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given her a fon in the room of Abel, whom Cain flew. If this is admitted, Adam might have had, at that time, offspring to the third and fourth generations; and, although the facred fcriptures do not mention them, they imply as much in the account they give of Cain's conduct: befides, we must add twenty years to Adam's life to put him upon a footing with the rest of mankind, his age being counted from the time of his creation, when he was of course at maturity.

In process of time, Seth's posterity, who were called the fons of God because they practifed true religion, made marriages with the children of men; that is, with the wicked race of Cain: this feduced them from the church of God, and they became as corrupt in their religion and morals as the rest of mankind.

This fatal error should be a warning to all serious people, how they connect themfelves for life. If religion and virtue are overlooked in marriage, what happinefs can be expected from the union?

Enoch.

Enoch, whose history follows, proves that it is poffible to stand firm in virtue in the midst of vice and wickedness.

Noah was a preacher of righteousness, and moreover a prophet; but the world at that time was so wicked that they would not listen to him; they wanted faith: for had they believed his predictions, we cannot but fuppofe they would have acted differently. When nothing else would convince them, the Almighty destroyed the old world; but in fo merciful a manner, as gave the inhabitants time to repent. Have we not reason, then, to hope, that there are many thousands of happy fouls, who are conftantly praising and glorifying God for this method which he continually takes of bringing finners to himfelf? The Almighty could, in an instant, have destroyed the world; but mercy ever attends his judgments as far as is confiftent with his justice.

Very foon after the flood, men began to build the tower of Babel. They could not mean it as a fecurity against another flood;

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flood; as they must know that brick and mortar could not protect them against such an inundation. It was Ham's wicked race, headed by Nimrod, who formed this defign: they forfook the worship of the true God, and wanted to acquire a glorious name, as they called it, and to establish an universal empire. Rebels too often glory in their crimes: this was a very daring act of impiety against God; particularly as it was so shortly after his destroying the old world. The Almighty confounded both their language and their pride, at the fame time; and as it is usual with him to bring good out of evil, made that very punishment conducive to the benefit of mankind, by giving them a variety of tongues. It became neceffary that they should form themfelves into different focieties and disperse themselves in the world, fo as to inhabit it more equally. Another advantage arose from it, which will be felt as long as the world lafts; for had all mankind continued to use the same language, the intercourse by speech of the various nations spread over

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the face of the earth with each other, would have been rendered so easy as to have obviated the neceffity of study; by which the human mind has been opened and enlarged, its faculties expanded, and by constant exertion of its rendered capowers, pable of, and fitted for the most fublime refearches.

Before I quit this subject, I cannot help making a reflection on the above very wonderful transaction. That the descendants of Noah, even during his life-time, and within fo short a period of time as a century after fuch a manifeftation of the justice and mercy of the Almighty, should have forfaken their God, is a degree of madness which, bad as the world is now fuppofed to be, we can scarcely conceive poffible, and to which nothing less than the authority of the facred writings could compel our belief.

The first fuperior character that strikes our attention after this, is Abraham; whose faith and piety were so great, that he had C2

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the honor to be styled 'the friend of God.' The genealogy of our bleffed Saviour, given in St. Matthew's gofpel, begins with him. The promise made to him, that the Meffiah should be born of his pofterity, is contained in Genefis, chap. xxii. verse 18. "In thy feed fhall all the nations of the "earth be bleffed." This could not have been faid in a temporal fenfe; for so far from all the nations of the earth being bleffed in his feed, the Jews were, in fact, the enemies of all other people: having been selected by the Almighty for the punishment of the idolatrous nations and the preservation of the true religion, and being forbidden by their law to have any tercourse or connection with strangers, they were confidered by their neighbours as a proud, infolent people, and were confequently hated and despised by them. The promise, therefore, was evidently of a spiritual nature, and was not fulfilled until the birth of our bleffed Saviour; as appears also from St. Paul's epiftle to the

in

Romans,

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