A briefe exposition of such chapters of the olde testament as vsually are redde in the church at common praier on the Sondayes set forth for the better helpe and instruction of the vnlearned. By Thomas Cooper Bishop of Lincolne.

The Exposition vpon the sixt Chapter of Genesis.

And it came to passe,* 1.1 that when men be∣gan to be multiplied in the vpper, &c.

THe sonnes of God, in this place, are taken to be the sonnes of Seth and his godly posteritie, whiche professed the name of GOD and his true worship. And the daughters of men, are vnderstanded to be the Daughters of Cain, and his vngodly Generation, which contem∣ned the name of God, and gaue themselues to the lustes of the worlde. So that the sense is, that the whole worlde was Corrupted, and giuen ouer to their sensuall pleasure. For, not onely the wicked generation of Cain, and his ofspring, but the poste∣ritie of the godly also, forsooke the feare of God, and without all regarde of Conscience, onely, to satisfie their Carnall lust,* 1.2 and pleasure, tooke wiues of the daughters of the vngodly worldlings, *which se∣duced them from the true worship of God and ver∣tuous life, to the Contempt of God, and all Cor∣ruption and wickednesse of the flesh. Therefore GOD iustly breaketh out in displeasure agaynst mankinde, and sayth, that His spirite shoulde not al∣wayes or for euer thus striue and trauaile with them, as hitherto he had done, to bring them to amend∣ment,

because they were altogither fleshly and vn∣corrigible, and giuen ouer to the wicked deuises of their owne mindes. Wherefore, he doth appoynt them *a determinate time,* 1.3 within which, if they did not repent and amende, he woulde surely destroy them. And this time was the space of one hun∣dred and twentie yeares.

And there were Giants in those dayes v∣pon the earth:* 1.4 yea and after that, &c.

THe Giantes were not onely men of verye big Stature, but also of great Might, Authoritie and power, by reason of their strength, aud vsed their force to the tyrannicall oppression of other with great violence. Such became many of them, that were of the posteritie of the Godly, and tooke wyues among the daughters of the wicked and vngodly: so that to their fleshly and sensuall plea∣sure in Choise of their wiues, they added extortion and violent oppression of other, and especially of the Power sort. Thus God oftentimes dealeth by iust iudgement for the Sinnes of the people* sen∣ding Tyrannes and oppressours to beare rule o∣uer them.* 1.5

But God saw that the malice of man was great,* 1.6 &c. And it repented him, &c.

By this, we see the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Sin is, to prouoke the heauie wrath of God agaynst vs, and to Cause him to repent of all his goodnesse, that he hath she∣wed toward vs. Moyses sayth not, The malice of

man was vpon the earth, but the malice of man was Great vpon the earth.* 1.7 Whereby we learne that the goodnesse of God is such, that it doth * Long suffer the malice of men, and doth not by and by punishe the same, onlesse it doth greatly encrease and shewe it selfe vncorrigible. When Moyses sayth, It repen∣ted God, &c. We must vnderstand that there is not either Repentance or Sorow, or any such mutable af∣fection in God, but that the scripture often speaketh of God, according to the capacitie & maner of mor∣tall men, that we may the more easily Conceyue what is ment. And the maner of men is, by the Deede to iudge of the Affection of the minde.

When we see a Potter breake and destroy some vessel that he hath made, we iudge, that he Repen∣teth him to haue made it, and seeth somewhat that he doth greatly mislike in it. Euen so, because God the Maker of the worlde, and Framer of Man∣kinde, determined, for Sin by the instinction of Satan increasing in men, vtterly to Destroy hym from the face of the earth, whome before he had made & loued: In respect of This fact, I say, and not in respect of Mutabilitie in God, Moyses vsed these words. It Repented him to haue made man, &c

But Noah founde grace in the eyes of the Lorde.* 1.8 &c.

This clause hath a singuler Comfort for all good men, that liue in such times of generall Corrupti∣on, as was before the Deluge, before the destruc∣tion of Sodome, and nowe in these Latter dayes.

For albeit, the vniuersall Sinfulnesse of the world doth pull vpon the wicked, the iust and terrible Plagues of God, yet, of his fatherly goodnesse, he will not Neglect those, that truly Feare him, but wil prouide for them,* 1.9 though they be but Few, yea though it be but * One alone, as it appeareth in Noha and Loth.

Noah was a iust man,* 1.10 and perfect in his generations, and walked, &c.

This place sheweth a notable Commendation of Noah, that he was a Iust man, and in Compa∣rison of men of his time, a sincere & vprightman, voyde of C••aft and de••ey••e, and giuen to Iustice, and truth, contrarie to the 〈…〉〈…〉 of that time,* 1.11 to Propose God, and his holy will as a cer∣taine Rule to folow in all his life.

And God looked vpon the earth,* 1.12 and be∣holde it was corrupt, &c.

Because the Wrath of God is Horrible, and the ende of all flesh was at hande: Moyses vseth here an earnest repetition of the great Wickednesse of the World, that Gods Iustice in punishing might the more appeare, when he sayth, He will destroye them with the earth that they dwell in.

Make the an Arke of Pine trees,* 1.13 habita∣tions shalt thou make in the Arke, &c.

In these wordes that folowe to the ende of this

Chapter, Moyses describeth the Instrument, and Meanes wherby God saued Noah, and the residue of the faythfull, that is, the Maner & Proportion of the Arke.

Now so small a compasse, as is here mentioned might conteine so great a number of beastes, or how the same beastes came to Noah, or how they were mainteined wyth foode, when they were there, with a number of such vaine and curious questions we must leaue to the Heathens, and wic∣ked Heretikes, which by such meanes haue sought occasion to discredite the Scriptures, and merue∣lous workes of God. And such as he faythfull, and haue the feare of God, must with Reuerence, in this, and such other great workers of God, ac∣knowledge not onely 〈◊〉〈◊〉, or two, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 number of extraordinarie, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 doings, beyonde the compasse of Mans reason and capa∣citie. And not by and by to thinke, that all is false and vaine that our weaknesse is not hable to yeeld an accounte of. Rather let vs learne this lesson, that Admightie GOD to punishe the wicked and sinnefull persons, and to preserue and sane suche as beleeue & trust in hym,* 1.14 both can and wyll Alter and * turne the Natures and possibilities of all hys Creatures, as 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sundrie * examples left for our instruction in the holye Scriptures, he hath declared.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Vers. 1. 2. 3
• * 1.2

  Exod. 34. b. 16 Deut. 7. a. 3 1. Cor. 5. b. 6 Gen. 3. a. 6. ••. Reg. 11 a. 4.
• * 1.3

  Ionas. 3. b. 4
• * 1.4

  Vers. 4.
• * 1.5

  Iob. 34. d. 30.
• * 1.6

  Vers. 5. 6
• * 1.7

  Esay. 30. d. 18▪ Sap. 11. d. 24 Luk. 13. b. 8
• * 1.8

  Vers. 8.
• * 1.9

  Gen. 7. a. 1 Gen. 18. d. 16.
• * 1.10

  Vers. 9.
• * 1.11

  2. Par. 6. c. 14 Deut. 13. a. 4. Gen. 17. a. 1.
• * 1.12

  Vers. 12. 13.
• * 1.13

  Vers. 14. &c.
• * 1.14

  Deut. 29. a. 5. Iosu. 6. c. 20 Iosu. 10. c. 13 Dan. 3. g. 94. 2. Pet. 2. c. 16.