The Russellville Democrat., 1889-09-05

support my family. I thought that by | one false entry, by one deception, by one 1 embezzlement 1 might spring out free | from all my troubles; and the temptation came upon me so fiercely I could not de- liberate. l did wrong, and having done wrong once, could not stop"
 l O, it is the first step that costs; the | second is easier; 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 it is that men are ruined for the reason that the tempta- 1 tion comes from some unexpected quar- | ter. As vessels lie in Margate roads, safe from southwest winds; but the wind changing to the northeast they are driven helpless and go down. 0, that God would have mercy upon those upon whom there comes the sudden swoop of temptation, lest they perish, becoming castaways castaways
 By talking with sea captains have found out also that some vessels come to this calamity through sheer recklessness. There are three million men who follow the sea for living. 1t 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 become reckless the captain, the helmsman, the stoker the man on the lookout become reckless, and in nine out of ten shipwrecks 1t is found out that some one was awfully to blame. So have to tell you that men are morally shipwrecked 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 hnlks that would grapple them with hooks of steel and bliudfold them, and make them 'walk the plank" They do not know what the next moment may bring forth.
 Drifting ln their theology. Drifting in their habits. Drifting in regard to all Of their future. No God, no Christ, no set tied anticipations of eternal felicity but all the time coming nearer and nearer to a dangerous coast. Some of them are on fire with evil habits, and they shall burn on the sea, the charred hulk tossed up on barren beach. Many of them with great troubles, financial troubles, domestic troubles, social troubles; but they never pray for comfort With an aggrayation of sin they pray for no pardon. They do not steer for the lightship that dances ill gladness at the mouth of Heayen's har- bor; 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 go. Yet no anxiety. As unconscious of danger as the passengers aboard the Arctic one moment before the Vesta crashed into her.
 Wrapped up in the business of the store, not remembering 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 deliberately choose to be ruined; neither did the French frigate Medusa aim for the Ar guin banks, but there it went to pieces. I wish could wake you up. The perils are so augmented, you will die just as certain as you sit there unless you bestir yourself. Are you willing to become a castawayp You throw out no oar. You take no surroundings. You watch no compass. You are not calculating your bearings while the wind is abaft and wonder is 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 helml Hard down? Man the life boatl Pull my lads, pull
 He that being often reproved hard eneth his neck, shall be suddenly de- stroyed, and that without remedy"
 But some of you are saying within your- selv es: What shall l doD Do? Do? Why brother, do what any ship does when it is in trouble. Lift a distress sig nal. On the sea there is a flash and a boom. You listen and you look. A vessel is in trouble. The distress gun is sound- ed, or rocket is sent up or blanket is lifted, or bundle of rags-any thing to catch the eye of the passing craft. So, if you want to be taken of the wreck of your sin you must lift a distress signal. The publican lifted the distress signal when he cried:
 God be merciful to me a sinner W
 Peter lifted the distress signal when he said: ''Lord, save me, perishW
 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 sayed"
 And help will not come to your soul until you lift some signal. You must | make some demonstration, give some sign, make some Heaven piercing out cry for help, hfting~the distress signal for the church's prayer, lifting the dis tress signal for Heavens pardon. Pray Prayi The voice of the Lord now sounds 1 in your ears:
 In me is thy help"
 Too proud to raise such signal too | proud to be saved.
 nm 1.Il f1,.4V,a .fr,fr about in a small boat in a tempest. The | larger vessel had gone down. He felt he l must die. The surf was breaking over | the boat, and he said;
 CT took of my life belt that it might | soon be over, and l thought somewhat | indistinctly about my friends on shore | and then bid them good- bye like, and | was about sinking back and giving it up, | when 1 saw a bright star, The clouds | were breaking away. and there the blessed star shone down on me, and 1t | seemed 10 take right hold of me; and somehow, can not tell how it was, but someh ow, while l was trying to watch | that star, it seemed to lift me.
 O, sinking soul, see you not the glim- mer between the rifts of the storm cloudg | That is the star of hope.
 Deathstruek, ceased the tide to stem,
 When suddenly star arose,
 It was the star Of Bethleheml
 If there are any here who consider themselves oastaways, let me say God is doing every thing to save you. Did you ever hear of Lionel Luken? He was the inventor of the insubmergible life- boat. All honor is due 10 his memory by sea- faring men, as well as by landsmen. How | many lives he saved by bis invention. In | after days that Invention was improved, | and one day there was perfect life- boat, | the Northumberland, ready at Ramsgate. | The hfe- boat being ready 10 test 1t the | crew came out and leaped on the gum vale on one side to see if the boat would l