Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1877-12-01
be held fast, whilst the stern would be
exposed 10 the force of the waves"

be held fast, whilst the stern would be
exposed 10 the force of the waves"
AT this point The soldiers. remember
ing that they We're answerablc for tier
prisoners With their lives, advised The
centurion to kill them ali, and I'm those
INSCRIPTIONS times this counsel might
have prevailed. but for the fact that the
centurion. conscious of the good that
Paul had done them, was resolved at all
hazZards to save his life. So he gave
command that those who could swim
should save themselves. and that the
rest should float ashore by the help of
boards and broken pieces of the slip.
land sO'it came 10 pass that they escaped
all safe TO land.' r5oac,ii..Is
We may learn the following lessons
from the subject:
i. Faith gires calm courage IN the hour
of danger. Paul's bearing tn, oughOut
this peril was noble, and it was all rooted
in his faith. We have had similar iu-
stances in modern times when no angel
stood yisibly by TO strengthen, and so the
faith Was even greater than that of
ihe apostle here. | can recall the story
the Kent, with its description of tile noble
narrative of the loss of the Pegasus. with
Morell MckiiIzie OH board, and which
described how he comfOrteu and sustain
ed all around him by lis cheering words;
anu We have not fOi gotten, and never
can forget, the touching descriptions OF
similar Christian calmness which were
given by the survivors of the Vile du
Havre. "Don't be frightened, mamma
M IIaln
1T will be moments struggle and then
We will be in heaven together" Whist a
blessing is such a faith in the hour OF
peril; but 10 have it tlen we must Sc
cure it now. oe. o3i
Ii. Faith is hot ashamed of dutJ.
Think OF Paul standing up alone amid all
those passengers and giving thanks 10
God before them all. If were a painter,
should like to put OIL canvas the scene
on the deck of that ship, as / see it now.
Those two hundred and seveniy-five per-
sons, all pale and careworn, standing
round the calm and rcassurihg apostle,
III the gray dswn, admit the pelting rain.
while with the bread in his hands he
lifts his voice above the roar OF the near
brakers and gives thanks to God. The
hardy, weathcrbeaten sailors 3nd stern
and rude soldiers are hushcd Into 1.-The
silence ot awe by his departments; the
passengers by his side know not what 10
make OF it all, and there are only Luke
and Aristarchus 10 say ''amen." But The
influence OF the act OF wOrehip has not
died out Yet. 1t was little thing 10 do,
the omission of it might have never beer
commented Oh, but the doing of it was
10 all around him ut the moment. and
has been TO all readers OF the story since,
L sermon on Christian gratitude ant!
Christian influence more eloquent than
the appeal Of the orator, and more con
vinciEg than the argument of the lOgi-
c:an.
Iii. Faith docs not feel itself dbsolued
from the use Of means. God told Paul
that they should all be saved from death.
but when he saw the sailors trying To
sneak away he said, Except these abide
we cannot be saved;" and i'm the after
history we see how needfu! they were in
The beaching Of tho ship. Faith is not
fatsllsm. Ii does not say: LII we are To
be saved, we are to be saved, no matter
what we do;" but rather: ..Since We are
to be saved, let us see what meaHs " are
to use tor our deliveranee."