The Scriptures harmony

But if Mr. Broughton may prevail, the said Priests shall be much more forward in procreation. For he will allow but 87. years from the Captivity of Zedekiah ¹unto the 7. of Artaxerxes. Whence it follows, that though ten years be granted to Jehozadak at the time of Captivity, yet every one of them must begin to beget children before 19. years old, otherwise Johanan could not be borne when Ezra came to Jerusalem.

But if Mr. Broughton may prevaile, the said Priests shall be much more forward in procreation. For he will allow but 87. yeeres from the Captivity of Zedekiah ¹unto the 7. of Artaxerxes. Whence it follows, that though ten yeeres be granted to Iehozadak at the time of Captivity, yet every one of them must begin to beget children before 19. yeeres old, otherwise Iohanan could not be borne when Ezra came to Ierusalem.

1. 1See Broughtons consent of Scripture.

True it is, Nehemiah saith, that the Levites and Priests were recorded unto the reign of Darius, but by ¹whom this was done, he tells not; it is plain, not by Ezra, for he wrote but until the days of Johanan. ²And though Nehemiah concludes, these were in the days of Joiakim, and in the days of Nehemiah the Governor, and of Ezra the Priest, the Scribe; yet it ³cannot be understood, that they were all of them ⟨p. 40⟩in every one of their days, for that is impossible: but that all of them were in all their days; some in the days of Joiakim, some in the days of Ezra, some in the days of Nehemiah.