Necessity of Human Learning for a Gospel Preacher, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Of the Ʋſefulneſs of Chronology.
CHronology is of great uſe for a Miniſter of the Goſpel, to know eight things.
I. The ſeveral Ages of the world exactly, and the Times of Generations, and of Nations,
—of Governments, Kingdoms and Commonwealths; the riſe, growth, changes and periods of them.
—And of Governors, of Kings and Rulers, and the times of their reigns, (eſpecially of the Kings of Judah and Iſrael, both abſolutely and comparatively, which have ſome knots, difficulties, and ſeeming repugnancies in them) and what fell out therein: as Chriſt's birth in the days of Herod the King, Mat. 2.1. and ſo John Baptiſt's birth, Luke 1.5, 13.
It may be needful to know the times of the reigns of Heathen Kings and Emperors, becauſe ſome paſſages of Sacred ſtory refer to them; as Chriſt's birth; the coming up of Joſeph and Mary to Judea, to be taxed in the dayes of Ceſar Auguſtus, Luke 2.1. to 8. the great dearth which Agabus propheſied, that came to paſs in the days of Claudius Ceſar the Emperor, Acts 11.28.
It's ſaid in Dan. 2.44. Will. t.In the days of theſe Kings (that is of Syria and Egypt, as ſome conceive, or rather of the Roman Empire, as others) ſhall the kingdom of the Meſſiah be ſet up.
II. To know the particular times and ſeaſons,
1. Wherein Perſons of Note lived, —and who were contemporary, or what diſtance of time was between them.
2. Wherein ſuch and ſuch remarkable things were done by God or man, reported in the Old or New Teſtament.
To know the order and diſtinction of times, and of deeds done in them.
III. To know the ſeveral ages of the Church of God.
1. Under the Law, and the various ſtates thereof, and what Prophets lived in each of them.
2. Under the New Teſtament, the ſeveral ages and ſtates of the Churches of Chriſt, their beginnings, continuance, decay and diſſolution; and what Apoſtles, or Miniſters of Chriſt, lived in them.
To know the parts of Chriſt's life, (private and publick) and the years of his Miniſtery, and what he did or ſuffered in every one of them.
To know the times of the Paſsovers while Chriſt lived upon earth, for the years of Chriſt's Miniſtery are reckoned according to the ſame.
IV. To know the particular times, wherein the ſeveral books of the Holy Scripture were written by the Pen-men thereof; which conduceth much to a right underſtanding of ſeveral paſſages therein, and to reconcile ſeeming repugnancies in the Scriptures.
Diſtingue tempora & concordabunt Scripturae.
The diſtinction of the times, wherein Paul writ his ſeveral Epiſtles, is of much uſe to ſhew, why the Apoſtles wrote ſo variouſly about the ſame things, as Circumciſion, and other Ceremonies. For to the Romans, chap. 14.1. he exhorts that they ſhould receive them that are weak in the faith, &c. i. e. about Ceremonies and indifferent things.
But to the Galatians and Coloſſians he utterly condemns the uſe of Circumciſion, Gal. 5.2, &c. Col. 2. the reaſon is, the difference of times, as Chryſoſtom hath noted. Ceremonies were alwayes in themſelves mortal; at Chriſt's death they became mortuae, dcad, but after that they became mortiferae, deadly to them that uſed them.
V. To know the times of fulfilling Propheſies, and Promiſes of things that are now
1. Paſt.
2. To come.
Firſt Paſt, as thoſe that were made concerning
1. Particular perſons, as Joſiah; the Prphecy of him foretold by the man of God, Piſcator.330. years before he was born, 1 King. 13.2. and concerning Cyrus by name, about 220. years before he was born, Iſa. 44.28. which are ſo punctually performed, as if theſe Prophecies concerning them had been a Narrative of things paſt, rather then a prediction of things to come.
2. Concerning people; as
1. Gen. 15.13.To the Iſraelites about their bondage, which was 400 years, beginning the account from Iſmael's mocking and perſecuting of Iſaac, Gal. 4.29.which fell out 30. years after the promiſe, Gen. 12.3. which promiſe was 430. Gal. 3.17.years before the law, —and about their coming forth of Egypt out of bondage, Anſworth.which was 430. years after that promiſe, Exod. 12.41. God kept time to a day.
2. To the Jews concerning their Captivity in Babylon, and Reduction thence after 70. years, Jer. 29.10.
Concerning the coming of the Meſſiah in fulneſs of time, Gal. 4.4.exactly anſwering and fulſilling the prophecies thereof, as to Chriſt's birth and death, Gen. 49.10. Dan. 9.24.
