Noah's Faith

HEBREWS 11:7. By Faith, Noah being warned of God of the things which were as yet not seen, moved with reverence, prepared the Ark to the saving of his household: through the which Ark he condemned the world, and was made heir of the righteousness, which is by faith.

In this verse is contained the third example, and the last in order of those who lived before the flood, in the first and old world; namely, of the renowned Patriarch Noah, the tenth from Adam.

Of whom and whose faith, great & glorious things are spoken in this verse; and that in a high and excellent style, full of majesty, and divine eloquence.

Concerning Noah's faith, two points are laid down; first, the ground of his faith: secondly, the commendation of it.

The ground of his faith was a special revelation from God, in these words; Noah being warned of God. The things revealed, whereof God warned him, are laid down two ways: first, generally, to be things as yet not seen; then particularly three in number.

1. God's Judgement upon the sinful world, that he was purposed to destroy it by water.

2. God's mercy on Noah, that he would save him, and his family.

3. That he would save him by an Ark, and therefore he must make one. And these be the things whereof Noah was warned of God.

His faith is commended by three worthy effects or operations in him:

1. It moved in him a reverence, or a reverent regard of the warning sent him from God.

2. It made him prepare the Ark: of which Ark there are set down two ends.

- 1. It saved his household. - 2. It condemned the world.

3. It made him heir of the righteousness, which is by faith.

This, I take it, is the true resolution of these words: and they contain many excellent things concerning his faith.

By faith Noah being warned of God, of the things which were as yet not seen:

By faith, that is, by a general and historical Faith, and also by a true and saving faith in the Messiah to come, Noah (being warned of God of the just Judgement he purposed to bring upon the world, by an universal flood; and of his merciful providence, to him and his family, that he would save them by an Ark (all which things were then to come, and therefore unseen) he believed these forewarnings of God: and therefore, in reverence to this message from God, he prepared the Ark, and thereby saved his household, and condemned the wicked world. And so his faith by all these appearing to be a true and lively faith, did make him a just and righteous man in God's sight. This is the sum and substance of Noah's example: let us speak of the several parts in order.

The first point is the Ground of his faith, A warning or an answer from God. For, he being a righteous man in that wicked age, wherein all the world weltered in wickedness, and walking before God in great holiness, when no man cared for religion, he had this special favour from God, that when he purposed to destroy the world for their sin, he first of all revealed to righteous Noah that purpose of his. So that these words have reference to the revelation which Noah had from God, in the sixth of Genesis. For, this message came not from God by any Prophet (for we know none in those evil days, except Noah himself) but either by the Ministry of an Angel, or else by immediate revelation from God himself: and this favour he received from God, not for any cause in the world, but because he was a holy and righteous man.

From hence, we may learn divers excellent instructions.

First, whereas God maketh choice of Noah, to reveal unto him his counsel, and his judgements to come; we learn that this is a prerogative which God bestoweth on such as fear him, he revealeth his counsels to them in a special manner, whether they be purposes of Judgements upon his enemies, or of mercies unto his Church. Thus dealt he with Abraham, Genesis 18:19. Shall I (saith God) hide from Abraham the thing that I will do? which thing was, the destruction of Sodom, and her sisters. And so when the Sodomites lived in wanton carelessness, and put far from them the evil day, then Abraham knew from God their destruction was at hand. And as in that, for is it generally true in all his great works: that the Lord God will do nothing, but he reveals his secrets to his servants the Prophets. Amos 3:7. Now this is not a prerogative of Prophets alone, or of such as were extraordinary men as Abraham was: but the secrets of the Lord are amongst such as fear him, Psalm 25:14. All that fear the holy name of God; are God's friends, and of his Counsel: and therefore not Abraham only is called the friend of God, James 2:23: But of all true believers, saith Christ, John 15:14-15; You are my friends, If you do what I command you: henceforth I call you not servants, but friends, for the servant knoweth not what his Master does. but all things that I have heard of my Father, have I made known unto you. As if he had said, I will communicate and impart my secrets unto you, as one friend does unto another, as far as shall be fit for you to know. And the Apostle saith, 1 Corinthians 2:15. A faithful and a holy man discerneth into the deep counsels of God; which are revealed unto them as much as concerns their salvations, and sometimes more; as here, unto Noah, who was forewarned of God, of things then not seen.

This prerogative of God's children, is to be understood with some cautions.

First, that this is more proper to Prophets, and holy Ministers of God, than to ordinary Christians.

Secondly, that it was more ordinary in the old testament, than now in the days of the Gospel. If any object, Then the state of the Church before Christ, was better than it is now under Christ;

I answer: Not so; for first, we are recompensed by having the Scriptures perfect, and complete, which they had not: and by having the substance of their shadows, and the performance of their promises: in which respects our state is far more excellent than theirs. And secondly, for this particular, I answer, they indeed had more ordinary revelation of matters personal and private, and not directly touching salvation: but of such things as are general, and do necessarily concern salvation; we in the time of the new Testament, have more evident demonstration, and more full revelation, than they had before Christ. For example, particular mercies to some faithful men, or particular judgements on God's enemies, whether particular men or whole kingdoms, were after revealed to godly men, in those days (as here to Noah): but salvation by the Messiah, and the manner how the Messiah should save his Church, is more fully and plainly revealed now than in those days.

Out of which consideration ariseth the third caution: which is, that revelations of God's will, to be expected now under the Gospel, are ordinarily nothing else, but these; the true meaning of Scripture, & a discerning of true Scripture from forged, of true Sacraments from supposed, of true doctrine from false, of true Pastors from false Prophets. These & such like, as far forth as they are necessary to salvation, all true and faithful believers (which out of an humbled heart, by devout prayer do seek it at God's hand) are sure to have revealed unto them from God. But as for other purposes of God, of personal and particular matters, or what shall be his blessings, or what his judgements to these and these men, families, cities, or kingdoms; or when, or how he will change States, or translate kingdoms: Or by what extraordinary means he will have his Gospel propagated, or a declining Church or State upholden; these we are not to expect, nor easily to believe any that shall say, such things are revealed unto them. And yet we tie not the Lord in such strait bonds, but that he may sometime extraordinarily reveal his purpose therein, to some his selected servants: yet provided, that that revelation be examined and allowed of the Church. But as for such things as concern immediately the salvation of our souls, God's spirit doth most comfortably reveal them unto us, in our prayers, in his word, and in his Sacraments: of all which, it is most true, that the secrets of God are amongst them that fear him.

The use of this doctrine is double; for instruction, and for exhortation. For our instruction, here we learn how to answer the Church of Rome: they ask us, how do we know true religion from erroneous; or true Scripture, or Sacraments from forged? We answer, first, by itself, by sight and sense of the excellency thereof; as we know gold from brass, or silver from lead. But what if the brass or tin be gilded over? I then answer secondly, we can know gold from brass, and silver from tin by the sound and smell, and hardness to endure, and by the operation: so there is a spiritual sound of the Scriptures in the ears of a Christian, a spiritual comfort and taste in true religion, a spiritual operation (in holy men's hearts) of the true Sacraments. But what if false Prophets come in sheep's clothing, and by lying wonders, seem to give the same sound, taste, smell, virtue, and operation unto their forgeries, or at least challenge it, and say, that theirs is true? I answer lastly; Then we know true Religion, true Scripture, true Sacraments, true Prophets, true Doctrines from false, by a holy and supernatural revelation from God's spirit; which, by evident and powerful demonstration, assureth us, what is true and what is false, for the substance of salvation. And this spirit is given to all, that in true humility do seek it, in holy prayer, and in a holy and frequent use of God's word and Sacraments; and to none else. And surely if the Papists were as well acquainted with the spirit of God, as they are with their own forged revelations, they would never deny it. By force of this testimony a Christian man knoweth, as assuredly as that God is God, that the Pope, as now he is, and as he exercises his place and power, cannot be the true Vicar of Christ; And that Popery, as it is now established by the Council of Trent, and taught by the most learned of their side, cannot be the true religion, nor the safest way to heaven. And when question is, what is the meaning of this place, there is one God and one Mediator betwixt God and man, the man Christ Jesus; If all the world should say the contrary, a Christian man will know and believe there are no more Mediators to God but Christ: or of that place, that Christ was offered for our sins once for all; that there is no sacrifice can purchase us pardon, but his; let Papists colour the matter by unsound distinctions as much as they can: & the same might be showed in divers other points and places. And if any ask how this can be: I answer; Noah was warned of God of things not seen: So God's children are warned and assured of God, of such things as concern their salvation, though they be things beyond sense and reason, God's secrets do belong unto them.

The use of exhortation is, that if God warns his children of his Will, & reveals his secrets to them, this should move and excite us to become truly and indeed God's servants: for we serve not a Lord that is strange and austere unto us; that will not give us a good look, or a fair word: nay, he is so far from that, that he calls us to his holy Counsel, and makes us know his secrets, and communicates his own self unto us by his blessed Spirit; and by that Spirit reveals unto us many excellent mysteries of salvation, which the carnal and profane men of the world never dream of.

In the second place: let us observe, that Noah being thus warned of God in this particular matter (as he had been formerly warned & taught of salvation by a Messiah to come) believes not only the general promise of salvation, but also this particular promise of his preservation and deliverance. Out of which his practice, we may learn two things;

First, that faith is a supernatural work of God in those men's hearts that have it. That it is a work of God, it appears in that it always acknowledges and believes God's word: that it is supernatural, it appears in that it apprehends and believes whatsoever God's word delivers, be it never so incredible to reason or sense. But how does God work this faith? By his word: for as God is the author and worker of faith, so God has appointed a means whereby he works it, and that is his Word; which word of God is the only ordinary outward means to work faith. And that word of God is two ways to be considered: either as revealed by God himself (as to Noah here); or else, being written by God, is either preached by his Ministers, or read by a man's self in want of preaching: and these are all one, and are all means ordained of God to work faith; and that not only to begin it where it is wanting, but to augment it where it is begun.

Which being so, it must teach us all, not only with special care and reverence to hear the word, by whomsoever it is preached; but also to hear it read: yea, to read it ourselves with all diligence. So doing, it will work out, and make perfect in us that holy faith, which will make us blessed in ourselves, and accepted of God, as it did Noah in this place.

Secondly, here we learn what is the whole Object of faith, or what is all that that faith believes: namely, nothing but God's word, and all and every word of God. So that faith has two objects, differing not in nature, but in degree, principal and inferior. The principal object of true faith, is the promise of salvation by Christ. The inferior object thereof, are all other particular promises, of safety, deliverance, providence, help, assistance, comfort, or what other benefit soever is made either to the whole Church, and so inclusively to any particular man; or which are personally made unto him. For, saving faith believes not only the grand promise of salvation, but all other promises either of spiritual or corporal blessings, which are subordinate to the great Promise, and do depend of it, and are therefore apprehended by the same faith. So, Noah here had already apprehended the main Promise of salvation by the Messiah, and had hid it in his heart: and afterward when this particular promise of his deliverance was made, by the same faith he laid hold on it also. And it is good reason that faith should do so: for if it apprehend the greater promise, then no marvel though it take hold of all other inferior promises, which are but dependences upon the principal.

By this that has been said, it appears, that we are wrongfully charged by them, who say, we teach that saving faith believes only salvation by Christ, or apprehends only the promise of salvation in Christ: for, we say and teach, It apprehends also other particular promises, and even the promises of outward and temporal blessings; as appears in this example of Noah.

Lastly, in that Noah a faithful man, is here warned of God of the dangers ensuing, that so he may avoid them; we may learn the loving care that God has over them, who have a care to fear and serve him. Thus dealt he with his children in all ages, for their comfort and preservation, to encourage all men to serve God in truth and uprightness, as here Noah did: for, so doing, they may assure themselves of God's care and providence over them, even then, when his wrath smokes against the sins of the world: and that furthermore in all exigents and extremities, he will teach them, either from his word, or by the counsel of some others of his children, or else by his own secret inspiration, what they are to do, and what course to take, for their safety and deliverance.

How often shall a Christian man find in the course of his life, that God put into his mind, to answer thus or thus, or to foresee this or that; by which his so doing, he escaped some great danger: so that (though not in the same manner as Noah was) all faithful men do daily find, that they are warned by God of such things as do concern them.

But what were those things whereof Noah was warned from God? The text says: Of the things which were as yet not seen.

This has not relation to the time, when the holy Ghost wrote these words, but when God gave the warning to Noah; for then they were not seen, but were to come: for they were not performed for many years after, as shall appear in the particulars.

Particularly they were these three: First, the great and just wrath, which God had conceived against the sinful world, for the universal corruption and general sinfulness thereof. Noah was a Preacher of righteousness to that wicked age; and as Saint Peter says (First Epistle 3:11) The very spirit of Christ preached in him: but they contemned both him, and the spirit by which he spoke, and made a mock of him, and all his holy admonitions, and solaced themselves in all their sinful pleasures, without fear or respect of God or man, pleasing themselves in their own defiled ways, and promising to themselves, safety and security. But behold, This Noah, whom they esteemed a base and contemptible man, unworthy of their company; to him is revealed, how short their time is, and that they must be cut off in the midst of their jollity. God's children, whom wicked men do think and speak of with great contempt, do know full well the miserable state of such men, and the fearful dangers hanging over them; when the wicked men themselves are far from thinking of any such matter.

The second thing, which God revealed to Noah, was, that he would save him and his family from perishing by the waters, which he would bring upon the world. His faith was not in vain: God rewarded it with a singular preservation. Thus dealt he always with his children; delivering Lot out of Sodom, Genesis 19. Rahab out of Jericho: Joshua 6:22. The Kenites from the Amalekites, 1 Samuel 15. And here Noah out of that general destruction. And this, God aforehand reveals unto him, for his greater comfort and security: that when signs and strange tokens did foretell and show, that still the destruction was nearer and nearer; still Noah might comfort himself in the assurance of that merciful promise which God had made him of his deliverance, and of his family also for his sake.

The third thing revealed to him, was the means whereby he should be saved from the universal flood: namely, by an Ark, which for his more assurance he is bid to make himself; that so at every stroke he gave, he might remember this merciful promise of his God unto him. For as every stroke in the making of the Ark, was a loud sounding Sermon unto that sinful generation, to call them to repentance: so was it also an assurance unto Noah of his deliverance. Of which Ark, and of Noah's obedience in making it, we shall hereafter speak at large. And thus much concerning the ground of Noah's faith, which was a warning or revelation from God.

Now follows a second point: namely, the commendation of his faith, or a description of the excellency thereof, by diverse and singular effects; Moved with reverence,

The first effect of his faith is, It moved in him a reverence, or a reverent fear of that God that spoke to him, and of his justice towards sin and sinners, and of his mercy towards him.

In this effect we are to consider two points: 1. The ground of this reverence. 2. The occasions or motives of it.

The ground whence this reverence sprang, was his true and saving faith: for the holy Ghost first tells us of Noah's faith, and afterwards of this reverent fear he had of God, and his great works.

Where we learn, that whosoever is endued with saving faith, is also touched with fear and reverence at the consideration of God, and his glorious works; whether they be works of his power, his wisdom, his mercy, or his justice, or of all together.

For the first: David could not see the works of God's power in the creation, Psalm 8. But when he looked up and beheld the heavens, the works of God's hands, the moon and the stars which he had ordained; he forthwith fell into a reverence and admiration of God's mercy to man, for whom and whose use he made them all.

For the second, the same David could not enter into consideration of God's wisdom, in the admirable frame of man's body, Psalm 139:13 etc. but he presently falls into a reverence and admiration thereof in most excellent and passionate words: Thou possessest my reins, thou coveredst me in my mother's womb: I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well: My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, yet thy eyes did see my substance when I was without form, and in thy book were all my members written, which in continuance were fashioned, though there were none of them before. How dear therefore are thy counsels to me, O God! Thus we see how this holy King, cannot content himself with any terms, to express his religious and reverent conceit of God's Majesty.

For the third, God's merciful works to his Church and children, have always been considered of by good men with great reverence: And, What shall I give unto the Lord, says David, for all his benefits poured on me? (Psalm 116:12.)

But especially, the Judgments of God have been always entertained of God's children with much reverence and admiration. Blessed David says, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments, Psalm 119:120. How would this noble King have trembled and been afraid, if he had been a private man? And how glorious is God, and his works of judgments, whereat even Kings themselves do tremble? And the Prophet Habakkuk says, that when he but heard of God's judgments to come, his belly trembled, his lips shook, rottenness entered into his bones, Habakkuk 3:16. And thus Noah here, hearing of God's just wrath against the sinful world, and of his purpose to overthrow all living flesh by water, was moved with great fear and reverence at this mighty work of God: and from the view of this his great and just judgment, his faith made him arise to a more earnest consideration of the Majesty of God. By all which, it is more than apparent, that true faith (wheresoever it is) works a holy fear and reverent estimation of God, and of his works, and of God in and by his works: whereby on the contrary side, it follows, that therefore to think basely or ordinarily of God, to think scornfully of his works, or to deny his power and his hand, in the great works, either of mercy or judgment done in the world, is an argument of a profane heart, and wanting true faith.

The use of this doctrine discovers the profaneness, and the great want of faith that ordinarily is in the world. And that appears by two evidences: the first, is to men's own consciences; the other, is to the view and sight of all the world.

First, men may see in themselves a profane heart, and void of faith, by this evidence. For, does a man in his heart think basely of God, his power, his justice, or his mercies? Does he either doubt of them? or granting them, does he think of them without fear and amazement? Then assuredly his heart is void of true faith, and far from the life and power of religion. For, assuredly, where God is known and believed, there that man's heart (though he be a King) cannot once think of God, without a reverence of his Majesty, and an admiration at his greatness, and his own baseness: therefore the want of this, argues a want of true religion and true faith, in men's hearts.

Secondly, this profaneness discovers itself to the world, by want of reverence to God's works. Let the Lord send unseasonable weather, or famines, or plagues, or any strange signs in heaven or in earth; forthwith they are but fools that cry out, Behold the finger of God, the hand of God: No, this is nature, and is produced by natural causes. Ill weather comes from the stars: famines from ill weather, and men's covetousness: Plagues from famines, or from ill airs, or else by apparent infection from another place. But cannot Nature and natural means have their place, unless they have God's place? God overthrows not them: why should they overthrow God? Yet thus it is in the world, and thus God is robbed of his glory: and he is but a simple fellow, which is moved with reverence at sight of such things, or begins to magnify God's power and justice in them. This is too apparent to be denied: for, have we not now as great causes of fear as can be? Noah heard of water; and we hear that fire is to destroy the world: and yet where is he that is moved with reverence, as Noah was? and yet Noah could say, The flood shall not be, these 120 years: but who can say and prove that this world shall not be destroyed by fire within these 120 years? And till the flood came, they had doubtless many other plagues, which were forerunners of the general destruction; all which as they came, Moved Noah unto reverence: and so we, in this age, do see the great works of God's Judgments, upon men, upon families, upon towns, upon countries, and whole kingdoms, and we feel his heavy hand in many sharp strokes; but who and where are they whose hearts fear God the more, and do tremble in the consideration of his Judgments. Nay, alas, amongst many it is but a matter of mockery so to do. This is not the fault of our religion, but the want of it: for if men truly knew and believed in God, they could not think nor speak of God, nor look at his works, but with fear and reverence. For as our fear of God is, so is our faith: little fear of God, little faith: and no fear at all, no faith at all. Let therefore all men show their religion by their fear of God, and let every Christian acknowledge God in his works. England has been faulty herein in one point especially. We have had great plagues, which have taken away many thousands in short time; wherein God has showed himself mighty against our sins: But God's hand would not be seen nor acknowledged, but only nature and natural causes. But let England take heed, that God send not a plague so general and so grievous, that even the most profane men, even the sorcerers of Egypt (if they were here) do acknowledge that it is the finger of God; and so give God that due reverence, which in his ordinary visitations he has not. Thus we see the ground whence this reverence in Noah sprang; namely, his faith.

Now let us see the occasions or considerations in Noah's heart, that made him fear. The ground whereupon he feared, was true faith; for else he had not been capable of any fear or reverence of God: but the occasions which stirred up this fear in him, were some things else.

Now if we look to human reasons, Noah had no cause at all to fear as he did. For first, the Judgment was far off; 120 years after: and common reason says, it's folly to fear anything so far off; but it's time enough to fear, when it is near at hand. Again, he was one single man, and the world was full of wise and mighty men: they all heard of it, yet none of them feared; therefore their example might prevail with him, to keep him from fear, and to make him secure and careless with the rest: for examples are strong, especially when they are so general.

Thirdly, the strangeness of the Judgment threatened, was such, as might drive any man (in reason) from fearing it at all. For first, who would ever believe, that God would drown all the world with water? such a thing never had been, and therefore how could it be? And again, If all should be drowned, who would think that Noah should escape, and none but he?

These three considerations, being weighed in the balance of man's reason, would have kept Noah from fearing, or believing this word of God. But, behold the power of faith: it goes beyond all human reach, fixes itself fast on God's word: and therefore he not only believes it, but has furthermore his heart possessed with a great reverence of God's Majesty upon this message. And there were three motives stirring him up unto this Reverence.

First, the consideration of God's strange Judgment upon the sinful world; to see that his wrath was so provoked, that he should bring so unwonted a plague: so strange both for the nature of it; a flood of water to drown men: whereas generally all men can avoid the violence of that element; and for the measure of it, so great, as it should drown all the world, and destroy all men.

Now, that which this Judgment of God wrought in Noah, the same effect should God's Judgments work in us; namely, they should move us with reverence. For, as Christ says, Our days are like Noah's: As it was in the days of Noah; so shall the days be before the coming of Christ (Matthew 24.37). These days are as wicked, men are as covetous, as cruel, as malicious, as voluptuous, and yet as secure, as they then were; as full of sin, and yet as dead in sin as they were then. Therefore Noah looked for a flood 120 years after: and who can tell whether our world shall last so long a time or no? At least we may safely say (whatsoever the world does) there is no man lives, but within far less time than 120 years, is assured to be thrown to hell by a flood of God's wrath at his death, unless in the mean time he repent: and yet alas where is he that is moved with reverence at consideration hereof? The wicked man may escape the water of a flood: but he cannot escape the fire of hell, he cannot escape death, he cannot escape the last Judgment. These are to come, yet they are sure: why then do not men fear as Noah did? he feared, 120 years before it came. We can indeed tremble a little at a present Judgment: as, when fire breaks out, when waters overflow, when the plague destroys, or when famine consumes: but to tremble at a Judgment threatened, though it be afar off, this is the work of true faith. This was in Noah, and wrought in him a reverence: and so would it in us, if it were in us. When men cry fire, fire; we stir, we run, we tremble: but God cries in his word, the fire of hell, the fire of his wrath; and we care not, we stir not, we leave not our sins, we are not moved with reverence, as Noah was: therefore it is more than manifest, that holy faith is wanting in the world, which Noah had.

The second motive, stirring up this reverence in him, was the consideration of God's wonderful mercy to him and his family, in saving them. This mercy seemed so wonderful to him, both for that he knew it was undeserved (knowing himself a sinful man, and therefore not able to merit God's favor, and being privy to himself of his own manifold imperfections) and also unexpected, for he never thought to have been spared alone in an universal destruction: therefore he wondered with reverence at so great a mercy. Thus God's mercies do not only win a man's heart to love God, but even to fear him with much reverence: this David proves (Psalm 130.4) There is mercy with thee, O Lord, that thou mayest be feared: as though he had said; thy great mercies to thy children, O Lord, do make them conceive a reverent estimation of thee. This made David cry out in a holy passion: How excellent are thy mercies, O Lord! Psalm.

And as God's children wonder at the excellencies of God's mercies unto them, so also at their own baseness and unworthiness. Thus does holy David, 2 Samuel 7.18. (who as he was a man of much faith, so was he full of excellent meditations, and reverent speeches of God, which are the true effects of faith) when God had set him in his kingdom, he says, Who am I, O Lord, and what is my house that thou hast brought me hither? And 1 Chronicles 29.14. But who am I, says he, and what is my people, that we should offer thus unto the Lord? And doubtless even so said Noah's blessed soul often unto the Lord, and to itself, Who am I, O Lord, and what is my family, that we should be chosen out of so many thousands, and be saved when all the world perishes?

Let us apply this to our Church and State. If any Nation have cause to say thus, it is England. God has delivered us out of the thraldom of spiritual Egypt, and led us out: not by a Moses, but first by a child, then by a woman, and given us his Gospel, more fully, and freely, and quietly, than any kingdom so great in the world; and still delivers us from the cursed plots of the Pope, and tyrannous invasions of the Spaniard, who thought to have marked us in the foreheads with the brand of infamy, and to have done to us as they have done to other nations whom they have conquered: but God from heaven fought for us, and overthrew them in their own devices: yea, the Lord put his hook in his nostrils, and his bridle in his lips, and carried him back again with shame and reproach. We are unworthy of such a mercy, if our souls do not often say unto God: O Lord what are we, and what is our people, that thou shouldst be so wonderful in thy mercies unto us?

