13. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold, I will deftroy them with the earth. 14, Make thee an ark of Gopherwood: rooms fhalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. 14. Gopher-wood: The Chaldee renders by a word that fig it were, nifies Cedar. Whatever the Wood it is certain that it was Wood fit for this purpose: And the word in the Hebrew language feems to imply that the Wood was of a bituminous or pitchy nature, which yet, for the greater security, was to be pitched within and with out. 15. Cubits: Suppofing a Cubit to be but a foot and half, (which hath been a opinion) we shall not have any just commonly received cause to think that the Ark wanted any capacity for the reception of those creatures, and that provifion, which was to be lodged there. But we are not obliged to believe this common opinion, which fuppofeth a Cubit to be but 18 inches. Allowing it to be fomewhat more than 21, the capacity of the Ark will be much greater. But of this matter, they who please may confult Dr. Cumberland's Book, printed 1686. 16. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above: and the door of the ark fhalt thou fet in the fide thereof: with lower, fecond and third ftories fhalt thou make it. 16. A window: Or, a light (poffibly Ark. See the Note cubit, &c. i. e. Thou shalt raise the top of the Ark one Cubit, that the Cover of it, being floping, may the better conveigh the waters falling upon it. Door: By which Noah and his family and the living creatures were to enter. With lower, &c. The Lower story was probably for the greater beafts: beafts: The fecond for ftowage of provision: The third for Noah's family and the fowls, and perhaps fome of the fmaller creatures. 17. And behold, I, even I do bring a floud of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven, and every thing that is in the earth fhall die. 18. Covenant: The blish my covenant come into the ark, fons, and thy wife, 18. But with thee will I efta- word in this place fignifies a promise to family, &c. (though preferve Noah and his it generally fignifie a wives with thee. mutual compact or agreement,) v. 19. And thus fometimes this word fignifies. See Numb. 18. 19. and chap, 25. 12, 13. 19. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every fort fhalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee: they shall be male and female. 19. Two of every fort: Not that there fhall be but two of any fort, (compare ch.7. v.2.) but there must be two at least, viz. male and female of every kind, v. 20. 20. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattel after their kind of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every fort fhall come unto thee, to keep them alive. 21. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee, and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. 22. Thus did Noah, according 22. So did he. Com to all that God commanded him, fo pare Heb. 11.7. did be. СНАР. ༡ CHA P. VII. The ARGUMENT. Noah and bis Family, by God's direction, enter into the Ark: The living Creatures do fo likewife: The time when the Floud began; the great increase; the effects and continuance of it. I. 1. AND the LORD faid unto Noah, Come thou and all thy boufe into the ark: for thee have I feen righteous before me in this generation. 2. Of every clean beast thou Shalt take to thee by fevens, the male and his female: and of beafts that are not clean, by two, the male and his female. 1. RIghteous, &c. i.e. Sincere ly juft. Compare Luk 2. Clean beaft: i.e. Allowed for Sacrifice. Compare chap. 8.20. Many things, eftablished afterwards in the Law of Mofes, obtained before that Law, and were generally practifed by the Worshippers of God; v.g. Sacrifices, Gen. 4. 3,4. 8. 20. 13. 18.) paying of Tithe, (Gen. 14.20.) Circumcifion, (Gen. 17. 11.) The Right of Primogeniture, (Gen. 25.33.) Making Vows, (Gen. 28. 20. ch. 34.6.) Marrying the Brothers's wife, (Gen. 38.8.) And thofe things which Mofes forbad, were fome of them forbidden before his Law: As the eating of Bloud, and Murder, which was a capital Crime before the Law, (Gen. 9.4, 6.) And there is, no doubt, but that the difference of clean and unclean Beafts, with refpect to Sacrifice, was known and obferved before the Law of Mofes, and before the Floud. Nor have we any cause to question, but that the fame were reputed clean before the Law, which were declared to be fo in the Law of Mofes. If fo, the number of Creatures that went into the Ark by Sevens, was fmall; and their provifion being proportionable, could not take up much room. For, by the Law of Mofes, onely Beeves, and Sheep, and Goats, of the Beafts; And Turtle-doves and Pigeons, of the Fowls, D were his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every fort. der Fowl, denotes the Larger kind; and what we render Bird 'the smaller, Gen. 15. 9, 10. Levit. 14. 4. Or at leaft the first comprehends the larger fort. Sort: Or Wing, as it is in the Hebrew text: Some have feathered Wings, others have more griftly and skinny ones, which is one way of diftinguishing the feveral forts of Birds 15. And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God bad commanded him and the LORD fhut him in. 16. The Lord shuthim in: That is, God did (probably by the Miniftery of an Angel) faften and fecure the door of the Ark, into which Noah was entred, from the danger from the Waters, as well as against the attempts of those that might elfe have broken in upon him. Compare 2 Kings 2.4, 5. 17: And the floud was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. t 17. The Floud: i.e. The vehement Rain mentioned, verse 12. 18. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth: and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth, and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, and the moun. tains were covered. 20. Fifteen cubits: That is, two and twenty foot and an half, (allowing a Cuhalf; which is here but See the Note on ch.6. bit to contain but one foot and an fuppofed, but by no means granted: 15.) and confequently above the ftature of the talleft of Men zob. 21. And บ 21. And all flefh died, that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattel, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every face man. T as the breath of life, of all 22. All in mbofe noftrils was the that was in the dry land, died. 23. And every diving fubftance 23. They that were was deftroyed, which was upon the with him: They were face of the ground, both man and in all but eight per cattel, and the creeping things Maifons. 73697 03 and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth and Noah onely remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. + 24. And the waters prevailed upon the earth, an hundred and fifty days. 24. Prevailed; i.e. They kept above the furface of the Earth, (without decreafing) to which fence it is rendred by the Greek. They did not increase fo long: See chap. 8.3. An hundred and fifty days: This fpace of time includes the forty days mentioned, (v. 12.) fo long it was before the Waters were abated. Compare chap. 8. v. 3, 4 hot t The ARGUMENT. "After an hundred and fifty days, from the beginning of the Floud the waters are abated. The time and place of the resting of the Ark. Noah fends forth a Raven and a Dove to difcover how far the waters were abated: The time in which the Earth was dried. Noah and his Family go out of the Ark at God's command. The living Creatures go out alfo: Noah offers a Sacrifice to God, who had preferved him; which God accepts, and promifed that he would no more after this manner D 3 curfe |