The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-01-11
"Noah's Flood"
A CINCINNATI CLERGYMAN EXPLAINS IT ALL AWAY.

The Reverend j. p. Stuart, of Cincinnati,
preached a sermon on the Deluge, last week, i'm
which he took the ground that the Bible account
is not to be understood as meaning a literal delugc
of water. There was no such thing. We quote
from the report Of his sermon:
In respect to "Noah's Flood,'' rs il is called,
the appalling outbreak of wickedncss-the dclugo
Of evils and f~alsitics-was, after all, tho principal
thing. For what was the rain Of forty days, and
the breaking loose of whatever pent-up reservoirs
OF water there were, to the fact that Sod saw
the wickednese of man was great in the earth and
that every Imagination OF the thoughts Of his
heart was only evil continually, and il repented
the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and
it grieVed Hum at His heart"
But why not believe the story in it's literal
sense? Why not believe that a universal deluee
actually occurred, and that Noah and bis family
and the animals were preserved in the arkf We
answer because VIC cannot believe these things,
for they are at war with natnre and at war with
science; and consequently scientists cannot be-
lieve the story until they have 80 modified it that
it is virtually abolished.
Mr.. Stuart explained the difficulties involved in
the account, showing that theologians have yielded
to the pressure of these difficulties, and that they
now universally concur in the opinion that il there
was any deluge whatever it was limited in extent
and notdaDgerouslyd deep! We can only catalogue
the points that were elaborated in the lecture.
/. The amount Of water to s~ubmergc the entire
hOTIu HOulu NC dDOul CIRub tlulCo LDC uulnLlly
now in all the seas, oceans, lakes, and rivers of tho
globe. Whence came this water! And how was
it disposed Of when it had subserved its ~purpose2
2. The rain Of forty days would only raise tho
waters a few inches. Indeed, rain is only the de-
scent of water which had previously assembled by
evaporation. Rain. consequently, could never
~submcrge the high hills and mountains. Nor
could the breaking up of the ocean boundaries do
this. The ocean even now is doing all it can TO
cover the Garth.
3. The ark was declared too email to hold the
animals with their food, and Noah with bis family.
The ark, also, was water-tight, and wcll-nigh air.
tight; 30 that whe:. The door aud window were
closed animal life would have persisted much more
speedily than in the Black Hole Of Calcutta!
T.. The difficulty of gathering up The animals
from all the continents and islands, providing them
transports, and then causing them TO live in any
one climate, could only be equalled by redstrf-
buting them to their proper places when the flood
WIS over. How could this work be done2
5. The care and management Of this immense
menagerie Of $4,000 animals for a whole year
would have been more than n match for Noah and
his three sons, especially when we consider that
the wild and ferocious beasts were there, as well
as the tanner and docile.
The story must therefore be held as another one
in the series Of 80 sacred allegOries, !" which, while
it has the form of a historical relation, has no
answering historic b~asis.in fact, and consequently,
like the parallels of the Lord, must be construed
as wholly allegorical. The practical lesson ia
very impressive. The universal providence ofthe
Lord is represented. and His power to restrain
and to subdue the most direful foundations OF
evils and alsities. "The floods have lifted up, %
Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice. Tho
Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many
waters; yea, than the mighty waves of the sea-
Jacksonville lovers do up billet-doux in the fol-
lowing style: TO Miss Sudy-Behole n stranger
at the dore of the heart he gentlely nox has nox
h.I... NTs-gS ,1- xpta trafa M other friend 40
i'll. L Iuv you now and will forever you may
change but I will never,
forever one be our lot,
dearest won forget me not.
Miss Study / must confess that i luv you the best
| of all the girls I ever knew there is none to be
COMPARED with yOn.