I. NOAH'S CONDITION IN THE ARK; THE WATERS ABATE.
A. NOAH'S CONDITION IN THE ARK.
1. How Noah and his family anxiously waited for God's promise,
and lived in faith, which is a hard life 1-3.
2. He had a hard time in the ark. What sustained him 2-4.
3. How he suffered in two ways 5.
* Whether God can forget his saints 6.
* Severest temptations are when man thinks he is forsaken by
God 7.
4. Noah's condition became more miserable because of his
family's distress 8-10.
5. Noah and family with difficulty overcame their temptation 11.
* Christians need steadfastness 12.
* Why God for a time conceals himself from his faithful ones
13.
* Temptations severe when saints imagine God has forsaken them
14.
B. THE WATERS ABATE.
1. The time the waters abated 15.
2. How the wind blew upon the earth and dried it. 16-17.
3. The abating of the waters was a sign by which God comforted
Noah 18.
* Noah's Ark.
a. When it began to float, how long it floated and when it
rested 19.
b. On what mountain did it rest 20.
c. What to think of Josephus' testimony 21.
4. When the mountain tops first seen 22.
5. How Noah learned the deluge had ceased.
a. Why Noah sent forth the raven, and how the error arose the
raven never returned 23-24.
* The Jews' unclean thoughts of the raven 24.
b. Noah sent forth a dove, and if at the same time with the
raven 25.
c. Noah sent out a second dove, which assured him that the
flood had ceased 26.
(1) Dove returned with an olive leaf 26.
(2) Whether it did this of its own impulse, and what God
thereby wished to indicate 27-28.
(3) The Jews' ideas on where the dove got the olive leaf
27.
(4) Why an olive leaf 28.
6. How long Noah and family were in the ark 29.
I. NOAH IN ARK--FLOOD ABATES.
A. NOAH'S CONDITION IN THE ARK.
V. 1a. _And God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the
cattle that were with him in the ark._
1. When that horrible wrath had exhausted itself, and all flesh with
the earth had been destroyed, the promise made by God to Noah and his
sons, that they were to be the seed of the human race, began to be
realized. No doubt this promise was to them an object of eager
expectation. No life is so hedged about with difficulties as that of
faith. This was the life lived by Noah and his sons, whom we see
absolutely depending upon the heavens for support. The earth was
covered with water. Bottom on which to stand there was none. It was
the word of promise that upheld them, as they drifted in this welter
of waters.
2. When the flesh is free from danger, it holds faith in contempt, as
the claims of the Papists show. It loves showy and toilsome tasks; in
these it sweats. But behold Noah, on all sides surrounded by waters,
yet not overwhelmed! Surely it is not works that sustain him but faith
in God's mercy extended through the word of promise.
3. The difficulty besetting Noah is hinted at in the words: "God
remembered." Moses thus intimates that Noah had been tossed on the
water so long that God seemed to have forgotten him altogether. They
who pass through such a mental strain, when the rays of divine grace
are gone and they sit in darkness or are forgotten by God, find by
experience that it is far more difficult to live in the Word or by
faith alone than to be a hermit or a Carthusian monk.
4. Hence, it is not a meaningless expression when the Holy Spirit says
that "God remembered Noah." He means that from the day Noah entered
the ark, no word was spoken, nothing was revealed to him; that he saw
no ray of divine grace shining, but merely clung to the promise which
he had accepted, while in the meantime the waters and waves raged as
if God had certainly forgotten. The same danger beset his children and
also the cattle and all the other animals throughout the one hundred
and fifty days they were in the ark. And though the holy seed by the
aid of the conquering Spirit overcame those difficulties, the victory
was not won without vexation of the flesh, tears and stupendous fear,
felt, in my opinion, even by the brutes.
5. Thus a twofold danger beset them. The universal flood which
swallowed up all mankind could not vanish without stupendous grief to
the righteous, particularly as they saw themselves reduced to so small
a number. Further, it was a serious matter to be buffeted by the
waters for almost half a year without any consolation from God.
6. The expression used by Moses, "God remembered Noah," must not be
short of its meaning by calling it a rhetorical figure, signifying
that God acted after the manner of one who had forgotten Noah, whereas
God cannot in truth forget his saints. A mere master of rhetoric,
indeed, does not know what it means to live in such a state as to feel
that God has forgotten him. Only the most perfect saints understand
that, and can in faith bear, so to speak, a God who forgets. Therefore
the Psalms and all the Scriptures are filled with complaints of this
nature, in which God is called upon to arise, to open his eyes, to
hear, to awaken.
7. Monks possessed of a higher degree of experience, at times
underwent this temptation and called it a suspension of grace. The
latter may be experienced also in temptations of a slighter nature.
The flame of lust found in young people is altogether unbearable
unless it is held in check by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
Similarly, at a more mature age, impatience and the desire for revenge
can nowise be overcome unless God tears them from the soul. How much
more liable is the soul to fall into the darkness of despair, or into
ensnaring predestinarian tenets, when more severe temptations beset us
and the suspension of grace is felt.
8. Hence this expression is not to be passed by as a mere rhetorical
ornament, according to the interpretation of the rabbis. It is
intended rather to portray the state of soul which feels despair
coming on amid unutterable groanings of heart, with just a spark of
faith left to wrest victory from the flesh. In the same way that Paul
suffered from Satan's messenger, we may believe that Noah felt himself
stabbed in the heart, and that he often argued thus within himself:
Dost thou believe that thou alone art so beloved of God? Dost thou
believe that thou will be kept safe to the end, when waters are
boundless, and those immense clouds seem to be inexhaustible?
9. When, then, such broodings found their way also into the weak souls
of the women, what cries, wails and tears may we surmise to have been
the result? Almost overcome by sadness and grief, he was forced to
lift up and comfort those with the cheer his own heart did not feel.
10. It was, therefore, no jest or frolic for them to live so long
locked up within the ark, to see the endless downpour of rain and to
be carried to and fro floating upon the waves. This was the experience
of having been forgotten by God which Moses implies when he says that
God at last remembered Noah and his sons.
11. Though the occupants of the ark overcame this feeling by faith,
they did not do so without great vexation of the flesh; just as a
young man who leads a chaste life overcomes lust, but surely not
without the greatest vexation and trouble. In this instance, where the
trial was greater, where all evidence was at variance with the fact
that God was gracious and mindful of them, they indeed triumphed, but
not without fearful tribulation. For the flesh, weak in itself, can
bear nothing less patiently than the thought of a God who has
forgotten. Human nature is prone to be puffed up and haughty when God
remembers it, when he vouchsafes success and favor. Is it a wonder,
then, that we become broken in spirit and desperate when God seems to
have cast us away and everything goes against us?
