earth. But the name of their tower, and the name of the city which Nimrod built (Babylon), lives

in profane history to the present day'; and is continued all through the Scriptures, down to the Book of Revelations, where, in both a retrospective and prophetic view, it is thus written" Mystery, Babylon the Great, the MOTHER of harlots and abominations of the earth." All history shows that the idolatries of the East first sprang from Babylon; their god Belus had a long and extensive reign; and there is a portion of the fifth chapter of Zechariah which seems the prototype of the above declaration from the Revelations.

Zech. chap. v. 5. "Then the angel that talked with me, went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.

6. “And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said, moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.

7. "And behold, there was lift up a talent of lead; and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.

8. "And he said, This is wickedness; and he cast it into the midst of the ephah, and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

9. "Then lift I up mine eyes and looked, and behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings (for they had wings like the wings of a stork), and they lift up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.

10. "Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?

11. "And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar; and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base."

This seems to confirm all that Scripture and profane history have related concerning the early abominations of Babylon; from whence flowed all the first corruptions of the earth after the deluge.

We next come to Egypt, where Ham, and his son Mizraim's posterity, became great, and the works left behind them are of renown, like the works of giants; but they knew not the Lord. Exodus, chap. v. 2. "And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord."

And the radical difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians is thus shown at the twentysecond and twenty-third verses of the preceding (fourth) chapter. "And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my first-born and I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold I will slay thy son, even thy first

born."

The words my son, and thy son, from the mouth of God, prove the original difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians, and very much favour the drift of this inquiry concerning different seeds upon the earth. In Ezekiel it is said, Egypt shall be the basest of the kingdoms; and is it not at this day, in respect to morals, religion, and the general subjection of the country, of the basest description? Thus Ham's descendants (including those other sons which are said to have spread into Africa) appear invariably to have acted either in a state of actual defiance, or at least of non-allegiance, to the God of Adam, from the foundation of Babel to the present Mahometan and Pagan state of the great peninsula of Africa, which chiefly

contains them; and has, from its boundaries of the sea, kept them in the main from incorporating, or mixing upon terms of equality, with their brethren, the descendants of Shem and Japhet, for the space of four thousand years from the date of Noah's prophecy.

The enmity of the Africans, and their disposition to murder an unprotected Jew or Christian, is well known; but they are favourable to Mahometans.

ISAAC AND ISHMAEL.

WE now come to some remarks upon those patriarchs, whose character and circumstances are more particularly dwelt upon, than we can suppose the concise method of Scripture narration would do, unless they were each the fountain head of an important lineage; the progressive state of which was meant to be kept in view, till time, and the explanations of the New Testament, should prove how fraught they originally were with intimations of some of the great events which have happened in the world.

Genesis, chap. xxi. 9. "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.

10. "Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bond-woman and her son: for the son of this bond-woman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

11. " And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight, because of his son.