Noah's Gift of Integrity

Noah is declared to have been acceptable to God, because, by living uprightly and holily, he kept himself pure from the common pollutions of the world; whence, however, did he attain this integrity, but from the preventing grace of God? The commencement, therefore, of this favour was gratuitous mercy. Afterwards, the Lord, having once embraced him, retained him under his own hand, lest he should perish with the rest of the world.

 

John Calvin, Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Volume 1, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 251