Certaine plaine, briefe, and comfortable notes vpon euerie chapter of Genesis Gathered and laid downe for the good of them that are not able to vse better helpes, and yet carefull to read the worde, and right heartilie desirous to taste the sweete of it. By the Reuerend Father Geruase Babington, Bishop of Landaph.

Chap. 9. (Book 9)

ALl things being doone, as you reade before.* 1.1 God bles∣sed Noah and his familie.* 1.2 So follow comforts after sor∣rowe, as we noted before: The mourning weede thou tookest me fro, and madest mee to reioyce,* 1.3 sayth the Psalme.

2 The feare of you and the dread of you,* 1.4 (saith God) shall be vpon euery beast: prouiding thereby for mans safetie,* 1.5 for by the vertue of this commaundement, beasts rage not so much a∣gainst man as they would, but many of them serue euen to his vse hereby.

3 In the 3. verse: theyr commission is signed,* 1.6 yea signed and sealed, to kill and eate, not hearbes as before and no flesh,* 1.7 but flesh now also aswell as hearbes. Many men thinking it was not so before.

4 But fleshe with the life thereof, that is,* 1.8 with the bloud thereof, might they not eate.* 1.9 God meaning heereby to bridle crueltie, which he euer hated.

5 And as before hee prouided, that man should not be raged against by beasts, so prouideth he heere also,* 1.10 * 1.11 that man against man should not be a destroyer. For if he be, Hee that sheadeth mans bloud▪ by man shall his bloud be shed againe. That is, in iu∣stice shall either the Magistrate reuenge such iniquitie vpon him, or some other stirred vp in the iust wrath of God, shall measure to

to him as he hath measured to others, that is, kill him, as he hath killed others, and leaue his wife a widowe, and his Children fa∣therlesse, as he hath left others.

* 1.126 Then God maketh his couenant with man, and all fleshe, that hee will neuer destroye the world any more by water: and be∣cause man is so harde of beleefe, hee adioyneth a signe to his word and promise,* 1.13 * 1.14 and setteth it in the heauens, euen his bowe, which we vsually call the Raine bowe. By which so dooing of the Lord, first we learne the antiquitie of the mercie, in adding outwarde signes to confirme man by: Secondly the vse of them. The anti∣quitie if it had beene no more but from Noah it had been much, but we see it was before, euen in Paradise to Adam, there was the Tree of Life, and the tree of the Knowledge of good and euill. The one assuring him if he obeyed, he should liue, and the other if he sinned, that he should die. A mercy so long continued to his children should bee greatlye regarded with hartie thankes for it▪ The vse of such outwarde signes is not to confirme God in his promise, who though hee neuer added anye seale, yet would bee most true in his worde, but to confirme vs in the beleefe of that promise, which of it selfe and in it selfe is most immooueable. For though he be true to performe, yet wee are weake to beleeue, and a gratious God hee is that will so support vs. Againe, the Rainbowe is taken as a figure of Christ,* 1.15 and therefore wee thereby taught, that when either the darke blacknesse of vglye sinne, or the thicke cloudes of greefe and aduersitie, doe threaten vnto vs any fearefull ouerthrowe, wee should clap our eyes streight vpon our Rainebowe Christ Iesus, and bee assured that though that blacknesse of sinne be neuer so great, yet in him and by him it shall bee doone awaye, and neue•• haue power to caste vs awaye, though those mists and fogges of aduersitie be ne∣uer so thicke, yet shall they by him as by a hote and strong sunne, be dispersed, and neuer able to drowne vs. The greatest raine we know, shall end ere it come to such a Flud againe, and so shall these things before we fall.

7 In the 20. verse, you see Noahs trade of life,* 1.16 hee fell to

Husbandrye, an ould, an ancient, a profitable, a godlye, and necessary vocation, as hath beene noted before. Then fol∣loweth in the nexte verse his foule fall: when hauing planted a Vineyard, he drunke of the fruite and was drunke, and vnco∣uered in his Tente. Such fauls in Gods children,* 1.17 * 1.18 though they be theyr shame, yet yeelde they vs weake ones, great comforte. For wee should vtterlye dispayre when wee see our selues, if such blots and spots had not beene in such greatnesse once by mans corruption. Nowe though wee haue no warrant by them to do the like, yet if humaine frailtie ouer carry vs euer, wee neede not to dispayre, for with God there is mercye to repen∣tance and amendement, and greater me•• then wee haue had theyr wants.

8 Marke the filthinesse of drunkennesse, it maketh him lye vncouered in his Tente, vndecentlye, vnseemely,* 1.19 nay beast∣lye, and rather like a beast then a man. And could it so disfigure Noah, a man of such goodnesse, so highly commended before, and not disfigure vs, that are a thousand degrees behinde him? shall once beeing so, bee such a blot, and shall daylye being so, be no blot? Thinke of it, and if you shame in Noahs be∣halfe, to thinke howe vnseemely hee laye, take heede to your selfe. For fowle sightes are seene bothe in men and women that are drunke.

