Messiah of the God of Jacob-the true Messias-the celestial Sion, Sabbatai Sevi." He prevailed so greatly, that some of his followers began to prophesy and to fall into strange ecstacies-four hundred men and women prophesied of his growing kingdom, and young infants who could hardly speak, were said plainly to pronounce Sabbatai Messias, and Son of God. People appeared possessed-voices were heard from their bowels-some fell into trances-foamed at the mouth-recounted their future prosperity-their visions of the Lion of Judah and the triumphs of Sabbatai.

So true are the predictions and warnings of our Lord and Saviour" And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. And then, if any man shall say unto you, lo! here is Christ, or lo! he is there-believe him not, for false Christs and false Prophets shall arise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect: but take ye heed; behold I have foretold you all things."

Sabbatai, after declaring that he was appointed by Heaven to visit Constantinople, he went thither, and was cast into prison. The Jews from Germany, Poland, Leghorn, Vienna, and other places, flocked to him to receive his blessing. The grand seignior ordered him to perform a miracle, which he failed in doing; but, to save his life, he turned Mahometan.

The Jews still believed in him, and said, that it was only his shadow that turned Turk. That when the grand seignior sent to take him, he caused all the messengers to die; and when other janizaries were sent they all fell dead by a word from his mouth: and on being

requested to do it, he caused them all to revive again.That though the prison was barred and fastened with strong iron locks, yet he was seen to walk through the streets with a numerous train.-That his shackles did not fall off, but were turned to gold, with which he gratified his followers.

In 1682 appeared Rabbi Mordecai, who was admitted by the Jews in Germany, to be the Messiah.

As late as 1703, another impostor, Daniel Israel, deluded the Jews of Smyrna, and was acknowledged by the Rabbins.

Even a careless reader can hardly help being struck with the characteristic perverseness of this unhappy nation, who had voluntarily become answerable for the precious blood of the true Messiah, the Son of God. "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be upon us and on our children." Yet with what persevering obstinacy do they take up with every impostor, who of fers himself, without any rational evidence to convince the least inquiring mind. Yet still reject the Lord of Glory, who has proved himself to be their Messiah, the sent of God, by miracles-by prophesy, and by doing the works that no other man ever did.

While correcting this work for the press, the writer met with the following account of Buonaparte, in an extract from a proclamation of the archduke Charles, of Austria, published in the Quarterly Review for 1809, p. 440.

"Yet so it was, that, at one period, this extraordinary man was exalted, in the imagination of his cotemporaries, so far beyond the bounds of reason, that the madness at last spread to himself, and he began to talk and act as if he really was not of the ordinary species of human beings. He suddenly taught his courtiers to keep at an

awful distance from him. He had incense burnt in the apartments, which he was expected to visit. He told the senate, on receiving their address, on his assuming the consulship for life, that he was called by the Almighty to restore the reign of order, justice, and peace, upon earth. In the beginning of the war between England and France, he allowed the clergy of the latter to entitle him the new Cyrus, and the Christ of Providence. -He got the Jews together, and set them haranguing about him till they hailed him the chosen of the LordHis cherished anointed-The minister of eternal justice -The living image of the Deity. He admitted the hairbrained students of Leipsic to address him in the language almost of deification. On his return to Paris, after the peace of Tilsit, he disclosed the impious object that was lurking in his mind, by ordering a temple of victory opposite the legislative mansion, and his palace, to be placed between them. To humor the same feeling, on his return from Bayonne, (in 1808) the people of the South of France were ordered to strew branches of palm trees before him; and, instead of his being received by the municipal bodies, the archbishop of Thoulouse was directed to issue his mandamus to the clergy, prescribing the peculiar ceremonies they were to use on his entering their parishes. In his Catechism, which he published, he tells his people, and orders them to believe, that he is the image of God upon earth, and that to honour and serve him, is to honour and serve God himself."

Here we shall leave this part of our work, though in an unfinished state, and wait the event, which appears to be awful and alarming, under every view of the subject, to the nations of Europe, and proceed to the consideration of the seventh head.

THE

PRESENT AGE OF THE WORLD,

AS TO ITS DURATION, WITH THE GENERAL IDEAS OF THE ANCIENTS, BOTH JEWS AND GENTILES, AS TO THE TRADITIONS RECEIVED FROM THE PATRIARCHS AND PHILOSOPHERS, RELATIVE TO ITS EXISTENCE UNDER THE PRESENT PERIOD, AFTER WHICH IT IS TO UNDERGO A FAVOURABLE REVOLUTION.

THERE are difficulties in the chronology of the world, that have long puzzled the ablest proficients in that branch of science; and perhaps will ever puzzle them till the great period arrives, which shall solve all difficulties, and ascertain, with precision, the great eras of Revelation. Cum Elias venerit, solvet nodos.

The present difficulties, in some measure, arise from the difference in the copies of the Pentateuch with each other, as well as with the New Testament. The Hebrew numerals were very easily mistaken by copyists, and may have caused some small mistakes, in the account of the ages of men and countries. The letter koph, in Hebrew, stands for 100, and the letter mem for 40, yet the last differs from the first, but by a slight stroke of the pen. In the 11th chapter of Genesis 32d verse, it is said that the days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran or Charran; yet St. Stephen in recounting the genealogy of the Jews from the patriarch Abraham, in 7th Acts, 4th verse, says, "that when his father was dead, Abraham removed into the land of Canaan," and in Genesis 12th ch. 4th v. he is then said to be but 75 years old, and in

11th ch. and 26th v. that Terah begat Abraham at the 70th year of his age, so that according to this statement, at his death, Terah could have been but 145 years old. So St. Luke in his 3d ch. 36th v. introduces the birth of Canaan, immediately after that of Arphaxad;-so does the copy of the Septuagint, in four different places, but in the 10th ch. Genesis 22d v. Canaan is altogether left

out.

Now these difficulties have been in some measure obviated in these latter times, by the zeal and indefatigable industry of the late excellent archbishop Usher, who about the year 1630, sent into Judea and purchased at a considerable expense, a copy of the Pentateuch, found in the possession of a remnant of the Samaritans, and which is supposed to have been given to them by the captived ten tribes of Israel, when they taught the Samaritans the worship of the God of Israel.*

It bears marks of very great antiquity, but differs with our Hebrew copies, in the account of the generations before the birth of Abraham. Before the flood it comes short of us, but, after the flood, it goes beyond us, but then it agrees with the account that Terah was but 145 years old when he died, and plainly shews a mistake in our copy. It also confirms St. Luke's account of the posterity of Shem, by declaring that Canaan was the son of Arphaxad, and the father of Selah, thus confirming both St. Luke and the Septuagint.

the

If the addition be made to our reckoning, it increases age of the world. Thus difficulties do really exist, and we cannot be certain that our reckoning is perfectly right; and it may be, that the great disposer of all things had wise reasons for suffering it to remain in doubt, per

* 2 Kings, 17th ch. 27th v.