people, and fuch of Shem's family as went, if any of them did really go, with him to Shinar; but, even of these, I fhall fhew that none were perfuaded to enter into Nimrod's defign, who, from Scripture, appears to have become arrogant and luxurious and puffed up with pride; for they faid, "let us build us a city and a tower that may reach "unto heaven, and let us make us a name, &c." This was the most arrogant resolution that any people could fuggest, and plainly fhewed that they had fallen from their obedience and duty to God's will, in the very thought of reaching to heaven; and therefore in the fixth verfe of the eleventh chapter it is written: " and the Lord faid, "behold the people is one, and they have all one language, "and this they begin to do, and now nothing will be re"ftrained from them which they have imagined to do.' This plainly fhews, that nothing but their pride brought upon them the confufion, in order to ftop their wanton progress: although authors have suggested many other reasons from their own fancy, which have no foundation in Holy Writ. Again, it is faid: "the Lord fcattered “them abroad from thence upon the face of the earth, "and they left off to build the city; therefore is the

name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there "confound the language of all the earth, &c." Now because it is written by Mofes, that the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth, it is concluded by the learned authors mentioned, that all the earth came into Shinar to be subject to that confufion. This is an inference I cannot indeed consent to; because I think it is impossible that the generations of men, established in their

feveral

several kingdoms, should be on a fudden compelled to quit their respective governments, at very remote distances, to be concerned in the building this tower. To what purpofe? If it be faid, it was in order to be scattered abroad upon the earth; I anfwer, that was done already in their migrations on every fide from Armenia; and it would be hard to imagine, nations of people should go through a ceremony of coming into Shinar to be sent back again; this would very ill fuit either the sense and judgment of Mofes, or the ways of providence in bringing about the divine purposes; when nothing but the propagation and welfare of his people could be the defign of GOD, in faving the remnant of mankind in the ark from the deluge; for, as I hinted before, it would be an immense impediment to the well-being of the children of men, to be forced into fuch a congrefs, for any purpose; nor could fuch multitudes either find room or fubfiftance in that land, already well enough stocked with people. Besides, we can find no inftance of God's laying punishments upon any nations or people, without being long provoked to it by crimes; and therefore it would be too great a liberty to say, that all mankind should be brought under his displeasure for the acts committed by the Nimrodians alone; for the Scriptures mention no others concerned in them: and it is a doubt with me, whether any of Afhur's people were concerned with them at all; because it appears, they were either driven away from Nimroď's kingdom (if they ever were in it,) or voluntarily left it, because they would not be concerned in that audacious undertaking, and fo established themselves a place and

6

cities,

cities, as we have already faid. It would be arraigning the juftice of the Divine Being, to fuppofe it; and therefore I, for my own part, cannot help exculpating the whole defcendants of Japhet and Shem from having any hand in the attempt, as well as from other reasons of fome confequence, viz. it is very unlikely, that the people defcended from either, fhould have entered into any proceeding that was sufficient to incur a punishment from the ALMIGHTY; because these were the fons who were bleffed by Noah, for their filial piety in counter-acting their brother Ham's iniquity in their father's tent; for which he curfed the posterity of Ham; the generations of Japhet and Shem would certainly keep the tradition of their father's bleffing upon them, and there was no ftop put to it, but it was fulfilled amply in both; they increased prodigiously, and grew very great; and in the line of Shem the great work of our redemption was going on. But the feed of Ham was curfed from the beginning; and accordingly his grandson, Nimrod, was at the head of that daring enterprize; he was wicked from the beginning, and must have known what his father denounced against him and his defcendants: nor could these be ignorant of it themselves; and therefore had no fuch happy tradition of a bleffing to comfort them, and sway their actions ; and confequently must have been abandoned to evil dispofitions, lofing in a little time the fear of GOD, and becoming tyrants to one another. The ways The ways of Providence are extremely uniform in procedings of this nature; a frong example of which is manifeft in the antidiluvian world; for the pofterity of Cain was an accurfed gene

ration,

ration, occafioned by his wickedness against his brother Abel. Let us fee then, what is meant by the words, "the Lord did there confound the language of all the "earth." The anfwer is fo eafy, that it seems to me very ftrange this fentence fhould be mistaken. We are told, that the whole earth was of one language and of one speech; now there is no more in that fentence than, that there, that is, at Babel, the Lord confounded the language that all mankind upon the earth every where spoke; and scattered them, the subjects of Nimrod, who afterwards mingled with fome other nations, and introduced new corruptions in languages amongst them, from which, in process of time, proceeded the great variety of tongues now in the African and part of the Afiatic nations; thus naturally fulfilling the divine will, without disturbing, or impofing any hardfhips upon, the rest of the fons of Noab in their nations, and all this according to the tenor of DIVINE writ. Having thus far introduced what in my opinion was necessary to be known concerning Noah and his grandchildren, let us endeavour to trace them further on, till we fall upon the people called the Celts and Scythians, whom we shall fhew to be the offfpring of Gomer and Magog, two fons of Japhet; which will lead us to our present purpose, being to enquire into the language of these people, and trace it from its ancient to its present seat.

Of the parts of the earth to which the offspring of Noah migrated from time to time.

As fo much has been faid already concerning one of Ham's family, we shall continue an account of the rest in this place, that there may be no occafion to fay much of them hereafter.

THE fons of Ham, Cufb, and Mifraim, and Phut, and Canaan. The fons of Cub, Seba, and Havila, and Sabtah, and Raamah, Sabtecha; and the fons of Raamah, Sheba, and Dedan. Then comes the account of Nimrod, mentioned before, to which follows Mifraim, who begat Ludim, and Anahim, and Lehabim, and Naptuhim, and Pathrufim, and Cafluhim (out of whom came Pliliftim), and Caphtorim; and Canaan begat Sidon, his first born, and Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Emorite, and the Girgafite, and the Hivite, and the Archite, and the Sinite, and the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hemathite; and afterwards were the family of the Canaanites spread abroad. And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comeft to Gezar, unto Gaza: as thou goeft unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Adma, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. These are the fons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

THIS is Mofes's account of the iffue of Ham; and they were a numerous people, as all these were the heads of fucceeding nations. The feveral learned men, who have taken the pains of tracing them to their several stations, though they may differ a little in some points, yet in ge

neral