o Finding convenient food and reſting place upon the Earth, and preferring her freedom before her Mate. Poſſibly ſhe might loſe rhe ſight of the Ark, and forget or maſtake the way to ir.
13 And itcame to pals in the fix hundredth and one year, 1n the firlt month, rhe firff day of the monthp, the waters were dried up from oft the earth : and Noah re- moved the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry.
þ The words month and day are oft-times, for brevity ſake, omit- red by the Hebrews, as Leing eaſily underſtood: Thus the firſt of the F:af, Matths 26. 17. 1sthe firſt day of the Feaft, Mark 14. 12.
14 And in the ſecond month, on the ſeven and ewentieth day of the month was the earth dried 9.
q Nor only from water, as it was ver. 13. but from mud and dirt alſo. So the Flood coprinucd ton days more than a year, by com« paring this with, ghap/7. 11. |
15 Ard God ſpake unto Noah, faying,
16 Go forth of thearkr, thou, and thy wife, and ſons, and thy ſons wives with thee.
r AS Noah expected the command of God for his going into the Ark, chap.7. 1, 2. ſofor his coming forth of it.
17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all fleſh, both of fowl, and of car tel, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, thatzthey may breed abundantly in the earth, and * 'be fruitful and multiply upon the earth Js |
5 Queſt. How could theſe Creatures which came out of the Ark - in ſia, get thence to America, or to the IHlands remote from the Continent? Aſw. 1- As for America, it 1s thought by divers learn- ed Men, thar it 1s either joyned to this Continent,or ſeparated from it only by a Narrow Sea, which divers living Creatures could eafi« ly ſwim over. 2 Many living Creatures are, and always were tranſported by Men in their Veſſels, either for their ſupply, or profit, or diverſion, or other end+, and thence might eaſily be pro- pagared there. 3. The ſame God who made all theſe Creatures, and cauled them ro come firſt to Adam, and afterwards to Noah, could afterwards both encline and impower them tro go whither he pleaſed, without the advice of theſe vain Men,who will believe nothing of God which themſelves either do not fee, or cannot do
f
18 And Noah went forth, and his ſons, and his wife, and his ſons wives with him. 19 Every beaſt,every creeping thing, and every fowl,
and whatſocver creepeth upon the earth after their + +4 Heb fa. 1
kinds, we: t forth out of the ark. milies.
20 And Noah built an altar unto the Lord 7, and took of every clean beaſt, and of everyclean fowl, and offer- ed burnt-offerings on the altar «.
£ The firſt Altar we read of, but riot the firſt which was built :
For the Sacrifices which were offered before, Gen. 4. 3, 4. pre- ſuppoſe an Altar. "Therefore it is no ſufficient evidence, that ſuch things were not done, becauſe they are not ſaid to be done in Scri- pture : Which wili be anuſeful conſideration for the underſtanding of many paſſages in Scripture hereafter. * » The firſt thing Noah doth, 15 to pay his debt of Juſtice and Gratitude to that God which had ſo miraculouſly preſerved him, and reſtored him to his an- cient and proper Habitation. God expe&s to be ſerved in the firſt place. What Beaſts were clean and what unclean, ' ſee chap. 7. 2. Levit. 11, 2, &c.
21 And the Lord ſmelled F a ſweet favour x, and + Web. 5 theLord ſaid in his hearty, I will not again curſe the [,,ur of ground z any more for mans ſake, for the * imagina- ref | rion of mans heart js evil a from his youth +: Neither * ®:p. 6/ will I again {miteb any more cvery thing living as I have {,.., done, IS. I}
«( 3.e.)
Gro == (þ Yu 64 fel «
& £4 1 ”
Chap. IN: _ A x (7. e. ) Graciouſly accepted the Perſon, and Faith and Praiſe: offering of Noah,and was as well pleaſed therewith,as Men uſe to be
with a {ſweet ſmell. y( 7: e: } Determined within himſelf, and ex-
prefſed fo much to Noah. "The Hebrew Prepoſition el, ſometimes
lignifics in, as Gen. 6: 6: 1 Sam: 27: 1; Others, ſaid | to his Heart,
i:e: ſpake to the Heart of Noah, who is mentioned werſ: 20: Tv
ſpeak to the Heart, in Scripture uſe, ſignifies to comfort. = ( i: e: ) The whole Earth with this kind of Curſe, with another deluge. , Otherwiſe God doth not hereby tye his Hands, that he may not
either deſtroy a particular Land by a deluge,which hath been done
ſince, or deſtroy the World by Fire when he ſees fit, as he hath
declared he will do. a The reaſon contained in theſe words is this;
Since all Mens Hearts are naturally corrupt, and from that filthy
Spring wicked, Attions will be continually flowing forth into- the
World ; and conſequently, if I ſhould b&evere to puniſh Men ac-
cording to their Sins, I ſhould donothing but ſend one deluge af-
cer another; Or theſe words may be joyned with the former, and
the ſenſe may be this; I will not again deſtroy the Earth with a
deluge for Man's ſake, or for Man's Sin, or becauſe of the imagination,
&c. ( 7: e: ) becauſe'his Heart is corrupt,and his Attions are agree-
able to ig, which was the cauſe of the. laſt deluge. Or | the Particle
chi, may be rendred, although, as itis frequently taken, as Exod: $5:
IT: and 13: 17: and 34: 9: YJoſ: 19: 13: Pſal: 25: 11; and 41: 5:
and ſo the ſenſe.is plain, IT willnot again deſtroy the Earth, al-
theugh the imagination, &c. i.e. Although I have juſt cauſe to do ſo.
T.Or, From: his very childhood and infancy, as the Chaldee and Greek In-
terpreters tranſlate it. 54. e, Kill or deſtroy, as the word /miting
| Is. taken, Exod: 21: 18: Numb: 14+ 12: and 35: 16. Dewt: 28: 22,27: AMIS 4: Ye. . 1 | + Heb. a 22 | While the earth remaineth c; ſeed-time, and get all the tiarveſt, and cold, and heat, and ſummer, and winter,
days of the and day and night d ſhall not ceaſe.
Earth. c viz, In this eſtate : For though it ſeems probable that the ſub- Nance of the Earth will abiue for cver, \after the diſſolution of the World by tne ; yet that will be in another manner,an« for other purpoſes. -::4 rhen there will be no need of Seed-t1me, or Harveſt &c. 4 Wh ch diſtin&ion in a manner ceaſed in the Ark, the Hea- vens being covered, and all its lights eclipſed by ſuch thick an« black Clouds, as never were before nor ſince.
"CW A* IK