The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1895-04-05

DItdh lilSln
down. Howl on, ye winds. and rage.
ye seas! The Lord-''the Lord shut
him in!'
Oh, what a grand door! so wide. so
easily swung both ways. and with such
sure fastenings. No burglars key can
pick that lock. No swarthy arm of hell
can shove back that bolt. 1 rejoice that
/ do not ask you to come aboard a
crazy craft with leaking hulk. and
broken helm, and unfastened door; but
an ark fifty cubits wide, and three hun
dred cubits long, and a door so large
that the round earth, without grazing
the post, might be bowled in!
Now, II the ark OF God is so grand a
place in which to live, and die. and
triumph. come into the ark. Know we'll
that the door that shut Noah in shu.
others out; and though, when the pits
less storm came pelting on their heads.
they beat upon the door saying. Let
me in! let me in" the door did not
open. For one hundred and twenty
years they were invited. They expected
TO come in but the antediluvians said
I'VE must cultivate these fields; we
must be worth more flocks of sheep and
herds OF cattle; we will wait until we
get a little older; we will enjoy our old
farm a little longer" But meanwhile
the storm was brewing. The fountains
of the heaven were filing up. The pry
was being placed beneath the founda-
tons Of the great deep. The last year
had come, the last month. the last week.
the last day, the last hour, the last
moment, in an awful dash, an ocean
dropped from the sky, and another
rolled up from beneath; and God rolled
the earth and sky into one wave OF
universal destruction.
l have no doubt that derision Kept
many people out of the ark. The world
laughed to see man go in, and sald'
Here is a man starting for the ark
Why there will be no deluge. II there
is one. that miserable ship VIII not
weather IL. Aha going into the ARK!
Well that is too good to keep. Here
fellows. have you heard the news? rms
man is going into the ark" Under TINS
artillery of scorn the mans good reso-
luton persisted.
Ny friends and nelghbors, come IN
right away. Come in through CHRIST
the wide door-the door that swings
out toward you. Come I'm. and be saved;
Come and be happy. THE Spirit ana
the Bride say, Come" Room In the ark
Room in the ark!
But do not come alone. The text IN
Vttes you 10 bring your family. IL says,
thou and all they house into the ARK
Thou and thy sons and thy wife. You
cannot drive them in. If Noah had trleu
TO drive the pigeons and the doves lhto
the ark. he would only. have scattered
them. Some parents are not wise ABOUT
these things. They make iron rules ABOUT
Sabbaths. and they force the cate
chism down the throat. as they WOULD
Il NFEn
a dose of rhubarb and calomel You can
not drive your child 'en into the ARK.
You can draw your children 10 Christ
but you cannot coerce them. The cross
was lifted, not TO drive. but to draw
"If be lifted up, l will draw all men
unto me-" AS the sun draws up the
drops of morning dew. SO the son OF
righteousness exhales the fears OF re-
pentance.
BE sure that you bring your husband
and wife with you. How would Moan
have felt IL, when he heard the ram
pattering on the roof OF the ark, he
knew that his wife was outside in the
storm No; she went with him. And yet
some of you are on the ship outward
bound for heaven; but your companion
ia unsheltered. You remember the day
when the marriage-rins was set. Moth
ing has yet been able to break II. Sick
ness came. and the finger shrank, but
the ring staid on. The twain stood alone
above the child's grave. and the Clark
mouth of the tomb swallowed up thou
sand hopes; but the ring dropped not
into the open grave. Days OF poverty
came, and the hand did many hard
days work; but the rubbing of the work
against the ring only made IL shine
Lost
Will the iron clang o. the sepulchre-
gate crush ii forever; pray God that
you who have been married on earth
may be together in heaven. oh! by the
quiet bliss OF your earthly home: by the
babes cradle; by the vows Of that day
when you started life together. l beg
you to see to it that you both get into
the ark.
Come in, and bring your wife or hus-
band with you-not by fretting about
religion. or ding-donging them about re-
ligion, but by q consistent life. and by
compelling prayer that shall bring the
throne Of God down into your room.
Go home and take up the Bible and
read it together, and then kneel down
and commend your souls to him who
has watched you all these years; and.
before you rise, there will be fiutter-
ing Of wings over your head, angel cry
ing to angel, Behold! they pray!'
But this does not include all your
family. Bring the children. God bless
the dear children. What would our
homes be without them. We may have
done much for them. They have done
more for us. What a salve for a wound
ed heart there is in the soft palm of
child's hand! Did harp or flute ever
have such music as there is in a child's
good night ?" From our coarse, rough
life, the angels of God are often driven
back; but who comes into the nursery
without feeling that angels are hover
ing around? They VINO ole in infancy
go straight TO glory, but you are ex-
pecting your children 10 grow up In this
world. Is II not n question then, that
rings through all the corridors, and
windings. and heights, and depths of
your soul. what is to become of your
sons and daughters for time and eter-
nifty? oh" you say. II mean TO see
that they have good manners" Very
well. 81 mean to dress them well. If
have myself to go shabby" Very good.
shall give them an education, shall