The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-01-23
PERMS OF THE SEA.
Sermon By Rev. IT. Dewitt Tai
mage at Brindisi.
The Perils Encountered by Those Who Go
Down to the Sea in Ships-The Chris
tian Life a Voyage Beset with
Perils--The Haven Ahead.

The following sermon was delivered
by Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage at Brindisi,
while on his trip to the Holy Land, and
after week spent among the historic
localities Of Italy. His text was:
And so it came to pass that they escaped
all safe to land.-Acts xvii, Al.
Having visited your historical city,
which we desire to see because it was
tbs terminus of the most famous road of
the ages, the Roman Appian Way, and
for its mighty fortress overshadowing a
city which even HannibaPs hosts could
not thunder down, we must tomorrow
morning leave your harbor, and after
touching at Athens and Corinth, voyage
about the Mediterranean to Alexandria,
Egypt was reading this morning in
my New Testament of Mediterranean
voyage in an Alexandrian ship. 1t was
this very month of November. The YES
sci was lying in a port not very far from
here. On board that vessel were two
distinguished passengers; one, Josephus,
the historian, as we have strong reasons
to believe; the other, a 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, l think that
Paul knew almost as much about
the sea 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 and storms; and he knew what
he was talking about. Seeing the equi-
noctial storm was coming, and perhaps
noticing something unseaworthy in the
vessel, he advised the captain to stay in
the harbor. But hear the captain and
the first mate talking together. They
say: ''We can not afford to take the adj
vice of this landsman, and he is minis
ter. He may be able to preach very
well, but l don't believe he knows a
marlinespike from a huff tackle. All
aboard! Cast off! Shift the helm for
Roadway! Who fears the Mediterra-
nean?" They had gone only little
way out when a whirlwind, called Euro
elydon, 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! It
is all washed with salt water, and worth
less now; and there are no marine in
surance 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 pillows clap their
hands in glee of destruction In lull
of the storm I hear a chain clank. 1t
is the chain Of the great apostle as he
walks the deck or holds fast to the rig.
ging amidst the lurching of the ship
the spray dripping from his long beard
as he cries out to the crew: s'Now / ex-
hort 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 I serve, saying:
Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought
before Cesar and. 10, God hath given
thee all them that sail with the"
Fourteen days have passed, and there
is no abatement of the storm. It is
midnight. Standing on the lookout.
the man peers into the darkness. and.
by q flash of lightning, 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 little
further, they drop the line again, and
by the light of the lantern they see it is
fifteen fathoms. Two hundred and sew
enty-six souls within few feet of awful
shipwreck.
The managers of the vessel, pretend
ing they want to look over the side of
the ship and undergrad it, get into the
small boat, expecting in it to escape; but
Paul sees through the sham, and he
tells them that if they go off in the boat
1t will be the death of them. The YES.
sci strikes! The planks spring! The
timbers crack! The vessel parts in the
laundering surge! Oh, what wild strug-
Cling for life! Here they leap from
plank to plank. Here they go ,;nder as
If they would never rise; but. catching
hold of a timber, come floating and
painting on it to the beach. Here.
strong swimmers spread their arms
through the waves until their chins
pillow the sand, and they rise up and
wiring out their wet locks on the beach.
When the roll of the ship is called, two
hundred and sevenly-six people answer
to their names. "And SO, says nv text,
st came to pass that they escaped all
safe to land"
| learn from this subject;
First, that those who get us into
trouble will not stay to help us out.
These shipmen got Paul out of Fair
Ravens into the storm; but as soon as
the tempest dropped upon them they
wanted to go off in the small boat. car
ing nothing for what became of Paul
and the passengers. All, mel human
nature is the same in all ages. They
who get us into trouble never stop to
help as out. They who tempt that
young man into life of dissipation will
be the first to laugh at his imbecility
and to drop him out of decent society.
Gamblers always make fun of the losses
of gamblers. They who tempt YOU into
the contest with fists, saving: oT will