them away." Nay, on the contrary, they were scoffers, 2 Pet. iii, 3—6; they scorned and derided Noah both in his preaching and building.

§5. The immediate happy effect of this faith of Noah, and the fruits of it in fear and obedience, was "the saving (re ne avls) of his house," family, or household; including 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 till after the flood, for they had no child until then, Gen. x, 1; and the persons saved were eight only.

This family God in sovereign grace and mercy would preserve, principally to continue the conveyance of the promised seed, which was to be produced from Adam, Luke iii, 38; and which was not, by virtue of the immutable counsel of God, liable to an intercession. And in this saving of the family of Noah by the ark, we have a figure of God's preserving a remnant in all ages, when desolating judgments have destroyed apostatized churches and nations; so the apostle Peter declares with respect to the vengeance and overwhelming destruction that was coming on the apostatized church of the Jews; 1 Pet. iii, 21, 22, "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 analogy 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 had 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, their initiation into gospel faith and repentance, wherein they were separated

from the perishing infidels, and were really and actually delivered from the destruction that befell them, as Noah and his family were in the ark.

§6. (Kalenρive Tov nоoμov) he condemned the world; not as a judge of it, properly and authoritatively, but as an advocate and a witness, by plea and testimony. He condemned it by his doctrine, obedience, example, and faith; he cleared and justified God in his threatenings and the execution of them, and therein "condemned the world" as guilty and justly deserving the punishment inflicted on them: 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: 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 be justly 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 that they had nothing to plead for themselves why the execution of judgments was respited for one moment:-finally, he "condemned the world" by approving of the vengeance that befell them, though very severe; so shall the saints judge and condemn fallen angels at the last day, 1 Cor. vi, 3.

§7. The last thing is, "that he became heir (Tys nala Tioliv dinaioons) of the righteousness which is by faith." What is the righteousness here intended is fully declared by the apostle in all his other writings; he calls it sometimes the "righteousness of God" absolutely; sometimes "the righteousness of God which is by faith;" sometimes "the gift of righteousness which

is by Christ;" sometimes "the righteousness of faith," or the "righteousness which is by faith," as here: in all which our free gratuitous justification by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us through believing is intended. This Noah obtained by faith; for that in this faith of the patriarchs no respect was had to Christ and his righteousness, is such a putid figment, so destructive of the first promise and all true faith in the church of old, so inconsistent with and contrary to the design of the apostle, and utterly destroying the whole force of his argument, that it deserves no consideration.

The way whereby he obtained this righteousness is, that (eyevelo nλnpovoμos) he was made the heir of it. 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 the righteousness which is tendered in the promise, whereby it is conveyed to us as an inheritance. And whereas it is said that he "became" so, if respect be had to his faith in building the ark, the meaning is, that he was then evidenced and declared to be so; 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.

§8. (II.) We may from hence make some observations:

1. It is an high commendation of faith, to believe things on the word of God, though in themselves, and as to all second causes, invisible, and seemingly impossible, Rom. iv, 17—19.

2. No obstacle can stand in the way of faith when it fixeth itself on the almighty power of God and his infinite veracity, Rom. xi, 23; Tit. i, 2.

3. It is a great encouragement and strengthening to faith, when the things believed, as promised or threat

ened, are suitable to the properties of the divine nature; righteousness, holiness, goodness, and the like; such as it became God to do, such was the destruction of the world, when it was filled with wickedness and violence.

4. We have here a pledge of a certain accomplishment of all divine threatenings against ungodly sinners and enemies of the church, though the time of it may be yet far distant, and the means of it inevident.

5. A reverential fear of God, as threatening vengeance on impenitent sinners, is a fruit of saving faith, and acceptable to God, see chap. iv, 1.

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

7. Faith produces various effects in the minds of believers, according to the variety of objects fixed on; sometimes joy and confidence, sometimes fear and

reverence.

8. Then is fear a fruit of faith, when it engageth us to diligence in our duty; thus Noah, being moved by fear, prepared an ark. How commendable his faith! Neither the difficulty nor length of the work itself, nor his want of success in preaching, as to the repentance of his hearers and their conversion to God, nor the contempt and scorn which were cast upon him by the whole world, discouraged him from going on with the work and duty to which he was divinely called.

9. When the preaching of righteousness loseth its efficacy in the conversion of sinners, it is a token of approaching desolations, Rev. xviii, 7, 8.

§9. 1. The visible professing church shall never fall into such an apostasy, nor be so totally destroyed, but

1

that God will preserve a remnant for a seed to future generations, Isa. vi, 11-13; Rom. ix, 27; Rev. xviii, 4.

2. Those whom God calleth to, fitteth for, and employeth in any work, are therein (auvɛpyoι Oɛɛ) coworkers with God, 1 Cor. iii, 9; 2 Cor. vi, 1. So as that what God doth himself efficiently, is ascribed to them instrumentally, as working with him and for him. So the preachers of the word save men, 1 Tim. iv, 16; and are said to condemn them.

3. Let those who are employed in the declaration of God's promises and threatenings, take heed to themselves to answer the will of him by whom they are employed. It ought to be a motive to exemplary diligence and obedience, that therein we bear testimony for God against the impenitent world, which he will judge and punish.

4. All right to spiritual privileges and mercies is by gratuitous adoption.

5. The righteousness of faith is the best inheritance; for thereby we become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.

VERSE 8.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should afterwards receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

§1. Introduction and connexion. §2. (I.) Abraham. His call. $3, Two parts of it. $4. Where to. $5. Commendation of his faith. $6-8. (II.) Obser

vations.

§1. THE apostle hath now passed through the first period of scripture records-from the beginning of the world to the flood; and therein 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 hath shewn that they all