benighted traveller I cannot omit to improve. Though he arrived at Gibeah at a late hour, and found the inhabitants so inhospitable as to let him remain neglected in the street, yet it was well for him that, unexpectedly, one compassionate man found him in his state of destitution, opened his heart and hand, saying unto him, Howsoever, let all thy wants lie upon me. Infinitely more happy for us that there is an heavenly Friend, that sticketh closer than a brother, whose eye sees us in our wanderings, whose heart is made of tenderness and love, and who not only can rescue us from danger, but with infinite kindness and ability addresses us, Let all thy wants lie upon me. Great indeed the mercy of this heavenly Friend of sinners, Jesus the Son of God, if he has found the aged reader! If so, you need not be told, that although the Levite said unto the old man, There is no want of any thing, because he had a sufficiency of bread, wine, and provender in hand; for whatever temporal favours you may possess, you are in want of every thing for the peace, comfort, and supply of your soul while journeying through this wilderness of sorrow; and you must also be convinced that you have nothing of your own but what may be called sinful dust and ashes. Well indeed may the Saviour say to you, Let all your wants lie upon me, for he is possessed of all fulness of grace and blessings; and it is his prerogative to communicate these rich favours to you without money and without price. And this is indeed the united testimony of the saints of God in all ages, that of his fulness have we all received, and grace for grace; and he, also can shelter you in his house of prayer, and beneath the shadow of his wings in the inclement evening of your old age. Therefore, let me entreat you to make good use of his ample bounty, and remember that as Paul said to the Philippians iv. 19, My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus, to whom be everlasting praise. Amen. ANTEDILUVIANS. Years roll along, the silent march of time Cottrel ANTEDILUVIAN is a name given to that race of mankind who lived from the first man Adam to the general deluge, in the days of Noah, comprising 1656 years. Their history is contained in the first six chapters of the book of Genesis, and is recorded in what we may call miniature, or general outlines. Many have been the opinions and conjectures of learned men upon this ancient people, especially of those who have made the theory of the earth a chief part of their study. And it must be confessed, that whether in point of antiquity, the origin of our race, or the prodigious number of years which they lived, it must be pronounced a subject of interest to every intelligent mind. As aged persons are generally fond of hearing and reading the history of those who have seen great length of days, as well as themselves, I have written a few plain observations on the Antediluvians, under the impression that they may afford a degree of satisfaction to the reader. At any rate, it will serve to convince you that the same God who, for wise purposes, lengthened out their lives for some hundred years, now also holdeth your soul in life, will duly measure your time upon earth, and by his efficacious grace, can prepare you for an eternal state of existence in the world of felicity. Of the creation of our first parents, the transactions in Paradise, the expulsion, with its consequences, and the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, there is much that might be written, and on which there have been so many volumes published, which are easy to be obtained, that on these subjects, whether historical or sentimental, very little will here be introduced. In contemplating the history of this first race of mankind, it is highly necessary that you perceive the two strong lines of distinction between the descendants of Adam, without which you cannot with precision comprehend their history. The wicked offspring of Cain, which formed one line, were called the sons and daughters of men. The children of Seth, who was the son given to Adam, in the place of righteous Abel, these formed the other line, called the sons of God, because they were devoted to the worship of the Almighty. Cain, banished from the presence of the Lord, went to the land of Nod, and there, in process of time, and increase of population, built a city, and called it after the name of his son Enoch, while the children of Seth abode near at home with their father Adam. It will likewise be observed, that Moses, in this early record, has only preserved the history and genealogy of the principal persons who were patriarchs or heads of the chief families, in a direct line to Noah. No more is said of their habits, customs, employments, vices, and virtues, than to afford us some general ideas of their character, of God's conduct in his providence towards them, and also to show his just judgment in their final destruction. When Moses wrote the genealogy of this people, recorded in the fifth chapter of Genesis, he called it the Book of the Generations of Adam, which consisted of ten, extending to the five hundreth year of the life of Noah. No females were introduced into the ancient genealogies; and it is remarkable, that however particularly the births, deaths, and ages of those men are preserved, no record is made of the ages of the women, no, not of Eve, the mother of all living; else we might have made some estimate of the difference between the male and female ages, whether, in the course of nature at that time, their lives were shorter than those of the males; but we do not wish to be wise above what is written. However, of this we are certain, that in genealogies the females were al ways included in the males; and that it was the design of Moses to record those in whose line the promised Messiah was to come. For the reader's attention I will here introduce a table, which, at one view, will exhibit the ten generations, with |