The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-09-04

| TO support my family. l thought that by
] one false entry, by one deception, by one
embezzlement. i might spring out free
from all my trouble, and the temptation
/ came upon me so fiercely / could not de-
liberate. | did wrong. and having done
wrong once | could not stop" Oh, IL Is
the first step that costs; the second rs cas-
Ter, and the third, and on to the last.
| Once having broken loose from the anchor
it is not so easy TO tie the parted strands.
| How often il is that men are ruined for
the reason that the temptation comes from
some unexpected quarter. AS vessels lie
! in Margate roads, safe from southwest
winds but the wind changing 10 the
| northeast they are driven helpless and 90
| down. Oh, that God would have mercy
upon those upon whom there comes the
sudden swoop of temptation lest they per-
| ish, becoming castaways! castaways
BY talking with sea captains i have
| found out also that ZONE vessels come to
this calamity through sheer recklessness.
| There are 100000 men who follow the
sea for living 1t is simple fact that
the average OF human life on the sea is
less than twelve years This comes from
the fact that men by familiarity with dan
ger sometimes become reckless-the cap
tain, the helmsman, the stoker, the man
on the lookout become reckless, and in
nine out of ten shipwrecks it is found out
that some one was awiully TO blame. So
/ have 10 tell YOU that men are morally
shipwreckcd through sheer reCklessness.
There are thousands who do not care
where they are in spiritual things. They
do not know which way they are sailing,
and the sea is black with piratical hulks
that would grapple them with hooks OF
steel and blindfold them, and make them
walk the plank" They do not know
what the next moment may bring forth.
Drifting in their theology. Drifting in
their habits. Drifting in all their future.
No God, no Christ, no settled anticipa-
tons OF eternal facility; but all the time
coming nearer and nearer 10 dangerous
coast. Some OF them are on fire with evil
habit and they shall burn on the sea, the
charred hulk tossed upon the barren
beach. Many of them with great troub-
les. financial troubles, domestic troubles,
social troubles; but they never pray for
comfort. With an aggravation OF sin they
pray for no pardon. They do not steer for
the light ship that dances in gladnesS at
the mouth OF heavens harbor; reckless as
TO where they come out, drifting farther
from God, farther from early religious in
tluences, farther from happiness; and
what is the worst thing about il is they
are taking their families along with them
and the way one goes the probability is
they will all 60. Yet no anxiety. As un-
conscious of danger as the passengers
aboard the Arctic one moment before the
Vista crashed into her. Wrapped up in
the business OF the store, not remember
ing that soon they must quit all their
earthly possessions. Absorbed in their
social position, not knowing that very
soon they will have attended the last levee
and whirled in the last schottsche. They
do not deliberately choose TO be ruined;
neither did the French frigate Medusa
aim for the Arguin banks, but there it
went TO pieces. | wish | 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 will
ing to become a staway? You throw
out no oar. You take no soundings. You
watch no compass. You are not calculat-
ing your bearings while the wind is abaft
and yonder is a long line of foam bound
ing the horizon, and you will be pushed
on toward it, and thousands have persisted
there. and you are driving in the same di-
rection. Ready about Down helm
Hard down. Man the life-boatl Pull,
my lads, pull "He that being often re-
proved hardeneth his neck shall be sud
denly destroyed and that without rene
dy" But some of you are saying within
yourselves: "What shall l do?" Do?
Do? Why, nv brother, do what any ship
does when it is in trouble. Lift distress
signal. On the sea there is a flash and a
boom. You listen and you look. yes
sci is in trouble. The distress gun is
sounded, or a rocket is sent up, or blan-
ket lifted or a 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 sinnerw Peter lifted the distress signal
when he said: "Lord, save me, / perish :"
The blind man lifted the distress signal
when he said: "Lord, that my eyes NAV
be opened" The jailer lifted the distress
signal when he said: what must | do
to be saved?" And help will never come
to your soul unless you lift some signal.
You must make some demonstration, give
some sign, make some heayen-piercing
outcry for help lifting the distress signal
for heavens pardon. Pray. Pray! The
voice of the Lord now sounds in your
ears. "In Me is thy help" Too proud to
raise such a signal, too proud to be saved.
There was an old sailor humping about
in a small boat in a tempest The larger
vessel had gone down. He felt he must
die. The surf was breaking over the boat,
and he said: 81 took off my life-belt that
it might soon be over, and thought some
what indistinctly about my friends on
shore, and then 1 bid them goodbye like.
and / was about sinking back and giving
it up when / saw a 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 somehow. ]
cannot tell how it was, but somehow,
while | was trying to watch that star, it
seemed to help me and seemed TO lift me"
oh, sinking soul, see you not the glimmer
between the riffs OF the storm cloud?
This is the star of hope.
"Death-struck. ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly arose-
Is was the star OF Bethlehem
Ifthere are any here who consider them
selves castaways, let me say God is doing
everything 10 save you. Did you ever
hear of Lionel Luken :? He was the in
ventor of the Interchangeable life-boat. All
honor is due 10 his memory by sea-faring
men. as well as by landsmen. How many
lives he saved by his inventionl In after
DAYS that invention was improved.
and one day there was a perfect life
boat, the Northumberland, ready at
Ramsgate. The life-boat being ready, to
test il the crew came out and leaped on
one side to see If the boat would upset
II was impossible 10 upset it. Then, amid
the huzzas OF excited thousands, that boat
was launched and IL has oona and