And particularly this must teach every Christian to be a careful observer of the favors and mercies that God vouchsafes to his soul or body, to him or his: and the consideration of them, must make him daily be moved with reverence, and reverent thoughts of God's Majesty; and still as the Lord is more and more merciful unto him, to bear still the more fear and reverence unto him for the same.

The last motive of this Reverence in Noah, was, the consideration of God's power and wisdom, both in the Judgment upon the world, and in the mercy upon him: for first, in the Judgment it was wonderful, that God would choose so weak an element as water to destroy and vanquish the huge Giants of those days: but therein appeared first God's power, that by so weak means can cast down his enemies: And again, his wisdom; that as an universal wickedness had polluted the whole world, so a flood of water should wash the whole world. Secondly, the mercy was also wonderful, that God should choose to save Noah by so strange a means; as an Ark, which should swim on the waters. For Noah thought, if the Lord will save me, he will either take me up into heaven (as he did Enoch a little before) or else make me build a house upon the top of the highest mountain. But, the Lord will save him by no such means, but by an Ark: wherein appeared, first God's power that would save him by so weak a means, as might seem rather to destroy him. For Noah must lie and swim in the midst of the waters, and yet be saved from the waters: and the Ark must save him; which, in all reason, if the Tempests had cast it against the hard rocks and mountains, or upon the strong Castles and houses of the mighty Giants, would have been broken in pieces: and so it had, but that God himself was the Master and Pilot in that voyage.

And secondly, God's wisdom shone clearly in this means; because God would have him saved not in such sort, as the world might not see it (as it would have been, if he had been taken up into heaven, or into the air): but would have him saved in an Ark; that so all the wicked men, as they were a dying in the water, or expecting death upon the tops of the hills, might see him live, and be saved, to their more torment, and to their greater shame, who would not believe God's word, as he did. For, as the wicked in hell are more tormented to see the godly in the joys of heaven: so doubtless were the wicked of that age, to see Noah saved before their eyes. The view of this power and wisdom of God herein, made Noah give great reverence to God's Majesty.

And no less ought it to work in the hearts of all true hearted Englishmen, and faithful Christians. For, did not the Lord restore and establish the Gospel to our nation, by a child and by a woman; and in her time when all other Princes were against her (contrary to the rules of policy)? And did not God in our late deliverance, overthrow our enemies, not so much by the power of man, as by his own hand? Did not he fight from heaven? Did not the stars and the winds in their courses fight against that Sisera of Spain? Let us therefore with blessed Noah stand amazed to see God's mercies, and with reverence and fear magnify his great and glorious name.

And thus we have the three motives that moved in Noah this Reverence of God: the consideration first of his great Judgment on the sinful world: 2. Of his great mercy in saving him: 3. Of his admirable power and wisdom, showed both in the Judgment and the mercy.

Hitherto of the first effect. It follows; Prepared the Ark.

The second effect of Noah's faith, whereby it is commended, is, that he upon a commandment received from God (as we heard before) does make and build an Ark, wherein to save himself and his family. Concerning this Ark, much might be spoken out of the book of Genesis: but it is not to our purpose: which is no more in this Chapter, but to show the obedience and practice of faith, and therein the excellency of it. Now the point here to be spoken of, is not the matter, nor the measure, nor the proportion, nor the fashion, nor the uses of the Ark; all which in the sixth Chapter of Genesis, are fully described: but the action and obedience of Noah in preparing it, as God bade him: whereof the Holy Ghost (in Genesis 6.22.) says, Noah did according to all that God had commanded him, even so did he.

Now in this action of Noah's faith, divers points of great moment are to be considered.

First, why did God bid Noah make an Ark, 120 years before the flood, when he might have built it in three or four years?

The answer is, God did so for divers causes: some respecting the sinful world, as that they might have longer time, and more warnings to repent; every stroke of the Ark, during these 120 years, being a loud Sermon of repentance unto them. Again, that they might be without excuse, if they amended not: and lastly, that their iniquities might be full, and their sins ripe for vengeance. But of all these, we will not speak, because they concern not Noah, of whose faith we are only to speak: let us therefore touch only those causes which concern Noah. And in regard of him, the Lord did thus, that he might try his faith and patience, and exercise other graces of holiness in him. Thus God dealeth with his servants always: he exerciseth them many and strange ways in this world. He led the Israelites in the deserts of Arabia forty years; whereas a man may travel from Rameses in Egypt to any part of Canaan in forty days: and this God did to humble them, and try them, and to know what was in their heart (Deuteronomy 8.2.)

God promised Abraham a son, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed (Genesis 12.3): But he performed it not of 30 years after (Genesis 21.2). He gave David the kingdom of Israel, and anointed him by Samuel, 1 Samuel 16.13. But he attained it not of many years after; and in the mean time, was persecuted and hunted by Saul, as a flea in a man's bosom, or as a Partridge in the mountains, 1 Samuel 24.15. and 26.20. And thus God exercised him both in that and other his promises: as he saith, Psalm 40.1. In waiting I waited on the Lord: and Psalm 119.82, Mine eyes fail for waiting for thy promise! O when wilt thou comfort me? Thus God dealt with them, and thus in some measure he dealeth with all his children, to humble and to try them, and to know what is in their hearts; for that, in these cases, men do always show themselves, and their dispositions. When men enjoy all things at their will and wish; who cannot make a fair profession? But where men are long deferred, and kept from that is promised and they expect, and are so long crossed in their expectations, then they appear in their own colors.

And as God dealt with them, so will he one way or other do with us: if we be his servants, he will at some time of our life or other, lay some such affliction upon us, as may try us, and our faith, and our patience, and our humility. For if we be hypocrites, and have no true graces, but only a show; this will discover it: and if we have true and sound faith, and patience; this will make them shine like orient pearls in their true and perfect beauty.

Secondly, as God bade Noah build an Ark so long time before any need of it; so he did, without denying or gainsaying. So says the story (in Genesis): He did according to all that God commanded him. And thus the Holy Ghost says here, He being warned of God, by faith prepared the Ark: Where we learn, That where true faith is, there follows true obedience to every commandment of God: insomuch as a godly believing man no sooner hears any duty to be commanded of God, but he thinks his soul and conscience is tied to obedience: and this is the nature of true faith. And it is as impossible to be otherwise, as it is for fire having fuel not to burn. Acts 15.9. Faith purifies the heart; namely, from careless disobedience to God's word: for if from any corruption at all, then from it especially, because it is most contrary to the pureness of true faith.

This being so, shows us, not any fault in our religion (as the Papists slander us) but the want of our religion, and the want of true faith in the world: for there is almost no obedience to God's commandments. For first, Turks and Jews acknowledge not the Scriptures: and the Papists have set aside God's commandments to set up their own. And few Protestants have the feeling of the power of true religion, and nothing indeed but a bare profession: but it must be a feeling of the power of it, which produces due obedience. And alas, we see men obey not God's commandments. God saith, Swear not by my name vainly, keep my Sabbath. Where is there a man of many that feareth to break these? Alas, there are more mockers of such as would keep them, than careful and conscionable keepers of them. How truly said Christ, When the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? It is likely, therefore, these be the days, wherein we may wait for the coming of Christ: for the general want of obedience, shows the general want of faith.

But this obedience of Noah is better to be considered of: for it was very excellent and extraordinary; there being many hindrances that might have stopped him in the course of his obedience, and have persuaded him never to have gone about the making of the Ark.

As first, the great quantity of the Ark, amounting to many thousands cubits; a work of huge labor and great charge.

Again, the length of his labor, to last 120 years. It is a tedious thing, and troublesome to man's nature, to be ever in doing, and never to have done.

Thirdly, the building of it was a matter of much mockery to the world: for, it signified; 1. the destroying of the whole world: 2. the saving of him and his. These things were taunted at by the worldly wise men of that sinful age, and he was loudly laughed at by many a man, to think all the world should perish; but much more, if all perished, to imagine that he and his should be delivered.

Lastly, the building of the Ark was a harsh thing to nature, and natural reason, in many respects: for,

First, that all the world should be destroyed, seemed not possible to be, because it never had been.

Secondly, it seemed not likely that God's mercy should be so wholly swallowed up of his justice.

Thirdly, they must live in the Ark, as in a close prison, without comfort of light or fresh air, and amongst beasts of all sorts, and that for a long time, he knew not how long. Now reason would tell him, he had better die with men, than live with beasts; and better die a free man and at liberty, than live a prisoner; and better die with company, than live alone: And that if God had purposed to save him, he could have used other means, and more easy, more direct, and more safe than this; that therefore his deliverance was to be doubted of. And lastly, reason would say: I may make myself a gazing and mocking stock to the world for 120 years; and it may be then God's purpose will be altered, and no flood will come: or if it come, and I go into the Ark, and it chance to break against the mountains, so that I perish with the rest, then am I worst of all, who perish notwithstanding all my labor; therefore I had better let it alone, and take my venture with the rest of the world.

These, doubtless, and many such natural considerations came into his mind, and stood up as so many impediments of his faith. But, behold the power of true faith, in the heart of a holy man: It overgoes all doubts, it breaks through all difficulties, to obey the will and word of God. Yea, it gives a man wings, with which to fly over all carnal objections. Thus we see it here in Noah, and afterward shall as clearly see it in Abraham, and other holy men.

The use of this doctrine discovers the weakness of many men's faith: for if the doctrine of the Gospel go current with our natural affections, or seem plausible to our natures, we do formally obey it. But if it cross our affections, or go beyond our reason, or control our natural dispositions, then we spurn against it, we call it into question, we are offended at it, and deny our obedience. Here wants the faith of Noah, which carried him beyond the compass of nature, and reach of reason, and made him believe and do that which neither nature could allow, nor reason like of, and which would be displeasing to his natural affections. Let us therefore learn to practice true faith, by believing forthwith what God shall say unto us, without asking advice, or hearing the objections of flesh and blood. God threatened in times past the overthrow of the great Monarchies of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, Grecians, Romans: reason did make doubts how it could be, but faith believed it, and it is done. God in later times threatened the fall of Abbeys, and dispersing of Monks, for their wickedness. It seemed impossible to reason: yet faith in some believed it, and it came to pass.

God now threateneth the ruin of Babylon, and the full revelation of Antichrist, and the overthrow of the new found Hierarchy of the Jesuits, which glitter so in worldly glory, and in outward strength: this seems hard to bring to pass; but let faith believe it, for it is God's word, and shall be fulfilled in his season. God hath said, that our bodies shall rise again, even these bodies which are burned to ashes, or eaten of beasts, or fishes, or turned to dust in the earth. This is a wonder to nature, an amazement to reason: but faith will believe it, and shall find it true, for God hath said it.

God says, Christ is in the Sacrament truly and really present to the soul of a Christian. Carnal senses deny this, and natural reason knows not how, but ask with the Capernaites, How can he give us his flesh to eat? But faith believes it, and knows how; though to outward sense it cannot be expressed. And it was a holy and divine speech used by holy Martyrs, who being asked how Christ could be eaten in the Sacrament, and not with the teeth, answered; My faith knows how. God says, Wicked men though they flourish never so, are miserable; and good men are blessed above all other. Reason and worldly experience say this is false: but true faith believes it, and finds it true; for never did any child of God desire to change his estate with the mightiest or wealthiest wicked man in the world. God says, He that will follow Christ, must deny himself, and his own desires, and follow Christ, in bitterness and affliction. Nature says, This is a hard lesson: who can bear it? But faith believes it, yields to it, and endeavors the practice of it, because God has so commanded. Such is the power and excellency of true faith.

Fourthly and lastly, out of this action and obedience of Noah, mark a special lesson. God had revealed to him, that he would save him and his family, and assured him he should not perish. Yet for all this, he makes an Ark: whereupon it follows, that Noah, though he knew God would save him, yet was persuaded he must use the means, or else should not be saved. He might have said to himself, God has said, and bound himself by covenant, he will save me; now if I make not the Ark, yet his word is his word, and he will stand to it. His will cannot be altered: though I be false he will be true; though I do not that I should do, yet he will do what belongs to him: therefore I will spare my labor and cost of making the Ark; especially seeing it is a matter of so much mockery, and so ridiculous to reason. But Noah is of another mind: he will not sever God's word from his means, he depends on God's word for his safety, but not on his bare word without the means.

Whence we learn, that though a man be certain of his salvation, yet he is to use the means of salvation: and that not only, though he be certain in the certainty of faith, but though he could be assured, from God himself by immediate revelation. For, if God should say to a man by his name, you shall be saved; It is no more, than here was said to Noah for his deliverance. For to him said God, I will destroy all flesh: but with you I will make my covenant, and you shall be delivered: yet, for all that, Noah judges, that if he use not the means, if he make not an Ark, he is to look for no deliverance: this was Noah's divinity;

Contrary both to the divinity and practice of some in this age: who say, If I shall be saved, I may live as I list: and though I live as I list, yet if in the end I can say, Lord have mercy on me, I am safe enough. But Noah would not trust his body on such conditions, though they be so presumptuous as to trust their souls. Let such men be assured, God in his decree has tied the end and the means together. Let not therefore man separate what God has joined together: he that does, let him look for no more salvation if he use not the means, than Noah would have done for safety, if he had made no Ark. And thus we see the second effect of his faith. It follows; To the saving of his household.

Now this second effect of preparing, is further enlarged by a particular enumeration of the Ends or purposes, why the Ark was made; namely, both of God's commandment, and his obedience in making it.

- 1. By it he saved his household. - 2. Hereby he condemned the world.

The first end which both God had in commanding, and Noah in making the Ark, was the saving of his household: that is, himself, and all that belonged to him; which were his wife, his three sons, and their wives, Genesis 7:7.

But first of all, it may seem wonderful, how this Ark should save him and his household in this general destruction. For it was a great and huge vessel resembling a ship: yet so far unlike, as it is rather called an Ark. It must float above the water, it must be laden with a heavy burden; and yet without Anchor to stay her, without mast to poise her, without stern to guide and move her, without Master to govern her. For Noah was partly a husbandman, and partly a Preacher: and though he had much learning, yet the use of sailing was not then found out: and therefore in all reason this Ark would be carried on hills and rocks, by the violence of the Tempests, and so slit in pieces. Yet, for all this, it saved him, even when heaven and earth seemed to run together (so vehement was the rain) even then it saved him and his. How came this to pass? Even because God's providence and his hand was with it: He was the Master, and the Steersman. For as God himself shut the door of the Ark upon him, when he was in, and made it fast after him, that no water might enter (which was impossible for Noah himself to have done) Genesis 7:16: So doubtless the same God that had vouchsafed to be his Porter, was also his keeper and preserver, and the Master of the Ark during that voyage. And from hence came it to pass, that the Ark saved him: which otherwise in reason it could never have done.

Here we learn, first, the special and extraordinary presence, and providence of God over his children in great distresses and extremities. His providence is over all his works, for he forgets nothing that he made: but the special eye of his providence watches over his children; as a Master of a family has an eye over his meanest servants, yea over his very cattle: but his care night and day is for his children. And as God overlooks all his children always: so principally his providence shows itself, when they are in the deepest dangers, or in the greatest want of natural helps. When Daniel was cast into the Lions' den, God was there with him, and shut their mouths, Daniel 6:22. When the three children were cast into the fiery furnace, God was with them, and took away the natural force from the fire: Daniel 3:27. When the Israelites were to pass through the sea, or else die (a hard shift) God was with them, and made the sea give place to his children, and stand like two walls on either side them, Exodus 14:22. When they were to wander through the wide wilderness, through so many dangers and discomforts as Deserts do afford, Christ was with them, and waited upon them with his continual comfort and assistance, Corinthians 10:4. And so when Noah was to go into the Ark, and (being in) must have the door shut, and closed upon him; his case pitiful. For, do it himself he could not; it both being so big, that Elephants and Camels must enter in at it: and though he could have pulled it to; yet being within, he could never have sufficiently closed it from the water: Nor would any other of that wicked world do it for him: they did not owe him so much love or service, but rather mocked him, and laughed at him: as first, for making the Ark; so now for entering in, when he knew not how to have it closed. How should he do? himself could not, others would not. God himself with his own hand shut it for him. And after, when he was in, and was in danger to be thrown upon the rocks, and to be split in pieces on the hills, and had no Anchor, no stern, no Pilot, no Master; God himself was with him, and was all in all unto him. The eye of his love, and the hand of his power was over him, and so the Ark saved him and his household. Such is the providence of God over his, when they are in the deepest distresses, and most destitute of all worldly comforts.

The use of this doctrine ministers comfort unto God's children: who as they are sure of strange calamities to fall upon them; so are they sure also of a special care of God over them, even in their greatest extremities. And this may God's children (who serve him in the true obedience of faith) ever assure themselves of, that the Lord does never forget, nor forsake them in any of their troubles: but will be ever ready with his merciful hand, to defend them from dangers, to provide for them in necessities, and to comfort them in distresses, when they know not in the world how to do. Elisha had an army of men sent against him, to take him: How should one man escape from a whole army? His man cried, Alas Master how shall we do? He answered his man, and bade him, Fear not, there were more for him than against him; that is, more Angels (though they were unseen) for him, than there were men in the Army against him. And so when no man would shut the door for Noah, there were Angels enough ready sent from God to do it for him: and when all wicked men wished he might perish with the Ark he had made, and assured themselves he would perish, having no such helps as ships require; then the holy Angels, or rather God himself, supplied all such wants unto him: and so when themselves perished, they saw him and his household saved by that Ark. And no less care has God over his Church and children to this day. And though he works not visible miracles for them, yet they feel and find that he is oftentimes mighty, and wonderful in preserving them, in providing for them, in assisting them, and in comforting them, when else without that providence of his, they know they had miscarried.

Again, whereas God himself vouchsafes in Noah's danger, to be the Master and Pilot of this Ark, that so it may save him and his household; we learn the antiquity and dignity of the trade of Mariners, Sailors, and Masters of ships. The antiquity: For we see it is as old as Noah, as old as this second world, even 4000 years old. The dignity is great; for God himself was both the first author, and the first practicer of it. The author and first deviser: For Noah made not this Ark of his own head, but (as we heard before) he was warned of God to do it. And he was the first practicer; for God himself performed all those services unto Noah in the Ark: else it had never saved him.

This being so, It is the more grief to see that worthy calling so abused, and debased as it is; the most of them that practice it being profane, ungodly and dissolute men. Such men should remember, God made the first ship, and God was the first Master, and the first Mariner, the first Pilot, the first governor of a ship: and they should labor to be like him. This is one of those few callings, which may say, God himself was the first deviser and practicer of it. All callings cannot say so: why then should they so far forget whom they succeed? Indeed upon the seas and in distresses, they will make some profession of religion: but let them come ashore; what swearing, what whoring, what drunkenness amongst them? But let them be afraid to be so profane, which hold the place, which once God himself held: or else let them know they are unworthy of so good a calling.

And thus we see the reason, and the means how the Ark could save him and his household; namely, because God did govern it.

In the next place, observe the end and use of the Ark. It was to save this holy man and his household. Learn here that God's servants in common calamities have safety: For, God himself gives them security, and provides deliverance. Thus was it ever. When God proceeds in judgment against Jerusalem, for the sins thereof: he marks the godly in their foreheads; namely, such as mourn and cry for the abominations which are done against God, Ezekiel 9:4.

When Sodom must be destroyed, righteous Lot and his family, must be drawn out; nay, the Angel can do nothing till he be safe, Genesis 19:16, 22. When the destroying Angel went over the land of Egypt, and destroyed the firstborn in every house of the Egyptians (the Israelites dwelling amongst them) he passed over all the Israelites, whose doors were sprinkled with the blood of the Paschal Lamb, Exodus 12:13: And even so he whose heart and soul is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ the Lamb of God, no calamity can do him hurt; nay, when others are smitten he shall be delivered.

The use of this doctrine is to our Church and State: We have by God's mercy long enjoyed Peace and the Gospel; and both, under a gracious government: and with these, many other blessings. Yet speak truth, and the sins of our times call for a flood, as in Noah's time: and sure a flood of tribulation must come one way or other. For this was always the state of God's Church; now peace, now persecution. Peace abused, causes trouble, and calamities. Therefore as we have so long had peace and ease; so assuredly look for a flood: what it will be or when, knows no man; only he who will send it, the righteous and almighty God. How then shall we do, when the flood of tribulation is upon us? There is no way but one. Believe in Christ Jesus; settle your heart in true faith; repent of your sins; get God's favor and forgiveness: and then when the flood comes, God's providence shall afford you (one way or other) an Ark of safety and deliverance. Sprinkle your soul now with Christ's blood by faith and true repentance: and the destroying Angel of God's wrath, shall pass over you and your household.

Thirdly, observe the largeness of God's bounty. Not only Noah shall be saved, but with him his household also. Why the Lord did so, there be diverse reasons:

First, for the Propagation and multiplication of the world after the flood. If any object, Noah and his wife might have served for that end: I answer, they were old; for he was 600 years old, when the flood came: and though he lived 300 years after the flood (Genesis 9:28); Yet read we not of any children that he had. If any further object; The first world was begun, and multiplied by two alone, Adam and Eve, and no more: why then should there be so many for the beginning of the second world? I answer: God did so in the beginning, to show that all mankind came of one blood (Acts 17:26); and that in regard of body or birth, there is no difference originally between man and man: which also was observed even in the second beginning. For, though the world was multiplied by three brethren, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: Yet those three were not strangers, but all sons to one man Noah: so that as at first by Adam and Eve; so after, from Noah and his wife came all men in the world. But in the beginning of the second world, there must needs be more lines than one; because now the blessed seed was promised, whose line and kindred must needs be kept distinct from all other, until his incarnation. Again, there was more cause now why the world should be speedily replenished than at the beginning. For, first the earth had some glory and beauty left it after the first curse; so that it was still a most pleasant and delightful habitation to Adam and Eve. But now by the second curse in the flood, all her beauty was gone, she and all her glory was overrun, spoiled, and defaced; so that it had been a miserable habitation for Noah and his wife, if they had been without company. Secondly, the earth being much defaced, and the virtue of it almost quite perished by the flood, had now more need to be recovered, by the hands and help of many men's labors. And to this purpose, the Scripture says, Genesis 9:19 and 10:32, that the earth was divided amongst the three sons of Noah. And they lived not all together, but overspread the earth. And lest the beasts, which then were many, should overgrow the world, therefore God would have the earth speedily replenished, and to that end Noah and his wife had never a servant in the Ark, but only such as should have children; their 3 sons and their wives. And thus the multiplication of mankind is the first cause, why God saved Noah's children.

The second cause: It is likely that as himself was a righteous man, so they of his family were more orderly and religious, than others of that wicked Age; for, good men make conscience of teaching their families: as, Abraham, Genesis 18:18. And seeing Noah is commended for a just and good man, doubtless, he did carefully instruct his household: and therefore it is to be supposed, that all, or the most of them, were holy and righteous persons, fearing God.

Thirdly, though all of them were not righteous, yet they were all of the family of righteous Noah: and therefore for his sake they were saved; all being his children, or his children's wives. For, the righteous man procures blessings not on himself alone, but on all that belong unto him, dwell with him, or are in his company. At Abraham's request had there been but 10 righteous men in Sodom; all had been spared for their sakes, (Genesis 18:32). When Joseph dwelt in Egypt, all Potiphar's house, and all in it (though he were a heathen man) were blessed for Joseph's sake: (Genesis 39:5). When Lot was delivered out of Sodom's destruction, the Angels asked him, Have you any sons in law? that they might have been saved for his sake (Genesis 19:12). When Paul and 276 souls with him suffered shipwreck, and were all in present danger of drowning, God saved Paul, and for his sake all the rest. God gave him the lives of all that were with him in the ship, Acts 27:24. And so here Noah's children, and their wives, are spared for Noah's sake.

Let this encourage all men to serve God in truth and uprightness; seeing thereby they shall not make themselves alone blessed, but bring down God's blessing even on their houses, children, and posterities: yea, the very places where, and the people with whom they dwell, shall fare the better for them. And thus we see the causes and reasons, why not Noah alone, but even his household were also saved.

In the fourth place, let us observe how the holy Ghost says, that Noah built the Ark; not for the saving of himself, but of his household: and it is so said for two causes:

First, to show that Noah, though he were the head and governor, yet was one of the household; for, in the word household himself is comprehended. Masters and Fathers, though they be governors, yet must think themselves members of the household; so will they have more care thereof, when they esteem themselves members of the body, and parts of the whole.

Secondly, to teach us what care Noah had for his family; even so great, as he prepared the Ark to save them with. Here is an example of a worthy Master of a household; and yet all this was but for a temporal deliverance. Now, if he was so careful for their bodily safety, how much more was he to save them from hell and damnation, which he knew to be an eternal destruction of both soul and body. Therefore doubtless as he was a diligent Preacher of righteousness to that sinful world: so principally a diligent Preacher and Prayer, and Catechizer of his own family; that so he might make them God's servants, and deliver them from the eternal fire of hell.

