"And Noah began to lie a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard. And
he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within
his tent."
This is the blot in this good man's scutcheon; and a strange blot it
is, that such a one as Noah should be thus overtaken with evil. One
would have thought that Moses would now have begun with a relation
of some eminent virtues and honorable actions of Noah, since now he
was delivered from the death that overtook the whole world; and was
delivered, both he and his children, to possess the whole earth
himself. Indeed, he stepped from the ark to the altar, as Israel of
old did sing on the shore of the Red sea; but as they, HE soon
forgot; he rendered evil to God for good.
Neither is Noah alone in this matter. Lot also, being delivered from
that fire from heaven which burnt up Sodom and Gomorrah, falls soon
after into lewdness. Gideon also, after he was delivered out of the
hands of his enemies, took that very gold which God had given him as
the spoil of them that hated him, and made himself idols therewith.
What shall I say of David, and of Solomon also, who, after he had
been twenty years at work for the service of the true God, both in
building and preparing for his worship, and in writing proverbs by
divine inspiration, did after this make temples for idols, yea,
almost for the gods of all countries? Yea, he did it when he was
old, when he should have been preparing for his grave and for
eternity.
All these were sins against mercies, yea, and doubtless against
covenants and the most solemn resolutions to the contrary. For who
can imagine but that when Noah was tossed with the flood, and Lot
within the scent and smell of the fire and brimstone that burned
down Sodom with his sons and daughters, and Gideon, when so fiercely
engaged with so great an enemy, and delivered by so strange a hand,
should in the most solemn manner both promise and vow to God? But
behold, now they in truth are delivered and saved, they recompense
all with sin: "Lord, what is man? how abominable and filthy is man,
who drinketh in iniquity like water!"
Let these things teach us "to cease from man, whose breath is in his
nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of?" Indeed, it is a
vain thing to build our faith upon the most godly man in the world,
because he is subject to err; yea, better men than he have been so.
If Noah and Lot and Gideon and David and Solomon--who wanted not
matter from arguments, and that of the strongest kind, as arguments
that are drawn from mercy and goodness be, to engage to holiness and
the fear of God--yet, after all, did so foully fall as we see, let
us admire grace that any stand; let the strongest fear, lest he
fearfully fall; and let no man but Jesus Christ himself be the
absolute platform and pattern of faith and holiness: as the prophet
saith, "Let us cease from man."