Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1889-09-12

on the sea is less than twelve year
This comes from the fact that men b
familiarity with danger sometimes be
come reckless-the captain, the helms
man, the stOker, the man on the look
out, become reckless. and in nine out G
ten shipwrecks, it is found out thi
some one was awfully to blame. So
have to tell You that men are morall
shipwrecked through sheer recklessnesi
There are thousands who do not car
where they are in spiritual things. The
do not know which way they are sailing
and the sea is black with piratical hulk
that would grapple them with hooks o
steel and blindfOld them, and max
them walk the plank" They do NO
know what the next moment may brin
Drifting in their habits. Drifting i
regard to all their future. No God, n
Christ, no settled anticipations O
eternal felicity; but all the time comm
nearer and nearer to a dangerous coast
Some of them are on fire with evil habit
and they shall burn on the sea, tn
charred hulk tossed up on the barrel
beach. Many of them with grea
troubles, financial troubles, domestic
troubles, social troubles; but they neve
pray for comfort. With an aggravatiol
of sin they pray for no pardon. The,
do not steer for the lightship that dances
In gladness at the mouth of Heaven
harbor; reckless as to where they com,
out. drifting further from God, turtle
from early religious influences, furthe
from happiness; and what is the wors
thing about it is, they are taking thei
families along with them, and the wa,
one goes, the probability is they will nj
go. Yet no anxiety. As unconscious Of
danger as the passengers aboard tn,
Arctic one moment before the Vest,
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 socia
position. not knowing that very soer
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 frigatt
Medusa aim for the Arguin banks, but
there it went to pieces. 1 wish I could
wake you up. The perils are SO aug.
mented, you will die just as certainly as
you sit there unless you bestir yourself
Are You willing to become a castaway:
You put out no oar. You take no sur
roundings. You watch no compass
You are not calculating your bearings
while the wind is abaft, and yOnder is O
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 of
you are saying within yourselves:
WHAT shall 1 do?" Do? Do? Why,
my brother, do what any ship does when
it is in trouble. Lift distress signal.
On the sea there is flash and boom.
You listen and you look. A vessel is in
trouble. The distress gun is sounded,
or a rocket is sent up, or blanket is
lifted, or bundle of rags, or anything
to catch the leye of the passing craft.
So if you wantt to be taken off the wreck
of your sin, you must lift 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, save
me, Iperish!" 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 saved?" And
help will never come to your soul until
you lift some signal. You must make
some demonstration, give some sign,
make some Heaven piercing cutlery for
help, lifting the distress signal for the
prayer, lifting the distress sig
nal for Heavens pardon. Pray! Pray!
The voice of the Lord now sounds in
your ears: In Me is thy help" Too
proud to raise such q signal, too proud
TO be saved.
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 he said: Il took off
my life belt that it might soon be over,
and 1 thought somewhat indistinctly
about my friends on shore and then
bid them good-by like, and was about
sinking back and giving it up, when I
saw a bright star. The clouds were
breaking away, and there that blessed
star shcne down on me, and it seemed
% take right hold Of me; and somehow,
cannot tell how it was, but somehow,
while was trying to watch that star. it
seemed to help me and seemed to lift
me-" o, sinking soul, see you not the
,limmer between the riffs of the storm
loud? That is the star of hope.
Deathstruck, ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly a star arose,
1t WIS the star Of Bethlehem
If there are any here who consider
themselves castaways, let me say God is
LONG everything to save you. Did you
'ver hear of Lionel Luken? He was the
INVENTOR of the insubmergible life boat.
III honor is due to his memory by sea-
airing men, as we'll as by landsmen.
low many lives he saved by his inven-
ion. In after days that invention was
improved, and one day there was per-
ect life boat, the Northumberland,
eady at Ramsgate. The life boat being
eady, to test it the crew came out and
capped on the gunwale on one side to
ee if the boat would upset; it was i'm
possible to upset it. Then, amid the
luzzas of excited thousands, that boat
Tas launched, and it has gone and come,
licking up great many of the ship
7recked. But have to tell you now of
grander launching, and from the dry
ocks of Heaven. Word came up that
Iorld was beating on the rocks. In the
presence of the potentates of Heaven
he life boat of the worlds redemption
'as launched. It showed off the golden
ands amid angelic hosanna. The surges
f darkness beat against its bow, but it
siled on, and it comes in sight of ne
his hour. 1t comes for you, it comes
or me. Soul! soul! get into it. Make
ne leap for Heaven. Let that boat 90
asst and your opportunity is gone.
l am expecting that there will be
hole families here who will get into
nat life boat. In 1888 the Isabella
anne ashore off Hastings, England. The
ir was filled with sounds-the hoarse
ga trumpet, the crash of the axes, and
ne believing of the tornado. A boat
rom the shore came under the stern of
he disabled vessel. There were women
nd children on board that vessel. Some |
the sailors jumped into the small
oat and said: Now give us the chill
rem" A father who stood on deck |
BOX his first born and threw him to the |
oat. The sailors caught him safely,
nd the next, and the next, to the last. |
till the sea rocking, the storm bowling. |
Now" said the sailors, now the |
lother;" and she leaped, and was saved.
he boat went to the shore; but before it |
OF to the shore, the landsmen were |
. impatient to help the suffering peo-
lie that they waded clear down into the