Noah's example is to be a pattern to all Parents and Fathers of families to teach them care not only for the bodies, and bodily welfare of their families, but especially for their souls and spiritual welfare. And if they be bound by all bonds of nature and religion, to provide for the bodies of their children; let reason judge, how much more straightly they are tied to look to their souls. But Saint Paul says, He that provides not temporal things necessary for his family, is worse than an Infidel, 1 Timothy 5:8. Then what is he who provides nothing for their souls? Surely, his case is extremely fearful. Therefore when you have provided meat, apparel, a calling, and marriage, house and living for your child: think not you have done, and so may turn them off. The world may take them thus: But God will not take them so at your hands. No, the greater duty remains behind; you must provide for their souls, that they may know God, and fear his name. You must with Abraham (Genesis 18:19) Teach your family, that they may walk in the ways of God: I know Abraham, says God, that he will do it. And surely God will know all such as do so. By doing thus, men shall make their houses Churches of God, as here Noah's was: and it would be far better with our Church and State, if men did so: Ministers in the Church, and Justices in the Country should have much less to do, if Masters of families would do their duties.

But to go further: let us see more particularly what this household was, that was thus saved by the Ark.

First, it was a family of four men and four women: not men or women alone, but both, and consisting of as many women as men. Thus God would have one sex to love another, and one to think themselves beholden to the other. The beginning of the first world was by one man and one woman. Of the second, by four men, and four women; but always equal. And here also God would teach men not to contemn the other, though the weaker sex: for God saved as many of them from the universal flood, as he did men.

Secondly, how many were they in all? But eight persons. Of the whole world no more were saved: A miserable spectacle. See what sin can do. It can bring many Millions to eight persons in a short time. See what it is to offend God. Let us not then glory in our multitudes, but glory in this, that we know and serve God: for otherwise, if our sins cry out to him against us, he can easily make us few enough.

Thirdly, what were these eight persons? not one servant amongst them all: there were none but Noah and his wife, his three sons, and their wives. It is marvelous, that here were none of Noah's servants. Some think he had none, and that the simplicity of those days required no attendance, but that each one was servant to himself. And they seem to gather it out of Genesis 7:1, where God bids Noah, Enter you and all your house into the Ark: And when they entered, they are recounted in the seventh verse, to be none but himself, his wife, and his children: therefore say they, in Noah's house, there were no servants. But why might not Noah have servants, as well as Abraham and Lot had? doubtless he had. But, behold a wonderful matter: Noah's own servants would not believe his preaching, but chose rather to live loosely with the world, and perish with it, than to live godly with their Master, and be saved with him. This was and will be true in all Ages, that in a wicked age, or in a wicked town, a Master shall not be able to govern his own servants; but the stream of common wickedness, and ill examples of other men does draw them from the obedience of their Masters. They can readily allege for themselves, we will not be used more hardly than other men's are, we will not be tied to our hours, and bound to so many exercises, we will do as others do. Thus would Noah's servants do, and perished with the world. So hard a thing is it for a good man to have good servants in such times or places where wickedness reigns.

And thus we have seen in some sort, How the Ark saved Noah and his household, and what this household of his was.

Now besides this end and use of the Ark, we are further to know; that whereas this saving of them was but a corporal deliverance from a temporal death, this Ark has also a spiritual use, which we may not omit: for as many of Noah's family as were true believers, it was a means to save them another way, even to save their souls: for it taught them many things.

First, it was an assurance of God's love unto their souls: for if he was so careful to save their bodies from the flood, they thereby assured themselves, he would be as good unto their souls; which they knew to be far more precious and excellent.

Secondly, it showed them how to be saved. For, as they saw no safety, nothing but present death out of the Ark: So it taught them, that out of God's Church, and out of God's favour, no salvation could be expected; and so it taught them to labour to be in God's favour and members of his true Church.

Thirdly, they saw they were saved from the flood, by faith and obedience. For first, Noah believed God's word, that the flood should come; then he obeyed God's commandment, and made the Ark, as he was commanded. And thus he and his, by believing and obeying, were saved through the Ark: and without these, the Ark could not have saved them. This taught them more particularly how to be saved; namely, by believing God, and obeying God, and else no salvation. For, when they saw their bodies could not be saved without them; It assured them, much less could their souls be saved without faith and obedience.

Lastly, this deliverance by the Ark was a pawn unto them from God, assuring them of salvation, if they believed in the Messiah. For, seeing God so fully performed his promise unto them for their bodily deliverance upon their believing: they thereby might assure themselves, he would perform his promise of salvation unto them, upon their faith and true obedience. Moreover, it strengthened their faith. For, when ever after any promise of God was made unto them, or any word of God came unto them, they then remembered God's mercy and faithfulness unto them in their deliverance by the Ark: and therefore believed.

Unto these and many other spiritual uses, did the Ark serve unto Noah, and to his household, as many of them as were believers.

But what is this to us? Indeed, the Ark served them for a temporal deliverance, it saved their lives; therefore they also had reason to make spiritual use of it: But it saved not us, it served us to no use corporal; therefore how can we make any spiritual use of it.

I answer; though we had no corporal use of the Ark, yet there arises an excellent spiritual use out of the consideration of it.

The Ark of Noah and our baptism, are figures correspondent one to the other: that, that Noah's Ark was to them, Baptism is to us. Thus teaches Saint Peter, 1 Peter 3:20-21. To the Ark of Noah the figure which now saves us, even Baptism agrees. The same that Saint Paul here ascribes to the Ark, Saint Peter ascribes to Baptism. The Ark saved them, Baptism saves us. Now the resemblance between these two figures, has two branches.

First, as it was necessary for them that should be saved in the flood, to be in the Ark; and out of the Ark no possibility to escape: So is it for them that will have their souls saved, to be in Christ, and of his Church; they must be mystical members of Christ, and visible members of his Church: and out of Christ and his Church, no possibility of salvation. That this is true (for Christ) Saint Peter proves apparently, Acts 4:12. Among men there is no name given under heaven, whereby to be saved, but the name of Jesus Christ; neither is there salvation in any other.

And that this is true, for the Church, he proves, Acts, 2:47. The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved: See how such as are to be saved must join themselves to the Church, when they see where it is: and all this is signified and taught in Baptism. For the outward use of Baptism makes us members of the visible Church, and the inward and powerful use of Baptism makes us members of Christ himself.

The use and consideration hereof, should make us all more careful to be true members of Christ, and of his Church, by making not only a bare profession of religion; but by seeking to be incorporated into Christ by faith and true repentance: for this must save us, when nothing else can. As they that were out of the Ark, no gold nor silver could buy out their safety, no lands nor livings, no houses nor buildings, no hills nor mountains, nothing in the world, nor the whole world itself could save them; but being out of the Ark they perished: So if a man be out of Christ, and out of his Church, no gold nor silver, no honour nor glory, no wit nor policy, no estimation nor authority, no friend nor favour, no wisdom nor learning, no hills of happiness, nor mountains of gold can save his soul; but he must perish in the flood of God's eternal wrath. For as it proved folly in them that trusted to their high houses, or caught hold on the hills, if they were out of the Ark; so will it prove much greater folly to them that shall trust to any means of salvation, if they be out of Christ. And contrariwise, as they that were in the Ark were sure to be saved, do the waters, winds and weathers, storms and tempests all they could; so that still, the more the waters rose, the Ark rose also, and was ever higher than they; and the higher it was carried by the violence of the waters, the safer it was from the danger of hills and rocks: and so in the midst of danger they were out of danger, and were saved in the midst of the water: So, he that is once truly in Christ, is sure of salvation, nothing can hinder it; floods of calamities may assault him and humble him, but they hurt not his salvation; he is in the Ark, he is in Christ; nay the gates of hell shall not overthrow him: but through all the waves of the devil's malice, and through all tempests of temptations, the blessed Ark of Christ's love and merits shall carry him up, and at last convey him to salvation: this is the blessed assurance of all them that are truly baptized into Christ. But as for such, as out of their profaneness, either care not to be in Christ, or contemn Baptism; let them assure themselves, they be out of the Ark, and they perish certainly. This is the first part of the resemblance.

The second is this: Noah's body going into the Ark, he seemed therein a dead man, going into a grave or a tomb to be buried; for he was buried in the Ark, and the Ark in the waters, and he deprived of the fresh air and gladsome light: yet by God's appointment, it was the means to save Noah, which in all reason seemed to be his grave; and if Noah will be saved he must go into this grave. So they that will escape hell and damnation by Christ, the true Ark of holiness, must be buried and mortified in their flesh, and fleshly lusts; and there is no way to come to life everlasting but this. For your soul cannot live, whilst your sins, the old man, that is, your corruptions do live; but they must die, and be buried, and then your soul lives: and whilst they live, your soul is dead, and far from the life of grace, which is in Christ Jesus. All this is affirmed at large, in Romans 6:3-4. Where we may see apparently that we must by baptism die with Christ and be buried with him, else we cannot be saved by him: our corruptions, our sins, which are the old man, must die and be buried; that the new man, that is, the grace and holiness of Christ, may live in us, and our souls by it: and he that thus dies not, never lives; and he that thus is not buried, never rises to true life. Thus, mortification of sin is the way to heaven, and death the way of life eternal: and he that is not thus mortified in his corruption; let him never look to be quickened to grace or glory.

If this be so, we may then see what a miserable world we now live in, wherein mortification of sin is a thing unknown; not a man of many that can tell what it is: nay, grace is dead, and holiness is mortified, and I fear buried also: but the old man reigns. Corruption lives, and sin flourishes. Mortifying of Christ by our sins is common: but mortifying of sin is seldom seen. For, Christ is betrayed, crucified, and killed in a sort by the sins of men. What a fearful change is this? Christ should live in us, and we endeavour to crucify him again: sin should be crucified, but it lives in us. But if we will have Christ to save us, then must we mortify the body of our sin. For, he that will live when he is dead, must die while he is alive. And he that will be saved by his baptism, must look that baptism work this effect in him, To make him die, and be buried with Christ, that afterwards he may rise and reign with Christ. And then shall Baptism save us, as the Ark saved faithful Noah, and his household. And thus much for the first end and use of the Ark: the second followed.

By the which he condemned the world.

Here is the second end, why Noah prepared the Ark; To the condemnation of the world that then was. For, by it (not by his faith, as some would read it) he condemned that wicked generation, both to a temporal destruction of their bodies, and to an eternal Judgment in hell.

In the words, there are two points to be considered.

- 1. Who are condemned? The world. - 2. Whereby? By Noah's Ark.

For the first, it may be asked, what is meant by the world? Saint Peter answers (2 Peter 2:5) The world of the ungodly; that is, that generation of sinful men, who lived in the days of Noah, whom also in the first Epistle, 3:20 he calls disobedient: and their more particular sins are disclosed and recorded by Moses, Genesis 6:4-5 to be, monstrous abuse of holy marriage, unnatural lusts, cruelties, and oppressions: an utter neglect of God's service, and Sabbath; and an extreme profaneness, and dissoluteness in every kind. And this corruption was not private, or personal; but universal, through all estates, sexes, and ages. This world of the ungodly, this whole race of wicked and disobedient men were condemned. But how was that world condemned by Noah? Thus: God vouchsafed them 120 years to repent in, and appointed Noah to preach unto them, during that time, to call them to repentance. But they believed not God, nor Noah, but continued in their disobedience, and grew in their ungodliness: therefore, when that time was expired, God performed his word spoken by Noah, brought the flood upon them, destroyed them all, and condemned in hell as many of them as died in impenitence and unbelief. And thus that wicked world was condemned, according as Noah in his Ministry had foretold them.

Here we may learn;

First, what the world of this age is to look for, unless there be repentance. For, to speak but of ourselves in this Nation; Have not we had the Gospel 30 years and more? and with it peace, and much prosperity? Have not we had a goodly time given us to repent? What is our duty, but with reverence to see and acknowledge this goodness of God, to take hold of this merciful opportunity, this time of grace, and this day of salvation? If we do not, and make no account of the Gospel, what can we look for, but to be condemned, as that world was? Look at the means and opportunities, which these days afford; and they be as golden days, as ever were since Christ's, or as ever can be expected, till his coming again. But look at the profaneness, and carnality, and security of this age (even over all Christendom) and this is the Iron age, these be the evil days; and so evil, as nothing can be expected, but a river of brimstone, and a flood of fire to purge it.

The days of the coming of the Son of Man (which I take to be these days) shall be like (says Christ, Matthew 24:37). unto the days of Noah: And surely in security and profaneness, they are like; and therefore in all reason they must be like in punishment. We must therefore take warning by them, and shake off this security, which possesses all men's hearts, and wait for the Lord in watching and prayer, and think every day may be the last day of this world; at least, the last day of our lives: and let us prepare for it, and live in the expectation of it. Otherwise, if our sinfulness grow on a little further; nothing can we look for, but to be condemned in an universal judgment, as that world was. Let us therefore betake ourselves to a more serious serving of God: that the Lord when he comes, may find us so doing.

Secondly, in that the whole world that then was, was thus destroyed and condemned, and (as we heard afore) only Noah and his household saved; we learn that it is not good, nor safe to follow the multitude. Noah was here a man alone, he held and believed against all the world, and yet his judgment, and his belief was true, and all the world's false: and (accordingly) he saved, when they were all condemned.

It is marvel therefore the Church of Rome should so much stand upon numbers and multitude, for the gracing of their religion: For, it ever was, and ever will be a weak argument. If multitudes might ever have been alleged; then unto Noah especially, to whom it might have been said, Who are you that pretend to be wiser than all men? and to know more than all the world? You that have a faith by yourself, and have no man to bear you company; think not that all Adam's posterity, all the children of holy Enoch, and Methuselah are all deceived, but yourself alone? Would not these and such like objections, have discouraged any man? Yet behold the force of faith. Noah had God's word for it, and therefore believes against all the world, and is commended to all ages for this faith. It is therefore but a vain flourish of the Papists, to press us so much with their multitudes, and universality, and consent, and unity, and succession, and continuance. For, all this is worth nothing, as long as they first prove not, that that doctrine or opinion which these multitudes hold, has its ground from God's word: till then, all the other is vanity. For, it is better with Noah, to have God's plain word of his side, than to believe otherwise with all the world; which was here deceived and condemned, when Noah alone believed God's word, and was saved.

And thus we see who were condemned: the world. To end this point, one question may not unprofitably be here moved:

Whether was all the world, that is, all the men in that world condemned or no? The words seem to imply that all but Noah were: and yet it may seem strange, that of so many millions none should repent but he: and if they repented, why were they not saved? I answer, The world of that wicked age was condemned two ways:

First, with a corporal destruction, and so they were all condemned without exception. No high houses, no hills, no devices of man could save them. For, the waters rose 15 cubits above the tops of the highest mountains under heaven, Genesis 7:20. And so though till then, divers of them lived by flying to the hills: yet that being their last refuge, and being thus taken from them, then all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, and every man, and every thing that drew the breath of life. For, so says the Story, Genesis 7:21-22. And it is but vain to imagine, that any of them could be saved upon that Ark: for, first it was so made with a ridge in the top (as is most probably thought) that no man could stand upon it, much less make any stay, in that violent tossing by tempests. Again, if they could, yet could they not have lived so long for want of food; the waters being (almost) a year upon the earth. And thus it is most certain, they all without exception, were destroyed with bodily destruction.

But secondly, they were condemned to an eternal destruction in hell: and therefore Saint Peter, 1 Peter 3:18 says, Their spirits are now in prison, who were disobedient in the days of Noah. Now all the question is, whether were they all condemned, or no. I answer: For aught that we certainly know out of the scripture, they were all condemned. Yet in the judgment of charity, we are not so to think: and the rather, because there are many probable conjectures, that some of them repented. For, howsoever many of them believed not Noah, judging that he spoke of his own head: yet it is more than likely, that when they saw it begin to rain extraordinarily, at least when they saw themselves driven to the tops of the hills, and there looked hourly for death; that then divers of the posterity of Enoch, and Methuselah, and Lamech, were ashamed of their former unbelief, and then turned to God in faith and in repentance. And doubtless, that is the only or the principal cause, why God brought the flood in forty days, which he could have done in four hours; that so men might have time to repent. Genesis 7.

But it will be said: If any repented, why then were they not saved? I answer; because they repented not in time, when they were called, by Noah's preaching. Repentance is never too late, to save the soul from hell: but it may be too late to save the body from a temporal judgment. And this, I take it is, that that we may safely hold: for it seems too hard to condemn all the posterity of Methuselah, Enoch, Lamech, and other holy Patriarchs (who, as the Text says, begot sons and daughters) and to think, that none of them repented, when they saw the flood come indeed, as Noah had said. It cannot be, but they heard their Fathers preach: and why might not that preaching work upon their hearts, when the Judgment came, though afore it did not? But why then did not God record in the Scripture, neither their repentance, nor salvation, but hath left it so doubtful?

I answer; for the very same, for which he would not record Adam's nor Solomon's. All for this cause, that he might teach all men to the world's end, what a fearful thing it is to disobey his commandment, as Adam did: or to defer repentance when they are called by God's word, as these men did. Therefore to fear us from the like, though afterwards they repented; it pleased God not to record it, but to leave it doubtful.

This question being thus discussed, yields us two strong motives to repentance.

First, for if we repent not betimes, our state then is fearful and doubtful, though not desperate; as we see here the salvation even of Methuselah's children is doubtful: for they repented not when they were called, but deferred it, till the judgment came. So, if we defer our repentance till our deaths, there is great question of our salvation: but let us repent, when we are called by God's word: and then it is out of question, then there is no doubt of our salvation.

Secondly, if we repent betimes, we shall escape the temporal Judgment which God sends upon the world for sin. If not, but defer repentance till the Judgment come, we may then by it save our souls, but our bodies shall perish in the universal Judgment. If the children of Enoch and Methuselah, which were near akin unto Noah, had repented at Noah's preaching, they had been saved with Noah: they did not. But when the flood came indeed, then doubtless they believed with Noah, and wished themselves in the Ark with him: but it was too late, they saved their souls, but were drowned with the rest. So assuredly, when God threatens any Judgment on our Church or Nation, they that believe and repent betimes, shall escape it. But they that will live in wantonness with the world, and not repent, till God begin to strike: If then they do, when the flood is come (though salvation cannot be denied to repentance whensoever) yet let them assure themselves, they shall bear their part with the world in the punishment, as they did partake with them in their sins. Let then these two considerations move us all to turn to God by timely repentance: then shall we be sure to escape both the eternal and temporal Judgment; and not be condemned, as here this world of the ungodly was.

And thus we see who were condemned.

The world.

The second point is, whereby were they condemned? The Text says only, by which he condemned, etc. Whereupon some would understand faith, and read it thus; by which faith he condemned the world. Which though it be true (for the faith of holy men condemns the unbelieving and misbelieving world) yet is it not proper in this place, where the Ark is described by the uses of it: which are two, whereof this is one; And (besides, that the Greek construction doth well bear it) the Judgment of almost all Interpreters refers it to the Ark. And further in all reason; that that saved him and his household, condemned the world also: but the Ark is said to have saved them: therefore, by it he condemned the world. Neither is this any derogation but a commendation of faith: for by faith he made that Ark, which Ark condemned the world. Now, by the Ark Noah condemned the world two ways: 1. By his obedience in building it. 2. By his preaching in building it.

For the first, God bade Noah build an Ark so great, and to such an use, as in all reason no man would have done it. Yet Noah by the power of his faith believed God's word, and obeyed, and therefore built the Ark. This faith and this obedience of Noah to this Commandment of God, condemned the unbelieving and disobedient world, and made them without excuse. So says Christ: The Ninevites, who believed at the preaching of Jonah, shall rise in Judgment against the Jews, and condemn them, because they repented not at Christ's preaching. And the Queen of Sheba, who came so far to hear Solomon, shall condemn them, who then would not hear Christ, Matthew 12:42-43.

Even so, Noah's obedience shall condemn them. For, Noah being told of a miraculous thing, and believing it, and being commanded so unreasonable a thing, as the making of the Ark, and obeying, shall condemn that wicked world, who would not believe God's ordinary promises; nor obey his ordinary and most holy commandments. And as the Saints are said to condemn the world, 1 Corinthians 6:2 by being witnesses against them, and approvers of God's just sentence: So Noah's fact and faith condemned that world. And thus we see it is apparent, that the obedience, and godly examples of good men, do condemn the ungodly.

The use whereof, is to encourage us all to embrace Christian religion, and not be daunted by the scorns, or other evil behaviors of profane men, which cannot abide the Gospel. For, he that walks in the way of holiness, and keeps good conscience in the midst of a wicked generation; if his godliness do not overcome their evil, and convert them, it shall more demonstrate their wickedness, and condemn them. Our Church is full of mockers, and they discourage many from Christ and religion: but let them know, this will be the end of it, their obedience whom they contemn and laugh at, will be their condemnation. And thus Noah by his obedience in building the Ark, condemned the world.

Secondly, so did he also by his preaching, as he built it. For, the building of the Ark, was a part of his prophetical ministry.

The Prophets preached two ways, in word, and in action.

For, beside their Verbal preaching, and delivering of God's word, they preached in their lives and actions; especially in such actions as were extraordinary. And such was Noah's building of the Ark: it was an actual preaching; yea, every stroke upon the Ark, was a loud Sermon, to the eyes and ears of that wicked world. For, by making it, he signified some should be saved, and the rest drowned: namely, all that would believe and repent, should be saved in it; and all that would not, should (out of it) be drowned: and because they believed not this, therefore by it he condemned them. From this ground we may learn:

First, that a man may be a true and sincere Minister, lawfully called by God and his Church, and yet not turn many unto God, nor by his Ministry bring many to repentance. For here Noah a Prophet called immediately, yet in 120 years preaching both in word and action, he cannot turn one to faith and repentance. A most fearful thing, if we well consider it, that both by preaching and making the Ark, he should not turn one of the sons of Lamech, Methushelah, or Henoch, to believe him: but that they should all rather choose to be misled in the general vanity of that wicked world, than to serve God with Noah. This was a most discomfortable thing unto him as could be, yet this has been the case and lot of many holy Prophets: Isaiah must go and preach unto them, and yet his doctrine must harden their hearts, that they may not be saved, Isaiah 6:10. And Ezekiel must go and speak, and yet is told beforehand, they will not hear him, nor repent, Ezekiel 3:4,7. And when Saint Paul himself preached unto the Jews at Rome, some believed not, Acts 28:24. There is nothing will more discourage a man, and cast down his heart, than to see that his labors are not only in vain, but do take a contrary effect; that whereas they were bestowed to have saved them, they are means of their deeper condemnation. Therefore as when their labors bring men to God, they may greatly rejoice, and account those people, as Saint Paul did the Thessalonians, his crown, his joy and glory: So when they do no good (as Noah here) but that men are worse and worse; this must humble and abase them in themselves, and let them know the power and virtue is not in them, but God. So says Saint Paul to the ungodly and impenitent amongst the Corinthians: I fear, says he, when I come,my God abase me amongst you, and I shall bewail many of them which have sinned and not repented. And surely, this or nothing will abase a Minister, and minister matter of great bewailing; Yet not so, but as still there is matter of true comfort and contentment, unto all godly and faithful teachers. For, whether your labor be the savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, to your hearers; It is to God a sweet savor in Christ.

Again, we may here learn, that those who are condemned before God, have their condemnation by the preaching of the word. The secrets of all the world, says the Apostle, shall be judged by Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel: and here the preaching of Noah, and his actual preaching by preparing the Ark, condemns the world. Such is the power and might of the Ministry of God's word, upon all them that resist it.

Which being so, should teach all men, when they come to hear God's word, to submit themselves to the power of it, to obey it, and become penitent: for, otherwise so many Sermons as a man hears, so many indictments are presented to God against him. And if at the last day there were no devils to accuse; those bills of indictments, would both accuse and condemn him. And this Judgment is begun in this life, as their consciences do often tell them, and is accomplished at the last day: for there is no dallying with God's word: if it cannot save it kills. It is the fire, which if it cannot soften, it hardens. Let then all impenitent men, make conscience to obey God's word: for if now they abuse it, it will be even with them, both here and in another world. For, as the very same Ark, which saved Noah and his household, condemned the world: so the same word of God, which believed and obeyed by godly men, is their salvation; disobeyed, and refused by ungodly men, shall be their condemnation.

And thus much for the two ends, why Noah prepared the Ark: and consequently, of the second effect of Noah's faith.

It follows: And was made heir of the righteousness, which is by faith.

Here is the third and last effect, whereby the excellency of Noah's faith is commended. It made him an heir, and that not of the world: (for so he was besides) but of that that the world could not yield; of righteousness, and that of the best of all, even of that righteousness, which is by faith. These words have relation to that testimony, which God gave of Noah in Genesis, 6:9. Noah was a just and upright man, and walked with God. Now that which is spoken there more generally, is here particularly opened and unfolded; he was just or righteous: how? He was righteous by the righteousness of faith: so that these words are a commentary unto the other.

