DISCOURSE XI. NOAH FINDS FAVOUR WITH GOD, AND IS DIRECTED TO BUILD THE ARK. Gen. vi. 8-22. By the foregoing account, it would seem as if the whole earth had become corrupt. In the worst of times, however, God has had a remnant that has walked with him; and over them he has in the most sore calamities directed a watchful eye. When God said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, it seemed as if he would make an end of the human race. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Observe, (1.) It is painful to find but one family, nay, it would seem but one person, out of all the professed sons of God, who stood firmly in this evil day. Some were dead, and others by mingling with the wicked had apostatized. (2.) It is pleasant to find one upright man in a generation of the ungodly; a lily among thorns, whose lovely conduct would shine the brighter when contrasted with that of the world about him. It is a great matter to be faithful among the faithless. With all our helps from the society of good men, we find it difficult enough to keep on our way: but for an individual to set his face against the whole current of public opinion and custom, requires and implies great grace. Yet that is the only true religion which walks as in the sight of God, irrespective of what is thought or done by others. Such was the resolution of Joshua, when the whole nation seemed to be turning aside from God: As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (3.) It is encouraging to find that one upright man was singled out from the rest when the world was to be destroyed. If he had been destroy ed with the world, God could have taken him to himself, and all would have been well with him; but then there had been no public expression of what he loved, as well as of what he hated. Ver. 9. As Noah was to be the father of the new world, we have here a particular account of him. His generations mean an account of him and bis family; of what he was, and of the things which befel him. (See Chap. xxxvii. 2.) The first thing said of him, as being the greatest, is, He was a just, or righteous man, and perfect in his generations, walking with God. Character is of greater importance than pedigree. But notice particularly, 1. He was just. He was the first man who was so called, though not the first who was so. In a legal sense, a just man is one that doeth good and sinneth not; but since the fall, no such man has existed upon earth, save the man Christ Jesus. If any of us be denominated just, it must be in some other sense; and what this is, the scriptures inform us when they represent the just as living by faith. Such was the life of Noah, and therefore he is reckoned among the believing worthies. And the faith by which he is justified before God operated in a way of righteousness, which rendered him just before men. He is called a preacher of righteousness, and he lived according to his doctrine.t 2. He was perfect in his generations. The term in this connexion is not to be taken absolutely; but as expressive, not only of sincerity of heart, but of a decidedness for God, like that of Caleb, who followed the Lord fully. It does not merely distinguish good men from bad men, but good men from one another. It is said of Solomon, that his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. Alas, how much of this halfhearted religion there is among us! Instead of serving the Lord with a perfect heart and a willing mind, we halt as it were between two, the love of God and the love of the world. 3. He walked with God. This is the same as was said of Enoch. It not only implies his being reconciled to God, and denotes his acknowledging him in all his ways, and enjoying communion with him in the discharge of duties; but is also expressive of the con tinuity, and progressive tendency of true religion. Whatever he did, or wherever he went, God was before his eyes; nor did he ever think of leaving off till he should have finished his course. Ver. 10. From Noah's character the sacred writer proceeds to his descendants. He had three sons-Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These afterwards became the patriarchs of the world, between whose posterity the three great divisions of Asia, Africa, and Europe have been principally divided. Thus much, at present, for the favoured family. Ver. 11. Here we have the charge against the old world repeated, as the ground of what should follow. If succeeding generations inquire, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto the work of his bands? What meaneth the heat of this great anger? Be it known that it was not for a small matter: The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence Here are two words used to express the wickedness of the world, corruption and violence, both which are repeated, and dwelt upon in verses 12, 13. The former refers, I conceive, to their having debased and depraved the true religion. This was the natural consequence of the junction between the sons of God and the daughters of men. Whenever the church is become one with the world, the corruption of true religion has invariably followed: for if wicked men have a religion, it must needs be such as to accord with their inclinations. Hence arose all the heresies of the