206 Epidemics. 



Before this period the days of man were on an average 

 much longer, as is briefly tabulated below : 

 Abraham lived 175 years. 

 Isaac ,, 180 ,, 



Jacob 147 ,, 



Joseph no 

 Levi ,, 134 



Moses ,, 120 ,, 



Hence the period for a generation between Abraham and 

 Moses must be counted much longer than from Moses, or 

 the Egyptian exodus, to the time of Christ. 



It will be found that, for all the young men who died in 

 the wilderness under Moses's leadership above twenty years 

 of age, forty years was given for them to die off, some by 

 special Divine visitations, and others by the course of nature, 

 but all were included under the period of forty years. 



Without here entering into any lengthened dissertation 

 upon such an interesting subject, it will be laid down plainly 

 that " generations" does not signify the order of natural suc- 

 cession from father to son, but a given epoch or era, as of forty 

 years, in which time certain persons of a given descent were 

 born in such an epoch or generation, as from David to 

 Christ, and that certain essential connecting links were 

 maintained to give a correct order or line of descent, but not 

 all the direct successional parentages, as in a State peerage. 

 Again, 100 years is the period given for the Abrahamic 

 generation, or that period of time which, by the word " gene- 

 ration," Abraham would understand the duration of time 

 signified in his own day ; as from the time of his death, 

 which was 1821 B.C., to the time of his posterity occupying 

 the land of the Amorites, four generations extend their 

 duration into time, or that in or during some time of the 

 continuance of the fourth epoch of time or " generation " 

 his seed should possess the land of the Amorite. Now, 



