Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John | Page 3

by Moses. And Joshua might carry it on to the
conquest of Canaan. For Joshua wrote some things in the book of the
Law of God, _Josh._ xxiv. 26 and therefore might write his own wars
in the book of wars, those being the principal wars of God. These were
publick books, and therefore not written without the authority of Moses
and Joshua. And Samuel had leisure in the reign of Saul
, to put them
into the form of the books of Moses and Joshua now extant, inserting
into the book of Genesis, the race of the Kings of Edom, until there
reigned a King in Israel.

The book of the Judges is a continued history of the Judges down to the
death of Sampson, and therefore was compiled after his death, out of
the Acts of the Judges. Several things in this book are said to be done
_when there was no King in _Israel__, _Judg._ xvii. 6. xviii. 1. xix. 1.
xxi. 25. and therefore this book was written after the beginning of the
reign of Saul. When it was written, the Jebusites dwelt in Jerusalem,
_Jud._ i. 21 and therefore it was written before the eighth year of David,
2 _Sam._ v. 8. and 1 _Chron._ xi. 6. The books of Moses, Joshua, and
Judges, contain one continued history, down from the Creation to the
death of Sampson. Where the Pentateuch ends, the book of Joshua
begins; and where the book of Joshua ends, the book of Judges begins.
Therefore all these books have been composed out of the writings of
Moses, Joshua, and other records, by one and the same hand, after the
beginning of the reign of Saul, and before the eighth year of David.
And Samuel was a sacred writer, 1 _Sam._ x. 25. acquainted with the
history of Moses and the Judges, 1 _Sam._ xii. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. and had
leisure in the reign of Saul, and sufficient authority to compose these
books. He was a Prophet, and judged Israel all the days of his life, and
was in the greatest esteem with the people; and the Law by which he
was to judge the people was not to be published by less authority than
his own, the Law-maker being not inferior to the judge. And the book
of Jasher, which is quoted in the book of Joshua, _Josh._ x. 13. was in
being at the death of Saul, 2 _Sam._ i. 18.
At the dedication of the Temple of Solomon, when the Ark was brought
into the most holy place, there was nothing in it but the two tables, 1
Kings viii. 9. and therefore when the Philistines took the Ark, they took
out of it the book of the Law, and the golden pot of Manna, and
_Aaron_'s Rod. And this and other losses in the desolation of Israel, by
the conquering Philistines, might give occasion to Samuel, after some
respite from those enemies, to recollect the scattered writings of Moses
and Joshua, and the records of the Patriarchs and Judges, and compose
them in the form now extant.
The book of
Ruth is a history of things done in the days of the Judges,
and may be looked upon as an addition to the book of the Judges,
written by the same author, and at the same time. For it was written

after the birth of David, Ruth iv. 17, 22. and not long after, because the
history of Boaz and Ruth, the great grandfather and great grandmother
of David, and that of their contemporaries, could not well be
remembered above two or three generations. And since this book
derives the genealogy of David from Boaz and Ruth, and omits
_David_'s elder brothers and his sons; it was written in honour of David,
after he was anointed King by Samuel, and before he had children in
Hebron, and by consequence in the reign of Saul. It proceeds not to the
history of David, and therefore seems to have been written presently
after he was anointed. They judge well therefore who ascribe to Samuel
the books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth.
Samuel is also reputed the author of the first book of Samuel, till the
time of his death. The two books of Samuel cite no authors, and
therefore seem to be originals. They begin with his genealogy, birth
and education, and might be written partly in his lifetime by himself or
his disciples the Prophets at Naioth in Ramah, 1 _Sam._ xix. 18, 19, 20.
and partly after his death by the same disciples.
The books of the Kings cite other authors, as the book of the Acts of
Solomon, the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel, and the
book of the Chronicles of the Kings of