“As it Was in the Days of Noah.”
The word of God through his servant Noah had been rejected. He told of judgment; but they did not believe. He spoke of sin and ruin; but they were not convinced. He spoke of remedy; but they would not give heed. They went on with their own plans and speculations, and had no room for God. They acted as if the earth belonged to them by a lease forever. They forgot that there was a clause of surrender. They thought not of the solemn “until.” God was shut out. They thought, spoke, and acted for themselves. They did their own pleasure, and forgot God. My reader, remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, how he said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of man.” And albeit the voice of the scoffer may be heard saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” the moment is rapidly hastening on when the scoffers will get their answer. “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Pet. 3: 4, 10. This is the answer to the intellectual scoffers of the children of this world. Now, in whatever way we look at the future, from whatever point of view we contemplate it, whether the object which presents itself to the soul’s vision be the church in glory, or the world in flames, we must feel the unspeakable importance of attending to God’s present testimony in grace to lost sinners. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor. 6: 2. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” 2 Cor. 5: 19. He is reconciling now; he will be judging by-and-by. It is all grace now; it will be all wrath then. He is pardoning sin now, through the cross; he will punish it then in hell. He is sending out a message of purest, richest, freest grace. He is telling sinners of an accomplished redemption through the precious sacrifice of Christ. He is declaring that all is done. He is waiting to be gracious. “The long-suffering of our Lord is salvation.” “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Pet. 3: 9. All this makes the present moment one of peculiar solemnity. Unmingled grace declared! Unmingled wrath impending! How solemn! How deeply solemn! Men dream of a golden age; they feed upon the thought that “to-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.” But, oh! utterly vain are these thoughts and dreams. Faith can see the clouds gathering in the distance thickly around the world’s horizon. Judgment is coming, the day of wrath is at hand. The door will soon be shut. How needful, then, is it to raise a warning voice—to seek by faithful testimony to counteract man’s pitiable self-complacency. True, in doing so, we may be exposed to the charge which Ahab brought against Micaiah, of always prophesying evil; but no matter for that. Let us prophesy what the word of God prophesies, and let us do this simply with the purpose of persuading men. The word of God only removes from beneath our feet a hollow foundation, for the purpose of placing instead thereof a foundation which never can be removed. It takes away “a broken reed” to give us the “Rock of Ages.” He sets aside “a broken cistern which can hold no water” to set in its place “the fountain of living waters.” This is truest love. It is God’s love. He will not cry, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace,” nor “daub with untempered mortar.” He would have the sinner’s heart resting sweetly in his own eternal Ark of safety, enjoying present communion with himself, and fondly cherishing the hope that, when all the ruin, all the desolation, and all the judgments have passed away, it shall rest with him in a restored creation.—Ex.