Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-09-06

, III eIiroclydon on The Mediterranean
muisiwlnd OF the Caribbean. One aMs, =
soiSe OF temptation and they ner;s s%'
ha III 30 we often hear The old story. IT
xa ,un seen W my friend in u great many
s se'isi we We're Very glad to meet H.
e oaa l must drink and he took me bv the
"rtn ,.nu pressed me along, and filled the
o"p untll the bubbles ran over the edoc.
NIL ~ an eSil moment all my good reso.
49, aoioas we're swept away, and to the out
ns.he OF 200 and my own soul, | fell"
,,a.t ne s.ofy Isl had hard work to sup
ia,sa my iam1iy. thought that by one
a a'anaa en.fy' by one deception. by one
frnm a 81 l might spring out free
ato,i an my trouble; and the temptation
l;hn upon me SO tiercely could not de-
wrong once, l could not stop" 3. il 10
the first step that costs; the second 10
easier; and the third; and on to the last
once having broken loose from the an.
chor' IT Is not SO easy to tie the parted
Strands. How often it is that men are
ruined Tor the reason that the tempta-
.!ons comes from some unexpected quar-
Yer. AS vessels lie in Margate Roads.
sale from southwest winds; but the
vino changing to the northeast, thew
are driven helpless and 90 down. q
That God would have mercy upon those
upon whom there comes sudden swoop
OF temptation, lest they perish, becom-
Ing castaways. castaways!
by talking with sea captains, L have
found out also that some vessels come to
this calamity through sheer reckless
ness. There are three million men who
follow the sea for q living. 1t is a SIM
pie 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 reclless-the captain, the helms
man, the stoker. the man on the look
out, become reckless. and in nine out of
ten snipwrecks, it 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 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 hebits. Drifting in
regard to oil their future. No God, no
Christ, no settled anticipations of
eternal felicity; 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 10 pardon. They
do not steer forthe lightship that dances
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
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 whlrled in the last schottische
They do not deliberately choose to be
ruined; neither did the French frigate
Medusa aim for the Arguin banks, but
there it went to pieces. 1 wish 1 could
wake you up. The perils are SO aug
mented, you will die just as certainly us
you sit there unless you bestir yourself
Are you willingto become a castaway:
You put out no oar. You take no sur
roundings. You watch no compass
You are not calculating Your bearings
1x,hi Ia ha SC 1,of Nd j.
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 direction
Ready about! Down helm! Hard down
Man the life boat! Pull, my lads, pull
He that being often reproved harden
eth his neck, shall be suddenly destroyed
and that without remedy" But some o.
aWnat Shall 1 do?" Do? DO? Why
my brother, do what any ship does whel
+, it is in trouble. Lift distress signal
On the sea there is fash and boom
You listen and you look. A vessel is il
trouble. The distress gun is sounded
or rocket is sent up, or blanket Ii
lifted. or bundle of rags, or anything
to catch the eye Of the passing craft
So if you wantto be taken of the wreck
OF your sin. you must hit distress sig
nal. The Publican lifted the distress
signal when he cried: God, be merci
fulto me sinner!" Peter lifted the dis
tress signal when he said: Lord, saw
me, perish!" The blind man lifted tn
distress signal when he said: Lord
that my eyes may be opened" Th
taller lifted the distress signal when h
said what must l do to be saved?" AM
help will never come to your soul unit
you lift some signal. You must max
some demonstration, give some sign
make some Heaven piercing cutlery TO
help. lifting the distress signal for tn
cAurch's prayer, lifting the distress sig
nal for Heavens pardon. Pray! Pray
The voice Of the Lord now sounds IL
your ears: In Me is thy help To-
proud to raise such signal, too prou'
to be saved.
There was an old sailor thumpin!
about in small boat in tempest. IN
larger vessel had gone down.. He fel
he must die. The surf was breaking
over the boat, and he said: Il took OF
my life belt that it might soon be over
and 1 thought somewhat indistlnctl
about my friends on shore and then
bid them good-by like, and was abou
sinking back and giving it up. when
saw bright star. The clouds wer
! 1,.a,-:.. o,r,,, ond fbera that blessed