to have peculiarly characterised the church in the time of Eber; sacrifices by slaying of animals were observed as types of the coming of the redeemer : and what is worthy of our notice is, that the beasts and birds which were commanded to be offered, are said to be clean: and Noah builded an altar unto the Lord and took of every clean beast and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. Plainly meaning that as clean beasts are used by the prophets to signify the pure affections, all believers in the ancient promise concerning the coming of Messiah, who obeyed the commands of God, should be purified in heart and life, and should finally enjoy eternal happiness. The descendants from Eber, the great grandson of Shem, were called from him Hebrews; a name they have retained to this day. And thus at this period of the world it shows their firm belief in the coming of Messiah, who was to pass over, and forgive all those who believed in him, and lived agreeably to his precepts. The next in the order of primogeniture is Peleg. Peleg means to divide; it is therefore said, in his days, the earth was divided. Some have thought that this has relation to the earth; that originally it was in one compact mass, and that at this period of the world it was divided by an earthquake as it is at present; sition of this nature cannot but a suppobe admitted, because it leaves us to conclude that the divine being could not foresee what should happen, and therefore that, when the time came, he found it necessary to make this division. But, leaving such suppositions to those, who can be satisfied with them, I shall give a more rational account of this transaction, more consistent with the understanding of the original writer of the sacred scriptures, which treat only concerning things appertaining to religion, and the future state of man. By the earth, in scripture language, is frequently` meant the inhabitants, Gen. vi. 11. The EARTH also was corrupt. Ch. xi. 1. And the whole EARTH was of one language.-Ch. xix. 31. After the manner of all the EARTH.-1st Chron. xvi. 23. Sing unto the Lord all the EARTH. Psalm c. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.Deut. xxxii. 1. Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.-1st Kings, x. 24. and all the earth sought Solomon. It is more consistent, therefore, with enlightened reason, and we have the authority of scripture to conclude, that some other division was meant by the sacred writer. It appears, however, that these names were given by the patriarchs to their descendants, to signify the states of these patriarchal churches; it is also as certain that at this time a division was made among them; for a singular change took place in the first order of patriarchs, from Adam to Enoch, who are said to have lived 800 years after the birth of their successor. Thus, Seth after the birth of Enos, Enos after the birth of Cainan, - 807 years 815 Cainan after the birth of Mahalaleel, 840 830 800 Jarad after the birth of Enoch, That this applies to the ecclesiastical department, or the church, as well as to the patriarchs, may be allowed, because it is said that Enoch walked with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah, before he was translated; which is sufficient to convince us that a very considerable change took place in the church in the time of righteous Enoch. Thus it is said of the first five patriarchs, beginning with Seth, by whom the first visible church was manifested, that they lived upwards of 800 years after the birth of their first-born son, to the change which took place in the time of Enoch. The same is said of the first five patriarchs of the second order from Noah, by whom the second visible church was manifested; they also lived upwards of 400 years only after the birth of their first-born son to the change which took place at the time of Peleg. Noah was 500 years old at the birth of Shem, Ham, and Japhet, Gen. v. 32. but as it is expressly said that he lived 350 years after the flood, ch. ix. 29. and that his three sons were married when they went into the ark, they must have been 50 years old at the time of the flood, which authorises us to state that after the birth of his first-born son, But that which confirms us in the opinion that the division of the earth in the time of Peleg was a division of the church is, that from Peleg, to Serug, these patriarchs are said to have lived only half the time of the first five, that is 200 years after the birth of their first-born son. Thus, 209 years 207 200 Peleg lived after the birth of Reu, Reu after the birth of Serug, Serug after the birth of Nahor, Now, if we consider that at this period, the Chaldean empire was extending its conquests over a great part of the east, that the love of dominion when aided by power will not suffer itself to be controlled, it is no wonder that the Chaldean nation put an end to this ancient patriarchal monarchical form of government. We have scripture and history to prove that this division, which took place in the time of Peleg, was a division of the KINGLY and the PRIESTLY offices, arising from a general apostasy from the true worship of God, which caused a division in the church; the greatest part, either from compulsion, or from the prevalence of example, adopted the polite worship of the Babylonians, the descendants of Ham. Thus the monarchical form of government, which from the time of Noah had been joined to the ecclesiastical, was now divided; but the priestly patriarchal form was still retained by Peleg, and by his descendants down to Serug. Such also is that which now exists in the patriarch of the Greek church at Constantinople, who is considered as a nominal head, but who has not any power as a temporal prince; or such as the Pope, who is reduced to à similar situation. a Again it is said, that this second race of patriarchs to Serug, who were born after the flood, lived 30 years before the birth of their first-born son. Thus, Arphaxad lived 35 years to Salah. |