The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-09-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON
Tho Weekly Discourse Of the area,
Brooklyn Preacher
Subject "Nyhat sea Captains
say" preached AT rOrt-
land, OregOu.)

luNretCmtN h"Ofts
land, OregOn)
TEXT, West thai By any means myself
should be cast aipag"-Cor TX, 81,
In the presence of you who live on the Pa
cific coast, who live ON the Atlantic coast
may appropriately speak ON this marine alli-
sion Of the text, for all who know about tho
sea know about the castaway. The
text implies that ministers Of re.
ligion may help others into heaven and
yet miss IL themselves The carpenters that
built Noahhs ark did not got into u them
selves Gown and surplice, and diplomas,
and canonicals are no security. Cardinal
Wolsey, after having been petted by kings,
and having entertained foreign ambassadors
at Hampton Court died IN. darkness.
religion that this country has ever
known, plunged into sin and died; his
heart, by post-mortem examination, found
10 have been, not lguratively but literally,
broken. We may have hands of ordination
ON the head, and address consecrated assem-
blages, but that Is no reason why we shall
necessarily reach the realm celestial. The
clergyman must go through the same gate
Of pardon as tho layman; There have been
escaped excepting the captain. Alas! il,
having preached to others, myself should
be q castaway" God forbid 1t.
have examined some Of the commentaries
to see what they thought about this word
''castaway" and find they differ in regard
TO the figure used, while they agree In regard
10 the meaning, So shall make my own So
lection, and take it in nautical and seafar-
ing sense, and show you that men may be-
come spiritual castaways, and how finally
they drift into that calamity.
You and l live In seaboard cities. You
have all stood upon the beach. Many OF you
have crossed the ocean. Some Of you have
managed vessels Id great stress 81 heather.
There II sea captain, and there is another,
and yonder is another, and there are goodly
number of you who, though once you did not
know the difference between brig and II
bark and between q diamond knot and a
spirit sheet sail knot, and although you could
not point out the weather cross jack brace,
and though you could not man the fore clew
garnets, now you are as fcmiliar with q
ship as you are with your right hand
and If 1t were necessary you could take a
vessel clear across to the mouth of the
Mersey without the loss of single sail.
Well, there is dark night in your memory
Of the sea. The vessel became unmanageable
You saw it was scudding toward the shore.
Land on the lee bow' The vessel
struck the rock and you felt the deck
breaking up under your feet, aud you were
castaway, as when the Hercules drove on
the coast Of Caffraria, as when the Portu-
guese brig went staying, splitting, grinding,
crashing on the Goodwins But whether
you have followed the sea or not you all
understand the figure when tell you that
there are men, who, by. their sins and
temptations, are thrown helplessi Driven
before the gale, Wrecked for two worlds
Castewsys! Castawaysl
BY talking with some sea captains, have
found out that there are three or four causes
for such calamity to vessel have been
told that it comes sometimes from creating
false lights on the beach. This was often so
il olden times. 1t is not many years ago,
indeed, that vagabonds used to wander up
and down the beach, getting vessels ashore
IN the night throwing up false lights in their
presence and deceiving them, that they may
Hespoil and ransack them. All kinds Of
internal arts were used to accomplish this.
And one night on the Cornish coast, when
the sea was coming in fearfully, some villains
took lantern and tied it to horse and led
the horse up and down the beach, the lantern
swinging to the motion of the horse, and a sea
| captain III the ofiing saw it, and made up his
mind that he was not anywhere near the
shore, for he said: There's vessel-that
must be vessel, for it has a movable light, "
rocks grating on the ships bottom, and it
went to pieces and the Williams on shore gath
| cred up the packages and treasures that were
washed to the land, And have to tell you
that there are multitude of souls ruined by
false lights on the beach, In the dark night
of mans danger, false religion goes up and
/ down the shore, shaking its lantern, and men
look off and take that Pickering and expiring
wick as the signal Of safety, and the cry Isl
va 1,o oi,,t tc fba CT ic
| welln when sudden destruction cometh upon
them, and they shall not escape. So there
! are all kinds of lanterns swung on the beach
philosophical lanterns, educational Ian.
terms, humanitarian lanterns. Men look al
them and are deceived, when there is moth
ing but Gods eternal lighthouse of the Cos
pei that can keep them from becoming casta
ways. Once, on Wolf Crag light
house, they tried to build cop
per figure of wolf with its mouth
open, 50 that the storms beating into it, the
wolf would howl forth the dangers tc
mariners that might be coming anywhere
near the coast. OF course it was failure
And SO all new inventions for the saving Of
mans soul are unavailing. What the human
race wants is light bursting forth from thu
cross standing on the, great head
of comfort, the light Of heav.
en-, You might better go tonight, and de
stroy all the great lighthouses on the dan
gerous coasts-the Barnegat lighthouse tn
Fastnet Rock lighthouse, the Sherryvor,
lighthouse, the Lorgships lighthouse, tn
Hollyhead lighthouse than to put out God
great ocean lamp-the Gospel. Woe to thos
who swing false lanterns on the beach til
men crash into ruin. Castaways! Casta
ways
BY talking with sen captains have hoar,
also that sometimes ships como to this calam
ity by the sudden swooD OF tempest. Fo
instance, q vessel is sailing along in the Eas
Indies and thNo is not 4 single cloud on tn,
sky; but suddenly lbs breeze freshens ant
there are swift feet on the ratlines and tn
cry is: Way, haul away therc!' but before
they can square tha booms and tarpaulil
the hatchways, the vessel is grooming ant
breaking in the grip of tornado, ant
falls over into tho trough of the sea
and broadside il rolls on to the beacl
and keels over, leaving the crew to struggl
In the merciless surf Castaway! Castaway
And SO I have to tell you that there are th,-l
sands of men destroyed through the suddel
swoop of temptations. Some great induce
ment to worldliness, or to sensuality, or tx
high temper, Or to some form Of dissipation
comes upon them. IL they had time to ex
anime their Bible, if they had time to consul
with their friends if they had time to DELHI
crate they could stand it; but the tempta
ton came so suddenly-an euroclydon on Til
Mediterranean, a whirlwind of the Carib
bean. One awful surge Of temptation an,
they perish. And so we oftel
hear the old story: II hadn'
seen my friend in a great many years. w
were very glad to meet. He said mus
drink and he took me by the arm and presse'
me along, and filled the cup until the buh
bles ran over the edge, and in an evil momen
all my good resolutions were swept away
and to the outraging of God and my owl
soul, fell" Or the story is: 81 had hart
work to support my family. thought tina
by one false entry, by one deception, by ON,
embezzlement, might spring out free iron
oil my trouble; and the temptation cam
upon me SO fiercely could not deliberate
l did wrong and having done wron
once could not stop" o
1t is the first step that costs; til
second is easier; and the third; and on to tn
last. Once having broken loose from tn
anchor, 1t is not SO easy TO tic the parte,
strands. How often it is that men ar
ruined, for the reason that the temptation
comes from some unexpected quarter. a
vessels lie in Margate Roads, safe from south
west winds, but the wind changing to tn
northeast, they are driven helpless and e
down. 0 that God would have mercy upo
those upon whom there comes the sudde
swoOp Of temptation lest they perish, becon
ing castaways! castawaySl