12. Let us remember that this story sets before us an example of
faith, of endurance, and of patience, to the end that, having the
divine promise, we should not only learn to believe it, but should
also consider that we are in need of endurance. Endurance is not
maintained without a great struggle, and Christ calls upon us, in the
New Testament, to acquire it when he says: "He that endureth to the
end, the same shall be saved," Mt 24, 13.
13. This is the reason why God hides for a time, as it were, seeming
to have forgotten us, suspending his grace, as they say in the
schools. As in this temptation not only the spirit but also the flesh
is afflicted, so afterward, when he again begins to remember us, the
perception of grace which during the trial was evident only to the
spirit and most faintly at that, is extended to the flesh also.
14. Hence, the word "remembered" indicates that great sadness beset
both man and beast during the entire time of the flood. It must have
been by dint of great patience and extraordinary courage that Noah and
the others bore this lapse from God's memory, which is simply
unbearable to the flesh without the spirit even in slight trials.
True, God always remembers his own, even when he seems to have
forsaken them; but Moses indicates that he remembered his people here
in a visible way, by a sign, and by openly fulfilling what he had
previously promised through the Word and the Spirit. This is the most
important passage in this chapter.
B. Waters Abate.
Vs. 1b-3. _And God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters
assuaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven
were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters
returned from off the earth continually; and after the end of a
hundred and fifty days the waters decreased._
15. Moses said above (ch 7, 11-12) that the deluge raged in three
different ways; for not only were the fountains of the great deep
broken up and the windows of heaven opened, but also the rain
descended. When these forces ceased on the one hundred and fiftieth
day, quiet was once more in evidence and the fact that God remembered,
and Noah with his sons and their wives, as also the animals, was
refreshed after terror so great and continuous. If a storm of two days
duration causes seafarers to despair, how much more distressing was
that tossing about for half a year!
16. The question here arises, how the wind was made to pass over the
earth, which as yet was entirely covered with water. It is nothing new
that winds have the power to dry, especially those from the east,
called by our countrymen "hohle winde," and by Virgil "parching
winds," from the drouth which they bring upon the earth. These are
mentioned also by Hosea 13, 15. The explanation, accordingly, is
simple. Moses says that the wind was made to pass over the earth, that
is, over the surface of the waters, for such a length of time that at
last, the waters being dried up, the earth again appeared. So, in
Exodus, a burning wind is said to have dried up the Red Sea. Now, God
might have accomplished this without any wind, yet he habitually
employs a natural means to attain his purposes.
17. Up to this time Noah had lived in darkness, seeing nothing but the
waters rolling and raging in a terrifying volume. Now the delicious
light of the sun bursts forth once more, and the winds cease to roar
from all points of the compass. Only the east wind, calculated to
reduce the waters, is blowing, and gradually it takes away the
stagnant flood. Other means also are effective; the ocean no longer
hurls its waves upon the land, but takes back the waters which it had
spewed forth, and the floodgates of heaven are closed up.
18. These are outward and tangible signs by which God consoles Noah,
showing him that he had not forgotten, but remembered him. This is a
practical and needed lesson also for us. When in the midst of dangers
we may with certainty look for God's help, who does not desert us if
we continue in faith, looking forward to the fulfilment of God's
promises.
V. 4. _And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day
of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat._
19. The waters increased for forty days, until the ark was lifted from
the earth. Then for one hundred and fifty days it floated upon the
waters, driven by the winds and the waves, without a sign of God's
remembrance. At length the waters began to decrease, and the ark
rested.
20. The point of dispute among the Jews here is the number of months.
But why waste any more time upon immaterial matters, particularly as
we see that the suggestions of the rabbis are not at all wise? It is
more to the purpose for us to inquire where the mountains of Ararat
are to be found. It is generally believed that they are mountains of
Armenia, close by the highest ranges of Asia Minor, the Caucasus and
the Taurus. But it appears to me that more likely the highest of all
mountains is meant, the Imaus (Himalaya), which divides India.
Compared to this range, other mountains are no more than warts. That
the ark rested upon the highest mountain is substantiated by the fact
that the waters continued to fall for three whole months before such
smaller ranges as Lebanon, Taurus, and Caucasus were uncovered, which
are, as it were, the feet or roots of the Himalaya, just as the
mountains of Greece may be called branches of the Alps extending up to
our Hercinian Forest (Harz). To anyone who surveys them with care the
mountains seem to be wonderfully related and united.
21. Josephus has wonderful things to tell about the mountains of
Armenia, and he records that during his time remains of the ark were
discovered there. But I suppose nobody will judge me to be a heretic
if I occasionally doubt the reliability of his statements.
V. 5. _And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in
the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the
mountains seen._
22. Moses said before that by the seventh month the waters had fallen
so far that the ark rested upon Ararat. In the third month thereafter,
the tops of the lower mountains began to appear, so that Noah, looking
down from the mountains of Ararat as if from a watchtower, saw also
the peaks of the other mountains, of the Taurus in Asia, the Lebanon
in Syria, and the like. All these were signs of God's remembrance.
Vs. 6-7. _And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah
opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a
raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up
from off the earth._
23. So far the history; the allegorical significance we shall discuss
at its proper place. The carelessness of a translator has caused a
dispute upon this part of the story. The Hebrew text does not say that
the raven did not return, as Jerome translated; hence there was no
need to invent a reason why he did not return--because he found dead
bodies lying about everywhere. They claim that abundance of food
prevented him.
24. On the contrary, Moses says that the raven which had been sent
forth, returned; although he did not permit himself to be again
imprisoned in the ark as the dove did. Moses implies that Noah sent
forth the raven to find out whether animals could, by that time find
dry land and food. The raven, however, did not faithfully carry out
his mission, but rejoicing to be set free from his prison, he flew to
and fro, and paying no attention to Noah, he enjoyed the free sky. The
swinish Jews, however, show the impurity of their minds everywhere.
For they suppose that the raven had fears concerning his mate, and
that he even suspected Noah concerning her. Shame upon those impure
minds!
