given her a fon in the room of Abel, whom Cain slew. If this is admitted, Adam might have had, at that time, offspring to the thirdand fourth generations; and, although the sacred scriptures do not mention them, they imply as much in the account they give of Cain's conduct : besides, 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 practised true religion, made marriages with the children of men; that is, with the wicked race of Cain: this seduced 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 ferious people, how they connect themselves for life. If religion and virtue are overlooked in marriage, what happiness can be expected from the union?

Enoch,

Enoch, whose history follows, proves that it is possible 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 suppose they would have acted differently. When nothing else would convince them, the Almighty destroyed the old world; but in so 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 constantly praising and glorifying God for this method which he continually takes of bringing finners to himself? The Almighty could, in an instant, have destroyed the world; but mercy ever attends his judgments as far as is consistent with his justice.

Very foon after the flood, men began to build the tower of Babel. They could not mean it as a security 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 forsook 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 same 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 necessary that they should form themselves into different societies and disperse themselves in the world, so as to inhabit it more equally. Another advantage arose from it, which will be felt as long as the world lasts; for had all mankind continued to use the fame language, the intercourse by speech of the various nations spread over

the

the face of the earth with each other, would have been rendered so easy as to have obviated the necessity of study; by which the human mind has been opened and enlarged, its faculties expanded, and by constant exertion of its powers, rendered capable of, and fitted for the most sublime researches.

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 so short a period of time as a century after such a manifestation 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 supposed to be, we can scarcely conceive possible, and to which nothing less than the authority of the sacred 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

the honor to be styled 'the friend of God.' The genealogy of our blessed Saviour, given in St. Matthew's gospel, begins with him. The promise made to him, that the Messiah should be born of his posterity, is contained in Genesis, chap. xxii. verse 18. " In thy feed shall all the nations of the "earth be blessed." This could not have been faid in a temporal sense; for fo far from all the nations of the earth being blessed 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 intercourse or connection with strangers, they were confidered by their neighbours as a proud, insolent people, and were consequently hated and despised by them. The promife, therefore, was evidently of a spiritual nature, and was not fulfilled until the birth of our blessed Saviour; as appears also from St. Paul's epistle to the Romans,