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11....So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he flayed yet other feven days, and fent forth the dove: which returned not again unto him any more. And Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold the face of the ground was dry. And God fpake unto Noah, faying, Go forth out of the ark. And Noah went forth, and his fons, and his wife, and his fons' wives with him. (They havingcontinued in the ark one year and eleven days.)

12...And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord. And God bleffed Noah and his fons; and God fpake unto Noah and to his fons, faying, Behold I eftablish my covenant with you and with your feed after you; nei, ther fhall all flesh be cut off any more by the return of a flood. And God faid, This is the token of the covenant, I do fet my Bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

13... And the fons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and of them was the whole earth overspread.

REMARKS.

Marks of the flood are ftill to be seen in every quarter of the globe. Large beds of oyfter and other feafhells, extending over feveral acres each, have frequently been found at a great diftance from the fea, and fometimes in very elevated fituations: alfo the bones of whales, and other fifres, buried deep in the

earth.

In the words of a celebrated writer, "Whatever depths of the earth we examine, or whatever diftances within land, we feek, we moft commonly find a number of toffil-fhells, which being compared with others from the fea are found to be exactly of a fimilar shape and nature. They are found at the very bottom of

quarries and mines, on the top of even the higheft mountains, as well as in the vallies and plains: and this not in one country alone, but in all places where there is any digging for marble, chalk, or any other terreftrial matters, that are fo compact as to fence off the external injuries of the air, and thus preferve these hells from decay."

By the fingle family of Noah the earth was re-peopled. Noah himfelt is supposed to have gone eastward about one hundred and fifteen years after the flood, and to have laid the foundation of the Chinese monarchy. Afhur, fon of Shem, built Nineveh, the capital of the Affyrian Empire. And there are two remarkable nations now in being, namely, the Jews and the Arabians, who both defcended from Arphaxed, another for of Shem, in the line of Abraham.

Nimrod, a great grandfon of Noah, in the line of Ham, founded the famous city Babylon. Cufh, a fon of Ham, is thought to have begun the fettlement of Ethiopia, which in ancient times, was called the land of Cufh. Mifraim, another fon of Ham, founded the kingdom of Egypt, about one hundred and fixtyfour years after the flood. And Canaan, who was allo a fon of Ham, and grandson of Noah, was the father of the Canaanites; Sydonians, Tyrians, and Carthagenians; nations once famous, but long ago deftroyed from the face of the earth.

The pofterity of Japheth fettled the western part of Afia, and the European countries; which, in fcripture, are called the ifles of the Gentiles. It may be proper to obferve, that the Gingle life of Noah almoft connected the distant times of Adam and Abram; for Noah was born only one hundred and twenty-fix years atter the death of Adam, and lived till within two years of Abram's birth.

CHAPTER IV.

THE CONCILIATING CONDUCT OF ABRAM.

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A. M. about 2087.

BRAM went up out of Egypt, he and his wile and all that he had, and Lot with him into the fouth. And Abram was very rich in cattle, in filver, and in gold. And he went on his journey from the fouth, even unto Bethel, unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at firft; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

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2....And Lot alfo, who went with Abram had flocks, and herds, and tents and the land was not able to bear them that they might dwell together; for their fubftance was great. And there was a ftrife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle, and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle.

3 ...And Abram faid unto Lot, Let there be no ftrife between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdimen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee from me if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

4....And Lot beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, even as the garden of the Lord then Lot chofe him all the plains of Jordan. And they feparated themselves one from the other; and Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan.

REMARKS.

The character of Abram is greatly revered by Mahoinetaps, as well as by Jews and Chriftians; and the

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generofity of his conduct in this inftance is no inconfiderable mark of his uncommon excellence. He flood toward Lot in a fuperior relation: he was his uncle, and had even been a father to him. Indeed, in

every point of view, he was Lot's fuperior. It might, therefore, have feemed reafonable in Abram, on their propofed feparation, to have claimed the fift choice of fituation.

But this right of precedence he voluntarily gave up, and conceded it to the inferior party-not from weaknefs or cowardice, as Chedonlaomer and the other confederate kings could witnefs, whom he vanquished in battle, but from the impulfe of a generous and noble heart. This conciliatory overture of Abram to his nephew, while it manifefled a great and a good mind, did, at the fame time, exhibit an amiable example which it would be highly ufeful to contemplate.

This example is particularly recommended to the ferious notice of the froward and petulant, who engage in trivial contentions and captious law fuits, and leem to think it a point of honor to be unyielding and boifterous, even in the mere trifles. Let fuch people learn from the conduct of that great and good man, Abram, that a truly noble mind is not petulant and captious, but mild and accommodating.

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CHAPTER V.

THE HEROIC AND DISINTERESTED CONDUCT OF ABRAM.

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IT

T came to pafs, in the days of Amraphel, king of Shinar, Arioch, king of Ellafar, Chedorlac mer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Nations; that thefe

made war with Bera, king of Sodom, and with Birtha, king of Gomorrah. And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah; and they joined battle with them, in the valley of Siddim.

2....And the vale of Siddim was full of flime pits; and the king of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and felt there ; and they that remained fled to the mountain. And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's fon, and his goods, and departed.

3....And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew. And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained fervants born in his own houfe, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.

4....And he divided himself against them, he and his fervants by night, and fmote them. And he brought back all the goods, and alfo brought back his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women alfo, and the prople.

5....And the king of Sodom went out to meet him. And Melchizedek, king of Salem, (afterwards called Jerufalem) brought forth bread and wine and he was the priest of the most high God. And he bleffed hitn and faid, Bleffed be Abram of the most high God, poffellor of heaven and earth: and bleffed be the moft high God, who. hath given thine enemies into thine land. And he gave him tithes of all.

6....And the king of Sodom faid unto Abram, Give me the perions, and take the goods to thy felf. And Abram faid to the king of Sodom, I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the moft high God, the pofleffor of heaven and earth, that I will not take any thing

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