Vs. 8-9. _And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were
abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for
the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him to the ark; for the
waters were on the face of the whole earth: and he put forth his hand,
and took her, and brought her unto him into the ark._
25. When Noah's hopes had been set at naught by the raven, which flew
about wantonly but brought no tidings concerning the condition of the
earth, he took a dove, thinking that she would more truly perform the
mission. The text almost authorizes us to say that those two birds
were sent forth at the same time, so that Noah might have two
witnesses from whom to gain desired knowledge. The raven enjoying the
free sky, flew round about the ark, but did not want to return into
it. The dove, however, fleeing from the corpses and corruption, comes
back and permits itself to be caught. This story, as we shall hear,
offers a fine allegory concerning the Church.
Vs. 10-12. _And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent
forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him at
eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf plucked off: so Noah
knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet
other seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again
unto him any more._
26. The dove, being a faithful messenger, is sent forth once more.
Moses carefully describes how the waters decreased gradually, until at
last the surface of the earth, together with the trees, was laid bare.
We do not believe that the dove brought the olive leaf intentionally,
but by the command of God, who wanted to show Noah, little by little,
that he had not altogether forgotten but remembered him. This olive
leaf was an impressive sign to Noah and his fellow-prisoners in the
ark, bringing them courage and hope of impending liberation.
27. The Jews dispute sharply in respect to this matter of where the
dove found the olive leaf, and some, in order to secure special glory
for their homeland, make the ludicrous assertion that she took it from
the Mount of Olives in the land of Israel, which God had spared from
the flood that destroyed the remainder of the earth. But the saner
Jews rightly refute this nonsense by arguing that if this were true,
the olive leaf could not have been a sign for Noah that the waters had
fallen. Others have invented the fable that the dove was admitted to
paradise and brought the leaf from there.
28. But I have (ch 2, para 39-42) set forth at length my views
concerning paradise, and this nonsense is not worthy the effort of a
refutation. It serves a better purpose to remind you that all these
things happened miraculously and supernaturally. A dove is not so
intelligent as to pluck a bough and bring it to the ark in order that
Noah might form a judgment with reference to the decrease of waters.
God ordained these events. Other trees had leaves at that time,
particularly the taller ones which rose sooner from the waters. The
olive tree is comparatively short, hence it was calculated to furnish
information concerning the decrease of the waters and to serve as an
object lesson of the cessation of the wrath of God and the return of
the earth to its former state. Of this he had more certain proof
however, when the dove, having been sent out the third time, did not
return: for not only did it find food on earth, but was able to build
nests and to flit to and fro.
Vs. 13-14. _And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in
the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up
from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and
looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dried. And in the
second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the
earth dry._
29. Here we see that Noah was in the ark an entire year and ten days;
for he entered the ark on the seventeenth day of the second month, and
came out again, after a year had passed, in the same month, but on the
twenty-seventh day. Poor Noah, with his sons and the women, lived in
the ark more than half a year in sore grief, without a sign of being
remembered by God. Afterward God gave him gradual proof, through
various signs, that he had not forgotten him, until at last, after the
lapse of a year and ten days, he was again given dominion over the
earth and sea. On this day of the second month, the flood had not only
disappeared, but the earth was dry. This is the story of the flood and
its abatement. After this fearful wrath, there ensues an immeasurable
light of grace, as is shown in the following sermon addressed to Noah
by God himself.
II. NOAH COMMANDED TO LEAVE THE ARK; HIS OFFERING TO GOD; GOD'S
RESOLVE NOT TO CURSE THE EARTH AGAIN.
A. NOAH COMMANDED TO LEAVE THE ARK, AND HE OBEYED 30-32.
* Man should do nothing but what God commands 30-32.
* Is it right to start a new worship without God's command to do
so 33-34.
* The examples of saints and special works.
1. Should we imitate the works of the holy patriarchs 34-35.
2. The result among the Jews of a reckless imitation of the
saints 36.
3. Should have regard here, not to works but to faith 37-38.
II. NOAH LEAVES ARK, HIS SACRIFICE AND GOD'S PROMISE.
A. Noah Obeys Command to Leave the Ark.
Vs. 15-17. _And God spake unto Noah, saying, Go forth from the ark,
thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. Bring
forth with thee every living thing that is with thee of all flesh,
both birds, and cattle, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth._
30. Up to this point the narrative is only a record of facts, or the
description of a divine work. Though the works of God are not mute but
eloquent witnesses, and present to our vision the will of God, a still
greater comfort is vouchsafed when God links to the works the Word,
which is not manifest to the eye but perceptible to the ear and
intelligible to the heart through the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
So far God had given proof by his work that he was appeased, that the
God of wrath had turned into a God of mercy, who turns back the waters
and dries up the earth. Such comfort he now amplifies by his Word in
that he lovingly accosts and enjoins him to leave the ark with the
other creatures, both men and animals.
31. In the light of this passage the frequent and emphatic application
of the principle is justified that we should neither design nor do
anything, especially in respect to God's service and worship, without
the initiative and command of the Word. As above narrated, Noah enters
the ark upon God's command; and he leaves the ark upon God's command
to leave it. He does not follow superstitious notions, as we see the
Jews do, who, when they establish anything temporary by command,
endeavor to retain it forever, as if it were essential to salvation.
32. Noah might have argued thus: Behold, I built the ark by the
command of God; I was saved in it while all other men perished:
therefore I will remain in it, or keep it for a place of divine
worship, since it has been sanctified by the Word of God and the
presence of the saints, the Church. But the godly man did nothing of
the kind. The Word had commanded him to go forth, therefore he obeyed.
The ark had done its service during the flood and he left it, assured
that he and his children were to live on the earth. So must we
undertake nothing without the Word of God. In a holy calling, which
has the Word and command of God, let us walk! For whosoever attempts
anything without the command of God, will labor in vain.
33. To deny this, some one might cite as example the act of Noah,
described below, when he built an altar without God's command, and
offered a burnt-offering thereon to God from the clean animals. If
this was permitted to Noah, why should we not be permitted to choose
certain forms of worship? And, in truth, the Papacy has heaped up
works and forms of worship in the Church without measure, just as it
pleased. But we must hold fast to the principle, which is a theorem of
general application, that whatsoever is not of faith, is sin, (Rom 14,
23). But faith cannot be separated from the Word; hence, whatsoever is
done without the Word, is sin.
34. Furthermore, it is plainly dangerous to take the acts of the
fathers as models. As individuals differ, so also do their duties
differ, and God requires diverse works according to the diversity of
our calling. Accordingly the epistle to the Hebrews fitly refers the
various acts of the fathers to the one faith, in order to show that
each of us must imitate, in his calling, not the works, but the faith
of the fathers. Heb 11.
