Now there was a time when the Sea did not exist—when the ground which it now covers formed part of a lovely, extensive, and fertile plain. So lovely was this plain that it was likened to the garden of paradise, on account of its fertility. Everything which was pleasant to the eye and good for food grew there. There was one valley in this plain which was beautiful beyond all others; it was the vale of Siddim. In this vale were built the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, and some others. Now, the fertility of the ground caused the inhabitants of these places to be very rich and very idle. They forgot the goodness of God in placing them in such a lovely spot; and instead of thanking Him for His kindness towards them, they gave way to such a beastliness and licentiousness of conduct as one cannot think of without shuddering. Their very name lives to our times to designate all that is filthy and abominable in the conduct of men. They were not only licentious, they were proud; not only proud, they were greedy and uncharitable. Although they possessed in such abundance all that was necessary for the happiness and sustenance of man, yet would they not give anything to assist the poor and the needy. The Prophet Ezekiel says, "Behold this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom; pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness, was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, but was haughty, and committed abomination before Me." All the worst of sins in the greatest excess were to be found among these inhabitants of the cities of the plain.
At this time there was living among them a man of the name of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. One evening, as Lot sat in the gate of Sodom, two angels, in the form of men, appeared unto him. "And Lot, seeing them, rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night." They did not wish to enter; but Lot pressed them, and they went in, and he gave them some refreshment. That very night the angels communicate to Lot the intelligence that the Lord had sent them to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the cities of the plain, for the sins of the people had become so great that they were an abomination in the land. And the angels said unto Lot, "Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place." This awful news must have made Lot very anxious for the safety of his family, and accordingly he goes out and tells his relations, and bids them get up and leave the place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city. "But he seemed as one that mocked, unto his sons-in-law." Lot entreats them like a kind father who desires the safety of his children; but they only mock him in return—"Why should to-morrow differ from other days? Who ever saw it rain fire, or whence should the brimstone come? Or, if such showers must fall, how shall nothing burn but this valley?" "And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city." How destruction hunts the wicked! As soon as it is morning, Lot is told to hurry out of the guilty city, lest he should be consumed in its iniquity. Lot looks upon it, and thinks, perhaps, of his property which he must leave to perish. He looks, and lingers; but the angels "laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city." No sooner are they beyond the walls of the city than the angels say unto him, "Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed." The command terrifies Lot. "Escape to the mountain—to a wild, barren, desert spot, where I cannot find food to eat, and where the wild beasts may destroy me? I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die. Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one. Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live." The prayer of Lot is graciously accepted. "See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar." As Lot enters the little city of Zoar the sun is shining. Everything was as usual. The sun is shining upon the cities and the beautiful vale of Siddim. The inhabitants, heedless and careless as before, are wantoning and revelling. Suddenly the windows of heaven are opened, and floods of fiery rain pour down upon the guilty cities and all within them. The ground takes fire; the wicked inhabitants fly, shrieking, from place to place, but all too late. The swift devouring flames follow them, and in a short time the cities, the people, all that was fair to look upon in the vale of Siddim, even the solid earth itself, are in a blaze! Presently a noise like that of thunder is heard. The earth, like some huge animal, opens wide its mouth; the cities sink into its jaws and are swallowed up; floods of water, filled with sulphur, rush over the place where they stood, and nothing is seen but a thick cloud of smoke rising from the water. That water is the Dead Sea.
These were not all the horrors of that dreadful day. Lot escaped into Zoar, but his wife, who was behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. The angel had told them not to look back. God was at that time showing her the greatest mercy, yet, contrary to His commands, she looked back, and became a pillar of salt. It may be that the swift flames overtook her as she loitered, or that God, offended at such ungrateful disobedience, punished her on the spot by immediately turning her into a pillar of salt. It matters not to us which way it was. In either case it was the result of disobedience.
THE BIBLE AND ITS CLAIMS.
I do not know whether you have seen Mr. Smiles' life of our late friend George Moore, but in it we read that, at a certain dinner-party, a learned man remarked that it would not be easy to find a person of intelligence who believed in the inspiration of the Bible. In an instant George Moore's voice was heard across the table saying boldly, "I do, for one." Nothing more was said. My dear friend had a strong way of speaking, as I well remember, for we have upon occasions vied with each other in shouting when we were together at his Cumberland home. I think I can hear his emphatic "I do, for one." Let us not be backward to take the old-fashioned and unpopular side, and say outright, "I do, for one." Where are we, if our Bibles are gone? Where are we if taught to distrust them? If we are left in doubt as to what part is inspired and what is not, we are as badly off as if we had no Bible at all. I hold no theory of inspiration. I accept the inspiration of the Scriptures as a fact. Those who thus view the Scriptures need not be ashamed of their company, for some of the best and most learned of men have been of the same mind. Locke, the great philosopher, spent the last fourteen years of his life in the study of the Bible, and when asked what was the shortest way for a young gentleman to understand the Christian religion, he bade him read the Bible, remarking, "Therein are contained the words of eternal life. It has God for its Author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any admixture of error, for its matter." There are those on the side of God's Word whom you need not be ashamed of in the matter of intelligence and learning; and if it were not so, it should not discourage you, when you remember that the Lord has "hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes." We believe, with the Apostle, that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men." It is better to believe what comes out of God's mouth, and be called a fool, than to believe what comes out of the mouths of philosophers, and be therefore esteemed a wise man.—C. H. Spurgeon.
MANKIND'S MISTAKES.
It is a mistake to labour when you are not in a fit condition to do so.
To think that the more a person eats the healthier and stronger he will become.