Olney Hymns · Chapter
The Flood explained
This poem uses the metaphor of a flood formed by small drops of rain to illustrate the cumulative danger of sin.
What happens
This poem uses the metaphor of a flood formed by small drops of rain to illustrate the cumulative danger of sin. It warns that even seemingly minor sins can combine into a destructive force that overwhelms the soul, and that only by building one's life on the foundation of Jesus Christ can one withstand the coming judgment.
Themes in this chapter
Human Sinfulness and Depravity
The poem illustrates how even small sins accumulate into a mighty flood that can destroy the soul, underscoring the inherent sinfulness of humanity.
Grace and Unmerited Favor
The poem points to Jesus as the only foundation for hope, implying that salvation is a gift of grace rather than earned by works.
Characters to notice
- Jesus Christ
The only sure foundation, the Stone in Zion, on which sinners must ground their hope.
- Sin
Personified as a flood that drowns the soul when accumulated.
Key passages
“Through small the drops of falling rain If one be singly view’d, Collected, they o’erspread the plain. And form a mighty flood.”
Individual raindrops seem insignificant, but when they gather together, they can cover the land and create a great flood.
The opening metaphor sets the stage for the poem's warning about the cumulative power of sin.
“Thus sinners think their evil deeds. Like drops of rain, are small; But it the power of thought exceeds To count the sum of all.”
Sinners believe their sins are as trivial as individual raindrops, but the total number of their sins is beyond human comprehension.
This stanza directly applies the flood metaphor to the accumulation of sin.
“One sin can raise, though small it seem. A flood to drown the soul; What then, when countless million stream— Shall join to swell the whole!”
Even a single sin, though it appears small, can be enough to damn a soul, so what will happen when millions of sins combine to increase the flood?
The poem emphasizes the severity of even one sin and the overwhelming danger of a lifetime of sin.
“Oh! then on Jesus ground your hope. That Stone in Zion laid; Lest your poor building quickly drop With ruin on your head.”
Therefore, place your hope in Jesus, the cornerstone laid in Zion, so that your life's structure will not collapse and destroy you.
The concluding stanza offers the only remedy: faith in Christ as the secure foundation.