8 mily, no father's house to leave: and the command is introduced unnecessarily, and out of its place, if it is where Abram could not act in consequence of it. We may therefore be assured, that Nahor went with Terah to Haran, and dwelt there. Milcah, his wife, was with Bethuel and Laban, when Abram sent his servant to the city of Nahor. In process of time Isaac sends Jacob to the same place, to the house of Bethuel: 9" Arise, go to Padan-aram, to "the house of Bethuel thy mother's father-And "Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan aram unto Laban son of Bethuel." And this house of Bethuel, the place of residence of Laban, is past contradiction specified by Rebecca, when she lays her pressing injunctions on Jacob: 10" Now "therefore, my son, obey my voice: and arise, flee "thou to Laban my brother, to Haran:" by which we find, that the city of Haran, the city of Nahor, and the house of Bethuel were the same place. It is plain then, that Nahor resided at Haran after the death of Terah, and after the departure of Abram to Canaan: and that his children lived there after him. These children were eight in number, born after Abram had left the place for above sixty years afterwards, when Gen. 24. v. 53. Ibid. 28. v. 2. 10 Ibid. 27. v. 43. Abram was about 140 years old, it had been told him; ""Behold Milcah, she hath also born chil"dren unto thy brother Nahor." The names of them are mentioned in the passage; and Chesed was the third of the eight. Out of this family Abraham sent to take a wife for his son Isaac; who married Rebecca the grand-daughter of Nahor. And Jacob afterwards upon a like occasion went to the same city, to Haran in Mesopotamia; and married Leah and Rachel, who were the descendants of the same person in the third degree. This then was the city of Nahor; and here was Chesed born: and we have no more reason to think that he went and dwelt in Chaldea, than that he travelled to India, or Ethiopia. So that he could have no personal knowledge of the country, nor any connection with it: much less can he be esteemed the father of the Chaldeans, who were constituted a nation before he was born, and before the birth of his grandsire. "Gen. 22. v. 20. 7 SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE DISPERSION OF MANKIND, IN REFERENCE TO PAGE 190. I have taken notice before, that, some generations after the flood, there was a partition of the earth among the sons of Noah, which was done by divine appointment. It is a subject, which has been canvassed by several writers;' many of whom do not allow, that there was any particular division; but only a general dispersion. Bochart is of this opinion; who after mentioning many passages out of the Scriptures, which he did not sufficiently weigh, concludes with this corollary; that "all lands may "be said to be by allotment, and all the free gift "of God: and where the Scriptures are silent, it "is idle to form surmises." "Scripturâ tacente, nostrum non est hæc divinare.-Quamcunque terram occupamus, illam Deus se dedisse dicit, et vult sibi acceptam referri. In answer to this, I must take notice, that the Scriptures are not silent upon this head and what we find mentioned in them, must not be taken in so lax and indefinite a manner; there being nothing in them, that can in the least countenance this notion of a general and indeterminate dissipation. I shall not take upon me to settle the time, when this great event happened: let it suffice, that it did happen; that there was a particular rule and order observed in the, distribution, and the whole by God's appointment. That there was a partition, is evident from the words of Moses, saying; "By these were the isles "of the Gentiles divided." "In his days [Pha σε 5.66 leg's] the earth was divided." 5" By these ટ were the nations divided in the earth after the "flood." These texts I should think sufficient: but in another place this divine writer speaks more particularly to the purpose; and his account is so plain and circumstantial, as to leave no room for uncertainty. It is in that noble and prophetic hymn, one of the most sublime compositions, that ever was penned; where he pours forth his soul to 3 Gen. 10. v. 5. 5. Gen. 10. v. 32. God, and at the same time addresses himself to the people, whom he had so long conducted, and was now going to leave for ever. "Remember," says he, "the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee, thy elders, and they will tell thee. When "the most High divided to the nations their inhe"ritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he "set the bounds of the people according to the "number of the children of Israel. For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his "inheritance. This is too particular to be cursorily passed over. We are told, that the nations of the earth had an inheritance assigned them; and that it was by divine appointment. Moreover, that at the general dispersion it pleased God to have a provident regard for a nation, which was to come, even for the sons of Israel: and in the distribution of countries had set bounds to other families, that they should not trespass upon the inheritance of Jacob, which was his own portion. Thus limits were prescribed according to the necessities of a people to come, and to the space, which would be requisite for their numbers to inherit. In other words, the land of Canaan was excepted out of the general partition. This space was usurped by the people who gave name to it. They knew the di |