CHAPTER H. 387 could be naturally no rainbow, for it was made by the sun beams shining upon falling rain. 9. Q. Whowere Noah's three sons ? A. Shetn, Ham and Japhet ; and they were the fathers of all mankind after the flood ; Gen. ix. 18, 19, and x: 32. 10. Who were the offspring or posterityof Shem ? A. The Persians who came from Elam their father, the Syrians front Aram, the Hebrews from Eber, as is supposed, and particularly the Jews, with other inhabitants of Asia ; Gen. x. 21. 11. Whowere the posterity of Ham ? A. The Canaanites, the Philistines, and others in Asia, and the Egyptians, withother inhabitants of Africa ; Gen. x. 6-20. 12. Q. Who were the posterity of Japhet ? A. Gomer supposed to be the father of the Germans, Javan of the Greeks, Meshecb of the Muscovites, and outer families that dwelt in Europe ; Gen. x. 2. 13. Q. Wherein did Ham the father of the Canaanites do amiss ? A. He saw his father Noah naked, and made sport with him, and he was cursed under the naine of his,sou Canaan ; Gen. ix. 21,25. Note, It is probable that Canaan joinedwith his father Ham, in the mockery of his grandfather Noah ; and therefore he was cursed r And besides this gave early notice to the Iseaelites, that the Canaanites, whose land God gave them to possess, were a people' under an ancient curse. 14. Q. What did Shem .and Japhet do on this occasion? A. They covered their father with a garment, andconcealedhis shame and were blessed ; Gen. ix. 23, 26, 27. 15. Q. Did mankind freely divide themselves after the flood into several nations ? A. No ; but being all of one lan- guage, they agreed rather to build a chief city with a tower, that all men might be joined in one nation or kingdom ; Gen. xi. 4. 16. Q. How did God scatter them abroad into different na- tions ; A. By making them speak diffi rent languages, and then they ceased 'to build their tower, which was called Babylon.or confusion : Gen. xi. 7 -9. 17.- Q. Did God preserve the true religion in any of their families ? A. It is supposed to have been chiefly preserved in the familyof Shem, for God is called the Lord God of Slim ; Gen. ix. 26. Note, Though the knowledge of the true God and religion were chiefly preserved in the family of Shem, yet it is evident that some branches of Horn's family, and problaiti% of Japhet's too, preserved it for sonic hundreds of veers ; for Mrlchisedeck, .a king of the Canaanites in Abraham's time, was a priest of the most high God, and Abimelech, a king of the Philistines, feared God, and had a sense of religion, and both these are derived from Ilan.
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