by man, but by God." Tantaque experimenta, |
ejus fuerunt, ut non ab homine, sed a Deo, re-
sponsa dari viderentur. I believe Justin refers
here, in the word experimenta, to his figment|
of magical incantations, eliciting oracular an-
swers. Others have translated the words:
"So excellent were his regulations, that they
seemed rather to be oracular responses, not
given by man, but by God."

I have already compared Joseph with his father Jacob, see chap. xlviii. 12. and shall make no apology for having given the latter a most decided superiority. Joseph was great; but his greatness came through the interposition of especial providences. Jacob was great, mentally and practically great, under the ordinary workings of Providence; and towards the close of his life, not less distinguished for piety toward God, than his son Joseph was, in the holiest period of his life.

Thus terminates the Book of GENESIS, the most ancient record in the world; including the history of two grand subjects, CREATION, and PROVIDENCE; of each of which it gives a summary, but astonishingly minute and detailed account. From this book, almost all the ancient philosophers, astronomers, chronologists, and historians, have taken their respective data: and all the modern improvements and accurate discoveries in different arts and sciences, have only served to confirm the facts detailed by Moses, and to show that all the ancient writers on these subjects have approached to. or receded from TRUTH and the phenomena of nature, in the exact proportion as they have followed the Mosaic history. In this book the CREATIVE POWER and ENERGY of God are first introduced to the reader's notice; and the mind is overwhelmed with those grand creative acts by which the universe was brought into being. When this account is completed, and the introduction of SIN, and its awful consequences in the destruction of the earth by a flood, noticed, then, the Almighty Creator is next introduced as the RESTORER and PRESERVER of the world; and thus the history of Providence commences-a history, in which the mind of man is alternately delighted and confounded, with the infinitely varied plans of wisdom and mercy, in preserving the human species, counteracting the evil propensities of men and devils, by means of gracious influenCto conveyed through religious institutions, planting and watering the seeds of truth and righteousness, which himself had sowed in the hearts of men; and leading forward and maturing the grand purposes of his grace and goodness, in the final salvation of the human race. After giving a minutely detailed account, and yet in a very short compass, of the peopling the earth, ascertaining and settling the bounds of the different nations of mankind, the sacred writer proceeds with the history of one family only; but he chooses that one, through which, as from an ever-during fountain, the streams of justice, grace, goodness, wisdom, and truth, should emanate. Here we see a pure well of living water, springing up unto eternal life, restrained, it is true, in its particular influence to one people, till, in the fulness of time, the fountain should be opened in the house of David, for sin and for uncleanness in general, and the earth filled with the know

book of Genesis.

ledge and salvation of God: thus by means of one family, as extensive a view of the economy of providence and grace is afforded, as it is possible for the human mind to comprehend.

In this epitome, how wonderful do the workings of Providence appear! An astonishing concatenated train of stupendous and minule events is laid before us; and every transaction is so distinctly marked, as every where to exhibit the finger, the hand, or the arm of God! But did God lavish his providential cares and attention on this one family, exclusive of the rest of his intelligent offspring? No: For the same superintendence, providential direction and influence, would be equally seen in all the concerns of human life, in the preservation of individuals, the rise and fall of kingdoms and states, and in all the mighty REVOLUTIONS, natural, moral, and political, in the universe, were God, as in the preceding instances, to give us the detailed history; but what was done in the family of Abraham, was done in behalf of the whole human race. This specimen is intended to show us, that God does work, and that against him, and the operations of his hand, no might, no counsel, no cunning of men or devils can prevail-that he who walks uprightly, walks securely; and that all things work together for good to them who love God. That none is so ignorant, low, or lost, that God cannot instruct, raise up, and save. In a word he shows himself by this history to be the invariable friend of mankind-that he embraces every opportunity to do them good-and, speaking after the manner of men-that he rejoices in the frequent recurrence of such opportunities: that every man, considering the subject, may be led to exclaim, in behalf of all his fellows, BEHOLD HOW HE LOVETH THEM!

