The Scriptures of Harmony, Title page – To the reader
THE SCRIPTVRES HARMONY.
By E. F. Eſq.
HEB DDIM HEB DDIEV
LONDON, Printed by Richard Cotes, for William Hope, and are to be ſold at his ſhop at the ſigne of the Unicorne in Cornhill.
1643.
TO THE READER.
MAny and various are the opinions of Writers concerning the continuance of the world before Chriſt: inſomuch that it is grown into a Proverb; (a)Chronologi non magis congruunt, quam horologia. Victorin. Strigel. Prolegom. in Chron. Melancth.Chronologers agree like Clocks. (b)Vix duos reperire licea…, qui omnibus in l…cis inter ſ… conveniant. Func. Epiſt. dedicat.Scarce two of one mind throughout.
The chiefe and maine ground of theſe differences is, becauſe moſt, neglecting the Word of God, are drawne away with Fables, humane traditions, and uncertaine authorities, whereby they (c)Vide Sleidan. de 4 ſum. Imper. l. 1. Genebrard Chronograph. l. 1. Chemnit. Harm. Evangel. c. 8. Euſtach. Phyſ. parte ſecunda diſput. 1. quaeſt. 5.exceed the juſt and true number, ſome forty yeeres, ſome one hundred, ſome one thouſand, nay ſome two thouſand yeeres, and upwards. Others, who ſeeme much to follow the Scriptures, and Hebrew expoſitours, (unto whom (d)Lyra annotat. in Gen. c. 15. v. 13.without all peradventure we ought in this point to ſubſcribe) doe indeed (e)In accompting Terahs age when Abraham was born; and the time of the promiſe to Abraham, and the Captivity of Judah, &c.renounce them, when there is ſmall cauſe to ſuſpect them of falſhood; and embrace them, when we know they ſeeke by all meanes to obſcure the truth. As, (f)Beroaldus Chron. l. 3. c. 7. H. Broughtons Conſent. Rollec. in Dan. Rob. Pont. pag. 17. Mores Tables, pag. 62.in beginning Daniel's 70. weekes from the firſt yeere of King Cyrus; which Aben▪Ezra, a malicious Rabbi, affirmed; not that he did ſo beleeve, (for then he muſt have confeſſed that the Meſsiah was come, becauſe he himſelfe (g)He perfected his Comment on Daniel Anno Dom. 1126.ſaw more then thrice 70. weekes finiſhed) but that he might confound the Chriſtians accompt, and render them ridiculous both to the Greeks and Perſians.(h)Hebraeorum Commentatores miris modis regum Perſarum Hiſtoriam dilacerarunt. Io. Func. comment. in Chron. l. 2.
His deſigne is by this computation made fruſtrate: All Scriptures ſeemingly jarring in point of time are here reconciled; many places cleared; eſpecially in the Books of the Judges, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Eſther, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel: Prophecies are ſhewed in their due time to be accompliſhed: Chriſt Ieſus is proved be the true Meſsiah; and (i)Gal. 4. v. 4, 5.in the fulneſſe of time to have redeemed them that were under the Law: The honour and (k)Chronologia ſeu temporis exordium cum ordinata ejus ſerie & diſtincta numeris progreſſione eſt proprium Eccleſiae decus; quia ex ſola Scriptura Sacra recte cognoſcitur Polan. Syntag-Theol. l. 5. c. 15.comelineſſe of Gods Church is here preſented; and a neceſſary (l)Nulla hiſtoria lucem habet ſine temporum ſerie. Vict. Strigel. proleg. in Melancth. Chronologia alter hiſtoriae oculus. Polan. ibid.help, as well in remembring as underſtanding of the Scriptures, is adminiſtred.
To thee be the uſe: To God be the glory.
Farewell.
THE SCRIPTVRES HARMONY:
Containing A briefe, plaine, and perfect computation of the yeeres and times from the Creation of Adam, unto the death and paſſion of our bleſſed Lord and Saviour Ieſus Chriſt, according to the Scriptures;
As followeth.
FRom the Creation of ADAM unto the ceaſing of NOAH'S Flood, are 1656. yeeres.
FOR,
Adam was 130 yeeres old when he begat Seth.Gen. 5. verſ. 3.
Seth at 105 yeeres begat Enos.Verſe 6.
Enos at 90 yeeres begat Cainan.Verſe 9.
Cainan at 70 yeeres begat Mahalaleel.Verſe 12.
Mahalaleel at 65 yeeres begat Jared.Verſe. 15.
Iared at 162 yeeres begat Enoch.Verſe 18.
Enoch at 65 yeeres begat Methuſelah.Verſe 21.
Methuſelah at 187 yeeres begat Lamech.Verſe 25.
Lamech at 182 yeeres begat Noah.Verſe 28. 29.
Noah was 600 yeeres old when the Flood was upon Ch. 7. ver. 6.the earth.
THE waters of the Flood began in the ſixe C. 7. v. 10. 11. C. 8. v. 13.hundred yeere of Noah's life, in the ſecond monethmonth, the ſeventeenth day of the monethmonth, and were dried up in the ſixe hundred and one yeere, in the firſt monethmonth, the firſt day of the monethmonth. So that the Flood continued ten moneths and thirteene dayes; which being the ſame with the ſixe hundreth yeer of Noah, are not to be accompted.
The ſaid times accompted are 1656 yeeres.