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separate, than their not being able to understand others, or to make themselves understood. It was natural that those, who could converse with each other, should wish to live together, and accordingly depart together to the places of their respective allotments: thus were different nations founded, and in process of time the whole earth was overspread with the descendants of the three sons of Noah. The Patriarch with the race of Shem, are supposed to have continued in the East, and to have retained their original language, and also to have kept up the true religion; but the other nations became more or less corrupted.

The dispersion at the tower of Babel is supposed to have happened in the fourth generation from Shem; for it is said in Scripture, that in the days of Peleg (who in the genealogy holds that place) the earth was divided.

Nothing could more effectually awaken mankind to a sense of God's power and their own weakness, than the astonishing miracle here recorded. It was like. wise calculated to teach those who should come after them, that schemes of ambition and presumption may be frustrated in a moment of time. Let us, then, carefully guard our minds against pride and impiety, and walk humbly with our GOD.

SECTION XIII.

THE GENEALOGY OF SHEM.

From Genesis, Chap. xi.

SHEM was an hundred years old, when he had ArPHAXAD two years after the flood, and he lived afterwards five hundred years, and had sons and daughters.

ARPHAXAD lived thirty and five years and had SALAH, after which he lived seven hundred and three years, and had sons and daughters.

SALAH lived thirty years, and had EBER; after

which he lived four hundred and three years, and had sons and daughters.

EBER lived thirty and four years, and had PELEG, after which he lived four hundred and thirty years, and had sons and daughters.

PELEG lived thirty years, and had REU, after which he lived two hundred and nine years, and had sons and daughters.

REU lived thirty and two years, and had SERUG, after which he lived two hundred and seven years, and had sons and daughters.

SERUG lived thirty years, and had NAHOR, after which he lived two hundred years, and had sons and daughters. NAHOR lived twenty and nine years, and had TERah, after which he lived an hundred and nineteen years, and had sons and daughters.

TERAH lived seventy years, and had three sons, ABRAM, NAHOR, and HARAN.

Haran died before his father in the land of his nati vity, in Ur of the Chaldees; and left a son named Lor. And Abram and Nahor took them wives; the name of Abram's wife was SARAI. She had no children.

The name of Nahor's wife was MILCAH; she was the daughter of Haran. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, Abram's wife, and they went forth with him from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan: and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. And the days of Haran were two hundred and five years: and he died in Haran.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

This genealogy is preserved in order to shew that Abram descended in a direct line from Shem, the son of Adam and Eve, and to prove afterwards that the Messiah descended from Shem.

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SECTION XIV.

THE HISTORY OF ABRAM. GOD'S PROMISE.

From Genesis, Chap. xii.

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee.

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him': and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and into the land of Canaan they came.

And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreb. And the Cas naanite was then in the land.

And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land; and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east; and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD. And Abram journeyed, going on still towards the south.

And there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.

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It is likely that, after the dispersion of mankind at the Tower of Babel, the LORD, as a punishment for their not humbling themselves, withdrew His visible presence; for we do not read of his appearing on earth again, till some generations afterwards; however, the knowledge of the true religion could not have been lost to the world, if people had been intent on serving Him in an acceptable manner; but it is conjectured, that the greatest part of the nations, into which the world was divided, instead of keeping to the religion of Noah, gradually fell into idolatry, some entirely neglecting the worship of the true God, and fancying a plurality of Gods; others corrupting the worship of Him, by practices of their own invention, such as still subsist in the eastern countries.

GOD was pleased to suffer these abominations to prevail for a time, perhaps to give occasion for shewing the necessity for Divine revelation, and for displaying His wisdom and goodness, of which we should not have had such striking instances, if his power had immediately destroyed false worshippers: GoD, however, resolved to manifest Himself to the world, that all men might know, when they saw His mighty acts, that He is the only GOD; for this He determined to raise up a pepurpose, culiar people, amongst whom he would maintain His honour, and keep up the expectation of the promised SAVIOUR.

Leaving, then, the idolatrous nations to follow their wicked abominations for a season, the LORD God appeared to Abram, and promised that, if he would obey His voice, He would make of him a great nation, and that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed; which last words we understand to mean, that from Abram, should descend, at the appointed time, the SAVIOUR of the world.

This promise, which we may consider as the beginaing of a new period of prophecy, was two-fold, relating first to a temporal blessing, to be bestowed on Abram's descendants; and secondly, to a general blessing, to be conveyed through them to all the other nations of the earth.

Abram, without the least hesitation, immediately left his native home, journeying from place to place; and built an altar to the LORD, wherever he took up his abode, that he might fully express his faith, by offering the sacrifices ordained by the LORD; and from this time he devoted himself entirely to the LORD GOD.

GOD's calling Abram, in the manner here related, is to be considered as an instance of His free grace or favour to mankind. We do not read that Abram had any claim to this distinction; but God knew that he would be faithful, and set a worthy example to the world: and the Scriptures teach us to regard Abram as a pattern of faith and obedience. In the first instance, he is exhibited to us as ready to follow the light of Divine revelation. No sooner did the LORD GOD appear to him, and require him to leave his native country, than he obeyed, and went out, not knowing the place of his destination*.-His ultimate hopes were fixed on a city, an eternal one, whose builder and maker is GoDt; and therefore he was not anxious about the concerns of this fluctuating world.

It is supposed that Terah left Ur, because the people of Chaldea were such idolaters, as entirely to neglect the worship of the true God, who was still adored by most nations of the earth, though instead of honouring the LORD, they made to themselves images or representa tions of the Deity, according to their own imagination. As Abram was no more than seventy-five years old, * See Heb. xi. 8, 9.

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+ Ibid. 10. *

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