which the chapter concludes" And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years and he died." Thus closed the life of the father of all mariners and ship-builders.

But, as modern scepticks affect to deny that ever an universal deluge occurred, I will conclude the subject with a few remarks in answer to their objections, by which I hope to prove to any reasonable and candid mind, that there is sufficient evidence to corroborate the fact; and, as some persons have asserted that the deluge never did occur, whilst others have considered it impossible to have been universal, but have admitted it to have been partial, I will endeavour to give a philosophical answer to both: and, to the first, I remark, that the gigantic fossil remains which have been discovered at great depths in the earth, beneath mountains, whose stratas abundantly testify that no revolutions have ever disturbed them from ages beyond the limits of any tradition or history we have any knowledge of, since the deluge, excepting the scriptures, conjoined with the fact, that fossil remains of marine shells and animals, have been found deposited where the ocean could never at any period of history, ancient or modern, be proved to have flowed. These facts, I assert, are sufficient evidence to prove that an universal deluge must at some period have covered the whole earth; and, moreover, that the enormous dimensions of petrified skeletons of animals which have been discovered imbedded deep in the earth, must, beyond all doubt, have been the remains of a gigantic race of animals now extinct, concerning which no trace

is left either in ancient or modern history, excepting the scriptures; which is a further confirmation of the scriptural account of the fact, seeing that, according to the scriptures, a gigantic race of men existed prior to the flood; and if mankind, the highest order of animals, were of such gigantic dimensions, it is rational by analogy to conclude that the brute creation followed the same rule. Therefore, instead of supposing them to be the remains of a race of beings belonging to a former creation, it is more rational to conclude they are the remains of such as were destroyed by the deluge. But this is not all the evidence that can be produced to establish the fact, because it can likewise be confirmed from history; for, if we trace back the histories of the foundations of all nations or kingdoms that have ever existed, we can go no further back than the foundation of Babel, or Babylon, from which the confusion of languages or tongues are dated-by reason of which the descendants of Noah were scattered over the face of the earth—and the Bible alone is the only book which contains a rational and philosophical history from the creation; therefore, to its authority all other histories must bow: which brings me now to the second objection, That it was impossible for the whole earth to be deluged at one time. Against which I assert, that, according to the scriptural account of the flood, "the waters prevailed" "fifteen cubits upward;" "and the mountains were covered" (20 ver. 7 ch.)— that is, upwards of twenty-six feet above the highest mountains. Consequently, a partial deluge of the earth would have been a greater miracle than an universal one, seeing that water must

find its level, which could not have been the case if it had been partial; and when the velocity of the earth's motion upon its own axis is taken into consideration, a partial deluge appears more improbable still. Therefore, to suppose that one half of the earth could be covered with water, twenty-six feet above the highest mountains, whilst the other half remained dry, when the earth at the same time was revolving upon its own axis, at the rate of upwards of one thousand and thirty-six miles an hour, is rank nonsense, as, what could be accomplished in the first instance naturally, in consequence of a derangement of the laws of nature, would in the second require a more extrordinary miracle to perform. So much for the nonsense of a certain learned D.D. of modern times. Learning is good in its place, but common sense is better; seeing that the scholastic wisdom of the schools very often is forced to defend itself by sophistry, while common sense supports itself by facts. There

fore, facts and common sense is all I will have to do with throughout this work. And here I close the subject of the Antediluvian Age; which brings me next to the history of the Church of God from the birth of Abram to the present time.

But, before I enter upon that subject, I wish to make a few remarks upon an infidel sneer which I have heard from the opponents of the Bible, when they ironically say, that "the Bible is a most wonderful book indeed, because the first five books were compiled by Moses, a man so clever, that he wrote therein a history of his own life, death, and burial." But a very little attention to

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the subject will, I think, show the absurdity of their ironical sarcasm. The first five books are generally ascribed to Moses as their author; but that I much doubt, for two strong reasons, as, first, he is not mentioned all through the Book of Genesis, and, next, wherever his name is used, he always forms the third person, and the first time his name is mentioned is in Exod. ii. 10. Therefore it is not probable that he was the actual author; but, yet, I have no doubt upon my mind but that he superintended their compilation; and when it says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God," 2 Tim. iii. 16, we are not therefore to conclude that Moses had the whole account of the generation of the heavens and the earth, the deluge, &c., miraculously communicated to him, but that he was inspired by the Spirit of God to gather together the traditions and writings of the patriarchs, from Adam to Joseph, and that he, or whoever compiled those books, and all other portions of the Bible which are historical, was inspired by the Holy Spirit to record such facts as were absolutely requisite for man to know; whilst all the prophecies, written in the forms of blessings or predictions, contained in the same book, were the immediate and supernatural revelations of God to them, by the Holy Spirit the spirit of prophecy. Therefore it is said, that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." And such was the design of God in giving the scriptures to man. Therefore the Bible is a faithful

mirror, which will show every man his true character; and for that purpose has the Holy Spirit of God recorded the vices as well as the virtues of good men. There is no false colouring of the characters of men to be found in that book.

, no. It was designed to show to man what the character and name of God is, and what the abominable nature and final end of sin is. And whatever character in that book a man resembles, the reward of such character will he receive, whether good or evil.

Such was the design of God, in predestinating in Jesus Christ his Son, an elect Church, to be a witness for him, to show to all the nations of the earth his good will towards men, and his hatred to sin; not that he elected his church to cry out, "The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord are we"-wrap her talent in a napkin, and bury it in the earth but that her light might so shine that the rest of the world might see her good works, and glorify God. Such is the end for which God has always had his elect church, to be a witness for him, amidst the moral darkness of the world; as I mean to show more at large as I go on from the history of Abram.

THE PATRIARCH ABRAHAM.

Abram, it is well known, was the twenty-first patriarch, from whom the tribes of the Jews descended, and is called in Romans, iv. 11, "The father of all them that believe." He was commanded by God, Gen. xii. 1, to leave his father's house, his kindred, and country, to go into a land that he would show him, which was the land of