THE angel Gabriel appears to Zachary the priest, as he is offering incense in the temple, telling him, that a son shall be born unto him, whom he shall call John; who also shall be a Nazarite, and the forerunner of the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elias.

In the sixth month after John was conceived, the same angel Gabriel is sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee, to the nost blessed Virgin Mary (espoused to Joseph, a person of the house and lineage of David): the angel declares unto her that she shall conceive, by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, and call his name Jesus.

John the Baptist boru six months before Christ. THE SEVENTH AGE OF THE WORLD. Christ our Lord and Saviour, in the fulness of time, is born of the blessed Virgin Mary at Bethlehem, and laid in a manger.

On the eighth day after his nativity, he is circumcised, and named Jesus.

The wise men of the east bring presents to the new-born King of the Jews,

Joseph flies into Egypt with the child Jesus, and Mary his mother.

Herod commands the infants in and about Bethlehem to be slain.

Herod dieth, and his son Archelaus is by Cæsar made tetrarch of Judea; other dominions, which belonged to Herod, are divided among his sons.

Christ, by God's appointment, is brought back out of Egypt into Nazareth.

26. Jos. Ant.
1.18. c. 3.

27.

30.

The First Year of the vulgar Christian Era begins

here.

By occasion of the Passover our Lord goes up
with his parents to Jerusalem, and there disputes with
the doctors in the temple.

Angustus dies, and Tiberius succeeds him.

Josephus, called Caiaphas, is made high-priest of
the Jews by the favour of Valerius Gratus, the Ro-

man governor.

Towards the end of this year, Pontius Pilate is
sent to be procurator of Judea, in the place of Vale-
rius Gratus.

Mat. ii. 1. John the Baptist begins to preach and to baptize in
Mark, 1.2. the desert of Judea, thereby preparing the way of
Lake.3. the Lord, and doing his endeavour that Christ's
coming after him may be made known unto Israel.
Unto John God gives a sign whereby he may know
the Lord's Christ, that upon whom he shall see the
Spirit descending and remaining on him, the same is
he which shall baptize with the Holy Ghost.

John, i. 7.
Isa. xli. 1.

Mat.iii.13.
Mark, i. 9.
Lake, iii.

22.

John, i.
34.

Jesus entering upon the thirtieth year of his age,
comes from Galilee to Jordan, and is baptized of John,
at which time a most illustrious manifestation is made
of the blessed Trinity; for the Son of God asceuding
out of the water, and praying, the heavens are open-
ed, and the Spirit of God, in the shape of a dove, de-
scends upon him; and the voice of the Father is
heard from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Sou
in whom I am well pleased.

John sees it, and bears record that this is the Sou
of God.

Mat iv. I.
Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, returns from Jordan,
Mark, i. and is led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he
12 fasteth forty days and forty nights, and is tempted by
Luke,iv.1, the devil.

14.
John, i.
35, 47.

ii. l,

13.

After this, our Lord returns into Galilee.

John gives testimony to our Saviour, passing by
him: Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, acknow-
ledge him to be the Messias, and become his dis-
ciples.

Christ, at a marriage in Cana of Galilee, turneth
water into wine; this was his first miracle.

The First Passover of Christ's public Ministry,
from which the first Year of the Seventieth and
last of Daniel's Weeks begins: In which the
covenant is confirmed with many, DAN. ix. 27.
compared with MAT. xxvi. 28.

Jesus cometh to Jerusalem at the time of the Pass-
over, and, entering into the temple, scourgeth out
those that bought and sold there: the Jews require a
sign of bis authority. Christ bids them destroy that

The Year

after

CHRIST

The Seventh Age of the World.

30. John,ii.13. temple (understanding the temple of his body), and in three days he will raise it up.

31.

32.

Mat. xiv.
3.

Herod the tetrarch casteth John the Baptist into prison for reprehending his incest with his brother Mark, vi. Philip's wife, and other evils done by him.

17.

Luke, iii.
19.
John, iv.
7, 42.

Luke, iv.
43.
v. 27.