35. Hence works peculiar to the holy fathers must by no means be
considered as models for us each to imitate as the monks imitate the
fasting of Benedict, the gown of Francis, the shoes of Dominic and the
like. Men become apes who imitate without judgment. The monks try to
ape the works, but know nothing of the faith of the fathers.
36. Abraham was commanded to slay his son. Afterward his descendants
most wickedly believed they should follow his example, and they filled
the earth with innocent blood. In a similar manner the people
worshiped the brazen serpent and offered sacrifices before it. In both
instances the people wanted to justify themselves by the example of
their forefathers; but since they established these forms of worship
without the Word, they were righteously condemned.
37. Let us, therefore, remember not to establish anything without the
Word of God. Duties differ, and so must the works of individuals. How
foolish it would be for me to proclaim that I must follow Caesar's
example, and that others must obey my laws! How wicked it would be for
me to assert that I must follow the example of a judge, condemning
some to the cross, others to the sword! Then, we must look, not upon
the works, but upon the faith of individuals; for the faith of all
saints is one, though their works are most diverse.
38. Think not that because Noah built an altar, you may do likewise;
but follow the faith of Noah, who thought it right to show his
merciful Savior that he understood his beneficent gifts, and was
grateful for them. Follow Abraham, not in slaying your son, but in
believing the promises of God, and in obeying his commandments. The
epistle to the Hebrews fitly refers the deeds and acts of the fathers
to their faith, setting forth that we should follow their faith.
B. NOAH'S SACRIFICE.
1. Whether Noah was commanded to offer a sacrifice and in what way
sacrificing is justified 39-41.
* Have monks divine command to support their order 40.
* Shall we find fault with the works of saints, for which they
apparently had no command 41.
* How in all works we should have respect for God's command 42.
* Lyra's unfounded thoughts on the words, "Be fruitful" etc. 43.
* Why Moses said so much about their leaving the ark 44.
2. Noah's sacrifice proves Moses did not originate the idea of
sacrifice 45-46.
3. Why Noah's sacrifice was pleasing to God 47-48.
* The meaning of "sweet savor" 47-48.
4. How it can be said God "smelled the sweet savor", and why this
form of speech used 49-50.
B. NOAH'S SACRIFICE.
39. The objection under consideration can be invalidated by the
rejoinder that Noah did have a command to erect an altar and offer
sacrifices. God approved the rite of sacrifice by ordering that more
of the clean animals--suitable for sacrifice--should be taken into the
ark. Nor was Noah permitted to cast aside the office of the
priesthood, which had been established by the Word before the flood
and had come down to him by the right of primogeniture. Adam, Seth,
Enoch and others had been priests. From them Noah possessed the office
of the priesthood as an inheritance.
40. Therefore Noah, as priest and prophet, was not only at liberty to
offer sacrifice, but he was under obligation to do so by virtue of his
calling. Since his calling was founded on God's Word, in harmony with
that Word and by God's command he built an altar and offered
sacrifices. Therefore let a monk prove it is his office and calling to
wear a cowl, to worship the blessed Virgin, to pray the rosary and do
like things, and we will commend his life. But since the call is
lacking, the Word is not the authority and the office does not exist,
the life and works of the monks in their entirety stand justly
condemned.
41. Finally, even if all other arguments should fail, this argument,
according to which man judges the cause by the effect, remains;
namely, that God expresses approval of Noah's deed. Although such
reasoning from effect to cause may not be unassailable, it yet is not
without value in respect to such heroic and uncommon men, who meet not
with rejection but approval on the part of God, although they appear
to do what they have not been expressly commanded. They possess the
inward conviction that they are guilty of no transgression, though the
disclosure of this fact is delayed until later God expresses his
approval. Such examples are numerous and it is noteworthy that God has
expressed approval even of the acts of some heathen.
42. Let this maxim, then, stand, that everything must be done by the
command of God in order to obtain the assurance of conscience that we
have acted in obedience to God. Hence they who abide in their divinely
assigned calling, will not run uncertainly nor will they beat the air
as those who have no course in which they have been commanded to run,
and in consequence may not look forward to a prize. 1 Cor 9, 24.
But I return to the text. Noah, with his sons and the women, is
commanded to leave the ark, and to lead forth upon the earth every
species of animals, that all his works may be sanctified and found in
keeping with the Word. Concerning the animals Moses now expressly
states:
Vs. 17-19. _Be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth. And Noah went
forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him: every
beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatsoever moveth upon
the earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark._
43. The Lord speaks of the propagation of Noah and his sons in the
ninth chapter and that, I believe, is the reason why he speaks here
only of the propagation of the animals. From the expression here used,
Lyra foolishly concludes that cohabitation had been forbidden during
the flood and was now again permitted after the departure from the
ark, since God says, "Go forth, ... thou and thy wife." Such thoughts
belong to monks not to God, who plans not sinful lust, but
propagation; the latter is God's ordination, but lust is Satan's
poison infused into nature through sin.
44. Moses here uses many words to illustrate the overflowing joy of
the captives' souls, when they were commanded to leave their prison,
the ark, and to return upon the earth now everywhere open before them.
In recounting the kinds of animals, however, he arranges them in a
different order, distinguishing them by families, as it were, to let
us see that only propagation was God's aim. It must have been a glad
sight when each one of the many beasts, after leaving the ark, found
its own mate, and then sought its accustomed haunt: the wolves, the
bears, the lions, returning to the woods and groves; the sheep, the
goats, the swine, to the fields; the dogs, the chickens, the cats, to
man.
V. 20. _And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah, and took of every
clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on
the altar._
45. This text shows conclusively that Moses was not the first person
to introduce sacrifices but that, like a bard who gathers chants, he
arranged and classified them as they had been in vogue among the
fathers and transmitted from the one to the other. Thus also the law
of circumcision was not first written by Moses but received from the
fathers.
46. Above (ch 4, 4-5), where Moses mentioned the sacrifice of Abel and
Cain, he called it _minchah_, an offering; here, however, we find the
first record of a burnt-offering, one entirely consumed by fire. This,
I say, is a clear proof that the law of sacrifices had been
established before the time of Moses. His work, then, consisted in
arranging the rites of the forefathers in definite order.
V. 21. _And Jehovah smelled the sweet savor._
47. It is set forth here that Jehovah approved Noah's sacrifice which
he offered by virtue of his office as a priest, according to the
example of the fathers. However, the differences of phraseology is to
receive due attention. Of the former sacrifice he said that Jehovah
"had respect" to it; here he says that "Jehovah smelled the sweet
savor." Moses subsequently makes frequent use of this expression. The
heathen also adopted it; Lucian, for example, makes fun of Jove who
was conciliated by the odor of meats.
