faithful an hiftorian, that he records the failings and imperfections of the most venerable patriarchs, as well as their merits and virtues. Noah in this condition lay uncovered within his tent: and Ham the father of Canaan faw the nakedness of his father; and inftead of concealing his weakness, as a good-natured man or at leaft a dutiful fon would have done, he cruelly expofed it to bis two brethren without. But Shem and Japheth, more compaffionate to the infirmities of their aged father, took a garment, and went backward with fuch decency and respect, that they faw not the nakedness of their father at the same time that they covered it. When Noah awoke from his wine, he was informed of what his younger fon had done unto him. The (1) word in the original fignifies his little fon and fome (2) commentators therefore, on account of what follows, have imagined that Canaan joined with his father Ham in this mockery and infult upon Noah; and the (3) Jewish rabbins have a tradition, that Canaan was the first who faw Noah in this posture, and then went and called his father Ham, and concurred with him in ridiculing and expofing the old man. But this is a very arbitrary method of interpretation; no mention was made before of Canaan and of what he had done, but only of Ham the father of Canaan and of him therefore must the phrase of little fon or youngest fon be naturally and neceffarily understood. In confequence of this different behavior of his three fons, Noah as a patriarch was inlightened, and as the father of a family who is to reward or punith his children was impowered, to foretel the different fortunes of their families for this prophecy relates not so much to themselves, as to their pofterity, the people and nations defcended from them. He was not prompted by wine or refentment; for neither the one nor the other could infuse the knowlege of futurity, or infpire him with the prescience of events, which happened hundreds, nay thousands of years afterwards. But God, willing to manifeft his fuperintendence and government of the world, indued Noah with the fpirit of prophecy, and enabled him in fome measure to difclofe the purposes of his providence (4) The reader may fee this point proved at large in the very ingenious and learned Mr. Archdeacon Lowth's poetical Prælections dence towards the future race of mankind. At the fame time it was fome comfort and reward to Shem and Japheth, for their reverence and tenderness to their father, to hear of the blessing and inlargement of their pofterity; and it was fome mortification and punishment to Ham, for his mockery and cruelty to his father, to hear of the malediction and fervitude of some of his children, and that as he was a wicked fon himself, so a wicked race should spring from him. This then was Noah's prophecy: and it was delivered, as (4) most of the ancient prophecies were delivered, in metre for the help of the memory. (Gen. IX. 25, 26, 27.) Curfed be Canaan ; A fervant of fervants fhall he be unto his brethren. God fhall inlarge Japheth, And fhall dwell in the tents of Shem, Canaan was the fourth fon of Ham according to the order wherein they are mentioned in the enfuing Prælections (particularly Præ- the Hebrew language, and of lect. 18.) &c. a work that merits the clergy efpecially. the attention of all who ftudy (5) Noah enfuing chapter. And for what reason can you believe that Canaan was fo particularly marked out for the curfe? for his father Ham's tranfgreffion? But where would be the justice or equity to pass by Ham himself with the rest of his children, and to punish only Canaan for what Ham had committed? Such arbitrary proceedings are contrary to all our ideas of the divine perfections; and we may fay in this cafe what was faid in another, (Gen. XVIII. 25.) Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? The curfe was so far from being pronounced upon Canaan for his father Ham's tranfgreffion, that we do not read that it was pronounced for his own, nor was it executed till feveral hundred years after his death. The truth is, the curfe is to be understood not fo properly of Canaan, as of his defcendents to the latest generations. It is thinking meanly of the ancient prophecies of scripture, and having very imperfect, very unworthy conceptions of them, to limit their intention to particular perfons. In this view the ancient prophets would be really what the Deifts think them, little better than common fortune-tellers; and their prophecies would hardly be worth remembring or recording, especially in fo concife and compendious a history as that of Mofes. We must affix a larger larger meaning to them, and understand them not of fingle perfons, but of whole na-. tions; and thereby a nobler scene of things, and a more extensive prospect will be opened to us of the divine difpenfations. The curfe of fervitude pronounced upon Canaan, and fo likewife the promise of bleffing and inlargement made to Shem and Japheth, are by no means to be confined to their own persons, but extend to their whole race; as afterwards the prophecies concerning Ifhmael, and thofe concerning Efau and Jacob, and those relating to the twelve patriarchs, were not so properly verifo fied in themselves as in their posterity, and thither we must look for their full and perfect completion. The curfe therefore upon Cas naan was properly a curfe upon the Canaanites. God foreseeing the wickedness of this people (which began in their father Ham, and greatly increased in this branch of his family) commiffioned Noah to pronounce a curfe upon them, and to devote them to the fervitude and mifery, which their more than common vices and iniquities would deferve. And this account was plainly written by Mofes, for the encouragement of the Ifraelites, to fupport and animate them in their expedition against a people, who by their fins had forfeited the divine protection, and |