John, v.

1.

Luke, vi.
13.

Mat. v. vi.

Christ discovers himself to the woman of Samaria.

He goes throughout all Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, and working miracles. Matthew called to be a disciple.

The Second Passover of Christ's Ministry, JOHN, v. 1, compared with iv. 3, 5, from which the Second Year of the Seventieth Week of Daniel begins.

Jesus comes up to Jerusalem at the time of the feast, and heals on the sabbath-day a man that had an infirmity thirty-eight years, lying at the pool of Bethesada. He makes a most divine apology to the Jews that sought to kill him, because he said that God was his Father.

Christ, out of the multitude of his disciples, chooseth twelve, whom he calleth apostles; namely, Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, vii. Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Simon called Luke, vi. Zelote, Judas the brother of James, aud Judas Iscariot. 20. ix. 1. To these our Saviour chiefly directs his discourse in that Mark,vi.7 glorious, full, and admirable sermon on the mount. Mat. x. 1. Jesus sends his twelve apostles by two and two to preach, and heal the sick.

xiv. 9.

Mat. xiv.

John the Baptist is beheaded in prison, by Herod's command.

Jesus feeds five thousand men, besides women and children, with five barley loaves, and two little fishes. Mark, vii. He refuses to be made a king.

15.

35. Luke, ix. 12. John, vi.

1, 15.

Mat.xvii.l

The Third Passover of Christ's Ministry, JOHN, vi. 4, from which the Third Year of the Seventieth Week of Daniel begins.

Jesus is transfigured on the mount: Moses and Mark,ix.1. Elias are seen to talk with him; and a voice from Luke, ix. heaven is heard a second time, saying, This is my 28. beloved Son; hear him.

Mark, x. .46. John, xii. 3.

Mat. xxi.

The Seventh Age of the World.

Christ payeth tribute to Cæsar.

A certain village of the Samaritans refuseth our Saviour entertainment in his way to Jerusalem; the disciples desiring to call for fire from heaven to consume them, are severely reprehended.

The seventy disciples are sent out by two and two to work miracles, and to preach.

Christ teacheth his disciples to pray.

Christ raiseth Lazarus, that had been buried four days.

Caiaphas, high-priest of the Jews, prophesieth concerning the death of Christ.

Zacchæus, a Publican, converted.

Christ restoreth to blind Bartimæus his sight.

Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anoints our Saviour's feet with costly spikenard, and wipeth them with the hair of her head.

Christ rideth in triumph to Jerusalem: the multiMark, xi. tude spread their garments in the way, and cry HoLuke, xix. sanna to the son of David. Coming near the city, he John, xii. | weeps over it, and foretells its destruction. He enters Isa. lii. the temple, and casteth out those that bought and sold Zec. ix. 9. there; and heals the blind and lame.

Mat. xxi.
17.

xxvi.

He curseth the fruitless fig-tree, and the next morning it is found dried up and withered: Thence he taketh occasion to show the power of faith.

The Fourth Passover, in which Christ our Passover was sacrificed, 1 COR. v. 7, and so an end is put to all legal Sacrifices prefiguring this great Expiation. The Fourth or middle Year of Daniel's last Week begins, DAN. ix. 27.

On the first day of unleavened bread, when the Mark, Passover of the Jews was to be slain (April 2), in the xiv. evening, Jesus eateth the Passover with his disciples, Luke,xxii. and institutes the sacrament of his body and blood in bread and wine.

John, xiii.

xviii.

Matthew,

Christ washeth his disciples' feet, and exhorteth them to humility and charity.

In the self-same night Christ is betrayed by Judas, mocked, buffeted, and spit upon by the soldiers.

Next day he is condemned by Pilate, and crucified;
xxvii. the sun during the crucifixion is darkened, and the
Mark, xv. vail of the temple rent in the midst.
Luke xxiii for his enemies, gives up the ghost.
John, xix. mathea begs the body, and lays it
Ps. xxii. chre.

VOL. IV.

2 D

Christ, praying Joseph of Ariin a new sepul