The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-09-11

yreak many years. We were very glad to
mesA He said must drink, and he took
~ by the arm and pressed me along, and
filed the cup until the bubbles ran over the
edge, and In an evil moment all my good
were swept away, and to the out.
raging Of God and my own soul, Ifell." Or
the story Is: II had hard work to support
my family. Thought that by one false entry, |
by one deception, by one embezzlement
might spring out free from all my trouble,
and the temptation came upon me 80 fierce |
ly could not deliberate. did wrong and |
having done wrong once, I could not stop"
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,
1t is not so easy to tie the parted strands. |
How often it is that men are ruined for the |
reason that the temptation comes from some |
gate 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 thoseupo
whom there comes the sudden swoop Of
temptation, lest they perish, becoming cast
Always! castaways!
By talking with sea captains have found
out that some vessels come to this calamity
through sheer recklessness. There are
three million men who follow the sea for q
living. 1t is simple fact that the average
Of human life on the sea IL twelve years.
This comes from the fact that men by IA
miliarity with danger sometimes become
reckless-the captain, the helmsman, the
stoker, the man on the lookout become reck-
less, and in nine out of ten shipwrecks 1t Is
found that some one was awfuliy TO blame.
so Ihave 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 hulks that would
grapple them with hook Of steel and blind.
fold them, and make them ''walk the plank"
They do not know what the next moment
may bring forth. Drifting in their theol-
ogy. Drifting in their habits. Drifting IN
regard to all their future. No God, no
Christ, no settled anticipation OF eternal To-
Lefty, but all the time coming nearer and
nearer to 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 of them with
great troubles, financial troubles, domestic
troubles, social troubles; but they never
pray for comfort. With an aggravation OF
sin they pray for pardon. They donot steer
for the lightship that dances in gladness at
the mouth Of Heavens harbor; reckless
as to where they come out, drifting
further from God, further from early relig-
ious influences, further, from happiness;
and what is the worst thing about 1t is, they
are taking their families along with them,
and the way one goes, the probability Is
they will all 20. Yet no anxiety. As uncon-
scious of danger as the passengers aboard the
Arctic one moment before the Vesta crashed
into her. Wrapped upin the business Of
the store, not remembering that soon they
must quit all their earthly possessions.
Absorbed in their social position, not know
ing that very soon they will have attended
the last levee and whiried in the last schot-
tische. They do not deliberately choose to
be ruined; neither did the French frigate
Medusa aim for the Arguip banks, but there
it went to pieces. l wish / could wake you
up. The perils are 50 augmented, you will
die Just as certainly as you sit there unless
you bestir yourself. Are you willing to be-
come castaway! You throw out no oar.
You take no surroundings You watch no
compass. You are not calculating your
bearings while the wind is sbaft, and yon-
der is long line of foam bounding the
horizon, and you will be pushed on toward
it, and thousands have persisted there, and
you are driving in the same direc-
ton. Ready aboutl Down helm! Hard
DOWN. Man the life boati Pull my
lads, pull HE that being often
reproved hardeneth his neck, shall be sud
denly destroyed and that without remedy"
But some Of you are saying within your
selves: "What shall do!" Do! Dot Why,
my brother, do what any ship does when in
trouble. Lift distress signal. On the sea
there is a fash and boom. You listen and
you look. A vessel is in trouble. The dis
tress gun is sounded, or rocket is sent up,
! or a blanket is lifted, or bundle Of rags
anything to catch the eye Of passing
craft. 50 if you want to be taken of
the wreck of your sin, you must lift
distress signal. The publican lifted
the distress signal when he cried: "God,
be merciful to me, sinner!" Peter lifted
the distress signal when he said: lord,
save me, perishI' The blind man lifted
the distress signal when he said: "Lord,
that my eyes may be opened" The iailer
lifted the distress signal when he said
"What must do to be savedl" And help
will never come to your soul until you lift
some signal. You must make some demon
stration, give some sign, make some Heaven
piercing outcry for help, lifting the distress
signal for the church's prayer, lifting the
distress signal for Heavens pardon. Pray
PRAY The voice of the Lord now sounds in
your ears: Sin Me is thy help" Too proud
to raise such signal, too proud to be saved
There was an old sailor humping about
in small boat in tempest. The larger
vessel had gone down. He felt he must die
The surf was breaking over the boat, and
he said: II took of my life belt that II
might soon be over, and thought somewhat
indistinctly about my friends on shore, and
then bid them goodbye like, and was
about sinking back and giving it up when
saw bright star The clouds were break
ing away, and there that blessed star shons
down on me, and it seemed to take right
hold Of me; and some how, I can not tell how
it was, but somehow, while was trying Il
watch that star, it seemed to help me ane
seemed to lift me-" o, sinking soul, SET
you not the glimmer between the riffs o.
the storm cloude That is the star of hope
Deathstruclk, ceased the tide to stem, rs
When suddenly star arose,
twas the star Of Bethlehem.
If there are any here who consider them
selves castaways, let me say God is doing
every thing to save you. Did you evel
hear of Lione- Lukenl He was the inventor
of the insubmergible life boat. All homo
is due to his memory by searfarinp men. a.