pleasure, the whole of the mighty host that left Egypt (above the age of twenty) were to perish in 40 years instead of 100 years, which would be the time required for all the adults then living to die a natural death. Let us take a simple illustration. In May, 1869, the Registrar-General of England estimated the population of the United Kingdom at 31,015,234. Some of these were infants of one hour's age, others were fully 100 years old; but in one hundred years hence, or a little more, not one person of those thirty-one millions will be alive; but fifty or sixty millions more will have come in their room. These, or some of them, will live another 100 years, and four such universal displacements will require 100 years, or four generations. The average life of man was much greater in the days of the patriarchs than now. Abraham lived 175 years, Isaac 180, Jacob 148, Joseph 110, Aaron 122, and Moses 120, and their mean age is 142 years. This is probably greatly above the general average of the men of their respective generations, for depravity shortens human life; yet we cannot suppose that it was less than 120 years.

Four such genera

tions would require 480 years. But the people actually entered Canaan 470 years after Abraham left it; and thus the word of the Lord was literally fulfilled. For this splendid result we are again mainly indebted to the admirable W. Osburn ( Monumental History of Egypt,' ii. 629), whose pious and learned labours cannot fail, ere long, to assume their proper place.

We cannot be expected here to discuss all the difficulties connected with New Testament chronology, for, however interesting in themselves, they are insignificant when compared with those we encountered under the last chapter. There the discrepancies sometimes amount. ed to several centuries, whereas here they usually embrace only a very few years. By far the most important is the true date of our Lord's birth.

This is the central point of human history-the grand era from which all other events are counted by Christian nations. Hence this era-when the Word became flesh,' and when the Creator eternally allied Himself to the creature-is significantly termed the fulness of time.' But just as we cannot determine that point in past eternity when God called the physical universe into existence; or that point in past time when living creatures first peopled the earth; or that greatly more recent date when God created man in His own image; or, finally, that other point, still future, when an angel shall swear by Him that liveth for ever and ever that time shall be no longer;'-so also we cannot determine, at least with undoubted accuracy, the precise time when the Word became flesh, and when our ruined species became linked, by indis soluble bonds, to the Eternal.

Proceeding on the assumption that the scriptures of the Old Testament presented a

general history of the world from the earliest age, the Jews set the example of constructing therefrom a complete system of chronology. Aided, as they believed, by credible tradition, Ezra and later authorities in Palestine, and the Hellenistic Jews of Alexandria, applied themselves to the task. Working in two distant and unfriendly bodies, these learned men, who employed in their occupation all the skill of their day, produced results of a dissimilar kind, and so gave a proof that the materials which lay before them were not without difficulties. Hence, however, arose the marked difference, in regard to the ante. diluvian age, between the Palestinian or Hebrew, and the Alexandrine or Greek chronology. The former is found in the Bible and the Samaritan Pentateuch; the latter in the Septuagint. On the following page will be found the numbers, taken from Bunsen.

The New Testament writers - closely following the example of Moses-give us two distinct genealogies of our Lord (Matt. i. 1-16; Luke iii. 23-38), the one being his lineage through Joseph, his supposed father, and the other his real pedigree through Mary. These genealogies sufficiently determine the order of time in which the Desire of all nations' appeared, but they do not fix the precise year. As the genealogy given by Matthew was specially meant for Jewish readers, it begins with Abraham, their renowned ancestor; while that of Luke, whose main purpose was to show that Jesus is the kinsman of the entire race, is extended backward to Adam, who is emphatically styled the son of God.' Matthew appends a very curious summary to his genealogy, apparently for mnemonic purposes: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.' This remarkable summary, besides being helpful to the memory, is eminently suggestive; for here the God of Israel is represented as marching gloriously through the ages in stately, measured steps, disposing at pleasure of all events in Israel's history, and, through Israel, of the fortunes of all mankind. It will be perceived that the passage does not refer to all past time, but simply to Israel's past; not to the five thousand years that bad already elapsed of human history, but to the two thousand years that had elapsed since God singled out one family from among all the families of our species to be a peculiar people unto Himself. Here God is seen descending from heaven to earth, and the precise spot which His feet first touch is UR OF THE CHALDEES, the native city of him who is, ere long, honoured with the appellation of 'the friend of God.' 'Arise,' said God, 'get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, unto a land that I will show thee;

and I will make of thee a great nation; and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and in thee and thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed' (Gen. xii. 1-3). Subsequently he greatly enlarges this promise by adding, And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God' (Gen. xvii. 7, 8). These exceeding great and precious promises are afterwards solemnly confirmed by an oath, when Abraham by selfsacrificing obedience has demonstrated the vitality of his faith. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven, the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand

which is upon the sea-shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice' (Gen. xxii. 15-18). We give these passages at length, because they constitute Israel's titledeeds to the land out of which he has, for a time, been ejected, and because the time is approaching when the original charter will speak for itself.