48. The word in the original, however, does not properly signify the
"savor of sweetness," but "the savor of rest", for _nichoach_ meaning
"rest", is derived from the verb _nuach_, which Moses used before,
when he said that the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.
Therefore it is the "savor of rest," because God then rested from his
wrath, dismissing his wrath, becoming appeased, and, as we commonly
say, well content.
49. Here the question might be raised why does he not say, Jehovah had
respect to Noah and his burnt offering, rather than, Jehovah smelled
the savor of rest, which latter certainly sounds shocking, as though
he were not commending the man for his faith, but merely for his work.
This objection is usually answered by saying that the Scriptures speak
of God in human fashion. Men are pleased by a sweet savor. But it
seems to me there is still another reason for this expression, namely,
that God was so close at hand that he noticed the savor; for Moses
desires to show that this holy rite was well-pleasing to God: Solomon
says (Prov 27, 9) that perfume rejoiceth the heart. Physicians
sometimes restore consciousness by sweet odors. On the other hand, a
violent stench is extremely offensive to our nature, and often
overpowers it.
50. In this sense, one may say that God, having been annoyed by the
stench of wickedness, was now refreshed, so to speak, when he saw this
one priest girded himself to perform holy rites in order to give proof
of his gratitude, and to manifest by some public act he did not belong
to the ungodly, but that he had a God whom he feared. This is the real
meaning of a sacrifice. As it had pleased God to destroy mankind, he
is now delighted to increase it. Moses uses this expression for our
sake, that we, through the experience of God's grace, may learn that
God delights to do us good.
C. GOD'S RESOLVE NOT TO CURSE THE EARTH AGAIN.
1. God solemnly and earnestly means it 51.
* How understood "it repented God that he had made man" 52-54.
* Experiences in spiritual temptations and how God helps us to
bear them 54.
2. The meaning of "God will not again smite the earth" 55.
C. GOD'S RESOLVE NOT TO CURSE THE EARTH AGAIN.
V. 21b. _And Jehovah said in his heart._
51. Moses points out that these words were not spoken by God without
heart and feeling, but from his very vitals. This is the meaning of
the Hebrew text which has it that God spoke to his own heart.
V. 21c. _I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake._
52. God speaks as if he were sorry for the punishment inflicted upon
the earth on account of man, just as formerly he expressed regret for
his creation, reproving himself, as it were, for his fury against man.
This must not, of course, be understood as implying that God could
possibly change his mind; it is written only for our consolation. He
accuses and blames himself in order to rouse the little flock to the
certain faith that God will be merciful hereafter.
53. And their souls stood in real need of such consolation. They had
been terrified as they witnessed God's raging wrath, and their faith
could not but be shaken. So now God is impelled to so order his acts
and words that these people might expect only grace and mercy.
Accordingly he now speaks with them, is present at their sacrifice,
shows that he is pleased with them, blames his own counsel, and
promises that he will never do anything like it in the future. In
brief, he is a different God from what he had been before. While God,
indeed, does not change, he wants to change men, who have become
altogether habituated to thoughts of wrath.
54. They who have experienced trials of the spirit, know full well how
much the soul then stands in need of sure and strong consolation to
induce it once more to hope for grace and to forget the wrath. One
day, a whole month, perhaps is not enough for this change. Just as it
takes a long time to recover from bodily disorders, so such wounds of
the soul cannot be healed at once, or by one word. God sees this, and
tries by various means to recall the terrified souls to a certain hope
of grace; he even chides himself, speaking to his own heart, as in
Jeremiah 18, 8, where he promises to repent of the evil he thought of
doing, if the offenders also repent.
55. It should furthermore be noted that he says, "I will not again
curse the ground." He speaks of a general destruction of the earth,
not of a partial one, as when he destroys fields, cities, or kingdoms.
The latter instances are for a warning; as Mary says, "He hath put
down princes from their thrones." Lk 1, 52.
III. MAN'S NATURAL DEPRAVITY AND HIS NATURAL POWERS.
1. Natural depravity crops out in infancy 56.
2. It is seen as the years advance 57-58.
3. Whether those who would drown it have reason for doing so 59-60.
4. There is none untainted by it 61-62.
5. The godless yield to it, believers resist it 62.
* Can God be charged with being changeable 63-64.
6. The knowledge of natural depravity is very necessary 65.
7. What moves sophists to ignore natural depravity 65-66.
8. How to view those who lightly regard natural depravity, and how
to refute them 68-69.
* Meaning of "the imagination of the heart" 70.
* True theological definition of man 71.
9. The proof of natural depravity and that the natural is not
perfect 72-73.
10. Consequence of false teaching on natural depravity and the
natural 74-75.
* What sophists understand by Merito congrui and condigni 74.
11. How Scotus tried to prove that man's natural powers were all he
had, and how to refute his opinion 75-76.
* Value of the Scholastics and their theology 77.
12. How teachers in these things lead astray 78.
* The virtues of the heathen.
a. Estimate of them 79-80.
b. How they differ from the good works of the saints 81.
c. What they lack 82-83.
13. Natural depravity may sleep in youth, but it will awake as the
years advance 84-86.
14. Those who ignore natural depravity may be refuted by experience
87.
15. Philosophy manifests its vanity and blindness in its attitude to
this doctrine 88-89.
16. Experience confirms natural depravity 89-90.
17. Whether natural depravity can be completely eradicated: how to
check it 91.
* How to understand "God will not smite the earth again" 92.
* Nature thrown into great disorder by the deluge 93.
* Seasons of the year again put in their order 94.
* The people's talk about the signs of the last times 95.
* The days of earth to be followed by the days of heaven, and we
should prepare for them 96.
III. MAN'S NATURAL DEPRAVITY AND HIS NATURAL POWERS.
V. 21d. _For that the imagination of man's heart is evil from his
youth._
56. This is a powerful passage, relating to original sin. Whoever
weakens its force, goes straying like the blind man in the sunlight,
failing to see his own acts and experiences. Look at the days of our
swaddling clothes; in how many ways sin manifests itself in our
earlier years. What an amount of switching it requires until we are
taught order, as it were, and attention to duty!
57. Then youth succeeds. There a stronger rebellion becomes
noticeable, and in addition that untamable evil, the rage of lust and
desire. If one take a wife, the result is weariness of his own and a
passion for others. If the government of a State is entrusted to him,
an exceptionally fruitful harvest of vice will follow--as jealousy,
rivalry, haughtiness, hope of gain, avarice, wrath, anger, and other
evils.
