had an uninterrupted succession of their high-priests, preserved in their records, for the space of nearly two thousand years; and that the Jewish priests, while in Judea, and even in Egypt and Babylon, or in any other place whithersoever they were carried, were careful to preserve their genealogies. Such priests, after the captivity, as could not produce their genealogies, were excluded from the sacerdotal office. From such public registers, Matthew and Luke derived the genealogies of Christ. The former, writing for the Jews, reckoned the descent of the Messiah, through his reputed father, Joseph, who was the nearest relative of Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Christ. She was the only child and heiress of Heli, (according to the Talmud,) and Joseph, by espousing her, had a legal right to the inheritance of his fatherin-law Heli; whose son he is, therefore, correctly denominated by Luke. Numb. xxxvi. 7, 8, 9.

Luke, on the contrary, writing for the Gentile world, traces Christ, not simply up to Abraham, the Father of the Jews; but up to Adam, the original parent of both Jews and Gentiles; to point out to the latter, their interest in the Messiah. Moreover, he traces the genealogy of Christ, through his mother Mary, which, in one sense, Matthew also does. This tracing a genealogy through the mother, was often done by the Jews. For instance, in 1 Chron. ii. 22, Jair is reckoned among the posterity of Judah; because the grandfather of Jair, (ver. 21,) had married the daughter of Machir, of a noble house in the tribe of Manasseh. (vii. 14.) Therefore, the same Jair is called, (xxxii. 41,) the son of Manasseh, although he was only related to Manasseh by marriage. So also a family is called in Ezra, ii. 61, the children of Barzillai; because one of their ancestors took a wife of Barzillai, the Gileadite. The case then is, that Matthew traces the

genealogy of Christ through his reputed father, Joseph, as the near relation, and actual heir of Heli, the father of Mary; but not as her husband. Whereas Luke traces it directly through Mary, (the daughter of Heli,) in consequence of whose marriage Joseph became his legal son; or as we call it, son-in-law. See Genealogical table, facing the title page. Also, Names, Talmud, Mary, and the next article.

GENERATION, a term applied, either to a regular descent from father to son; or to a certain number of years. It is in this latter sense, Matthew makes use of the word "generation," when he says, (i. 17,) "So all the generations from Abraham to Christ are fourteen generations," &c., not fourteen regular successions of fathers and sons; for he proves he never meant any such thing, by giving, in the same paragraph, the names of a number of persons, sufficient to constitute the chain of progenitors up to Abraham; but not sufficient to make out forty-two progenitors from Abraham to Christ. The term generation, then, is even at the present day, applied to a number of years. In the English court of chancery, it has varied from sixty to twenty years. Amongst the Jews it also varied from one hundred, to thirty years; so that the number of years constituting the term generation, has varied, at various periods of the world. Matthew took his account from the Jewish records, and just copied what he found therein recorded. Hence the number of years constituting fourteen generations, from Abraham to David, was different from the number constituting fourteen generations, from David until the Babylonish cap. tivity; and again, from the latter event, to the coming of Christ. Thus we find, that so far from their being any evidence of error in Matthew's statements, the error is in

the crookedness of the mind of sceptics. See preceding article.

GENUINE, a term applied to a book, when we know who wrote it; but has no reference whatever to its being a book containing facts or truths; for, though it may be a purely genuine work, that is, every word in it may have been written by the person whose name it bears, yet it may consist of nothing but a tissue of falsehoods. Notwithstanding all this, infidels most wantonly confound the term genuine, with the word, authentic, than which no two words more widely differ. So far as the records constituting the Sacred Scriptures are concerned, Christians need not care a fraction, if not one of them, (except such as the Sacred writers themselves mention, e. g. Paul's epistles, &c.,) were genuine: the great, the all important question is, are they authentic? That is, do they record facts,—truths? This is the question: if they do, the evidence of which must be irresistible to every rational being, WE CARE NOT WHO wrote them. Nevertheless, we possess as much evidence, (although it is quite unnecessary, so far as the truth of the Scriptural facts is concerned,) of the genuineness of the Sacred writings, as the nature of the case could possibly admit; and far more evidence, than of any work written, even one hundred years ago. See Authentic. Evidence. Testament. Pentateuch.

GENESIS. The name given to the first book of the Sacred Scriptures: it signifies generation, and the book was so called, because in it is described the creation of all things. When it is recollected that it treats of the transactions that occurred, in no less a length of time, than 2369 years, the concise manner in which these

subjects are treated, cannot be wondered at, and is sufficient at once to satisfy any reasonable person, of the absence of explanations; thus leaving some topics exposed to the sophistry of designing men. Many persons complain that the Bible, even as it now is, is too voluminous; but what sized book must it have been, had it contained a detailed account of transactions for 4,000 years?

In the first chapter the writer gives a general account of creation, and in the second chapter returns to a more detailed account of the master piece of God's creation--man. And although this course is adopted by almost every one who writes a book; that is, first to give a kind of introduction or preface, containing a summary of what is to be afterwards more particularly noticed, yet so blind, and malignant, is the mind of Infidels, that they adduce this very circumstance, in order, if possible, to show that the first and second chapters of this book, contradict each other! How these men manifest their folly! Lastly, there can be no doubt that Moses was the author of this book, and received his information directly from God. But had the circumstances of the creation been originally communicated to Adam, there would have been no extraordinary difficulty in the records of these things having been put into Moses's hands, as only seven persons intervened between the one and the other. See Pentateuch.

GENTILES. This word signifies nations; and was applied by the Jews, to all who were not Jews. Moses having used the term in Gen. x. 5, is no argument whatever, against the antiquity of that book, for the very same original word is translated, in the very same chapter, in the very same verse, and also in verses 20, and 32, "Nations."

GETHSEMANE.

It is related by Matthew, Mark, and Luke, (see Matt. xxvi. 36,) that the Lord Jesus, after he ate the last supper with his disciples, went out into a place called Gethsemane. Whereas, according to John xviii. 1, "He went forth with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered and his disciples-for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his disciples." Is not this, says the infidel, a palpable contradiction? If Matthew, Mark, and Luke, have told the truth, John must have told what is false! Stop, sir-what think you, if I tell you, 1st. that the brook Cedron was between Gethsemane and Jerusalem, so that to get to Gethsemane from Jerusalem, this brook must be crossed? THIS IS ONE TRUTH. Again, what think you, if I tell you, that, so far from Gethsemane being a different place from the Mount of Olives, (Matt. xxvi. 30,) it was actually a village in the Mount of Olives, and this place, a garden in that village, and consequently in the Mount of Olives? Just as if I were to say, British soldiers are buried in Washington Square, which is in Philadelphia, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania in North America. Reader, if you be an Infidel, blush and tremble at the dishonesty on which your rebellion against your Creator is built—and if you be a Christian, rejoice at the sophistry and disingenuity to which the enemies of your God and Saviour are driven, in order to invalidate the truth of His revealed will.

So far, then, from there being any contradiction in these statements, they afford another example of the surest test of the truth of human testimony, viz: "Substantial truth under circumstantial variety."

The above argument is advanced as a tremendous blow at the Bible, in an infidel work lately republished in this country, and gratuitously circulated throughout the States.