The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-11-29
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
The Brooklyn Preacher Delivers a
Sermon at Brindisi.
The PeriIs of the Sea illustrated by PauI's
Experiences and Those of the Nara
tOr-The Christians Voyage and
His BesetmEnts.


Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage delivered
the following sermon at Brindisi, after
= weeks travel through the historic
portions of Italy. His text was:
And so It came to pass that they escaped
all safe to land.-Acts xvii, A.
Having visited your historical city,
which we desire to see because it was
the terminus of the most famous road of
the ages, the Roman Appian Way, and
for it's mighty fortress overshadowing a
! city which even Hannibal's hosts could
not thunder down, we must tomorrow
morning leave your harbOr, and after
touching at Athens and Corinth, voyage
about the Mediterranean to Alexandria,
| Egypt. was reading this morning in
my New Testament of Mediterranean
voyage in an Alexandrian ship. It was
this very month of November. The YES
sci was lying in port not very far from
/ here. On board that vessel were two
disting uished passengers; one, Josephus,
the historian, as we have strong reasons
| to believe; the other, a 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, l think that
Paul knew almost as much about
the sea as did the captain. He
had been shipwreclked three times al
ready; he had dwelt much of his life
| amidst capstans, and yardarms, and
| cables and storms; and he knew what
he was talking about. Seeing the equi-
nOctial storm was coming, and perhaps
noticing something unseaworthy in the
vessel, he advised the captain to stay in
the harbor. But hear the captain and
the first mate talking together. They
say: eve can not afford to take the ad-
vice of this landsman, and he is minis
ter. He may be able to preach very
we'll, but 1 don't believe he knows a
marlinespike from a huff tackle. All
aboard! Cast off Shift the helm for
| Roadway! Who fears the Mediterra-
nean?' They had gone only little
way out when whirlwind, called Euro
ClydOn, made the torn sail its turban,
shook the mast as you would brandish a
spear, and tossed the hulk into the
heavens. Overheard with the cargo! 1t
is all washed with salt water, and worth
less now; and there are no marine in
surance 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 in glee of destruction. In lull
of the storm 1 hear a chain clank. i
is the chain of the great apostle as he
walks the deck or holds fast to the rig
ging amidst SSe lurching of the ship
the spray dripping from his long beard
as he cries out to the crew: ''NOw I ex
hort you to be of good cheer; for there
shall be no loss of any mans life among
you, but of the snip. For there stood
by me this nigh the angel of God
, Whose I am, and Whom I serve, saying
Fear not, Paul; thou must be brough
before Cesar and, 10, God hath give1
thee all them that sail with the"
i Fourteen days have passed, and there
= is no abatement of the storm. 1t i
midnight. Standing on the lookout
the man peers into the darkness, and
by a flash of lightning, knows the,
must be coming near to some country
and fears that in a few moments tn
vessel will be shivered on the rocks
The ship flies like chaff in the tornado
, They drop the sounding line, and by tn
light of the lantern they see it is twent
fathoms. Speeding along littl
further, they drop the line again, an
by the light of the lantern they see it
fifteen fathoms. Two hundred and se1
enty-six souls within few feet of awfU
shipwreck.
The managers of the vessel, pretend
ing they want to look over the side {
the ship and undergrad it, get into tn
small boat, expecting in it to escape; bU
Paul sees through the sham, and h
tells them that if they go off in the boa
> it will be tho death of them. The vei
sci strikes! The planks spring! TIL
timbers crack! The vessel parts in tn
laundering surge! Oh, what wild strug
Cling for life! Here they leap frol
], plank to plank. Here they go under Z
If they would never rise; but, catchin
hold of a timber, come floating an
s painting on it to the beach. Herr
strong swimmers spread their arm
through the waves until their CHR
pillow the sand, and they rise up an
\ | wiring out their wet locks on the beacl
When the roll of the ship is called, tv
hundred and seventy-six people answ,
to their names. "And So" says my tex
sit came to pass that they escaped a
safe to land"
!. l learn from this subject:
First, that those who get us in
N trouble will not stay to help us on
~ | These shipmen got Paul out of Ea
Id Ravens into the storm; but as soon
the tempest dropped upon them the
$500 wanted to 60 off in the small boat, ca
ing nothing for what became of Pa
and the passengers. All, me! huma
"a nature is the same in all ages. The
who get us into trouble never stop
help US out. They who tempt tn
young man into life of dissipation wi
be the first to laugh at his imbecili
and to drop him out of decent societ
- Gamblers always make fun of the loss
-, of gamblers. They who tempt you in
,es the contest with fists, saying: Il wi
Of back YOU" will be the first to run. Loo
to over all the predicaments of your lif
at and count the names of those who ha-
les got you into those predicamepts, al
Cd. tell mo the name of one who CIV
nd helped you out. They were 81;
ed enough to get you out from Fa
Ravens, but when. with damaged ri
ging, you tried to get into harbor,
N, they hold for you plank or throw yoU
rope? Not one. Satan has got tho
sands of men into trouble, but he new
. got one out. He led them into the
but he would not hide the goods or b;