58. It is true, as the German proverb has it, that sins grow with the
years: Je laenger, je aerger; je aelter, je kaerger (worse with time,
stingier with age). All such vices are so blatant and gross as to
become objects of observation and intelligence. What, then shall we
say of the inward vices when unbelief, presumption, neglect of the
Word, and wicked views grow up?
59. There are those who are and desire to be considered powerful
theologians, though they extenuate original sin by sophistry. But
vices so numerous and great cannot be extenuated. Original sin is not
a slight disorder or infirmity, but complete lawlessness, the like of
which is not found in other creatures, except in evil spirits.
60. But do those extenuators have any Scriptural proof to rest upon?
Let us see what Moses says. As I pointed out in explaining the sixth
chapter, he does not call such things evil, as lust, tyranny, and
other sins, but the imagination of the human heart; that is, human
energy, wisdom and reason, with all the faculties the mind employs
even in our best works. Although we do not condemn acts which belong
to the social or civil sphere, yet the human heart vitiates these
works in themselves proper, by doing them for glory, for profit, or
for oppression, and either from opposition to the neighbor or to God.
61. Nor can we escape the force of this passage by saying that those
are meant who perished by the flood. God uses a generic term which
denotes that the heart of man, as such, is meant. At the time this was
spoken there were no other people than those saved in the ark, and yet
the declaration is: the imagination of man's heart is evil.
62. Therefore, not even the saints are excepted. In Ham, the third
son, this imagination of the heart betrayed its nature. And the other
brothers were no better by nature. There was only this difference,
that they, believing in the promised seed, retained the hope of
forgiveness of sin, and did not give way to the evil imagination of
their hearts, rather resisting it through the Holy Spirit, who is
given for the very purpose of contending against, and overcoming, the
malignity of man's nature. Because Ham gives way to his nature, he is
wholly evil, and totally perishes. Shem and Japheth, who contend
against it in their spirit, though being evil, are not altogether so.
They have the Holy Spirit, through whom they contend against the evil,
and hence are holy.
63. It would seem here that God might be accused of fickleness.
Before, when he was about to punish man, he assigned as a reason for
his purpose the fact that the imagination of man's heart is evil;
here, when he is about to give unto man the gracious promise that he
will not thereafter show such anger, he puts forward the same reason.
To human wisdom this appears foolish and inconsistent with divine
wisdom.
64. But I gladly pass by such sublime themes, and leave them to minds
possessed of leisure. For me it is enough that these works are spoken
to suit our spiritual condition, inasmuch as God points out that he is
now appeased and no longer angry. So parents, having chastised their
disobedient children as they deserve, win again their affections by
kindness. This change of mood is not deserving of criticism but rather
of commendation. It profits the children; otherwise they, while
fearing the rod, might also begin to hate their parents. This
explanation is good enough for me, for it appeals to our faith. Others
may explain differently.
65. We should give diligent attention to this passage because it
plainly shows that man's nature is corrupt, a truth above all others
to be apprehended, because without it God's mercy and grace cannot be
rightly understood. Hence, the quibblers previously mentioned are to
be despised and we have good reason to take to task the translator who
gave occasion for this error by rendering the words so as to say, not
that the imagination of man's heart is evil, but that it is inclined
to evil. Upon this authority the quibblers distort or set aside those
passages of Paul where he says that all are children of wrath (Eph 2,
3) that all have sinned (Rom 5, 12) and are under sin (Rom 3, 9). They
argue from our passage as follows: Moses does not say that human
nature is evil, but that it is prone to evil; this condition, call it
inclination or proclivity, is under the control of free will, nor does
it force man toward the evil, or (to use their own words) it imposes
no constraint upon man.
66. Then they proceed to find a reason for this statement and declare
that even after the fall of man, there remains in him a good will and
a right understanding. For the natural powers, say they, are
unimpaired, not only in man but even in the devil. And finally they so
twist Aristotle's teachings as to make him say that reason tends
toward that which is best. Some traces of these views are found also
in the writings of the Church fathers. Using Psalms 4, 6 as a basis,
where the prophet says, "Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy
countenance upon us," they distinguish between a higher part of reason
which inquires concerning God, and a lower part employed in temporal
and civil affairs. Even Augustine is pleased with this distinction, as
we stated above when discussing the fall of man.
67. But if only a spark of the knowledge of God had remained
unimpaired in man, we should be different beings by far from what we
now are. Hence, those quibblers who pick flaws in the plain statements
of Paul are infinitely blind. If they would carefully and devoutly
consider that very passage as they read it in their Latin Bible, they
would certainly cease to father so bad a cause. For it is not an
insignificant truth which Moses utters when he says the senses and the
thoughts of the heart of man are prone to evil from his youth. This is
the case especially in the sixth chapter (vs 5) where he says that the
whole thought of his heart was bent on evil continually, meaning
thereby that he purposes what is evil, and that in inclination,
purpose and effort he inclines to evil. For example; an adulterer,
whose desires are inflamed, may lack the opportunity, the place, the
person, the time, and nevertheless be stirred by the fire of lust,
unable to dwell upon anything else. In this manner, says Moses, does
human nature always incline toward evil. Can, then, the natural powers
of man be said to have remained unimpaired, seeing that man's thoughts
are always set upon evil things?
68. If the minds of the sophists were as open toward the holy doctrine
contained in the prophetical and apostolical writings as toward their
own teachers who teach the freedom of the will and the merit of works,
they surely would not have permitted themselves by so small an
inducement as one little word to be led away from the truth so as to
teach, contrary to Scripture, that man's natural powers are uninjured,
and that man, by nature, is not under wrath or condemnation.
Notwithstanding, it appears that they turn against their own
absurdity. Although the natural powers of man are uninjured, yet they
maintain that, to become acceptable, grace is required; in other
words, they teach that God is not satisfied with man's natural
goodness, unless it be improved by love.
69. But what is the need to argue longer against the madness of the
sophists, since we know the true meaning of the Hebrew text to be, not
that man's mind and thoughts are inclined to evil, but that the
imagination of the human heart is evil from youth?
70. By imagination, as I stated several times before (ch 6, para 148),
he means reason itself, together with the will and the understanding,
even when it dwells upon God, or occupies itself with most honorable
pursuits, be they those of State or Home. It is always contrary to
God's law, always in sin, always under God's wrath, and it cannot be
freed from this evil state by its own strength, as witness Christ's
words: "If therefore the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed," Jn 8, 36.
