Wesley Corpus

Chapter IX In this chapter is, The covenant of providence settled with Noah and his sons, ver. 1 - 11. In this covenant, God promiseth them to take care of their lives; so that, They should replenish the earth, ver. 1 - 7. They should be safe from the insults of the brute creatures, which should stand in awe of them, ver. 2. They should be allowed to eat flesh for the support of their lives, only they must not eat blood, ver. 3, 4. The world should never be drowned again, ver. 8 - 11. God requires of them to take care of one another's lives, and of their own, ver. 5, 6. The seal of that covenant, viz. the rainbow, ver. 12 - 17. A particular passage concerning Noah and his sons, which occasioned some prophecies that related to after - times. Noah's sin and shame, ver. 20 - 21. Ham's impudence and impiety, ver. 22. The pious modesty of Shem and Japheth, ver. 23. The curse of Canaan and the blessing of Shem and Japheth, ver. 24 - 27. The age and death of Noah, ver. 28, 29. And God blessed Noah and his sons - He assured them of his good - will to them, and his gracious intentions concerning them. The first blessing is here renewed, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and repeated, Ge 9:7; for the race of mankind was as it were to begin again. By virtue of this blessing mankind was to be both multiplied and perpetuated upon earth; so that in a little time all the habitable parts of the earth should be more or less inhabited; and tho' one generation should pass away, yet another generation should come, so that the stream of the human race should be supplied with a constant succession, and run parallel with the current of time, 'till both be swallowed up in the ocean of eternity. He grants them power over the inferior creatures. He grants, 1. A title to them; into your hands they are delivered - For your use and benefit. 2.