Blair Collection > History of the Celtic language

30 HISTORY OF THE
riddle is solved. Gomer spoke the Celtic. If Go-
mer, why not his father Japhet ? if Japhet, why not
his father Noah ? if Noah, who was an ante-diluvian
wherj the whole land spoke one language, why not
Methuselah who was for six hundred years his
contemporary ? and if Methuselah, why not Adam,
who, again, was Methuselah's contemporary, and,
for ought we know, his bosom friend for the space
of two hundred and forty-eight years ? It is not
yet time to submit that n^tr, spt, the thing con-
founded at Babel was not n^inij dbrim, words, or
language, but religious sentiment, confession, bap-
tism, creed. The text is, (Gen. xi.) — And the
whole land was of one dbn'm* (words, sayings,)
and one spt, (sept, faith, priesthood). Now,
does it say in the sequel, that both these things
were confounded? No; spt alone, i.e. the sept, pro-
phecy, faith, or priesthood, according to inspiration,
was confounded. But in justice to ourselves, as
well as in deference to the feelings of the timid
reader, we submit, even at this stage, that the thing
confounded is the identical thing rendered in Ge-
nesis xviii. 25, judge ; " Shall not the Judge of all
the earth do right." In Leviticus xix. 15, Judgment;
" Ye shall do no unrighteousness m judgment." In
Judges iii. 10, judged; " And he judged Israel."' In
* The Celtic scholar will at once identify this root with
abir, to say, to speak, b, r, being radicals.