St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-04-06

themselves. up out OF Un6 desert anu
the cave came the lion, the tiger, the
lamb and the elephant and went in side
by side. They could see the little in
sects crawling up two by two, to that
ark, and some of them cried out, 'Mer
ciful God, what does this mean ?" [
have no doubt that some said: "We
cannot understand it, but there is no
sign of a coming storm; it is a very
strange thing, we admit, we do not
understand exactly what it means, but
we will not believe that there is going
to be a deluge. But now the animals
are all in and we are told that God shut
Noah in. Bear in mind that Noah did
not shut that door himself, but God
shut him in. When once the Master
of the house has risen and shut the door
there is no hope. The door that shut
Noah in shut out the world, and the
moment that door was shut the door of
the world was sealed. Noah was sitting
in the ark and God gave them seven
days of grace, and | can just imagine
during those seven days of grace they
still went on ridiculing more than ever,
Noah told us the day before the door
was shut that the storm was coming,
II
we have not witnessed any sign"
There was not man that repented /;
we do not hear of one of them crying to
God for mercy. 1t was unbelief, that
was it. The first day passed, the second,
the third, and now their fear and alarm
is all gone away and they are SOOTHING
more than ever, and Christ gives us
that picture for there was no one left
to tell the story.
There was only one window in the
ark, and that was in the root, so that
Noah could look to Heaven. No one
was left to tell the story of how they
died, but Christ gives us glimpse of it.
They bought, they sold, they married
and were given in marriage, till the
flood came and took them all away.
Judgment comes suddenly. 1t is very
easy for us to ridicule in these days all
mercy, but by-and-by the day of grace
will be over and the day of mercy will
close. Bear in mind that some in this
vast assembly are spending their last
year on earth. 1t is safe to say that
some are spending their last month.
In large assembly like this there are
some who will go inside of 30 days.
But now the last year, the last mouth,
the last week, the last day, the last
hour had come. That sun has gone
down and they have seen it for the
last time, for when it shall rise next
morning, the cloud will obscure it. /
do not know what time the storm set in,
but | can imagine that it was at mid
night and they heard the rolling of the
thunder. The women were alarmed
and the children began to cry, but their
mothers quoted them. They said, sit
is only a thunder storm, we have seen
them before, it is nothing new" But
it kept Oh raining and the fountains of
the deep broke up, and the ocean burst
its chains, and the rivers began to
swell. Those living in the lowlands
began to climb higher. Undoubtedly,
their wise men said, ''If there was a
deluge, it would only take those in the
lowlands.' Now those in the swamps
and valleys began to climb to the
mountains, but the storm did not abate.
Before that storm had been raging
twenty, nay, ten hours, the ark of Noah
was worth more than all the world put
together. Bonds and stocks were swept
away. What was their wealth then
The time is coming when Christ will
be worth more to each one of us than
the whole world. Men are very cOvet-
Gus now, and they make a god of mon
ey, of pleasure, and of trade, but God
has decreed that he is going to destroy
the earth; and what is money then,
what is pleasure or honor in this t1eeting
world if we have not an interest i'll
Christ But if we are in his heart it
will be worth more to us than ten
thousand worlds like this.
But the storm RACES. Those living
near the ark fled to it and cried, ''Let
us in" But there came a voice from
within, "God has shut the door and |
cannot open it," The Lord shut them
in. That door was shut and not one
could enter. They began to make
boats, and | have no doubt that many
of them said, eff the storm does come
we can make boats and RATS and live |
for few days, and then it will abate."
But how they were deceived One, two,
three, four days came, and yet the storm
does not abate. Business was suspend
ed the first day. They have lost all in
terest in business, and bear in mind
there was no difference between the
great, the mighty, the wise, the ignO-
rant; all persisted alike. Every man
outside of that ark was swept away.
There was no hope. The ark was the |
only safe place of refuge, and they had
Knocked and made light of Noah, and |
now they must perish. l have no doubt
that they cried for mercy, but it was
too late.
People now mock at religion and
make light of prayer and prayer meet
ngs. They make light of this Taber
lacle and its services, but the time is
coming when these scoffers will pray.
and will cry to God for mercy, and we
Ire told in Scripture that the time is
coming when they will be too late
heir prayers will not be heard or an
,wered. You are to-day on praying
ground and you can intercede with God
f you will. Everything may be pros
porous in your life, the sun may shine
brightly in your paths as it did before
he flood, but how suddenly Judgment
anne. And it may come to us here.
t may be that some one here is getting
he last invitation to come into the ark.
Oh let me extend it to you again.
Come thou and all thy house into
he AK Mother, is thy child i'll the
lrk like this text, because it brings
he whole family in. God did not want
Noah to leave out one member of his
amily. What would have been his
ceiling when that storm set in, and that
lrk began to ride on the Judgment
waters, if he left out one of his children
II that world to perish Oh my friends,
hink of it. If you have child outside
If the ark, if you have son or IA