sins,
Could blast us in an hour.

IX.

THE FLOATING ARK.

The waters lifted up the ark,
Majestic it did ride
Above the swelling, surging waves,
Along the rolling tide.

The freight of life it bore along,
Secure from every harm;
And though the tempest raged without,
Their hearts knew no alarm.

To God in humble earnest prayer,
They sent their feeble cry,
And He with power and love did look,
Down from His throne on high.

And while the raging waves did roar,
And swift destruction bring,
Jehovah sheltered them beneath
The shadow of His wing.

The ark Jehovah guided through
The vast unmeasured deep;
And all the life therein reposed
He did in safety keep.

It floated o'er the valleys low,
And o'er the highest hill,
For high the waters rose, and thus
Obey'd the Almighty Will.

How strong that hand that can protect,
When danger rages round;
The mercy of our Father God,
Doth every where abound.

And those who put their trust in Him,
And to Him ever pray,
Will find it is the safest thing
His counsel to obey.

X.

THE DROWNING WORLD.

Now let us for awhile return
And see the startled world,
With all its pride and all its sin
Swift into ruin hurl'd.

The waters now are rising fast,
And men are in despair;
They can themselves no succur find,
No ear now hears their prayer.

They once derided him who preached
To them the coming wo,
But now no voice cries out, Repent;
Ah! whither shall they go?

The ark to them is firmly closed,
They cannot enter in;
They see the flood is rising round;
They perish in their sin.

Not highest trees can shelter them,
Nor mountain caverns hide,
For caves and heights are fill'd and lost,
As onward sweeps the tide.

Ah! would that they had heard the word
That faithful Noah preach'd;
Accepted of Jehovah's grace
Which he to them out-reach'd.

But now, alas! it is too late;
No human power can save
A single soul from perishing,
Beneath the flooding wave.

Oh! let us not provoke our God;
But of His grace partake;
And feel our sins are blotted out
For His own mercy's sake.

XI.

THE ARK RESTS ON ARARAT.

For