Ver. 29. And Lamech called his fon's name Noah, [reft or refreshment, from me to reft, to take repose,] faying, This fame fhall comfort us concerning our work, and toil of our hands, because of the ground, which the Lord hath curfed. Lamech might give his fon this name when he found he had an extraordinary genius for agriculture, and was likely, by his useful inventions, to diminish the very great toil which had hitherto attended the tillage of the earth. See chap. ix. 20, 21.

1

EN. iv. 26.—then it was begun to call by the name of the Lord.

Or then, in the days of Enos, the family of Seth, which adhered to God and his worship, began to give themfelves a denomination expreffive of their relation and regards to God; that is to say, to affume the title of the Sons, or Children of God, as in chap. vi. 2. in order to diftinguish and separate themselves from the irreligious family of Cain. Which title was also used after the flood. Fob i. 6. ji. I.

But (chap. vi. 1. which is in connexion with chap. iv. 26, the intermediate chapter being a genealogical parenthesis) [But when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, &c.] The families of Seth and Cain, increafing and fpreading upon the earth, at length met and unhappily mixed together. For the fons of God, by the inftigation of fenfual appetite, without regard to reafon or religion, joined themselves in affinity to Cain's impious pofterity, by marrying their beautiful women; the confequence of which was, that they were foon corrupted by the profane converfation of their new relations. The virtuous and godly, in marrying both themselves and children, fhould be careful to keep within the limits of religion. A wife is the foundation of many other relations, and commonly has a great influence upon a man and his family; but it is a relation we can choose for ourfelves and in a case of fo great importance, we should neither follow the luft of covetoufnefs, nor of carnal defires, but the rules of religion, and the fear of God.

Thus, notwithstanding the Divine Manifestations, and the preaching of Enoch and Noah, and, probably, of other good men, the contagion of wickedness by degrees infected the whole earth, and turned it into a fcene

fcene of impiety, lewdnefs, and injuftice. The iffue of the aforefaid diforderly marriages joined the worst part; and growing up without any fenfe of religion and virtue, became wholly engaged in fenfual ambitious pursuits, and joining, or imitating a lewd and impious race of giants, which were then in the earth, they affected to be men of renown for great and valorous exploits, by all methods of oppreffion and violence, fubjecting all others to their wills and lufts; and every where extinguishing a fenfe of God, both by their wicked, ungodly deeds, and their hard, contumacious, blafphemous fpeeches against him, and his holy laws, (Jude 15.) defpifing his goodness, and difdaining the restraints of his government; till all the earth was corrupt before God, and filled with violence, ver. 13. every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts being only evil continually, ver. 5; which cut off all hopes of their amendment, their minds being wholly intent upon gratifying their ambition and luft.

In relation to the fad condition of the world, the first thing that God declared, probably, from the Shechinah in the thin affembly of his worshippers, was this, (ver. 3.) My Spirit fhall not always ftrive with man, &c. This is the fpirit (1 Pet. iii. 19, 20.) by which our Lord went and preached [not in perfon, but by fuch preachers as Enoch and Noah, 2 Pet. ii. 5] unto the fpirits [which are now, i. e. at the time of the Apoftle's writing] in prifon [confined in the ftate of the dead, and referved in fafe custody to the day of judgment], which sometimes were dif obedient in the days of Noah, while the ark was in preparing. My Spirit fhall not always ftrive, or debate, with man, for his reformation, NM DAVI 2 eo quod profecto ille caro, feeing that really he is [nothing but] flesh, altogether fleshly, void of all virtuous principles, and therefore uncapable of being reformed by any means proper to be applied to a rational nature. Violence, or coaction, cannot make him good, and he will not attend to any methods of perfuafion. But where the reformation of moral agents cannot be effected, it is fit and reasonable that they should be destroyed; for it is to no purpose to continue in being a race of creatures, who live in direct oppofition to the perfections of God, and all the wife and good ends of their creation; and who therefore might as well never have been made at all, because rendered utterly incapable of honouring God their Maker, of enjoying themselves, or being useful to others. It must be inconfiftent with the Divine Perfections, and all the good and wife ends of his government, to make that life the object of his providential care and liberality, which is thus miferably perverted. On the contrary, fuch are the nuifance, corruption, diforder, and plague of the creation; and for that reafon it is agreeable, not only to juftice, but to goodness, and beneficence, that fuch fhould be removed out of the creation. Hence it is, that God, fpeaking by DT8 after the manner of men, is faid to repent, and to be grieved, that he bad made man on the earth, and was refolved to deftroy them. Ver. 6, 7

COROLLARY I. Religion and virtue are the foul and fupport of the univerfe; which being totally taken away, no reason can be given why any worlds or agents should exift.

