top was, as some suppose, dedicated to the heavens. Dr. Clarke thinks this highly probable. Some consider the top as pyramidical, being a temple erected to the solar fire to Baal, or Bel.

TOP UNTO HEAVEN. Exceedingly high.

MAKE US A NAME.

by our great building.

Let us render ourselves famous

LEST WE BE SCATTERED; i. e. Let us unite in this building, and this will keep us together, for we shall all be interested, and it will secure our safety.

5. CAME DOWN TO SEE. An ordinary way of speaking to express the knowledge which God has of all that is done.

6. THEY HAVE ONE LANGUAGE; AND THIS THEY begin To Do. This evidently implies that this was a part only of a plan for universal empire, with, perhaps, an idolatrous establishment. That an universal language has a tendency to universal monarchy, is the general sentiment of statesmen, and it was supposed to be on this principle, that the French in the last century were so anxious to extend their language to all countries: and that universal monarchy was the object of Nimrod and his adherents, is the general opinion of commentators, ancient as well as modern.

7. LET US. These expressions very strongly imply the plurality of the Godhead. The doctrine of the Trinity is the doctrine of Scripture.

CONFOUND. Confuse. Render the people incapable of understanding each other.

8. SO THE LORD SCATTERED THEM, AND THEY LEFT OFF TO BUILD THE CITY. By this it is evident that the visit of God not only confounded the Babel builders for the moment, but divided them, and struck such a terror into them, that many fled precipitately in all directions. That the visit of God was attended with such circumstances, is the opinion of many of the learned. And if there be any truth in the idea entertained by some, of a paralytic affection being produced on the organs of speech by the terror of the scene, perhaps

this might be the origin of the difficulty, if not impossibility, of some nations pronouncing sounds to others perfectly easy.

The above account of the confusion at Babel, agrees with a variety of traditions of great antiquity. Josephus mentions a tradition preserved into the Sybilline oracles, that "when all men were of one language, some of them built a high tower, as if they would thereby ascend to heaven; but the gods sent storms of wind, and overthrew the tower:" the tower, however, was not totally destroyed, for it was seen by Herodotus.

9. BABEL. Confusion. Our English word babble comes from this. This city was afterwards called Babylon, the capital of Chaldea. (See Bible Dictionary.)

The variety of languages, impedes the progress of the gospel; but Christians are overcoming the difficulty, by learning all languages. In the early ages of the church, God miraculously enabled the apostles to speak all languages: see Acts ii.

27. TERAH. He was descended from Shem. LOT. Nephew of Abraham.

28. LAND OF HIS NATIVITY. Where he was born. Un. A city either of Chaldea or eastern Mesopotamia; most probably the latter.

Terah and his family, it would appear from Josh. xxiv. were idolaters.

31. AND TERAH TOOK. The reason of their removal is given, in xii. 1.

HARAN, called by St. Stephen, Charan. This town was situated in the north-western part of Mesopotamia, on a small river of the same name, which falls into the Euphrates.

32. Two HUNDRED AND FIVE YEARS. A striking change will here be observed in the duration of human life. Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years. The life of man has gradually been reduced to its present time.

REFLECTIONS.

29. "Noah lived to see two worlds, as it were; the world before and the world after the flood; but as he died in faith, he saw another, which was better than all, that is heaven."

We should never read of the death of others without its reminding us of our own, and this ought to lead us. to a state of preparation. See Matt. xxiv. 36, to end, and chap. xxv.

Chap. xi. 1-4. "Great things may be brought to pass, when the undertakers are numerous and unanimous, and stir up one another. Let us learn to provoke one another to love and to good works, as sinners stir up and encourage each other to wicked works." Ps. cxxii. 1. Is. ii. 3, 5. Jer. 1. 5. If we want a good name we must love and serve God. better than a great one.

A good name is

As all men are of one family, they ought to love one another; but how different is the fact. What an evidence of depravity.