On the character of Moses, as a HISTORIAN and PHILOSOPHER, (for in his legislative character he does not yet appear,) much might be said, did the nature of this work admit. But as brevity has been every where studied, and minute details rarely admitted, and only where absolutely necessary, the candid reader will excuse any deficiencies of this kind which he may have already noticed.

a

Of the accuracy and impartiality of Moses as historian, many examples are given in the course of the notes, with such observations and reflections as the subjects themselves suggested: and the succeeding books will afford many opportunities for farther remarks on these topics.

The character of Moses, as a philosopher and chronologist, has undergone the severest scrutiny. A class of philosophers, professedly infidels, have assailed the Mosaic account of the formation of the universe, and that of the general deluge, with such repeated attacks, as sufficiently proved, that, in their apprehension, the pillars of their system must be shaken into ruin, if those accounts could not be proved to be false. Traditions, supporting different accounts from those in the sacred history, have been borrowed from the most barbarous, as well as the most civilized nations, in order to bear on this argument. These, backed by various geologic observations, made in extensive travels, experiments on the formation of different strata or beds of earth, either by inundations or volcanic eruptions, have been all condensed into one apparently strong but strange

argument, intended to overthrow the Mosaic
account of the creation. The argument may
be stated thus: "The account given by Moses
of the time when God commenced his creative
acts, is too recent; for, according to his Gene-
sis, six thousand years have not yet elapsed
since the formation of the universe; whereas
a variety of phenomena prove that the earth it-
self must have existed, if not from eternity,
yet, at least fourteen, if not twenty thousand
years." This I call a strange argument; be-
cause it is well known, that all the ancient na-
tions in the world, the Jews excepted, have,
to secure their honour and respectability, as-
signed to themselves a duration of the most
improbable length; and have multiplied months,
weeks, and even days, into years, in order to
support their pretensions to the most remote
antiquity. The millions of years which have
been assumed by the Chinese and the Hindoos,||
have been ridiculed for their manifest ab-
surdity, even by those philosophers who have
brought the contrary charge against the Mosaic
account! So notorious are the pretensions to
remote ancestry, and remote eras in every
false and fabricated system, of family pedigree,
and national antiquity, as to produce doubt at
the very first view of their subjects, and to
cause the impartial inquirer after truth, to
take every step with the extreme of caution,
knowing that in going over such accounts, he
every where treads on a kind of enchanted
ground.

When, in the midst of these, a writer is found, who, without saying a word of the systems of other nations, professes to give a simple account of the creation and peopling of the earth, and to show the very conspicuous part that his own people acted among the various nations of the world, and who assigns to the earth and to its inhabitants a duration comparatively but as of yesterday, he comes forward with such a variety of claims to be heard, read, and considered, as no other writer can pretend to. And as he departs from the universal custom of all writers on similar subjects, in assigning a comparatively recent date, not only to his own nation, but to the universe itself, he must have been actuated by motives essentially different from those which have governed all other ancient historians and chronologists.

The generally acknowledged extravagance and absurdity of all the chronological systems of ancient times, the great simplicity and harmony of that of Moses, its facts evidently borrowed by others, though disgraced by the fables they have intermixed with them, and the very late invention of arts and sciences, all tend to prove, at the very first view, that the Mosaic account, which assigns the shortest duration to the earth, is the most ancient and the most likely to be true. But all this reasoning has been supposed to be annihilated, by an argument brought against the Mosaic account of the creation, by Mr. Patrick Brydone, F. R. S. drawn from the evidence of different eruptions of Mount Etna. The reader may find this in his "Tour through Sicily and Malta," letter vii. where, speaking of his acquaintance with the Canonico Recupero, at Catania, who was then employed on writing a natural history of Mount Etna, he says; "Near to a vault which is now thirty feet below ground, and has probably been a burying-place, there is a draw

