Connecticut western news., 1889-08-28

put. drifting further from God, further from early religious influences, further from hap pint ss: and what is the worst thing about 1t is, they are taking their families along with them, and the way one goes, the probability is they will all go. Yet no anxiety. As un- of danger as the passengers aboard the Arctic one moment before the Nesta crashed into her. Wrapped up ill the busi- ness of the store, not remembering that soon they must quit all their earthly possessions. Absorbed in their social position, not know ing that very soon they will have attended the last levee, and whirled in the last schot- tische.. They do not deliberately choose to Medusa aim for the Arguin banks, but there it went to pieces. 1 wish 1 could wake you up. The perils are so augmented, you will die just as certainly as you sit there unless you bestir yourself. Are you willing to become a casta- way? You throw out no oar. You take no You watch no compass. You are not calculating your bearings while the wind is abaft, and wonder is a long line of foam bounding the horizon, and you will be pushed on toward it, and thousands have perished there, and you are driving in the same direction. Ready about! Down hem Hard down! Man the life boat! Pull, my lads, pull! '' He that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall be suddenly destroyed and that without remeuy. But some O1 you are say Ing Wltu- in yourselves: :. What shall do?'' Do? Do? Why, my brother, do what my ship does when it is in trouble. Lift a distress signal On the sea there is flash and boom. You listen and you look. A vessel Is ln trouble. The distress gun is sounded, or rocket is sent up, blanket is lifted, or bundle of rags-anything to catch the eye of the passing craft. So if you want to be taken off the wreck of your sin, you must lift distress signal. The publican lifted the distress signal when he cried: ..God, be merciful to me a sinner" Peter lifted the distress signal when he said: ''Lord, save me, I perish!' The blind man lifted the distress signal when he said: "LOrd, that my eyes may be opened" The jailer lifted the dis tress signal when he said: ''What must do to be saved?" And help will never come to your soul until you lift some signal. You must make some demonstration, give some sign, make some heaven-percing outcry for help, lifting the distress signal for the church's prayer, lifting the distress signal for heavens pardon. Pray! Pray! The voice me is thy help." Too proud to raise such Q signal, too proud to be saved.
 There was an old sailor humping about in a small boat in tempest. The larger vessel had gone down. He felt he must die. The surf was breaking over the boat, and he said |: 'I took off my life belt that it might soon be over, and I thought somewhat indistinctly about my friends on shore and I bid them good-by like, and I was about sinking back and giving it up when l saw bright star The clouds were breaking away, and there that blessed star shone down on me, and it seemed to take right hold of me; and some how, I cannot tell how it was. but somehow, while was trying to watch that star, it seemed to lift me-" O, sinking soul, see you not the glimmer between the rifts of the storm cloud? That is the star of hope.
 Deathstruck, ceased the tide to stem,
 When suddenly a star arose,
 It was the star of Bethlehem
 If there are any here who consider them selves castaways, let me say God is doing of Lionel Luken? He was the inventor of the insubmergible life boat. All honor is due to his memory by seafaring men, as well as by Iandsmen. How many lives he saved by his invention. In after days that inven- tion was improved, and one day there was a perfect life boat, the Northumberland, ready at Ramsgate. The life boat being ready, to test it the crew came out and 1eaped on the gunwale on one side to see ii the boat would upset; it was impossible to upset it. Then, amid the huzzas of eX- cited thousands, that boat was launched, and it has gone and come, picking up great many of the shipwrecked. But have to tell you now of grander launching, and from the dry docks of heaven. Word came up that world was beating on the rocks. In the presence of the potentates of heaven the life boat of the worlds redemption was launched. It showed off the golden sands amid angelic hosanna. The surges of dark ness beat against it's bow, but it sailed on, and it comes in sight of us this hour. It comes for you, it comes for me. S0ull soul get into it.. Make one leap for heaven. Let that boat go past and your opportunity is gone.
 I am expecting that there will be whole families here who will get into that life boat. In 1883, the Isabella came ashore of Hast ings, England. The air was filled with sounds-the hoarse sea trumpet, the crash of the axes, and the believing of the tornado. A boat from the shore came under the stern of the disabled vessel. There were women and children on board that vessel. Some of the sailors jumped into the small boat and said: '.Now give us the children" Afather who stood on the deck took his first born and threw him to the boat. The sailors caught him safely, and the next, and the next, to the last. Still the sea rocking. the storm bowling. 'Now, ,"said the sailors, ''now the mothers" and she leaped
 and was saved. The boat went to the shore
 but before it got to the shore, the landsmer
 were so impatient to help the suffering peo pie that they waded clear down into the sur1 with blankets and garments, and promises o1 | help and succor. So there are whole families | here who are going to be saved, and saved
 altogether. Give us that child for Christ
 that other child, that other. Give
 us the mother, give us the father
 the whole family. They must all come in. All heaven wades in to help you
 I claim this whole audience for God. picl
 not out one man here nor one man there;
 claim you all. There are some of you who
 thirty years ago, were consecrated to Chris
 by your parents in baptism. Certainly an
 not stepping over the right bound when
 claim you for Jesus. Then there are man.
 here who have been seeking God for
 good while, and am I not right in caimin!
 You for Jesus? Then there are some her
 who have been further away, and yol
 drink, and you swear and you bring III
 your families without any God to take car
 of them when you are dead. And I clain
 you, my brother; I claim all of you. Yol
 will have to pray sometime; why not begil
 now, while all the ripe and purple cluster o
 divine promise bend over into your cup
 rather than postpone your prayer until you
 chance is past, and the night drops. and tn