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from whence divers races of men, both ancient and modern, have laboured to derive their original; will that prove, that thofe men enjoyed the lordship of Adam, by right defcending to them? If not, this is but a flourish of our author's to mislead his reader, that in itself signifies nothing.

§. 142. To as much purpose is what he tells us, p. 15. concerning this divifion of the world, That fome fay it was by Lot, and others that Noah failed round the Mediterreanean in ten years, and divided the world into Afia, Afric and Europe, portions for his three fons. America then, it seems, was left to be his that could catch it. Why our author takes fuch pains to prove the divifion of the world by Noab to his fons, and will not leave out an imagination, though no better than a dream, that he can find any where to favour it, is hard to guess, fince fuch a divifion, if it prove any thing, muft neceffarily take away the title of Adam's heir; unless three brothers can all together be heirs of Adam; and therefore the following words, How foever the manner of this divifion be uncertain, yet it is most certain the divifion itfelf was by families from Noah and his children, over which the parents were heads and princes, p. 15. if allowed him to be true, and of any force to prove, that all the power in the world is nothing but the lordship of Adam's defcending by right, they will only prove, that

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the fathers of the children are all heirs to this lordship of Adam: for if in those days Cham and Japhet, and other parents, befides the eldeft fon, were heads and princes over their families, and had a right to divide the earth by families, what hinders younger brothers, being fathers of families, from having the fame right? If Cham and Japhet were princes by right defcending to them, notwithstanding any title of heir in their eldest brother, younger brothers by the fame right. defcending to them are princes now; and fo all our author's natural power of kings will reach no farther than their own children, and no kingdom, by this natural right, can be bigger than a family: for either this lordfhip of Adam over the whole world, by right defcends only to the eldest son, and then there can be but one heir, as our author fays, p. 19. or elfe, it by right defcends to all the fons equally, and then every father of a family will have it, as well as the three fons of Noah: take which you will, it deftroys the prefent governments and kingdoms, that are now in the world, fince whoever has this natural power of a king, by right defcending to him, must have it, either as our author tells us Cain had it, and be lord over his brethren, and fo be alone king of the whole world ; or elfe, as he tells us here, Shem, Cham and Japhet had it, three brothers, and fo be only prince of his own family, and all M 2 families

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families independent one of another: all the world must be only one empire by the right of the next heir, or elfe every family be a distinct government of itself, by the lordship of Adam's defcending to parents of families. And to this only tend all the proofs he here gives us of the defcent of Adam's lordship: for continuing his ftory of this descent, he fays,

§. 143. In the difperfion of Babel, we must certainly find the establishment of royal power, throughout the kingdoms of the world, p. 14. If you must find it, pray do, and you will help us to a new piece of hiftory: but you muft fhew it us before we shall be bound to believe, that regal power was established in the world upon your principles: for, that regal power was established in the kingdoms of the world, I think no body will difpute; but that there fhould be kingdoms in the world, whofe feveral kings enjoyed their crowns, by right defcending to them from Adam, that we think not only apocryphal, but also utterly impoffible. If our author has no better foundation for his monarchy than a fuppofition of what was done at the dispersion of Babel, the monarchy he erects thereon, whose top is to reach to heaven to unite mankind, will ferve only to divide and scatter them as that tower did; and, instead of establishing civil government and order in the world, will produce nothing but confufion.

§. 144.

§. 144. For he tells us, the nations they were divided into, were diftinct families, which had fathers for rulers over them; whereby it appears, that even in the confufion, God was careful to preferve the fatherly authority, by diftributing the diverfity of languages according to the diverfity of families, p. 14. It would have been a hard matter for any one but our author to have found out fo plainly, in the text he here brings, that all the nations in that difperfion were governed by fathers, and that God was careful to preferve the fatherly authority. The words of the text are; These are the fons of Shem after their families, after their tongues in their lands, after their nations; and the fame thing is faid of Cham and Japhet, after an enumeration of their pofterities; in all which there is not one word faid of their governors, or forms of government; of fathers, or fatherly authority. But our author, who is very quick fighted to spy out fatherhood, where no body else could fee any the least glimpses of it, tells us pofitively their rulers were fathers, and God was careful. to preferve the fatherly authority; and why? Because those of the fame family spoke the fame language, and fo of neceffity in the divifion kept together. Juft as if one should argue thus: Hanibal in his army, confifting of divers nations, kept thofe of the fame language together; therefore fathers were captains of each band, and Hanibal was careful

of the fatherly authority: or in peopling of Carolina, the English, French, Scotch and Welch that are there, plant themselves together, and by them the country is divided in their lands after their tongues, after their families, after their nations; therefore care was taken of the fatherly authority: or because, in many parts of America, every little tribe was a distinct people, with a different language, one fhould infer, that therefore God was careful to preserve the fatherly authority, or that therefore their rulers enjoyed Adam's lordship by right defcending to them, though we know not who were their governors, nor what their form of government, but only that they were divided into little independent focieties, fpeaking different languages.

§. 145. The fcripture fays not a word of their rulers or forms of government, but only gives an account, how mankind came to be divided into diftinct languages and nations; and therefore it is not to argue from the authority of fcripture, to tell us pofitively, fathers were their rulers, when the fcripture fays no fuch thing; but to fet up fancies of one's own brain, when we confidently aver matter of fact, where records are utterly filent. Upon a like ground, i. e. none at all, he fays, That they were not confused multitudes without heads and governors, and at liberty to choose what governors or governments they pleafed.

§. 146.

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