Pride is the origin of all that men do, opposed to the plans and purposes of God. Let us desire to have a name and a place in heaven. If we have, neither our name, nor place, can be taken away, our Saviour once said to his disciples. Luke x. 20.

5. God takes notice of whatever is done by men. There is no escape from his eyes. Ps. cxxxix. 7—10.

Almighty God, thy piercing eye

Strikes through the shades of night,

And our most secret actions lie

All open to thy sight.

6. There is only one Being who can restrain sinners from doing harm, and that is God. He can restrain them, either by defeating their purposes, or by changing their hearts.

7-9. God has various means of baffling and defeating those who set themselves against him. He divides them among themselves, either by dividing their spirits,

(Judges ix. 23.) or by dividing their tongues, as David prays, (Ps. lv. 9.)

27. "Those who are through grace, the heirs of the land of promise, ought to remember what was the land of their nativity; what was their corrupt and sinful state by nature; the rock out of which they were hewn."

28. "Children cannot be sure that they will survive their parents, for death does not go by seniority."

31. Happy is the parent who, on his own way to Canaan, can take all his children and family with him. And so is it with a teacher. But, alas! how few of either! Let all examine themselves, and see if they do their duty.

32. More death. When will teachers and children think of this seriously as they ought.

LESSON 10.-Gen. xii. 1-5; xiii. 14-18; xv. 1—6.

1. HAD SAID. This was while he lived in Ur of the Chaldees, before he came to Haran.

GET THEE OUT. The original, though not so abrupt, is equally emphatical, “Go thou thyself," as implying that though his family might linger in Haran, he must not stop with them, but go himself; and those whom he had not authority to take with him, must be left behind. Both Haran and Ur were in Mesopotamia, as well as Babylon, and the whole country seems to have been overspread with idolatry. Babylon was afterwards distinguished as the "Mother of Harlots," which Mr. Mede explains as meaning the parent of idolatry. The prophet Jeremiah calls it "the land of graven images," and describes the Chaldeans as "mad upon their idols." Jer. 1. 35-38. Ur appears to have been a nursery for idolatrous priests, as Benares in India is now among the Hindoos.

THY COUNTRY. Haran, in Mesopotamia.

KINDRED. Relations. God CHOSE Abraham in order to establish a covenant with him for the benefit of his posterity, and thus to preserve the true religion.

2. A GREAT NATION. A numerous and distinguished people, as the Jews afterwards were. The whole history of the Jews, from their coming out of Egypt, to their final destruction as a nation by Titus, is a fulfilment of this promise.

THY NAME GREAT. The name of Abraham is celebrated all over the world. He was one of the greatest of the patriarchs, and is called the father of the Faithful. His name is great to this day, not only among Jews and Christians, but among Mahomedans-and throughout all the Arab tribes.

A BLESSING. A person is a blessing to others when he is the mean or instrument of doing them good.

Abraham has been a blessing to us, because through him we have received the promises of God, as to the Messiah. The Jews have been a blessing to us, because through them we have received the Scriptures, which God, as it were, trusted to their hands.

3. BLESS THEM. Do those good who show favour to you, and vice versa.

IN THEE SHALL ALL THE FAMILIES, &c. This refers to the Messiah, who, according to the flesh, was to be a descendant of Abraham.

"It seems plain from this, that Abraham, as our Lord observes, (John viii. 56,) saw his day and was glad; that is, he saw and it was made known to him, that the Messiah was to come out of his family." (See also Lesson 14, in relation to Abraham's seeing Christ.)

4. ABRAHAM LEFT. He departed out of his country. He knew nothing of the country where he was going, but simply depended on the word of God.

LOT. Abraham's nephew.

5. SOULS THAT THEY HAD GOTTEN. Souls, means persons, all, including children, servants, &c.

CANAAN. Bounded west by the Mediterranean, north by Lebanon and Syria, east by Arabia Petrea, and the