The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-08-28
SPIRITUAL cAsTAwAYs.
Rev T. Dewitt Talmage breaches
a Marine Discourse
In Portland, Oregon = Spiritual Ship
wrecks and Their Causes--How to
be Saved = Prayers for Divine
HeIp Is Essential

II. | .
ly TO vast audience at Portland, Ore,
taking for his text !. Cor. tx, q: "Lest
myself should be cast away" Following is
the sermon:
In the presence OF you who live on the
Pacific Coast, who live on the Atlantic
Coast may appropriately speak on this ma
rine allusion Of the text, for all who know
about the sea know about the castaway.
The text implies that ministers Of religion
may help others into Heaven and yet miss
IL themselves. The carpenters that built
Noah's ark did not get into II themselves.
Gown and surplice, and diplomas, and ca
nonicals are no security. Cardinal Wolsey,
after having been petted by kings, and hay
Ing entertained foreign ambassadors at
Hampton Court, died in darkness. One OF
the most eminent ministers Of religion that
this country has ever known, plunged into
sin and died; his heart, by postmortem ex- |
animation, found TO have been, not dgura- |
lively, but literally, broken. Wemay have
hands Of ordination on the head and adj
dress consecruted assemblages, but that Is
no reason why we shall necessarily reach
the realm celestial. The clergyman must
60 through the same gate Of pardon as the
layman. There have been cases OF ship
wreck where all on board escaped excepting
the captain Alasl II, having preached
to others, myself should be castaway."
God forbid it.
have examined some OF the commen-
taries to see what they thought about this
word "castaway," and find they differ in
regard to the figure used, while they agree
In regard to the meaning. 80 shall make
my own selection, and take It in nautical
and seafaring sense, and show you that
men may become spiritual castaways, and
how finally they drift into that calamity.
You and l live in seaboard cities. You
have all stood on the beach. Many Of you
have crossed the ocean. Some Of yot have
managed vessels in great stress Of weather.
There is sea captain, and there is another,
and yonderis another, and there are goodly
number Of you who, though once you did
not know the difference between brig and
a bark, and betweena diamond knot and q
spirit sheet sail knot, and although you
could no tpoint out the weather cross jack
brace, and though you could not man the
fore clew garnets, now you are as familiar
with ship as you are with your righthand,
and II II were necessary you could take
vessel clear across TO the mouth Of the Mer-
sey without the loss Of single sail. Well,
there Is o dark night In your memory Of the
sea. The vessel became unmanageable.
You saw II was scudding toward the shore.
You heard the cry: Breakers ahead Land
on the lee bowp' The vessel struck the rock
and you felt the deck breaking up under
your feet, and you were castaway, as
when Che Hercules drove on the coast Of
Caffraria, as when the Portuguese 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 helpless Driven before the
gale Wrecked for two worlds Castawaysl !
Castawaysl .--.-.---.-. ~
BY talking with some sea captains, have
found out that there are three orr four causes
for such calamity 10 q vessel have
been told that II sometimes comes from
creating false lights on the beach. This was
often so In olden times. II Is not many
years ago, indeed, that vagabounds used TO
wander up and down the beach, getting
vessels ashore in the night, throwing up
false light in their presence and deceiving
them, that they may despoil and ransack
them. ALI kinds OF Internal arts were used
10 accomplish this And one night, on the
Cornish coast, when the sea was coming In
fearfully, some villains took lantern and
tied IL 70 a horse and led the horse up and
down the beach, the lantern swinging to
the motion Of the horse, and q sea captain
In the ofing saw II and made up his mind
that he was not anywhere near the Shore
for he said: There's vessel-tbat must
be vessel, for II has a movable light" and
he had no apprehension till he heard the
rocks grating on the ships bottom, and IL
went TO pieces and the villains on shore
gathered up the packages and treasures
that were washed 10 the land. And have
TO tell you that there are a multitude Of
souls ruined by false lights on the beach.
In the dark night Of mans danger false re-
ligion goes up and down the shore, shaking
It's lantern, and men look on and take that
= Pickering Hhexpiring wick as the signal
Of safety, and the cry Is: "Heave the main
topsail 10 the masti All Is well !" 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 at
them and are deceived, when there Is moth.
ing but Gods eternal lighthouse Of the
gospel that can keep them from becoming
castaways. Once, on Wolf Crng light
house, they tried 10 build copper figure Of
a wolf with It's mouth open, so that the
storms beating into IL the wolf would how
forth the dangers TO mariners that might bt
anywhere near the coast OF course IL wa:
failure. And so all new Inventions foi
a.srtn1 xaox1a anil aea t1uauailfnr vVhai
the human race wants is light bursting
forth from the Cross standing on the grea
headlands-the light Of pardon, the light o.
comfort, the light Of Heaven. You nigh
better go tonight, and destroy all the grea
lighthouses on the dangerous coasts-th'
Barnegat lighthouse, the Fastnet Rocl
lighthouse, the Sherryvore lighthouse, thu
Longship lighthouse, the Hollyhead light
house-than 10 put out Gods great oceaI
lamp--the Gospel woeto those who swim
false lanterns on the beach TIL men crasa
into ruin. Castawaysl Castawaysl
BY talking with sea captains have heart
also thatships sometimes come 10 this calaIp
ity by the sudden swoop Of tempest Fo
instance, avesselis sailing along In the Eps
Indies. and there Is not q single cloud on III
sky; but suddenly the breeze freshens, an,
there are swift feet on the ratlines, and th'
cry is: "way, haul away there ~ but beforl
they can square the BOOM and tarpauiil
the hatchways, the vessel q groaning AM
crealring in the grip Of . tornado, and fall
over into the trough OF the sea, and broad
side II rolls on 10 tho beach and keels over
leaving the crew 70 struggle IN the fnerci
less surf. Castaway Castawayi And 9
have IN tall vou fhaf thefp ara thounaud