But because that, that is here affirmed of Noah, is a most glorious thing; his faith made him an heir (that is, made him that was heir of all the earth, a better heir) therefore these words are to be well weighed. For their full opening, three points are to be considered: 1. What is the righteousness here spoken of. 2. Why it is called the righteousness of faith, or by faith. 3. How Noah was made Heir of it by his faith.

For the first, That righteousness by which Noah and all holy men, are to stand righteous before God, is not a righteousness of any nature but such a one as is appointed of God for that purpose. That we may know it the more distinctly, we must examine the several kinds thereof.

Righteousness is of two sorts: Created. Uncreated.

Uncreated is that which is in God, and has no beginning nor ending, no means, nor measure. Of this speaks the Prophet, Psalm 119:137. Righteous art thou, O Lord. This cannot make any man righteous; for two reasons.

First; for the Godhead and it are all one, It is in God essentially. A man is one thing, and his righteousness is another. But God and his righteousness are all one: And therefore it is as impossible for any man to have this righteousness as it is to be God.

Secondly, it is infinite, and man's soul a finite creature, and therefore not capable of any thing that is infinite; and consequently, not of the unmeasurable righteousness which is in the Godhead. Therefore this we must leave unto God, as proper to the Deity.

Created righteousness, is that, which God frames in the reasonable creature, Men and Angels. Of Angels we are not to speak, though theirs and man's differed not much in nature at their creations.

Created righteousness of man, is of two sorts, Legal, or Evangelical.

Legal righteousness is that which the Moral law prescribes.

Evangelical, that which the Gospel has revealed.

Of legal righteousness, I find there are three sorts spoken of; 1. One that is a perfect righteousness. 2. One that is a civil righteousness. 3. One that is an inward righteousness.

Perfect righteousness Legal, is the perfect fulfilling of the law in a man's own self. And by this shall no man living be justified before God; for, no man, since the fall of Adam, is able perfectly to fulfill the Law. If any can, then shall he be righteous by it: but none did, nor ever can; therefore, no man shall stand righteous by perfect legal righteousness in himself. Some will object: But a regenerate man may: for he is restored by grace; therefore though by Adam's fall a man is disabled, yet by regeneration he is enabled to fulfill the law perfectly.

I answer; It were so, if they were perfectly sanctified in their regeneration: but they are sanctified but in part, and it is not perfect until death: Objection 1 Thessalonians 5:23. We are sanctified throughout, spirit, soul, and body. If all those, what then remains unsanctified? Therefore our sanctification is perfect. I answer: It is perfect in parts, but not in measure nor degree. As a child is a perfect man in all the parts of a man, but not in the quantity of any part: So a child of God is perfectly sanctified in all parts, but not in the measure of any part, until flesh, and mortality, and corruption have an end.

Secondly, some may object: The virgin Mary sinned not: I answer: so teaches indeed the Church of Rome, that she never sinned, that her life was free from sin actual, and her conception from sin original. But so taught neither the Scripture nor God's Church: but, contrariwise, it is more than manifest, she was a sinner. For first, she confesses her soul rejoiced in God her Savior: but if she were no sinner, she stood in need of no Savior. Again, she died: but if she had not sinned, she should in Justice not have died. For death entered by sin: and where no sin is, there death is not due. Thus no man can be righteous by the perfect righteousness of the law, in himself.

Secondly, there is a civil righteousness: and that is, when a man in his outward actions, is conformable to the law, especially to the Commandments of the second Table. For example; he is free from the outward actions of murder, adultery, or thievery, and such like: or he can refrain his anger, and overcome his passions, that they shall not break out into open violence to the view of the world: and for the first Table; he comes to the Church, and professes religion. All this is a civil righteousness, and by this can no man be justified, nor made righteous. For first, it is not a perfect, but a most imperfect righteousness, and therefore cannot justify. It is so imperfect, that it is as good as none at all in God's sight: for it is but an outward, and constrained, and dissembled obedience, and wants the inward and true obedience of the heart and soul.

Secondly, it cannot make a man righteous: for wicked men have it, which are unrighteous, and cannot be saved. Haman hated Mordecai in his heart: yea, his heart boiled in malice against him: yet the Story says; That nevertheless he refrained himself till he came home, Esther 5:10. And therefore Christ says, that except our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 5:20. Now what was theirs but an outward civil righteousness, whereby they kept the law, only in outward actions? as appears, in that Christ, afterward in the same Chapter, expounding the law, does reduce it to the inward, which is to his full and proper sense: So then, yet we have not found that righteousness, which may make a man righteous.

Thirdly, there is a righteousness, called the inward righteousness of a Christian man, which is this; A man having repented, and his sins being forgiven, he is by the Holy Ghost sanctified inwardly in his soul, and all the parts and powers of it. This sanctification is called inward righteousness. Now the Church of Rome says, A man may be justified by this. But it is not so, as appears by these reasons: First, this righteousness is in this life imperfect: and that is proved by the Apostle, where he says, We do here know but in part, 1 Corinthians 13:12. Therefore, our understanding is but in part regenerate: and as it, so consequently all other parts or powers of our soul, are but in part regenerate; and in them all, we are partly spirit, and partly flesh, Galatians 5:17. Therefore if our sanctification be imperfect, it cannot justify us. Again, this righteousness is mingled with sin, and unrighteousness: and from this mixture, comes the combat betwixt the flesh and the Spirit (spoken of, Galatians 8:17). For these two are contrary one to the other.

If it be mingled with sin, then it cannot make us righteous: no, nor the works of grace that come from it, though God in mercy reward them. And though as Saint James says, They justify our faith, and make us just before men, James 2:21: Yet can they not justify us before God's Justice; nor, at the bar of the last Judgment, will they pass for payment. Saint Paul says, 1 Corinthians 4:4. I know nothing by myself, yet am I not thereby justified; that is, I have so walked in my calling, since I was an Apostle, and Minister of the Gospel; as I am not privy, nor guilty to myself of any negligence therein. If he dare not stand to that, to be justified by it, who dare take hold, when he refuses. Again, no man can do any perfect good works, unless he be perfectly just: For, how can perfection come out of imperfection? But no man can be perfectly just in this sinful body: as is proved in the first reason; therefore his works here in this life cannot be such, as may make him righteous.

But it may be objected: Though our works have some defects in them, yet God's mercy accepts them for righteous and just; and therefore they may justify us. I answer: As God's mercy accepts them, so must his Justice be satisfied also; but they being imperfect, cannot satisfy his Justice: for God's infinite Justice requires perfect satisfaction. But as for our best works, as they are done by us, weigh them in the balance of God's Justice, and they are so light, as they deserve damnation: yet in God's mercy in Christ, their defects are covered, and they are reputed good works, and are rewarded; but we encroach upon God's mercy, and abuse his Justice, if therefore we imagine, they should deserve God's mercy, or be able to justify us in his sight. Thus then seeing Legal righteousness fails us, let us come to Evangelical.

Evangelical righteousness, is that that is revealed in the Gospel, and should never have been revealed, if that of the Law could have saved us. But when it (not by defect in it, but default in ourselves) could not, then God in mercy affords us another in the Gospel.

Evangelical righteousness is that that is in Christ Jesus; his it is, that must make a man righteous before God: But this Christ was an extraordinary person, consisting of two natures, Godhead, Manhood.

And accordingly, he has a double righteousness in his holy person.

First, as he is God, he has in his nature the righteousness of God, and that is uncreated, and infinite; and therefore incommunicable: and so none is, nor can be righteous by it.

Secondly, there is in Christ a righteousness of his humanity: and this though it be finite and created, yet is it beyond measure, in comparison of the righteousness of man or Angel: So says Saint John 3. God giveth not him the Spirit by measure.

This righteousness of Christ, as man or Mediator, consists in two things; 1. In the purity of his nature. 2. In the perfection of his obedience.

The first branch of our Mediator's righteousness, is the holiness of his humanity; which was perfectly sanctified in his conception, by the powerful operation of the Godhead: and this was done at the first instant of his conception in the virgin's womb. From this purity of nature, proceeded his obedience, which was as perfect, as his nature was pure: and so pure a nature made a plain way to perfect obedience. And therefore as his conception was free from sin original: so was his whole life from the least sin actual.

Now the Mediator's obedience was double; Active, and Passive.

And both these he performed in his own person.

His Passive obedience was his passion, or suffering of whatsoever the Justice of God had inflicted on man for sin, whether for soul or body.

The Active obedience of the Mediator's person, was his perfect fulfilling of the moral Law, in all duties to God or man, in thought, word, or deed; and all this for us, in our stead and on our behalf. And here is true righteousness: for where the nature of any person is perfectly pure, and the obedience perfect, the righteousness of that person is perfect. And I say, all this was done by him for us: he suffered all that we should have suffered, and suffered not: he did that which we should have done, and did not. And this is that righteousness, by which, a sinner is made righteous before God. For, seeing legal cannot, it is this that must. And now we have found that righteousness, by which Noah and all holy men were made, and counted righteous; namely, that that is resident in the holy person of Jesus Christ the Mediator.

And yet this is above and beyond all reason, that one should be justified by another's righteousness: and the doctrine, though it be of God, and grounded never so strongly on God's word, yet has it enemies, and is mightily oppugned by the Church of Rome. Therefore let us first prove it: and then answer the objections to the contrary. We prove it thus;

First, from plain Scripture, 1 Corinthians 3:24. He that knew no sin, was made sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. What can be said plainer? He was made sin for us, and we righteousness by him. Therefore as Christ was no sinner in his own person, but our sins were laid upon him, and so he was made a sinner by our sins: so, though we be not righteous in our own persons; yet having Christ's righteousness imputed to us, we are made righteous by his righteousness.

Again, the righteousness that must save us, must be the righteousness of man and God: as in the aforenamed place, it is said, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ. But no man's own righteousness can make him the righteousness of God, nor can God's righteousness be the righteousness of man: therefore it remains, that only Christ, being both God and man, has in him that righteousness, which may make a man the righteousness of God.

Thirdly, the Scripture says, Christ is the end of the Law to all that believe, Romans 10:3. The end of the Law: that is, not the taker away, or abrogator of the law, but the fulfiller of it: as the abrogator of the Ceremonial, so the fulfiller of the Moral law. If he fulfilled the Law, for whom was it? Not for himself. For as the Messiah was not slain for himself, Daniel 9:26 so he obeyed not the Law for himself. For whom then? For all that believe. Therefore Christ doing it for them, they fulfill the Law in Christ: and so Christ by doing, and they by believing in him that does it, do fulfill the Law. Now if it be not amiss to say, We do in Christ fulfill the law: No more is it to say, We are made righteous by Christ's righteousness; though it be his, and not ours, but only by faith.

Let us then see (in the second place) what the Church of Rome object against it. They first object thus:

As a man cannot be wise by another man's wisdom, nor rich by another man's riches, nor strong by another man's strength: So can he not be righteous by another man's righteousness.

I answer: The comparison is not alike. For one man has no propriety in another man's wisdom, strength, or riches: but we have a right and propriety in Christ's righteousness. Again, the wisdom of one man, cannot be the wisdom of another; because they are two persons, fully and equally distinct: but it is not so betwixt Christ and a sinner: for, every believer is spiritually, and yet truly and really conjoined to Christ, and they make one mystical body; Christ being the head, and every true believer being a member of that body: and therefore, that which is his righteousness, may be also truly ours. His, because it is in him; and ours, because we are knit to him. For, by reason of this mystical union betwixt him and us, all blessings of salvation in him, as in the head, are diffused into us, as his members or branches; and yet are as properly still in him, as is the brain in the head of a man. And thus, though in sense and reason this cannot be, yet by faith and God's spirit, the righteousness of Christ is made ours.

Secondly they object. If this be so, then God justifies wicked men; but God will not do so: it is against the nature of his holiness and Justice. And again, he that justifies the wicked, is abominable to God, Proverbs 17:15. Therefore God will not do so himself.

We answer: The ground is good, but the collection is untrue. God will not justify a wicked man, that is true: but that therefore a man cannot be justified by Christ's righteousness, is false. For, God does not justify him that lies rotting in his former sins, and weltering in his old corruption; but him that believes in Christ, and repents of his sins. And that man in his faith is justified, and in his repentance sanctified, and so he is made a new man: yea, as Saint Paul says, He that is in Christ is a new creature: 2 Corinthians 5:17. For, as it is in the first conversion, God turns nor saves no man against his will; but first makes him willing by his own work alone, and then converts and saves him with his own free will, working together with God's grace. So is it in the work of Justification; God justifies no wicked man: but makes him first just and righteous in and by Christ, and then accounts him so. But then (will some say) the sinner has no righteousness, but that of Christ's; and that is in Christ, and not in himself: therefore he has none in his own person; how then can he be any thing, but a wicked man still? I answer; that is not true that is first affirmed. The believing sinner has more righteousness than that that is in Christ. That which justifies him, is in Christ's person: But the sinner, when he is justified, is also sanctified, by the mighty work of God's grace; and so he is made a holy man, and does good and holy works, because he is in Christ, though his sanctification be imperfect. To this end, says Saint Peter, Acts, 15:9. Faith purifies a man's heart; for it is impossible a man should believe, and so be justified, but he must also be sanctified in his heart and life. Thus a sinner is justified by Christ's righteousness, inherent in Christ himself; and sanctified by Christ's righteousness, diffused from Christ into the sinner. And therefore his Justification is perfect; because, that that justifies him, is still in Christ: but his sanctification imperfect, because that that sanctifies us, is in ourselves; the one imputed to us, the other infused and inherent.

Again, I answer, that if we take it in the sense of Scripture, It is true, that God justifies a wicked man. For Saint Paul says, Romans 4. To him that works not, but believes in him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness. See, God justifies the ungodly: but how? Even as we heard before; not him that is ungodly after, but afore he be justified: him that by nature, and in himself is ungodly, God justifies by working in him faith and repentance; by which, of an ungodly man, he is made a man justified and sanctified.

Their last objection is, If a sinner be righteous by Christ's righteousness, then Christ is a sinner by his sins: for there is the same reason of both. But Christ is no sinner, but the holy of holiest: and Saint Paul says, He knew no sin, 1 Corinthians 5. And himself for himself challenges his enemies, Which of you can reprove me of sin? If then our sins cannot make him a sinner, no more can his righteousness make us righteous.

I answer: Here we grant all, if they speak the words of the Scripture, in the sense of the Scripture; for Christ was a true and reputed sinner, in the sight of God's Justice: as he that becomes surety for another, is a debtor in his room: or as he that undertakes for a man, body for body, must answer for him, his own body for his: so in all reason and justice, Christ, though he had no sins of his own, yet being our surety, and undertaking for us, and standing in our stead, our sins are justly accounted his. And as for these places, and many more like, they are all understood of personal sins; from all which, and the least contagion thereof, he was perfectly free. And therefore the same place that says, He knew no sin (that is, in and for his own person, knew not what sin was) says also, that for us and in our stead, he was made even sin itself, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Thus Christ, in himself more righteous than all men and Angels, In our stead is a reputed sinner: and by the same reason, we (most unrighteous in ourselves) are clothed with Christ's righteousness, and thereby are reputed righteous. And as Christ (though no sinner in himself) by being a sinner in our stead, and having our sins imputed unto him, became subject to the wrath of God, and bare it, even to death itself: So we, though not righteous of ourselves, yet having Christ's righteousness imputed to us, are made thereby partakers of God's love; and for the worthiness of that righteousness of his, so made ours, shall be glorified in heaven. And thus, now at last we have found that true, and that only righteousness, which can make a man as it did Noah, righteous in God's sight. Now it remains to make use of it.

First, here we learn how foully our nature is defiled with sin, and stained with corruption: the stain whereof cannot be washed away with all the water in the world; no, nor with the blood of all creatures: no, not covered with the righteousness of all men and Angels, but only with the righteousness of God. And that Son of God also, if he will apply that righteousness unto us, and make it effectual, must become man, and live, and die, and rise again for us. A marvelous thing is it, and [reconstructed: worthy] of our often consideration, that all the Angels and men in the world, cannot make one sinner righteous; but that God's Son must needs do it: And that our sins are so hideous, as nothing can hide the filthiness thereof, from the eyes of God's Justice, but only the glorious mercy seat of Christ's righteousness. This may therefore teach us, how to esteem of ourselves, and our own natures.

Furthermore: See here the great goodness of God to man. God put perfect legal righteousness in Adam's heart in his creation: he received it for himself and us; and lost it for himself and us. God in mercy, purposing to restore man, thus by himself lost and cast away, gives him another, and a better righteousness than before. But because he saw man was so ill a keeper of his own Jewels; he trusts not him with it, but sets that righteousness in the person of Christ Jesus, and commits it to him to keep. Who, as he truly knows the full value, and excellency thereof, and as he dearly loves us: So he will most safely keep it for us, and clothe us with it in his Father's presence at the last day. A point of unspeakable comfort to God's children, to consider that their salvation is not in their own keeping, where it might again be lost; but in a safe hand, where they shall be sure to find and have it, when they have most need of it: and to remember that their righteousness being in Christ, they cannot lose it. For, though they sin, and so lose often the comfort of a good conscience for a time; yet they then lose not their righteousness, which is then in Christ; and to consider, that, when in this world they sustain losses or injuries, or lose all they have upon the earth: that yet their righteousness (the riches of their souls) is then in heaven full safe in Christ's keeping, and shall never be lost. This should make us learn to know Christ more and more: and to give him the love and affections of our very hearts, that so we may be able to say with blessed Paul, 2 Timothy 1:12, I know whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Lastly, if there be such a communion between Christ and a believer, that our sins were made his, and his righteousness made ours; This may teach us patience, and minister us comfort in all outward afflictions, or inward temptations; because it is certain all our sufferings are his, and he is touched with all the wrongs done to us. When he was in heaven, he calls to Saul, Acts 9:4, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and at the last day, Matthew 25:45, Whatsoever either good or evil was done to any of his children, he says, was done to himself: and accordingly it shall be rewarded as done to him.

And thus we have taught that true righteousness, which justifies a sinner, and made Noah righteous; and we see the use of that worthy doctrine. And in this first point we have the longer insisted, because it is one of the fundamental points of Christian religion.

Hitherto of the first point; namely, what that righteousness is, which is here spoken of.

The second point to be considered in these words, is, that this righteousness is that righteousness, Which is by Faith.

It is so called, because faith is the proper instrument created in the soul of man by the holy Ghost, to apprehend that righteousness, which is in the person of Christ; nor can it be any ways else either apprehended or applied: and therefore it is worthily called that righteousness, which is by faith; that is, which by faith is made a man's own, or whereunto a man has title by his faith. Here therefore two points offer themselves to our observation.

- 1. That true faith apprehends properly this true righteousness. - 2. That only faith can do it.

For the first, it is proved by apparent evidences of Scripture. Saint Paul tells the Galatians (3:14) They received the promise of the Spirit, by faith. And Saint John says, That as many as received Christ, to them he gave power to be called the sons of God. And lest any man should think that to receive Christ, is not to believe in Christ; he adds, Even to as many as believe in his name (John 1:12). And therefore faith is fitly compared to a hand that takes hold on a garment, and applies it to the body, being naked: or to a beggar's hand that takes or receives a King's alms: so faith in a man's soul takes hold on Christ's righteousness (which is the merciful and liberal alms of the King of heaven) and applies it to the poor and naked soul of the believer.

If any man ask, how can faith apply Christ to the believer? I answer: as a man, being in his corrupt nature, has nothing to do with Christ: So contrariwise, when the holy Ghost has wrought faith in his heart by a supernatural operation; then we are to know, that as faith is the proper instrument to apprehend Christ: So is Christ and his righteousness the proper object for faith to work upon. For, though it apprehend and apply all other promises which God makes to our souls or bodies: yet most properly and principally, and in the first place, it apprehends the promise of salvation, and the righteousness of Christ. Now for the particular manner, how faith does thus; we are to know, that though it be spiritual and invisible, and so not easily expressed to sense, yet is it done as properly by faith, as a garment is by the hand taken and applied to the body, or a plaster to a sore.

If any ask further; But when may a man know, whether his faith have apprehended and applied Christ's righteousness to his soul, or no?

I answer; when he believes particularly, that Christ's righteousness is his righteousness, and has reconciled him to God, and shall justify him in God's presence, then does faith work his true and proper work: for this cannot be done but by faith: and where faith is, this must needs be done.

The second point is, that faith alone, and no other virtue, nor spiritual power in man's soul, is able to do this. And this may be proved by comparing it with all the principal virtues of the soul: for, amongst all, there are none that may come into comparison with faith, but hope and love: both which, especially love, have their several and special excellencies: yet have neither of them, nor both of them this virtue to apprehend and apply Christ's righteousness. The property of love, is to extend itself, and with itself to carry many passions or affections of the heart, and to place them upon the thing that is loved: yet cannot love be said properly to apprehend Christ; for he must needs be apprehended, before he can be loved. And the proper action of Hope, is to wait, and expect for a blessing to come: so, hope waits for salvation, but properly apprehends it not. For, salvation must first be believed, and then hoped or expected: so says Jeremiah, Lamentations 3:26, It is good both to trust and to wait for the salvation of the Lord: To trust, that is, to believe assuredly it will come (there is the action of faith) and to wait till it does come (that is the action of Hope). Thus we see the several natures, and actions, of these two worthy virtues. But the proper action of faith, is to apprehend and lay hold on Christ, and his righteousness, and to apply them to a man's own soul: and that being done, then come Love and Hope, and do their duties: And so, though love last longer than faith does, yet faith is before love, and makes the way for it.

To conclude this second point; Faith is a hand to take hold on Christ and his benefits. Love is a hand to give out tokens of faith both to God and man. For (1 Corinthians 13:5) Love seeks not her own, but others' good: namely, the good of them that are loved. Hope is an eye looking out, and waiting for the good things promised. So, that as faith is the hand of the soul; so love is the hand, and hope is the eye of faith: Love the hand whereby it works, and Hope the eye whereby it waits and looks for the performance of such things, as faith has apprehended and believed. If the Church of Rome think this any wrong to this holy virtue of love to be the hand of faith: let them know it is not ours, it is the doctrine of the Apostle, where he says, Faith works by love. If faith work by it, then surely love is the hand of faith. Thus faith works by love, waits by hope, but believes by itself.

And for this cause, the righteousness, that makes us righteous before God, is rather called the righteousness of faith, than of any other Christian virtue, or grace of the spirit. And for the same cause is it, that so often in Saint Paul's Epistles, it is called by the same name; as, Philippians 3:9.

The third and last point concerning Noah's faith; is, that, Noah was made heir of this righteousness.

A special commendation of his faith, It made him heir of true and saving righteousness: that is, it gave him a true title unto it, and made him heir apparent of that glory, which it assures every one that apprehends it by this true faith: and so he was made as certainly, and as truly partaker of it, as the young Prince is assured of his Crown and Kingdom at his time, or the heir of his Father's lands.

Here two most worthy doctrines do offer themselves to our view.

- 1. The excellency of faith. - 2. The excellency of a Christian man's estate.

The excellency of faith appears thus: It makes a holy man assured and certain of his salvation by Christ Jesus. The Church of Rome says, it is presumption in any man to think so, unless he have an extraordinary revelation: but we learn from the Scripture, that if a man have true faith; that is able to assure him of salvation. For, faith makes him an heir of true righteousness, and of salvation thereby. Now we know, the heir is most sure and certain of his inheritance: whatever he gets or loses, he is sure of that. But this righteousness and salvation by it, is his inheritance; therefore he may be, and is by faith assured of it. The Papists therefore do wrong unto this doctrine, and derogate from the dignity of true faith: But this is their custom, they will extol any thing, rather than that which the holy Scripture so much extols; namely, true faith. For, if they knew what it is truly to know Christ, and to believe in him by that faith, which works by love, they would then know, that faith makes a man heir of happiness, and therefore most assured of it.

Secondly, here we may see the excellency of a Christian man's estate: he is not naked, nor destitute of comforts; but is heir of a glorious inheritance, by means of his faith: and a Christian man's inheritance, is Christ's righteousness. Out of which, we learn,

First, that no man by any good works done by or in himself, can merit true and justifying righteousness: the Pharisaical Papists teach so; but their conceit is here overthrown, by the doctrine of the holy Ghost. For, saving righteousness is his inheritance: which, we know, is always gotten by the Father, and descends from the Father to the Son, as a free token of his love. And it were scornful and absurd, to see a Son offer to buy his inheritance of his Father; it being against the nature of an inheritance, to come any other ways, but by free gift from the Father to the Son: therefore our righteousness that must save us, being as we see here our inheritance; let us resolve of it, we cannot buy nor merit it.

