wish to see a little of the greatness of Noah's faith, conceive such
a message coming from God to one of us! Should we believe it--much
less act upon it? But NOAH believed God, says the Scripture; and
"according as God commanded him, so did he." Now, in whatever way
this command came from God to Noah, it is equally wonderful. Some
of you, perhaps, will say in your hearts, 'No! when God spoke to
him, how could he help obeying Him?' But, my friends, ask
yourselves seriously,--for, believe me, it is a most important
question for the soul and inner life of you and me, and every man--
how did Noah know that it was God who spoke to him? It is easy to
say God appeared to him; but no man hath seen God at any time. It
is easy, again, to say that an angel appeared to him, or that God
appeared to him in the form of a man; but still the same question is
left to be answered, how did he know that this appearance came from
God, and that its words were true? Why should not Noah have said,
'This was an evil spirit which appeared to me, trying to frighten
and ruin me, and stir up all my neighbours to mock me, perhaps to
murder me?' Or, again; suppose that you or I saw some glorious
apparition this day, which told us on such and such a day such and
such a town will be destroyed, what should WE think of it? Should
we not say, I must have been dreaming--I must have been ill, and so
my brain and eyes must have been disordered, and treat the whole
thing as a mere fancy of ill-health; now why did not Noah do the
same?

Why do I say this? To shew you, my friends, that it is not
apparitions and visions which can make a man believe. As it is
written, "If they believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will
they believe though one rose from the dead." No; a man must have
faith in his heart already. A man must first be accustomed to