123 



those he was enabled to produce, with the objects pre- 

 sented to him, as signs to denote them. The Chinese 

 cannot pronounce the letters B, D, R, X; because, not 

 being in their language, they were not taught, in their 

 infancy, to utter the sounds annexed to them. 



The second opinion, therefore, namely, that the gift of 

 speech was originally bestowed on our first parents, by 

 the great Author of their existence, is the only one wliich 

 can, Avith any appearance of reason, be entertained ; and is 

 confirmed by the Mosaic history of the origin of our spe- 

 cies. It fiilly proves, that the: power of communicating 

 their thoughts to each other, was possessed by our first 

 parents, and coeval with their existence.* 

 - That the language, thus imparted to man, possessed, at 

 its origin, that degree of perfection which it afterwards 

 attained j is, a supposition neither necessary nor analogous 

 to the usual conduct of Divine Providence. The designs of 

 Providence would be sufficiently answered, by inspiring 

 such sounds, and suggesting the knowledge of their signi- 

 fication, as denoted the objects with which they were ne- 

 cessarily conversant; such as the names of the various ani- 

 mals, which they were instructed to use or to avoid ; and the 

 relations which they themselves stood in, with respect to 

 each other.- Accordingly we find, that Moses, notwith- 

 .:--.. ..^,n, ' q2 Standing 



* See the learned notes of Dr. Magee, in his DiScoafse On the Scriptural 

 Doctrine of Atonement, p. 300, &c. 