Again, here is sure and solid comfort against all the griefs, and crosses, and losses of this world: God's children must needs have their portion of afflictions in this life. But here is their comfort, they may lose their goods, livings, possessions, their good names, their healths, their lives; but their inheritance stands sure and firm, and cannot be lost. Let them therefore here learn, not to grieve out of measure: for a holy man may say thus to himself, and that most truly; My Father may frown on me for my faults, and chastise me for my sins: but I am sure he will not disinherit me: for I am heir, by faith, of Christ's righteousness; and I may lose many things, but I shall not lose that.

Thirdly and lastly, here must God's children learn their duties. They are heirs to a godly and glorious inheritance: and Christ's righteousness is their inheritance; therefore they must learn to set and settle all their affections on this inheritance. For, there is nothing in the world more worthy to be affected, than a fair inheritance.

We must therefore first labor above all worldly things for this inheritance; namely, to be made partakers of this righteousness. This is that pearl, which we having found, must sell all we have to buy it. And when we have gotten it, we must care to keep it, and therefore must lay it up in our very hearts and souls: and keeping it, we must rejoice and delight in it above the world, and all the pleasures of it.

This is the glorious portion which our God and Father leaves us as his children: what should all the care of our hearts be, but to preserve it? Naboth had a little Vineyard, that came to him from his Father by inheritance: Ahab the King, would give him money, or a better Vineyard for it. But Naboth would not: Nay (said he) God forbid I should sell my Father's inheritance, 1 Kings 21:3, etc. If he made such account of an earthly inheritance, what should we of the heavenly? If he of a poor Vineyard, what should we of the glory of heaven? If he denied the King, to sell it for a better, should not we deny the devil, to leave our part in Christ and his righteousness, for the world, or anything that he can promise us? In all such temptations our answer should be; God forbid I should sell away my inheritance, which my God and Father gave me. Thus did blessed Paul, who esteemed the world, and all in it dung and dross, that he might win Christ, and be made partaker of this righteousness. So must we (if we will be worthy of this inheritance) prize and value it above this world, and think basely of all the pomp and pleasures of this world, in comparison of it: and rather be content to lose the world, than to leave it.

And lastly, when we have it, and are thus careful to preserve it: where should our content, joy, and delight be, but in this our inheritance? So does the heir: nothing so rejoices him, as to think of his inheritance. Here therefore the madness of carnal men is discovered, who rejoice exceedingly, in the honors, profits, and pleasures of this life (as Swine in their bellies) and never go further: But alas, this is not their inheritance, if they look to have their souls saved. Therefore herein they show themselves void of grace, and of all hope of a better world. For, if they had, they would rejoice in it, and not in the vain and transitory delights of this world, which perish in the using, and are lost with more torment and vexation, than they were kept with delight. We must learn then to use this world, as though we used it not, 1 Corinthians 7:31. And if the Lord vouchsafe us any portion of pleasures in this world, we must take it thankfully, as above our inheritance (and must therefore use it lawfully and soberly); but have our hearts, and the joy of them upon our inheritance, which is in heaven, whereof we are made heirs by faith; and wherein we are fellow heirs with this blessed Noah, who was made heir of that righteousness, which is of faith.

And thus have we heard the most glorious commendation of Noah's faith: and of Noah by his faith, and of all the examples before the flood.

Now follow the second sort of Examples; namely, such as lived in the second world, after the flood.

They are all of two sorts: either such as lived before the giving of the Law, or after.

Before the giving of the Law, here are many: whereof, as of all the other kinds, some are men, some women.

The first of those blessed men after the flood, whose faith is here renowned, is Abraham that great Father: of whom, and whose faith, because he was a Father of so many faithful, more is spoken than of any one.

Hebrews 11:7. By faith, Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household. By this he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

This verse contains the third example, and the last of those who lived before the flood, in the first and ancient world — namely, the renowned patriarch Noah, the tenth from Adam.

Great and glorious things are spoken of Noah and his faith in this verse, written in a high and excellent style, full of majesty and divine eloquence.

Concerning Noah's faith, two points are laid out: first, the foundation of his faith; and second, the commendation of it.

The foundation of his faith was a special revelation from God, expressed in the words: Noah being warned by God. The things God warned him about are described in two ways: first, in general terms as things not yet seen; then specifically, three things in particular.

1. God's judgment upon the sinful world — that He purposed to destroy it by water.

2. God's mercy toward Noah — that He would save him and his family.

3. That God would save him by means of an ark, and therefore Noah must build one. These are the things about which Noah was warned by God.

His faith is commended by three worthy effects it produced in him:

1. It moved him to reverence — a reverent regard for the warning God sent him.

2. It led him to prepare the ark, which served two purposes:

- 1. It saved his household. - 2. It condemned the world.

3. It made him an heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

This, I take it, is the correct interpretation of these words — and they contain many excellent truths about his faith.

By faith Noah, being warned by God of things not yet seen —

By faith — that is, by both a general and historical faith and by a true and saving faith in the Messiah to come — Noah (being warned by God of the righteous judgment He purposed to bring upon the world through a universal flood, and of His merciful provision for Noah and his family, that He would save them by an ark — all of which was then future, and therefore unseen) believed these forewarnings of God. In reverence for this message from God, he prepared the ark, thereby saving his household and condemning the wicked world. And so his faith — shown through all of these actions to be a true and living faith — made him a righteous person in God's sight. This is the sum and substance of Noah's example. Let us now take up each part in order.

The first point is the foundation of his faith: a warning or word from God. Noah was a righteous man in that wicked age when the whole world wallowed in wickedness, and he walked before God in great holiness when no one else cared for religion. Because of this, God gave him this special favor: when God purposed to destroy the world for its sin, He first revealed that purpose to righteous Noah. These words therefore refer to the revelation Noah received from God in Genesis 6. This message did not come from God through any prophet — for we know of none in those evil days except Noah himself — but either through the ministry of an angel or by direct revelation from God. And this favor Noah received from God for no other reason than that he was a holy and righteous man.

From this we may draw several excellent lessons.

First, in that God chose Noah to reveal His purposes and coming judgments to him, we learn that this is a privilege God grants to those who fear Him. He reveals His purposes to them in a special way — whether those purposes involve judgment on His enemies or mercy toward His church. He dealt this way with Abraham in Genesis 18:19: "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?" — referring to the destruction of Sodom and her sister cities. While the people of Sodom lived in careless pleasure and pushed the thought of disaster far from their minds, Abraham knew from God that their destruction was at hand. And this is generally true of all God's great works: "The Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). Now this is not a privilege reserved for prophets alone, or for extraordinary figures like Abraham. Rather, "the secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him" (Psalm 25:14). All who fear God's holy name are God's friends and are admitted to His counsel. That is why not only Abraham is called "the friend of God" (James 2:23), but Christ says of all true believers in John 15:14-15: "You are My friends, if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." He was saying, in effect: I will share My secrets with you as one friend does with another, as far as it is fitting for you to know. And the apostle says in 1 Corinthians 2:15 that a faithful and holy person discerns into the deep purposes of God — purposes which are revealed to them as much as concerns their salvation, and sometimes more, as here with Noah, who was forewarned by God of things not yet seen.

This privilege of God's children must be understood with some qualifications.

First, this privilege belongs more fully to prophets and holy ministers of God than to ordinary Christians.

Second, it was more common in the Old Testament than it is now in the age of the Gospel. If someone objects that this means the state of the church before Christ was better than it is now under Christ —

The answer is: not so. First, we are more than compensated by having the Scriptures complete and finished, which they did not have — and by having the substance of their shadows and the fulfillment of their promises. In these respects our situation is far more excellent than theirs. Second, on this particular point: they did have more ordinary revelation of personal and private matters not directly related to salvation. But regarding those things that are general and necessarily concern salvation, we in the New Testament era have a clearer and fuller revelation than they had before Christ. For example, particular mercies to specific believers, or particular judgments on God's enemies — whether individuals or whole kingdoms — were revealed to godly people in those days, as here to Noah. But salvation through the Messiah, and the manner in which the Messiah saves His church, is more fully and plainly revealed now than it was then.

From this consideration arises a third qualification: the revelations of God's will to be expected now under the Gospel are ordinarily these — the true meaning of Scripture, and discernment of true Scripture from forged, of true sacraments from supposed ones, of true doctrine from false, and of true pastors from false prophets. All of these things, insofar as they are necessary for salvation, every true and faithful believer who seeks them from God with a humble heart through devout prayer can be sure to receive. But as for God's particular purposes concerning personal matters — what His blessings or judgments will be for specific people, families, cities, or kingdoms; when or how He will change governments or transfer kingdoms; or by what extraordinary means He will have the Gospel spread or a declining church or nation upheld — these things we should not expect to receive through private revelation, and we should not readily believe anyone who claims such things have been revealed to them. Nevertheless, we do not bind the Lord so strictly that He cannot at times extraordinarily reveal His purposes to certain chosen servants. Even then, such a revelation must be examined and approved by the church. But as for what immediately concerns the salvation of our souls, God's Spirit reveals these things most comfortably to us through prayer, through His word, and through His sacraments. In all of these it remains most true that the secrets of the Lord belong to those who fear Him.

This doctrine has two uses: instruction and encouragement. For our instruction, it teaches us how to answer the Church of Rome when they ask: how do we know true religion from false? How do we know true Scripture or true sacraments from counterfeits? We answer first: by the thing itself — by sight and by sensing its excellence, just as we recognize gold from brass or silver from lead. But what if the brass or tin has been gilded over? Then we answer a second way: we can distinguish gold from brass and silver from tin by their sound, their smell, their durability, and their properties. Similarly, there is a spiritual sound of the Scriptures in the ears of a Christian, a spiritual comfort and taste in true religion, and a spiritual operation in the hearts of holy people through the true sacraments. But what if false prophets come in sheep's clothing and, through lying wonders, seem to produce the same sound, taste, smell, virtue, and effect — or at least claim it, insisting that theirs is the truth? Then we answer finally: we know true religion, true Scripture, true sacraments, true prophets, and true doctrine from false ones by a holy and supernatural revelation from God's Spirit, which by clear and powerful demonstration assures us what is true and what is false in the substance of salvation. This Spirit is given to all who seek it in true humility, through holy prayer and through frequent and sincere engagement with God's word and sacraments — and to no one else. If the Roman Catholics were as well acquainted with the Spirit of God as they are with their own invented revelations, they would never deny this. By the force of this testimony, a Christian knows as certainly as he knows that God is God, that the Pope — as he now holds and exercises his office and power — cannot be the true vicar of Christ. And that Roman Catholicism, as it is now established by the Council of Trent and taught by their leading scholars, cannot be the true religion or the safest path to heaven. When the question arises about the meaning of a passage like "There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus," a Christian will know and believe — even if all the world says otherwise — that there are no mediators to God but Christ. Or regarding the passage that "Christ was offered for our sins once for all" — no sacrifice can purchase pardon but His, no matter how much Roman Catholics try to soften the point with unsound distinctions. The same could be shown in various other passages and points. And if anyone asks how this can be: Noah was warned by God of things not yet seen — so God's children are warned and assured by God of things that concern their salvation, even if those things are beyond sense and reason. God's secrets belong to them.

The practical application for encouragement is this: since God warns His children of His will and reveals His secrets to them, this should move us to become truly and sincerely God's servants. We do not serve a Lord who is cold and distant — who will not give us a kind look or a welcoming word. He is so far from that, in fact, that He invites us into His holy counsel, lets us know His secrets, and communicates Himself to us by His blessed Spirit. Through that Spirit He reveals many excellent mysteries of salvation that carnal and irreverent people in the world never begin to imagine.

In the second place, observe that Noah, having been warned by God in this particular matter — as he had previously been taught about salvation through a coming Messiah — believes not only the general promise of salvation but also this particular promise of his own preservation and deliverance. From his example we can learn two things:

First, that faith is a supernatural work of God in the hearts of those who have it. That it is a work of God is evident in the fact that it always acknowledges and believes God's word. That it is supernatural is evident in the fact that it grasps and believes whatever God's word declares, however incredible it may seem to reason or the senses. But how does God work this faith? Through His word. As God is the author and producer of faith, He has also appointed the means by which He works it — and that means is His word. God's word is the only ordinary outward means for producing faith. That word of God is to be understood in two ways: either as directly revealed by God Himself (as here to Noah), or else as written by God and then either preached by His ministers or read by a person on his own when preaching is unavailable. All of these are means God has appointed to produce faith — not only to begin it where it is lacking, but to increase it where it has already begun.

This being so, it teaches us all not only to hear the word with special care and reverence, whoever preaches it, but also to hear it read — and indeed to read it ourselves with diligence. Doing so will work out and perfect in us that holy faith which will make us blessed and accepted by God, just as it did for Noah here.

Second, here we learn what is the full object of faith — that is, everything that faith believes. Faith believes nothing but God's word, and it believes all of God's word. So faith has two objects, which differ not in kind but in degree: a primary object and a secondary one. The primary object of true faith is the promise of salvation through Christ. The secondary objects are all other particular promises — of safety, deliverance, providence, help, assistance, comfort, or any other benefit promised either to the whole church (and thereby inclusively to any individual person in it) or directly to a specific person. Saving faith believes not only the great promise of salvation, but all other promises of spiritual or physical blessings that are subordinate to the great promise, depend on it, and are therefore grasped by the same faith. So Noah had already grasped the main promise of salvation through the Messiah and treasured it in his heart. When this particular promise of his deliverance was then made, the same faith laid hold of it as well. This makes good sense: if faith grasps the greater promise, it is no surprise that it should also take hold of all the lesser promises that depend upon the principal one.

From what has been said, it is clear that those who charge us with teaching that saving faith believes only salvation through Christ — and grasps only the promise of salvation in Christ — are wrong. We teach that it grasps other particular promises as well, including the promises of outward and earthly blessings, as this example of Noah shows.

Finally, in that Noah — a man of faith — is warned by God of coming dangers so that he might escape them, we see the loving care God has for those who have a care to fear and serve Him. God has dealt this way with His children in every age, for their comfort and preservation, to encourage all people to serve God in truth and integrity as Noah did here. Those who do so may assure themselves of God's care and providence over them, even when His wrath burns against the sins of the world. Moreover, in every urgent and extreme situation, He will instruct them — whether through His word, through the counsel of other believers, or through His own quiet inner guidance — what they must do and what course to take for their safety and deliverance.

How often a Christian will find in the course of his life that God put it into his mind to respond in a certain way, or to foresee a particular danger — and by following that leading he escaped serious harm. So, though not in the same manner as Noah, all faithful people daily find that they are warned by God of things that concern them.

But what were the things about which Noah was warned by God? The text says: of things not yet seen.

This phrase refers not to when the Holy Spirit wrote these words, but to the time when God gave the warning to Noah — for then they were not yet seen, but were still to come. They were not fulfilled until many years afterward, as will appear in the particulars.

Specifically, there were three things. First, the great and righteous wrath that God had conceived against the sinful world for its universal corruption and widespread wickedness. Noah was a preacher of righteousness to that wicked age. As Peter says (1 Peter 3:19), the very Spirit of Christ preached through him. But the people of that time despised both him and the Spirit by which he spoke, mocked him and all his holy warnings, and consoled themselves in their sinful pleasures without fear or respect for God or anyone else, delighting in their own defiled ways and reassuring themselves of safety and security. But look — this same Noah, whom they considered a base and contemptible man unworthy of their company, is the one to whom God revealed how short their time was, and that they would be cut off in the middle of their revelry. God's children, whom wicked people think of and speak of with great contempt, know full well the miserable condition of such people and the dreadful dangers hanging over them — while the wicked themselves are far from suspecting any such thing.

The second thing God revealed to Noah was that He would save him and his family from the floodwaters He would bring upon the world. His faith was not in vain — God rewarded it with a remarkable preservation. He has always dealt this way with His children: delivering Lot out of Sodom (Genesis 19), Rahab out of Jericho (Joshua 6:22), the Kenites from the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15), and here Noah from the general destruction. And this God revealed to Noah beforehand, for his greater comfort and assurance — so that as the signs and strange events showed the destruction drawing ever closer, Noah could continually comfort himself in the certainty of the merciful promise God had made him regarding his deliverance, and the deliverance of his family for his sake.

The third thing revealed to him was the means by which he would be saved from the universal flood — namely, an ark, which God commanded him to build himself for his greater assurance. With every stroke of work, he would be reminded of God's merciful promise to him. For just as every stroke in building the ark was a loud sermon to that sinful generation, calling them to repentance, it was also an ongoing assurance to Noah of his coming deliverance. We will speak more fully about the ark and Noah's obedience in building it later. And so much for the foundation of Noah's faith — a warning or revelation from God.

Now follows the second point: the commendation of his faith, or a description of its excellence through its various remarkable effects. He was moved with reverence —

The first effect of his faith was that it moved him to reverence — a reverent fear of the God who spoke to him, of His justice toward sin and sinners, and of His mercy toward Noah himself.

In examining this effect, two points must be considered: 1. The foundation of this reverence. 2. The occasions or motivations that produced it.

The foundation from which this reverence sprang was his true and saving faith. The Holy Spirit first tells us of Noah's faith, and afterward of the reverent fear he had toward God and His great works.

From this we learn that whoever is endowed with saving faith is also touched with fear and reverence when considering God and His glorious works — whether works of His power, His wisdom, His mercy, His justice, or all of them together.

For the first: David could not look upon the works of God's power in creation (Psalm 8) — when he looked up and saw the heavens, the work of God's hands, the moon and the stars He had set in place — without immediately falling into reverence and wonder at God's mercy to humanity, for whose benefit He had made them all.

For the second: the same David could not begin to consider God's wisdom in the remarkable design of the human body (Psalm 139:13 and following) without immediately falling into reverence and amazement, expressed in some of the most passionate words in all of Scripture: "You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!" Here we see how this holy king cannot find enough words to express his reverent and devout regard for God's majesty.

For the third: God's merciful works toward His church and children have always moved good people to deep reverence. "What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" asks David (Psalm 116:12).

But especially God's judgments have always been received by God's children with much reverence and wonder. Blessed David says: "My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments" (Psalm 119:120). How much more would this noble king have trembled if he had been a private man? And how glorious is God in His works of judgment, which cause even kings to tremble! The prophet Habakkuk says that when he merely heard of God's coming judgments, "my inward parts trembled; at the sound my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble" (Habakkuk 3:16). So Noah here, hearing of God's righteous wrath against the sinful world and of His purpose to destroy all living flesh by water, was moved with great fear and reverence at this mighty work of God. Through the view of God's great and righteous judgment, his faith drew him up into a more earnest consideration of God's majesty. From all of this it is more than evident that true faith, wherever it exists, produces a holy fear and reverent regard for God, for His works, and for God seen in and through His works. It follows, conversely, that to think lightly or casually of God, to think contemptuously of His works, or to deny His power and hand in the great events — whether of mercy or judgment — taking place in the world, is the mark of a profane heart that lacks true faith.

The practical use of this teaching exposes the widespread irreverence and serious lack of faith that ordinarily exists in the world. This appears through two kinds of evidence: the first is visible to each person's own conscience, and the second is visible to everyone.

First, a person can see in himself a profane heart empty of faith by this test: Does he think lightly of God in his heart — of His power, His justice, or His mercies? Does he doubt them? Or, granting them, does he think about them without fear and wonder? Then his heart is certainly empty of true faith and far from the life and power of religion. For where God is truly known and believed, the person's heart — though he be a king — cannot think about God even once without a sense of His majesty and a wonder at His greatness and at his own smallness. The absence of this is therefore a clear sign of the absence of true religion and true faith.

Second, this irreverence reveals itself to the world through a lack of reverence for God's works. When the Lord sends unseasonable weather, famines, plagues, or strange signs in heaven or on earth, those who cry out "Behold the finger of God, the hand of God!" are immediately labeled fools. Instead people say: this is nature, and has natural causes. Bad weather comes from the stars; famine comes from bad weather and human greed; plague comes from famine, bad air, or infection from another place. But can nature and natural causes have their place without displacing God? He does not overthrow them — why should they overthrow Him? Yet this is how it is in the world, and this is how God is robbed of His glory. Only a simple-minded person, it is said, would be moved with reverence at such things or begin to magnify God's power and justice in them. This is too plain to deny. Do we not have causes for fear as great as any? Noah heard about water, and we have heard that fire is to destroy the world — yet where is the person who is moved with reverence as Noah was? Noah could say: the flood will not come for another 120 years. But who can say and prove that this world will not be destroyed by fire within the next 120 years? And before the flood came, there were doubtless many other plagues as forerunners of the general destruction — and as each came, they moved Noah to reverence. So we in this age see the great works of God's judgments upon individuals, families, towns, countries, and whole kingdoms; we feel His heavy hand in many sharp strokes. But who and where are they whose hearts fear God more on account of this, and who tremble when they contemplate His judgments? Indeed, among many people it is simply a matter of mockery to do so. This is not the fault of our religion — it is the absence of it. If people truly knew and believed in God, they could not think or speak of God, or look at His works, without fear and reverence. As our fear of God is, so is our faith. Little fear of God — little faith. No fear at all — no faith at all. Let all people therefore show their religion by their fear of God, and let every Christian acknowledge God in His works. England has been particularly at fault in one point. We have had great plagues that took away many thousands in a short time, in which God showed Himself mighty against our sins. But God's hand would not be seen or acknowledged — only nature and natural causes were credited. But let England take heed lest God send a plague so widespread and so severe that even the most irreverent people — even the sorcerers of Egypt, if they were here — would acknowledge it as the finger of God, and give Him the reverence that He has not received during His ordinary visitations. And so we see the foundation from which Noah's reverence sprang: his faith.

Now let us consider the occasions and considerations in Noah's heart that prompted this fear. The foundation on which he feared was true faith — without it he would have been incapable of any fear or reverence toward God. But the particular occasions that stirred up this fear in him were certain other things.

Looking at it from a human perspective, Noah had no reason at all to fear as he did. First, the judgment was far off — 120 years away — and common sense says it is foolish to fear something so distant; there would be time enough to worry when it was near. Further, he was a single man, while the world was full of wise and mighty men. They all heard of it, yet none of them feared. Their example might well have prevailed on him to feel secure and unconcerned like the rest — for the influence of example is powerful, especially when it is so widespread.

Third, the strangeness of the threatened judgment was such that it might drive any reasonable person to dismiss it entirely. Who would ever believe that God would drown all the world with water? Such a thing had never happened before — so how could it happen? And even if all were to be drowned, who would think that Noah alone would escape?

These three considerations, weighed by human reason, would have kept Noah from fearing or believing this word of God. But see the power of faith: it goes beyond all human reasoning and fixes itself firmly on God's word. Therefore Noah not only believed it, but was filled with a great reverence for God's majesty in response to this message. And there were three particular motivations that stirred him up to this reverence.

First, the consideration of God's extraordinary judgment upon the sinful world — to see that His wrath had been so provoked that He would bring such an unprecedented plague: so extraordinary both in its nature (a flood of water to drown people, when generally anyone can avoid the danger of that element) and in its scale (so vast that it would drown the entire world and destroy all humanity).

Now, the effect that God's judgment worked in Noah is the same effect God's judgments should work in us — they should move us with reverence. As Christ says: "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37). These days are just as wicked: people are as greedy, as cruel, as malicious, as pleasure-seeking, and yet as carefree as they were then — as full of sin, and just as spiritually dead in that sin. Therefore Noah expected a flood 120 years away. Who can say whether our world will last even that long? At the very least, we can safely say — whatever the world may think — that no one alive has more than 120 years before he is certain to face God's judgment at death, unless he repents in the meantime. And yet where is the person who is moved with reverence when he considers this? The wicked man may escape the water of a flood, but he cannot escape the fire of hell. He cannot escape death. He cannot escape the final judgment. These are yet to come, yet they are certain. Why then do people not fear as Noah did? He feared 120 years before it came. We can tremble a little at an immediate judgment — when fire breaks out, when floods overflow, when plague destroys, or when famine starves. But to tremble at a judgment that is threatened, though it is still far off — that is the work of true faith. This was in Noah and worked reverence in him — and so it would in us, if it were in us. When people cry "Fire! Fire!" we rouse ourselves, we run, we tremble. But God cries in His word — the fire of hell, the fire of His wrath — and we do not care, we do not stir, we do not leave our sins, we are not moved with reverence as Noah was. It is therefore more than clear that the holy faith Noah had is lacking in the world today.

The second motivation that stirred up this reverence in him was his contemplation of God's wonderful mercy in saving him and his family. This mercy seemed so remarkable to him — both because he knew it was undeserved (he knew himself to be a sinful man, incapable of earning God's favor, and was well aware of his own many imperfections) and also because it was unexpected (he never imagined he would be spared when the whole world was destroyed). He therefore marveled with reverence at so great a mercy. God's mercies do not only win a person's heart to love God — they move him to fear God with deep reverence. David proves this in Psalm 130:4: "There is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared" — as if he said: Your great mercies to Your children, O Lord, cause them to hold You in reverent regard. This is what made David cry out in holy passion: "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!" (Psalm 36:7).

