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most famous.

Which was the The most honoured of these Shem, from whom the Jews, and the promised Messiah, descended.

was

dishonoured.

Which the most The most DISHONOURED was Ham on whom Noah pronounced a curse, saying, "A servant of servants shall Ham be unto his brethren."

Why this curse

was denounced.

This curse was denounced against Ham, for insulting his father and exposing him to shame, when overcome by wine.

was fulfilled.

How the curse It was fulfilled in the Canaanites, Egyptians, and Africans, all of the posterity of Ham.

(1.) The CANAANITES dwelt in the land of Canaan, which, 800 years afterwards, was taken from them by Joshua, and given to the Hebrews, the descendants of Shem;

(2.) The EGYPTIANS were subjected to ten plagues to punish them for oppressing the Hebrews; and

(3.) The AFRICANS are to the present hour in bondage to the descendants of Japheth.

How long Noah NOAH lived after the flood

lived afterwards.

350 years, and died at the extreme age of 950 (B.c. 1994.)

The three oldest men that ever lived wereMethuselah, who lived 969 years; Jared, who lived 962 years; and Noah, who lived 950 years. Next to these was Adam, who lived 930 years.

PROOFS of the UNIVERSALITY of the DELUGE. Moose-deer, natives of America, have been found buried in Ireland; elephants, natives of Asia and Africa, in the midst of England; crocodiles, natives of the Nile, in the heart of Germany; and shell-fish, never known in any but the American seas, with entire skeletons of whales, in the most inland counties of England.

SUPPLEMENT FOR SENIOR PUPILS.

THE RELIGION OF NOAH,

Religion of Noah.

The RELIGION of NOAH after the flood was nearly the same as that of Adam after the fall.

The difference.

The DIFFERENCE was merely the addition of these two clauses: Murder was to be punished with death; and Blood was forbidden to be eaten.

This is called the Noachic dispensation. It is probable that animal food was not eaten by man before the flood. So at least the following words of Jehovah to Noah seem to imply : Every

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moving thing that liveth shall (henceforth) be meat for you, even as (heretofore) the green herb." (Gen. ix. 2, 3.)

THE HISTORY OF NOAH TYPIFIES THAT OF CHRIST:

(1.) Both were "just men, perfect in their generations, and walked with God;"

(2.) The flood (according to St. Peter) was a type of baptism; (1 Peter iii. 21, 22.)

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(3.) The ark was a type of Jesus Christ, our hiding place from the storm, and covert from the tempest" of God's wrath against sin;

(4.) The dove which announced to Noah the abatement of the flood, was a type of the Holy Spirit which assures the sinner" there is with God through Jesus Christ."

peace

(5.) The rainbow, which told Noah of a reconciled God, foreshadowed the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, the sign which God has given us of his being reconciled, and his ratification of the covenant of grace.

A.M. 1757.]

PERIOD II.

CHAPTER I.

THE DISPERSION OF MAN.

B.C. 2247.

GENESIS XI.

ants migrated.

Where Noah's descend- The descendants of Noah migrated from Armēnia westward, and settled at Shínar, between the rivers Tigris and Euphratés.

Their employment.

Here they employed themselves in building a city, and an immense tower, whose top "should reach to heaven."

this tower.

The object of The object of this tower was: (1) To immortalize the builders; and (2) To prevent their being "scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."

D 2

Probably other inducements had some influence in this work. It might be that they meant the tower to afford them refuge in case of another deluge. It might be that the tower was designed as a temple to the Sun for drying up the flood. The intention of forming a universal kingdom, seems, however, that which was most displeasing to God; they resolved they would not be scattered, and God at once confounded and scattered them. Every attempt at forming a universal kingdom from that time to this, has in like measure been frustrated. Witness Assyria, Chaldæa, Persia, Macedonia, Rome, and France. Only one kingdom, the kingdom of Christ, is to be universal.

frustrated.

This object, how GOD frustrated the scheme by making the people speak diverse languages, so that they could not understand each other.

duced thereby.

The effect pro- The effect of this confusion of tongues was to make the people separate into nations, and spread themselves over the earth.

was called.

What the tower The TOWER which they were building was ever after called the tower of Babel or Confusion.

St. Jerome affirms, from the testimony of eyewitnesses, that the tower of Babel was 4 miles high; Oriental writers say it was as much as 12

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