The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-08-31


By talking with sea captains l have
out also that some vessels come to
this calamity through sheer recklessness,
There are three million men who follow
the sea for a living. 1t is a simple fact
that the average OF human life on the sea
is less than twelve years. This comes
the fact hat men by familiarity with
danger sometimes become reckless-the
captain, the helmsman, the stoker, the
on the lookout. become reckless, and
in nine out of ten s~hipwrecks it is found
that some one was awfully to blame.
l have to tell you that men are morally
through sheer recklessness
There are thousands who do not care
where they are in spiritual things. They
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 habits. Drifting in regard to all
their future. No God. no Christ, no settled
acceptance of eternal felicity; but all the
time coming nearer and nearer a dangerous
coast. Some of them are on fire with evil
habits and they shall burn on the sea, the
charred hulk tossed up on the barren
beach. Many Of them with great troubles,
troubles, domestic troubles, social
troubles; but they never pray for comfort.
With a aggravation Of sin they pray for
no pardon.
They do not steer for the lightship that
dances in gladness at the mouth of Heav-
ems 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 that they
will all go. Yet no anxiety. AS uncon-
scious 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 posi-
ton, not knowing hat very soon they will
have attended the last levee and whirled
in the last schottische, they do not DELHI
erately choose to be ruined. Neither did
the French frigate Medusa aim for the
Arguin banks, but there 1t went to pieces.
l wish 1 could wake you up. The perils
are so augmented, you will die just as
certainly as you sit there unless you
bestir yourself. Are you willing to be-
come a castaway? You throw out no oar;
you al no surroundings; you watch no
compass. You are not calculating your
bearings while the wind Is abaft, and
yonder is a long line of foam bounding
The horizon and you will be pushed on to-
ward it, and thousands have persisted
there and you are driving in the same di-
al D.z -~ w. II Q
Hard down! Man the lifeboat! Pull, my
lads, pull H that being often reproved
hardeneth his neck shall be suddenly de-
stroyed and that without remedy" but
some of you are saying within yourselves:
what shall 1 dor" Do? Do? Why, my
brother, do what any ship does when it is
in trouble. Lift a distress signal. On the
sea there is a flash and a boom. You listen
and you look. A vessel is in trouble. The
distress gun is ounded or a rocket sent
up, or a blanket is lifted or a bundle Of
rag-any thing to catch the eye of the
taken off the wreck Of your sin you must
lift a distress signal. The publican lifted
the distress signal when he cried: 'God,
be merciful to me a sinnerl" Peter lifted
the distress signal when he said: Lord,
save me, l perishl" 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 our sou until you lift
some signal. You must make some DEM
onstration, give some sign. make some
Heaven piercing outer cry for help, lift
ing the distress signal for the Church's
prayer lifting the distress signal for
Heavens pardon. Prayi Prayl The
voice of the Lord now sounds in your
ears: Sin Me is thy help" Too proud to
raise such a signal, too proud to be saved.
There was IN old sailor humping about
in a small boat in 6 tempest. The larger
vessel had gone down. He felt he must
die. The surf was breaking over the boat
and he aid ~ tool Off my life belt thai
it might soon be over and 1 thought some-
what indistinctiy about my friends on
shore and then l bid them good bye like,
and l was about sinking back and giving
1t up when l saw a bright star. The
clouds were breaking away, and there
hat blessed star shone down on me, and
it seemed to take right hold Of me; and
somehow, l can not tell how it was, but
somehow while l was trying TO watch that
star, it seemed to lift me-" o, sinking
soul, see you not the glimmer between the
riffs of the storm cloudf That is the star
of hope.
Deathstruck, I ceased the tide to stem,
When suddenly a star arose.
1t was the star of Bethlehem
II there are any here who consider
themselves castaways. let me say God is
doing every thing to save you Did you
ever hear Of Lionel Luken? He was the
inventor of the insubmergible life boat.
All honor is due to his memory by seafar-
ing men. as we'll as by landsmen. How
many lives he saved by his invention. In
after days tLat invention was improved,
and one day there was a perfect life boat,
The Northumberland. ready at Ramsgate.
The life boat being ready, to test it the
crew came out and leaped on the gunwale
on one side to see il the boat would upset;
it was impossible to upset it. Then, amid
the huzzas of excited thousands, hat boat
was launched, and it has gone and come.
picking up a great many of the ship
wrecked. But ! have to tell you now of a
grander launching, and from the dry
docks of Heaven. Word came up that a
world was beating on the rocks. In the
presence of the potentates of HEAVIER the
lifeboat of the worlds redemption was
launched. 1t showed of the golden sands
amid angelic hosanna. The surges OF
darkness beat against its bow, but 1t sailed
On and it comes in sight of US this hour.
1t comes for you, it comes for me. Soul,
soul, get into it. Make one leap for
Heaven. Let that boat go past and your
opportunity Is gone. l am expecting that
there will be whole families here who will
get into that lifeboat.
In 1888 the Isabella came ashore of
Hastings, England. The air was filled
with sounds-the hoarse sea trumpet,
the crash Of the axes and the bel
lowing OF the tornado. A boat from
the shore came undo the disabled vessel.
There were women and children on board
that vessel. Some of the sailors jumped
into the small boat and said: 'Now give
US the children" A father who stood on
deck tool his first born and threw him
to the boat. The sailors caught him
safely and the next and the next,
to the last. Still the sea rocking
the storm bowling. 'Now," said
the sailors, now the mother" and
she leaped and was saved. TIT
boat went to the shore; but before It got
to the shore, the lan1smen were so impa.
tient to help the suffering people that they
waded clear down into the surf with
blankets and garments. and promises OF
help and succor. SO there are whole fam
lilies here who are going to be saved. and
saved altogether. Civ US that child fol-
Christ, that other child, that other. Give
us that mother, give us the father, the
whole family. They must all come in
All HEAVIER wades in to help you. %
claim this whole aud fence for God. / picl
not out one man here nor one man there;
| claim you all. There are some of yor
who, thirty years age, were consecrateC
to Christ by your parents in baptism
Certainly 1 am not stepping ovel