Imatges de pàgina
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at liberty to use them for our food; "even as the green herb have I given you all things." Let us endeavour therefore to be thankful for God's abundant gifts. Let us out of thankfulness impart them, as far as lies in our power, to them that want.

Noah, and his sons, and their children after them, were forbidden to eat "flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof," or in other words, the flesh of animals so slain as that the blood remained in the flesh. And this prohibition is repeated and solemnly enforced in the law of Moses. And the reason there assigned is this, that blood was appointed to make atonement on the altar. See Lev. 17. 11. It signified beforehand the blood of Christ shed once for all for sin. And another reason for not eating the blood of animals is suggested by the connexion of this command with the warning which follows against shedding the blood of man. Familiarity with the one might be apt to

harden men to endure the notion of the other.

And so sacred is

the image of God, so precious the life of man, and the blood on which his life depends, that even if a brute animal should slay a man it must be put to death. Much more if man knowingly and purposely lifts up his hand against his brother's life, much more must he surely die. How much then have they to answer for who promote wanton wars! How much have they need to repent of and amend, who live with a settled purpose in their minds that on the slightest provocation they would be ready, at the call of this world's honour, to fight even unto death!

God, when He would establish his covenant with Noah and his seed after him, and with every living creature that was with him, gives him the rainbow for a token to assure him, that what He promised that He would perform. His promise is, that He will not again destroy the earth, and his creatures on it, by a flood. This purpose of mercy He had before formed and uttered. Here He makes it matter of covenant. He reveals the promise, binds Himself in the most solemn manner to keep it; and gives us a sign to assure us of his keeping it. If this was needful to support mankind against the terrors of a flood, how much more did we need the like assurance against the power of satan and of sin! How much more precious unto us ought to be the tokens of the covenant which God has been pleased to make with us in the Gospel, that He will forgive our sins for Christ's sake, and give us grace, and receive us into heaven! Outwardly we have baptism and the Lord's supper. Inwardly we have the testimony of the Spirit. Let the bow in the cloud, whilst it certifies that "the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh" also remind us of those other tokens which assure us of life eternal. For thus saith the Lord by the prophet to his church; "as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." Is. 54. 9.

Noah prophesieth of his sons; dieth.

18 And the sons of Noah, and their faces were backward, that went forth of the ark, were and they saw not their father's Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: nakedness. and Ham is the father of Ca

naan.

19 These are the three sons of Noah and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard :

21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father;

24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

LECTURE 20.

The fulfilment of Noah's prophecy.

We are repeatedly reminded of our being all brethren; and this is the lesson which we have now to learn, from considering that the whole earth was overspread by the issue of the three sons of Noah. We are continually impressed with our liability to transgress. And of this we have an instance in Noah drunken and naked in his tent, and much more in Ham exposing his father's nakedness. Some indeed have thought that Noah was not aware of the effect of wine. But it was probably as well known before the flood as after it. We must not fear to own, that one of God's most faithful servants was for once overtaken in sin. Rather "let him that thinketh he standeth," hence take warning "lest he fall." 1 Cor. 10. 12. And some can see no harm in Ham's seeing his father naked, or in his telling his brethren what he saw. But there can be little doubt that he reported this sad sight, not with concern, but scorn. And the conduct of Shem and Japheth shews, that they in the same circumstances, and no better taught than Ham, knew both what it would be wrong to see, and what it was right to do. Let the curse which fell on Ham, in his son Canaan, remind us how great is the sin of those, who take pleasure in exposing the infirmities and offences of

their spiritual fathers, the ministers of the Gospel. Let the blessings pronounced on Shem and Japheth incline us, in all our judgments of each other, to practise that charity which is able to cover "a multitude of sins." James 5. 20.