And just as God's children marvel at the greatness of God's mercies to them, so also they marvel at their own lowliness and unworthiness. David demonstrates this in 2 Samuel 7:18 — for as he was a man of great faith, so he was full of excellent reflections and reverent words about God, which are the true fruits of faith. When God had established him in his kingdom, he said: "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?" And in 1 Chronicles 29:14: "But who am I and who are my people, that we should be able to offer as generously as this?" And doubtless Noah's blessed soul said something like this to the Lord often: "Who am I, O Lord, and what is my family, that we should be chosen out of so many thousands, and saved while all the world perishes?"

Let us apply this to our own church and nation. If any nation has reason to say this, it is England. God has delivered us from the bondage of spiritual Egypt and led us out — not by a Moses, but first by a child, then by a woman — and given us His Gospel more fully, freely, and peacefully than almost any great kingdom in the world. He continues to deliver us from the wicked plots of the Pope and the tyrannical invasions of Spain, who intended to brand us with infamy and do to us what they have done to other nations they have conquered. But God fought for us from heaven, overthrew them in their own schemes, and put His hook in their nostrils and His bridle on their lips, and turned them back in shame and disgrace. We are unworthy of such mercy if our souls do not often say to God: "O Lord, what are we, and what is our people, that You should be so wonderful in Your mercies to us?"

And in particular, this should teach every Christian to be a careful observer of the favors and mercies God shows to his soul and body, to himself and those dear to him. Reflecting on these mercies should move him daily to reverence and reverent thoughts of God's majesty. And as the Lord grows more and more merciful to him, let him bear more and more fear and reverence toward God for it.

The final motivation for Noah's reverence was his contemplation of God's power and wisdom — shown both in the judgment on the world and in the mercy shown to him. In the judgment it was remarkable that God would choose so weak an element as water to destroy and overthrow the mighty giants of that age. This displayed first God's power, which can bring down His enemies by the weakest of means, and also His wisdom — for just as universal wickedness had polluted the whole world, so a flood of water would wash the whole world clean. Second, the mercy was also remarkable, in that God would choose to save Noah by so unusual a means as an ark that would float on the very waters of destruction. Noah might have thought: if the Lord will save me, He will either take me up to heaven as He did Enoch not long before, or He will have me build a shelter on top of the highest mountain. But the Lord would save him by neither of these means — only by an ark. This displayed God's power, which would save him by a means that seemed more likely to destroy him. For Noah would have to lie and float in the midst of the waters, yet be saved from those same waters. The ark would save him — yet by all reason, if the storms had driven it against hard rocks and mountains, or against the great fortresses and houses of the mighty giants, it would have been shattered to pieces. And so it would have been, had not God Himself been the Master and Pilot of that voyage.

And second, God's wisdom shone clearly in this means. God intended Noah to be saved in a way the world could witness — not by being taken secretly to heaven or into the air, where it could not be seen, but in an ark floating on the waters. This way, all the wicked people, as they were dying in the water or awaiting death on the hilltops, would be able to see him living and being saved — adding to their torment and shame, who had refused to believe God's word as he had. For just as the wicked in hell are tormented by seeing the righteous in the joys of heaven, so doubtless the wicked of that age were tormented to see Noah saved before their eyes. Seeing God's power and wisdom in all of this, Noah gave great reverence to God's majesty.

This should work no less in the hearts of all true-hearted Christians. Did not the Lord restore and establish the Gospel to our nation by a child and then by a woman — and in her time when all other princes were against her, contrary to every expectation of worldly wisdom? And did not God in our recent deliverance overthrow our enemies, not so much by human power as by His own hand? Did He not fight from heaven? Did not the stars and the winds in their courses fight against that Sisera of Spain? Let us therefore, like blessed Noah, stand amazed at God's mercies, and with reverence and fear magnify His great and glorious name.

And so we have the three motivations that produced reverence in Noah: first, contemplation of God's great judgment on the sinful world; second, contemplation of His great mercy in saving him; and third, contemplation of His admirable power and wisdom displayed in both the judgment and the mercy.

So much for the first effect. The next follows: He prepared the ark.

The second effect of Noah's faith, through which it is commended, is that, having received God's command, he built and prepared an ark in which to save himself and his family. Much could be said about this ark from the book of Genesis, but that is not our purpose here. Our only task in this chapter is to show the obedience and practice of faith, and through that to show its excellence. The point to address here is not the materials, the dimensions, the proportions, the design, or the purposes of the ark — all of which are fully described in Genesis 6. What matters here is Noah's action and obedience in preparing it as God commanded, of which the Holy Spirit says in Genesis 6:22: "Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did."

In this action of Noah's faith, several points of great importance deserve consideration.

First, why did God command Noah to build an ark 120 years before the flood, when it could have been built in three or four years?

The answer is that God had various reasons, some concerning the sinful world — such as giving them more time and more warnings to repent, for every stroke of the ark during those 120 years was a loud sermon of repentance to them. Also, to leave them without excuse if they did not change; and finally, that their wickedness might be complete and their sins fully ripe for judgment. But we will not discuss these reasons, since they do not concern Noah himself, and it is Noah's faith we are here examining. Let us therefore address only those reasons that relate to Noah. For his sake, God did this to test his faith and patience, and to exercise other graces of holiness in him. This is how God always deals with His servants — He puts them through many unusual trials in this world. He led the Israelites through the deserts of Arabia for forty years, when a person could travel from Rameses in Egypt to any part of Canaan in forty days. This God did "to humble you and to test you, to know what was in your heart" (Deuteronomy 8:2).

God promised Abraham a son "in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed" (Genesis 12:3), but did not fulfill it until thirty years later (Genesis 21:2). He gave David the kingdom of Israel and had Samuel anoint him (1 Samuel 16:13), but David did not attain it until many years afterward. In the meantime, Saul pursued and hunted him "like a flea" and "like a partridge in the mountains" (1 Samuel 24:14; 26:20). God exercised David through this and other promises, as David himself says: "I waited patiently for the Lord" (Psalm 40:1); and "My eyes fail with longing for Your word; when will You comfort me?" (Psalm 119:82). God dealt with them this way, and in some measure deals the same way with all His children — to humble them, test them, and know what is in their hearts. For in these situations people always show their true character. When people have everything they want and wish for, who cannot make an impressive profession of faith? But when people are long delayed, kept from what was promised and expected, and repeatedly disappointed in their expectations — then they show themselves as they truly are.

And as God dealt with them, He will in some way do the same with us. If we are His servants, He will at some point in our lives lay upon us an affliction that tests us — our faith, our patience, and our humility. For if we are hypocrites with no genuine graces but only the appearance of them, this will expose us. But if we have true and sound faith and patience, this testing will make them shine like pearls in their full and perfect beauty.

Second, as God commanded Noah to build the ark so long before any need for it, Noah did so without hesitation or objection. The account in Genesis records: "He did according to all that God commanded him." And the Holy Spirit says here: being warned by God, he prepared the ark by faith. This teaches us that where true faith exists, true obedience to every command of God follows. A godly, believing person no sooner hears any duty commanded by God than his soul and conscience feels bound to obey. This is the nature of true faith. It is as impossible for it to be otherwise as it is for fire with fuel not to burn. "Faith purifies the heart" (Acts 15:9) — specifically from careless disobedience to God's word. If faith purifies from any corruption at all, it especially purifies from this one, because careless disobedience is most directly opposed to the purity of true faith.

This being so, what we observe around us reveals not a fault in our religion — as Roman Catholics slander us — but the absence of it, and the absence of true faith in the world. There is almost no obedience to God's commandments. Muslims and Jews do not acknowledge the Scriptures. Roman Catholics have set aside God's commandments to establish their own. And few Protestants have any felt sense of the power of true religion — most have nothing but a bare profession. But it is a felt experience of that power that produces genuine obedience. And we see plainly that people do not obey God's commandments. God says: "Do not take My name in vain; keep My Sabbath." How many people are there who fear to break these? Far more people mock those who try to keep them than there are careful, conscientious keepers of them. How truly Christ said: "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" It is possible these are the very days we must watch for His return — for widespread disobedience reveals widespread lack of faith.

But Noah's obedience deserves closer examination, for it was exceptional and extraordinary. There were many obstacles that might have stopped him and persuaded him never to begin building the ark.

First, the sheer size of the ark — amounting to many thousands of cubits — was a work of enormous labor and great expense.

Then there was the length of the work — 120 years. It is tiresome and difficult by nature to be constantly working and never to be finished.

Third, the building of it was a great source of mockery to the world. It implied two things: first, that the entire world would be destroyed; and second, that Noah and his family would be saved. The worldly-wise people of that wicked age ridiculed him loudly for thinking the whole world would perish — and even more for imagining that he and his family would be delivered when all others perished.

Finally, building the ark was deeply offensive to natural feeling and reason in many ways.

First, that all the world should be destroyed seemed impossible, because nothing like it had ever happened before.

Second, it seemed unlikely that God's mercy would be so entirely swallowed up by His justice.

Third, they would have to live in the ark like a sealed prison — without the comfort of light or fresh air, among all kinds of animals, and for an unknown length of time. Reason would say: better to die among other people than to live among animals; better to die as a free man than to live as a prisoner; better to die with company than to live in isolation. Reason might also say: if God intended to save him, He could have used other means — easier, more direct, and safer than this. Therefore his deliverance was doubtful. And finally, reason might say: I could make myself a spectacle of mockery to the world for 120 years, and then perhaps God might change His plan and the flood never come. Or if it does come, and I enter the ark and it strikes the mountains and is shattered, I perish along with everyone else despite all my labor — making my situation the worst of all. Better to leave it and take my chances with the rest of the world.

These and many such natural objections no doubt came into his mind and stood as obstacles to his faith. But see the power of true faith in the heart of a holy person: it rises above all doubts and breaks through all difficulties to obey the will and word of God. It gives a person wings with which to fly over all worldly objections. We see this here in Noah, and will see it just as clearly later in Abraham and other holy people.

The practical lesson here exposes the weakness of many people's faith. When the teachings of the Gospel agree with our natural desires, or seem reasonable to us, we formally obey. But when the Gospel crosses our desires, goes beyond our reason, or challenges our natural inclinations, we resist it, question it, take offense at it, and withhold our obedience. What is missing here is the faith of Noah, which carried him beyond natural boundaries and the reach of reason, and made him believe and do what neither nature could approve, reason could endorse, nor his natural feelings could welcome. Let us therefore learn to practice true faith by immediately believing what God says to us, without consulting our instincts or entertaining the objections of flesh and blood. In times past, God threatened the overthrow of the great empires of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. Reason doubted how such a thing could be — but faith believed it, and it happened. In later times, God threatened the fall of the abbeys and the scattering of the monks for their wickedness. It seemed impossible to reason, yet faith in some believed it, and it came to pass.

God now threatens the ruin of Babylon, the full exposure of the Antichrist, and the overthrow of the newly invented hierarchy of the Jesuits, who shine so brightly in worldly glory and outward strength. This seems difficult to accomplish — but let faith believe it, for it is God's word and will be fulfilled in His time. God has said that our bodies will rise again — these very bodies that are burned to ashes, eaten by beasts or fish, or turned to dust in the earth. This is a wonder to nature and an astonishment to reason — but faith believes it and will find it true, for God has said it.

God says that Christ is truly and really present in the Sacrament to the soul of a Christian. The physical senses deny this, and natural reason cannot understand how — asking like the people of Capernaum, "How can He give us His flesh to eat?" But faith believes it and knows how, even though it cannot be expressed in terms of outward sense. It was a holy and beautiful answer given by certain holy martyrs who were asked how Christ could be eaten in the Sacrament without teeth. They replied: "My faith knows how." God says that wicked people, however much they flourish, are miserable — and that good people are blessed above all others. Reason and worldly experience say this is false, but true faith believes it and finds it to be true. No child of God has ever wanted to trade his condition for that of the mightiest or wealthiest wicked person in the world. God says: "He who will follow Christ must deny himself" — his own desires — and follow Christ through bitterness and suffering. Nature says: "This is a hard lesson — who can bear it?" But faith believes it, yields to it, and strives to practice it, because God has commanded it. Such is the power and excellence of true faith.

Fourth and finally, from this action and obedience of Noah, mark a special lesson. God had revealed to him that He would save him and his family, and had assured him he would not perish. Yet for all this, Noah made the ark. This shows that Noah, though he knew God would save him, was convinced he must use the means God appointed — or he would not be saved. He might have reasoned: God has said and bound Himself by covenant that He will save me. Even if I do not build the ark, His word is His word and He will stand by it. His will cannot be altered. Though I fail to do my part, He will still do His. Therefore I will spare myself the labor and cost of building the ark — especially since it is such a source of mockery and seems so foolish to reason. But Noah's thinking was different. He would not separate God's word from the means God appointed. He trusted God's word for his safety — but not God's bare word without the means.

From this we learn that even a person who is certain of his salvation is still required to use the means of salvation. This is true not only when that certainty comes through faith, but even if a person had been assured directly by God through immediate revelation. For if God were to say to someone by name, "You will be saved," it would be no more than what was said here to Noah regarding his deliverance. God said to him: "I will destroy all flesh, but with you I will establish My covenant — you will be delivered." Yet for all that, Noah judged that if he did not use the means, if he did not build the ark, he had no reason to expect deliverance. This was Noah's theology.

This stands in direct contrast to the theology and practice of some in this age, who say: "If I am to be saved, I may live however I please. And even if I live however I please, as long as I can say 'Lord, have mercy on me' in the end, I am safe enough." But Noah would not even trust his body to such thinking — while these people are so presumptuous as to trust their souls to it. Let such people be assured: in God's plan, the end and the means are bound together. Let no one separate what God has joined. Whoever does should expect no more salvation for failing to use the means than Noah would have expected safety for failing to build the ark. And so we see the second effect of his faith. What follows next: to the saving of his household.

This second effect — his preparing the ark — is further explained by a specific account of the purposes for which the ark was made, both in God's commanding and Noah's obeying.

- 1. By it he saved his household. - 2. By it he condemned the world.

The first purpose that both God had in commanding and Noah had in building the ark was the saving of his household — that is, himself and all who belonged to him: his wife, his three sons, and their wives (Genesis 7:7).

But first it may seem remarkable how this ark could save him and his household in such a universal destruction. It was a great and massive vessel resembling a ship — yet so unlike a ship that it is better called an ark. It had to float above the water while carrying an enormous weight, yet with no anchor to hold it, no mast to balance it, no rudder to steer it, and no captain to operate it. For Noah was partly a farmer and partly a preacher. Though he was a learned man, the art of sailing had not yet been developed. By every reasonable expectation, the ark would have been driven against rocks and mountains by the violence of the storms and split into pieces. Yet for all that, it saved him — even when heaven and earth seemed to run together in the fury of the rain, it saved him and his. How did this happen? Because God's providence and His hand were upon it. He was the Master and the Helmsman. Just as God Himself shut the door of the ark upon Noah after he had entered and sealed it so that no water could come in (something Noah himself could never have done) as Genesis 7:16 records — so doubtless the same God who condescended to be his doorkeeper was also his keeper, preserver, and the Master of the ark throughout that voyage. That is why the ark saved him — something that by natural reasoning it never could have done.

Here we learn, first, God's special and extraordinary presence and providence over His children in great distress and danger. His providence extends over all His works, for He forgets nothing He has made. But the special eye of His providence watches over His children — as a head of a household has an eye on even his lowliest servants and even his livestock, but his night and day care is for his children. And as God watches over all His children always, His providence shows itself most powerfully when they are in the deepest dangers or most lacking any natural help. When Daniel was thrown into the lions' den, God was there with him and shut the lions' mouths (Daniel 6:22). When the three young men were thrown into the fiery furnace, God was with them and took away the fire's natural power (Daniel 3:27). When the Israelites had to cross the sea or die, God was with them and made the sea give way, standing like two walls on either side (Exodus 14:22). When they wandered through the dangerous and barren wilderness, Christ was with them and cared for them with continual comfort and assistance (1 Corinthians 10:4). And so when Noah had to enter the ark and have the door sealed behind him — his situation seemed desperate. He could not do it himself, for the door was so massive that elephants and camels had to pass through it, and even if he could pull it shut, he could never have sealed it against the water from the inside. Nor would anyone from that wicked world do it for him — they owed him no such love or service, but had mocked and laughed at him: first for building the ark, and now for entering it while having no way to seal it shut. What could he do? He could not do it himself, and no one else would. God Himself, with His own hand, shut it for him. And afterward, when he was inside with no anchor, no rudder, no pilot, no captain, in danger of being hurled against rocks and shattered against the hills — God Himself was with him and was everything he needed. The eye of His love and the hand of His power were over him, and so the ark saved him and his household. Such is God's providence over His people when they are in the deepest distress and most cut off from all worldly help.

The practical lesson from this doctrine brings comfort to God's children. Just as they are certain that strange calamities will fall upon them, they are equally certain of God's special care for them even in their greatest extremities. God's children, who serve Him in true obedience of faith, may always assure themselves that the Lord never forgets or forsakes them in any trouble. He will always be ready with His merciful hand to defend them from danger, to provide for them in need, and to comfort them in distress when they have no idea how to help themselves. Elisha had an army sent against him to capture him. How could one man escape a whole army? His servant cried: "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" Elisha answered him and told him not to fear — there were more on his side than against him. That is, more angels — though unseen — fighting for him than there were soldiers in the enemy army. So when no one would shut the door for Noah, there were angels enough sent from God to do it for him. And when all the wicked people hoped he would perish with the ark he had built, assuring themselves he would be destroyed without the kind of help a ship requires — God's holy angels, or rather God Himself, supplied every need. And so while they perished, they saw him and his household saved by that ark. God's care over His church and children is no less today. Though He no longer works visible miracles for them, they feel and find that He is often mighty and wonderful in preserving them, providing for them, assisting them, and comforting them — and they know that without that providence they would have been destroyed.

Furthermore, since God Himself condescended to be the Master and Pilot of the ark in Noah's danger, so that it might save him and his household, we learn here the antiquity and dignity of the trade of mariners, sailors, and ship captains. Its antiquity: this calling is as old as Noah himself — as old as this second world, some four thousand years. Its dignity is great, for God Himself was both its first originator and its first practitioner. He was its originator: Noah did not design this ark from his own imagination, but was warned by God to make it. And God was its first practitioner: God Himself performed all the duties of a master mariner for Noah in the ark — without which it never could have saved him.

This being so, it is all the more grievous to see that honorable calling so abused and degraded as it is — the majority of those who practice it being irreverent, ungodly, and dissolute. Such men should remember: God made the first ship, and God was the first master, the first mariner, the first pilot, the first captain of a vessel. They should strive to be like Him. This is one of the very few callings that can say God Himself was its first designer and practitioner. Not every calling can say this. Why then should those who hold this calling so completely forget whose footsteps they follow? At sea and in danger, they may make some show of religion. But let them come ashore — what swearing, what immorality, what drunkenness is found among them. Let them be afraid to live so irreverently in a role that God Himself once held — or else let them know they are unworthy of so honorable a calling.

And so we see the reason and the means by which the ark was able to save him and his household: because God Himself guided it.

Next, observe the purpose and use of the ark. It was to save this holy man and his household. Learn from this that God's servants have safety in common calamities, for God Himself provides them security and deliverance. This has always been so. When God proceeded in judgment against Jerusalem for its sins, He marked the godly on their foreheads — those who mourned and cried out over the abominations committed against God (Ezekiel 9:4).

When Sodom was to be destroyed, righteous Lot and his family had to be brought out first — the angel could do nothing until Lot was safe (Genesis 19:16, 22). When the destroying angel passed over Egypt and struck down the firstborn in every Egyptian household — with the Israelites living among them — he passed over all the Israelites whose doors were sprinkled with the blood of the Passover lamb (Exodus 12:13). In the same way, no calamity can harm the person whose heart and soul is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. When others are struck, he will be delivered.

The practical lesson applies to our church and nation. By God's mercy we have long enjoyed peace and the Gospel, both under a gracious government, along with many other blessings. But tell the truth, and the sins of our time cry out for a flood, as in Noah's day. A flood of trouble must surely come in some form. This has always been the pattern for God's church: now peace, now persecution. Peace that is abused brings trouble and calamity. Therefore, having enjoyed so long a season of peace and ease, we must certainly expect a flood. What form it will take, or when it will come, no one knows — only He who will send it: the righteous and almighty God. What then shall we do when the flood of tribulation comes upon us? There is only one way. Believe in Christ Jesus. Settle your heart in true faith. Repent of your sins. Obtain God's favor and forgiveness. Then when the flood comes, God's providence will provide you, in one way or another, with an ark of safety and deliverance. Sprinkle your soul now with Christ's blood through faith and true repentance, and the destroying angel of God's wrath will pass over you and your household.

Third, observe the generosity of God's goodness. Not only Noah will be saved — his entire household with him. Why did the Lord do this? There are several reasons:

First, for the propagation and increase of the world after the flood. If someone objects that Noah and his wife would have been sufficient for this — the answer is that they were old. He was 600 years old when the flood came, and although he lived 350 years after it (Genesis 9:28), we read of no children born to him afterward. If someone further objects: the first world was begun and populated by just two people, Adam and Eve — why then were more needed for the beginning of the second world? The answer is that God began with two to show that all mankind comes from one blood (Acts 17:26), and that in terms of physical origin there is no fundamental difference between one person and another. This principle was also preserved in the second beginning — for though the world was repopulated by three brothers, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, those three were not unrelated strangers but all sons of one man, Noah. So just as all humanity descended from Adam and Eve at first, all humans after the flood descended from Noah and his wife. But for the beginning of the second world, more than one line of descent was needed, because by now the promised seed had been foretold — and His family line had to be kept distinct from all others until His incarnation. Moreover, there was greater urgency to repopulate the earth quickly now than there had been at the beginning. When the first curse fell, the earth still retained much of its beauty and remained a pleasant and delightful home for Adam and Eve. But with the second curse — the flood — all that beauty was gone, and the earth and all its glory was overrun, ruined, and defaced. Noah and his wife alone would have found it a miserable place to live. Further, the earth, having been so badly damaged by the flood and most of its productive capacity depleted, now needed more hands to restore it. To this end, Scripture says in Genesis 9:19 and 10:32 that the earth was divided among Noah's three sons, and they spread out across it rather than all living in one place. Also, to prevent the animals — which were now numerous — from overrunning the world, God wanted the earth repopulated quickly. For this reason Noah and his wife brought into the ark not household servants but only those who would bear children: their three sons and their wives. And so the multiplication of mankind is the first reason God saved Noah's children.

The second reason: it is likely that just as Noah himself was a righteous man, so those in his household were more orderly and godly than others in that wicked age. Good men make it their concern to teach their families, as Abraham did (Genesis 18:19). Since Noah is commended as a just and good man, it can be assumed that he carefully instructed his household — and therefore that all or most of them were holy, righteous people who feared God.

Third, even if not all of them were righteous, they were all part of the household of righteous Noah — and for his sake they were saved, since all were either his children or his children's wives. A righteous man brings blessings not only on himself but on all who belong to him, dwell with him, or are in his company. At Abraham's request, if there had been but ten righteous people in Sodom, all would have been spared for their sakes (Genesis 18:32). When Joseph lived in Egypt, all of Potiphar's household — even though Potiphar was a pagan — was blessed for Joseph's sake (Genesis 39:5). When Lot was delivered from Sodom's destruction, the angels asked him, "Have you any other relatives here?" that they might have been saved for his sake (Genesis 19:12). When Paul and 276 others were shipwrecked and in immediate danger of drowning, God saved Paul — and for his sake all the rest. "God has granted you all those who are sailing with you" (Acts 27:24). And so here Noah's children and their wives are spared for Noah's sake.

Let this encourage everyone to serve God in truth and integrity. By doing so, they will make not only themselves blessed, but will bring down God's blessing on their households, their children, and their descendants. Indeed, the very places where they live and the people around them will be better off because of them. And so we see the reasons why not only Noah, but his entire household, was saved.

In the fourth place, observe that the Holy Spirit says Noah built the ark not for the saving of himself, but of his household. This is said for two reasons:

First, to show that Noah, though he was the head and leader, was still one of the household — for the word household includes him. Masters and fathers, though they are governors, must think of themselves as members of the household. When they see themselves as members of the body rather than simply its rulers, they will take better care of it.

Second, to teach us the care Noah had for his family — so great that he built the ark specifically to save them. Here is an example of a worthy head of household — and yet all of this was merely for a physical deliverance from a physical death. Now if he was so careful about their bodily safety, how much more careful must he have been to save them from hell and damnation — which he knew to be an eternal destruction of both soul and body. Therefore, just as he was a diligent preacher of righteousness to that sinful world, he was above all a diligent preacher, intercessor, and teacher within his own family, so that he might make them God's servants and deliver them from the eternal fire of hell.

