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Show 202 Ezra and Nehemiah. Part.3. OF A CHRISTIAN. Chdp,3;. The Books of Efilm: and Nehemiah were written certainly afier their return from captivity, becaufe their return, the re-edification of the walls and houfes of Ierufilem,the renovation Ofthe Covenant and Eflher. ordination of their policy are therein contained. ) The Hiltory of (been 13flher is of the time of the Captivity ; and therefore theeriter mull have been ofthe fame time , or after it. .johi ‘ The Book ofIah hath no mark in it ofthe time wherein it was written: and though it a pear fufficiently ( EKehieI 14. I4. and Jame; 5. I I .) that he was no lgined perfon; yet the Book it felf feemeth not to pm.3. ‘ COMMON-WEALTH. Ch.1‘yi.33. Jeremiah, Ahdim, Nahirm,and Hahn/«huh prophecyed In the time of .r . . , Jaimi15 chic], Daniel, Aggem, and Zdthlflllru', in the Captivrty, ‘ W en foe! and Malachi propheCyed, 15 not evrdent by. their Wrr~ tines. But confidering the Inferiptions, or Titles oftheir Books , l is-thanifefi enough, that the whole Scripture of the Old Teltrtmenr, was let forth in the form we have it, after the return ofthe Ierw from their Captivity in Bahyloh, and before the time of Ptolermw Phila- delphia, that caufed it to bee tranflated into Greek by ferventy men, which were fent him out of Indea for that purpofe. And ifthe Books ofA orryplm (which are recommended to us by the Church , though l , l be a Hiltory, but a Treatife concerning a queflion in ancient time , l "i. e: complaint of Iohbeginneth, the Hehrerv is (as St.]erome teflifies ) in in this point be credited, the Scripture was fet forth in the form wee have it in, by Efa'm; as may appear by that which he himfelffaith, profe, and from thence to the fixt verfe ofthe lait chapter in Hexameter Verfes, and the tell of that chapter again in profe. So that the God, he faith thus, Thy [am is heme, rhcrefore nb man khowelh the difpute is all in verfe; and the profe is added , but as a Preface in thing: which [/1014 hit]? done, or the more: that are to hegm. But If l, , i , t , é ~ .6 e ,6 inc much difputed, why Wit/ml men haw often profpered in this world, ma'good men have heen Afflzfied, and it is the more probable, becaufe from the beginning, to the third verfe ofthe third chapter, where the the beginning, and an Epilo ue in the end But Verfe is no ufuall flile of fuch, as either are them elves in great pain, as joh; , or offuch as come to comfort them, as his friends, but in Philofophy , efpccially morall Philofophy, in ancient time frequent. ‘ ‘Ihe Plalter. The I'fltlme: were written the molt part by Davie/for the ufe of the (hire. To thefe are added fome Songs of Mofe:,an.d other holy men; Wu P retell}!- . l l litthriallrs and the CanIit li 5. al War Purine". not or Canonicall, yet for profitable Books for our infltuflton) may in the fecond book, chapt. I4. verfe 2 I, 22, &c. where fpeaking to I have found Grace hefore theeJ fend dome the holy Spirit irate me, and Ijlm/l write alltha: hath hem done in the world, firm the hegin- m'rrg, which were written in IhyLaw, that men may fihelthy path,.md that they whieh will live in the later days, may live. And verfe .45' Audit came to Page when th e forty elrxyes werefulfilled, that the HIgh- (/lflmheJaying, Thefirfl that than he: written, Imhlzjh openly , that the worthy a he! umv arthy may read it; it! keep thefewmy Mather! thou muyfl deliverthem (me/y tajheh a; he wife among the people. And thus much concerning the time of the writing ofthe Bookes of the Old Teflament. and fome of them after the return from the Captivity,as the I 37. and the I 26. whereby it is manifelt that the Pfalter was compiled, and put ilnto the form it now hath, after the return of the jew: from Bah)an. The Praverhr,beinga Collection ofwife and godly Sayings,partly of Solomon, partly ofAgar the fon ofjaheh, and partly Ofthe Mother of King Lemuel,cannot probably be thought to have been collected by The Writers of the New Teflament lived all in leife then an TheNew Tc" age after Chriits Afcenfion, and had all ofthem feen our Saviour, or flammbeen his Difciples, except St. Paul, and St. Luke, and confequently Solomon, rather then by Agur, or the Mother of Lemuel; and that whatfoever was written by them, is as ancient as the time ofthe Apo- though the fentences be theirs , yet the collection or compiling theui into this one Book,was the work offome other godly man,th.tt lived after them all. . flles. But the time wherein the Backs of the New Teitament were received,and acknowledged by the Church to be of their writing, is The Books ofEeelefiA/le: and the Clint/Her have nOthing that was not Solomons, except it be the Titles, or Infcriptions. Tbr Th: Word: aft/ye Prearher,theSan 13f David,1\'irig m [erufalemg and, 7hr .9ng of Sorgg: , which is Salamoh's, feem to have been made for dilhnc'tions lake, then, when the Books of Scripture were oathtrtd into one body ofthe Law; to the end, that n0t the Doctrine gnlr but the Authors alfo might be extant. ‘3 Of the Prophets,the molt ancient,are Saphoniahjomu Amosfln 2.1, Ifztidh and Mlc‘hdld/J,Wl]0 lived in the time of z!m4{zr:h,hrtd Akimh, otherwrfe 0(1):, Kings of Judah. But the Book ofjom; is not pro- perly a Regifler of his Prophecy,(for that is contained in thefe fen W0rds,_Fourty (layer and Ninivy/hdllhe deflrayea', ) but .1 Hilton 0: Narration 0t his frowardneiTe and difputing Gods commandetnent: a {0 that there is (mall probability he ihould be the Author, feeing ht 1: the fubjeét of it. But the Book of Amer is his Prophecy. Jerri/ii- not altogether fo ancient. For,as the Bookes of the Old Tel'tament are derived to us, from no other time then that of Efdra, who by the direftion ofGods Spirit retrived them,when they were loft : Thofe of the New Teflamenr, of which the copies were not man , nor could eafily be all in any one private mans hand , cannot bee erived from a higher time,than that wherein the Governours of the Church collected, approved and recommended them to us, as the writings of thofe Apoflles and bifciplesmnder whofe names they go. The firlt enumeration ofall the Bookes, both ofthe Old,and New Teltament, is in the Canons of the Apofiles, fuppofed to be collected by Clement the firfi (after St. Peter) Bifhop of Rome. But becaufe that is but {up pofed, and by many queflioned , the Councell ofLaodz'eert is-the firflfi we know, that recommended the Bible to the then Chriflian Chur- ches, for the Writings Ofthe Prophets and A ofiles :and this Councell was held in the 364. yeer after Chrift. t which time, though ambition had fo far prevailed on the great Doctors of the Church, as Dd no |