Mosaic chronology

well, where there are several strata of laras, (i. e. the liquid matter formed of stones, &c. which is discharged from the mountain in its eruptions) with earth to a considerable thickness over each stratum. Recupero has made use of this as an argument to prove the great antiquity of the eruptions of this mountain. For if it requires two thousand years and upwards to form but a scanty soil on the surface of a lava, there must have been more than that space of time between each of the eruptions which have formed these strata. But what shall we say of a pit they sunk near to Jaci, of a great depth? They pierced through seven distinct lavas, one under the other, the surfaces of which were parallel, and most of them covered with a thick bed of rich earth. Now, says he, the eruption which formed the lowest of these lavas, if we may be allowed to reason from analogy, must have flowed from the mountain at least fourteen thousand years ago! Recupero tells ine, he is exceedingly embarrassed by these discoveries, in writing the history of the mountain.-That Moses hangs like a dead weight upon him, and blunts all his zeal for inquiry; for that he really has not the conscience to make his mountain so young as that prophet makes the world.

"The bishop, who is strenuously orthodoxfor it is an excellent see-has already warned him to be upon his guard; and not to pretend to be a better natural historian than Moses; nor to presume to urge any thing that may in the smallest degree be deemed contradictory to his sacred authority."

Though Mr. Brydone produces this as a sneer against revelation, bishops, and orthodoxy, yet the sequel will prove that it was good advice, and that the bishop was much better instructed than either Recupero or Brydone; and that it would have been much to their credit, had they taken his advice.

ture.

I have given, however, this argument at length, and even in the insidious dress of Mr. Brydone, whose faith in Divine Revelation appears to have been upon a par with that of Signior Recupero, both being builded nearly on the same foundation, to show from the answer, how slight the strongest arguments are, produced from insulated facts by prejudice and partiality, when brought to the test of sober, candid, philosophical investigation, aided by an increased knowledge of the phenomena of na"In answer to this argument," says bishop Watson, (Letters to Gibbon) " it might be urged that the time necessary for converting lavas into fertile fields, must be very different, according to the different consistencies of the lavas, and their different situations with respect to elevation and depression, or their being exposed to winds, rains, and other circumstances; as for instance, the quantity of ashes deposited over them after they had cooled, &c. &c. just as the time in which heaps of iron slag, which resembles lava, are covered with verdure, is different, at different furnaces, according to the nature of the slag and situation of the furnace: and something of this kind is deducible from the account of the canon (Recupero) himself, since the crevices in the strata are often full of rich good soil, and have pretty large trees growing upon them. But should not all this be thought sufficient to remove the objection, I will produce the caron

an analogy in opposition to his analogy, and which is grounded on more certain facts.

the Pentateuch.

This has afforded infidelity a handle which it
has been careful to turn to its own advantage.
On the first chapter of Genesis I have given a
general view of the solar system, without pre-
tending that I had found it there: I have also
ventured to apply the comparatively recent
doctrine of caloric to the Mosaic account of
the creation of light, previous to the formation
of the sun, and have supported it with such
arguments as appeared to me to render it at
least probable; but I have not pledged Moses
to any of my explanations, being fully con-
vinced, that it was necessarily foreign from bis
design to enter into philosophic details of any
kind, as it was his grand object, as has been
already remarked, to give a history of CRE-
ATION and PROVIDENCE in the most abridged
form of which it was capable. And who, in so
few words ever spoke so much? By creation
I mean the production of every being, animate
and inanimate, material and intellectual.
by Providence, not only the preservation and
government of all beings, but also the various
and extraordinary provisions made by divine
justice and mercy for the comfort and final
salvation of man. These subjects I have en-
deavoured to trace out through every chapter
of this most important book, and to exhibit
them in such a manner as appeared to me the
best calculated to promote glory to God in the
highest; and upon earth PEACE, AND GOOD WILL