Noah awake is at once sober. Shame, compunction, and penitence, restore him to his senses, and replace him through grace in communion with God. His curse denounced against Canaan the son of Ham, and his blessings bestowed on Shem and Japheth are not only a curse and blessings; they are signal prophecies, which have been fulfilled in all successive generations of mankind, even until the present time. Canaan and his children, and all the posterity of Ham, have been in the situation of servants to their brethren. They have formed a portion of mankind inferior in strength, in understanding, in moral attainments. And being usually also inferior in war, they have been in many instances according to one of the savage customs of war, made slaves by their conquerors. Shem has been blessed in having Jehovah for his God, being the father of the Israelites, God's chosen people, yea the father of Abraham and of David, and through them also of Mary the mother of our Lord. And Canaan was most signally made his servant, in the subjugation of the Canaanites by the Israelites, by the express command and guidance and help of God. Whilst Japheth has not only been enlarged, by having his descendants spread far and wide throughout the earth, and encroaching on the possessions of their brethren; but especially has he dwelt in the tents of Shem, by the Gentiles, descendants of Japheth, succeeding, on the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews, to the place of God's chosen people. And Canaan has been his servant also. Yea, not only has this been true in all the quarters of the world known of old; but also when new Indies were discovered, and when Japheth was once more enlarged by God, his children took out with them for their bondslaves the posterity of Canaan and of Ham. So thoroughly does God foresee all things from the beginning, and reveal them so clearly by his servants the prophets! So entirely does He order and controul all the acts of all the children of men, for the fulfilment of his word, and for the manifestation of his glory!

"And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died." This is the longest life recorded, except that of Methuselah. Long as it was, it must needs end in death. He that survived the flood could not escape the grave. Whether we live long, or die early, let us but live like Noah a life of faith and obedience, and then no life will be too long to be profitable, no death too soon to be welcome.

The generations of the sons of Noah.

1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.

7 And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtechah: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan.

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 Out of that land went forth Asshur,and builded Nineveh,and the city Rehoboth, and Calah,

12 And Resen between Nineveh and Calah: the same is a great city.

13 And Mizraim begat Ludim, and Anamim, and Leha

bim, and Naphtuhim,

14 And Pathrusim, and Casluhim, (out of whom came Philistim,) and Caphtorim.

15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, 16 And the Jebusite, and the Amorite, and the Girgasite, 17 And the Hivite, and the Arkite, and the Sinite,

18 And the Arvadite, and the Zemarite, and the Hamathite : and afterward were the families of the Canaanites spread abroad.

19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations.

21 Unto Shem also, the father of all the children of Eber, the brother of Japheth the elder, even to him were children born.

22 The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

23 And the children of Aram; Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash.

24 And Arphaxad begat Salah; and Salah begat Eber.

25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

26 And Joktan begat Almodad, and Sheleph, and Hazarmaveth, and Jerah,

27 And Hadoram, and Uzal, and Diklah,

28 And Obal, and Abimael, after their families, after their and Sheba, tongues, in their lands, after their nations.

29 And Ophir, and Havilah, and Jobab: all these were the sons of Joktan.

30 And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest, unto Sephar a mount of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem,

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

LECTURE 21.

The sovereignty of God among the nations.

In this chapter we have it exactly described how the earth was overspread by the posterity of the sons of Noah; an account set forth by Moses at a time when the division of the earth had not long taken place, and when the several names of persons and of countries, here mentioned, must have been well known whether true or false. And this account so much more ancient than any other now existing, so much more credible in itself than any other ever heard of, and so certainly verified by all remaining monuments of antiquity, will appear to be well worthy of a place in holy Scripture, when we consider how much light it sheds on prophecy, how much help it gives us in understanding the sovereignty of the Lord over all the nations of the earth. Here we see in what countries the sons of Shem and Ham and Japheth settled many generations after the prophecy of their father; yet so as exactly to fulfil every word of it. Here we see the foundation of the first of four great empires, afterwards described in prophecy by Daniel, as most intimately connected with the church of God. Here we observe how Canaan's children in particular, remained exactly in that part of Asia, which was afterwards the appointed settlement of some of Shem's posterity, as if on purpose to be to them servants of servants. See ch. 9. 25. And here when Shem's descendants are recounted, it is mentioned that Japheth was the elder brother; by way of shewing us that God when He thought fit, did away with the privileges of birthright, and chose his people, and brought his only begotten Son into the world, in the family not of the elder brother Japheth, but of the second Shem. Shall we not then, on reviewing the whole account, agree, that whilst "one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh," Ecc. I. 4, yet "the word of God" "abideth for ever"? 1 Pet. 1. 23. And if amongst all the nations, now dwelling on the face of the whole earth, we are apt to suppose that no one is more eminent than our own in this world's prosperity, or more privileged in the possession of spiritual advantages, shall we not be inclined to use our power, for communicating to all our brethren as much as possible of the same peace and plenty, the same security of person and property, and above all the same hope of a blessed immortality, as we have freely received ourselves?

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