Cotton Mather - Biblia Americana

[44v] conceived him, as she was encompassed with a Rain-bow; which seems a cloudy Remembrance of the Rain-bow first appearing after the Flood. The Character of Fohi among the Chinois, agrees mighty well, with what the Scriptures relate of Noah. Fohi (they say) carefully bred up seven sorts of Creatures, which he used to sacrifice, to the Supreme Spirit of Heaven & Earth. For this reason some called him, Paohi, that is, Oblation. Compare, Gen. 7.2, 3, 9. and, 8.20.²⁸

The Chinese Histories affirm, that Fohi settled in the Province of Xensi; which is the most North-West Province of China, and very near to Mount Caucasus, upon which the Ark rested, & from which Noah must descend, to go thence into

China

. Indeed, the entire Series of the Annals of China, taken together as they stand at present, are false, & reach too high from our Times. They relate a Remarkable Conjunction of the Five Planets, in one of the Signs, the same Day that the Conjunction of the Sun and the Moon also happened, in the Reign of their Fifth Monarch Chuenhio. Now this Astronomical Character ha's been examined by the famous Cassini, and found to have happened about 500 Years later, than the present Series of their Years does suppose. They relate, that in the Reign of their Seventh Monarch Yao, the Winter-Solstice was observed to be about 50 Degrees distant from the Place where it is at present. This also, if the Observation were exact, must be 500 Years later than the Time which they have assigned for it. The Duration of the Reigns and Lives of the First Monarchs of China

, likewise do not answer to the Standard of Humane Life in those Ages, to which the present Series of their Years do affix them. It is likely, That the Years of the First Family of their ancient Kings, were not Successive, but Collateral.²⁹

Other Nations as well as the Chinese, have carried their Antiquities too high, by erroneously setting ancient Collateral Families, in Succession one to another. This made the Ancient Egyptian Chronology so extravagant, until Sir John Marsham found out the Mistake.³⁰ And Martinius himself allowes it in the Chinese History. Suppose then, that Noah, 235 Years after the Deluge, A.P.J. 2601. descended from the higher Regions at Caucasus, to the lower of China, and governed such of his Posterity as he found planted there; and that he Transmitted the Government unto the Successors we find mention'd in the Chinese Annals; That a considerable while before the Period of the First Nine Emperours, Yu, the Founder of the First Great Family, began a Succession of Kings in a different Province; and that also about the Time that Chim tam the Head of the Second Great Family succeeded unto the First, Vu Vam the Head of the Third, began a Succession of Kings in a Different Province, which Third therefore, was not Successive to, but Collateral with, the Second; and accordingly, their several Founders were about the same Number of Descents from Hoam ti, as they appear to have been by their Respective Genealogies. But what is here chiefly Remarkable, is, That if the Chinese Annals be thus adjusted, the Length of the Reigns and the Lives of their Monarchs, will very exactly agree, with the Duration of the Lives of Men, in the same Ages recorded in the Sacred Scripture. You may at your Liesure compare the Tables. And this is a principal Character, whereby pretended Antiquities are distinguished from genuine.³¹

There are no considerable Difficulties in this Period.

It appears from the plain Words of Moses, [Gen. 11.32. with, 12.1 — 4.] confirmed by those of Stephen; [Act. 7.4.] That Abraham was born, when his Father Terah was 130 Years of Age. We read indeed; Gen. 11.26. Terah lived Seventy Years, and begat Abraham, Nahor and Haran. But the Priority of Abrahams Name, does not imply, that he was the Eldest Son; as it is plain, that Shem was not the Eldest Son of Noah, tho' he be First mentioned.