ferocious beasts tamed or subdued by the art of man, and brought into habits of obedience to the commands of their keeper; we see a striking display of the power, goodness, and faithfulness of God.

In addition to the original grant of herbs and fruits for the service of man, the animals also are given him for food; yet with an express prohibition of the use of blood, a prohibition which was never cancelled, but which was rather enforced upon Christians by the decree of the apostles, and which many persons consider to be still in force. Others allege, that the exception was rather of a ceremonial kind, and is therefore done away, and that there is now no difference of meats. However this may be, the prohibition shews us that God regards the life even of his inferior creatures, and gives us a hint against cruelty towards them. We cannot wantonly take away the life of any creature, or in any way torment it, without sinning against Him who gave it life, and who takes pleasure in the happiness of every living thing. Perhaps also blood was forbidden in as much as it typified, the great Atonement, and therefore should not in any case be trifled with. An especial charge is also given respecting human blood, on which a high value is set, in consideration of man having been created in the image of God, and endued with rational and immortal powers. It is emphatically required that wilful murder should in all cases be punished with death; and to impress the greater horror of destroying man's life, it was

njoined that even a beast which killed a man should be put to death.

Having given these precepts, God graciously entered into a covenant with Noah and his posterity. A covenant is sometimes an agreement between two parties, each binding himself to perform certain stipulated conditions; but sometimes it is an absolute promise of one party, binding himself freely to bestow some benefit on the other, which before he was at liberty to withhold. Such is the nature of God's covenant with Noah, wherein he promised that the world should no more be destroyed by a flood of water. The heart of man was still evil; and it was probable that the world would become as provoking as it had been before; and there was no reason why God should not again pour down upon it a flood of vengeance; but, from his own self-moving goodness, the Divine Being was pleased to resolve that he would not do so. Still he might in his own purpose have exempted the world from this calamity, and yet not have told them that he would do so. The remembrance of the flood might then have been as a sword of terror hanging over their heads, and every gathering cloud would have awakened fearful apprehensions of approaching desolation and universal ruin. But a gracious God was pleased to set their minds at rest on that score, and therefore promised, and confirmed his promise with a seal, that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth.

As to the rainbow, the appointed sign, token, or pledge of the divine faithfulness, as it arises from the concurrence of natural causes, it is probable that it had existed from the beginning, but it was not till now employed with this special design. Perhaps for God is very gracious to his people, not only in giving them exceedingly great and precious promises, but in giving them just at the time of need-perhaps some dark cloud just then appeared, at which Noah cast an anxious eye. This discouragement and anxiety could not escape the notice of his God, who caused the sun to burst forth, and paint on the threatening cloud the lively colours of the bow; and pointing the attention of his servant to it, made it henceforth the token or pledge of fulfilment of his own gracious promise.

It is perhaps scarcely necessary to inform our young friends, that the expression, "I will look upon the bow, that I may remember,” &c. is not intended to intimate that the Divine Being can be either forgetful or unfaithful, but is used after the manner of men, and in condescension to our weakness and infirmity. God needs no remembrances to engage his faithfulness, but man needs them to encourage his faith; and Noah doubtless often looked upon this with gratitude for the divine condescension, and with cheerful reliance upon the divine faithfulness.

It is now above four thousand years since this promise was made and attested; and it has never yet been forfeited. Not one year has passed in which

summer and winter, seed-time and harvest, have failed; and however threatening the appearance of the weather, we may still, every time we see the rainbow on the cloud, look upward, and gather assurance that it never shall fail--as a modern poet has elegantly expressed it, (addressing himself to the rainbow,-)

"As fresh in yon horizon dark,

As bright thy beauties seem,
As when the eagle from the ark
First sported in thy beam.

"For faithful to its sacred page,

Heaven still rebuilds thy span;
Nor lets the type grow pale with age,
That first spoke peace to man.'

In like manner God deals with us in his Son. Being willing that the heirs of promise should have strong consolation, he has confirmed his promise with an oath, and made his covenant with Noah and the earth, a pledge of his nobler covenant with Jesus, and all believers in him. This covenant is the Christian's support in his sharpest, deepest troubles when sorrows threaten to overwhelm him, he may look upward and see the blessed bow of mercy, the pledge of the covenant that secures to him rich support under all his trials, and a safe passage to a better world,

"Where tempests never beat, nor billows roar."

We recommend our young friends to refer to the following passages, Isa. xliii. 1, 2, 3. xlvi. 4. xlix. 13 to 17. liv. 7, 10. John xvi. 33. Heb. xiii. 5. Rev. iv. 3. and may they be inclined and enabled to seek and find an interest in the exceeding great and precious promises of that covenant which is well ordered in all things, and sure; which comprehends the interests of eternity; and which is to the believer, amidst the storms and sorrows of earth and time, all his salvation and all his desire.

2. The Residence of Noah and his Family after the Flood.-Noah's Prediction. Gen. ix. 18-29.

The sacred narrative is very concise; hence, though it is explicit on subjects which come within its immediate design, on many others, concerning which we are apt to indulge an innocent curiosity, it is either totally silent, or only throws out such incidental hints as may serve to stimulate and direct our diligent inquiries.

At the point of history now before us, we naturally ask, where was the residence of Noah and his family after the flood? It is a subject that has long excited the conjectures and employed the research of biblical critics; but complete certainty on the subject has not been attained.

It has already been suggested, that Ararat, on which the ark rested, was not one of the mountains of Armenia, but one of the ridge of Caucasus; and