LANG 
deluge. The inference then is, that, if Noah and his fa¬ 
mily fpoke the original language of Adam, as they mod 
probably did, the judgment which effected the confufion 
of tongues, did not produce any confiderable alteration in 
the language of fuch of the defcendants of Noah as fettled 
near the region where that patriarch had fixed his refidence 
after he quitted the ark. 
But, fuppofing the changes of language produced by 
the catafirophe at the building of the tower as confidera¬ 
ble as has ever been imagined, it does not, after all, ap¬ 
pear certain, that all mankind, without exception, were 
engaged in this impious project. If this affection thould 
be well founded, the confequence will be, that there was 
a chofen race who did not engage in that enterprife. If 
there was fuch a family, fociety, or body of men, it will 
follow, that this family, fociety, &c. retained the language 
of its great ancefior without change or variation. 
There is reafon to believe that Ham, upon the heavy 
curfe denounced upon him by his father, (Gen. ix. 25.) 
retired from his brethren, and fixed his refidence elf'e- 
where. Accordingly we find his defcendants Scattered 
far and wide, at a very great diftance from the Gordyaean 
mountains, where the ark is generally fuppofed to have 
refted immediately after the flood. Some of them we find 
in Chaldaea, others in Arabia Felix, others in Ethiopia, 
others in Canaan, and others Egypt; and, finally, multi¬ 
tudes Scattered over all the coalt of Africa. Between thefe 
countries were planted many colonies of Shemites, in Elam, 
Affyria, Syria, Arabia, &c. We find, at the fame time, the 
defcendants of Shem and Japhet fettled, in a great degree, 
contiguous to each other. This difperfion of the Ham- 
ites, irregular as it is, can Scarcely have been accidental ; 
it muff have been owing to Some uncommon caufe, and 
none Seems more probable than that affigned above. If, 
then, the defcendants of Ham Separated early, and took 
different routes, as from their posterior lituations it ap¬ 
pears they did, they could not ail be prefent at the build¬ 
ing of the tower. 
It is not probable that the defcendants of Shem were 
, engaged in this undertaking, fince we find that they were 
not Scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth. The 
children of Shem were Elam, Afhur, Arphaxad, Lud, and 
Aram. Gen. x. 22. Elam fettled near the mouth of the 
river Tigris, in the country which by the Gentile writers 
was called Elymais. Above him, on the fame river, lay 
the demefne of Afhur, on the weftern fide. In like man¬ 
ner, upon the fame river, above him, was fituated Aram, 
who pofl'effed the country of Aramea; and oppofite to him 
was Arphaxad, or Arbaces, and his country was deno¬ 
minated Arphachites. We find (Ezek. xxvii. 10.) the 
men of Elam and the men of Lud joined in the defence 
of Tyre; which feems to intimate, that the Elamites and 
Ludim were neighbours. If this was actually the cafe, 
then Lud fettled in the fame quarter with his brothers. 
Here, then, is a difperfion, but fuch as muff have origi¬ 
nated from the nature of the thing. The four, or rather 
the five, brothers, all fettled contiguous, without being 
Scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Be- 
fides, there was no confufion of language among thefe 
tribes ; they continued to life one and the fame through 
many lucceeding generations. 
From thefe circumflances it appears that the pofteiity 
of Shem were not involved in the guilt of the builders of 
the tower, and of confequence did not undergo their pu- 
nifhment. If then the language of the Shemites was not 
confounded upon the ereftion of the tower, the prefump- 
tion is, that they retained the language of Noah, which, 
in all probability, was that of Adam. Some dialeftical 
differences would in procefs of time creep in, but the ra¬ 
dical fabric of the language would remain unaltered. 
