And God blessed Noah and his sons. The covenant with Noah is a renewal of the original blessing given to Adam. The prohibition of blood points to the sacredness of life. The rainbow is the sign of the covenant — not that it had not existed before, but that God now appointed it as a pledge of his faithfulness. Noah's drunkenness shows that even the most holy men may fall into gr…

Chapter 1.— This Work Not Intended as a Treatise on Rhetoric. 1. This work of mine, which is entitled On Christian Doctrine, was at the commencement divided into two parts. For, after a preface, in which I answered by anticipation those who were likely to take exception to the work, I said, There are two things on which all interpretation of Scripture depends: the mode of ascer…