as we are fully informed by the account of Abraham's migration from Ur of Chaldea, to the land of Canaan, which was undertaken by the inspiration of his GOD, solely for religion sake, the Scythian religion having become corrupted in Chaldea by the influence of the Assyrian; and whilst it is clear that such a corruption had taken place there from that cause, it is equally clear that it was still pure in the land of Canaan, whither he was directed by his God to remove, a fact confirmed by his interview with Melchizedec, king of Salem, and also the priest of the most high GOD, the GOD of Abram, recognized by him as such, and presented with an offering, portion of a spoil.

And afterwards it came to pass that Abram went down to Gerar, and a covenant was made between him and Ab-e-melech, chief of the five Lords of the Philistines, and Phicol chief captain of his host; and they speak unto Abram, saying, "GOD is with thee in all thou doest, now swear unto us here by God."

And it appears that shortly after the arrival of Abram and his nephew Lot in Canaan, there being a sore famine in that land, they journeyed to Egypt, from whence they returned to Canaan with so great a store of cattle, that the land was not able to bear them, that they may dwell together, and a contention having arisen between their herdsmen for pasturage, we hear of Abram saying to Lot,

"Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, for we be brethren, is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me, if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right."

And Lot chose him out all the plain of Jordan, and he pitched his tent towards Sodom;

And Abram removed his tent, and came towards Mamre. And when the LORD appeared unto him in the plain of Mamre, Abram sat in the tent door.

We hear of him only in the TENT.

We learn from Genesis also, that when Isaac the son of Abram, made a covenant with the chief Lord of the Philistines,

and with the chief captain of his host, all swore by the same God, and Isaac dwelled in the tent, and roved here and there at his will and pleasure, the lands free for his foot, and for his flocks, and herds.

But when Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abram, the son of Terah, went in compliance with the desire of his mother, to take a wife from amongst her kindred of Haran of Ellasser, Laban, the son of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, the son of Terah, was considered and called an Assyrian, and had embraced the religion of that people, under the government of whom, he and his family had continued to live, for we hear of his accusing Jacob of stealing his Gods, and of Rachel's being an image worshipper, and taking her Assyrian idols with her, from Ellasser to the land of Canaan; and Laban in relating a dream he had of the appearance of the Lord, expressly says, "The God of your father spake unto me."

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Moreover, when Jacob and Laban entered into a covenant, and swore to the observance thereof, Laban swore by the God of Nahor, but Jacob swore by the God of Abram. Jacob is represented as a plain man living in the tent, and whilst he abided in Hebron, his sons were tending his cattle in Dothan, a distance of more than three score miles.

From which brief summary we arrive at the conclusions, that the Assyrians differed from the Scythians in all those leading features that characterize mankind, the former congregating in immense cities, the latter dwelling in tents, scattered over the territory, the former having personal property in the soil, the latter holding their land in community tribal, if not national, the former having a plurality of Gods, whose images they idolized in sumptuous temples, the latter paying adoration to the sun, moon, and stars, and to fire, the emblem of the divinity, not confined to walls, their worship as free and pure as the element itself; the biography of Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, shews that though men of great consideration, they dwelled in the tent, and though strangers, they traversed the land whithersoever they pleased with their numerous cattle,

h

that they invoked the same God, professed the same religion as the people amongst whom Abram had been commanded to live, in the practice of all those manners and customs, and institutions peculiar to the Scythian race of mankind.

Should it be imagined from the mode of expression used by the bible translators, that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah abandoned the Scythian custom of abiding in tents; it will be found from the text that there is no foundation for the supposition.

Lot, dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent towards Sodom; the Hebrew word rendered city, meaning no more than an encampment, a temporary congregation of a part of a society.

Should the purchase by Abram of Machpelah seem to militate against community of lands, one of the most remarkable features of the Scythian institutions, it is to be considered this was a cave, plantation, and enclosure, on which labour had been bestowed, even so, the grant was the act and deed of all the society of the land of Heth, nor was Hephron disposed to accept of ought for the property, it was Abram who forced the value on him, lest the vault wherein he was about to bury Sarah, and designed for his own interment, should be attempted to be wrested from him, or disputed with his posterity at any future time, which the public notoriety of the payment of the price would be the means of preventing, nay, the relation of the transaction proves that the Scythians of Canaan had not advanced to personal possession of any portion of the land, for the correctness of which observation, I beg leave to refer you to the 23d chapter of Genesis, where you will find the story told in the sweet style of ancient simplicity, and Scythian eloquence, pathetic and sublime.

