this statement, at his death, Terah could have been but 145 years old. So St. Luke in his 3d ch. 36th v. introduces the birth of Canaan, immediately after that of Arphaxad;-so does the copy of the Septuagint, in four different places, but in the 10th ch. Genesis 22d v. Canaan is altogether left

out.

Now these difficulties have been in some measure obviated in these latter times, by the zeal and indefatigable industry of the late excellent archbishop Usher, who about the year 1630, sent into Judea and purchased at a considerable expense, a copy of the Pentateuch, found in the possession of a remnant of the Samaritans, and which is supposed to have been given to them by the captived ten tribes of Israel, when they taught the Samaritans the worship of the God of Israel.*

It bears marks of very great antiquity, but differs with our Hebrew copies, in the account of the generations before the birth of Abraham. Before the flood it comes short of us, but, after the flood, it goes beyond us, but then it agrees with the account that Terah was but 145 years old when he died, and plainly shews a mistake in our copy. It also confirms St. Luke's account of the posterity of Shem, by declaring that Canaan was the son of Arphaxad, and the father of Selah, thus confirming both St. Luke and the Septuagint.

If the addition be made to our reckoning, it increases the age of the world. Thus difficulties do really exist, and we cannot be certain that our reckoning is perfectly right; and it may be, that the great disposer of all things had wise reasons for suffering it to remain in doubt, per

2 Kings, 17th ch. 27th v.

haps among others, to prevent the curiosity of the enemies of revelation, from ascertaining precisely the times foretold in his word, before they come to pass.

However, if the Samaritan should prove the true account, and we make but reasonable allowances to reconcile apparent difficulties, the age of the world, at the birth of Christ, will be somewhat older than is generally allowed; and if we should reckon lunar years after the manner of the ancients, instead of solar years, it will add to the age of the world.

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The following comes sufficiently near the different calculations, for our purpose:

Years.

The Samaritan copy, to the flood, gives to Abraham,

1307

1039

2346

The Hebrew copy makes the number of years, from the creation to the

1656

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So that the world is, at least, 182 years older by the Samaritan, than the Hebrew copies, and in 1800 is 5986 years old: allowing it to be 4004 at the birth of Christ. There is besides, according to archbishop Usher, still a difficulty of ten years, that cannot be accounted for.

I do not mean to answer for these calculations, but state them on the credit of others, to show the probability that the world is something older than our common

reckoning; and that the sixth millenary may not be so far from its termination, as is generally imagined; and if so, by counting back 1260 years, it will show that our conjectures on the rise of the man of sin, are not without some good foundation. These are conclusions, from the prophetic declarations of the word of God, thrown out for the consideration of the more intelligent and accurate chronologer; but on which I would not lay great stress.*

* Before this work went to the press, a most excellent treatise on Prophesy, by the Rev. Mr. Faber, came to hand. The great superiority of this work, over any we have yet read, and the strong reasons assigned by him for a different commencement of the 1260 years, render the persisting in a contrary opinion (though with great hesitation) rather unjustifiable, without producing the reasons for it-1st. The time that the Church retained her purity free from spiritual idolatry, compared with the proportions of the temple which was to be measured by the angel, and compared with the 1260 years.-2d. The completion of the ten kingdoms into which the Roman empire was to be divided, in order to constitute the beast with seven heads and ten horns, which was about the year 500. "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings, one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast."" And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate (or rather forsake) the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God hath put it in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree and give their kingdoms unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled." So that the time when the ten kingdoms shall fall off from supporting the beast is about the end of the 1260 years.-3d. By the words of St. John, it appears that the beast of forty-two month's existence was to arise on the mortal wound being given to the imperial soverignty of Rome: This was done by the defeat of Augustulus and the em

Revelations, 17th ch. 12, 15, 16, and 17th verses.

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