THIS is easily proved to be the cafe, if we look into the tenth chapter of Genefis, from verse 21, where it is faid: Shem, alfo the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japhet the Elder, even to him were children born; the children of Shem, Elam, and Asher, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. Now in the next chapter, at the 11th verse, the regular genealogy of this family carries the descent from Shem to Arphaxad, from him to Salah, to Eber, to Peleg, to Rheu, to Serug, to Nahor, to Terah, to Abram, without the leaft notice of any other perfon among their brethren, although in the former chapter Elam and Ashur are mentioned before Arphaxad.

Noah, with his three fons, being the fole poffeffors of the earth, let us fee how they difpofed of themselves. We find firft, that Noah and his fons lived in tents, which was the first method that was used for their dwelling in, and which was continued for a long feries of years, before fome of his descendants began to build houses; for it was in his tent that his fons, Japhet and Shem, covered him, when he was intoxicated with his wine, which was the produce of the vineyard he planted himself. It was there he bleffed these two fons and their fucceffors; and uttered his curfe upon the defcendants of Ham; both which were amply fulfilled in the profperity and extenfion of the dominions of Japhet and Shem on the one hand, and in the destruction and miseries which fell upon: the Canaanites, fo called from Canaan the fon of Ham, in favour of Abram and his feed in after ages.

It fully and clearly appears, from Genefis x. that when the grandchildren of Noah were increased, he ordered

their divifion and dwelling places according to his own discretion; for it is faid of Japhet and his iffue, that they divided the ifles of the gentiles in their lands, according to their families, tongues, and their nations; and fo it is faid of the other brothers and their iffue for their feveral nations; which are very well pointed out, and fufficient to lead us after them in their migrations and future settle-. ments. This I mention here as a proof that Noah governed them in a regular manner, and with that good œconomy, that a man of his years and experience might be expected to be a judge of, especially too if we confider him as a man highly favoured by GoD, and strictly revered by his children. And hence it is more than probable that he chalked out to each family his portion of the countries round about, according to his good pleasure, and perhaps according to the scope of the bleffing to two of his fons, and the curfe to the other, while they were yet but few in number: for it is not unlikely that, at the time of his doing this, he had the fpirit of prophecy upon him, and thereby was informed which was the place that was most proper and convenient for the fulfilling of the calamities that fell upon the Canaanites, when Joshua commanded and led the children of Ifrael. We must alfo further fuppofe, and that very naturally, that as these families increased, they departed farther off from the center where they were firft established, after the flood; which was now the feat of Noah's government; and that fill as they grew more numerous, they removed yet farther off, radiating as it were from that central feat, until they had formed at length feparate heads and governments

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of their own; and by a very rapid increase, after the first fixty years, overspread a great part of the earth, even before the death of Noah, who lived three hundred and fifty years after his first establishment: for it cannot be fuppofed, with the leaft fhew of probability, that they could have found room for any length of time in the fame place, or have ever returned from their own places, to one from whence they departed, already fufficiently stocked and daily increasing with young inhabitants.

We are now to confider the country where Mount Ararat is fituated: it is faid, that Noah's ark refted the mountains of Ararat.

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SOME authors, out of caprice, and others from prejudice to the credit of the Scriptures, have endeavoured to place thefe mountains in parts of the world very remote from their real fituation, and indeed very unfit for that great scene that was to be tranfacted in the migration of the children of Noah, and in the peopling of the nations all over the earth.

Ben Gorion, Sir Walter Rawley, and others, imagine that by the Mountains of Ararat, Caucafus, and others more remote, were underftood; but many, both ancient and modern authors, affert that these mountains, upon which the ark refted, are in Armenia; the ingenious authors of the Universal History say, that the Septuagint and Vulgate render the word Ararat, Armenia, and that there is actually a province of that country named Ararat, or Arairat, from a plain fo called in memory of Arai, the eighth king of that nation, who was flain in battle there; Araiy-arat fignifying the flain of Arai. Thefe gentlemen

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gentlemen have examined feveral authors and traditions concerning the fituation of these mountains, in a most accurate and impartial manner, to which I refer the reader; as my present business is not to enter into a controverfy of this kind, my defign being only to trace the footsteps of the original languages of Europe, with as much care as I can, till I bring them to their prefent feat, where they are most wonderfully preserved to this time.

HOWEVER, I fhall offer one or two reafons of my own, why I am perfuaded that these mountains of Ararat, upon which the ark refted; are in Armenia; and that the plains in their neighbourhood were the places where Noah and his family dwelt, immediately after they left the ark, and where they procured their first fubfiftance by tilling the ground and increafing their herds of cattle.

We fee in all nature, that whatever is created has, throughout its whole constitution, the most perfect fitnefs and propriety, to answer the purposes for which it was made; we see alfo in every ordination of GOD, whether phyfical or œconomical, the most confummate wifdom in the distribution of the neceffary incidents for the progrefs of his divine purposes, till they are actually fulfilled. Now in the cafe before us, what fpot upon the whole earth could be fo convenient as Armenia, a country allowed, by all geographers and modern travellers, to be temperate, healthful and fertile, with regard to the fuftenance neceffary for the support of these people, and their well-being? And with regard to the convenience of fituation for their departure on every fide, as they gradually increased, any other fituation for the firft eftablish

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ment, could not have had fuch juft fpaces round it, and therefore it may be counted nearly a central spot, from which the offspring of Noah had almost equal distances, and room enough to migrate, and fettle every way, to the ends of the earth: for on the eaft it has Perfia, part of the Cafpian Sea, Southern Tartary, Indoftan or the Mogul's territories, the Eaft-Indies, China, Japan. On the west it has Natolia, Afia Minor, Affyria, the Mediterranean Sea, and all the southern parts of Europe. On the north, Colchis, Iberia, Georgia, or Albania, and alĮ Eastern Ruffia to the fea. And, on the fouth, all the Arabias, and the eastern parts of Africa. We muft add to these the countries lying between these four cardinal points; as, to the north-eaft, all that vaft extent of land, the Northern Tartary and part of Ruffia; to the northweft, all Western Ruffia, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and to Ireland, the ne plus of the British Isles; to the fouth east, innumerable islands; and to the southweft, all Western Africa.

LET us now confider what would be the confequence, if the ark had rested nearer to any of the extremities of the above boundaries; firft, in many of thofe parts they could not have found fuch immediate fuftenance for themfelves or their cattle as in the fertile plains of Armenia ; extreme heats or cold would be very unfavourable for fuch a purpose, that is for immediate fupport, though time and industry may in every place enable men to fuftain themselves in some manner or other; but here their fupport must be more fpeedy upon their new establishment: fecondly, in being placed near any of those extremities, though

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