The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-15
NOAH BELIEVED ALL.
Rev. j. II. Stout Discusses the Ark
Builder.

Rev. j. II. Stout Discusses the Ark's
Builder.
"And Noah walked with God" Gen
esis vi, 81, was Rev. J. Il. Stout's text
yesterday at the First M. E. church.
He said in part:
The intimatiOnS Of the divine life
revealed in the heart Of man are as
wonderful in the earliest human records
as at the present. While much has
come to the race through successive
revelations from God to man, much was
given at the first, and, indeed, is given
in all ages when men lift up their
hearts to God and listen to his mes
sages The text is the statement of the
blessed relation Of intimacy between
this early saint and God, whom he
worshiped and obeyed. If, now. we
study in connection with the state
ment the life of the man which is so
clearly revealed in the record, we shall
be able to see what it means to walk
with God. A study of the life Of Noah
reveals the following facts:
He hearkened to the voice Of God.
He had no Bible, no church. no es-
tabliShed order of worship, no spirit
ual adviser; he must get his revela-
tons at first hand from God. To this
he listened with such care that ne be:
came deaf to the alluring accents Of
temptation, and trained to hear the
softest whisper of the voice of God.
This is a first necessity in walking with
God. The Bible all through has recog-
nized this. Elijah learns on Horeb
that he who would know God best must
look for Him, not in storm or earth
quake, nor fire, nor tempest. but In a
still small voice, and to this he must
hearken. Jesus declares that He is
rejected because the people have closed
ears. eyes and heart, and will not
hearken, look, nor feel. He who in any
age would know God must hearken not
only to His messengers and recorded
truth, but to Him.
Noah consented to the divine reign.
Many a man hearkens to God at the
first, becomes conscious Of His pres
ence recognizes obligation growing out
of his relation, and refuses to be ruled
of the Lord Ambition, selfish interest,
timidity. many things come between
him and his Lord, and he drifts away
from God, since he will not obey Him.
The consciousness of the divine pres
ence is always in a direct ratio to our
obedience; and, If we will not obey,
the very consciousness dies out of our
hearts. Noah knew no authority above
the voice of God, which is the voice OF
obligation in the heart. From God he
had been given a view of the depth
of sensuality and Wickedness into
which the people had sunk. From his
vantage ground of purity he could see
impurity and give himself to the best
work possible under the circumstances,
which was not the reformation of the
people, since God had pronounced the
case an incurable one, but rather to the
task of witnessing to his generation,
and building refuge for the saving Of
his house when the great catastrophe
should come, as come it must, for 50
God told him. He is the first clear ex-
ample of a prophet. Having been given
his mission, he begins his work against
all odds, as must the sons OF God eV-
erywhere.
Noah trusted God. This was habit
established in his first consent and
strengthened by constant practice. He
went against the current Of his time,
no easy matter. AS it was not easy In
Jerusalem for any man on the day OF
crucifXion to boldly declare for Jesus,
so it was difficult for any one to stem
the tide Of sensuality and godlessness
in the time of Noah. He faced doubt.
He must have gone over and over the
ground of his call and assured himself
OF the reality Of it. He was surrounded
by doubters who sneered and Knocked
as men always do at works of God
which they do not understand, and this
era of mockery continued according to
tionings never issued in actual doubt;
from every time of struggle he came
forth more assured Of his position and
pushed on his work. - s..--. W..
Questioning strengthens rather than
,weakenss Souls, if the questioning be
honest and deep and thorough, for
there must come forth a larger and
firmer faith. He faced the argument Of
appearances which OVerthrOWS the
faith CT. so many of the servants Of
God. According to that, there was no
precedent for the promised flood. There
had never been a flood. The order OF
nature seemed against it. No other one
expected it. How could one man be
right and the world be wrong? There
were no indications Of it; through all
these years there had been no threat
ening change in the level Of the seas,
no indication Of the breaking of the
fountains of the deep nor the opening
of the windows of heaven. HOW could
he be right? And yet so strong was
his trust in the God who had revealed
to him his message and mission that
he went right on, and finished this
mighty undertaking, a monument to
his undaunted faith:
For $50 days was he with his family
confined within. The disciples walked
the Master as He slept in the stern Of
the fishing boat, during a squall on a
little lake on which one could hardly
have sea room for a sail, crying out:
Master, carest thou not that we per-
ish?" But this hero Of God maintained
his faith through the paths of the deep.
Religion in it's best sense is not the
keeping of fast or feast days, the OBJ
servance of written codes, though all
these may be in line with the great
central truth, which is walking with
God If our reading Of this noble life
be right, then it includes hearkening
to the divine voice, consenting to the
divine reign, obedience to the will Of
God and trust in God that enables the
one who has come into conscious COM
munion with Him to overcome all OBJ
stacles and walk with God in sunshine
and in storm.
TOM AND JERRY.