To thefe arguments we may add, that in all probability 
the worfhip of the true God was preferved in the line of 
Arphaxad, after the generality of the other feels had lapfed 
into idolatry. Out of this family Abraham was taken, in 
y. hole line the true religion was to be prefer.ved, Whe- 
U x\ G £. 3o9 
ther Abraham was an idolater when he dwelt in Chaldea, 
the Scripture does not inform us, though it feems to be 
evident that his father was. One thing, however, is cer¬ 
tain, namely, that Jehovah appeared to him, anil pro¬ 
nounced a bleffmg upon him before he left Ur of the Chal¬ 
dees. This circumftar.ce no doubt indicates, {hat the 
patriarch had made uncommon advances in piety and vir¬ 
tue, even prior to his emigration. The progenitors of his 
family had been diltinguilhed by adhering to the true re¬ 
ligion. About this time, however, they began to dege¬ 
nerate, and to adopt the Zabiifm of their apoflate neigh¬ 
bours. It was then that Abraham was commanded' by 
Heaven to “ leave his kindred and his father’s houfe, and 
to travel into a land which was to be fhown him.” Gen. 
xii. i. The Almighty intended that the true religion 
fliould be preferved in his line ; and therefore removed 
him from a country and kindred, by the influence of 
whole bad example his religious principles might be en¬ 
dangered. His family had only of late apollatized ; till 
that period they had preferved both the language and re¬ 
ligion of their venerable anceftors. 
But, however much Abraham might differ from the 
other branches of his family in his religious fentiments, 
his language was certainly in unifon with theirs. The 
confequence of this unqueftionable pofition is, that the 
language which he carried with him into Canaan was ex- 
aiffly the fame with that of his family which he relinquilhed 
ivhen he began his peregrinations. Hence it will follow, 
that the language afterwards denominated Hebrew, and 
that of the Chafidim, or Chaldeans, were originally one 
and the fame, and were actually the firft language upon 
earth, according to the Mofaic hiftory. 
Of the HEBREW and other EASTERN LAN¬ 
GUAGES. 
As we have given a decided opinion upon the priority 
of the Hebrew to every other language that has been 
fpoken by men, we (hall now proceed to conlider its na¬ 
ture and genius ; from which, we think, it will appear 
ffiil more evidently to be the original language, neither 
improved or debafed by foreign idioms. The words of 
which it is compofed are fhort, and admit of very little 
flexion. The names of places are deferiptive of their na¬ 
ture, firuation, accidental circumflances, &c. Its com¬ 
pounds are few, and inartificially joined together. In it 
we find few of thofe artificial affixes which diftinguifh the 
other cognate dialefts; fuch as the Chaldean, Syrian, Ara¬ 
bian, Phoenician, &c. We find in it no traces of improve¬ 
ment from the age of Mofes to the era of the Babylonifh 
captivity. In fail, the Jews were by no means an inven¬ 
tive people. We hear nothing of their progrefs in literary 
purfuits; nor do they feem to have been induftrious in 
borrowing from their neighbours. The laws and flatutes 
communicated by Moles were the principal objects of 
their ftudies. Thefe they were commanded to contem¬ 
plate day and night; and in them they were to place then- 
chief delight. The confequence of this command was, 
that little or no regard could be paid to tafte, or any other 
fubjeft of philofophical inveftigation. Every unimproved 
language abounds in figurative expreffions borrowed from 
fenfible objedls. This is in a peculiar manner the cha- 
rafteriftic of the language in queflion: of which it would 
be fuperfluous to produce instances, as the faff muff be 
obvious even to the attentive reader of the Englifh Bible. 
It has been obferved above, that the language of Abra¬ 
ham and that of the Chefedim or Chaldeans were origi¬ 
nally the fame; and we are perfuaded, that, if an able cri¬ 
tic fliould take the pains to examine ffriftly thefe two 
languages, and to take from each what may reafonably be 
fuppofed to have been improvements or additions fince 
the age of Abraham, he will find intrinfic evidence fuifi- 
cient to convince him of the truth of this pofition. There 
appear ftill in the Chaldean tongue great numbers of 
words the fame with the Hebrew, perhaps as many as 
mankind bad occafiou for in the molt early ages; and 
muck 
