Noah's Flood 2
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"Well, we do not know ourselves about that yet, perhaps we may by-and -by; we are thinking of it; we have taken the matter into very serious consideration, and we think it to be a very proper thing to do, a very right thing to do, but at the same time, it is hardly convenient yet; we will wait a little longer." "Why," says one, "I am not married yet." And another says, "There is a banquet to be held on such-and-such a day; I must go to that; you know men must eat and drink, and therefore I am not going into the ark just yet." Well, now, these good-meaning, procrastinating people, who were postponing and putting off, what became of them? Did one of them escape?
Alas! no; when the flood came it took them all away. What, not save one of them, those who would be right if they had a little longer time? Not spare those who have good resolutions in their throats, who are almost persuaded to be Christians? No, not one of them; they all went down in the common wreck, and perished in the universal destruction, for good resolutions save no man unless they are put into practice. Almost persuaded to be a Christian is like the man who was almost pardoned, but he was hanged; like the man who was almost rescued, but he was burned in the house. As old Henry Smith says, "A door that is almost shut is open; a man that is almost honest is a thief; a man that is almost saved is damned."
O take heed of that, you halters between two opinions! you awakened but not decided! you aroused but not converted! Noah's friends perished, his very dearest friends who were not in the ark, when the flood came it swept them all away; and so must you, our sons and daughters, if you give not your hearts to the Lord.
So, to close this recapitulation, you have often been told that the very workmen who worked for Noah, and who were, no doubt, paid their wages, or they would not have worked, perished also. They helped to saw the wood, to lay the keel, to drive the bolts, to put in the oakum, to use the pitch, to strengthen the timbers, but after all that they had done not one of them escaped. And so the chapel-keeper, the pew-opener, the elder, the deacon, the minister, the bishop, the archbishop, all those who have had a function in the church, who have had something to do with the good staunch vessel of Christ's gospel, except they themselves be in Christ by a living faith, they must perish as much as the despisers and the outcasts. Here, then, is the solemn thought: all out of Christ lost; all in Christ saved; all unbelievers perishing; all believers preserved in him. Here is a rule without an exception. Very briefly we shall now have to speak upon a second subject.
II. It appears that when the flood came it found them all eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, and according to the text, this also was a rule without an exception. Is it not a very solemn thing that it is so now, that without any exception the mass of mankind are still neglectful of their souls, still busy about their fleeting interests, and negligent of eternal realities?
There are no exceptions to this rule among natural men. Gracious men care for these things, but all natural men are like these men in the days of Noah. While I was musing this afternoon I felt surprised at it. I said to myself, What, not one man in Noah's day that was anxious to be saved in the ark-not one? Why, the population of the globe is supposed by some to have been greater at that time than it is now. Owing to the extreme length of years to which men then lived the deaths were fewer, and the population increased more rapidly, and yet out of them all was there not one that sought after God naturally- not one? It was an extraordinary thing that there was not one who would believe in the reiterated prophecies of Noah, and find a shelter in the ark.
But is it not more strange still, only it is strangely true, that out of all the unregenerate, until they are quickened by divine grace, there is not one who cares to flee to Christ? "You will not come unto me that you might have life," is a rule of universal application. Men will not come to Christ, but had rather perish in their sins than come and put their trust in him.
I suppose the reason lies in three things. First, there is men's universal indifference about their souls- a wanton carelessness about their noblest part, their truest selves. But that is a strange thing! A man is always earnest about his life- "Skin for skin; yes, all that a man has will he give for his life." If a man thinks he is likely to perish by burning, what cries he will raise! What exertions he will make to get out of the room! If he is near to drowning, how he kicks and struggles! If he is sick, how quickly he sends for the doctor, and how anxious he is to get the best advice within his reach, so that his life may be preserved! And yet the preservation of his highest life seems to be to him a matter of no consequence at all! Every thinking man must feel that his true self is his spirit, his soul- that his body is not he himself, but simply a sort of garment that he wears, a house in which he lives; and yet men spend their time from morning until night in finding clothes and food for this outside house, but the tenant that dwells within is, poor creature! quite forgotten. That is odd, is it not?
