Japhet and Ham, resisting the divine decree, would have rested at Babylon, and there have built them a Tower, or made them a God; (D, a name, being often used in Scripture for GOD himself) but they were miraculously prevented by a confusion, and change of tongues, and scattered abroad from thence," upon the face of all the earth,”—Gen. xi. 9.

Cush, the eldest son of Ham, settled in the southern, and eastern parts of Asia, where his son Nimrod built, or enlarged, Babylon; and becoming a mighty one in the earth,"-Gen. x. 8-and not contented with the extent of patriarchal government, he dispossessed many of his brethren, and founded the first great monarchy. Canaan, the younger son of Ham, took possession of the country east and west of Jordan, "a land 'flowing with milk and honey," and called after his name— but being doomed to be "a Servant of Servants," his posterity were driven out by the descendants of Shem-the Israelites,— under the immediate conduct of God himself. Mitsraim, another son of Ham, settled in Egypt," the land of Ham."

The sons of Japhet moved westward, and while the descendants of his brethren fell before the mighty conqueror Nimrod, God" enlarged his borders,"-Gen. ix. 27-so that the posterity of Japhet extended over all Europe as well as great part of Asia. By them "were the isles of the Gentiles divided in "their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, "in their nations,"-Gen. x. 5-and at length "in the fulness "of time," when "the gathering of the Gentiles" should be under SHILOH the Prince," the God of Shem" became the God of Japhet, and he " dwelt in the tents of Shem,”—Gen. ix. 27. The practice of idolatry which began in Chaldea-Judith v. 8-spread into Egypt, where it so flourished and increased, that from thence it in time, pervaded all nations, and even occasionally the chosen people; who were indeed too much inclined to fall into it, as the Scripture history abundantly proves. From Egypt it was received by the polished nation of the Greeks: these communicated it to their conquerors

the Romans and by the victorious arms of the latter it was carried over the whole of the known globe.

IV. The Church renewed under Abraham.-The visible Church, once more reduced through the overwhelming influence of idolatry, again revived in the person of Abraham, called from the midst of his own idolatrous kindred to become "the "Father of the faithful." With him God renewed the Covenant of mercy through a Reedeemer, and confirmed his promises to him by the supernatural birth of a son. The rite of circumcision was now ordained, and sacrificial worship revived: and the command to offer up his son, in whom “ all the "nations of the earth" were to be "blessed," at the same time produced one of the strongest efforts of faith; and afforded one of the clearest types of the future great sacrifice," the "lamb of God" which should" take away the sins of the world,"―Jo. i. 29.

The pure worship was transmitted through Isaac and Jacob, the immediate descendants of Abraham; (Esau the elder brother of Jacob, being set aside) but the contagion of idolatry sometimes operated even in the families of the Patriarchs. Rachel, the wife of Jacob, on leaving her father, Laban, carried away his " Images," called by Laban and Jacob, his "Gods:" Gen. xxxi. 19, 30, 32—and but a short time after this, Jacob felt the necessity of addressing his household, “ Put 66 away the strange Gods that are among you, and be clean, "and change your garments: and let us arise, and go up to "Bethel; AND I WILL MAKE THERE AN ALTar unto God,” Gen. xxxv. 2, 3.

Esau, Jacob's elder brother, otherwise called Edom,—Gen. xxv. 30-settled in the neighbourhood of Mount Seir-from him afterwards called Idumæa, and his descendants the Edomites were at first Dukes, but afterwards Kings of Edom.

The Patriarchs, from the earliest times, exercised over their families, a sovereign power, civil as well as ecclesiastical, extending even to the putting offenders to death-they were

gifted with the spirit of phrophesying-and the privilege of confirming or withholding temporal blessings—as in the cases of Noah, and Jacob, with their obedient, and rebellious sons, —Gen. ix. 25—and xlix.—so that the rite of government, as well in civil as in ecclesiastical affairs, appears to have originated in God's ordinances, and not in social compact.

