617. That 'Noah beget three sons' means that three classes of doctrine arose out of this is clear from all that comes before it about names meaning nothing other than Churches, or what amounts to the same, systems of doctrine. The same applies here also. But here they are named purely for the sake of the sequence or connection with the details that precede. The connection is that the Lord foresaw that it would be possible for someone of this mental constitution to have charity conferred on him, but that nevertheless three classes of doctrine would be born of it. These doctrinal systems will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on where Shem, Ham, and Japheth are the subject.