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citous fear of the evil threatened. In the warning given him, he considered the greatness, the holiness, and the power of God, with the vengeance becoming those holy properties of his nature, which he threatened to bring on the world. Seeing God by faith under this representation of him, he was filled with a reverential fear of him. See Hab. iii. 16; Ps. cxix. 120; Mal. ii. 5.

Neither is this fear that effect wherein his faith did ultimately acquiesce, but he used it only as a means unto the farther end of obedience in building the ark; and therefore we render it moved with fear." This fear, which arose from faith, was used by the same faith to excite and stir him up unto his duty. And therefore, this reverential fear of God is frequently in the Scripture used for the whole worship of God, and all the obedience required of us; because it is a continual motive unto it, and a means of a due performance of it. So then,

Obs. V. A reverential fear of God, as threatening vengeance unto impenitent sinners, is a fruit of saving faith, and acceptable unto God. See the exposition of ch. iv. 1.

Obs. VI. It is one thing to fear God as threatening with a holy reverence; another to be afraid of the evil threatened, merely as it is penal and destructive, which the worst of men cannot avoid.

Obs. VII. Faith produceth various effects in the minds of believers, according to the variety of objects it is fixed on; sometimes joy and confidence, sometimes fear and reverence.

Obs. VIII. Then is fear a fruit of faith, when it engageth us unto diligence in our duty, as it did here in Noah: 'being moved by fear, he prepared an ark.'

Fourthly. The second effect of his faith was, 'he prepared an ark.' In this he had respect unto the second part of the divine warning, 'make thee an ark,' Gen. vi. 14. God said to him, 'make thee an ark,' and in compliance with that command and direction, it is here said, that he prepared an ark.' The word here used, KaTEσKEvaσE, is variously rendered, as we have shown. Our translation, by prepared,' is proper. For it compriseth all that Noah did, from the first provision unto the last finishing of it. All the preparation of materials, all their disposition into a fabric by divine direction, and the finishing of them in their order, is comprised in this word. And we may observe about it,

1. That the preparing, building, and finishing of this Kẞrov, ' vessel meet to swim in the water,' which from the Hebrew man, the Greeks rendered Kßwroç, the Latins arca, and we from them an 'ark,' was a thing new in the earth, great, requiring labour and expense in a long continuance of time, as is supposed, a hundred and twenty years. And a strange thing no doubt it was in the world, to see a man with so great an endeavour build a ship, where there was no water near him.

2. During the preparation of this ark, he continued to preach righteousness and repentance unto the inhabitants of the world; nor could it be avoided, but that he must, in what he did, let them know, in what way they should be destroyed if they did not repent.

3. In this state of things, the Scripture observeth three things concerning the inhabitants of the old world. 1. That they were disobedient: they did not repent, they did not return to God upon his preach

ing, and the 'striving of the Spirit of Christ with them therein,' 1 Pet. iii. 19, 20. For which cause they were not only temporally destroyed, but shut up in the everlasting prison. 2. That they were secure, not having the least thoughts, fears, or expectation of the destruction which he denounced approaching to them, being not moved with his threatenings to the last hour, Matt. xxiv. 38, 39. They knew not, until the flood came and took them all away.' 3. That they were scoffers, as is plainly intimated, 2 Pet. iii. 3-6. They scorned and derided Noah, both in his preaching and in his building.

And we may hence further observe,

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Obs. IX. That all these things tend to the commendation of the faith of Noah. Neither the difficulty nor length of the work itself, nor his want of success in preaching, as unto their repentance and conversion to God; nor the contempt and scorn which were cast upon him by the whole world, did weaken or discourage him in the least from going on with the work and duty whereunto he was divinely called. A great precedent and example it was to all that may be called to bear testimony for God, in times of difficulty and opposition.

Obs. X. We have here an eminent figure of the state of impenitent sinners, and of God's dealing with them in all ages. 1. When their sins are coming to the height, he gives them a peculiar time and space for repentance, with sufficient evidence that it is a season granted for that end. 2. During this space, the long-suffering of God waits for their conversion, and he makes it known that it doth so. 3. He allows them the outward means of conversion, as he did to the old world in the preaching of Noah. 4. He warns them in particular of the judgments that are approaching them, which they cannot escape, as he did by the building of the ark. And such are the dealings of God with impenitent sinners in some measure and proportion in all ages. They, on the other side, in such a season, 1. Continue disobedient under the most effectual means of conversion. No means shall be effectual unto that end, Isa. vi. 9-12. And when the preaching of righteousness loseth its efficacy in the conversion of sinners, it is a token of approaching desolations. 2. They are secure as unto any fear or expectation of judgments, and shall be so until they are overwhelmed in them, Rev. xviii. 7, 8. 3. There are always amongst them scoffers, that deride all that are moved with fear at the threatenings of God, and behave themselves accordingly, which is an exact portraiture of the present condition of the world.