Does it not seem to prove that man is degraded into something less than a reasonable creature by his sin, so that he acts like a beast? When a man has to live but a little time in this world, he wishes to be happy in it. If a man only stops for an hour in an inn, what a noise he makes if the chimney smokes, if the tablecloth is not clean, if chores are not done to a turn; and while he knows that his better self must live forever in another world, he does not concern himself about that world, or whether he shall be happy in it or not! Strange! It is strange; it is passing strange; it is incredible!
It is a miracle of madness that men should be so indifferent to the interest of their souls, their immortal souls, that they should go to sleep, not knowing whether they will wake up with the never-dying worm, or arise to enjoy with Jesus the surpassing splendors of eternity. Yet this indifference is universal. O brethren, you and I have need to pray that God would stir this dead sea, that he would speak with his quickening voice, and make men alive to these spiritual things, or else in the graves of their indifference they will rot forever!
The second reason for this indifference lay, no doubt, in universal unbelief. Is it not a strange thing that they did not one of them believe Noah? Noah was an honest man; some of them had known him for many years, ay, for hundreds of years they had known him, for they lived so long then. He spoke like an honest man. He preached with vehemence and power, but not one believed him, not one soul believed him so as to escape from the wrath to come, not one! Now that is odd, for as I have said before, no lie that was ever told was so incredible but what somebody or other was found to believe it, much more should some be found to receive the truth.
Yet here was a truth that looked so probable, on account of the sin of man, and yet nobody was found to believe it, but they universally rejected it.Even so it is with the gospel of Christ. We come and tell our fellow men that the Son of God was made flesh to redeem men, that whosoever trusts in him shall be saved. But they will not believe it, though we have proved it, hundreds of us, thousands of us, and we tell them as solemnly and as earnestly as we can, that we have tasted and handled of these things, that they are not cunningly devised fables, but are in very truth, most precious and proven realities; and yet, without the grace of God, there is not a single one, high or low, rich or poor, that will so believe as to try for himself; but they shake their heads and go on their way, and universally live and die in unbelief, unless sovereign grace steps in. A strange thing, a marvelous thing! "Jesus marveled because of their unbelief," and well may we marvel because of the universality of this sin.
Then a third cause for this general indifference was, that they were always and altogether given to worldliness. The text seems to hint that they did not think of preparing for the coming flood because they were so busy in the base enjoyment of mere eating. Some of them were gluttons, and others who did not eat so much, yet ate right well when they did eat, and daintily. They were worshiping that god that Paul speaks of- the belly.
Alas! good feeding ruins many, and men dig their way to hell with their teeth! Like brutes, they care only to be filled. Others were drunkards. Ah! how merry were they in their cups! How they judged a glass of wine, and told its age to a year! They were bent upon swallowing hogsheads of dainty liquor. They were drowned, like Duke Clarence, in their buckets of wine. No doubt they had, in their way, their Lord Mayors' feasts, and their Aldermens' and Companies' dinners, and I know not what besides, and they were all so occupied with these things, these crying necessities of the life of swine, that they did not and could not think of anything superior to that.
They were married and given in marriage; this was a serious business, and must be attended to- how could they forsake their wedding feasts and their newly-married brides? These things engrossed all their thoughts. And yet, friends, and yet, what was the use of eating and drinking, when they were to be drowned the next day? and what was the use of being married, when they were to be drowned on the morrow? If they had looked at these things in the light of faith, they would have despised them; but they only used the bleary eye of sense, and thus they set great store upon these present things of mirth. Ay, and so it is with the wicked man nowadays.
He gets rich, but what is the use of being wealthy if you must be damned? Fool that he is, if he buys a gold coffin, how would that help him? Suppose he is laid out with a bag of gold in each hand, and a pile of it between his legs, how will that help him? Others seek to get learning, but what is the good of learning if you sink to perdition with it? Take up the learned man's skull, and what is the difference between that and the skull of the merest pauper that scarcely knew his letters? Brown unpalpable powder, they both crumble down into the same elements. To die in a respectable position, what is the use of it? What are a few more plumes on the hearse, or a longer line of mourning coaches? Will these ease the miseries of Tophet?
