Milford chronicle., 1889-08-30


By talking with sea captains have found
out also that some vessels come 10 this ealam.
ity through sheer recklessness There are
three million men who follow the sea for a
living. It is a 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 danger sometimes be
come reckless-the captain, the helmsInan,
the stoker, the man on the lookout, become
reckless, and in nine out Of ten shipwreclls il
/ is found out that some one was awfully to
blame. So have TO tell you that men are
morally shipwrecsed through sheer reckless.
ness 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 regard to all their future. No
God, no Christ, no settled anticipations of
eternal felicity; but all the time coming
nearer and nearer to a dangerous coast
Some Of them are on fire with evil habit
and they shall burn on the sea, the charred
hulk tossed up on the barren beach Many
troubles, domestic troubles, social troubles;
but they never pray for comfort With
am 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 further from God,
further from early religious influences,
further from happiness; and what is the
worst thing about it 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 unconscious of danger as the
passengers on board the Arctic one moment
before the Vesta 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 schottische. They do not delibeI.
ately 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 willing to becomea castawayi You
throw out no oar. You take no soundings
You watch no compass. You are not calcu-
AALAli5 JbuA bSttl Wits Inc Wllu Is uUlLI,
and yonder is a long line of foam bounding
the horizon, and you viii be pushed on tow
ard it, and thousands have persisted there
and you are driving in the same direction
Ready about Down Eelml Hard down!
Nan the life boatl Pull, my lads, pull! He
that being often reproved hardeneth his neck,
shall be suddenly destroyed and that without
remedy" But some of you are saying within
yourselves: ''What shall | DOR Dol Dol
Why, my brother, do what any ship does
when it is in trouble. Lift a distress signal !
On the sea there is a flash and a boom You
listen and you look. vessel is in trouble .
The distress gun is sounded, or a rocket |
is sent up, or a blanket is lifted, or a /
bundle Of rags-anything to catch the eve I
of the passing craft So if you want to he .
taken or the wreck of your sin, you must /
lift distress signal The publican lifted the /
distress signal when he cried: "God be mer-
ciful to me sinner" Peter lifted the dis /
tTeSs signal when he said. Lord, save me,
perish" The blind man lifted the distress
signal when he said: Lord that my
eyes may be opened" The jailer lifted the
distress signal when he said: "What must .
do to be saveds" And help viii never come
to your soul until you lift some signal. You
must make some demonstration, give some
sign, make some heaven piercing outcry for
help, lifting the distress signal for the
chureh's prayer, lifting the distress signal
for heavens pardon. Pray Pray The
voice of the Lord now sounds in your ears:
I'm me Is thy help Too proud to raise
such signal, too proud to be saved.
HOPE, BLESSED HOPEl
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 hesaid;
Il took of my life belt that it might soon be
over, and thought somewhat mdistinctly
about my friends on shore and then l bid
them good-by alike, 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,
md it seemed to take right hold Of me; and
somehow, cannot tell how it was, but some
how, while | was trying to watch that star,
it seemed to help me and seemed to lift me-
D, sinking soul, sec you not the gimnIer be
tween the riffs Of the storm cloudl That is
the star Of hope.
Deathstruck, ceased the tide TO stem,
When suddenly a stare arose;
II was the star Of Bethlehem
If there are any here who consider them
selves castaways, let me say Cod is doing
everything to save you. Did you ever hear
If Lionel Lukeni He was the inventor Of
he insubmergible lifeboat. All honor is
iue to his memory by seafaring men as well
As by landsnen. How many lives he saved
by his inventionl In after days that inven-
aon was improved, and one day there was
perfect life boat, the Northumberland. ready
1t Ranhgate The lifehoat being ready, to
est it the crew came out and leaped on
he gunwale on one side to see if
he boat would upset. it was impossible to
upset it, Then, amid the huzzas Of excited
housands that boat was launched, and it
las gone and COME, picking up great many
# the shipwrecked. But l have to tell you
OF a grHnder launching, and from the
Try docks OF heaven. Word came up that ,
world was beating on the rocks. In the pres
nee Of the p5sentates Of heaven the life boat
II the worlds exemption was lauTehsd 1t 6
hoved Of de- golden sands ami '~r-i'- %"
anna The surges of darkness beat against
IS bow, but it sailed on, and it comes ia Z
light Of us this hour. It comes for you, it
ZONES for ne. SOUL SOUL get into it. Make
ne leap for heaven. Let that boat 90 past
md your opportunity is gone.
SAVED SAVED
| AM expecting that there will be whole
antilles here who will get into that life boat
n 1888 the Isabella came ashore Of Hastings.
England The air was filled with sounds
he hoarse sea trumpet, the crash of the axes
nd the believing Of the tornado boat ,
rom the shore came under the storm Of the .
disabled vessel There were women and chill I,
ren on board that vessel Some Of the sail
rs jumped into the small boat and said:
Now give rs the children father who
TODD on deck took his first born and threw
i'm to the boat. The sailors caught him
afely, and the next, and the next, to the
lst. Still the sea rocking, the storm howl
ng Nov, said the sailors. "now the mo
her. and she leaped, and was saved The
oat wentto the shore; but before it got to the 1
bore, the landsnen were 50 impatient to help c
he snffe,.in, peonle fiat tho, u,oaad clsar S
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