Years before times, about the year before From the death of hua to 1391 1383 To their deliverance by Oth- 1343 .. 12, 13, 14. 1325 To the bondage of Eaft-Ifrael under Eglon, king of Moab. To their deliverance by Ehud. [After which, that part of Ifrael had reft for 80 years, Judg. iii. 30.] Note-It may probably be fuppofed, that fcarce any of the judges ruled over the whole country of Ifrael, but fome in one part, and fome in another; fo that, at the fame time, there might be feveral judges in feveral parts of the land and' 40 18 15-30. Years before) 1285 1245. 1238 1199 1196 1173 and peace and liberty in one part, when there was war and slavery in another. The eastern part, that had shaken off the yoke of Moab, had reft 80 years; but, in the mean while, the Philistines invaded the western parts, and were repulfed by Shamgar, Judg. iii. 31. Afterward Fabinafflicted 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 40 Ifrael from Fabin, by Debo- To their deliverance by Gideon. years, or 39 complete. To Tola, judge over North Note While Fair was Authority of Chronologers. Judg. vi. 1. 7 Jud. vi. 1, &c. 39 viii. 28. 3 23 Years beforel 1152 1147 Judg. xiii. 1. In the firft who delivered North and From Jephthah to Ibzan, over or five complete years. 1140 From Ibzan to his fucceffor Elon, in North and Eaft- 1135 1133 1130 1122 About the fifth year of Elon, 17. pro Authors within the Period from the EXODUS to the Founding of SOLOMON'S A 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 Elibu, 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 transcribed it, adding the hiftorical parts at the beginning and the end; then this Book of Job is earlier than this Period, and the oldeft Book in the world. And, as it is worthy of the higheft 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 TETE, quinque, and revy, volumen, liber, (containing the five books in the Bible, we have the fame reason to believe, as we have that Homer wrote the ment immediately from the hand or direction of God; [Exodus xii. 29.] as it was to the Ifraelites a juft retribution of the cruelty of the Egyptians in endeavouring to deftroy all their male children. Exodus i. 16. [Note-In thofe ages and circumftances of the world, when men were not fo capable of being convinced by abftract reafoning, and probably underflood nothing of the perfections of God a priori, his fupreme authority and omnipotence would be beft demonftrated by facts, which experimentally proved his uncontroled dominion over all other powers, and over univerfal Nature.] At laft Pharaoh and his people give up the caufe. God's fuperior power is owned, because so dreadfully experienced. The Egyptians urge them to depart, and to remove all objections that might hinder their departure, willingly give them the most precious and valuable of their poffeffions, [which, by the way, might be but equal payment for the labour of fo great a multitude, for 140 years.] See Exodus xii. 33, &c. Verse 35. And the children of Ifrael—w afked of the Egyptians jewels, &c. i. e. asked the Egyptians to give them jewels, &c. [x fignifies to afk to give, as well as to lend. Jofh. xv. 18, 19. xix. 50. Jud. v. 25. viii. 25, 26. Pfal. ii. 8. See Hebrew English Concordance.] Verfe 36. So that they lent unto them, &c. † So that they readily gave them, &c. in Hiphkid to make to afk, i. e. to encourage, to gratify afking by freely giving. [NoteUpon the occafion of the death of all the firft-born among the Egyptians, and the departure of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, a commemorative feftival, the paffover, is inftituted; an ordinance very proper for preferving the perpetual memory of the power and goodness of God among the Ifraelites. The Ifraelites leave Egypt, in number no lefs than twenty-four hundred thoufand, Num. i. 45, 46. and all Nature giveth way before them. A paffage is open for them through the Red- fea, which closes upon, and overwhelms Pharaoh and his purfuing army. Pillars of cloud and fire, alternately appearing in the air, direct their march. Bitter fountains are made fweet. In a dry, thirsty, barren country, they are fupplied with water from the hard and flinty rock, and with food from the sky for forty years together. With all the appearances of glory and dreadful majefty, God, as their King and Sovereign, eftablished his Covenant, or entered into a folemn contract, with them in mount Horeb; choofing them for a peculiar treafure above ali people, Exodus xix. 5. and engaging himself to be their God and King, and to bestow on them all national bleffings upon condition they were obedient, adhered to his worship, and kept clear of idolatry, with which they had been tinctured in Egypt, (Lev. xvii. 7. Josh. xxiv. 14. Ezek. xx. 8.) otherwife they might expect the feverest judgments, Deut. xxix. 10, &c. At the fame time he gave them a fyftem of laws and ftatutes, most excellent in themselves, fitted to their prefent temper and circumftances, as well as to the future intents and purposes of the Gofpel difpenfation. Here God took up his refidence among them in the tabernacle, afterwards in the temple, fetting himself at the head of their affairs, and upon all important occafions directing them as an oracle. And all this, to attach and unite this one nation to himself. At |