A Bible Story, 


Old yet ever New.


Tell me a Bible story, mamma," asked

Wallie. "Tell about God's drowning the

old world. What for did he?" The people

were so wicked they would not try to please

God. "He was kind." 0 yes, for he let his warm

sun shine on their fields, and they had little 

brooks, and he gave them grapes and olives 

and corn and roses and lilacs.

"And did they have lambs?". Lambs and horses

and cows. God gave them everything to be good

and useful and happy with. But for all that they

never thanked God; they did not love and mind

him. They behaved naughty, and what was 

worse, they brought up their little boys and girls

 to be very naughty too. That grieved God very 

much, because he loves little children, and he

 wants them to love him.

"Did not God tell them he should punish them if

 they did so?" He sent good Noah to tell them. 

Noah tried every way to persuade them to leave

 off their evil ways; but they only laughed and

 made light of him. Then God told Noah to build a

 great covered boat. He cut down the trees and 

got out the timber, and the wicked carpenters, 

I dare say, helped him build it.

"That was good to help Noah." But as they had

no heart in the work, it did them no good. Finally

the ark was done. It had one door, and one little

window at the top. Then God sent elephants and

lions and every kind of creature, two by two to

Noah's yard, in order to be put into the ark. And

Noah got birds of all sorts, robins, orioles, doves,

sparrows, eagles, and they flew in at the 

window.

And all sorts of insects came. There was room

 for all. And Noah put in provender for the cattle,

 and corn and fruit for food. God made all those

 creatures gentle and peaceable, and willing to

 go.

"I suppose the wicked men said Noah was going

 to set up a menagerie." Perhaps so. Then Noah

 and his wife and his three sons and their wives 

went in, and God shut the door.

Black clouds filled the sky, and the drops fell

thick and fast. It rained and rained and rained for

forty days and nights, and the rivers began to

 rise,  and the water filled the roads and covered

 the fields, and rose higher and higher over the

 tops of the barns, and the tops of the trees, and

 the tops of the highest hills, until all the wicked

 folks were drowned, and it was only water, 

water everywhere.

"Noah was not afraid." Because he was safe in

God's hands. God can save people if they trust

him and do as he says.

"How long did they stay in the ark?" Almost a

whole year. Long after it had done raining, Noah

wished to know whether the water was drying 

up, so he went in among his birds and took a 

raven, and let it fly out of the window. The raven

 never came back. It is a fierce bird, and perhaps

 it did not like the ark.

When Noah found the raven did not return, he,

 went in to his birds again, and picked out a 

gentle dove and sent her forth. The little dove 

flew round and round, and not finding a branch to

 perch on, or rest for the sole of her foot, she 

thought of her little perch in the ark, and flew 

back. Noah heard her peck at the window, and 

he took his little bird in.

In seven days he let her fly out a second time.

0, what did she find? Some green trees. Did she

stay and hop on the branches, and dress her

 feathers, and sing in the beautiful sunshine, and

 forget all about Noah? That is what a bird who

 thought only of herself would do. But that was

 not what this kind little dove did. It picked a 

green sprig to carry back to Noah. It knew, I 

think, how it would please him, and she flew 

over the water as fast as her wings could carry

 her. Noah saw her coming. He saw what she had

 in her bill. Do you not suppose they were glad to

 see a green leaf again?

Yes, indeed.

Noah kept his dove seven days longer, and then

he let her go the third time. She never came back.

Noah knew by that there were green fields in

 plenty, and he waited God's leave to go out of

 the ark with all his large family. The ark at 

length stopped on mount Ararat, and God opened

 the door of the ark, and told them to come out.

 Do you notthink it was a happy day? How glad 

the lambswere to frisk in the fields again, and 

the cattle tochew a fresh cud, and the lions to 

roar in the forest, and the flies to buzz in the air, 

and the birds to build their nests among the 

leaves. 

These all, in their way, praise God. And Noah,

 what did he do? He built an altar, and offered an

 offering to God for his goodness and mercy, he

 and all his family.

0, it was so good to behold the blue sky and

beautiful dear earth again.

"Shouldn't you think the people would have been

afraid of another drowning?" God promised never

to drown the world again; but, lest they should

be afraid, he put a rainbow in the sky to keep us

 in mind of his promise. 0 how beautiful it is! How

bright the colors, red, yellow, green, blue.

Beautiful bow, in mercy given

A token of love to earth from heaven.

"But won't God punish wicked folks now?

asked Wallie. Yes, for the Bible says God is

 angry with the wicked every day." Then where

shall I hide, if I do naughty?" asked the little boy,

"In the bosom of Jesus Christ, our ark of refuge

from the storm," cried the mother, pressing her

little boy to her heart.



YI