(2.) _The Scripture accounts of the increase of man wholly irreconcilable with experience and history_. We shall confine our remarks under this head to three instances—the builders of Babel, the age of Abraham, and the Exodus from Egypt. Other instances will doubtless recur to the reader, but the scope of argument would be much the same in every example. The builders of Babel are placed about 100 years after the flood. The general impression left by the Bible account is, that the race of man was pretty numerous. “The whole earth,” says the writer, “was of one language and one speech.” This would not be said of a clan or a nation, but must refer to several nations. It would be absurd to call Sussex or Kent “the whole earth,” nor less so to say it was all of “one language and one speech.” It would be scarcely less impertinent to say all England, or all France, spoke one and the same language. But to say that all Germany, Russia, Spain, Italy, England, and Sweden, spoke one language and used one speech would be far otherwise. When, therefore, the historian makes the statement that “the whole earth was of one language and one speech,” he virtually says there were several different nations, and a good round number of peoples. The writer continues—“And it came to pass as they (?) journeyed from the east they found a plain in the land of Shinar and dwelt there,” and they “made bricks” (!) and used “slime for mortar,” and said one to another, “Let us build a city, and a tower whose top may reach to heaven;” but the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth. [Gen. xi., 1–9.] Now, at the abatement of the flood the earth contained just four men and four women. According “to experience,” a population under the most favourable circumstances possible may double itself in 25 years; {24} but let us take the increase of the prolific race of Abraham, which, according to Scripture authority, doubled itself in 20 years [Gen. xlvi., 27]. This would make the entire population of the earth at the dispersion 256 souls. Suppose half males and half females, we get 128 of each sex, and supposing one-third to be adults and two-thirds children, we have somewhat less than 43 adult males, and this was the entire population of grown men in “the whole earth.” These 43 men “were all of one language and one speech.” These 43 men “made bricks,” and said one to another, “let us build a city and a tower whose top shall reach to heaven,” and the speech of these 43 was confounded, and the two score and three were “scattered over the whole earth.” Nothing of comment need be added.