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The waters assuage.

Noah sendeth forth the raven and the dove.
7 And he sent forth a raven
which went forth to and fro,
until the waters were dried up
from off the earth.

1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged.

2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;

And the waters returned from off the earth continually and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.

5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains

seen.

6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:

8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;

9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark.

10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark ;

11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.

12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.

LECTURE 17.

Whilst we wait for heaven, we must enquire and pray. They that go down to the sea in ships must oftentimes be depressed with a sense of loneliness and risk; when they find themselves embarked on the mighty ocean, with nothing to be seen besides sea and sky. But there is a country to which they are bound, there is a home which they have left, and to which they hope to return. Not so Noah, and his family, in the ark. The whole earth was under water. And they knew, that as they floated on that boundless waste, the home which they had left was now no more, and there was no other to which their course could be directed. Whither then could they turn for comfort and support? And on what could they found their hope of escaping, in the end, the united horrors of imprisonment and want? All may be summed up in these few affecting words, "And God remembered Noah." He who had shut them in was able to let them out. He who had

bidden them build the ark for their safety, would never make it the means of their destruction.

And

"And God remembered Noah," and in Noah He remembered his covenant. In that ark was the promised seed of the woman, there was the father of the forefathers of the mother of our Lord. therefore it was needful that mankind should once more replenish the earth, that a Saviour might be born, and be put to death, for our redemption. And therefore also did God remember, for Noah's sake, "every living thing that was with him in the ark." God had but to remember, and the flood was stayed. God had but to desire it, and "the waters asswaged." Those from below ceased to burst forth. Those from above ceased to pour down. And a wind was made to pass over the earth such as caused each to return unto their place. "The waters were abated." "The ark rested." The waters continued to decrease. The tops of the mountains were seen. God works by means; but He who makes the means, could, if He thought fit, work the effect without them. Little then can it concern us to enquire, how the waters were abated by the wind, whence they came, or whither they returned. It is enough for us to know, that He who created all things for his pleasure, having destroyed the earth by a flood, did in his good time make the flood to cease, and the dry land once more

appear.

And now many an impatient soul would have been eager to rush out of the ark, and to enjoy what is falsely called liberty, the being free when God would have us be confined. But God had not yet commanded Noah to go out; and therefore he waited contentedly within. And yet, contented though we ought to be in the tabernacle of the flesh, as long as God is pleased to have us live on earth, yea and also thankful for whatsoever restraints it pleases Him to lay upon us therein, yet we may do well with Noah to look out for a better state, to open our window, God's word, and see, are we or are we not yet meet for heaven? to send forth those winged messengers, our prayers, and ask, "Lord, let me know mine end, and the number of my days," Ps. 39. 5, say when shall I flee away and be at rest, when shall I be with Thee for ever? Noah, whilst he waited for God's commands, used the most fitting means he could devise for his own information and guidance. In the great change which we expect, let us spare no pains to learn whither we are going, and to secure that we may go whither we could wish. But we must at the same time look to God for our direction by the way. And when the time of our deliverance shall arrive, it is to Him that we must say, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace." Luke 2. 29.

Noah goeth forth out of the ark; offereth sacrifice to the Lord.

13 And it came to pass in the six hundredth and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off the earth: and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.

14 And in the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dried. 15 And God spake unto Noah, saying,

16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee.

17 Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon

the earth.

18 And Noah went forth, and

his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him :

19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.

20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

LECTURE 18.

How we ought to offer thanksgiving to God.

It was nearly a year since the flood began to prevail, and nearly half a year since the waters had been assuaging, when Noah "removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry." And yet he waited a whole month and twenty seven days more, until the earth was thoroughly dried. For not till then did God speak unto him, "saying, Go forth of the ark." "And Noah went forth." How pleasant it is to place the commandment of God, and the obedience of his servant, thus close together! How profitable would Noah's example be to us, if we would hence learn to go whithersoever God bids us go, as well as to wait whensoever God bids us wait. Patience and contentedness under the dispensations of God, form but half our duty. Zeal and activity in God's service, these ought we to exercise continually, and not neglect the others. "Arise therefore, and be doing," 1 Chron. 22. 16, as David said to Solomon, when he would urge him to begin building the temple at Jerusalem. Be

not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. See Rom. 12. 11. "Thou and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee." See that thy whole family is engaged in well doing. "Bring forth with thee every living thing that is with thee." Let no creature which God has placed at thy disposal be idle. And then the more they multiply, and the more thine own family is increased, God shall so much the more be glorified.

"And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar." As it was said before, in accommodation to our notions, that "God remembered Noah," so we see here that Noah had not forgotten God. Else he would have been more eager to prepare for his own comfort, than to offer an acknowledgment to God for his goodness; he would have built first his own abode, and afterwards "an altar unto the Lord." He would have reasoned that it would be waste, when there were but seven pair of each clean beast and fowl surviving, to slaughter one of each in sacrifice. But that is never wasted which is devoted to God's honour. And Noah knew, that the Lord to whom he offered these burnt offerings, had made all things out of nothing, and could replenish the earth with abundance of living creatures, by means of six pair, as readily as by seven. Let us remember, that the way to lay up treasure is to lend it to the Lord, by giving it unto those whom He commands us to relieve. Let us remember, when we have escaped from danger, ghostly or bodily, the first thing we have to do is to offer praise to God, even the fruit of our lips, giving thanks unto his name by Jesus Christ our Lord. See Heb. 13. 15. Christ is the Lamb without spot, whose death was foreshewn by the burnt offerings of old. He it was, who, as the apostle writes, "hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour." Eph. 5. 2. This was the sweet savour which arose from the burnt offerings of Noah. And it was for the sake of Christ in those offerings foreshewn, that we must suppose God to have resolved not again to curse the ground, as He had done in the flood, however evil the imaginations of man's heart might be. The seasons shall never be again confounded. All things shall continue as they were from the creation. But let not the wicked hereupon presume. This is only "while the earth remaineth." The earth will not remain for ever. "The heaven and the earth which are now," are but "kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Pet. 3. 7.

God blesseth Noah; and establisheth his covenant.

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the

fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

LECTURE 19.

We ought to value the tokens of the new covenant in Christ. These blessings of Noah appertain unto ourselves. To us is given the earth that we may replenish it; fill it with those who make it full of the praise of God. To us is given the dominion over all other living creatures in this our world, and we are

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