A. M. 930. Ante Chr. 3074. aftronomy; and, left their inventions fhould be forgotten or loft, before they were publicly known, understanding, from a prediction of Adam, that there would be a general deftruction of all things, once by the rage of fire, and once by the violence and multitude of waters, they Pillars of made two pillars, one of brick and the other of stone, and Sein. engraved their inventions on each, that, if the pillar of brick happened to be overthrown by the flood, that of ftone might remain; which Jofephus tells us, was to be feen in his time, in the land of Siriad (I). i How long the defcendents of Seth continued thus religious, and imitators of their father's virtue, is uncertain. Jofeph. Ant. lib. i. cap. 2. (I) Where this land of Siriad was is a great difpute. The name is variously written in the manufcripts, narà y την Σιρίαδα, and Συρίαδα ; by others Epid, and by Euftathius Epad: which laft feems the more correct. Some place it in Syria; others, with a little more probability, have taken it to be the fame with ¿Seirath mentioned in Scripture, and fuppofe the pefilim, which the English tranflation renders quarries, near Gilgal, in the tribe of Ephraim, were the ruins of Seth's ftone pillar, Yet others understand thofe pefilim, or rù yhumà, the fculp tures, as the Septuagint tranf late the word, to have been certain idols lately fet up there by Eglon. But the more certain opinion is, that the Siriadic land was in Egypt: for we are told, that Manetho extracted his history from certain pillars there, whercon infcriptions had been made by Thoth, or the first Mercury, in the facred letters and dialect; but were, after the flood, tranflated from the facred dialect into the Greek tongue, but written in The defec tion of the fons of Seth the facred letters, and laid up in books by the fecond Mercury, in the facred receffes of the Egyptian temples. These pillars were in fubterraneous caverns near Thebes, and beyond the Nile, not far from the founding ftatue of Mem non, in a place called Syringes, which are described to be certain winding apartments under ground, and which (as it is faid) thofe who were skill ed in ancient rites, foreseeing the coming of the deluge, and fearing left the memory of their ceremonies fhould be obliterated, built and contrived in vaults dug with vast labour in feveral places; cutting on the walls many forts of birds and beafts, and innumerable kinds of animals, which they called hieroglyphic letters. That Seth was not a name unknown to the Egyptians, appears from Plutarch, who tells us, that they conftantly called Typhon, which was a Greek name, Seth; and hence, it is probable, Jofephus was led into the mistake of afcribing thefe pillars to the fons of Adam. D 4 Mofes A. M. 930. Ante Chr. 3074. Opinion of thofe who Mofes fays, "That when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the fons of God faw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose k". By which expreffion it appears, that the beginning of their corruption was, their marrying into the wicked family of Cain; by whom their manners were foon debauched, and, at length, degenerated fo far, that "the wickedness of man was very great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Jofephus writes, that the family of Seth perfevered in the true worship of God, and in the purfuit of virtue, for seven generations; after which, in process of time, they neglected both, fhewing twice as much eagerness after wickednefs, as they had formerly fhewn zeal for virtue; by which means, they drew down on themselves the indignation of God. The oriental writers place the beginning of this defection somewhat fooner, in the days of Jared, and in his fortieth year; when they fay, one hundred of the fons of Seth, hearing the noife of the mufic, and riotous mirth of the Cainites, agreed to go down to them from the holy mountain; and, on their arrival among them, were so captivated with the beauty of the women, who were naked, that they immediately defiled themselves with them. Thus the fons of men perifhed, by whoring with the daughters of Cain; for when they offered to return again to their former abode, the ftones of the mountain became like fire, and permitted them to pass no farther. The lubricity of the Cainites is defcribed in very strong terms: the men neighed after the women like horses, and the women in the fame manner after the men, committing whoredom, and all manner of filthinefs, promifcuously with one another in public; the old women being, if poffible, more brutish and lewd than the young. The fathers lay with their daughters; and the young men with their mothers; fo that the children could not distinguish their parents, nor the parents know their children. The appellation of the fons of God, given by Mofes to the children of Seth, led Jofephus, Philo Judæus, and fuppofe an- feveral of the fathers, into a strange interpretation of this gels defiled themselves paffage; as if the angels, who are alfo called in Scripture the fons of God, were afferted to have had communication with women, and to have begotten on them the in with wo men. * Genef. vi. 1, 2. folent A. M. 930. 