Noah's example is to be a pattern for all parents and heads of households, teaching them to care not only for the physical well-being of their families, but especially for their souls and spiritual welfare. If they are bound by every bond of nature and religion to provide for the bodies of their children, reason shows how much more strictly they are required to look after their souls. Paul says: "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8) — and that is for physical things. Then what of one who provides nothing for their souls? Such a person's condition is extremely dangerous. So when you have provided food, clothing, a calling, marriage, a home, and a livelihood for your child — do not think you are finished and may let them go. The world may receive such a parent as a provider. But God will not. No — the greater duty still remains. You must provide for their souls, so that they may know God and fear His name. You must, like Abraham, teach your family to walk in the ways of God. "I have chosen him," God says of Abraham, "so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord" (Genesis 18:19). And God will surely know all who do likewise. By doing this, people will make their homes houses of God, as Noah's was. It would go far better with our church and nation if people did so. Ministers in the church and justices in the land would have far less to do if heads of families would do their duty.

But let us go further and look more closely at what this household was that was saved by the ark.

First, it was a family of four men and four women — not men or women alone, but both, with equal numbers of each. God would have the two sexes to value and feel their need for one another. The first world began with one man and one woman. The second began with four men and four women — but always in equal proportion. Here too God taught men not to despise the other sex, though it is the weaker — for God saved as many women from the universal flood as He did men.

Second, how many were there in all? Only eight people. Of the entire world, no more were saved. A sobering sight. See what sin can do. It can reduce many millions to eight people in a short time. See what it means to offend God. Let us not boast in our numbers, but glory in knowing and serving God. For if our sins cry out to Him against us, He can easily make us few enough.

Third, who were these eight people? Not one servant among them all — only Noah and his wife, his three sons, and their wives. It is remarkable that none of Noah's servants were among them. Some think he had no servants, and that the simplicity of those days required none — that each person was his own servant. This view seems supported by Genesis 7:1, where God commands Noah: "Enter the ark, you and all your household." When they entered, only he, his wife, and his children are counted in verse 7 — and so these scholars conclude that Noah's household had no servants. But why could Noah not have had servants as Abraham and Lot did? Surely he had them. But here is a remarkable thing: Noah's own servants refused to believe his preaching. They chose to live loosely with the world and perish with it rather than live godly with their master and be saved with him. This has been and will always be true: in a wicked age or wicked place, a godly master may not be able to govern his own servants. The tide of common wickedness and the bad examples of others pulls them away from obedience. They readily say: we will not be treated harder than other people's servants; we will not be bound to strict hours and so many religious exercises; we will do as others do. This is what Noah's servants did — and they perished with the world. So hard is it for a good man to have godly servants in times or places where wickedness holds sway.

And so we have seen in some measure how the ark saved Noah and his household, and what that household was.

Now beyond this end and use of the ark, we should know that while saving them from physical death was a physical deliverance, the ark also had a spiritual use that we must not overlook. For as many of Noah's family as were true believers, the ark was also a means of saving their souls — for it taught them many things.

First, it was an assurance of God's love for their souls. For if He was so careful to save their bodies from the flood, they could assure themselves He would be equally good to their souls, which they knew to be far more precious and excellent.

Second, it showed them the way of salvation. Just as they saw no safety and nothing but certain death outside the ark, it taught them that outside God's church and outside His favor, no salvation could be expected. And so it taught them to strive to be in God's favor and to be members of His true church.

Third, they saw that they were saved from the flood through faith and obedience. First, Noah believed God's word that the flood would come. Then he obeyed God's command and built the ark as he was instructed. And so he and his household were saved through the ark by believing and obeying. Without these, the ark could not have saved them. This taught them more specifically how to be saved — by believing God and obeying God, and in no other way. For when they saw that their bodies could not be saved without faith and obedience, they were assured that their souls could far less be saved without them.

Finally, this deliverance through the ark was a pledge from God, assuring them of salvation if they believed in the Messiah. For since God so fully kept His promise to them for their physical deliverance when they believed, they could assure themselves He would also keep His promise of salvation upon their faith and true obedience. Moreover, it strengthened their faith. Whenever God made a promise to them afterward, or any word from God came to them, they remembered God's mercy and faithfulness in their deliverance by the ark — and so they believed.

To these and many other spiritual uses the ark served Noah and his household, as many of them as were believers.

But what does this mean for us? The ark served them for a physical deliverance and saved their lives — they had good reason to draw spiritual lessons from it. But it did not save us and served no physical purpose for us. How then can we make any spiritual use of it?

The answer is: though we had no physical use of the ark, an excellent spiritual lesson still arises from considering it.

Noah's ark and our baptism are corresponding figures — what Noah's ark was to them, baptism is to us. This is Peter's teaching in 1 Peter 3:20-21: "The ark corresponds to baptism, which now saves you." What Paul here attributes to the ark, Peter attributes to baptism. The ark saved them; baptism saves us. This resemblance between these two figures has two aspects.

First, just as it was necessary for all who would be saved from the flood to be inside the ark — with no possibility of escape outside it — so also, for those who want their souls saved, they must be in Christ and part of His church. They must be spiritual members of Christ and visible members of His church. Outside Christ and His church, there is no possibility of salvation. Peter proves this clearly in Acts 4:12: "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

And Peter proves the necessity of the church in Acts 2:47: "The Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." See how those who are to be saved must join themselves to the church when they find where it is. And all of this is signified and taught in baptism. The outward use of baptism makes us members of the visible church, and the inward and powerful use of baptism makes us members of Christ Himself.

Considering this should make us all more careful to be true members of Christ and His church — not merely by making a bare profession of religion, but by seeking to be united to Christ through faith and true repentance. For this is what will save us when nothing else can. Those outside the ark could not buy their safety with gold or silver, land or possessions, houses or buildings, hills or mountains — nothing in the world, not the whole world itself, could save them. Being outside the ark, they perished. Likewise, if a person is outside Christ and outside His church, no gold or silver, no honor or glory, no cleverness or strategy, no reputation or authority, no friend or favor, no wisdom or learning, no hills of happiness or mountains of gold can save his soul. He must perish in the flood of God's eternal wrath. For just as it proved foolish for those who trusted in their tall houses or clung to hilltops to do so while being outside the ark, it will prove far greater folly for those who trust in any means of salvation while being outside Christ. And on the other hand: those inside the ark were certain to be saved no matter what the waters, winds, weather, storms, and tempests did. The higher the waters rose, the higher the ark rose too — always above them. The higher the violence of the waters carried it, the safer it was from rocks and hills. And so in the midst of danger they were out of danger, saved in the midst of the water. Likewise, once a person is truly in Christ, his salvation is certain — nothing can prevent it. Floods of calamity may attack and humble him, but they cannot harm his salvation. He is in the ark; he is in Christ. The very gates of hell cannot overthrow him. Through all the waves of the devil's hatred and all the storms of temptation, the blessed ark of Christ's love and merits will carry him up and at last bring him safely to salvation. This is the blessed assurance of all who are truly baptized into Christ. But those who, through irreverence, either do not care to be in Christ or despise baptism — let them be assured: they are outside the ark, and they will certainly perish. This is the first aspect of the resemblance.

The second aspect is this: when Noah's body entered the ark, it was as if he were a dead man entering a grave or tomb to be buried. He was buried in the ark, the ark was buried in the waters, and he was cut off from fresh air and daylight. Yet by God's appointment, the very thing that seemed to be his tomb was the means of his salvation. If Noah was going to be saved, he had to go into this grave. In the same way, those who want to escape hell and damnation through Christ — the true ark of holiness — must be buried and have their flesh and fleshly desires put to death. There is no path to eternal life except through this. Your soul cannot live while your sins — the old nature, that is, your corrupt desires — are alive. They must die and be buried, and then your soul lives. While they live, your soul is dead and far from the life of grace that is in Christ Jesus. All of this is set out fully in Romans 6:3-4, where we see clearly that we must through baptism die with Christ and be buried with Him — otherwise we cannot be saved by Him. Our corrupt desires and sins — the old nature — must die and be buried, so that the new nature, that is, the grace and holiness of Christ, may live in us and give life to our souls. He who does not die in this way never truly lives. He who is not buried in this way never rises to true life. Mortification of sin is therefore the road to heaven, and death is the way to eternal life. He who is not mortified in his corrupt desires should never expect to be made alive with grace or glory.

If this is so, we can see what a miserable world we live in — one where mortification of sin is largely unknown, and few people can even explain what it means. Grace is dying, holiness is mortified, and I fear it is being buried as well — while the old nature reigns. Corruption is alive and sin is flourishing. What is common is the mortifying of Christ by our sins — but the mortifying of sin is rarely seen. Christ is in a sense betrayed, crucified, and killed by the sins of people. What a dreadful reversal: Christ should live in us, yet we work to crucify Him again. Sin should be crucified, yet it lives in us. But if we want Christ to save us, we must put to death the body of our sin. He who wants to live when he is dead must die while he is alive. And he who wants to be saved through his baptism must see that baptism works this effect in him: to make him die and be buried with Christ, so that afterward he may rise and reign with Christ. Then baptism will save us, as the ark saved faithful Noah and his household. And so much for the first purpose and use of the ark. The second follows.

By which he condemned the world.

Here is the second purpose for which Noah prepared the ark: the condemnation of the world that then existed. By the ark — not by his faith, as some would read it — he condemned that wicked generation, both to a physical destruction of their bodies and to eternal judgment in hell.

In these words, two points deserve consideration.

- 1. Who are condemned? The world. - 2. By what means? By Noah's ark.

Regarding the first: what is meant by the world? Peter answers in 2 Peter 2:5: the world of the ungodly — that generation of sinful people who lived in Noah's day, whom Peter also calls, in his first letter (1 Peter 3:20), disobedient. Their specific sins are recorded by Moses in Genesis 6:4-5 as: monstrous abuse of holy marriage, unnatural lusts, cruelties and oppressions, a complete neglect of God's service and Sabbath, and extreme irreverence and moral dissolution of every kind. This corruption was not private or personal but universal — spreading through every class, both sexes, and all ages. This world of the ungodly — this entire race of wicked and disobedient people — was condemned. But how was this world condemned by Noah? God gave them 120 years to repent and appointed Noah to preach to them throughout that time, calling them to repentance. But they did not believe God or Noah, and continued in their disobedience and grew in their wickedness. Therefore, when that time expired, God fulfilled His word as spoken by Noah, brought the flood upon them, destroyed them all, and condemned to hell all who died in impenitence and unbelief. And so that wicked world was condemned exactly as Noah had foretold in his preaching.

From this we may learn:

First, what this present age has to expect, unless there is repentance. Speaking of our own nation: have we not had the Gospel for thirty years and more — and with it peace and great prosperity? Have we not been given a generous time to repent? What is our duty but to acknowledge with reverence this goodness of God, to seize this merciful opportunity — this time of grace and this day of salvation? If we do not, and treat the Gospel as nothing, what can we expect but to be condemned as that world was? Look at the means and opportunities that these days provide — they are as golden as any since Christ's day, and as any that can be expected until His return. But look at the irreverence, the carnality, and the carelessness of this age across all of Christendom — and it is the iron age, the evil days. And so evil that nothing can be expected but a river of burning sulfur and a flood of fire to purge it.

"The coming of the Son of Man" — which I take to be these days — "will be just like the days of Noah" (Matthew 24:37). And surely in carelessness and irreverence these days are like Noah's days. Therefore in all reason the punishment must be similar too. We must take warning from them and shake off this complacency that fills every person's heart. We must wait for the Lord in watchfulness and prayer, and think that every day may be the last day of this world — or at least the last day of our lives. Let us prepare for it and live in expectation of it. Otherwise, if our sinfulness continues to grow, nothing can be expected but condemnation in a universal judgment, as that world experienced. Let us therefore take up a more serious service of God, so that the Lord, when He comes, may find us so doing.

Second, since the entire world of that time was thus destroyed and condemned — and as we heard before, only Noah and his household were saved — we learn that it is neither good nor safe to follow the majority. Noah stood alone, holding and believing against all the world. Yet his judgment and his belief were true, and the whole world's were false. Accordingly, he was saved while they were all condemned.

It is remarkable, therefore, that the Church of Rome places so much weight on numbers and the multitude as evidence for its religion, since this has always been and always will be a weak argument. If numbers could ever have carried the argument, it would have been in Noah's case, where one might have said to him: "Who are you to claim to be wiser than all men? To know more than the entire world? You who have a faith all by yourself, with no one to stand with you — do you really think that all the posterity of Adam, all the children of holy Enoch and Methuselah, are all deceived, and you alone are right?" Would not such objections have discouraged anyone? Yet see the power of faith. Noah had God's word on his side, and therefore believed against all the world — and is commended to all generations for this faith. It is therefore nothing but an empty flourish on the part of Roman Catholics to press us so hard with their numbers, universality, consensus, unity, succession, and continuity. All of this amounts to nothing unless they first prove that the doctrine or opinion held by these multitudes is grounded in God's word. Until then, all the rest is vanity. It is better, with Noah, to have God's plain word on your side than to believe otherwise with all the world — which was deceived here and condemned, while Noah alone believed God's word and was saved.

And so we have seen who were condemned: the world. To close this point, one question may usefully be raised here:

Was all the world — that is, every person in that world — condemned? The text seems to imply that all but Noah were. And yet it may seem strange that of so many millions not one repented except him. And if some of them did repent, why were they not saved? The answer is that the world of that wicked age was condemned in two ways:

First, with a physical destruction — and in this way all were condemned without exception. No tall houses, no hills, no human devices could save them. The waters rose fifteen cubits above the tops of the highest mountains under heaven (Genesis 7:20). So though many of them survived temporarily by fleeing to the hills, when even that last refuge was taken from them, all flesh that moved on the earth perished — every person and every creature that had the breath of life. So the account tells us in Genesis 7:21-22. It is pointless to imagine that any of them could have survived by clinging to the outside of the ark. First, the ark was most likely designed with a ridge along the top that no one could stand on — let alone hold onto in the violent tossing of the storms. And even if they could, they could not have survived for so long without food, since the waters were upon the earth for nearly a year. And so it is absolutely certain that all without exception were destroyed by physical death.

But second, they were condemned to eternal destruction in hell. This is why Peter says in 1 Peter 3:18 that their spirits are now in prison — those who were disobedient in the days of Noah. Now the question is whether all of them were so condemned. The answer: as far as we can know with certainty from Scripture, they were all condemned. Yet in a spirit of charitable judgment, we should not necessarily think so. There are several probable reasons to think that some of them repented. However many refused to believe Noah, judging him to be speaking on his own authority — it is more than likely that when the rain began falling with extraordinary force, and at the latest when they found themselves driven to the hilltops expecting death at any moment, many of the descendants of Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech were ashamed of their former unbelief and turned to God in faith and repentance. And this is almost certainly the main reason why God brought the flood over forty days when He could have done it in four hours — to give people time to repent (Genesis 7).

But it will be asked: if any repented, why were they not saved? The answer: because they did not repent in time, when they were called through Noah's preaching. Repentance is never too late to save the soul from hell — but it may be too late to save the body from a physical judgment. This, I believe, is what we may safely hold. It seems too severe to condemn all the descendants of Methuselah, Enoch, Lamech, and other holy patriarchs — who, as the text says, "had sons and daughters" — and to think that none of them repented when they saw the flood actually coming, exactly as Noah had warned. It cannot be that they never heard their fathers preach. Why might that preaching not have taken effect on their hearts when the judgment finally arrived, even though it had not beforehand? But then why did God not record either their repentance or their salvation in Scripture, leaving the matter uncertain?

The answer: for the very same reason He did not record Adam's or Solomon's repentance. In all these cases the purpose is to teach every generation to the end of the world how dreadful it is to disobey God's command, as Adam did — or to delay repentance when called by God's word, as these people did. Therefore, to warn us away from doing the same, God was pleased not to record their eventual repentance, if it occurred, but to leave it uncertain.

This discussion of the question yields two powerful motivations to repentance.

First, if we do not repent in time, our condition is serious and uncertain — though not beyond hope — as we see here: even the salvation of Methuselah's descendants is left uncertain, because they did not repent when called but delayed until the judgment came. So, if we delay our repentance until our deathbed, there is great doubt about our salvation. But if we repent when called by God's word, it is beyond question — there is no doubt of our salvation.

Second, if we repent in time, we will escape the physical judgment God sends upon the world for sin. But if we delay repentance until the judgment arrives, we may still save our souls — but our bodies will perish in the universal judgment. If the children of Enoch and Methuselah, who were close relatives of Noah, had repented at Noah's preaching, they would have been saved with Noah. They did not. But when the flood actually came, they surely then believed as Noah had, and wished they were in the ark with him — but it was too late. They may have saved their souls, but they drowned with the rest. So also, when God threatens any judgment on a church or nation, those who believe and repent in time will escape it. But those who live carelessly with the world and do not repent until God begins to strike — even if they then turn, when the flood has already come — let them be assured that they will still bear their share of the punishment, just as they shared in the sins. Let these two considerations move us all to turn to God in timely repentance. Then we will be certain to escape both the eternal and the physical judgment, and not be condemned as this world of the ungodly was.

And so we have seen who were condemned.

The world.

The second point is: by what means were they condemned? The text says only: by which he condemned, etc. Some would understand this to refer to faith and read it: by which faith he condemned the world. While this is true — the faith of holy people does condemn the unbelieving and misbelieving world — it is not the best reading in this particular passage, where the ark is being described by its two purposes. This is one of them. And beyond that, the Greek construction supports it, and nearly all interpreters refer it to the ark. Moreover, it stands to reason: the same thing that saved him and his household also condemned the world. The ark is said to have saved them — therefore by it he condemned the world. Nor does this diminish faith but rather commends it: for it was by faith that he built the ark, and that ark condemned the world. Now, by the ark Noah condemned the world in two ways: 1. By his obedience in building it. 2. By his preaching in building it.

Regarding the first: God commanded Noah to build an ark so large and for such a purpose that by all natural reasoning no one would have done it. Yet Noah, by the power of his faith, believed God's word and obeyed, and therefore built the ark. This faith and obedience of Noah to God's command condemned the unbelieving and disobedient world and left them without excuse. As Christ says: the people of Nineveh, who repented at the preaching of Jonah, will rise in judgment against the Jews and condemn them, because they did not repent at Christ's preaching. And the Queen of Sheba, who came so far to hear Solomon, will condemn those who would not hear Christ (Matthew 12:41-42).

In the same way, Noah's obedience condemned them. For Noah, having been told of a miraculous judgment and having believed it, and having been commanded to do something as seemingly unreasonable as building the ark and having obeyed — this condemned that wicked world, which refused to believe God's ordinary promises or obey His ordinary and holy commandments. And just as the saints are said to condemn the world (1 Corinthians 6:2) by being witnesses against them and endorsing God's just sentence — so Noah's deed and faith condemned that world. And so we can see clearly that the obedience and godly example of good people condemn the ungodly.

The lesson from this should encourage everyone to embrace the Christian faith, and not be discouraged by the contempt or bad behavior of irreverent people who cannot abide the Gospel. He who walks in holiness and keeps a good conscience in the midst of a wicked generation — if his godliness does not overcome their evil and convert them, it will all the more expose their wickedness and condemn them. Our churches are full of mockers who drive many away from Christ and religion. But let them know: this will be the outcome — the obedience of those they despise and ridicule will be their condemnation. And so Noah, by his obedience in building the ark, condemned the world.

Second, he also condemned it by his preaching as he built it. For the building of the ark was part of his prophetic ministry.

The prophets preached in two ways: by words and by actions.

Beyond their verbal preaching and declaration of God's word, they preached through their lives and actions — especially in those actions that were extraordinary. Such was Noah's building of the ark. It was a visual sermon. Every stroke upon the ark was a loud proclamation to the eyes and ears of that wicked world. By building it, he signified that some would be saved and the rest would drown — specifically, all who would believe and repent would be saved in it, and all who would not would be drowned outside it. Because they refused to believe this, the ark condemned them. From this we may learn:

First, that a person may be a true and sincere minister, lawfully called by God and His church, and yet not turn many to God or bring many to repentance through his ministry. Noah was a prophet called directly by God, and yet in 120 years of preaching — both in word and in action — he could not turn a single person to faith and repentance. This is a sobering thing to consider: that neither his preaching nor his building of the ark turned even one of the descendants of Lamech, Methuselah, or Enoch to believe him. They all chose instead to be swept along in the general corruption of that wicked world rather than serve God with Noah. This was as discouraging a situation as any minister could face — yet this has been the lot of many holy prophets. Isaiah was sent to preach, knowing his message would harden hearts so that people might not be saved (Isaiah 6:10). Ezekiel was sent to speak to people who, God warned him in advance, would not listen or repent (Ezekiel 3:4-7). And when Paul himself preached to the Jews in Rome, some refused to believe (Acts 28:24). Nothing discourages a person more or weighs his heart down more than to see that his labors are not only fruitless but produce the opposite effect — that what was meant to save people has instead become the means of their deeper condemnation. Therefore, when their labors do bring people to God, ministers may greatly rejoice and consider those people, as Paul considered the Thessalonians, their crown, their joy, and their glory. But when their work does no good — as with Noah here — when people grow worse and worse, this must humble and abase ministers in themselves, and show them that the power and virtue are not in them but in God. Paul says to the ungodly and unrepentant among the Corinthians: "I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past." Surely nothing will humble a minister and give him cause for deep grief more than this — yet even then there remains genuine comfort and contentment for all godly and faithful teachers. For whether your ministry is the aroma of life to life or of death to death to your hearers, it is still to God a sweet aroma in Christ.

Furthermore, we may learn here that those who are condemned before God receive their condemnation through the preaching of the word. "The secrets of all the world," says the apostle, "will be judged by Jesus Christ, according to the Gospel." And here the preaching of Noah — including his visual preaching through preparing the ark — condemns the world. Such is the power and force of the ministry of God's word upon all who resist it.

This being so, it should teach everyone, when they come to hear God's word, to submit themselves to its power, to obey it, and to become repentant. Otherwise, every sermon a person hears becomes an indictment presented to God against him. At the last day, even if there were no devils to accuse — those indictments would both accuse and condemn him. This judgment begins in this life, as people's consciences often tell them, and is completed at the last day. There is no trifling with God's word: if it cannot save, it destroys. It is like fire — if it cannot soften, it hardens. Let all unrepentant people then take seriously the need to obey God's word. For if they abuse it now, it will be repaid to them both in this world and in the world to come. For just as the very same ark that saved Noah and his household condemned the world — so the same word of God, when believed and obeyed by godly people, is their salvation; but when disobeyed and rejected by ungodly people, it will be their condemnation.

And so much for the two purposes for which Noah prepared the ark, and consequently for the second effect of Noah's faith.

It follows: And was made heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Here is the third and final effect by which the excellence of Noah's faith is commended. It made him an heir — not merely an heir of the world, which he already was — but of something the world itself could not give: of righteousness, and the best kind of all — the righteousness which is by faith. These words relate to the testimony God gave of Noah in Genesis 6:9: "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God." What is stated there in general terms is here specifically explained: he was righteous — but how? He was righteous by the righteousness of faith. These words are a commentary on those.

But because what is affirmed here of Noah is a most glorious thing — that his faith made him an heir (that is, made one who was already heir of all the earth into a far better heir) — these words deserve careful consideration. To understand them fully, three points must be addressed: 1. What is the righteousness spoken of here. 2. Why it is called the righteousness of faith, or by faith. 3. How Noah was made an heir of it by his faith.

On the first point: the righteousness by which Noah and all holy people stand righteous before God is not a righteousness belonging to any nature on its own, but one specifically appointed by God for that purpose. To understand it more precisely, we must examine its various kinds.

Righteousness is of two sorts: created and uncreated.

Uncreated righteousness is what exists in God Himself — with no beginning or end, no means, and no measure. Of this the Psalm speaks: "Righteous are You, O Lord" (Psalm 119:137). This righteousness cannot make any person righteous, for two reasons.

First, it is identical with the Godhead — it exists in God essentially. A person is one thing, and his righteousness is another. But God and His righteousness are one and the same. Therefore it is as impossible for any person to possess this righteousness as it is for that person to be God.

Second, it is infinite, and a human soul is a finite creature — and therefore incapable of receiving anything infinite, including the immeasurable righteousness that belongs to the Godhead. This righteousness we must therefore leave to God as proper to the divine nature.

Created righteousness is what God forms in rational creatures — in people and angels. We will not discuss the angels here, though theirs and humanity's were not greatly different in nature at the time of creation.

The created righteousness of humanity is of two sorts: legal and evangelical.

Legal righteousness is what the moral law prescribes.

Evangelical righteousness is what the Gospel has revealed.

Of legal righteousness, I find three kinds spoken of: 1. Perfect righteousness. 2. Civil righteousness. 3. Inward righteousness.