From the same authority we learn, that after a sojourn of two hundred and fifteen years in the land of Canaan, the posterity of Abram removed to Egypt, between the people of which country and this tribe of Scythians, there was a total difference of manners, customs, and institutions; when the Pharaoh enquired of Jacob what was his occupation, Jacob

answered, "Thy servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers," but a shepherd was an abomination to the Egyptians who were corn eaters, subsisted on the fruits of the earth, and paid adoration to beasts, on which the Hebrews fed; so great was the detestation in which they held the Israelites, that they would not eat even bread with them. In Egypt we hear at this time, of an absolute king making and unmaking laws at his sole will and pleasure, of sumptuous palaces, of prisons. chains, bars, bolts and keepers, of personal property in the land, and of their parting with it by individual contract, of the inhabitants dwelling in cities durable, whilst the children of Israel are represented abiding apart from the people of Egypt in tents, scattered over the land of Goshen, no personal appropriation of any part of the soil, no permanent dwelling from the time of their entrance into Egypt, till the publication of the edict of the Pharaoh of that day, for erecting houses for the purpose of collecting them together, for the more effectual execution of the inhuman project of destroying all the male infants of their nation. (c)

If the difference was great between these two people in manners and customs, it was still greater in religion; that of the Scythians was simple as their state-that of the Egyptians, complicated, and delusivè, an hierarchy so long established as to have degenerated into a regular system of magic, legerdemain, enchantments, and divination. In fine, nothing can be more unlike than the Scythians, Assyrians, and Egyptians, as represented in all ages, in every particular that characterizes nations of distinct and diverse origins. Having shewn the dissimilarity between these three different races of mankind, let us now attend the Scythian tribes, and mark their identity by a perfect resemblance. Here ideas present themselves to the reflecting mind, causing deep regret, that man who boasteth of his reason, as though his peculiar endowment, is yet in practice inferior to the little bees, who, if they lay up a deleterious store, it is for want of sweet flowers, and wholesome herbs, from which to extract a nourishing food withal; but man neglecteth, yet despiseth salubrious plants, from which

may be expressed an essence more delicious than the honey, and the honey-comb, and fastens on the grossest weeds, greedily imbibing the pernicious juice thereof, rank poison to the understanding. Is it not to be lamented that the mind of youth is directed to miracles, and mysteries, instructed in the belief of supernatural agency, individual revelation, and inspiration from the actual personal presence of a spirit, whilst the rich mine of antiquity, containing the treasure wisdom, but very superficially covered with the dross and rubbish of deception, by the clumsy hands of scheming knaves, yet, as experience teacheth, hidden deep enough for hypocrisy, alas! and with sufficient art for ignorance, oh, pity! is slighted, and by few explored. Let me lay open one rich vein thereof, and expose it to your ample view, as we attend the steps of the children of Israel on their march from the house of bondage in Egypt, till their establishment in the land of Canaan.

This Scythian nation, known by the name of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, having sojourned in Egypt for the space of two hundred and fifteen years, the latter part of which time being cruelly persecuted, reduced to the condition of Slaves, a grand and glorious conspiracy was promoted by the man Moses, for which his name will ever be held in honor and respect, by all who cherish national independence, would resist foreign jurisdiction, and hold despotism in abhorrence. He it was who seeing the time apt for the execution of the noble enterprize, inspired his drooping fellows with courage to shake aff the yoke of servitude, whereupon he became their chief, under whose guidance the force he had been the principal means of uniting, was to be directed.

Let your minds eye look upon those twelve tribes of the children of Israel, conducted by their chief Moses, marshalled by their elders, marching forth of the land of Egypt, the house of their bondage.

Turn your intellectual ear, and attend to the people calling on their prince and leader to make laws for their government; Behold this people assembled round Mount Sinai, "that was altogether in a smoke, because the Lord descended upon