And

"Etna and Vesuvius resemble each other in the causes which produce their eruptions, in the nature of their lavas, and in the time necessary to mellow them into soil fit for vegetation or if there be any slight difference in this respect, it is probably not greater than what subsists between different lavas of the same mountain. This being admitted, which no philosopher will deny, the canon's (Recupero's) analogy will prove just nothing at all, if we can produce an instance of seven different lavas, with interjacent strata of vegetable earth, which have flowed from mount Vesuvius within the space, not of fourteen thousand, but of somewhat less than one thousand seven hundred years; for then, according to our analogy, a stratum of lava may be covered with vegetable soil in about two hundred and fifty years, instead of requiring two thousand for that purpose. "The eruption of Vesuvius, which destroyed Herculaneum and Pompei, is rendered still more famous by the death of Pliny, recorded by his nephew, in his letter to Tacitus: this event happened A. D. 79. but we are informed by unquestionable authority (Remarks on the nature of the soil of Naples and its vicinity, by Sir William Hamilton, Philos. Transact. vol. Ixi. p. 7.) that the matter which covers the ancient town of Herculaneum, is not the produce of one eruption only, for there are evident marks that the matter of six eruptions has taken its course over that which lies immediately over Observations on the Jewish manner of dividing the town, and was the cause of its destruction. and reading the law and the prophets. These strata are either of lava, or burnt matter with veins of good soil between them." The ancient Jews divided the whole law of perceive," says the bishop, "with what ease a Moses into fifty-four sections, which they read little attention and increase of knowledge, may in their synagogues, in the course of the fifty-two remove a great difficulty; but had we been sabbaths in the year, joining two of the shortest able to say nothing in explanation of this phe- twice together, that the whole might be finished nomenon, we should not have acted a very ra- in one year's space; but in their intercalated tional part, in making our ignorance the foun-years, in which they added a month, they had dation of our infidelity, or suffering a minute philosopher to rob us of our religion." In this, as well as in all other cases, the foundation stands sure, being deeply and legibly impressed with God's seal.

"You

The Mosaic account of the universality of the deluge, has been tried by the most rigid tests also, and the result has been, in the view of every candid person, highly creditable to the sacred historian. Every appearance in nature, in the structure and composition of the surface and different strata of the earth, has borne an unequivocal and decided testimony to the truth of the book of Genesis: so that at present, there is, on this subject, scarcely any material difference of opinion among the most profound philosophers, and most accurate geologists.

On the geology and astronomy of the book of Genesis, much has been written both by the enemies and friends of revelation: but as Moses has said but very little on these subjects, and nothing in a systematic way, it is unfair to invent a system, pretendedly collected out of his words, and thus make him accountable for what he never wrote. There are systems of this kind, the preconceived fictions of their authors, for which they have sought support and credit by tortured meanings extracted from a few Hebrew roots; and then dignified them with the title of The Mosaic system of the universe.

AMONG MEN.

fifty-four sabbaths, and then they had a section for each sabbath; and it was to meet the exigency of the intercalated years, that they divided the law into fifty-four sections at first. When Antiochus Epiphanes forbade the Jews on pain of death to read their law, they divided the prophets into the same number of sections, and read them in their synagogues in place of the law and when, under the Asmoneans, they recovered their liberty, and with it the free exercise of their religion, though the reading of the law was resumed, they continued the use of the prophetic sections, reading them conjointly with those in the law. To this first division and mode of reading the law, there is a reference, Acts xv. 21. For Moses of old time, hath, in every city, them that preach him, being READ IN

THE SYNAGOGUES EVERY SABBATH DAY.

Το

the second division and conjoint reading of the law and the prophets, we also find a reference, Acts xiii. 15. And after the reading of the LAW, AND THE PROPHETS, the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, &c. And that the prophets were read in this way, in our Lord's time, we have a proof, Luke iv. 16, &c. where, going into the synagogue to read on the sabbath day, as was his custom, there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah—and it appears that the prophetical section, for that sabbath, was taken from the sixty-first chapter of his prophecies.

