The harmony of the Old and New Testament and the obscure texts explained with a relation especially to the times that preceded Christ and how they meet in him, his genealogie and other mysteries preparatory to his first coming / written in French by John d'Espagne ... ; and published in English by his executor.

The Examination.

THis Maxim follows the former, and is read in the same places we have al∣ready quoted, and we bring it in to shew, how gross the ignorance or the inadver∣tency of the Jews, and that it is no wonder if they do so grosly mistake in other mat∣ters, less clear then this is.

Upon the Hypothesis we have already overthrown, they do build this assertion, that an old man, because of his peevish∣ness caused by age, and other natural in∣dispositions, cannot have the faculty of Prophesie, sith it requires a jovial and cheerful man.

But we could bring them Daniel, though they endeavour to blot out his name

from the Catalogue of the Prophets, who was not much less then ninety years old, when God gave him those admirable Re∣velations concerning the seventy weeks, the destruction of the second Temple, that of the Kingdom of the Persians, the end of the posterity of Alexander, the debates of the Kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, the vicissitudes of their Successes, their at∣tempts and persecutions, &c.

That Chronology is out of dispute. Da∣niel was an Adolescent or young man, when he was carried Captive into Babylon: he passed there the whole seventy years of the Captivity, and three years after, that was also the third year of Cyrus, he received the Prophesie that we read in the 10, 11, and 12 Chapters; let every one judge whether he was not an old man. We might also mention Isaias, who pro∣phesied above forty five years, and was not a child when he began to prophesie: Hosea and Jeremia, who prophesied al∣most as long; which may be gathered out of the number of years of several Kings under whom they prophesied.

But among all the Prophesies, that which Jacob had and pronounced upon his death-bed, is worthy admiration, Gen 49. It is known, that the Land of Canaan was divided by Lot, 245 year after Jacob's death; how comes it that the Lot of each

Tribe doth meet with the prediction of that Patriarch? How comes it that the quarters, the manners, the conditions, and the particular qualities of each Tribe, specially the Kingship of Juda, are so vi∣sibly marked therein? How old then was Jacob, when he had that prophecy? he was 147 years old. Therefore the Prophetical Spirit was not inconsistent with the old age of a man.

We must here observe another Contra∣diction the Jews fall into: For that same Rabbine, whose words they do observe as so many Oracles, in that Book we have already so often alledged, doth write, that an old man, and he who is near unto death, are the fitter to conceive, or to ap∣prehend the things of God, than he that is yet young. How then can they affirm, that young folks are fitter for Prophecy? He that is less fit for apprehending the things of God, can he be the most capable of prophecy?

Finally, Among the spiritual gifts God had promised, he saith, Your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions, Joel 2.28. It is because for∣merly the prophetical Revelations were often given, either in a Dream, or in a Vision, Numb. 12.6. God then pro∣mised such Revelations to old men; But the Rabbius will not believe him.