1 The Omiffion of Transcribers, and the different Names of Perions, may make fome Difference in the Pedigree of Ezra and Efdras. The Abfurdity objected in Ch. 6. about the two Creatures the Elephant and Whale, that they could not live together in the 7th Part of the Creation; and that the Sea was the 7th Part of the dry Land; I may anfwer, That the Scripture is written according to fenfible Appearance, and not the Philofophy of the Learned: For it says, the Sun moves, because it appears fo to do to our Senfes : But we may well affirm, that they who lived in Chaldea, knew little of the Sea; the Indian Ocean, as to a ímall Part, and the Mediterranean, might be known to them; but they knew nothing of the Atlantic and American Seas: So that in Efdras's Days they knew seven times more Earth, than of the Sea. The Opinion of the Ten Tribes going into Tartary is confirmed by the Relation of that Countrey. The Turks brought Circumcifion with them from Scythia; and amongft the Tartars divers Jewish Names are obferved, fuch as Dan, Zebulun, and Nepthali; and fome think the Tartars are defcended from the Ten Tribes; and Antichrift must be defcended from the Tribe of Dan, which was in Captivity fince Salmanafar's time; and this Tribe might mix with the Turks. The Name of the Countrey, into which the Ten Tribes travelled, is Arfareth; and Arfatia is a Countrey in Media, as Ptolemy affirms. The Perfians call Rhages, Arfatia, diftant from Jerufalem 1396 Miles. Vide Hen. Bunting's Travels of the Patriarchs. There is another Objection againft Efdras, for faying, that Chrift fhall be revealed within Four Hundred Years. To this I anfwer, That there is little Certainty in the Chronology of the Perfian Empire. The Jews reckon its Continuance but Fifty two Years; and amongst our Moderns, in Calvifius and Helvicus, the Seventh Year of Artaxerxes, when Efdras came to Jerufalem, was 397 before Chrift. But if the Seventh Year of Artaxerxes was 458, then the Meaning Meaning is, Men fhall begin to rejoice, because the time of the Coming of the Meffiah was near: jucundabuntur, qui relici funt in quadraginta anni. Then the Jews expected that a King fhould be born, and fo did the Romans, Sibyl. Orac. lib. 2. When Egypt was conquer'd, then the Great Kingdom of the immortal King fhould appear among Men: and this was applied to Auguftus, Herod, and others. And Fofephus in his Hiftory of the Wars of the Jews, fays, lib. 7. cap. 12. That which excited the Jews to that War, was, a doubtful Prophecy found in the Scriptures, That in the fame time one in their Dominions fhould be Monarch of the whole World. And by the Gofpel we learn, that the Meffiah was expected before he came, and they, like Abraham, rejoiced to see his time approaching, according to Facob's Prophecy, and Daniel's Weeks. Efdras ufes Tokens of certain Events, which are Symbols as in other Prophecies, not to be taken literally, in which way all Pro appear abfurd. Phecies Since Efdras agrees with all our Prophecies, I cannot but believe them to be true, as Lactantius, Epitom. Inftitutionis, fays, Hec omnia vera, omnium confona annunciatione præ. dicta, cum eadem Trifmegiftus, eadem Hydafpes, eadem Sibylle cecinerunt, dubitari non poteft, 'Tis objected, that Efdras was written by a Montanift; but no one faid fo for Four hundred Years after Chrift. ; The Montanifts expected no Prophet after Maximilla add Epiphanius gives this Character of the Prophecies of the Montanifts: Quæ ifti vaticinari fe jactitant, neque certa cum animi firmitate prædicant, nec que dicunt intelligentia confequuntur, fed obliqua funt illorum, & perplexa verba: neque recti omnino quicquam effutiunt. The Montanifts forbid Marriage, extol Abftinence. Montanus makes himself the Father, and they believed but One Divine Perfon; but Efdras often mentions the Son of God. Efdras mentions the Name of Jefus; and that was a common Name amongft the Jews. It is in Greek ; and he was fo called as the Angel faid, because he fhould fave the People from their Sins. And Zachary, Luke 1. calls L 2 calls him the Horn of Salvation, Ver. 70. which he froke of by the Mouth of his Holy Prophets. They, as well as Efdras, called him a Saviour, or Jefus : And Fofhua was a Type of Chrift. Ambrofe cites the Words Filius meus revelabitur. THE OR THE CHRONOLOGY Belonging to ESDRAS's Prophecy, AND TO ZACHARY's. Tear before Chrift. 1012 721 S Olomon built the Temple in feven Years. Salmanaffar took Samaria, and carried the Ten 628 Jeremiah called to the Prophetick Office. 606 Nebuchadnezzar takes Ferufalem; from whence begin the 70 Years of Captivity. 603 Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's Dream. $94 Ezechiel called to the Prophetick Office. 588 Nebuchadnezzar takes Jerufalem, and deftroys the Tem ple. 558 Nerigliffar fucceeds, and Cyrus comes to aid the Medes againft Babylon; Efdras's Vifion 30 Years after the Ruin of Ferufalem. 555 Daniel's Vifion of the Four Beafts, but the Roman Em pire began 753 before Chrift. 553 Tears before 553 Daniel faw the Vifion of the Ram, the Third of Bal thafar. 539 Cyrus takes Babylon, and flays Belshazzar: His Wars lafted Thirty Years; he took Babylon at his Third coming. 537 Daniel's Seventy Weeks. 536 Cyrus reftores the Jews from their Captivity after 70 Years. 522 The Magians feize the Kingdom. 520 Zachary prophely'd in Jerufalem in the 2d Year of Darius. 515 The Temple is re-built by Zerubbabel and Joshua, and finish'd. 472 Zoroaftres appears at the Perfian Court. 458 Ezra fent to be Governour of Judea, and to separate the Jews from their strange Wives. 445 Nehemiah fent Governour to Judea. 444 Ezra publifhed his Edition of the Hebrew Scriptures. 429 About this time Malachi the Prophet, as fome write. 427 Nehemiah farther reforms the Church and State. 499 The laft Act of Reformation by Nehemiah, Forty nine Years after it had been begun by Ezra. 332 Alexander comes to Jerufalem. 331 Alexander took Babylon. 323 HisCommanders divide the Provinces among themselves. 293 Seleucus builds Seleucia on the Tigris. 175 Antiochus Epiphanes began to reign. 170 Antiochus takes and deftroys Jerufalem. 166 Fudas Macchabæus is made Captain of the Jews. 63 Pompey takes Ferufalem. 53 Craffus plunders the Temple. Tears after Chrift. 70 The Deftruction of Jerufalem by Titus. 120 The Fifth Cafar, Adrian. 134 Benchochab, the Falfe Prophet. 331 The Rife of the Conftantinopolitan Empire, the Firft Head of the Eagle. 622 The Rife of the Saracens, the 2d Head of the Eagle, 1051 Tangrolopix took Babylon. 1097 The Bartels betwixt the Saracens and Chriftians in the Holy War, |