The union of King, or chief magistrate, and priest, was not confined to the Patriarchal Church, for the Heathen nations adopted it, and continued it to a much later period.-The custom is found amongst the Greeks; and even at Athens, the Archon, or governor, assumed the title of Pontiff as an honour. It was also a practice with the Romans:-Cicero, though he filled the office of the Consulate, the greatest temporal power in the world, at that time, was also a priest; and the Emperors from Julius Cæsar assumed the character of High Priest. When, however, amongst the children of Israel, the priesthood became fixed in the tribe of Levi, it was no longer lawful for the monarch to offer sacrifice, according to the custom of the Patriarchs; as is seen by the case and punishment of Uzziah. -2 Chron. xxvi. 16-23. That he assisted in some way, may be collected from several passages in Scripture,-1 Sam. xiii. 9-2 Sam. vi. 17, 18-but that the mode differed from the exercise of the priestly function is clear by the people also joining in it-1 Kings viii. 62.-He also, according to the Patriarchal privilege, blessed the people-2 Sam. vi. 17, 18, and 1 Kings viii. 54, 55.

The sons of Jacob,-with respect to whom there was no exclusion,-were, by a miraculous providence, preserved from the famine in Canaan, and with their families, 70 persons in all, settled in Egypt, in the land of Goshen. Here they "in"creased abundantly and multiplied, and waxed exceeding

mighty," so that their idolatrous neighbours became alarmed; and a King arising "who knew not Joseph," or regarded not the deliverance he had been the instrument of effecting, they dealt subtilly with them, and at length reduced them to the most abject slavery. When thus oppressed by their taskmas

ters, and in danger of adopting their customs, the Israelites were become almost incapable of supporting the true worship, God selected Moses to be their deliverer, and through him brought them out of Egypt, (B. C. 1491) with a miraculous display of power; 600,000 men, besides women and children. God then kept them separated from all other nations, for 40 years in the wilderness; conducting them from place to place through his own visible agency, with a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night; and manifesting his presence amongst them, by the Schechinah, or cloud of glory, resting between the cherubims. Here was "THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS;" where " the lively oracles" were given to them,— Acts vii, 38-and they were declared to be a “holy" and "a special people," chosen by God above all nations on "the face "of the earth,”—Deut. vii. 6—xiv. 2, &c.

V. THE LEVETICAL CHURCH.

GOD now communicated with Moses, "face to face,"-Exod. xxxiii. 11-and delivered the Law to him on Mount Sinai, in awful majesty, in the presence of all the people. He afterwards revealed the particular forms of a ceremonial worship, at once typical of the "good things to come;" and fully calculated to keep the chosen nation separated from their neighbours, and less likely to fall into their idolatrous customs. For this purpose were the laws of purification, the rite of circumcision, the jealous regard to their genealogies, and to the purity of their females, which was commonly sacrificed in the Heathen worship; and these things had in view the birth of the future Saviour; for the Law was introductory to the Gospel ;-"Our Schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ."-Gal. iii. 24.

The keeping of the Sabbath was now more particularly enjoined; though this was an ordinance from the days of Adam, when God rested on the seventh day; and "blessed" it, (as to this, see Job iii. 1—Jer. xx. 14—) and “ sanctified it,”—Gen. ii. 3.-And not only was the seventh day pronounced holy, but the seventh year was declared to be a sabbatical year-Lev. xxv. 2-4, 21-and after seven of these, a year of Jubilee, or deliverance from servitude was appointed. Even the seventh month was peculiarly sacred for the number of solemn feasts celebrated in it-Lev. xxiii, 24-(Poole's Annots.) and xxv. 8-10.

It appears, that that very early, if not even in the time of Adam, there were places set apart where God was pleased more immediately to vouchsafe his presence; and this was so far believed, that on many occasions there were peculiar dedica