3974. folent and impious race we fhall mention immediately. This fuppofition, we think, needs no refutation, being utterly repugnant to the notions we have of the nature of Ante Chr. thofe fpiritual beings, who are neither married, nor given in marriage; though it be hard to accufe, as fome have done", those who have fallen into this mistake, of herefy and blafphemy. Others, indeed, and particularly, feveral of the Jewish writers, by the fons of God, underftand the fallen angels, who, feeing the daughters of Cain walking in the nakedness of their flesh, and painting their eyes like whores, wandered after them, and took wives from among them ". It may not be amifs to mention another opinion, more reasonable than the laft, which is embraced by the Jewish interpreters; they fuppofe, that, by the fons of God, in this place, are meant the princes, great men, and magis- · trates of thofe times, who, instead of ufing their authority to punish and discountenance vice, were themselves the greatest examples and promoters of lewdness and debauchery; taking the daughters of men, of the inferior and meanest fort of people, and debauching them by force (K). The example of these fons of Seth, who, tempted by the allurements of the daughters of Cain, first left their seat of innocence, was afterwards followed by others, who from time to time defcended in great numbers from the holy mountain, and took wives, in like manner, of that profligate and abandoned race P. From thefe unhappy marriages iffued a generation, which feems to have been no lefs extraordinary for their great ftature and ftrength, than for their monftrous impiety and injustice. "There were in those days giants (L) in the earth," who 1 Matth. xxii. 30. Luke xx. 35. m Philaftrius Brixienfis adv. Hær. cap. 108. Chryfoft. Homíl. xxii. in Genef. cap. v. n R. Eliezer, cap. xxiii. Targumim Onkelos & Ben. Uzziel. R. Sol. Yarhi, Aben Ezra, &c. P Eutych. p. 27. 9 Genef. vi. 4. (K) To fupport this interpretation, they tell us, that the verb, which is generally rendered to take, fignifies alfo to ravish, or take by violence. (L) The Hebrew word is nephilim, from naphal, to fall. Some take thefe nephilim to have been men of ordinary ftature, fo called on account fue of the Sethites and the of Cain, daughters and their impiety. A. M. 1535 2469. who being, moft probably of Cain's race, both by father and mother, and born before the conjunction of the two Ante Chr. families (M), made ufe of their fuperior power to spoil and tyrannife over the weaker. And the fame courfe of life was followed by the mongrel offspring, who fignalized themselves alfo by robberies and oppreffions, and “became mighty men," in other words, men of renown '. The 120 years of bearance. Mankind running thus headlong into all manner of vice, and the pofterity of Seth, who had, for fome ages, God's for- retained their integrity, becoming at length, by their imprudent alliance with the race of Cain, infected with the fame contagion of profanenefs and immorality, fo that all fort of wickednefs began to overfpread the earth; notwithstanding the frequent admonitions they probably received by persons from time to time fent by God; the divine vengeance might with juftice have been immediately executed on fo perverfe a generation; but God, out of his great mercy, was pleafed to grant them a convenient time for repentance, no less than one hundred and twenty years; during which space, but no longer, he declared his Spirit fhould "ftrive with man "," or endeavour to awaken and reclaim them from their wicked courfe of life (N). Genef. vi. 4. in Scripture to denote men above the common fize. Not Ibid. ver. 3. (N) This paffage of Scripture is varioufly interpreted: the English tranflation feems to give the true fenfe of the Hebrew; but the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac verfions, render the word (which we tranflate frive with) continue, or davell in; fuppofing the meaning to be, either that God's fpirit of admonition, or forbearance, would not always wait on man; or elfe, that the fpirit, or breath of life, should not always continue in him; that is, no longer than the fpace of one hundred and twenty years, after which, if he continued impenitent, he should be deftroyed. And this is the fenfe of Onkelos. A. M. 1535Ante Chr. 2469. Amidst this general corruption, one man, however, was found to be juft and perfect in his generation, walking with God'. This extraordinary perfon was Noah (O), the fon of Lamech, who, not thinking it fufficient to be righteous himself, unless he did his utmost to turn others Noah likewise to righteoufnefs by admonition, as well as exam- preaches. ple, became a preacher " to the abandoned race among which he lived, employing both his counfel and authority to bring them to a reformation of their manners, and to restore the true religion among them (P). But all he could do, was to no purpose, for they continued incorrigibly obftinate; fo that, at length, (as Jofephus tells us), finding himself and family in imminent danger of some violence in return for his good will, he departed from among them, with his wife and children. X On his departure, it is probable, they fell into greater Mankind disorders than before; having now none to controul, or incorrigi even to trouble them with unwelcome advice. Mofes af- ble. fures us, that "the wickednefs of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was continually evil;" and that "the earth was corrupt and filled with violence, all flesh (Q) having corrupted his way upon the earth." Thefe words leave no room to enquire into the particular crimes of the antedit Genef. vi. 9. u 2 Pet. ii. 5. * Antiq. lib. i. cap. 3. (0) Lamech gave his fon this name, which fignifies comfort: for "this fame," fays he, fhall comfort us concerning our work, and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath curfed." Which words not expreffing the means by which Noah was thus to comfort his friends, fome writers have thence inferred, that he invented the tools and inftruments of husbandry. (P) The eastern Chriftians fay, that when God ordered Noah to build the ark, he alfo directed him to make an inftrument of wood, fuch as they make use of in the East, at this day, instead of bells, to (Q) The oriental writers (6) Eutych. Annal. p. 35. |