early ages of Christianity; hence the grand Romish apostacy; and in short every corruption of the true religion, in past or present times. The latter of these terms is expressive of their conduct towards one another. The fear of God and the regard of man are closely connected; and where the one is given up, the other will soon follow. Indeed it appears to be the decree of the eternal God, that when men have cast off his fear, they shall not continue long in amity one with another. And he has only to let the laws of nature take their course, in order to effect it; for when men depart from God, the principle of union is lost, and self-love governs every thing and being LOVERS OF THEIR OWNSELVES, they will be covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, VOL. V. : 9 false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Such a flood of wickedness is at any time sufficient to deluge a world with misery. If these things did not then break forth in national wars as they do with us, it was merely because the world was not as yet divided into nations: the springs of domestic and social life were poisoned ; the tender ties of blood and affinity violated; and quarrels, intrigues, oppressions, robberies, and murders pervaded the abodes of man. The late con From the influence of corruption in producing violence, and bringing on the deluge, we may see the importance of pure religion, and those who adhere to it, to the well-being of society. They are the preserving principle, the salt of the earth; and when they are banished, or in any way become extinct, the consequences will be soon felt. While the sons of God were kept together, and continued faithful, for their sakes God would not destroy the world; but when reduced to a single family, he would, as in the case of Lot, take that away, and destroy the rest. vulsions in a neighbouring nation may, I apprehend, be easily traced to this cause all their violence originated in the corruption of the true religion. About one hundred and thirty years ago, the law which protected the reformation in that country was repealed, and almost all the religious people were either murdered or banished. The consequence was, as might have been expected, the great body of the nation, princes, priests, and people, sunk into infidelity. The protestant religion, while it continued, was the salt of the state; but when banished, and superstition had nothing left to counteract it, things soon hastened to their crisis. Popery aided by a despotic civil government, brought forth infidelity; and the child as soon as it grew up to maturity, murdered its parents. If the principal part of religious people, in this or any other country, were driven away, the rest would soon become infidels, and practical atheists; and what every order and degree of men would have to expect from the prevalence of these principles, there is no want of examples to inform them. Ver. 12, 13. The corruption and violence which overspread the earth attracted the notice of heaven. God knows at all times what is doing in our world; but his looking upon the earth denotes a special observance of it, as though he had instituted an inquiry into its affairs. Thus he is represented as going down to Sodom, to see whether they had done altogether according to the cry of it, which was come up unto him. Such seasons of inquiry are the days of inquisition for blood, and are so many days of judgment in minia ture. The inquiry being instituted, sentence is passed and Noah is informed of it. God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me. ....behold I will destroy them with the earth. In cases where individuals only, or even a majority, are wicked, and there is yet a great number of righteous characters, God often inflicts only a partial punishment; but where a whole people are become corrupt, he has more than once made a full end of them. Witness the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, and the seven nations of Canaan; and thus it will be with the world when the righteous shall be gathered out of it. Ver. 14-16. As it was the design of God to make an exception in favour of his faithfut servant Noah, he is directed to the use of an extraordinary mean, namely, the building of the ark; a kind of ship, which, though not in the shape of ours, as not being intended for a voyage, should float on the surface of the waters, and preserve him and his family alive in the midst of death. It is possible that this was the first floating fabric that was ever built, Its dimensions were amazing. Reckoning the cubit at only a foot and a half, which is supposed to be somewhat less than the truth, it was a hundred and fifty yards long, twenty-five yards wide, and fifteen yards deep; containing three stories, or, as we should call them, decks, each five yards in depth. It had a window also, it should seem, from end to end, a foot and a half deep, for light, and perhaps for air.* Ver. 17. When Joseph was called to interpret the dream of Pharaoh, he observed concerning its being doubled, that it was because the thing was established by God, and God would shortly bring it to pass; and thus we may consider the repetition which is here *Noah's ark is said to have been equal to forty of our largest men of war! |