The inspired apostle next sees the Ancient of days beginning to walk down, in solemn tread, athwart the centuries. His feet first meet the ground at HEBRON-where Abraham once purchased a field and a cave in which to deposit the sacred remains of his beloved Sarah, thus affording to his posterity a new ground of hope that at a future day they would obtain possession of the entire land -and at the moment that the man after God's own heart is being crowned king of the covenant people. This stupendous step embraces a period of 866 years, or, according to the authentic pedigree from which the apostle is quoting, it embraced fourteen generations"

of men (including events till then unparalleled in the world's history), and terminated with the full establishment of the Israelite kingdom, and the erection of the Temple where the God of Israel dwelt among them after the manner of an earthly sovereign. The next step spans the entire period of the kingdom-embracing 467 years, or fourteen generations Jehovah's foot is seen to rest on 'the rivers of Bablyon,' where captive Judah, the last of the tribes of expatriated Israel, sits on the ground weeping, with her harp hung up on the willows, remembering Zion, and refusing to be comforted (Ps. cxxxvii. 2).

and

One step more, and the Eternal plants his foot on the most interesting point of the earth's surface, and at the moment when the most memorable event in the world's annals is being enacted-even when the Eternal Son, now incarnate, lies a little babe in the manger at BETHLEHEM, and when an angel is heard proclaiming, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.' The event is not merely of infinite importance to Israel and to 'all people,' but it necessitates a grand jubilee in the realms of glory; for 'suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.' This, truly, is the divine fruit of that wondrous tree which, ages before, Jehovah had planted, but which has not yet produced its destined fruit.

Here the Almighty pauses, as if to contemplate the glory yet to be revealed-that eternal revenue of glory which He will infallibly derive from this unparalleled event. Assuredly, however, though He pauses, He does not mean to halt. His face is still steadfastly directed towards the future, and we are led confidently to expect that He will take as many steps more as He has already taken. Indeed we cannot but anticipate that His future steps shall, like all His past, be both measured and majestic; and that they shall, in the same way, correspond with the critical junctures in Israel's future. The two millenniums He has already traversed consisted, as we have seen, of three great periods, commencing respectively with Abraham, David, and the Captivity; and doubtless three other periods, not less eventful, have yet to be traversed ere all God's purposes regarding his covenant people shall have been consummated. The Cross of Christ stands in the centre of all the ages. The three former periods terminated there; and there must the three periods that follow begin. Not only does St. Matthew suggest this in his famous mnemonic sentence (för mnemonic it is, in the highest sense of the term), but near the end of his Gospel (Matt. xxiv. 341) he shows how the Lord Himself, as He sat on the Mount of Olives, and immedi

ately before His last sufferings, filled up St. Matthew's outline with details of the most momentous character. St. Luke in the first chapter of the Acts, St. Paul in his two epistles to the Thessalonians, and especially St. John in that wonderful 'Revelation which so appropriately closes the canon of Scripture (particularly chap. xx.), furnish us with many further particulars. In short, all the writers of the New Testament agree in assigning to the portion of Israel's history then future THREE GRAND PERIODS, which, on account of their main characteristics, we may denominate the Period of the Dispersion, the Period of the Kingdom, and the Period of Consummation, after which time shall cease and the eternal ages begin."

Both sides of this question are attended with great difficulties, and the editor would not be understood as giving judgment either way. The most important epoch from which years are reckoned, is the Christian Era, or the era of the Incarnation, which is universally employed in Christian countries, and is even used by some eastern nations. The commencement of this era is the 1st of January, in the fourth year of the 191th Olympiad, the 754th from the foundation of Rome. So did the Abbot Dionysius Exiguus fix it in the 6th century. There is reason to think, from the most careful consideration of historical data, that this is four years too late. And, also, that the season of the year when Christ was born has been wrongly fixed.

TIMOTHY, in the Greek Timotheus (God's honour), the son of a Greek and a converted Jewess of good repute, by name Eunice (Acts xvi. 1. 2 Tim. i. 5), by whom he had from childhood been instructed in the Holy Scriptures (2 Tim. iii. 15), and in consequence was prepared to receive the gospel from the lips of Paul. Born in Lycaonia, and probably at Derbe (or Lystra, Acts xvi. 1; xx. 4), Timothy may have become a Christian on occasion of Paul's first visit to that place (Acts xiv. 20, 21), but certainly owed to the apostle his conversion (1 Tim. i. 2. 1 Cor. iv. 17); and when the latter visited Derbe a second time, he, in order not to offend the prejudices of the Jews, who held that the only way into the Christian church lay through the temple, caused Timothy to be circumcised before he associated him with himself as a fellow-labourer in the gospel (Acts xvi. 3). Having thus, by circumcision and laying on of hands (1 Tim. iv. 14; vi. 12. 2 Tim. i. 6), been appointed to the work, Timothy went forth with Paul to proclaim the glad tidings, passing (52 A.D.) through Troas into Macedonia. When Paul went thence to Athens, Timothy remained at Berea (Acts xvii. 10, 14), whence he was commanded by the apostle to come to him at Athens (15). Either before he could obey this order, or after he had reached that city, Timothy was sent to Thessalonica