Ah! friends, you have to die. Why not make ready for the inevitable? Oh! if men were wise, they would see that all earth's joys are just like the bubbles which our children blow with soap; they glitter and they shine, and then they are gone, and there is not even a trace left behind. O that they were wise to enter the ark, to look to Christ, so that when the floods arise they might be found safe in him.
Here, then, comes this general rule, never to be too much lamented, and which ought to make every Christian's heart break with heaviness, thatuniversally and everywhere, in the very presence of the coming judgment, and between the very jaws of death and hell, the whole human race remains indifferent, unbelieving, worldly, and still will so remain until the flood of fire comes and sweeps them all away. Thus will they all sport until they perish, unless eternal love prevent.
III. The last consideration shall be but very briefly handled, but it is a very comforting one, namely, that ALL WHO WERE IN THE ARK WERE SAFE.Nobody fell out of that divinely-appointed refuge; nobody was dragged out; nobody died in it; nobody was left to perish in it. All who went in came out unharmed. They were all preserved in it; they were all safely brought through the dread catastrophe. The ark preserved them all, and so will Jesus Christ preserve all in him. Whoever may come to him shall be secure. None of them shall perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hand.
Think what strange creatures they were that were preserved! Why, there went into that ark unclean animals two and two. May God bring some of you who have been like unclean animals unto Christ; great swine of sin, you have wandered farthest in iniquity and defiled yourselves- yet when the swine were in the ark they were safe, and so shall you be. You ravens, you black ravens of sin, if you fly to Christ he will not cast you out, but you shall be secure. If electing love shall pick you out, and effectual grace shall draw you to the door of that ark, it shall be shut upon you and you shall be saved. Within that ark there was the timid hare, but its timidity did not destroy it; there was the weak cony, but despite its weakness, in the ark it was all safe. There were to be found such slow-moving creatures as the snail; some darkness-loving creatures like the bat, but they were all safe; and the mouse was as safe as the ox, and the snail was as safe as the greyhound, and the squirrel was as secure as the elephant, and the timid hare was as safe as the courageous lion- not safe because of what they were, but safe because of where they were, namely, in the ark.
Oh! what a medley the Lord's people are! what strange beings! Some few of them fathers, but not many; the great mass of them little children, who, though they should have grown are still very carnal, and only babes in Christ instead of full grown men. Yet all safe; all alike in security, however much they may differ; varying temperament, but unvarying security; differing in experience, but the same in oneness to Christ, and all in him. "Wherefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ;" and so we have, whether we be great or small.
"To us the covenant stands secure,
Tho' earth's old columns bow;
The strong, the feeble, and the weak,
Are one in Jesus now."
When the storm beat upon the ark it might have destroyed the lion quite as soon as the mouse, but it destroyed neither, because the sides of the ark could bear the tempest; and when the floods came the vessel could mount higher, and higher, and nearer towards heaven, the deeper the waters were. So with us: let storms and furious tempests come and our sins assail us, and our sorrows too, yet we who are weakest are quite as secure as the strongest, because we are in Christ, and Christ shall outlive the storm, and bear us upwards, nearer and nearer to the heaven of God.
May God grant us grace to be found of him in peace in the day of the Lord's appearing, when the elements shall melt, and the skies be rolled up like a scroll. As I have already said it all hangs upon that question, "Do you believe in Christ?" If your heart trusts Christ you are safe, come what may; but if you rest not in him, you are lost, come what will. God save you, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
"Come to the ark, come to the ark; To Jesus come away: The pestilence walks forth by night, The arrow flies by day. Come to the ark: the waters rise, The seas their billows rear While darkness gathers over the skies, Behold a refuge near. Come to the ark, all, all that weep Beneath the sense of sin Without, deep calls unto deep But all is peace within. Come to the ark, before yet the flood Your lingering steps oppose; Come, for the door which open stood Is now about to close."
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