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this nature cannot be admitted, because it leaves us t conclude, that the divine being could not foresee wha should happen, and therefore that, when the time came he found it necessary to make this division. But, leav ing such suppositions to those, who can be satisfied with them, I shall give a more rational account of this trans action, more consistent with the understanding of the original writer of the sacred scriptures, which treat only concerning things appertaining to religion, and the future state of man.

By the earth, in scripture language, is frequently meant the inhabitants, Gen. vi. 11. “The earth also was corrupt.”—Ch. xi. 1. " And the whole earth was of one language."-Ch. xix. 31. "After the manner of all the earth."-1st Chron. xvi. 23. "Sing unto the Lord all the earth.”—Psalm c. "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands."-Deut. xxxii. 1. "Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."-1st Kings, x. 24. “And all the earth sought Solomon." It is more consistent, therefore, with enlightened reason, and we have the authority of scripture to conclude, that some other division was meant by the sacred writer. It appears, however, that these names were given by the patriarchs to their descendants, to signify the states of these patriarchal churches ; it is also as certain, that at this time a division was made among them; for a singular change took place in the first order of patriarchs, from Adam to Enoch, who are said to have lived 800 years after the birth of their sucThus,

cessor.

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That this applies to the ecclesiastical department, or the church, as well as to the patriarchs, may be allowed, because it is said that Enoch walked with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah, before he was translated; which is sufficient to convince us, that a very considerable change took place in the church, in the time of righteous Enoch.

Thus it is said of the first five patriarchs, beginning with Seth, by whom the first visible church was manifested, that they lived upwards of 800 years after the birth of their first-born son, to the change which took place in the time of Enoch. The same is said of the first five patriarchs of the second order from Noah, by whom the second visible church was manifested; they also lived upwards of 400 years only after the birth of their first-born son to the change, which took place at the time of Peleg.

Noah was 500 years old at the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, Gen. v. 32. but as it is expressly said that he lived 350 years after the flood, ch. ix. 29. and that his three sons were married when they went into the ark, they must have been 50 years old at the time of the flood, which authorizes us to state, that after the birth

of his first-born son,

Noah lived,

400 years

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403

430

Salah after the birth of Eber,

Eber after the birth of Peleg,

But that which confirms us in the opinion, that the division of the earth in the time of Peleg, was a division of the church, is, that from Peleg, to Serug, these patriarchs are said to have lived only half the time of the first five, that is, 200 years after the birth of their firstborn son. Thus,

Peleg lived after the birth of Reu,
Reu after the birth of Serug,

. 209 years

207

200

Serug after the birth of Nahor, Now, if we consider that at this period, the Chaldean empire was extending its conquests over a great part of the east, that the love of dominion, when aided by power, will not suffer itself to be controlled, it is no wonder that the Chaldean nation put an end to this ancient patriarchal monarchical form of government. We have scripture and history to prove, that this division, which took place in the time of Peleg, was a division of the kingly and the priestly offices, arising from a general apostasy from the true worship of God, which caused a division in the church; the greatest part, either from compulsion, or from the prevalence of example, adopted the polite worship of the Babylonians, the descendants of Ham. Thus the monarchical form of government, which from the time of Noah had been joined to the ecclesiastical, was now divided; but the priestly patriarchal form was still retained by Peleg, and by his descendants down to Serug. Such also is that which now exists in the patriarch of the Greek church at Constantinople, who is considered as a nominal head, but who has not any power as a temporal prince; or such as the pope, who is reduced to a similar situation.

Again it is said, that this second race of patriarchs to Serug, who were born after the flood, lived 30 years before the birth of their first-born son. Thus,

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On the first reading, it appears strange that all these patriarchs should be nearly of the same age, at the birth of their first-born son, and deists have often brought this forward as an argument against the bible. But if we attend to the manners, customs, and usages of those ancient people, as mentioned in the sacred scriptures, we shall be satisfied, that it was consistent with the order which was established at that day.

It was a custom among the ancient Athenians, not to enter into the marriage state till they were thirty years of age; and since this custom was derived from the ancient Hebrews, every objection to the patriarchs being of the same age when they married must vanish. The number thirty seems to have been particularly attended to by these ancient people, for it appears that they were not allowed to officiate in the priestly office under thirty years of age. This we find to have been the custom in after-ages: Numb. iv. 3. "From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, all that enter into the host, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation." This custom was observed by Christ, when he began to preach. Matt. iii. 23. Neither does it appear that the patriarchs married more than once, and that was at the time when they entered into the ministry, which custom is observed in the Greek church to this day.

Reu succeeded Peleg. The meaning of the word Reu, is to break, break off, or to break the long established order of things. From this we learn, that as this church departed more and more from the true worship of God, to the time of Nahor, who was an idolater; so we are authorized to conclude, that in the time of Reu, the long established order, which had existed from the time of Noah, was broken; and that many opinions were introduced, inconsistent with the doctrine and practice of the

church in his time, and in the time of those who succeeded him. Until this remarkable period, the true worship of God, as established in the time of Noah, was observed, and from the time of Peleg and Reu, the established order of worship was broken. From this period, we are authorized to date the beginning of idolatry, in the line of Shem.

Serug, his son, confirmed this change. The word Serug means to wrap together, to be wreathed or twisted together, like the tender branches of a vine, Gen. x. 12.— Joel, i. 7. which, in conformity with the preceding state, shows that the church, in the time of Serug, continued the separation or division. Thus, when the church had fallen into gross errors, the professors united themselves together with those, who had joined the popular idol worship.

This appears to have been the very last stage of this ancient patriarchal church, when the true worship of God was not known as a national, or public worship: but instead thereof, idols, and visible representations, under the delusive idea of a personification of the attributes and infinite excellences of a Supreme, were at length worshipped.

Nahor, the son of Serug, was an idolater of the same cast as his predecessors, who appear to have gradually declined from the true worship of God, to that of figures, which represented the passions and affections. This worship was finally received among the descendants of Shem, who, like the posterity of Ham, the builders of Babel, and the founders of the Babylonish empire, worshipped the same idols. The state of things at this period, was similar to that at the conclusion of the first patriarchal church; nothing remained of the true worship, by which it could be known what was its origin in

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