God the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth, from the rifing of the fun unto the going down thereof." When the lion roars, the beasts of the field tremble. The fubject matter of the warning is about things not feen as yet; that is, the approach of the general deluge, or deftruction of the whole world by water, of which there was not the least visible appearance, when the warning was given of God. Sirs, the word of God deals moftly about things that are not feen, things invifible and eternal, which as yet lie behind the curtain; bence faith, that believes the word of God, is called, ver. 1. of this chapter," the evidence of things not seen ;" a fetting to the feal to what God fays, though not obvious unto fenfe.

2dly, In the words we have the perfon, and the only person, that took the alarm in all the old world, viz. Noah, whofe character we have, Gen. vi. 9. "a juft man, and perfect in his generation." He was a juft man, being juftified by faith, in the promised feed of the woman; and he was a holy man, whofe walk and converfation juftified his faith, in the view of the ungodly inhabitants of the old world. And being fuch a perfon as lived near God, God takes him upon his fecrets, and imparts that unto him, which was hid from all the world befides. "The fecret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and unto them will he fhew his covenant." Yea, fometimes he not only imparts to them the fecrets of his covenant, and the myfleries of his kingdom; but also the fecrets of his providence, what he is about to do in the world: fo did he unto Noah; and fo did he unto Abraham, when he was about to deftroy Sodom: "Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do?" The Lord will do nothing, but he will reveal it unto his fervants the prophets. It is dangerous to pry curioufly into the fecrets of God's purpose or providence, but when he is pleased to reveal them, they are welcome.

3lly, We have the way how the warning was taken by Noah. It was by faith; that is, he believed the word of God, that the flood would come: and the ground of his believing was the faithfulness and power of God; his faithfulnefs, for it is impoffible for God to lie;" and his power, that was able to give being to his word of threatening, as well as his word of promife.

4thly, We have the affe&ion of Noah's foul, that was ftirred or exercifed by this awful warning of the approaching deluge; he was moved with fear. When faith fees a fmiling and reconciled God in Chrift, it moves the foul with joy and gladness, yea, a "joy unspeakable, and full of glory." But

when

when faith fees a frowning or a threatening God, then it be gets fear, not a flavish, but a filial fear; like a dutiful child, that falls a trembling when he fees the rod in his Father's hand, and anger in his countenance. Such was the fear of Noah; and God declares, that he has a particular regard unto the foul that thus fears him, If. lxvi. 2." To this man will I look, who is poor, and of a contrite fpirit, and who trembleth at my word."

5thly, We have the wife improvement that Noah made of God's warning concerning the deluge: why, his faith and fear excited him to prepare an ark: The wife man (faith Solomon) forefeeth the evil, and hideth himself." True faith of God's operation is, a fagacious grace; it takes up things not as yet feen, dangers that are out of the view of the reft of a blind world, and provides for fafety against approaching dangers. So here, Noah's faith engages him to prepare an ark against the deluge. Noah had not the ark to build when the deluge came; no, it was ready for use, when the windows of heaven, and the fountains of the great deep, were opened; and the fruit and effect of his faith and fear, and diligence in preparing of the ark, was the faving of himself and his houfe.

Now, I do not ftand fo much upon the literal, as the mystical and spiritual intendment of all this. The history and mystery of the Old Testament is opened and unvailed in the New Teftament. It is granted by all, that the deluge of water, whereby God destroyed the old world, was a typical reprefentation of the wrath of God that is revealed from heaven against all the wickedness and ungodliness of the children of men, which will infallibly fweep away the wicked, and all the nations that forget God, into hell: and that Noah's ark was a type of Chrift, and of that falvation that believers have in him, from the wrath of God, and the curse of the broken law; for "whofoever believeth in him, fhall not perish, but have everlasting life." The apoftle Peter gives us an hint, and that not an obfcure one, of what I am faying, concerning this typical defign of the deluge and ark, 1 Pet. iii. 19.-21. By which alfo he went and preached to the fpirits in prifon: which fometime were difobedient, when once the long-fuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is eight fouls, were faved by water. The like figure whereunto, even baptifm, doth alfo now fave us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good confcience towards God), by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift." Where, by the

Spirits

fpirits in prison, we are to understand the fouls of the inhabitants of the old world, who, in the days of Peter, were imprifoned in hell, but in the days of Noah, they were alive in their bodies. Noah, by the direction of the fpirit of Chrift, went and preached to them, and warned them of the approaching deluge; but they never regarded him, but went on in their finning trade, until the water came, and carried them away, except eight fouls that were faved in the ark. Now, there is the type, and then follows the anti-type, ver. 21. "The like figure whereunto, even baptifm, doth alfo now fave us," &c.

The main doctrine that I have in view from the words, is as follows.

DOCT." That Chrift is the great New Testament Ark into which finners must enter, if they would be faved from the deluge of divine wrath."

The method, through divine affistance, shall be as follows. I. I would speak a little of the wrath of God, with allufron unto the univerfal deluge.

