60 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



authors, fomctimes as ocular witnefles, and fome- 

 times as refpeftable hiilorians -, whether we re- 

 flect on the limplicity of the narration, and the 

 air of truth that is there conftantly vifiblc , or, 

 when we conficler the care that the people, the 

 governments, and the learned men of all ages 

 have taken to prelerve the true text of the 

 Bible ; or that we have regard to the happy con- 

 formity of the chronology of the holy fcriptures 

 with that of prophane hiftory ; or if we obferve 

 the admirable harmony that is between thele 

 books and the moft relpectable hiftorians, as Jo- 

 fephus and others ; and laftly, when we confider 

 that the books of the holy fcripture furnilh us 

 alone with an accurate hiftory of the world from 

 the creation, through the line of patriarchs, 

 judges, kings and princes of the Hebrews ; and 

 that we may, by its aid, fo.-m an almoft entire 

 ieries of events down to the birth of Chrift, or 

 the time of Auguflus, which comprehends a 

 fpace of about 4000 years, fome firall interrup- 

 tions excepted, and which are eafily fupplied by 

 profane hiftory : when, we fay, all th-i j reflections 

 are juftly made, we muft conftantly allow that the 

 fcriptures form a book which merits the firft 

 rank among all the lources of ancient hiftory. lc 

 has been objected, that this bock contains con- 

 tradictions 5 but the moft able interpreters have 

 reconciled thcfe feeming contradictions. It has 

 been faid, tiiat the chronology of the Hebrew 

 text and the Vulgate do not agree with the 

 chronology of the verfion of the Septuagint ; 



but 



