Matthew 24:38-39

And took them all away.

The moral of accidents

I. What are we to think? Let us now collect and enumerate a few thoughts that we ought to think when we are considering sad things that happen.

1. How many accidents are but slight as to the hurt they do in comparison with the service of the lesson they teach.

2. From how many things “going to happen” we are saved when loss and danger appear imminent.

3. How manifest and honourable are the work and courage of man in averting accidents, and in lessening the harm they do.

4. How incessant is the beneficial operation of the great natural laws, and how varied in kind is their benefit.

5. How careless and untrue is the work of many men; how needful is it that they should have a warning they will heed. And how often, after all, does the right accident happen obviously at the right time and to the right kind of person.

6. How certain it is that unfaithfulness in work will bring disasters, small and great, which are misnamed when we ca!l them “accidents;” for, though we knew not, we might have known that they were sure to happen. And-

7. How certain it is, too, that, if anything favourable to us unexpectedly occurs, we shall not be able to take advantage of it unless we are men of some resource and some character.

II. We come now to our second question: what are we to do? What are we to do, then? We are not to eat, drink, and marry, careless of the way in which we do these things, and unmindful of our duty to God in them, as if the world, that can take care of itself, would take care of us without any good heed of our own. We are to ask and get answered the question, “What must I do to be saved? “ Let us, seeing that so much we have may at any time be the prey of the spoiler, store up the inconsumable, imperishable riches. Many men have lost their lives by accident; no man ever lost his soul by accident. (T. T. Lynch.)

Noah’s flood

Three rules without an exception-

I. “the flood came and took them all away.”

1. Many in that time were wealthy. Not one rich man could escape with his hoards.

2. There were some in those days who were extremely poor. The pauper out of the ark perished as well as the prince.

3. There were in those days learned men in the world. Their knowledge could not deliver them.

4. There were many who were very zealous in the cause of religion. Their outward religion of no avail.

5. Some of the oldest men that have lived perished.

6. They wondered at Noah building his ark, as contrary to reason; criticised his building; some took his part; some worked for him. All out of Christ perished.

II. The flood found them all eating, drinking, and marrying-this without exception. The mass of men are busy about fleeting interests, and neglect the salvation of their souls. The reason-

1. Men’s indifference about their souls.

2. Universal unbelief.

3. That they were always and altogether given to worldliness.

III. All who were in the ark were safe. (C. H. Spurgeon.)