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Patriarchs and Prophets
that it was contrary to the character of God to punish transgression;
and they denied that His judgments were to be visited upon the earth.
Had the men of that generation obeyed the divine law, they would
have recognized the voice of God in the warning of His servant; but
their minds had become so blinded by rejection of light that they really
believed Noah’s message to be a delusion.
It was not multitudes or majorities that were on the side of right.
The world was arrayed against God’s justice and His laws, and Noah
was regarded as a fanatic. Satan, when tempting Eve to disobey God,
said to her, “Ye shall not surely die.”
Genesis 3:4
. Great men, worldly,
honored, and wise men, repeated the same. “The threatenings of
God,” they said, “are for the purpose of intimidating, and will never be
verified. You need not be alarmed. Such an event as the destruction of
the world by the God who made it, and the punishment of the beings
He has created, will never take place. Be at peace; fear not. Noah is a
wild fanatic.” The world made merry at the folly of the deluded old
man. Instead of humbling the heart before God, they continued their
disobedience and wickedness, the same as though God had not spoken
to them through His servant.
But Noah stood like a rock amid the tempest. Surrounded by
popular contempt and ridicule, he distinguished himself by his holy
integrity and unwavering faithfulness. A power attended his words,
for it was the voice of God to man through His servant. Connection
with God made him strong in the strength of infinite power, while for
one hundred and twenty years his solemn voice fell upon the ears of
that generation in regard to events, which, so far as human wisdom
could judge, were impossible.
The world before the Flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of
nature had been fixed. The recurring seasons had come in their order.
Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist
[97]
or dew. The rivers had never yet passed their boundaries, but had borne
their waters safely to the sea. Fixed decrees had kept the waters from
overflowing their banks. But these reasoners did not recognize the
hand of Him who had stayed the waters, saying, “Hitherto shalt thou
come, but no further.”
Job 38:11
.
As time passed on, with no apparent change in nature, men whose
hearts had at times trembled with fear, began to be reassured. They
reasoned, as many reason now, that nature is above the God of nature,