II. Of the warnings God has given, and is ftill giving, of the deluge of his wrath.

III. I would speak of Christ as the only ark wherein safety is to be found.

IV. Speak of the accefs that finners have to this New Teftament Ark.

V. How it is that a finner enters into this ark, fo as to be faved from the deluge.

VI. Deduce fome inferences, and make fome application of the whole.

I. The first thing is, to fpeak a little of the wrath of God, with allufion unto the univerfal deluge in the days of Noah. Ift, then, The fin and wickedness of the old world was the procuring caufe of the deluge, Gen. vi. 5-7. "And God faw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord faid, I will deftroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."

Now, I fay, as the fin of man procured a deluge of water, fo doth it procure the deluge of the wrath of God, that is or

has

has been revealed against all the wickednefs and ungodlines of the children of men. Before fin entered into the world, God and man lived in perfect amity and friendship: Man was the darling of heaven, God's viceroy; and he gave him a fovereignty over all the works of his hands, Gen. i. 28. But no fooner had man fianed, but a difinal cloud of wrath began to hover over man's head, which had diffolved in a fhower of fnares, fire, and brimstone, to the deftruction of all mankind, had it not been for the interpofition of a second Adam, the eternal Son of God, who undertook to take away the fin of the world. For his fake, and upon the account of his fatisfaction unto juftice, a ftop is put to the execution of divine vengeance. But that fame flood of wrath will run with the greatest violence against all unbelievers, who reject him, and his great falvation, Heb. ii. 3. and x. 28. &c.

2dly, God did not take the inhabitants of the old world in a furprife; but gave them warning before the flood came and deftroyed them: he dealt with them by the miniftry of Noah for the fpace of one hundred and twenty years, Gen. v. 32. compare with vi. 11. in order to reclaim them, but

all in vain.

Just fo, God is long-fuffering, and flow to wrath, towards the children of men. He doth not fpeedily execute judgement, like man, in a fury and rage: no; but he waits to be gracious; he warns of the wrath to come, and befeeches and intreats them to turn from their evil ways: Forty years was his fpirit grieved with that generation of Ifrael in the wil dernefs, until at length he fware in his wrath that they should never enter into his reft; but many a time he turned away his wrath, Pfal. lxviii. 38. before it came to that..

3dly, When the appointed time for the execution of the threatening against the old world came, God made the heavens and the earth to combine for their deftruction; for both the fountains of the great depth from below were broken up, and the windows of heaven above were opened upon them, Gen.

vil. II.

Just fo, God, who is the Lord of hofts, and doth whatsoever he wills in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, Dan. iv. 35. can and will arm the whole creation against impenitent finners; he can command the earth to open its mouth, and fwallow up its inhabitants, as it did Koran, Dathan, and Abiram, Numb. xvi. 31. 32.; and he can call for hofts of angels, and celestial luminaries, to avenge his quarrel upon rebellious inners, as he did in the cafe of Sennacherib,

nacherib, 2 Kings xix. 35. and the inhabitants of Canaan, Exod. xxxiii. 2.

4thly, The waters of the flood were irrefiftible. All the inhabitants of the old world, with their united force, though many of them were giants, men of huge ftature and firength, Gen. vi. 4. yet they were not capable to stop the current of the flood.

Sirs, the wrath of God, when it breaks out upon Christdefpifers, cannot be ftopped by all the power of angels or men: "Who hath hardened himself against God, and hath profpered?" Job ix. 4. "Who would fet the briers and thorns in battle against him; he would go through them, he would confume them together," If. xxvii. 4. "The flouthearted are spoiled, the men of might cannot find their hands," when God contendeth, &c. Pfal. lxxvi. 5.

5thly, The waters of the deluge overflowed all the refuges that the inhabitants of the old world fled to for fhelter. We may easily imagine, that they would fly to the highest rocks and mountains to fave themfelves from the waters; but the waters fwelled and rofe, until it covered all the high hills and mountains on the face of the earth, under the whole heaven, Gen. vii. 18.-20. there was no fhelter left them.

Juft fo is it in the cafe before us. Sinners, when they hear of the wrath and vengeance of God purfuing them on the account of fin, they fly to the hills and mountains of their own making. Some fly to the mountain of general mercy: but God fweeps away that; for "he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will fhew them no favour," If. xxvii. 11. Some fly to the refuge of an outward profeffion of religion, and think to find fhelter there; but the water of God's wrath purfues them there, as it did the foolish virgins with their empty lamps, Matth. xxv. 6. Others they fly to the mountain of the works of the law; but the deluge pursues them there," for by the works of the law fhall no fiesh be justified," Gal. ii. 16. Thus God makes "the hail to sweep away the refuge of lies," If. xxviii. 17.

6thly, The flood was univerfal; it spared none but those that were in the ark. In like manner, the flood of God's wrath will deftroy all that are out of Chrift; "for there is none other name given under heaven among men, whereby we must be faved, but the name of Jefus," Acts iv. 12.

II. The fecond thing was, to fpeak of the warnings that God gives of the deluge of everlafting wrath that is to come. upon all Godlefs and Chriftless finners; for as God warned