The Bible commences with an account of the creation of the world, 4004 B. C., the history of our first parents, their deviation from virtue, and the evil consequences that ensued. To Adam and Eve were born sons and daughters. The only three mentioned by name, are Cain, Abel and Seth, and the sacred historian has chiefly confined himself to the posterity of Seth, from whom Noah descended: in his time mankind became very wicked, and to punish them, God sent a violent rain upon the earth which caused a general deluge, and all the inhabitants of the world were drowned, except Noah, his wife, their three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and their wives, and a few animals of every kind. The descendants of Noah and his sons multiplied greatly, and "they were all of one language," after a time the whole race of men moved from their original habitations in Armenia, and settled in the plains of Shinar near the Euphrates. Here they determined to establish themselves, and build a tower whose top might reach the heavens. God was displeased with this work, which seems to have been undertaken in defiance of his power, and he confounded the language of those who were engaged in it. This obliged them to discontinue their labour; they soon after dispersed, and the different parts of the world became inhabited. Terah the father of Abraham was a descendant of Shem; he settled with his family in Haran in Mesopotamia, where he died: God soon after commanded Abraham to remove with his wife Sarah into the land of Canaan, and here when they were far advanced in age, their son Isaac was born. God made many remarkable promises to Abraham, and one of them was, "that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed." This was a declaration that the Messiah should be a descendant of Abraham. To make trial of his obedience, God ordered him to offer up Isaac, as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah, but just as he was going to slay him, an angel of the Lord appeared, and told him not to touch the lad, but to take a ram and offer it up in his stead. It was upon this mountain that Solomon's temple was afterwards built and here our Saviour was crucified, the mountain being then called Calvary.