dwelled then in the land." Their ef tates probably, in agreement with the customs of those patriarchal times, confifted principally in the fame commodities. The common grazing lands, unoccupied by the natives, it seems, were too fcanty, in and about Bethel, to fuffice the numerous flocks and herds of Abraham and Lot. Their herdsmen differ. Abraham, to avoid fo difagreeable a circumftance, proposes, with great condefcenfion to his nephew, a feparation. Lot," in compliance with his uncle's request, "lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the “plain of Jordan," that is, took a furvey of it, and found," that it was well watered every where, before the Lord deftroyed Sodom and "Gomorrah, even, as the garden of the Lord,

like the land of Egypt, as thou comeft unto Zoar."* These favourable circumstances foon determined his choice. He feparates from Abraham, journeys eastward, i. e. towards Jordan,

and pitches his tent towards Sodom.' Such, at that time, was the fertile state, and delightful fituation, of the plain of Jordan, on the southern part of which stood Sodom and the other three

cities, afterwards destroyed in one common everthrow.

As there is fomething fingular both in the fource and outlet of the river Jordan, whence the plain we are speaking of is denominated, it will not be amifs to digrefs a little, in order to give some account of it in this place.

The Jordan is the only confiderable river in the land of Canaan. It was anciently fuppofed to have its fource near the city Dan, the northern extreme of the holy land, at the foot of mount Lebanon, and at the distance of about twenty miles eaft from the fhore of the Mediterranean fea. But king Agrippa found by experiment, that its true fource was fifteen miles northeast of this place, and alfo at the foot of Lebanon. Here is a small circular lake, in form of a bafon or cup, whence the Greeks named it Phiale. Its waters are never increased or diminished. Agrippa, fufpecting these waters communicated with the fuppofed fountain of Jordan, dropped fome straws into them, which being carried along by the fubterraneous stream, emerged where the Jordan becomes visible, i. e.

↑ Reland, vol. I. p. 264.

near Dan. From Dan it runs fouth in a small ftream about seven or eight miles, when it spreads itself into a lake about feven miles long and four broad. This collection of waters is what is called by Greek and Latin hiftorians Samachonitis; but in fcripture, "the waters of Merom,"* famous for being the place, near which Joshua put to rout the united forces of the Canaanites. The Jordan again contracting itself to a moderate breadth, proceeds in the fame fouthern direction for fifteen miles, and then empties itself into the fea of Cinnerith, called in the New Teftament the fea of Galilee, the lake of Tiberias, the lake of Gennefareth. This - lake or fea is remarkable for being that on which feveral of the Apoftles exercised their humble occupation of fishing; and for having been often honoured by the prefence of our bleffed Lord himself. The Jordan, fo far as we have hitherto traced it, being, when compared with itself below the fea of Galilee, but an inconfiderable rivulet, is probably what Jofephus calls "the lefter Jordan." The fea or lake juft mentioned is of an oval form, it being wideft towards the upper or northern end, and gradually narrowed as

* Joshua, xi. 5.

you approach the other extreme. Jofephus affigns five miles for its breadth in the wideft place. Its length from north to fouth is eighteen miles. The Jordan, having paffed this lake, re-affumes the form of a river again, which it retains till, having paffed through a long tract of fixty or feventy miles, it lofes itself in the lake of Sodom, which has no vifible outlet. Its general courfe from the fea of Galilee to that of Sodom is fouth; though, in its paffage, it forms many meanders. About ten or twelve miles fouth of the lake of Tiberias begins a large plain, extending on each fide of Jordan to the distance of feven or eight miles, where it is terminated by high mountains. This plain is continued not only quite down to the mouth of the Jordan; but, according to Jofephus, on the weft fide alfo of the dead fea or lake of Sodom quite down to Zoar, which, by general confent, is situate at the fouthern extreme of the lake of Sodom.The fame thing is intimated in the 34th chapter of Deuteronomy. "And the Lord fhewed "Mofes the plain of the valley of Jericho even "unto Zoar."

Here then is a plain, on which Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim might be fitu

B

ated. For that they were built in a plain is certain, they being expreffly called "the cities of the plain." The nature of their fituation, therefore, does not oblige us to fuppofe, that before the deftruction of thofe cities, the whole or -a great part of the prefent dead fea was a habitable plain, in which they must have ftood. A plain of fufficient extent ftill remains.

Let us now fee on what foundation that opinion is built, which makes the rife of the lake of Sodom to be the finking of the plain, on which the city of that name stood.

That this lake is fometimes called "the fea of the plain,"* I cannot think is a proof, that it owed its origin to the finking of a plain. It is well known, that many feas take their name from that of the neighbouring coaft; as this very well might from the extenfive plain which encompassed it.

Again, the text quoted before to fhow the priftine state of the plain of Jordan, has been brought by fome as an argument for this hypothefis.But it must be observed, that the argument rests + Gen. xiii. 10.

*Deuteronomy iii. 17, and elsewhere. Well's Sacred Geography.