justice in God's sight, as it was Abraham's. They believed God, and
so became heirs of the righteousness which is by faith; not their
own righteousness, not growing out of their own character, but given
them by God, who puts His righteous Spirit into those who trust in
Him.

But, moreover, we read that Noah "was perfect in his generations;"
that is, he was perfect in all the relations and duties of life,--a
good son, a good husband, a good father: these were the fruits of
his faith. He believed that the unseen God had given him these
ties, had given him his parents, his children, and that to love them
was to love God, to do his duty to them was to do his duty to God.
This was part of his walking with God, continually under his great
Taskmaster's eye,--walking about his daily business with the belief
that a great loving Father was above him, whatever he did; ready to
strengthen, and guide, and bless him if he did well, ready to avenge
Himself on him if he did ill. These were the fruits of Noah's
faith.

But you may think this nothing very wonderful. Many a man in
England does this every day, and yet no one ever hears of him; he
attends to all his family ties, doing justly, loving mercy, and
walking humbly with God, like one who knows he is redeemed by
Christ's blood; he lives, he dies, he is buried, and out of his own
parish his name is never known; while Noah has earned for himself a
worldwide fame; for four thousand years his name has been spreading
over the whole earth as one of the greatest men who ever lived.
Mighty nations have worshipped Noah as a God; many heathen nations
worship him under strange and confused names and traditions to this
day; and the wisest and holiest men among Christians now reverence