Hebrews 11:7

Heb. 11:7. By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

One of the most influential early awakening sermons was based on Genesis 6:22 but could have used Hebrews 11:7. We cite the opening introduction and recommend reading of the sermon to understand Edwards's Noah.

Concerning these words, I would observe three things:

1. What it was that God commanded Noah, to which these words refer. It was the building of an ark according to the particular direction of God against the time when the flood of waters should come; and the laying up of food for himself, his family, and the other animals, which were to be preserved in the ark. We have the particular commands which God gave him respecting this affair, from Genesis 6:14, "Make thee an ark of gopher wood," etc.

2. We may observe the special design of the work which God had enjoined upon Noah: it was to save himself and his family, when the rest of the world should be drowned. See Genesis 6:17; Genesis 6:18. We may observe Noah's obedience. He obeyed God: thus did Noah. And his obedience was thorough and universal.: according to ALL that God commanded him, so did he. He not only began, but he went through his work which God commanded him to undertake for his salvation from the flood. To this obedience the apostle refers in Hebrews 11:7, "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house."

Later Edwards answers a point in apologetics.

Ans. The sinners of the old world had the very same objection against what Noah told them of a flood about to drown the world. Yet the bare word of God proved to be sufficient evidence that such a thing was coming. What was the reason that none of the many millions then upon earth believed what Noah said, but this, that it was a strange thing, that no such thing had ever before been known? And what a strange story must that of Noah have appeared to them, wherein he told them of a deluge of waters above the tops of the mountains! Therefore it is said, Hebrews 11:7, that "Noah was warned of God of things not seen as yet." It is probable, none could conceive how it could be that the whole world should be drowned in a flood of waters; and all were ready to ask, where there was water enough for it; and by what means it should be brought upon the earth. Noah did not then know how it should be brought to pass; he only told them that God had said that it should be: and the mere word of God, who was able, who knew how to bring it to pass, and who could not lie.

This text also shows for Edwards that "subsequent acts of faith" justify:

So that not only the first act of faith, but subsequent acts of faith and perseverance in faith, do justify the sinner; and that, although salvation is in itself sure and certain after the first act. For the way in which the first act of faith justifies, is not by making the futurition of salvation certain in itself; for that is certain in itself by the divine decree, before the first act of faith as afterwards. But it is only in these two ways that any act of ours can connect salvation with the subject; 1, as it may give a congruity; and 2, as it gives such a divine manifestation of the futurition of salvation to us, that we can lay hold of and depend on the divine truth and faithfulness, that we shall have salvation. Salvation is in some sense the sinner's right, before he believes. It was given him in Christ, before the world was. But before a sinner believes, he is not actually possessed of that which gives the congruity, nor has he any thing from God that he can lay hold of, so as to either challenge it, or on good grounds hope for it. He cannot be said to have any right, because he has no congruity; and as to the promise made to Christ, he has no hold of that, because that is not revealed to him. If God had declared and promised to the angels that such a man should be saved; that would not give him any right of his own, or any ground of challenge. A promise is a manifestation of a person's design of doing some good to another, to the end that he may depend on it, and rest in it. The certainty in him arises from the manifestation; and the obligation in justice to him arises from the manifestation's being made to him, to the effect that he might depend on it. And therefore subsequent acts of faith may be said to give a sinner a title to salvation, as well as the first. For from what has been said, it appears that the congruity arises from them, as well as the first; they in like manner containing the nature of union to Christ as mediator; and they may have as great, nay, a greater hand in the manifestation of the futurition of salvation to us for our dependence, than the first act. For our knowledge of this may proceed mainly from after acts, and from a course of acts. This is all that is peculiar to the first act, that so far as the act is plain, it gives us evidence from God, for our dependence; both for continued acts of faith, and also the salvation that is connected with them. So that, so far as this act is plain to us, we can challenge both these as our right. The Scripture speaks of after acts of faith in both Abraham and Noah, as giving a title to the righteousness which is the matter of justification. See Romans 4:3; Hebrews 11:7.

In 1745 Edwards preached in a brief outline discourse another aspect of Hebrews 11:7. "When God gives warning of destruction coming upon the world, it concerns men to take care beforehand that they have a refuge where they may hide themselves from that destruction."

Heb. 11:8