by Paul, who was in solicitude regarding the church in that place (1 Thess. iii. 2). From Thessalonica Timothy (52 or 53) went to Corinth, bearing to Paul information in respect to the Thessalonians (6. Acts xviii. 5), and was present when Paul wrote both letters to these Christians (1 Thess. i. 1. 2 Thess. i. 1). In Corinth or in the vicinity, Timothy seems to have remained some time (2 Cor. i. 19). Thence he went to Ephesus, and was sent (56 or 57) by Paul into Macedonia (Acts xix. 22) aud Corinth (1 Cor. iv. 17). But when Paul wrote his First letter to the church in the latter place, he did not know whether Timothy had arrived there (xvi. 10). He is, however, with Paul in Macedonia when the former wrote his Second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor. i. 1); but when, at a later period, (58) he at Corinth wrote his Epistle to the Romans, he had Timothy by his side (Rom. xvi. 21). On Paul's return through Macedonia, he was accompanied, among others, by Timothy, who, going before, tarried for him at Troas (Acts xx. 1-5); but whether or not he went with the apostle to Jerusalem, or was left at Ephesus, is not certain (comp. 2 Tim. iv. 13). Not till a later period, when the apostle is in chains at Rome, do we find Timothy again with him (Phil. i. 1. Col. i. 1; Philem. 1), at a date which has been approximately fixed at A. D. 63. As, however, he received instructions to come shortly' to Paul (2 Tim. iv. 9, 11, 21), when, now a prisoner in Rome (i. 12; vi. 7), the apostle seems to have left his son some. where in Asia, it may be at Ephesus, when on his way to Jerusalem. The history, which is defective, has been supplemented by tradition. Accordingly, Timothy appears as the first bishop of Ephesus, and is stated to have suffered martyrdom under Domitian (81-96 A. D.). It is doubted whether the Timothy mentioned in Hebrews (xii. 2) is the same with the subject of this article, nor is it known what was the custody from which Timothy is then said to have been set free.

The history of Timothy, the arrangement and details of which are, from want of materials, not without difficulty, gives us only few characteristic traits. But that he possessed superior natural abilities, and, under Paul's direction, was fitted to organize and govern bodies of men, is obvious from the duties devolved on him by his spiritual father. Timothy appears to be one of these secondrate characters, of moderate talents and good dispositions, who, receiving from the pious cares of domestic vigilance and love a sound religious training, are well prepared to be effectual instruments in the hands of a master for executing great and beneficial designs.

Timothy, the First Epistle to, professes to have been written by Paul to Timothy after

he had requested the latter to remain at Ephesus, when he himself departed into Macedonia (1 Tim. 1-3). This request Luke has not recorded. It could not have been made on Paul's first visit to Ephesus, for then he did not repair to Macedonia (Acts xviii. 19-23). We are therefore referred to Paul's second visit to Ephesus (xix. 1-xx.), whence the apostle proceeded to Macedonia, where he may have written this letter, But in the Acts we find Timothy sent before Paul into Macedonia (xix. 22); so that we have no alternative but to suppose that he thence returned to the apostle while still at Ephesus, where, at his request, be remained while Paul went to Macedonia. The object for which Timothy was left at Ephesus was, that he might correct errors of doctrine (i. 3), select and appoint bishops (ii. 1, seq.) and deacons (8), in the absence of Paul himself, who contemplated a speedy visit to the church (14, 15); also give instructions in sound doctrine (iv. 11, 13, seq.), and generally exercise an oversight over the community (v. vi.). But when Paul, in proceeding to Jerusalem some time after, came to Miletus, the church at Ephesus had its recognised officers (Acts xx. 17-28). In the interval, then, must the Epistle have been written. It must also have been written before the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, for Timothy was with Paul when he composed that Epistle (2 Cor. i. 1) This, it is true, leaves Timothy but a short time for fulfilling his important duties at Ephesus. But his friend and master needed his presence; and how much better was the infaence which lasted for at least many weeks, than that which could be exerted by a mere letter in the church at Ephesus! Paul, intending to remain in that city until Pentecost A. D. 59 (1 Cor. xvi. 8), was compelled to leave earlier (Acts xix. 23, seq.), and pro ceeded through Macedonia into Greece (xx. 1, 2), and thence back into Macedonia. At Easter he left Philippi for Asia. Hence this journey lasted from Whitsuntide till Easter, that is, a year all but fifty days. Of this period Paul passed in Greece three winter months, probably November, Decem ber, January (xx. 3). Hence from his quit ting Ephesus till his coming into Greecethat is, from Whitsuntide to Novemberthere were about five months. He left Phi lippi at Easter of the next year, and desired to be at Jerusalem by Whitsuntide. Between these two festivals falls his interview with the elders of the Ephesian church. From the time, then, when Paul left Ephesus till he saw its officers at Miletus, there clapsed about twelve months. A short time before the commencement of this period, Timothy

was

sent from Ephesus to Macedonia. Thence he returned to Ephesus, where he was left by Paul. While there, he received Paul's first letter to him. Having acted on