1. The ground of his faith — Xoah being icarned of God.
2. The strength of it, intimated in the object — of things not seen as yet, or of things that by no means could be seen.
3. The consequents and the fruits of his faith, and they are four — (1.) He was moved with fear, or out of a religious respect to God (so
the word signifies) ; (2.) He 'prepared an ark ; (3.) He condemned the v:orld ; (4.) He became an heir of the righteousness ichich is by faith. I shall open each part in this order and method proposed.
But before I discuss the parts, let me premise somewhat. That we have not only to do with a private instance and example of faith, but such as is of public use and accommodation. God's dealing witii Noah, and the world in his time, was a pledge and a type of his dealing with the world in all after ages. To amplify this —
[1.] It was a pledge, or a public evident testimony of future dispensa- tions; this was a document God would give to the world. In the destruction of the old world he would show his displeasure against sin, and in the preservation of Noah the privileges of the godly.
(1.) The destruction of the old world was a pledge of his vengeance and recompense upon sinners in all ages. It is notable that in the book of Job, those that denied providence, that God took notice of human aftairs, they are called to look upon this instance, the example of the old world : Job xxii. 1.5, 16, ' Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have ti'odden ? which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overthrown with a flood.' God's first dispensations were visible pledges and testimonies : his dispensation to Sodom was
174 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. XXXV.
a pledge of hell-fire ; and his drowning of the world, it being a more universal instance of his displeasure, was a pledge of the general judg- ment. Here we may read several things : the severity of his justice, the verity of his threatenings, and the greatness of his power and majesty. The severity of his justice : oh, what a dreadful instance was this of God's displeasure against sin and sinners ! Luther saith, Moses vix sine lachrymis scripsit, et nos esse saxeos, si siccis oculis ista legerc possumus — Moses could not write it without tears, and we have stony hearts if we can read it with dry eyes. The whole world perished in the deluge of water which sin vomited out ; men, women, infants, beasts, and all things in the world perished. For forty days together nothing but rain, rain, rain ; and the great deep opened its mouth, and sent forth floods. It would have melted a heart of stone to hear the cries and shrieks of parents, women, and children. God now had rained *a horrible tempest' upon sinners, Ps. xi. 6 ; the whole world was become now as one great river, and all things in the v-i^orld were now afloat. Again, we have a pledge of the verity of the threatenings, what would come of their carnal course. The foolish world thought this was but a dream of the good old man, but see how the Lord made good Noah's word. It is said, Hos. vii. 12, ' I will chastise them as their congrega- tion hath heard.' God would have us mark not only his justice, but his truth in all his dispensations ; he will not only chastise them as they had deserved, but as their congregation had heard. There is a double conviction, and such as may keep the soul in more awe and obedience. And then it is an evidence of the power and majesty of God, that he cannot want instruments of vengeance ; fire and water are at his beck and command. He that punished the old world with water to quench their heat of lusts, can punish the new world with fire because of the coldness of love that shall be in the latter days. Whenever the Lord will dissolve the confederacies of nature, what can poor creatures do? Oh, let us regard the power and majesty of God, and the rather because we are kept by a continual miracle : the water is above the earth, as may be proved by undoubted arguments, and the whole world would become but as one great pool were it not for the restraint of providence.
(2.) The preservation of Noah was a pledge of God's mercy in the preservation of his })eople. In general and common judgments God can make a distinction. In the primitive times the christians were troubled how God should punish those seducers by whom religion was scandalised and yet save the godly ; and what doth the apostle say to this ? 2 Peter ii. 9, ' The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and reserve the unjust to the day of judgment to be punished.' The Lord knows he is versed in the art, it hath been his prac- tice for many thousands of years ; and there he brings the instance of Lot, how he was delivered out of Sodom, ver. 7 ; howthe good angels were pre- served when the bad were tumbled down into the place of darkness, ver. 4 ; and he brings the instance of the old world, how God could rescue Noah, and avenge the disobedience of the old world, ver. 5. Especially this is a pledge of the different recompenses that shall be made at the last day, when all the ungodly world shall perish, but the elect shall be taken into glory. You shall see vengeance executed upon the ungodly. Christ will have it done not only in his own sight : Luke xix. 27, ' Those