Of this faith of Noah, and the fruits of it in fear and obedience, the immediate effect was εις σωτηρίαν του οίκου αύτου, ' the saving of his family.' He did it to the saving of his household. That is, he himself, his wife, his three sons and their wives, that is, such as on the foresight of the flood they had espoused; for probably they came not together in conjugal duties until after the flood, for they had no child till then, Gen. x. 1, and eight persons only were to be saved. This family, God in sovereign grace and mercy would preserve and deliver, principally to continue the conveyance of the promised seed, which was to be produced from Adam, Luke iii. 38; and was not, in the immutable counsel of God, liable to an intercision; which it would have been,

if God had destroyed all mankind, and created a new race of them upon the earth; and in the next place, for the continuation and propagation of a church to be brought unto God by virtue of that promise.

And in this saving of the family of Noah by the ark, we have a figure of God's saving and preserving a remnant in all ages, when desolating judgments have destroyed apostatized churches and nations. So the apostle Peter declares with respect unto the vengeance and overwhelming destruction that was coming on the apostatized church of the Jews, 1 Pet. iii. 20, 21, 'The ark wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. The like figure whereunto, even baptism doth now save us. I deny not, but that there is a great allusion in general between salvation by the ark and that by baptism, inasmuch as the one did represent, and the other doth exhibit Christ himself. But the apostle hath a particular design in this comparison. For judgment by an universal destruction was then coming on the whole church and people of the Jews, but God would save a few by baptism, that is, by their initiation into gospel faith and repentance, whereby they were separated from the perishing infidels, and were really and actually delivered from the destruction that befel them; as Noah and his family were in the ark. So then,

Obs. XI. The visible professing church shall never fall into such an apostasy, nor be so totally destroyed, but that God will preserve a remnant for a seed to future generations, Isa. vi. 11-13; Rom. ix. 27; Rev. xviii. 4.

Fifthly. There is a double consequence of this faith of Noah and his obedience therein. 1. With respect unto the world: 'he condemned' it. 2. With respect unto himself: he became the heir of righteousness which is by faith.' Both these are ascribed unto Noah; and the way whereby he did them is expressed in those words, di' ns, by the which.' That is, say some, 'by which ark;' others, 'by which faith;' for the relative agrees with either of these antecedents. I shall not contend about it. The meaning is, by the which faith acting and evidencing itself in the building of the ark, these things were wrought.

1. He KаTEKρIVE TOν коσμоν, condemned the world.' Not as the judge of it, properly and authoritatively; but as an advocate and a witness, by plea and testimony. He condemned it by his doctrine, by his obedience, by his example, by his faith in them all. He did so, I. In that he justified God. God had had a long contest with the world, his Spirit strove with them, and now in the issue, after much patience and forbearance, he was coming to destroy them. Herein God would be justified in his sayings, and overcome when he was judged,' as the apostle speaks, Rom. iii. 4. This was done by Noah; he cleared and justified God in his threatenings and in the execution of them, and therein condemned the world as guilty, and justly deserving the punishment inflicted on them. 2. He condemned the world by casting a weighty aggravation on its guilt, in that he believed and obeyed, when they refused to do so. It was not any thing evil, grievous, or impossible, that was required of them, but what he gave them an example of in himself, which greatly aggravated their sin. So is the expression used Matt. xii. 41, The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this

generation, and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and behold a greater than Jonas is here.' Their example being not followed, did aggravate the guilt of that generation. 3. He condemned the world by leaving it utterly without excuse. He that takes away the principal plea that a guilty person can make in his own defence, may justly be said to condemn him. And this Noah did. towards the old world. He left them no pretence that they had not been warned of their sin and approaching ruin; so as that they had nothing to plead for themselves why the execution of judgment should be respited for one moment. 4. He condemned the world by approving of the vengeance that befel them, though very severe. So shall the saints judge and condemn fallen angels at the last day, 1 Cor. vi. 3. And we may observe, that,

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Obs. XII. Those whom God calleth unto, fitteth for, and employeth in any work, are therein avvepyo Otov, co-workers with God,' 1 Cor. iii. 9; 2 Cor. vi. 1. So as that what God doth himself efficiently, is ascribed unto them instrumentally, as working with him and for him. So the preachers of the word do save men,' I Tim. iv. 16, and so are they said to condemn them.

