135. First of all, then, he performed the duties of a bishop. Beset with various temptations, his foremost endeavor was to resist the devil, to console the troubled ones, to bring back the erring to the true way, to strengthen the doubting, to cheer souls in despair, to exclude from his Church the impenitent, and to receive back with fatherly gladness the repentant. For, these are the duties a bishop must perform through the ministry of the Word. 136. Moreover, he had civil duties in establishing forms of government and in making laws, without which human passions cannot be held in check. To this was added the rule of his own household, or the care of his home. B. NOAH'S FALL. 1. Why Moses omitted many important things about Noah and related his fall 137-138. 2. Lyra tries to excuse Noah's fall 139. 3. Noah's fall cannot be excused 140-141. 4. His fall caused a great scandal 142. 5. Ham scandalized himself through it 142-143. a. Real root of this scandal 144. b. Thereby Noah greatly sinned 145ff. * Original sin develops presumptuous people 146-148. c. This scandal reveals Satan's bitterest enmity against God's Church 149. * Papists are Ham's disciples 150. * David's enemies rejoiced over his fall 151. 6. To what end should Noah's fall serve us 152-154. * The godless are not worthy to see God's glory in believers 155. * Why we should not be vexed at the infirmities of believers 156-157. 7. The conduct of Shem and Japheth in this connection 158-173. a. They still honored their father, though they approved not his deed 158. * Origin of outward sin 159. * How to avoid offense 160-162. * Luther aware of his own infirmities 163. * Attitude of the opponents of the Word to true preachers 164. * Why Moses never mentioned many great events in Noah's life, and thought of his fall 165-166. b. How the sons covered their father's shame 167. c. Herein they had regard for God's will and were therefore pleasing to God 168. * Ham's scandal. (1) It was a wilful and grievous sin 168-169. (2) The lesson we may learn from it 170. (3) Reward of this scandalous deed, and why Canaan is here mentioned 172-173. B. Noah's Fall. 137. Though reason tells us that Noah was burdened with these manifold duties after the flood, yet Moses does not mention them. It appears to him sufficient to confine his remarks to the statement that Noah began to plant a vineyard, and that he lay in his tent drunken and naked.