71. If you wish a definition of the word "man" take it from this text
teaching that he is a rational being, with a heart given to
imagination. But what does he imagine? Moses answers, "Evil"; that is,
evil against God or God's Law, and against his fellow man. Thus holy
Scriptures ascribe to man a reason that is not idle but always
imagines something. This imagination it calls evil, wicked,
sacrilegious, while the philosophers call it good, and the quibblers
say that the natural gifts are unimpaired.
72. Therefore this text should be carefully noted and urged against
the caviling quibblers: Moses declares the imagination of the human
heart to be evil. And if it be evil, the conclusion is natural that
the natural gifts are not unimpaired, but corrupted: Inasmuch as God
did not create man evil, but perfect, sound, holy, knowing God, his
reason right and his will toward God good.
73. Seeing we have clear testimony to the fact that man is evil and
turned away from God, who would be mad enough to say that the natural
gifts in man remain unimpaired? That would be practically saying that
man's nature is unimpaired and good even now, whereas we have
overwhelming evidence in our knowledge and experience that it is
debased to the utmost.
74. From that wicked theory there have sprung many dangerous and some
palpably wicked utterances, for instance, that when man does the best
in his power, God will unfailingly give his grace. By such teaching
they have driven man, as by a trumpet, to prayer, fasting,
self-torture, pilgrimages and similar performances. Thus the world was
taught to believe that if men did the best that nature permitted, they
would earn grace, if not the grace "de merito," at least that "de
congruo." A "meritum congrui" (title to reward based upon equity) they
attribute to a work which has been performed not against but in
accordance to the divine law, inasmuch as an evil work is subject not
to a reward but a penalty. The "meritum condigni" (a title to reward
based upon desert) they attribute not to the work itself but to its
quality as being performed in a state of grace.
75. Another saying of this kind is the declaration of Scotus that man
by mere natural powers may love God above all things. This declaration
is based upon the principle that the natural powers are unimpaired. He
argues as follows: A man loves a woman, who is a creature, and he
loves her so immoderately that he will imperil his very life for her
sake. Similarly, a merchant loves his wares, and so eagerly that he
will risk death a thousand times if only he can gain something. If
therefore, the love of created things is so great, though they rank
far below God, how much more will a man love God who is the highest
good! Hence, God can be loved with the natural powers alone.
76. A fine argument, indeed, and worthy of a Franciscan monk! For he
shows that, though he is a great teacher, he does not know what it
means to love God. Nature is so corrupt that it can no longer know God
unless it be enlightened by the Word and Spirit of God; how then can
it love God without the Holy Spirit? For it is true that we have no
desire for what we do not know. Therefore, nature cannot love God whom
it does not know, but it loves an idol, and a dream of its own heart.
Furthermore, it is so entirely fettered by the love of created things
that even after it has learned to know God from his Word, it
disregards him and despises his Word. Of this the people of our own
times are an example.
77. Such foolish and blasphemous deliverances are certain proof that
scholastic theology has degenerated into a species of philosophy that
has no knowledge of God, and walks in darkness because it disregards
his Word. Also Aristotle and Cicero, who have the greatest influence
with this tribe, give broad instructions concerning moral excellences.
They magnify these exceedingly as social forces since they recognize
them as useful for private and public ends. In nowise, however, do
they teach that God's will and command is to be regarded far more than
private or public advantage (and those who do not possess the Word are
ignorant of the will of God). Quite plainly the scholastics have
fallen victims to philosophical fancies to such an extent as to retain
true knowledge neither of themselves nor of God. This is the cause of
their lapse into such disastrous errors.
78. And, indeed, it is easy to fall after you have departed from the
Word; for the glitter of civil virtues is wonderfully enticing to the
mind. Erasmus makes of Socrates almost a perfect Christian, and
Augustine has unbounded praise for Marcus Attilius Regulus, because he
kept faith with his enemy. Truthfulness indeed is the most beautiful
of all virtues, and in this case another high commendation is added in
that there was combined with it love of country, which in itself is a
peculiar and most praiseworthy virtue.
79. You may find men of renown not famous for truthfulness.
Themistocles, for instance, did not have this virtue though he was a
heroic man and did his country great service. That is the reason why
Augustine admires Attilius, finding his reason and will to be utterly
righteous, that is as far as it is possible for human nature to be.
Where, then, is vice in this case? Where is wickedness? The hero's
work surely cannot be censured.
80. First, Regulus knew not God, and, although his conduct was right,
it is still to be seen whether a theologian should not censure his
motive. For to his zeal in behalf of his country is added the thirst
for glory. He evinces contempt for his life so as to achieve immortal
glory among those to live after him. Contemplating, therefore, merely
his life's dream, as it were, and the outward mask, it is a most
beautiful deed. But before God it is shameful idolatry; because he
claims for himself the glory of his deed. And who would doubt that he
had other failings besides this thirst for glory? Attilius cannot
claim the great virtues of truthfulness and love of country without
tending violently and insanely toward wickedness. For it is wicked for
him to rob God of the glory and to claim it for himself. But human
reason cannot recognize this spoliation of the Deity.
81. A distinction must be made between the virtues of the heathen and
the virtues of Christians. It is true that in both instances hearts
are divinely prompted, but in the former ambition and love of glory
afterward defile the divine impulse.
82. If now, an orator should come forth, who would dilate upon the
efficient cause, but disguise the ultimate and vicious one, would it
not be apparent to every one that with the two most potent causes, the
formal (that which gives moral value to an act) and the ultimate one,
disguised, an eloquent man could extol such a wretched shadow of a
virtue? But a man apt in logic will readily discover the deception; he
will observe the absence of the formal cause, namely the right
principle, there being no true knowledge of God nor of the proper
attitude toward him. He sees, furthermore, that the final cause is
vicious, because the true end and aim, obedience to God and love of
neighbor, is not taken into consideration. But what kind of virtue is
that where nearly every cause is lacking except the natural cause,
which is a passion, an impetus or impulse, by which the soul is moved
to show loyalty to an enemy? These impulses, as I said, are found also
in the ungodly. If exercised for the good of the country, they become
virtues; if for its injury, they become vices. This Aristotle sets
forth very skillfully.
83. I refer to these things that students of sacred literature may
make special note of this passage, which advisedly declares human
nature to be corrupt. For those make-believe virtues, found among the
heathen, seem to prove the contrary--that some part of nature has
remained as it was originally. Hence there is need of careful judgment
in order to distinguish in this matter.