Obs. XIII. Let those that are employed in the delaration of God's promises and threatenings, take heed unto themselves to answer the will of him by whom they are employed, whose work it is wherein they are engaged.

Obs. XIV. It ought to be a motive unto diligence in exemplary obedience, that therein we bear testimony for God against the impenitent world, which he will judge and punish.

2. The last thing in the words, or the second consequent of his faith and obedience, is, that he became heir της κατα πιστεως δικαιοσυvns, of the righteousness which is by faith.' What the righteousness here intended is, the 'righteousness of faith,' is so fully declared by the apostle in all his other writings, and so laid down in the close of the foregoing chapter, that there can be no question about it. The nature of this righteousness, with the way of attaining it, I have so fully manifested in my treatise of Justification, that I shall not all here speak to it. He calls it elsewhere, sometimes the righteousness of God' absolutely, sometimes the righteousness of God which is by faith,' sometimes the gift of righteousness by Christ,' sometimes the righteousness of faith,' or the 'righteousness which is by faith,' as in this place. In all which, our free gratuitous justification by the righteousness of Christ imputed unto us by faith or through believing, is intended. This Noah obtained by faith. For that in this faith of the patriarchs no respect was had unto Christ and his righteousness, is such a putid figment, is so destructive of the first promise and of all true faith in the church of old, is so inconsistent with and contrary to the design of the apostle, and is so utterly destructive of the whole force of his argument, as we shall show afterwards, that it deserves no consideration.

Grotius and his followers say, that Noah, as a reward of his faith, was left possessor of the whole earth, as an inheritance unto him and his children;' which is a wild exposition of being 'an heir of the righteousness of faith,' and needs no confutation.

VOL. IV.

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The way whereby he obtained this righteousness is, that he was eyeVETO KAпpovoμoc, 'made heir of it.' Some say he is so called and said to be, because this righteousness utterly failing in the old world before the flood, it was left in Noah as his right and inheritance, which he carried along with him into the new world after the flood. Righteousness did not utterly perish, Noah had a title unto it, and continued in the possession of it. But there is somewhat more in this expression. The way whereby we come to be made partakers of this righteousness, is by gratuitous adoption. This is by faith, John i. 12. Whatever we receive upon or by virtue of our adoption belongs unto our inheritance; thereof we are heirs. See Rom. viii. 15-17. So in justification, forgiveness of sin and the inheritance go together, Acts xxvi. 18. And this inheritance is by the promise, not by the law or works, Gal. iii. 18, 19; Rom. iv. 14. Wherefore, Noah was the heir of the righteousness which is by faith, in that by free adoption through faith, he came to have an interest in and right unto the righteousness which is tendered in the promise, whereby it is conveyed unto us as an inheritance. And whereas it is said that he became so, if respect be had unto his faith in building of the ark, the meaning is, that he was then evidenced and declared so to be; as Abraham was said to be justified, when he offered Isaac, who was personally justified long before. So also was Noah by the testimony of God himself, before he was warned to build an ark. And we may learn,

Obs. XV. That all right unto spiritual privileges and mercies, is by gratuitous adoption.

Obs. XVI. That the righteousness of faith is the best inheritance; for thereby we become heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ.

VER. 8-THE apostle hath now passed through the first period of Scripture records; namely, from the beginning of the world unto the flood; and therein he hath considered the examples of all concerning whom it is testified in particular, that they pleased God, and were accepted with him in their obedience. And two things he proves from them with respect to his present purpose. 1. That they all pleased God and were righteous by faith. 2. That their faith was effectual to secure them in that state of divine favour, by enabling them to discharge all duties of obedience, notwithstanding the difficulties and oppositions which they met with. Hereby he makes good his design with respect unto these Hebrews; namely, to convince them, that if they did not persevere in their profession, it was because of their unbelief, for that true faith would certainly carry them through with constancy and perseverance, whatever difficulties they should meet withal, giving them encouragement from what it wrought in others from the beginning.

Hence he proceeds to the next period of time, from the flood and the renovation of the world in the family of Noah, unto the giving of the law; so to manifest that in every state of the church, the way of pleasing God was one and the same: as also, that faith still retained its efficacy under all alterations.

He who in this period of time is first testified unto in the Scripture, is he whose example on all accounts was most forcible with these He

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