V. 7.— By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. The next example given by the Apostle is that of Noah, who was warned of God of things not seen as yet. He was informed of the impending flood 120 years before it took place; and, although there was as yet no appearance of the catastrophe, by that faith which is the conviction of things not seen, he was moved with fear, which led him willingly to embrace the way of escape made known to him. He prepared an ark for the preservation of his house. This could not be done in a corner, nor, we may be assured, was the object he had in view concealed. In the obedience yielded by Noah, and in the indifference of those who witnessed the preparation which he was making, we have an illustration of the opposite effects of faith and unbelief. Actuated by a spirit of obedience, Noah was busily employed in preparing the Ark; while, under the influence of indifference, the inhabitants of the world were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. Thus he condemned the world; such of them as were in his neighbourhood, or to whom the report extended, treated the notion of a flood with contempt. Such a thing had never before occurred. It is even doubtful whether there was any rain previously to the flood. We read, Genesis 2:5-6, “ For the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth ... but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” It is probable this continued till the flood, and here we find the explanation of Gen 9:12-16, "And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." Had there been rain previously the rainbow would have appeared; but, as this was not the case, it seems most reasonable to suppose that the ground had been watered by the mist, and, consequently, that the rainbow was not seen till the rain began to descend. The windows of heaven had been opened and the earth deluged, which would naturally create apprehension when rain began to fall, but then the bow was to appear as a pledge that the earth should no more be overwhelmed. Thus we see how Noah became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Noah was a sinner, and therefore exposed to wrath as well as others. He did not escape by his innocence but by his faith. Our Lord frequently said, “ Thy faith hath saved thee," and thus did Noah’ s faith save him; hence he is said to have become heir of the righteousness which is by faith. He is termed a preacher of righteousness, calling his fellow-men to repentance, warning them of what was about to take place which had been communicated to him. But they made light of it, and so perished in their unbelief. God’ s long-suffering waited an hundred and twenty years, during the whole, or a part, of which Noah was not only engaged in preaching, but in preparing the Ark; thus, at once, addressing by what they saw and heard, and thus are men addressed by the preaching of the Gospel and the appointed ordinances in which this doctrine is embodied. The Apostle describes Baptism, which now saves believers, as the antitype of Noah’ s preservation in the Ark; not, indeed, the putting away of the filth of the flesh, which is all that water can do, but the answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is the profession of our faith that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and rose again according to the Scriptures, and in virtue of our unity with Christ our glorious head, His resurrection is our resurrection, and His justification is our justification. As Noah was preserved from the flood by faith, so are believers preserved from the wrath to come through faith in Him who bore their sins in his own body on the tree, thereby cancelling their guilt.