END OF THE NOTES ON GENESIS.

A

CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE

OF THE PRINCIPAL

TRANSACTIONS RELATED IN THE BOOK OF GENESIS,
According to the computation of Archbishop Usher, which is chiefly followed
in the preceding notes;

SHOWING IN WHAT YEAR OF THE WORLD, AND WHAT YEAR BEFORE CHRIST, EACH
EVENT HAPPENED.

The reader will observe from the chronological notes in the margin of the preceding work, that in a few instances I have departed from the Usherian computation, for which he will find my reasons in the notes.

This table I have considerably enlarged, by inserting the Edomitish kings and dukes, and a few other transactions of profane history, contemporary with the facts mentioned by Moses, by which the reader will have a synopsis, or general view, of all the transactions of the first 2400 years of the world, which stand upon any authentic records.

The first year of the world, answering to the 710th year of the Julian Period, and supposed to be 4004 before the vulgar era of the birth of Christ.

A.M.,

B. C. A.M.) 1 First day's work: Creation of the heavens and 4004 earth; of light, with the distinction of day and night, Gen. i. 1-5.

Second day: Creation of the firmament, and separation of the superior and inferior waters, i. 6-8. Third day: The earth is drained, the seas, lakes, &c. formed; trees, plants, and vegetables in general, produced, i. 9-13.

Fourth day: The sun, moon, planets, and stars produced, i. 14-19.

month of this year, vii. 11. The rain commences and continues 40 days and nights, and the waters continue without decreasing, 150 days: they afterward begin to abate, and the ark rests on mount Ararat, viii. 4. 1656 Noah sends out a raven, viii. 7.

Seven days after, he sends out a dove which returns the same day-after seven days he sends out the dove a second time, which returns no more, viii. 8-12.

B. C

2348

Fifth day: All kinds of fowls and fishes created, i. 20-23.

1657

Noah, his family, &c. leave the ark. He offers 2347

sacrifices to God, viii. and ix.

Sixth day: Beasts, wild and tame, reptiles, insects, and man, i. 24-28.

1658

Birth of Arphaxad, son of Shem, xi. 10, 11.

2346

1693

of Salah, son of Arphaxad, xi. 12.

2311

1723

Seventh day: Set apart and hallowed to be a
Sabbath, or day of rest for ever, ii. 2, 3.
Tenth day: The first woman sins, leads her hus-
band into the transgression, is called Eve, iii.
1-20. They are both expelled from Paradise,
iii, 22--24.

N. B. This opinion, though rendered respecta-
ble by great names, is very doubtful, and
should be received with very great caution. I
think it wholly inadmissible; and though I
insert it as the generally received opinion, yet
judge it best to form no guesses, and indulge
no conjectures on such an obscure point.

Building of the tower of Babel, xi. 1–9.

About this time, Babylon was built by the com- 2233

mand of Nimrod.

2083 The calling of Abram out of UR of the Chaldees, 1921
where the family had been addicted to idolatry,
Josh. xxiv. 2. He comes to Haran in Mesopo-
tamia, with Lot his nephew, Sarai his wife, and
his father Terah, who dies at Haran, aged 205
years, xi. 31, 32.

Abram comes to Canaan, when 75 years of age,
Gen. xi. 4. From this period, the 430 years of
the sojourning of the Israelites, mentioned
Exod. xii. 40, 41. is generally dated.

2084 Abram goes into Egypt because of the famine, xii. 1920
10. causes Sarai to pass for his sister. Pha-
raoh (Apophis) takes her to his house, but soon
restores her, finding her to be Abram's wife,]

v. 14-20.

2086 Abram and Lot, having returned to the land of Ca- 1918
naan, separate: Lot goes to Sodom, and Abram
to the valley of Mamre, near to Hebron, xiii.
2090 The kings of the Pentapolis revolt from Chedor- 1914
laomer, xiv. 4.