9 When Cham the eldest sonne of Noah saw his Fathers nakednesse, he mockingly went, and tould his brethren of it.* 1.20 In Cham then beholde a true patrerne of all such vilde spirites,* 1.21 as ioye in the publishing of other mens wantes, whome yet for many graces they ought to reuerence, mocking, flyring, and gee∣ring at them, with prophane hearts, concepts, and censures, like this Cham. Such hath this worlde had euer, but in these later dayes, as though Satans kingdome were driuen to this shift, he stirreth them vp in euery place most busilye, and seeketh their ser∣uice, They most vnwarely not marking whome they serue, and what they doe, are contented to be carried, tempted, and drawne to this curssed course most fully.

* 1.2210 But when Sem and Iaphet heard of it, they tooke a Garment and put it vpon both their shoulders,* 1.23 and wente backward, and couered the nakednesse of their father, with their faces backward, and so they sawe not their fathers na∣kednesse. As notable a picture on the contrarye side, of all such milde, modest, louing, godly, and christianlike spirites, which co∣uer with loue theyr fathers and brethrens imperfections, infirmi∣ties, wants and weakenesse, charitably expounding whatsoeuer may be so taken, either speaking the best, or not the worst, and wi∣shing in their hearts all men were amended, and no man disgraced if he will be amended. Such spirits are blessed, when the others are curssed, and shall stande as well liked before his face, who shall retribute to the other in due iustice, the very blacknesse of darke∣nesse for euermore.

11 Marke it againe in this place diligently, that a good Fa∣ther hath his children not all good,* 1.24 not all alike qualified, not of the same vertuous and honest conditions all, yet this is not the fa∣thers fault. It greeueth him full sore, if Cham playe so lewde a part, that procureth a cursse, and not a blessing. But so God pleaseth to exercise his children sometimes, euen with the vndu∣tifulnesse and vntowardnesse of their owne flesh, fruite and leede. Abraham had his bad Ismael, aswell as his good Isaac. Isaac a∣gaine had his prophane Esau, aswell as his godly Iacob. Iacob had his crosses mo then one in his children, if you marke them, Ruben defiled his bed, Simeon and Leui bloudy and treache∣rous, Dina rauished by hir gadding abroade, all of them vnkinde to Ioseph in such ••ad sorte as you know. Dauid had his Abso∣lom, Ammon Adoniah, and many others haue thus been cros∣sed, that I name not now. Consider it duly, and greeue not aboue that which is conuenient, if you know the like. Say with an obe∣dient heart: Let the Lord doo whatsoeuer pleaseth him, and let no man censure the parents aboue their true proofe, for Childrens faultes.

* 1.25Lastly the waking of Noah from his drunkennesse, and finding what was doone,* 1.26 teacheth vs two things. First to do well to

euery one as we can, knowing that though when we doo it, they to whome we do it, know it not, regarde it not, esteeme it not, nor vs for it, as being drunke with anger, malice, youthfull temerity, and such like, yet a wakening time may come, when they may do otherwise, see the good and blesse vs for it, whilst we liue, and the very memory of vs when we be dead. Secondly as in figure it may tell vs, that the godly sin not to death, but though they sleepe they awake againe, though they slip, yea fall quite downe, yet they recouer and rise againe, euen seauen times a day. A great com∣fort when I am downe, but no imboldning to fall downe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Verse. 1.
• * 1.2

  Comfort after so∣rowe.
• * 1.3

  Psalm. 30.
• * 1.4

  Verse. 2.
• * 1.5

  Beasts how bridled to hurte no more then they doe.
• * 1.6

  Verse. 3.
• * 1.7

  Flesh al••••w¦ed to eate.
• * 1.8

  Verse. 4.
• * 1.9

  Crueltie forbidden.
• * 1.10

  Verse. 6.
• * 1.11

  Murde•• restrained.
• * 1.12

  Verse. 9.
• * 1.13

  Verse. 13
• * 1.14

  The Raine bowe why giuen.
• * 1.15

  An allego∣rie of the Rainebow.
• * 1.16

  Verse. 20.
• * 1.17

  Verse. 21.
• * 1.18

  The fauls of the 〈…〉〈…〉 they profit.
• * 1.19

  The filthie sinne of drunken∣nesse.
• * 1.20

  Verse. 22.
• * 1.21

  Publi••hers of other mens wāts
• * 1.22

  Verse. 23
• * 1.23

  The good spir••t of them that couer as they may ••heir bre∣threns na∣kednesse.
• * 1.24

  Good men haue euill children.
• * 1.25

  Verse. 24.
• * 1.26

  Note.