84. Moses adds, "from his youth," because this evil is concealed
during the first period of life and sleeps, as it were. Our early
childhood so passes that reason and will are dormant and we are
carried along by animal impulses, which pass away like a dream. Hardly
have we passed our fifth year when we affect idleness, play,
unchastity, and evil lust. But we try to escape discipline, we
endeavor to get away from obedience, and hate all virtues, especially
of a higher order as truth and justice. Then reason awakes out of a
deep sleep, as it were, and sees certain kinds of pleasure, but not
yet the true ones, and certain kinds of evils, but not yet the most
powerful ones, by which it is held captive.
85. Where, then, the understanding has attained to maturity, not only
the other vices are found to have grown strong, but there are joined
to them now sexual desire and unclean passion, gluttony, gambling,
strife, rape, murder, theft, and what not? And as the parents had to
apply the rod, so now the government must needs use prison and chains
in order to restrain man's evil nature.
86. And who does not know the vices of a more advanced age? They march
along in unbroken file--love of money, ambition, pride, perfidy, envy,
and others. These vices are so much the more harmful as at this age we
are more crafty in concealing and masking them. Hence, the sword of
government is not sufficient in this respect; there is need of hell
fire for the punishment of crimes so manifold and great. Justly, then,
did Moses say above (ch 6) that the human heart, or the imagination of
the heart, is only evil each day--or at all times--and here again,
that it is evil from youth.
87. The Latin version, it is true, makes use of a weaker term; yet it
says enough by stating that it is inclined toward evil, just as the
comic dramatist says that the minds of all men are inclined to turn
from labor to lust, Ter Andr 1, 1, 51. But those who try to misuse
this expression for the purpose of making light of original sin, are
shown to be in the wrong by the common experience of mankind; chiefly,
however, that of the heathen, or ungodly men. For if spiritual men,
who surely enjoy divine help from heaven, can hardly hold their ground
against vices and be kept within the bounds of discipline, what can
any man do without this help? If divine aid contends against the
captivity of the law of the flesh only with fierce struggles (Rom 7,
22-23), how insane is it to dream that, without this divine help,
human nature can withstand corruption?
88. Hence reason of itself does not decide upon the right, nor does
the will, of itself, strive after the same, as a blind philosophy
declares which does not know whence these fearful impulses to sin
arise in children, youths, and old men. Therefore it defends them,
calls them emotions or passions only, and does not call them natural
corruption.
89. Furthermore, in noble men, who check and control these impulses,
it calls them virtues; in others who give the reins to their desires,
it calls them vices. This is nothing less than ignorance of the fact
that human nature is evil. The Scriptures, on the contrary agree with
our experience and declare that the human heart is evil from youth.
For we learn by experience that even holy men can scarcely stand firm;
yea that even they are often entangled by gross sins, being
overwhelmed by such natural corruptions.
90. The term _ne-urim_ denotes the age when man begins to use his
reason; this usually occurs in the sixth year. Similarly, the term
_ne-arim_ is used to denote boys and youths who need the guidance of
parents and teachers up to the age of manhood. It will be profitable
for each of us to glance backward to that period of life and consider
how willingly we obeyed the commands of our parents and teachers, how
diligent we were in studying, how persevering we were, how often our
parents punished our sauciness. Who can say for himself that he was
not much more pleased to go out for a walk, to play games, and to
gossip, than to go to Church in obedience to his parents?
91. Although these impulses can be corrected or bridled to a certain
extent by discipline, they cannot be rooted out of the heart
altogether, as the traces of these impulses show when we are grown.
There is truth in that unpolished lie: "The angelic youth becomes
satanic in his older years." God, indeed, causes some persons to
experience emotions which are naturally good; but they are induced by
supernatural power. Thus Cyrus was impelled to restore the worship of
God, and to preserve the Church. But such is not the tendency of human
nature. Where God is present with his Holy Spirit, there only, the
imagination of the human heart gives place to the thoughts of God. God
dwells there through the Word and the Spirit. Of such, Moses does not
speak here, but only of those who are without the Holy Spirit; they
are wicked, even when at their best.
V. 21e. _Neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I
have done._
92. Moses clearly speaks of a general destruction, like that which was
caused by the flood. From this it does not follow that God will also
abstain from partial destruction, and that he will take no heed of
anybody's sin. There will also be an exception in the case of the last
day, when not only all living things will be smitten, but all creation
will be destroyed by fire.
V. 22. _While the earth reigneth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and
heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease._
93. Following this text, the Jews divide the year into six parts, each
comprising two months, a fact which Lyra also records in this
connection. But it seems to me that Moses simply speaks of the promise
that we need not fear another general flood. During the time of the
flood such confusion reigned that there was no season, either of
seedtime or harvest, and by reason of the great darkness caused by the
clouds and the rain, day could not readily be distinguished from
night. We know how heavy clouds obscure the light. How much greater,
then, was the darkness when the waters, lying under the clouds like a
mirror, reflected the darkness of the clouds into the faces and eyes
of the beholders!
94. The meaning, accordingly, is simply that God here promises Noah
the imminent restoration of the earth, so that the fields might again
be sowed; that the desolation caused by the flood should be no more;
that the seasons might run their course in accordance with regular
law: harvest following seedtime, winter following summer, cold
following heat in due order.
95. This text should be carefully remembered in view of the common
notions concerning the signs before the last day. Then, some declare,
there will be eclipses of I know not how many days duration. They say
foolishly that for seven years not a single woman will bring forth a
child, and the like. But this text declares that neither day nor
night, neither summer nor winter, shall cease; therefore these natural
changes will go on, and there will never be an eclipse which will rob
human eyes of an entire day.
96. Nor is it a phrase devoid of meaning when he says, "While the
earth remaineth," for he gives us to understand that the days of this
earth shall sometime be numbered, and other days, days of heaven,
shall follow. As long, therefore, as the days of the earth endure, so
long shall the earth abide, and with it the rotation of seasons. But
when these days of the earth shall pass, then all these things shall
cease, and there shall follow days of heaven, that is, eternal days.
There shall be one Sabbath after the other, when we shall not be
engrossed with bodily labor for the purpose of gaining a livelihood;
for we shall be as the angels of God, Mk 12, 25. Our life will be to
know God, to delight in God's wisdom and to enjoy the presence of God.
This life we attain through faith in Christ, in which the eternal
Father may mercifully keep us, through the merit of his son, our
Savior, Jesus Christ, by the ruling and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Amen. Amen.