COROLLARY II.

COROLLARY II. The holy Scriptures, which affure us the wages of fin is death, and conftantly affirm, that the impenitent workers of iniquity fhall be deftroyed, do give us infallibly a juft and true account of things, which demands the whole attention of our minds.

It was determined, because it was fit, that the world fo vicious should be deftroyed. And the great God might deftroy them in what way he fhould judge most proper, without any injuftice on his part, or on the part of any agents which he might employ. He might have deftroyed them by fire from heaven, as Sodom, &c. or by peftilence, or by deftroying angels, 1 Chron. xxi. 12, 27. 2 Chron. xxxii. 21. Or he might have given a commiffion to any one more righteous nation among them, bad there been any fuch, to destroy all the reft by the fword, and a right to enter upon all their poffeffions, as in the cafe of the wicked Canaanites, Deut. vii. 2. ix. 5. Lev. xviii. 26, &c. For the property of life, and of all poffeffions, belongs originally and abfolutely to God alone. But he chofe to deftroy them by a deluge, or general inundation.

Not that the Divine Wisdom intended to extirpate the human race; the defign was not to extirpate, but to reform; and therefore the Lord was graciously pleased to refpite the judgment, the impious world had deferved, for 120 years, ver. 3. This was to thew that he had no pleafure in their deftruction, and to give them fpace for repentance, that their ruin, if poffible, might be prevented. Thus the long suffering of God waited for the converfion of the disobedient in the days of Noab, while the ark was preparing, 1 Pet. iii. 20. Noah was an excelent perion, a just man and perfect, who, like Enoch, walked with God, ver. 9. Fim and his family God was pleafed graciously to preferve; that from fo good a ftock the human race might be again propagated, and religion reftored in the world. With him God purpofed to eftublijh his covenant, or grant of bleffings, ver. 18. The grace of God to mankind, efpecially the grand scheme of redemption, was not to fail, or to be fufpended; therefore the Lord directed Noah to build a veffel in fhape like a large cheft, every way convenient for floating upon the waters, and for containing all the creatures which it was to receive, ver. 30. * [Sce PIERCE on Heb. xi. 7.] Noah without delay expreffed his humble and entire faith in the Divine Warning; and in obedience to it, applied himself to the building of the ark, for the faving of himself and family, (Heb. xi. 7.) by the which he condemned the unbelieving and impenitent world, and became heir of the righteousness, [or became intitled to the salvation] which is by faith.

Note-Noah is commonly, and, I think, juftly fuppofed to have been 120 years in building the ark, for that was the time the long-fuffering of God waited; which time of long-fuffering was, while the ark was in preparing, as in 1 Pet. iii, 20. At the beginning of this time, Noah's three fons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, were not born; for Noah was now but 480 years old, and none of his forefaid fons were born till he was 500

The length of the ark 300 equal to 450 equal to 150 at least.

The breadth

The beight

500. chap. v. 32. And therefore that paragraph, ver. 17, &c. wherein mention is made of Noah's fons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and their wives, muft have been spoken after the ark was finished.

When the ark was finifhed, and Noah and his family, the animals and their food, fafe lodged in it, about the 6th of November, in the year of the world 1656, by the mighty power of God, the fountains of the great deeps were broken up, chap. vii. II. the fea overflowed, being prodigioufly raised by the violent irruption of the fubterraneous waters; and rain came down from the fky, not in drops, but in ftreams and spouts, the windows of heaven were opened; and both together eafily prevailed over the earth, and put it out of the power of the wifeft and strongest of men to relieve either themselves or their friends.

And now, how were the carelefs and impenitent unbelievers furprifed! Conceive them fecurely going on in the ufual way of life, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, Mat. xxiv. 37; feafting and revelling, thinking of nothing but fenfual enjoyments, in contempt of every ferious admonition: when all on a fudden the most terrible rains and inundations threatened their inevitable deftruction. How would they be terrified! How would they condemn their own unbelief, and be forced to own there was a juft and righteous God, who will execute vengeance on all the incurable workers of iniquity! This is a fpecimen of the final deftruction of the ungodly at the last day, which God hath revealed. Let us not harden our hearts, but believe and prepare.

