A

REVIEW

O. F

THE STATE

OF THE

Antediluvian World.

H

THE INTRODUCTION.

AVING in feveral of my former Works treated pretty largely upon the Creation and Deluge, and concerning the Fall and Redemption of Man, I shall forbear here to repeat what I have formerly obferved on thofe Subjects, in fuch Places as may happen to have a relation to them in the following Work, but shall refer you thereto, as they shall fall in Course.

I fhall now, chiefly, confine myself to enquire into what may be obferved from the 4th, 5th, and Part of the 6th Chapters of Genefis, and fee how far a rational Enquiry into them may give an additional Light into B

that

that concife Account, which Mofes has given us in them of the Antediluvian World.

And in this Undertaking I hope to make it appear, That that Account of Mofes will not admit of fuch an Interpretation as many have put upon it thro' its Concifenefs: For,

From his giving us the Names of few of the Pofterity of Adam from the Creation to the Flood, fome have from thence fuppofed PraAdamites; and others, that when Cain flew Abel, they were all the Pofterity that Adam and Eve were then poffeffed of, &c.

But I shall make it appear, that, notwithftanding the Concifenefs of the Hiftory, there is fufficient Room from this History itself to affure our felves, that when Cain flew Abel, there were Multitudes of Adam's Pofterity on the Earth, and likewise many of the Families both of Cain and Abel; and that therefore, without having Recourse to Pra- Adamites, it was no Wonder why Cain expected to be flain by every one that met him, Gen. iv. 14. as may appear from the fhort Account Mofes only confined himself to of their Genealogy, from which I fhall confider what Numbers of Adam's Pofterity might reafonably be concluded to be upon the Earth when Cain flew Aběl.

Mofes chiefly confined himself in his Relation of the Genealogy in the Line of Adam to Noah, and there are only fome few Particulars, that happen'd of fome obfervable Circumftances, mentioned by him, whereof this of Cain's flaying his Brother was one; the Intention

whereof

whereof might be, to fet before Mankind the Odiousness of the Act, and the Punishment attending it in his own Confcience.

For as this was an uncommon Inftance, which was not to be parallelled amongst the rest of Mankind in that early Age of the World, we have it particularly remarked as a Warning against fuch an heinous Act of Violence and Murder, without any Mention of any other of the Births and Circumftances of Adam and Eve's Children till the Birth of Seth, or of Cain's Pofterity till after his Exile: No, Mofes only gives us a fhort Account of this Tranfaction of Cain's flaying his Brother Abel, without any mention of their Families, and alfo a fmall Account of Cain's Exile, and the Encrease of his Progeny after his Banifhment, with a few of the Names, and fome of the Tranfactions of his Defcendants.

And then returns to give us the Line of Seth to Noah, without any particular Circumstances of any more of them before the Translation of Enoch, Chap. v. ver. 24; and this Account of his Tranflation is comprised in this Verfe only.

But it is obfervable, in this lineal Account of thofe Patriarchs, that when he had told us of the Births of those from whofe lineal Defcent Noah came, that from Adam to Noah, thefe Patriarchs lived fo many hundred Years, and begot Sons and Daughters: But tho' he mentions neither the Names nor Numbers of them, fhall we not therefore compute thei Numbers according to Reason ? B 2

Shall

Shall we fuppofe that Adam and Eve were fruitless after having Cain and Abel, till their next-mentioned Son Seth?

§ I.

W

CHA P. I.

HEN Cain flew Abel, they were an hundred and twenty-nine Years old each, being Twins, as may be obferved from Adam's next Son Seth, which Eve bare to Adam; for God, faid fhe, hath appointed me another Son instead of that which Cain flew, Chap. iv. ver. 24.

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§. 2. For this Son, Seth, was born to Adam, or begotten by him, when he was an hundred and thirty Years old, Chap. v. ver. 3. which appears to be the next Son Adam begot after Abel was flain. And we may very reasonably conclude, that Adam and Eve were never a Year without one Child, for after this, he lived feveral hundred Years, and begot Sons and Daughters.

§. 3. Shall we then imagine, that he spent an hundred and twenty-nine Years after he begot Cain and Abel, even fo much of his Youth, and had no Children between, and yet fhould beget Sons and Daughters for hundreds of Years afterwards?

I think it very unreasonable to entertain fuch an Opinion, fince, at firft, he was commanded to be fruitful, and multiply, and to replenish the Earth And God, who gave this Command,

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mand, alfo gave him both Power and Inclination to fulfil it.

And as the Earth at firft, with the first Inhabitants of it, according to the common Courfe of Nature would be most fertile, fo we may expect that their Fruitfulness would be proportionably anfwerable, as well as the Length of their Lives were; fo that, as we may obferve Cain and Abel to be Twins, it would not be unreasonable to suppose that in these first Ages of the World there might be more frequently double Births than fingle ones; but to let that be out of the Question, it may furely be allow'd a moderate Computation, that Adam and Eve, and fuch of their Children as arrived to Maturity, fhould have one Son or one Daughter every Year, for the Reafons before given; and this might then be reafonably continued five hundred Years, as we may reasonably fuppofe them fit for Propagation at twenty Years old, and continue able for it till five hundred and twenty Years, as may be inferred from Noah's begetting his Three Sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, after he was five hundred Years old.

Now this being allowed a moderate Suppofition, then between Cain and Abel till Seth, Adam and Eve would, themselves, have 64 Sons and 64 Daughters, fuppofing, as is moft likely, an equal Number of Males and Females, before Gain flew Abel.

§. 4. We may alfo allow Cain and Abel 109 Years capable of begetting Children, and

B 3

that