Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-11-28

Rev. 4. De Witt Tai mage, the Brooklyn
divine spent the Sabbath at Brindisi, Italy
and addressed an interested audience on the
text-Acts xvii, "A: "And so it came TO
pass, that they escaped all safe to land"
Dr. Talmage said
Having visited your historical city,
which we desired TO see because It was the
terminus of the most famous road of the
ages, the Roman Appian Way, and for its
mighty fortress oSershadowing city
which even Hannibars hosts could not
thunder down, we must tomorrow morning
cave your harbor. and after touching at
Athens and Corinth, voyage about the Medi-
terranean to Alexandria, Egypt. have been
reading this morning in my New Testament
OF Mediterranean voyage in an AleXan-
drian ship. IL was this very month OF No
vember. The vessel was lying in "A port not
very far from here. On board that vessel
were two distinguished passengers; one
Josephus, the historian, as we have strong
reasons 20 believe; the other, convict one
Paul by name, who was going to prison for
upsetting things, or, as they termed it.
turning the world upside down" This
convict had gained the confidence OF the
captain. Indeed, / think that Paul knew
almost as much about the sea as did the
captain. He had been shipwrecked three
times already; he had dwelt much OF his
life amidst cnpstans, and yardarms, and
cables, and storms; and he knew what
he was talking about Seeing the
equinoctial storm was coming, and
perhaps noticing something unsea-
worthy in the vessel, he advised the
captain TO stay in the harbor. But hear
the captain and the first mate talking to-
gether. They say: I'VE cannot afford to
take the advice of this lundsman, and ho
minister. Ee may be able to preach very
well, but don't believe he knows mar
linespike from IA luff tackle. All aboard
Cast off, Shift the helm for Roadway!
Who fears the Mediterranean They had
gone only little way out when whirl-
wind, called Euroclydon, made the torn
sail its turban, shook the mast as yoi
would brandish spear and tossed the
hulk into the heavens Overheard with
the cargol IL is all washed with salt
water, and worthless now; and there are
no marine Insurance. companies. All hands
ahoy, and out with the anchors!
Great CONSERVATION comes on crew and
passengers The sea monsters snort in the
foam, and the pillows clap their hands m
glee of destruction. In a lull OF the storm
hear "a CHI lin clank. IL is the chain Of the
great apostle as he walks the deck, or holds
the ship-the spray dr. piping from his long
beard as he cries out TO the crew: NOW
/ eXhort you to be of gooi cheer: for there
shall Do no loss OF any mans life among
you, but for the ship. For there stood by
me this night the angel OF God, whose
am, and whom / serve, saying, Fear not,
Paul; thou must be brought before Ces ":
and, 10, God hath given thee all them that
sail with thee"
Fourteen days have passed., and there is
no abatement of the storm IL is midnight.
Standing ON the lookout, the man pears into
the darkness, and by flash Of lightning,
sees the long white line OF the breakers, ana
knows they must be coming near TO some
country, and fears that in few moments
the vessel will be shiverel on the
rocks. The sh p flies like chat in the tor
nado, They drop the sounding line, and by
the light of the lantern they see it is twenty
fatnoms. Speeding along little farther,
they drop the line again. and by the lantern
they see il is fifteen fathoms. Two hun
dred and seventy.six souls within few feet
of awful shipwreckl The managers
OF the vessel, pretending they want
10 look over the SIDE Of the ship
and I'm Ter grid H. get into the small
boat, expecting in it to escape; but Paul
sees through the sham, and he tells them
that If they 20 off in the boat it will BE- the
death Of them. The vessel strikes The
vessel parts in the laundering SURGE oh,
what wild struggling for life! Here they
leap from plank to plank Here they so TN
der as if they would never rise, but catching
hold OF a timber come floating and painting
on 1t to the beach. Here, strong swimmers
spread their arms through the waves until
their chins plough the sand, and they rise
up and ring out their wet locks on the
beach. When the roll OF the ship is called
two hundred and seventy. six people answer
TO their names. "And So saws my text
"it came to pass that they es ,aped all safe
to land"
learn from this subject:
First that those who get us into trouble
will not stay to help us out. These ship
men got Paul out OF Fair Heavens into the
storm; but as soon as tho tempest dropped
upon them, they wanted TO go of in the
small boat, caring nothing for what became
OF Paul ana the passengers. All me human
nature is the same in all ages. They who
get US into trouble never stop to help us
out They who tempt that young man
into life OF dissipation will be the first TO
laugh at his imbecility, and to drop him out
OF decent society. Gamblers always make
fun OF the losses Of gamblers They who
tempt you into the contest with fists, say
ing, ~ will back YOU" will be the first to
run. Look over all the predicaments of
your life, and count the names of those
who have got you into those predca-
ments, and tell me the name of one
who ever helped you out. They were
glad enough to get You out from Fair
Ravens, but when, with damaged rigging.
you tried TO get into harbor, did they hold
for you plank or throw you a rope
Not one. Satan has GOT thousands of men
into trouble, but he never got one out. He
led them into theft, but he would not hide
the goods or bail out the defendant The
spider shows the fly the way over the gos.
samer bridge into the cobweb; but il never
shows the fly the way out of the cobweb
over the gossamor bridge. / think that
there were plenty of fast young men 10
help the prodigal spend his money; but
when he had wasted his substance in
riotous living, they let him go to the swine
pastures, while they betook themselves to
some other new conner They who take
Paul out OF Fair Havens will be OF no help
TO him when he gets into the breakers of
Melita
remark again, as lesson learned from
the text that it is dangerous to refuse the