Chap. vi. 17. And behold I, even I, by my own immediate operation, do bring ban a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh. The word in its primary fenfe, doth not include the idea of a flood; it comes from which, with relation to plants and animals, originally fignifies, to be fo exhaufted of natural moifture and fpirits, in which their life confifts, as to be withered, or dead. And it is applied peculiarly to the deluge, and to nothing but that, under the notion of extinction of life; and fo the phrafe han may be tranflated, an extinction of life by waters. It is only ufed in Gen. chapters the 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th; and in Pfal. xxix. 10. The Lord fitteth [w fat, or did fit) upon, or at, the flood, the extinction of life at the deluge. He then fat upon the feat of judgment, executing vengeance upon that wicked generation; yea, the Lard fitteth King for ever. the Lard fitteth King for ever. AINSWORTH upon Pfal.

xxix. 10.

This difpenfation, as all the reft, had relation to the morals of mankind and the evident defign of it was to leffen the quantity of vice and profanenefs, and to preferve and advance religion and virtue in the earth; the great end for which the earth, and man in it, were created. This end it was well adapted to obtain in the then prefent ftate of things, and in all future generations. In the prefent ftate of things, prevented a total corruption: for if the whole tainted part had not been cut off, a fingle family would foon have been drawn in, or deftroyed; and then the whole globe muft have been ruined, and the fchemes and purposes of God, from the beginning of the world, had been defeated. But by referving a felect family for the continuation of the

it

human

human fpecies, the fyftem of the Divine Counfels was preferved entire, and the most proper method was devised for the establishment of religion and virtue in the new world; as the family of Noah enjoyed much greater advantages for this end, than the family of Adam at the beginning of things.

Noah was not, like Adam, a new unexperienced being, ignorant of every thing, but what he received from revelation. Noah, befides the benefit of revelation, and intercourfe with heaven, had the whole compafs of ancient antediluvian knowledge from the creation, in his own poffeffion. He was a man of the most eminent abilities, and the most fteady integrity. Adam was eafily feduced; but in the midst of an univerfal degeneracy, Noah firmly adhered to truth and religion; and when he was warned of God to prepare the ark, even 120 years before the deluge, or any appearances of it, fo ftrong was his faith, or perfuafion of the Divine Power, Juftice, and Veracity, that he applied himself to the work, and completed it, furrounded as he was with the infidelity and contempt of all the world. A man of fo much understanding, and of fuch a spirit, would not fail to communicate all he knew to his pofte. rity, nor to inculcate it strongly upon their hearts.

But his family, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, with their wives, were eyewitneffes of the dreadful inundation, and had the most affecting proof of their own deliverance. They refided full twelve months in the ark, from the beginning of the deluge to the end of it. And it is easy to conceive how they would be affected in fuch a moving fituation. They knew this shocking catastrophe was not an unfortunate accident, but occafioned by the wickedness of the world; therefore all the terrors of the deluge muft give them the moft fenfible perception of the malignant nature of wickedness, that it is infinitely odious to God, and dreadfully pernicious to finners. They must be convinced of the uncontrolable power and dominion of the Moft High, the impoffibility of escaping his vengeance, what a fearful thing it is to fall into his hands, and how much they were obliged, both in intereft and duty, to reverence and obey him.

On the other hand, their prefervation from fo terrible a calamity, in the midst of the ruins of all the world befides, must be a very striking demonstration of God's favour and compaffion to themselves; which was naturally adapted to make the deepeft impreffions of gratitude, love, and duty; efpecially as they could not but be fenfible, that fuch a great and miraculous deliverance was particularly owing to the eminent piety of their father, Gen. vii. 1. Thus they would be well prepared and difpofed to acknowledge and admit the excellency of thofe principles and practices which had been, through Divine Goodness, their fecurity in the general defolation.

And when they left the ark, all the difmal appearances of the defolate world, the ruins of palaces, towns, and cities, the fadly changed face of countries, which they had seen in a cultivated, flourishing ftate, the bones of men and other animals, ftrewed over all the face of the earth, would have a natural tendency to fix upon their minds the good impreffions they had received in the ark, and render them folicitous to inculcate the principles of religion upon their children. Add to all