traordinary kind, " I, even I do bring a flood of "waters upon the earth "." He claims it as his, confidered as directly counteracting his former operation from the beginning of time. He reprefents it as fuch a deviation from his ordinary course, as fhall have no parallel while "earth re"maineth 9."

So remarkable was this vengeance, that it extended to the earth itself, and to its guiltless inhabitants and productions. God teftified his infinite displeasure at fin, by involving all thofe creatures in the punishment, that had in any refpect been the inftruments of human guilt, or the occafions of it; that had ministered to man's neceffities, or to his unbridled appetites; that, in a word, had been formerly fubjected to his dominion. So complete was this deftruction, that the whole frame of nature was unhinged. Sin had converted the earth into a moral chaos. "The earth was filled with violence; it was cor

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rupt:" for "all flesh had corrupted his way

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upon the earth." The profeffors of the true religion were blended into one mafs with the ungodly world. The Supreme Judge therefore acted in fuch a manner, as if he meant to reduce all things to their primæval chaos; in the execution of that awful fentence, I will deftroy "them with the earth." He feems as if he "were to undo the glorious work of creation. In that work, he had "divided the waters, which "were under the firmament, from the waters "which

p Gen. vi. 17.

q Chap. viii, 22,

I Chap. vi. 12, 13.

"which were above it." Now he brings them together again. "The fountains of the great

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deep were broken up, and the windows of hea"ven were opened t."

This deftruction involved the profeffors of the true religion, as well as the profane; the pofterity of Seth, that other feed appointed by God inftead of Abel, together with the defcendants of the murdering and rebellious Cain. As the Holy Spirit ceased to strive even with " the fons of God,” becaufe they also were flesh", under the dominion of carnality, and addicted to every wickedness; the deferved vengeance reached them in common with others.

This judgment was as univerfal as it could well be, without the total deftruction of the human race and both the purpofe and the promife of God prevented fuch an event. Only one fmall family was faved. The vengeance is most diftinctly marked, as contrafted with the display at the fame time given of remunerative juftice. "The LORD faid unto Noah, Come thou and all

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thy houfe into the ark: for thee have I feen "righteous before me in this generation." The wonderful prefervation of this fingle family fhewed in the cleareft manner, that the deftruction of all the world befides was not the effect of blind chance; or the work of a fupreme agent, who made no diftinction between the righteous and the wicked. When I fpeak of remunerative juftice, however, it is not meant that Noah merited this deliverance by any righteoufnefs of his own. He

"found

s Gen. i. 7.

t Chap. vii. 11

u Chap. vi. 3.

▾ Chap, vii. 1.

"found grace in the eyes of the LORD," as trufting in a better righteoufnefs: nay, he "found

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grace," by which he was enabled to make this his confidence. His falvation may be viewed as a reward. But it is no inconfiderable proof of its being a reward of grace, that it extended to his whole family, although we have too much evidence that one of them at leaft was a wicked perfon.

This punishment, dreadful as it was, feems to have been indifpenfably neceffary. So low was the Church reduced before the deluge, that, ac cording to human apprehenfion, fhe could not have exifted for another generation. Had fhe not been "faved by water," she must have been swept away by the flood of iniquity. Thus, the circumftances vindicate the judgment; and fhew, that God could not have acted otherwife, mankind continuing in fuch a ftate, without virtually renouncing his claim to the moral government of the world.

Such a general impreffion did this judgment make on fucceeding generations, that not only was divine justice, as manifefted in this difpenfation, celebrated by thofe who adhered to the true religion; but even heathen nations retain fome traditionary knowledge of it to this day.

In a word, this punishment took place, and is recorded, as a lively prelude of the future judgment. As the world, " being overflowed with "water perifhed, the heavens and the earth which

"are

w Gen. vi. S.

x Heb. xi. 7.

y Job xxii. 15, 16.

"are now,-are kept in ftore, referved unto fire "against the day of judgment, and perdition of

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ungodly men "." The one prefigured the other, in the unexpectedness of the event; in the final feparation made between the righteous and the wicked; in the immediate procuring caufes of the destruction, the abuse of divine longsuffering, and the rejection of gofpel-grace; in the completeness of the deftruction; in the comparative paucity of thofe who are faved; and in the means by which their flvation is accomplished d.

The facred hiftorian gives us a progreffive account of the manifeftation of divine juftice, in the confufion of tongues at Babel; in the plagues brought on Pharaoh and Abimelech, because of their conduct towards the wife of Abraham ; in the destruction of the cities of the plain; in the punishment of Efau for his profanity; in the remuneration of Jacob at the expence of the unrighteous Laban1; and in the judgments executed on the Egyptians because of their cruelty to the Ifraelites. But on these things we cannot enlarge.

Only, with refpect to the deftruction of the cities of the plain, the following things may be obferved, for illuftrating the display given of divine juftice in this event. Their fin is faid to have a cry, a "cry waxen great before the "face of the LORD." This is the very meta

phor ufed by God in addreffing Cain; "The "voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me." This language is by no means exclufively appropriated to the horrid crime of murder. It is applicable to every fin, as expreffive of the neceffary connexion between fin and punishment. For every fin hath a voice of crimination against the finner. Luft firft cries to the finner for gratification; and when it "bringeth forth fin," this immediately cries to God for vengeance. Its voice may not be heard by the tranfgreffor himself, because his confcience may be feared; but it is ftill heard by the Supreme Judge.

Descent is here, in an improper fenfe, afcribed to God: "I will go down now, and fee whether "they have done altogether according to the cry "of it, which is come unto me m." There can be no change of place with him who is every where prefent; nor can examination be neceffary to the eye of omniscience. But God on this occafion appeared on earth, and reprefents himself as employing those means of investigation which are neceffary to man; to declare that all the acts of his vengeance are in perfect conformity to juftice, that he never punishes without a fufficient reafon.

The account of his previous difcourfe with Abraham, while it beautifully illuftrates his wonderful condefcenfion, at the fame time teaches us, that, whatever be the objections of carnal men to the equity of his judgments, they will be approved by all who know divine holinefs. Abraham was a merVOL. II. ciful

1 Gen. iv. 1o.

F

m Gen. xviii. 21.