Sermons of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, Series 4

Christ always taught by parables. Hence the popularity and the power of his teaching. The masses never were, and, perhaps, never will be, able to receive instruction in any other way than by parabolic illustrations. He who would be a successful minister must open his mouth in parables; he who would win the hearts of the multitude must closely imitate his Master, and preach in parables which all men can understand. I believe there are few living men who are able to devise a parable. Those who do possess this rare ability are very scarce indeed; nor do I myself profess to belong to the honorable confraternity. I have sometimes endeavored if it were possible to fashion a parable; and though I found it easy at times to manufacture a figure, yet a parable I can by no means make. I am happy to say it is not required of me to do so, for the book of God’s word, if it be rightly used, is suggestive of a thousand parables; and I have no reason to fear that I shall be short of subjects for preaching, when I am able to find such mighty parables as I do in God’s word. I shall preach to you this evening a parable. It shall be the parable of the ark. While I do so you must understand that the ark was a real thing — that it was really made to float upon the waters, and carry in it Noah and his family and two of all flesh. This is a fact, not a myi;h. But I shall take this i-eal fact and use it as a parable. Making the ark represent salvation, I shall preach to all who are sound of my voice the parable of the ark. The ark which saved from the floods of water is a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ as the means of salvation, by whom multirades of all flesh are preserved, and saved from perishiug in the floods of eternal perdition.

I. First, then, in working out this parable I shall reraaik, that there is but one means op salvation. The ark of gopher wood in the one case, and the person of Christ in the other case, sets forth the one only means that was ever planned or provided by God. The whole world was drowned except those happy ones who were fund in the ark. The mightiest beast and the tiniest insect, the stately elephant and the loathsome reptile, the fleet horse and the creeping snail, the graceful antelope and the ugly toad — every Uving substance that was upon the face of the ground was involved in one common doom, save those only who were preserved alive in the ark. The noblest animals, endowed with the finest instincts, were all drowned, despite their powers of swimming (if they were not fish), save those only who were sheltered in the ark. The strongest winged fowls that ever cut the air were all wearied in their flight and fell into the water, save those only who were housed in the ark. The proudest tenants of the forest, those who ranged fearlessly in the broad light of day or those who prowled stealthily under the cover of night, the strongest, the mightiest, all were swallowed up in the vast abyss, Bave those only who were commanded by God to hide themselves within the shelter of the ark. Even so, in the application of my parable, there is only one way of salvation for all men living under heaven. There is only one name whereby chey can be saved. Wouldst thou be saved, rich man? There is no way but that whereby the poverty-stricken pauper is also to be saved. Wouldst thou be delivered, thou man of intelligence? Thou shalt be saved in the same way as the most ignorant. There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved, but Jesus Christ and him crucified. There were not two arks„ but one ark: so there are not two Saviours, but one Saviour. There was no other means of salvation except the ark: so there is no plan of deliverance except by Jesus Christ, the Saviour of sinners. In vain you climb the lofty top of Sinai; fiA.een cubits upwards shall the waters prevail. In vain yon

TILE PAKAJJLE OF THE AUK. t

climb to the highest pinnacles of your self-conceit and your worldly merit: ye shall be drowned — drowned beyond the hope of salvation; for “other foundations can no man lay than that which is laid — Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Would those of my congregation be saved? They must all be saved by one way. Do they object to Christ as the plan of salvation? Then they must be damned, for there is no other hope for them. Do they think this too hard? do they think the revealed plan of salvation too humbling? Then they must sink, even as the sons of Adam sank beneath the mighty flood, and all flesh was utterly consumed by the overwhelming billows. There is but one way. Enter into the ark: take refuge in Christ. Thus only can ye be saved. But, “how shall ye escape, if ye neglect so great salvation?” By what means shall ye secure your souls, or your bodies either? What plans can ye devise for your security? Your refuges shall prove to be refuges of lies; the whids, the rain, the hail, and the tempest shall destroy them. There is one Saviour, but there is only one. There is one Jesus who saves his people from their sins, but there is no other name and no other means of salvation. The ark stood alone, and even so doth Christ Jesus.

II. Proceeding with my parable, I must direct your attention to TUE SIZE OF THIS AUK; this may be comforting to you. If you read the 15th verse of the Gth chapter, you will find that the ark was of immense size. “The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fitly cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.” It is an old objection of infidels that there was not room enough in it for all kinds of creatures that lived on the face of the earth; but we know, on Divine authority, that if there were not room enough in it for all the different kinds of creatm’es which were then alive, they would have been drowned; yet of every kind some were safely housed, so that room enough was found for them all. This is not very logical, perhaps, you will say, but it is conclusive enough for us, if we believe in revelation. Yet the)”e really is no reason for any one to make the objection, and we have no room to entertain it, since the most eminent calcu i THE PAllABLE OF TUE AUK.

lators have proved to demonstration, that the lessei c&lied the ark was of immense size, and was able not meiely to hold all the creatures, but all the provender they would require f?2 the year during which it floated on the water. I use this idea, without stopping ;o expound it further. Let me but trace its analogy as a beautiful picture of the plan of salvation — Oh! what a capacious plan! The ark was a great ark which held all kinds of creatures; and our Christ is a great Refuge, who saves all kinds of sinners. The ark was an im mensse vessel — in it floated a multitude of animals who were saved j Christ’s salvation is an immense salvation, and in it there shall be delivered a multitude which no man can number. The narrow-minded bigot limits salvation to his own contracted notions, and he still says, “There shall none be saved, except they walk arm-in-arm with me,” Poor, little, miserable soul 1 he cuts his coat according to his own fashion, and declares, that if men do not all cut their coats in the same way they can not be saved. But not so the Bible. The Bible preaches a great salvation. It says there is a multitude that no man can number, who shall stand before the throne of God. Here is assembled a multitude of sinners; but if you all feel your need of a Saviour, there is room enough for you in heaven. Here is a multitude of hearers; but if every one of you this night should come to Christ witV real penitence in your hearts, and belief in Him, you would not find that there was not room enough for you. That saying is still true, “And yet there is room.” There is not room enough for a pharisee, for a man who does not feel himself a sinner, for a hypocrite, no, nor yet for a formalist; but there is room enough for every convinced sinner under God’s heaven. There has been room enough hitherto, and we have never yet heard of saints complaining that they were cramped for room; but rather, I have heard them say in the words of David, “I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me, and aet me in a large place.” They have ever found abundance oi room in Christ, and so shall you. Our Redeemer is able tt save to the uttermost them that come unto him. He is able to save all of you. If the Father that hath sent him draw you, and 7011 come unto him, doubt not there is room. D not think, beloved, because we preach election, that we preaci the election of a few. I find that this is a common mistake. Some on 3 will say to me, “I don’t like your Calvinism, sir because it says that there are a few elected, and that nobody else will be saved.”

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