November 3

An Ark to the saving of his House.—Heb. xi.—7.

THE ark which Noah prepared, and by which he and his house were saved from the flood of waters, strikingly exhibits to us, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Saviour of the world. The ark was of divine origin and construction. The whole was the result of divine design and contrivance. Jesus was also God's gift to the world. Salvation by his obedience and death, resulted entirely from the all-wise, and infinitely gracious designs of God. Jesus too was formed by the mysterious overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, and thus constituted for the glorious work he had to effect. The ark was long preparing, and the coming of Jesus was intimated by prophets, for thousands of years before his glorious advent was announced. The ark was for the salvation of Noah and his house; Jesus for the salvation of all believers, for the household of his sanctified church.

The ark was a complete instrument of safety; Jesus is a complete Saviour, able to save to the uttermost, all who come unto God, by him. It was requisite to be within the ark, and none but such, escaped the destroying flood; so we must be experimentally within Christ, or perish for ever. Those within the ark after being tossed on the waters, rested on Mount Ararat, and they became the inhabitants of the new world—so all who are in Jesus, after enduring the storms of the tempest-wrought sea of life, rest safely on Zion's celestial mount, and become the inhabitants of the heavenly world, for ever and ever. To those thus preserved, God presented the rainbow, as a token that they should not be destroyed by another flood; in heaven, the inhabitants behold the blessed Jesus, with a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. How happy all they who are thus in Christ. Let the spaciousness of the ark induce us to invite all around us, to hasten into it, that they may escape from the wrath to come.