Year: 1866

look at Its commercial Importance aud
value; 50 is it with this declaration Of
Inspiration concerning the Patriarch
Noah. in that little word drunken lies
the key which unlocks the whole of the
following melancholy recital aud supposed
prophetic doom uttered by bis lips. On
that word hinges the inspiration or the
noninspiration of the sentence pronounced
by him against his own flesh and blood
recorded in the succeeding verses and
which we shall shortly consider. Bear
10 your mind, therefore, that the Scrip
lures says he drank wine and was
ctfu'akepa,' and in this condition, not only
of drunkenness, but of nudity-for the
text says, he was uncorered in his tent
he was found by Ham, his second son.
Ham seeing his father in such disgrace
ful condition, did what wise son posi-
bly, ought not to have done but what
nine. Of the human family would
have done similarly situated-went and
told his two brothers, Shem and Jephet,
of it. These two having a greater sense
of the shame and disgrace brought alike
upon them, as upon their father by his
sinful conduct, took garment aad throw
ing it on both of their shoulders, went
backwards so that they might not be
spectators of their parents shame, and by
! that means concealed him from the gaze
, of earth, though not of Heaven. After
this was done, Noah, awaking out of his
sleep--a sleep which no mind of compre-
hension could cali repose-discovered,
through some agency not mentioned in
the record, that his younger son had been
the cause of his being covered. Instead
of repenting of what he had himself done
in the presence of the watchful eye of his
Maker, he utters dire and protentious
curse; curse, terrible In its effects if
words could produce :hem, and blasting
in hopes if vengence and malignant re-
venge could secure it success, but one that
was hurled at the head of the innocent,
but not the guilty. Here agaiu comes
little thing-but Of immense Importance
when the verdict of Noah's conduct has
to be brought in-and that is, it was not
Ham that was cursed, but Hams young-
est SOD. Common sense, reason, justice,
everything goes to prove that this was
wrong upon wrong, yea, sin upon sin, to
condemn the innocent and let the guilty
go free 1t was Ham, not Canaan that
went and told his brethren of his fathers
exposure and Ham deserved the punish>
ment, if punishment was necessary, and
not the fourth child Of the criminal. How
would justice be outraged and right de-
throned, if in our own day we were to
witness Judge condemn the youngest
son of a murderer to die for the crime Of
1 his father, and the blood~stained wretch
be released to pile crime upon crinei
veriIy the universal judgment pronounc-
ed against cuch judge woulu be that he
suffer the penalty of his wisdom in his
own person. So must reason and justice
Judge of this curse of Noah's. Why is
it that the spirit who inspired the record
of Scripture is so careful in declaring that
| Noah was drunken and that, that condi


tion was caused by his own action aud
free will, unless it be to show to US that
great though he was and highly favor~
ed his position in the presence of his
God, that he became, in a sense, second
Adam in SO far as replenishing the earth
with his -sinned sinned and dis
bleased his Maker and Preserver. And
/ if it is sin to become lower than the
brute-and where is the one who is so de


PRAYED as to deny it-can the smiles of
a gracious God be spread like garment
to cover the sin ? Never The very
angels of heaven were cast down from
their giddy pinnacles of glory for sin,
and if they felt the froWns of offended
Justice-they who were immeasurabiy
above the mortals of earth in point of
holiness and purity-how can the Al
man NpIthnr