192. It is profitable to contemplate this diligently so that we may be safeguarded against such vicious heedlessness of the wicked. For what happened to Moses, now happens also to us. Our adversaries ascribe to themselves the name of God's people, true worship, grace and everything holy; to us, everything devilish. Now, when we reprove them for blasphemy and say that they are the church of Satan, they rage against us with every kind of cruelty. Hence we mourn with Noah, and commend the cause to God, as Christ did on the cross—what else could we do?—and wait till God shall judge the earth and show that he loves the remnant of those that fear him and that he hates the multitude of impenitent sinners in spite of their boast of being the Church, of having the promises, of having the worship of God. When God destroyed the whole original world, he manifested the promise of the seed to that wretched and tiny remnant, Noah and his sons.
| V. | NOAH ALONE WAS RIGHTEOUS; THE WORLD DESTROYED. | ||
| A. | NOAH ALONE WAS FOUND RIGHTEOUS. | ||
| 1. | What comfort was offered Noah by his righteousness in the midst of his suffering [193]. | ||
| * | To find grace before God leads to faith and excludes works [194]. | ||
| 2. | For what was righteous Noah especially praised by God [195]. | ||
| * | Many great men lived in the days of Noah [196]. | ||
| 3. | How righteous Noah had to contend against so much all alone [197]. | ||
| * | By what means the Papists contend against the Evangelicals [198]. | ||
| 4. | With what the world especially upbraided righteous Noah [199]. | ||
| * | People then were wiser and more ingenious than now [200]. | ||
| 5. | Noah may be called both just and pious [201]. | ||
| 6. | Righteous Noah led a godly life, possessed great courage and was a marvelous character [202]. | ||
| 7. | By his piety Noah was a confessor of the truth [203-204]. | ||
| * | It is very difficult for one man to withstand the united opposition of many [204]. | ||
| 8. | Being a preacher of righteousness Noah was in greater danger [205]. | ||
| 9. | Noah an example of patience and of all virtues [206]. | ||
| 10. | How he traveled and preached everywhere in the world, and preserved the human race temporally and spiritually [207-208]. | ||
| 11. | The world takes offense at righteous Noah's marrying, and adds sin to sin [209]. | ||
| 12. | The order of the birth of Noah's sons [210]. | ||
| B. | THE WHOLE WORLD DESTROYED. | ||
| 1. | Whether, as Lyra teaches, birds and animals were destroyed [211]. | ||
| * | Why the punishment of sin was visited also upon the animals [212-213]. | ||
| 2. | The meaning of "the earth was corrupt before God" [214-216]. | ||
| * | The sins against the first table of the law can easier be concealed than those against the second table [214]. | ||
| * | Where false doctrine is taught, godless living follows [215]. | ||
| 3. | How the earth was corrupt in the light of the first table of the law [215-216]. | ||
| 4. | How the earth was corrupt in the light of the second table [217-218]. | ||
| * | The meaning of "violence" in Scripture [218]. | ||
| * | The greatest violence can obtain under the appearance of holiness, as among the Papists and Turks [219-221]. | ||
| * | Moses beautifully traces the course God takes in his judgments [222]. | ||
| * | Who can pass the right judgment upon the pope that he is Antichrist [223]. | ||
| * | How Antichrist strengthens the courage of the godly, and whether they can check him [223]. | ||
| 5. | Noah laments this corruption [224]. | ||
| * | Godlessness cannot be remedied when it adorns itself with the appearance of holiness [225]. | ||
| 6. | How God views this corruption [226]. | ||
| * | Luther laments the wickedness of the enemies of the Gospel [227]. | ||
| * | How we should view God's delay in punishing the wickedness of his enemies [228]. | ||
| * | God's delay is very hard for believers [229]. | ||
| 7. | The first world, although corrupt, was much better than the present world [230]. | ||
V. HOW NOAH ALONE WAS FOUND RIGHTEOUS, AND HOW THE WHOLE WORLD WAS DESTROYED.
A. Noah Alone Was found Righteous.
V. 8. But Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah.
193. These are the words through which Noah was lifted up and quickened again. For such wrath of the divine majesty would have killed him, had not God added the promise of saving him. It is likely, however, that his faith had a struggle and was weak. We cannot imagine how such contemplation of God's wrath weakens courage.
194. This novel expression of the Holy Spirit the heavenly messenger Gabriel also uses when speaking to the Blessed Virgin Lk 1, 30, "Thou hast found favor (grace) with God." The expression most palpably excludes merit and commends faith, through which alone we are justified before God, made acceptable and well pleasing in his sight.