God nre not likely to end by keeping those of man. From the beginning a charac- teristic of thC' wicked line (witness Cain and Lamech), lawlessness at length passed over to the holy seed. What with the Nephilim on the one hand (probably belong- ing to the line of Cain) and the Gibborim on the other (the offspring of the degener- ate Sethites ), the world was overrun with tyrnnts. Sheer brute force was the ruler, and the only code of morals was" Be strong." Moral purity alone has a God-given right to occupy the supreme seat of influence and power upon the earth. After tlrn,t, intellectual ability, Mere physical strength, colossal statnre, immense bulk, were designed for subjection and subordination. The subversion of this Divinely-appointed order results in tyranny; and, of all tyrannies, that of strong, coarse, passion-driven unimalism is the worst. And this was the condition of mankind in these ante- diluvian ages. And what was even a worse symptom of the times, the people loved to !tave it so. Those lawless robbers and tyrants and these reckless, roving gallants were men of name und fume, in everybody's mouth, as the popular heroes of the day. As mere physical beauty was woman's pathway to marriage, so was sheer brute force, displaying itself in feats of daring and of blood, man's road to renown. 3. Corntp- tion deepening. Most appalling is the picture sketched by the historian of the condi- tion of the Adam whom God at first created in his own image, implying-(1) Complete extinction of the higher nature. Through persistence in the downward path of sin it had at length become lost, swallowed up, in the low, carnal portion of his being called the "flesh." (2) Complete supremacy of evil-evil in the imaginations, evil in the thoughts, evil in the heart, nothing but evil; and that not temporarily, but always; nor in the case of one or two individuals merely, but in the case of all, with one solitary exception. (3) Complete insensibility to Divine influences. Hence the withdrawal of God's Spirit. There was no use for further striving to restrain or improve them ; they were '' past feeling" (Epbes. iv. 19). II. Goo REPENTING. l. A mysterio1is fact. ",ve do not gain much by attempt- ing to explain philosophically such states or movements of the Divine mind. They are strictly uppqra-ineffable. So the Scripture itself represents them-Isa. lv. 9" (Tayler Lewis). What is here asserted of the Divine thoughts is likewise true of the Divine emotions; like the Deity himself, they are past finding out. 2_ A real fact. The language describes something real on the part of God. If it is figurative, then there must be something of which it is the figure; and that something is the Divine grief and repentance. These, however, are realities that belong to a realm which the human intellect cannot traverse. As of the Divine personality man's per- sonality ie but an image or reflection, so of the Divine affections and emotions are man's affections and emotions only shadows. Man repents when he cha.nges his mind, or his attitude, or his actions. God repents when his thoughts are changed, when his feelings are turned, when his acts are reversed. But God is "of one mind, and who can turn him i' " He is "without variableness and shadow of turning; " "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Hence we rather try to picture to ourselves the Divine penitence as expressive of tl,e changed attitude which the immutable Deity maintains towards things that are opposite, such as holiness and sin. 3. An instruct- ive fact, telling us (1) that the Divine nature is not impassible; (2) that sin is not the end of man's creation; and (3) that a sinful man is a disappointment to God. 4. An ominous fact. As thus explained, the grief and penitence of God describe the effect which human sin ever have upon the Divine natnre. It fills him with heart-felt grief and pity. It excites all the fathomless ocean of symputhy for sinning men with which his infinite bosom is filled. Ilut at the same time, un<l not- withstanding this, it moves him to inflict judicial retribution. "And the Lord said, I will destroy man." III. GRACE OPERATING. 1. In restraining sinners. It was impossible tlrnt God could leuvo men to rush headlong to their own destruction without interposing obstacles in their path. In the way of these npostates of the bumnn race he erected quite II series of barriers to keep them back from perdition. He gave them (1) a g·ospel of mercy in the promise of the woman's seed; (2) a ministry of mercy, raising up nnd maintaining n succession of pious men to preach the gospel, and warn them against the wnys of sin; (3) n Spirit of mercy to strive within them; ( 4) n pro• vidence of mercy, (a) mensuring out to them a long term of years, yet (b) solemnly tOG THE BOOK OF GENESlS. [cu. VI. 1-B.
rcmin<ling them of their morlality, and finally (c) giving them a reprieve, even after they were sentenc<'<l to destruction. 2. /11, saving believers. (1) Accepting them l\ll he ncccpted Nonh ; (2) preserving them amid the general defection of the times, as he _did Noah, who without Divine assistance must have been inevitably swept u~·ny m the g·enernl current of ungodliness; (3) providing for their safety against the coming jndgment. They "'ere nil removed by death before the flood came, and Noah was delivered by the ark. Lessl)'ll,S :-1. The terrible degeneracy of human nature. 2. The danger of mixed marriages. 3. God may pity, but he must likewise punish, the evil-doer. 4. The day of grace has its limits. 5. l£ a soul will go to perdition, it must do so over many mercies. 6. God ne,er leaYes l1imsclf wilh:rnt a witness, even in the worst of times.