The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-12-04
TALMAGE'S TOUR.
Tho Noted Divine breaches q Ser.
mon at Brindisd,

mon at Brindisi,
Recalling More OF the Trials Of the Apos-
tie Paul-Along the Mediterranean.
BRINDIsI, Nov. 1s.-Bev. T. De Witt
Talmage. D. D., preached in this Italian
port to-day. His subject was "A Medi-
terranean Voyage" and he took for his
text Acts xvii, A: "And SO 1t came to
pass that they escaped all safe to land"
Having visited your historical oity,
which we desire to see because it was
the terminus of the most famous road
of the ages-the Roman Appian Way
and for its mighty fortress overshadow-
ing city which even Hannibaps hosts
could not thunder down, VIC must to-
morrow morning leave your harbor, and,
after touching at Athens and Corinth
voyage about the Mediterranean to
Alexandria, Egypt. l have been reading
this morning, in my New Testament, OF
Mediterranean voyage in an Alexan-
drian ship. 1t was this very month OF
November. The vessel was lying
in a port not very far from
here. On board that vessel were two
distinguished passengers-one, jose
plus, the historian, as we have strong
reasons to believe tn other, convict.
one Paul by name, who was going to
prison for upsetting things, or, as they
termed it, turning the world upside
down." This convict had gained the
confidence of the captain. Indeed I
think that Paul knew almost as much
about the seas as did the captain. He
had been shipwrecked three times al
ready; he had dwelt much Of his life
amidst capstans, and yardarms, and
cables, storms; and he knew what he was
talking about. See the equinoctial storm
was coming, and perhaps noticing some
thing unseaworthy in the vessel, he ad-
vised the captain to stay in the harbor.
But I hear the captain and first mate
talking together. They say: "We can
not afford to take the advice of this
landsman, and he minister. He may
be able to preach very we'll, but don't
believe he knows marlinspike from a
huff tackle. All aboard! Cast off! Shift
the helm for Roadway! Who fears the
Mediterranean" They had gone only
little way out when whirlwind,
called Euroclydon, made the torn sail its
turban, shook the mast as you would
brandish spear, and tossed the hulk
into the heavens. Overheard with the
cargo! 1t is all washed with salt water,
and worthless now; and there are no
marine insurance companies. All
hands ahoy, and out with the
anchors! Great CONSERVATION comes
on crew and passengers. The sea
monsters snort in the foam and the bill
lows clap their hands in glee of destruc-
ton. In lull of the storm l hear a
chain clank. 1t is the chain of the
great Apostle as he walks the deck or
holds fast to the rigging amid the lurch-
ing OF the ship, the spray dripping from
his long beard as he cries out to the
crew: "Now l exhort you to be of good
cheer, for there shall be no loss of any
mans life among you, but Of the ship.
For there stood by me this night the
angel of God, whose am and whom
serve, saying; Fear not, Paul; thou
must be brought before Cesar; and, To-
God hath given thee all them that sail
with thee"
Fourteen days have passed and there
is no abatement of the storm. 1t is
midnight. Standing on the lookout the
man peers into the darkness, and by a
fash Of lightning sees the long white
line Of the breakers, and knows they
must be coming near to some country
and fears that in few moments the
vessel will be shivered on the rocks
The ship flies like chaff in the tornado
They drop the sounding line, and by
the light of the lantern they see it is
twenty fathoms. Speeding along a lit
tie further, they drop the line again
and by the light of the lantern they SEE
1t is fifteen fathoms. Two hundred
and seventy-six souls within few fee
of awful shipwreck! The managers O.
the vessel, pretending they want to lool
over the side of the ship and undergirt
1t, get into the small boat, expecting il
it to escape; but Paul sees through tn,
sham, and he tells them that If they e,
of in the boat it will be the death o
them. The vessel strikes! The plank
spring! The timbers crack! The vesse
parts in the laundering surge! Oh
what wild struggling for life! Her
they leap from plank to plank. Her
they 60 under as if they would neve
rise, but, catching hold Of a timber
come floating and painting on it to tn
beach. Here strong swimmers sprea,
their arms through the waves until thei
chins pillow the sand, and they rise u
and wiring out their wet locks on tn
beach. When the roll of the ship i
called 276 people answer to their names
"And So" says my text, cit came to pas
that they escaped all safe to land"
learn from this subject:
First, that those who get us int
trouble will not stay to helpus out. Thes
shipmen got Paul out of Fair Haven
: into the storm; but as soon as the tempes
dropped upon them they wanted to go o
in the small boat, caring nothing fo
what became of Paul and the passenger.
All, me! Human nature is the same i
all ages. They who get us into troubl
never stop to help us out. They VIII
D tempt that young man into life of dis
sipation will be the first to laugh at hi
: imbecility, and to drop him out of d,
, cent society. Gamblers always max
a \