God is punctual for time in all his performances of his Prophecies, and promiſes, even to a day or hour; and for things, to a title.
Whatever God promiſed to Iſrael at any time with his mouth, he performed with his hand to the utmoſt, 1 King. 8.56. Jer. 33.14.
A clear demonſtration of his veracity and fidelity, and of the verity of his word.
The ſame may be ſaid of the times of God's fulfilling of Prophecies and Treatnings of Evils paſt, both
to God's people,
and to the wicked, their enemies,
whether Perſons or Nations.
Secondly, To know the times of God's fulfilling of Prophecies, and Promiſes, and Threatnings of things yet to come, which are expreſſed in the Prophets, eſpecially in Daniel, in the Apoſtles Epiſtles, but eſpecially in the Revelations: Concerning,
1. The Calling of the Jews, and of the Ten Tribes, in the latter days.
2. The Propheſying and ſlaying of the Witneſſes, and their reviving, Rev. 11.3, 7, 11.
3. The downfall of Antichriſt and Babylon.
4. The ruine of the Turks.
Of Gog and Magog.
VI. To know the Epochas, the terms of Account, or the beginning of times in Computation, from which times, and things are reſto…ed in Scripture; or the intervals, in which the meaſures of times are termined, as
From the Creation to the ſlood, See Perkins in his Introduction to his Digeſt. Alſted. Chron. cap. 1.1656 years.
From the Flood to the Promiſe made to Abraham, 367 years.
From the Promiſe to the going out of Egypt 430 years, Exod. 12.40.
From the children of Iſrael's coming out of Egypt, when they began to be a free people, and a Nation of themſelves, to the Temple, 1 King. 6.1. 480 years.
From the building of the Temple to the deſtruction of it, 427 years, in which is included the time of the Captivity.
From the beginning of Daniel's weeks to the death of Chriſt, (as Mr. Perkins thinks) 490 years, where they end.
VII. The knowledge of Chronology is neceſſary to the diſpoſing of the Bible into an Harmony: or to the tranſpoſing of the order of Books and Chapters of the holy Scriptures, for the reducing of all into a continued Hiſtory, See Mr. Samuel Torſhel's deſign.which ſome have endeavoured, and Dr. Lightfoot hath performed in his Harmony, for the New Teſtament.
VIII. The ſtudy of Chronology is needful to know, and evince the verity, and certainty of the holy Scriptures; and to confirm the Conſcience againſt Satan's Attempts to overthrow mens Faith by caſting in ſuſpicions of the truth of Scripture, becauſe it doth not agree in the Account of Time with other Hiſtories of the world, written by the moſt prudent men of all Ages. And with this Tentation Funccius in his Epiſtle Dedicatory before his Chronology (reckoning up the advantages of the diligent obſervation of Hiſtory and times) affirms himſelf to have been aſſaulted; which was the cauſe that moved him to undertake his Chronology, though otherwiſe unwilling to it.
Voſsius ſpeaks of his meeting with ſome, not verſed in the Doctrine of Times, De ſcient. Mathem. cap. 39.though elſe learned men; who could not be ſo ſoon induced to queſtion the truth of Scripture by any thing, as the Diſcrepancy of Times in it, whom he, by anſwering their Objections, convinced of the uſe of Chronology.
From the Premiſes it appears, that Chronology is of great uſe to the underſtanding of the Scriptures, which are exact in the Computation of times; and to the clear and diſtinct referring of Occurrences or paſſages in Scriptures to their proper Times. The knowledge of the Times when, as well as of the Places where, perſons lived, and things were done, tends much to the elucidating of them, and is very delightful. As God made every thing beautiful in his time, Eccleſ. 3.11. ſo there is beauty, ſatisfaction and pleaſure in the knowing the times and ſeaſons, wherein things were done, or came to paſs.
The ignorance of times leads men into miſtakes about paſſages of Scripture. Thus ſome have thought that the ſhipwrack at Melita, Act. 27. was one of the three mentioned by Paul, 2 Cor. 11.25. whereas the ſecond Epiſtle to the Corinthians was writ long before that ſhipwrack. So Capellus (out of Baronius) in Hiſtor. Apoſtol. pag. 63.
Chronology is the key for the right underſtanding of the Prophets: to know the times, to which they refer, and the things acted in thoſe times, See Grotii Annotat. in prophetas.is the way happily to apply dicta factis.