ANTEDILUVIAN, a word employed to denote any thing that happened or existed before the flood.
The records respecting the antediluvian world are exceedingly scanty, but contain, nevertheless, many im portant intimations concerning the religion, arts, and policy, of the first race of men. The creation of the world, and of its various inhabitants and productions, the rapid and excessive corruption of the human race, till God resolved to destroy every living thing by a deluge, are all recorded in the compass of six short chapters in the beginning of Genesis : yet this is the only authentic record of the history of the world for upwards of sixteen centuries ; a period fertile, no doubt, in incidents and inventions, and important to the histo rian, as exhibiting the gradual developcment of human character, together with the origin and increase of those arts which contribute to the comforts and elegan cies of life. It would be highly interesting to trace the progress of the useful and ornamental arts which we know for certabi existed in the antediluvian world, and which were, in all probability, transmitted to the post diluvian ages, as the basis of future improvements. It would also be important to explore the causes of that corruption, which at last became so general, and pro duced such disastrous consequences. We have reason to believe that a high degree of refinement in luxury accompanied this universal corruption, as we have sel dom seen great national depravity, which has not been attended with luxury, and preceded by refinement.
Our information, however, respecting these interest ing particulars is extremely limited, and must be glean ed from a few incidental hints thrown out by the sacred historian. These hints, however, are extremely valua ble, and, it is to be hoped, will lead us to some impor tant results, respecting the religion, arts, government, and manners, of the antediluvian world. We shall make each of these particulars the subject of a few ob-. servations ; after which we shall notice some remark able circumstances which occur in the scripture account of the antediluvian period, and which cannot be com prehended under any of the above particulars ; and then we shall consider how far the Mosaic records respect ing this period are confirmed from other sources of information.
1. The religion of the ?lntediluvians. As the Bible is chiefly the history of religion, we have a fuller account of the religion of the antediluvians, than of any other circumstance connected with their history. Though they had neither written laws nor a writtten revelation, yet there can be no doubt that their religion was com municated to them from heaven, as much as the religion either of Jews or Christians. The Almighty conversed with our first parents, made known to them his will, and the worship which he required of them, and appointed some positive institutions, as auxiliaries to their faith, and remembrancers of their duty. The most remark able of these institutions were, the Sabbath, and sacri fices. The former of these was appointed immediately on finishing the work of creation, and was designed to serve as a memorial of the wisdom and power of God till the end of the world. It is a strange mistake to
suppose, with Spencer and others, that the Sabbath is merely a Jewish rite, when it is evident that it was or dained for all mankind from the beginning of the world.
The septennary division of time, which obtained amongst nations entire strangers to the Jewish ritual, proves that they derived their information from a different source. In fact, the injunction given to the Israelites at Sinai, to observe the Sabbath, was not imparted as a new thing, but was founded on primitive use. " In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, Fxc. wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." As to the origin of sacrifices, our information is not so precise : it is, however, sufficiently clear to enable us to affirm, that they were early observed, and that their observance was by divine appointment. It never has been doubted, that in the promise, that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the serifhnt, an inti mation was conveyed to him, that the'Aiutnan race should be delivered by the Messiah. We have reason to conclude that our first parents and their offspring believed this promiie : for we are told, Heb. xi. that Abel, Enoch, and Noah, (and, we may suppose, all the righteous antediluvian patriarchs,) died in faith, not having received the promises, but haling seen them afar off. In this sense, Christianity may justly be said to be nearly as old as the creation, as it was undoubtedly revealed to the first race of men, whose faith only dif fered from ours in being placed in anticipation, whilst ours is in retrospect; that is, they looked forward in hope to what the Messiah was to accomplish ; we look backward in faith to what has actually clone. It is most probable, that, together with the promise made to our first parents, sacrifices were instituted, to give them a more lively conception of the hope which was set before them. It is of no consequence that the in. stitution is not expressly mentioned ; there arc strong facts which sufficiently demonstrate its origin. It has been supposed by some, that sacrifices are merely a na tural expression of piety and gratitude to the Almighty, and that shedding the blood of animals indicated a con viction on the part of the offerer that his sins needed expiation. The first sacrifices, however, of which we have any record, were offered under very different cir cumstances. The wicked Cain, who cannot be sup posed to have been induced by sentiments of piety, is the first who is mentioned as making an offering to the Lord; and that not an expiatory sacrifice, as might have been expected, (if any could be expected from a sinner), but the fruits of the ground. His righteous brother, on the other hand, offered a bloody sacrifice, which, being offered in faith, was more acceptable to God; Heb. xi. 4. The inference which we would draw from this is, that both the brothers offered, not from the dictates of reason or the impulse of feeling, but in con sequence of a divine commandment ; else we must allow Cain to have had the merit of the invention.