The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1871-03-23
TIE DELUGE.
A DEATH SCENE OF THE BIBLE.


tho fortunes Of tho world for half o
year.
Nonh aud his family, the "beasts
birds, aud reptiles arc all shut in--the
hand Of the Creator has shut the door
and sealed it.
There is o solemn pause Of seven
days. No doubt the lookcr'.on--the
inhabitants round about-jeered the
grand old patriarch with his monstrous
menagerie in his monstrous ship. The
seven days had still been added to the
100 years, as q further time for the
people to repent, but they hardened
themselves the moro as they cried,
" Where is the sign Of the dclugc p
The seven days are ended and now
comes the most terrible event that
ever came TO pass in the annals Of
,'me. Most terrible ss yet but a
still more terrible is yet to come, when
ihe'earth, will-be wrapped in flood
of FIRE?
The windows of heaven we're OPEN
cd, and the fountains Of the great
deep were broken up; and from obovo
and from beneath the waters poured
upon the ground for forty days and
forty nights When the rain began
to descend in great spouts Of water,
thcu all the inhabitants Of he country
round about Noah began to think that
perhaps after all they had better follow
him into his place Of fsaIcty--so they
made rush for the ark to force their
way il. But the hand of the Al
mighty that had closed aud sealed
the door held them far at bay per.
haps they were smittcn with blind
ness like the enemies of Lot, or like
EIymas the sorcerer. Soon they be-
gan to escape to the rising OF the land
aud then to the hills. The weak and
the timid throughout the earth were
soon swept away. Those who escaped
to some near hills when the water rose
upon them, could not swim the inter.
vening waters to some higher hills,
and they soon disappeared in the ris-
ing tide Multitudes escaped to the
mountains, whose steep and shaggy
sides thoy still climb as the mighty
waves yawD to devour them. Hun
dreds and thousands at time drop
into tho dark bosom Of multitudes oil
waters; for they grow faint from loss
of food and dizzy with watchng-and
then there is one last wall Of agony
mingling with the hoarser roar Of the
elemental war. Oh, God what pray
ers now ascend from the gurgling bo-
SONS of the deep! None now, but
tho strong and the brave aud the
reSolutc are left.
Up, up,-but the dark waves climb
us fast they. See every human being
that had climbed and clung to the top
most peaks oi the lower mountaips have
been washed away, The highest noun.
talns are now alone above the univer.
sal sea. The waters have reached the
ips of the yolcauos and as the vast
Niagras pour over into their yawning
cra,ers. and rush into the bosom OF
uuquenchable fires that fill the central
globe; as those immeasurabe floods OF
those mighty enemies, fro and water
meet, their hug Of battle heaves and
shakes the solid world, its huge ribs
snap and break, and its bar of adumcnt
becomes as tow; and the pohdcrous
bulk of the rounded sphere is con
vulscd in throes Of death Of il could
dic) with the grapple Of the internal
war. And still throughout the deluge
vast columns ofstcam from the below
ing war bursts through. the abysmal
waves aud ascend the murkey 6rma-
mcnt of heaven.
The fish ! 1t is n curvinal for the
fish ! They swim over the walls Of
cities and through the halls of palaces,
aud feast their eyes upon the strange
aud wonderful work OF man-the treas.
ures and spoils Of kings. They glut
their appctites upon the young and
beautiful. The monstrous oil devour
ing shark is drunk with the blood Of
tho farest Of the fair. If the devil
fish be possessed with the hend, his
soul must have reveled in the human
spoils Of the watery pit.
The tallest peaks now alone stand
out above the floods Of waves aud
the strongest men of all mankind are
on those topmost peaks. And nigh
ty beasts Of prey are there,--the dread
ful boa, and the venomous viper, and
birds with dripping wings, too wet to
fly oil are mingled together, without
fear of each other, for they arc all
overwhelmed by far greater fear.
Those strong men pray with cries that
sound wailingly shove all the roar Of
the tumultrous strife. The lion and
the tiger the most savage of all beasts,
moan pitifulIy, as II they, too, pray
ed! And every reptile and eagle aud
condor, with strange sounds never be-
fore heard by human ear, they, too
seem to pray! Oh, God Of mercy !
wilt Thou not hear that last woeful
agony of prayer Of life2 All mo-,
There is q time when it Is too late to
pray when the Almighty shuts the
door Thon art loving and long sui
ieriug. One hundred aud twenty
years Thou didst call upon them, and
none regarded: and now that they
cry unto Thee, II ID toolate. In every
uDbsliever's life the time may come
when It is too late TO pray.
Up, up, higher and still higher