Perfect legal righteousness is the complete fulfillment of the law in a person's own life. No living person will be justified before God by this, for no one since the fall of Adam has been able to perfectly fulfill the law. If anyone could, he would be righteous by it. But no one has, and no one ever can. Therefore no one can stand righteous before God on the basis of perfect legal righteousness in himself. Some will object: but a regenerate person can, for he has been restored by grace. Though Adam's fall disabled humanity, regeneration re-enables a person to perfectly fulfill the law.

The answer: that would be true if regeneration were complete. But people are sanctified only in part in this life — it will not be perfect until death. The objection may be raised from 1 Thessalonians 5:23: "May your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved complete." If all three are sanctified, what remains unsanctified? Therefore our sanctification is perfect. The answer: it is perfect in extent — all parts are touched — but not in degree or measure. A child is a complete human being in that all the parts of a person are present — but no part is fully developed. In the same way, a child of God is sanctified in every part, but not to the full measure of any part, until flesh, mortality, and corruption come to an end.

Second, someone may object: the Virgin Mary did not sin. The answer: the Church of Rome does teach that she never sinned — that her life was free from actual sin and her conception from original sin. But neither Scripture nor the true church of God teaches this. On the contrary, it is more than clear that she was a sinner. First, she herself says her soul rejoiced in God her Savior. But if she were not a sinner, she would have had no need of a Savior. Second, she died. But if she had not sinned, justice would not have required her to die — for death entered by sin, and where there is no sin, death is not owed. And so no person can be righteous before God through the perfect righteousness of the law in himself.

Second, there is civil righteousness — when a person's outward conduct conforms to the law, especially to the commandments of the second table. For example: he refrains from the outward acts of murder, adultery, or theft. Or he controls his anger and keeps his passions from breaking out into open violence before others. And regarding the first table: he attends church and makes a profession of religion. All of this is civil righteousness, and by it no person can be justified or made righteous. First, it is not a perfect but a highly imperfect righteousness, and therefore cannot justify. It is so imperfect that it amounts to nothing in God's sight — it is merely outward, compelled, and performed obedience, lacking the inward and genuine obedience of the heart and soul.

Second, it cannot make a person righteous, because wicked and unjustifiable people possess it too. Haman hated Mordecai in his heart — his heart boiled with malice against him — yet the account says he restrained himself until he came home (Esther 5:10). And Christ says: "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). Now what was their righteousness but an outward civil righteousness — keeping the law in external actions only? This is evident from what Christ does in the rest of that chapter, where He expounds the law and brings it back to its full and proper sense in the inward life. So we have still not found the righteousness that can make a person truly righteous.

Third, there is what is called the inward righteousness of a Christian: when a person has repented and his sins have been forgiven, he is by the Holy Spirit sanctified inwardly in his soul and all its faculties. This sanctification is called inward righteousness. The Church of Rome says a person may be justified by this. But this is not so, as the following reasons show. First, this righteousness is imperfect in this life. The apostle proves this where he says: "We know in part" (1 Corinthians 13:12). Therefore our understanding is only partly regenerate. And as it is, so all other faculties of our soul are only partly regenerate — in all of them we are partly spirit and partly flesh (Galatians 5:17). Therefore, since our sanctification is imperfect, it cannot justify us. Moreover, this righteousness is mixed with sin and unrighteousness. From this mixture comes the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, of which Paul speaks (Galatians 5:17): "These are in opposition to one another."

If it is mixed with sin, it cannot make us righteous — nor can the works of grace that flow from it, though God in mercy rewards them. As James says, those works confirm our faith and demonstrate our righteousness before other people (James 2:21). But they cannot justify us before God's justice, nor will they stand as payment at the bar of the final judgment. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:4: "I am not aware of anything against myself, yet I am not justified by this." That is: he had conducted himself in his calling as an apostle and minister of the Gospel in such a way that he was not privately aware of any negligence in it. And yet he dares not stand on that to be justified by it. If he refuses to rest in it, who would dare lay hold of it? Furthermore, no person can do any perfectly good works unless he is perfectly just. How can perfection come from imperfection? But no person can be perfectly just in this sinful body, as was proved in the first reason. Therefore his works in this life cannot be of a quality to make him righteous.

But someone may object: though our works have some defects, God's mercy accepts them as righteous and just — and therefore they may justify us. The answer: while God's mercy accepts them, His justice must also be satisfied. Since the works are imperfect, they cannot satisfy His justice, for God's infinite justice requires perfect satisfaction. As for our best works as we perform them — weigh them in the scales of God's justice, and they are so light they deserve condemnation. In God's mercy in Christ, however, their defects are covered, and they are counted as good works and rewarded. But we would be presuming upon God's mercy and abusing His justice if we imagined those works could deserve His mercy or justify us in His sight. So then, since legal righteousness fails us entirely, let us come to evangelical righteousness.

Evangelical righteousness is what is revealed in the Gospel. It would never have been revealed if the righteousness of the law could have saved us. But since the law — not through any defect in the law itself, but through our own failure — could not save us, God in mercy provides another and better righteousness through the Gospel.

Evangelical righteousness is the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus. His righteousness is what makes a person righteous before God. Now Christ was an extraordinary person, consisting of two natures: the Godhead and the manhood.

And accordingly He has a double righteousness in His holy person.

First, as He is God, He has in His nature the righteousness of God — which is uncreated and infinite, and therefore incommunicable. No one is, nor can be, righteous by it.

Second, there is in Christ the righteousness of His humanity. Though this is finite and created, it surpasses all measure when compared to the righteousness of any person or angel. As John says in John 3, God did not give Him the Spirit by measure.

This righteousness of Christ as man and Mediator consists of two things: 1. The purity of His nature. 2. The perfection of His obedience.

The first aspect of our Mediator's righteousness is the holiness of His humanity — perfectly sanctified from the moment of His conception by the powerful operation of the Godhead. From this purity of nature flowed His obedience, which was as perfect as His nature was pure. A perfectly pure nature made a clear path to perfect obedience. Therefore, just as His conception was free from original sin, His entire life was free from the least actual sin.

Now the Mediator's obedience was twofold: active and passive.

And He performed both in His own person.

His passive obedience was His suffering — His endurance of everything that God's justice had decreed must fall on humanity for sin, whether for soul or body.

The active obedience of the Mediator was His perfect fulfillment of the moral law in all duties to God and to people, in thought, word, and deed — all of this done for us, in our place, and on our behalf. Here is true righteousness. Where the nature of a person is perfectly pure and his obedience is perfect, that person's righteousness is perfect. And I say, all of this was done by Christ for us. He suffered everything we should have suffered and did not. He did everything we should have done and did not. This is the righteousness by which a sinner is made righteous before God. Since legal righteousness cannot accomplish this, this righteousness must. And now we have found the righteousness by which Noah and all holy people were made and counted righteous — namely, the righteousness that resides in the holy person of Jesus Christ the Mediator.

Yet this goes beyond and above all reason — that one should be justified by another's righteousness. And though this doctrine is from God and grounded firmly on God's word, it has its opponents and is strongly contested by the Church of Rome. Therefore let us first prove it, and then answer the objections against it. We prove it as follows:

First, from plain Scripture: "He who knew no sin was made sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). What could be plainer? He was made sin for us, and we righteousness through Him. Therefore, just as Christ was no sinner in His own person — but our sins were laid upon Him and He was thereby treated as a sinner — so, though we are not righteous in our own persons, yet having Christ's righteousness credited to us, we are made righteous by His righteousness.

Further, the righteousness that must save us must be the righteousness of both God and man — as the passage just cited says, "that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ." But no person's own righteousness can make him the righteousness of God, nor can God's righteousness be the righteousness of a mere man. It follows, therefore, that only Christ — being both God and man — has in Himself the righteousness that can make a person the righteousness of God.

Third, Scripture says: "Christ is the end of the Law to everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). The end of the law — that is, not its abolisher or repealer, but its fulfiller. He abrogated the ceremonial law, but He fulfilled the moral law. For whom did He fulfill the law? Not for Himself. As the Messiah was not cut off for Himself (Daniel 9:26), so He did not obey the law for Himself. For whom, then? For all who believe. Christ fulfilling the law for them, they fulfill the law in Christ — He by doing, and they by believing in Him who does it. Now if it is correct to say "we fulfill the law in Christ," it is equally correct to say "we are made righteous by Christ's righteousness" — though it is His and not ours, but made ours through faith only.

Let us now consider what the Church of Rome objects against this doctrine. Their first objection is:

Just as a person cannot be wise by another person's wisdom, or rich by another's riches, or strong by another's strength — so he cannot be righteous by another person's righteousness.

The answer: the comparison does not hold. One person has no claim on another person's wisdom, strength, or riches. But we do have a rightful share in Christ's righteousness. Moreover, the wisdom of one person cannot become the wisdom of another, because they are two entirely separate persons. But it is not so between Christ and a sinner. Every believer is spiritually — yet truly and really — united to Christ, forming one mystical body: Christ as the head, and every true believer as a member. Therefore what is His righteousness can also truly be ours. His, because it resides in Him. Ours, because we are joined to Him. Through this mystical union between Him and us, all the blessings of salvation that are in Him as the head flow into us as His members and branches — and yet remain just as properly in Him as the brain remains in the head of a person. And so, though this cannot be grasped by sense or reason, through faith and God's Spirit the righteousness of Christ is truly made ours.

Their second objection is: if this is so, then God justifies wicked people — but God will not do this, for it is against the nature of His holiness and justice. And again, "He who justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 17:15). Therefore God will not do this Himself.

The answer: the premise is sound, but the conclusion is false. God will not justify a wicked person — that is true. But it does not follow that a person therefore cannot be justified by Christ's righteousness. For God does not justify the person who lies rotting in his former sins and wallowing in his old corruption. He justifies the person who believes in Christ and repents of his sins. That person is justified through his faith and sanctified through his repentance, and so he is made a new person. As Paul says: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature" (2 Corinthians 5:17). For just as in conversion God does not turn or save anyone against his will — but first makes him willing by God's own work alone, and then converts and saves him through his own willing cooperation with God's grace — so it is in justification. God justifies no wicked person. Instead, He first makes that person just and righteous in and through Christ, and then counts him as such. But someone may say: the sinner has no righteousness but Christ's, and that righteousness resides in Christ, not in himself. Therefore he has none in his own person — how then can he be anything but a wicked man still? The answer is that this first claim is not actually true. The believing sinner has more righteousness than what resides in Christ alone. What justifies him resides in Christ's person. But when the sinner is justified, he is also sanctified by the mighty work of God's grace. He is thus made a holy person and does good and holy works because he is in Christ — though his sanctification is imperfect. As Peter says in Acts 15:9, "Faith purifies a person's heart." It is impossible for a person to believe and so be justified without also being sanctified in his heart and life. And so a sinner is justified by Christ's righteousness inherent in Christ Himself, and sanctified by Christ's righteousness flowing from Christ into the sinner. His justification is therefore perfect, because what justifies him remains always in Christ. But his sanctification is imperfect, because what sanctifies him is in himself. The first is imputed to us; the second is infused and resides within us.

Furthermore, I answer that if we take it in the sense of Scripture, it is actually true that God justifies a wicked person. For Paul says in Romans 4: "To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." See — God justifies the ungodly. But how? Just as we have already described: not someone who remains ungodly afterward, but someone who was ungodly before being justified. The person who by nature and in himself is ungodly — God justifies by working in him faith and repentance, and so transforms him from an ungodly person into a person who is justified and sanctified.

Their final objection is: if a sinner is righteous through Christ's righteousness, then by the same reasoning Christ would be a sinner through our sins. But Christ is no sinner — He is the holy of holies. Paul says, "He knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21). And Christ Himself challenges His enemies: "Which of you convicts Me of sin?" If our sins cannot make Him a sinner, then His righteousness cannot make us righteous.

The answer: we grant everything they say, if they speak Scripture's words in Scripture's sense. For Christ was indeed truly regarded as a sinner in the sight of God's justice — just as the person who becomes a guarantor for another becomes the debtor in that person's place, or as one who stands in for another must answer for him personally. So by all justice, Christ — though He had no sins of His own — as our guarantor, standing in our place, righteously bore our sins as His own. As for those passages and others like them, they all refer to personal sin — and from all personal sin, and the slightest taint of it, He was perfectly free. Therefore the very same passage that says He knew no sin — that is, in and for His own person He had no knowledge of what sin was — also says that for us and in our place He was made sin itself, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. So Christ, who is in Himself more righteous than all people and angels combined, is in our place reckoned as a sinner. And by the same principle, we — most unrighteous in ourselves — are clothed with Christ's righteousness and thereby counted righteous. And as Christ — though no sinner in Himself — by being a sinner in our place and having our sins imputed to Him, became subject to God's wrath and endured it even to death: so we — though not righteous in ourselves — having Christ's righteousness imputed to us, are made partakers of God's love. And for the worthiness of that righteousness of His, made ours, we will be glorified in heaven. And so, at last, we have found the true and only righteousness that can make a person — as it made Noah — righteous in God's sight. Now it remains to apply it.

First, here we learn how deeply our nature is defiled by sin and stained by corruption. That stain cannot be washed away by all the water in the world, nor covered by the blood of all creatures, nor concealed by the righteousness of all people and angels combined — only by the righteousness of God. And God's Son, if He is to apply that righteousness to us and make it effective, must become a man, and live and die and rise again for us. It is a remarkable thing, worthy of our frequent reflection, that all the angels and all the people in the world combined cannot make even one sinner righteous — but God's Son alone can do it. And that our sins are so horrifying that nothing can hide their filthiness from the eyes of God's justice except the glorious mercy of Christ's righteousness. This should teach us how to think of ourselves and our own nature.

Furthermore, see here God's great goodness to humanity. God placed perfect legal righteousness in Adam's heart at his creation. Adam received it for himself and for us — and lost it for himself and for us. God, in mercy, purposed to restore humanity — lost and ruined through their own doing — and gave them another and better righteousness than before. But since He saw that humanity had been such a poor keeper of its own treasure, He did not entrust this righteousness to human hands. Instead, He placed it in the person of Christ Jesus and committed it to Him for safekeeping. Christ, who fully knows the value and excellence of this righteousness and who loves us deeply, will keep it safely for us and clothe us with it in His Father's presence on the last day. What unspeakable comfort this brings to God's children — to know that their salvation is not in their own keeping, where it might be lost again, but in a safe hand where they will certainly find it when they need it most. And to remember that since their righteousness is in Christ, they cannot lose it. Though they sin, and so lose at times the comfort of a good conscience — they do not thereby lose their righteousness, which remains in Christ. And when they suffer losses or injuries in this world, or lose everything they have on earth, their righteousness — the treasure of their souls — is kept safely in heaven in Christ's keeping, and will never be lost. This should move us to know Christ more and more, and to give Him the love and devotion of our very hearts, so that we might be able to say with blessed Paul: "I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).

Finally, since there is such a union between Christ and a believer — so that our sins became His and His righteousness became ours — this should teach us patience and bring us comfort in all outward afflictions and inward temptations. For it is certain that all our sufferings are His, and that He is touched by every wrong done to us. When He was in heaven, He called out to Saul: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4). And at the last day, whatever good or evil was done to any of His children, He says, was done to Himself (Matthew 25:40, 45) — and it will be rewarded accordingly.

And so we have set forth the true righteousness that justifies a sinner and made Noah righteous before God, and we have seen the application of this important doctrine. We have spent considerable time on this first point because it is one of the foundational truths of the Christian faith.

So much for the first point: what the righteousness is that is spoken of here.

The second point to be considered in these words is that this righteousness is the righteousness which is by faith.

It is so called because faith is the proper instrument, created in the soul by the Holy Spirit, to grasp the righteousness that is in the person of Christ. In no other way can it be grasped or applied. Therefore it is fittingly called the righteousness which is by faith — that is, the righteousness which through faith is made a person's own, or to which a person has title through his faith. Here two observations arise.

- 1. That true faith properly grasps this true righteousness. - 2. That only faith can do it.

Regarding the first, Scripture is clear. Paul tells the Galatians: "We received the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:14). And John says: "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God." And lest anyone think that receiving Christ is something different from believing in Christ, he adds: "even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12). Faith is therefore fittingly compared to a hand that takes hold of a garment and applies it to a naked body, or to a beggar's hand that receives a king's gift. So faith in a person's soul takes hold of Christ's righteousness — which is the merciful and generous gift of the King of heaven — and applies it to the poor and naked soul of the believer.

If anyone asks how faith can apply Christ to the believer, the answer is this: just as a person in his corrupt nature has no connection to Christ, so when the Holy Spirit has worked faith in his heart through a supernatural operation, we must understand that just as faith is the proper instrument to grasp Christ, so Christ and His righteousness are the proper object on which faith works. For though faith grasps and applies all the other promises God makes to our souls and bodies, it is most properly, primarily, and above all else that it grasps the promise of salvation and the righteousness of Christ. As for the specific manner in which faith does this: though it is spiritual and invisible, and therefore not easily expressed in physical terms, it is done by faith just as truly as a garment is taken up by the hand and put on the body, or a bandage is applied to a wound.

If anyone asks further: how may a person know whether his faith has actually grasped and applied Christ's righteousness to his soul?

The answer: when he believes specifically that Christ's righteousness is his righteousness, that it has reconciled him to God, and that it will justify him in God's presence — then faith is doing its true and proper work. For this cannot be done except by faith. And where true faith is, this will necessarily be done.

The second point is that faith alone -- and no other virtue or spiritual power in the human soul -- is able to do this. This can be proven by comparing faith with all the principal virtues of the soul. Among them, the only ones that can even be compared with faith are hope and love. Both of these -- especially love -- have their own special excellencies. Yet neither of them, nor both together, possess this ability to grasp and apply Christ's righteousness. The nature of love is to extend itself and carry with it the deepest affections of the heart toward the thing that is loved. Yet love cannot properly be said to grasp Christ, because He must first be grasped before He can be loved. The proper action of hope is to wait and expect a promised blessing to come. So hope waits for salvation, but does not properly grasp it. For salvation must first be believed, and then hoped for or expected. As Jeremiah says in Lamentations 3:26: It is good both to trust and to wait for the salvation of the Lord. To trust -- that is, to believe with certainty that it will come -- is the action of faith. To wait until it comes -- that is the action of hope. So we see the distinct natures and actions of these two worthy virtues. But the proper action of faith is to grasp and take hold of Christ and His righteousness and apply them to a person's own soul. Once that is done, love and hope come and do their part. And so, although love lasts longer than faith does, faith comes before love and makes the way for it.

To conclude this second point: faith is a hand to take hold of Christ and His benefits. Love is a hand to give out tokens of faith to both God and other people. For as 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, love does not seek its own but the good of others -- the good of those who are loved. Hope is an eye that looks ahead and waits for the good things that have been promised. So just as faith is the hand of the soul, love is the hand and hope is the eye of faith. Love is the hand through which faith works, and hope is the eye through which faith waits and watches for the fulfillment of what it has grasped and believed. If the Church of Rome considers it an insult to this holy virtue of love to call it the hand of faith, let them know it is not our invention. It is the apostle's own teaching, where he says: Faith works through love. If faith works through love, then love is surely the hand of faith. So faith works through love, waits through hope, but believes by itself.

For this reason, the righteousness that makes us righteous before God is called the righteousness of faith rather than the righteousness of any other Christian virtue or grace of the Spirit. For the same reason, Paul so often calls it by this name in his epistles, as in Philippians 3:9.

The third and final point concerning Noah's faith is this: Noah was made an heir of this righteousness.

This is a special commendation of his faith: it made him an heir of true and saving righteousness. That is, it gave him a genuine title to it and made him the rightful heir of the glory that this righteousness guarantees to everyone who grasps it through true faith. He was made as certainly and truly a partaker of it as a young prince is assured of his crown and kingdom in due time, or as an heir is assured of his father's estate.

Here two most worthy doctrines present themselves for us to consider.

- 1. The excellence of faith. - 2. The excellence of a Christian person's condition.

The excellence of faith appears in this: it gives a holy person assurance and certainty of salvation through Christ Jesus. The Church of Rome says it is presumption for any person to think this way unless he has received an extraordinary revelation. But Scripture teaches that if a person has true faith, that faith is able to assure him of salvation. For faith makes him an heir of true righteousness and of salvation through it. Now we know that an heir is completely secure and certain of his inheritance. Whatever else he may gain or lose, he is sure of that. And this righteousness, along with the salvation that comes through it, is his inheritance. Therefore he can be -- and by faith is -- assured of it. The Roman Catholics therefore do wrong to this doctrine and rob true faith of its proper dignity. But this is their habit: they will exalt anything rather than what the holy Scripture most exalts -- namely, true faith. For if they truly knew what it means to know Christ and to believe in Him through the faith that works through love, they would understand that faith makes a person an heir of eternal happiness and therefore fully assured of it.

Second, here we can see the excellence of a Christian person's condition. He is not left empty or without comfort, but is the heir of a glorious inheritance through his faith. And a Christian's inheritance is Christ's righteousness. From this we learn:

First, no person can merit true and justifying righteousness by any good works done by or in himself. The legalistic Roman Catholic teachers say otherwise, but their view is overturned here by the teaching of the Holy Spirit. For saving righteousness is our inheritance -- and an inheritance, we know, is always earned by the father and descends freely from the father to the son as a token of his love. It would be insulting and absurd for a son to try to buy his inheritance from his father, because it goes against the very nature of an inheritance to come by any means other than free gift from the father to the son. Therefore, since our righteousness -- the righteousness that must save us -- is, as we see here, our inheritance, let us settle it in our minds: we cannot buy or merit it.

Furthermore, here is sure and solid comfort against all the griefs, hardships, and losses of this world. God's children must have their share of afflictions in this life. But here is their comfort: they may lose their possessions, their income, their property, their good names, their health, even their lives -- but their inheritance stands firm and cannot be lost. Let them therefore learn not to grieve beyond measure. A holy person may truly say to himself: my Father may frown on me for my faults and discipline me for my sins, but I am certain He will not disinherit me. For I am an heir, by faith, of Christ's righteousness. I may lose many things, but I will not lose that.

Third and finally, here God's children must learn their duty. They are heirs of a godly and glorious inheritance. Christ's righteousness is their inheritance. Therefore they must set and fix all their deepest affections on this inheritance. For there is nothing in the world more worthy of desire than a great inheritance.

We must therefore work above all worldly things to obtain this inheritance -- to become partakers of this righteousness. This is the pearl which, once found, we must sell all we have to buy. And once we have obtained it, we must take care to keep it and store it up in our very hearts and souls. And keeping it, we must rejoice and delight in it more than in the world and all its pleasures.

This is the glorious portion that our God and Father leaves us as His children. What should be the chief care of our hearts but to preserve it? Naboth had a small vineyard that had come to him from his father as an inheritance. King Ahab offered him money or a better vineyard in exchange. But Naboth refused. He said, 'God forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers' (1 Kings 21:3). If he placed such value on an earthly inheritance, how much more should we value the heavenly one? If he treasured a small vineyard so highly, how much more should we treasure the glory of heaven? If he refused the king and would not sell it even for a better vineyard, should we not refuse the devil and refuse to give up our share in Christ and His righteousness for the world or anything the devil can promise? In all such temptations, our answer should be: God forbid that I should sell my inheritance, which my God and Father gave me. Blessed Paul did exactly this. He counted the world and everything in it as garbage and waste so that he might gain Christ and share in this righteousness. So must we -- if we want to be worthy of this inheritance -- prize and value it above this world. We must think little of all the pomp and pleasures of this world in comparison with it, and be willing to lose the world rather than lose our inheritance.

And finally, when we have this inheritance and are faithfully preserving it -- where should our contentment, joy, and delight be, but in this our inheritance? That is how an heir behaves: nothing brings him greater joy than thinking about his inheritance. Here the foolishness of worldly people is exposed. They rejoice greatly in the honors, profits, and pleasures of this life, like pigs wallowing in their food, and never look any further. But this is not their inheritance, if they expect their souls to be saved. In this they show themselves to be without grace and without any hope of a better world. For if they had such hope, they would rejoice in it rather than in the vain and passing delights of this world, which vanish in the using and are lost with more pain and grief than they were ever enjoyed with pleasure. We must learn to use this world as though we were not using it (1 Corinthians 7:31). And if the Lord gives us any portion of pleasures in this world, we must receive them thankfully, recognizing them as extras beyond our inheritance -- and therefore to be used lawfully and moderately. But our hearts and our deepest joy must rest on our inheritance, which is in heaven, of which we are made heirs by faith, and in which we are fellow heirs with blessed Noah, who was made heir of the righteousness that is by faith.

And so we have heard the most glorious commendation of Noah's faith, and of Noah through his faith, and of all the examples of faith from before the flood.

Now follows the second category of examples: those who lived in the second world, after the flood.

They fall into two groups: those who lived before the giving of the law, and those who lived after.

Before the giving of the law, there are many examples. And as with all the other categories, some are men and some are women.

The first of these blessed men after the flood whose faith is celebrated here is Abraham, that great father. Because he was a father of so many believers, more is written about him and his faith than about any other person.