My dear reader, have you this confidence in God? Have you gone into that ark of safety which he has provided, to secure you against a vastly greater evil than the deluge

was.

You know, he has told us, in the Bible, what a dreadful punishment will fall upon the wicked in the future world, who do not repent of their wickedness before they die, and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to save them.

Jesus Christ is our only ark of safety. God has provided it for us. He sent this Saviour into the world, that "Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

This ark of safety is all ready for those who will enter into it. The door is wide open. Jesus Christ is ready to receive all who will come to him, truly sorry for their sins, and trusting alone to what he did and suffered, for the forgiveness of their sins.

My dear reader, if you have not entered into this ark of safety; if you have not trusted in Christ,-delay to do it no longer. A deluge is coming,—the deluge of God's terrible displeasure against sin in the future

world. Fear lest it may overwhelm you in endless and hopeless ruin.

Now enter the ark of safety and let the Lord shut you in, to be safe for ever, under his almighty care.

STORY IX.

THE DELUGE CONTINUED.

ONE week after Noah and his family, and the different kinds of animals were safely lodged in the ark, the waters began to overflow the earth. “All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." Vast floods of water came from the innermost parts of the earth, breaking through, and bursting up, from the bottom of the ocean and seas; while the dark and heavy clouds poured down the rain in torrents.

It was probably in November that this dreadful scene began. How surprised and

terrified the wicked inhabitants of the world must have been to witness it. And, as the waters increased, and they had to leave the low grounds, and begin to ascend the sides of the hills and mountains, to escape from the danger that threatened them, they must have thought that Noah had indeed told them the truth, and that God was about to punish them for their wickedness.

"And the flood was forty days upon the earth and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth

and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered." That is, the waters arose, to be more than eight yards deep on the top of the highest mountains, so that no place of safety, even for a little while, was left for the miserable drowning inhabitants.

"And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast,

and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man,—and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark."

No one but Noah and his family escaped. Men, women and children,~all, all were buried in the waters. How terribly did this show the displeasure of God against sin. For remember, it was to punish the inhabitants of the world for their very great wickedness, that this dreadful calamity befel them.

At length God caused a powerful wind to pass over the earth, and he stopped the rain from descending, and the waters began to subside, or grow lower and lower, till the ark rested on the top of a high mountain, called mount Ararat. This was in April.

It was almost three months after this, before the tops of the mountains appeared. For it required a long time for such a vast body of water to find its way into the ocean, and into the caverns and hollow places of the earth.

But Noah was not in haste to leave the ark. He did not wish to do it till it was perfectly safe both for him and his family,

and for all the different kinds of animals, that they might find, without difficulty, their various places of residence, and the food that was necessary for them.

So he waited forty days from the time that the ark rested on mount Ararat, and then opened the window of the ark, and let a raven fly out of it, and go where it chose. He wished to see, in this way, whether the raven would find any food, or any convenient place to stay in. As it did not return at the end of a week, he sent forth a dove, to get some more certain information. But the dove, after flying about in many different directions, could find no good home, and came back again to the ark. And Noah "put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him in the ark."

After waiting another week, he sent out the dove again. And the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth."

At the end of one more week he sent out the dove again, and she did not return. Then Noah took off enough of the covering