Begin with Japheth. Amongst his sons we meet with three well-known names, all connected by Ezekiel (xxxviii.) with the north; viz., Mesech, Tubal, and Togarmah, leading us to suppose that his descendants most probably spread along the North of Europe and Asia; and in Genesis x. 5 it is added, “By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations”—an expression invariably used for Europe, and all countries approached from central Asia by sea. Now, curiously enough, that very district, Europe and Northern Asia, is regarded by the men of science as the head-quarters of those whom they call the Aryans. As for Shem, there is no difficulty in ascertaining his head-quarters, for Abraham was his lineal descendant; and we know that from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates was the country given him by God. That country, therefore, was his starting-point; and accordingly men of science tell us that Western Asia, including Palestine and the adjacent countries, must have been the home of the great Semitic family. Again, therefore, there is the closest possible agreement between ancient history and modern discovery. The case of Ham is not so perfectly clear. According to the book of Genesis he appears, if we understand the names, to have spread in two directions—eastward towards Southern Asia, and also south-west to Gaza, the gateway to Africa. Though Africa is not mentioned in that passage it is clear that the descendants of Ham spread over the isthmus of Suez into that continent; for in Psalm cv. 23, 27, Egypt is actually called “the land of Ham.” And now once more I turn to the men of science, and I find that these very districts are thought by them to be the ancient homes of those they call Turanians. Now, let it be well understood, I do not say that these outlines are never crossed, and that the races are not found in many cases to be intermixed. But what I do say is, that in their great local outlines the arrangements of the men of science correspond, in a very remarkable manner, with the arrangements which we gather from all that we can learn from the Scripture history. Once more then modern discovery bears its testimony to Scriptural accuracy, and we welcome the men of science as unanswerable “witnesses” to historical truth. II. THE PROPHECY. Thus far we have not gone beyond the _historical_ truth of the Pentateuch; but now let us turn to the _prophecy_,—that most remarkable prophecy of Noah, in which he foreshadowed the future destiny of the great families. Let us consider the three prophecies in the order in which they stand.