The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-20
, ~~>H%>~>>~~~<>> .
; NOAH SAVED IN THE ARK. . (Gen. viii: 1-22)
. . H~~~ IVY -

Context-The brief outline of antedi- luvian times given in Genesis was III tended to show the consequences VI sin. Expelled from Eden Adam oeneid for thousand years his lniqulty as 1t appeared in bis posterity. tEx. xx, 5 Abel, one of his sons. who worsnip- ped, God with an acceptable sacrince' was slain by his brother who ned into another land and raised up children or corrupt lives. AS the centuries passed this evil race filled the earth with violence and blood until the mercy and patience of God were exhausted. (Gen. vi. 5 And yet the world was not wholly given to wickedness. seth, born after AbeI,s death, became the father of righteous people. called the sons of God. (Gen vi. 9 whosce suc- cessiYes generations preserved the primitive faith and covenant. The Almighty at last resolved upon ex- tissne measurdSato destry the wicked and to repeople the earth by one man and his sons who found favor with Him. Noah built an ark by Divine direction. gathered into it his household with one pair of every living thing. The rest of the world perished. The
 subsistence of the waters and Noah's
 return to land form our lesson today. Assuaged-(Verses 1, ?, 3 Whether
 the flood was general or local, point about which there has been much con- lecture. is fmmaterial-it certainly covered the inhabited portion of the globe. which might then have been a
 small area in Western Asia. The ark that floated on the deep had a precious cargo, all that had been saved out of
 the general rain. God does not forget
 His covenant, (Ex. ii.24) and He will
 fulfill His promise made to this patriarch in whom centers the hope of
 the future. (Gen. vi, 1S) Natural means
 were employed to reduce the wide
 sweep of waters to their accustomed boundS-a wind was made to pass over them. It is well known that 'py changes In temperature atmospneric currents are produced, and under thelr influence moisture is taken up Wnlch has been precipitated. CEx. xiv, 2l) The rain ceased. The clouds carried tnelr contents away to distant parts. sim ultaneously the earth fountains that had poured forth their contents were stopped. The waters were assuageo. Rested-For six months and ten days Noah had been in the ark. For forty
 days the rain had descended, gradually bearing the great vessel from its moor ings. For one hundred and fifty days
 it had been on the water expanse, no other object visible to human eyes. Sufficient time had elapsed for one or our modern steamships to make twenty trips across the Atlantic. All this time eight souls were at the mercy Of the elements, in a craft that would not now be regarded ea-worthy, managed by men who knew nothing of naviga- tion. There must have been some
 misgivings in the minds of the man of faith. Weary with his confinement he may have wondered what his fate
 would be. Butnevery such trial must have thrown him back upon the
 promise which had induced him to
 make the voyage from the old world to the new. At length the ark rested on a peak of Ararat. one or the moun-
 tains of Armenia.
 Opened-CVenses 6 to 9 The situation
 was still one of extreme peril. Fear may well have filled the stoutest heart There Is no evidence, however,
 that any supernatural measure was
 employed to relieve the suspense Of the imprisoned family. They needed to
 learn lessons in the school of faith. in
 which the time element was important.
 Ham iii, 25) Forty days more Of walt
 ing passed. How shall Noah inform
 himself of conditions in the outside
 world? He had no glass by which the
 eve might reach distant places to dls-
 cover land. He might not himself go
 forth to explore. A place had been
 prepared in the roof by Divine dlrec-
 ton (Gen. VI. 16) probably to admit air and light, and possibly to take on-
 servations of the heavens, furnishing
 an upward and not sidewise or
 Ic -1Hya1 nnanpd and
 n dove. the most gentle of all the
 birds Luke i!i 22) was thrust into the outer air. to go forth and bring word
 again. But the beautiful messenger
 found no place to rest and soon re-
 turned.
 lPlucked-(ersesV 10, Il, 12) Noah was
 still left to his own Judgment and re- sources to determine the time and the
 mode of his action. He appears 10
 have reasoned that a world must De
 made ready for the lower animals be-
 fore it is suited to be the abode Of
 man. So God Himself had decided at
 the creation (Gen. i, 25. 26) A whole
 week was therefore passed in the ark
 after the doves return, when she was again sent forth on her errand or ex-
 ploration. The unselfish little creat-
 ure. as If moved with sympathy Tor
 her protector. returned to him In the evening bearing an olive leaf which
 she had plucked. This mute express
 sion was the best that could be given.
 showing that vegetation had begun to
 appear, and that therefore the world was being prepared for animals and
 men. (Gen. i, 29, 30) One week later, or
 fourteen days after Ararat had been
 touched. the dove was again sent out. but she returned not. having found con-
 ditions for her support.
 Dried-CVerses 13 and 1D The flight of the dove was enough to convince
 Noah that the work of restoring the
 world for it's inhabitants had begun.
 Her passage from place to place, at in tervals resting on the branches of
 shrubs, was an emblem of the peace
 which God intended to spread over
 valleys and hill-sides when they ap-
 peared. (Gen. ix' ID So the Holy Spirit
 brooded over the ancient chaos. (Gen. i, 9 It takes long time for submergr
 ed ground to be fit for the foot of man.
 And therefore Noah waited long until
 the elements had perfected the condi-
 tions Days heightened into weeks and
 weeks into months. 1t was not until
 Gods chosen servant had reached the
 six hundred and first year of his life
 thas-xAep earth was dried. And then
 he WaNed a4other month, probably to complete alfs arrangements. Thus a
 whole year elapsed (Gen. vii, ID after his entrance. The sun in his move ments had returned to the same place
 in the heavens when nature was ready to receive the post-diluvian man.