The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-03-14
VIEW OF OUR woRLD-ITs UNITY AND
ITS PLAN.
3. BABEL AND PENTEoosT
(coNcLUDED.)

The link which in Adam connected the
Creator with all His creatures was broken.
Adam lost the hesdship of creation be once
filed, and was substituted By another. In
stead of being first in creation, he became
second. "The Lord from heaven comes in
between in order to restore the connection.
And now Adam, soon after, in the course of
divine judgments exhibits in the various
forms and features of his family, that SUBJ
lection to the common law of diversity to
which, hitherto, he was the sole exception.
Adam no longer stands next to God; there
fore We may expect in his family no excep-
ton among the creatures, else would the
unity of creation be disturbed. For that
unity is 8 unity in diversity. Adam, by his
act, disturbed the order of Gods world; and
it now becomes necessary by the interpOsing
act of God to just the relations of mankind
anew in the new order of things.
The question of the origin of the races,
which has vexed the minds of the prOfOundest
philosophers, and upon which revelation, it
is believed, has poured little or no light,
may well be approached with caution by
those who have not thought deeply and pa
tiently upon it. 0a such subject the ftp
pant and the frivolous have no right to speak
at all or if they have, it only amounts to
the right to dsrken counsel by words with.
out knowledge" Foster said it had been
the business of his life to store up questions
to be answered in the next world. This pre-.
sent world is full of such questions; and it
may be this must be recognized as one of
that class. Whatever else may be said, l
am well content to know now no more than
this, that {" God hath made of one blood all
nations of men for to dwell on all the face
of the earth" may be pardonsd, however,
as it comes N my way, if l an so presump-
tuous as to venture an opinion. Divine in
terposition has often been advocated, but
do not know that any good reasons have
been presented in favor of the miraculous
dispersion at BABEL as the point of origin.
This view may, or may not derive support
from such considerations as shese, viz -
1st. At Babel it is expressly declared
that "the people was one" Besides they
all had one language" This expressed their
oneness. The hypothesis of changes of
form, color, hair, &c., from climatic ithu-
ence, mode of living, food, etc., has never
satisfied the human mind. l. seems incOn-
sistent with the laws of creation and Of life.
Again, if the Egyptian monumental figures
are of any value, they show as that the pre-
sent ce-diferences existed at period in
the history Of that ancient people not long
after the dispersion at Babel. For example,
arch illogical research is said to reveal pic
torial representations of the Negro at that
early day, with the characteristic lips, nose,
hair, SC, as cup, bearer to Caucasian figure.
%. The confusion of tongues, the imme-
diste and prominent cause Of Inconvenience,
and therefore Of dispersion, very probably
involves much more than it has commonly
been understood to mean. The Bible was
not given to disseminate scientific truth
Therefore in relating divine interpretations in
which several effects may have been pro-
duced in following as much as may be the
channel of natural or ordinary law, the re-
sultant fact or end, the immediate cause oi
dispersion, apparent to ALL may be alone
given.
Sd. The change Of speech was a fact re
sulting from divine interposition. But may
there not have been steps antecedent to it,
intellectual variety produced, of which alter
ed intellectual operation, altered modes o
thinking and forms of speech we're the effect
God does not violate the established relation
of the human consultation. Speech is tn
exponent of the mental operations. Doubt
less the interpOsing power was applied, no
Immediately to the tongue, but to the mind
not to the stream, but to its source. Tn
roots of words, connected as they are Wit
the ideas of motion common to all, would b
retained, subject to notifications. This vie
provides for all languages a common origi
and foot-stalk. And the conceded unity {
all Languages seems in turn to lend it SUI
port.
4sh. But the declared object was to scatt'