Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-10-23

boht IL we arc ever 70 ket LSnpIe, una you
have already condemned three" All, it IA
because l want to persuade you to take the
only safe llfehoat will not alloy you to
be deceived and get on TO the Wild waves
and then capsi2e or sink. Thank God, there
is lifeboat that win take you ashore in
safety, as sure as God = God and heaven is
heaven. The keel and ribs OF this boat are
made out OF tree that was SET up on
bluff back of Jerusalem good many years
ago. Both Of the oars nre made out Of the
same tree The rowlocks are made out OF
the same tree The steering gear Is made out
of the same tree. The planks OF 1t were
hammered together by the hammers Of ex-
ecutiopers who thought they were only
killing Christ, but were really pounding
together an escape for all imperiled souls Of
all ages.
1t is an old boat, but good as new, though
It has been carrying passengers from sink
ing ships to firm shore for ages and has
never lost u passenger. These old Chris
tiens begin to smile because 1t Is dawning
upon them what mean. The fact Is that
in this way years ago they got off a wreck
themselves, and do not wonder they
smile II is not senseless giggle that
means friyolity, but it is smile like that
on the face of Christians the moment they
leave earth for heaven, yea, like the smile
Of God himself when he had completed the
plan for saving the world.
Right after that big tumble of the At
lantic ocean six or seven weeks ago on the
beach at East Hampton met the captain
Of the life saving station and said, Gap
tain, do you think lifeboat could live in u
sea like that" Although tbSworst of it
was over, the captain replied, mo, l do not
think it could" But this lifeboat Of which
speak can live in any sea and defes all
breakers, and all cyclones, and all equinox
es, and all earth, and allhell. In@ years the
life saving apparatus along our Atlantic
coast saved the lives of over 5000 Of the
shipwrecked but this lifeboat that com
mend has saved In 20 years hundreds OF
millions OF the shipwrecked.
Like those newly invented English life
boats, it is insubmergible, self righting
and self bailing. All along our rocky
American coast things were left to chance
for centuries, and the shipwrecked crawled
up on the beach to die unless some one hap
pened to walk along or some fisherman's
hut might be near But after the ship
Ayrshire was wrecked at Squan beach, and
the Powhattan left her 800 dead strewn
along our coast, and another vessel went
ON the rocks, 400 lives perishing, the United
States government woke up and made an
appropriation OF 500, eco for life saving sta
tions, and life lines from taking box are shot
over the wild surf, and hawsers are stretch
ed from wreck to shore, aud what with
Lyle's gun and six cared surfboat, with
cork at the sides to make it unsuitable,
and patrolmen all night long walking the
beach until they meet each other and ex-
change metal tickets, so as to show the en-
tire beach has been trsyerSed. and the Cos
ton light flashes hope from shore to suf-
ferer, and surfmeu incased in Merriman
live saving dress and life car rolling on the
ropes, there are many probabilities Of
rescue for the unfortunate Of the sea. But
the government Of the united heavens has
made better provision for the rescue OF our
souls. So close by that this moment we
can put our hand on its top and swing into
it, is this gospel llfeboat 1t will not take
you more than u second TO get into it.
IIFEBOAT FOR ALL.
But while In my text we stand watching
the marines with their cutlnsses, preparing
to sever the ropes of the lifeboat and let
her fall oi, notice the poor equipment.
Only one lifeboat. Two hundred and sew
enty-six passengers, as Paul counted them,
and only one lifeboat. My text uses the
singular and not the plural, "Cnt off the
ropes Of the boat | do not suppose it
would have held more than 80 people,
though loaded to the waters edge. think
by marine law all cur modern vessels have
enough lifeboats to hold all the crew and
all the passengers ia case OF emergency,
but the marines OF my text were standing
by the only boat, and that small boat,
and yet 210 passengers. But what thrills
me through and through is the fact that
though we are wrecked by sin and trouble,
and there is only one lifeboat, that boat is
large enough to hold all who are willing
to get intoit. The gospel hymn expresses 1t:
All may come, whoever will;
This Man receives poor sinners still.
But must haul in that statement a little.
Room for all in that llfeboat, with just one
exception. Not you; do not mean you,
but there is one exception. There have
been cases where ships were In trouble and
the captain got all the passengers and crew
into the lifeboats, but there was not room
for the captain, He, through the sea-
trumpet, shoutedi "Shove of now and pull
for the beach. Goodby," and then the cap
tain with pathetic and sublime self sacrifice
went down with the ship. So the Captain
of our salvation, Christ the Lord, launches
the gospel llfcboat aud tells us all to yet
in, but he perishes. ut behooyed Christ to
suffer"
Was 1t not so, ye who witnessed his ago
nizing expiratlons Simon OF Cyrene, was
it not sol Cavalry troops whose horses
paved the dust at the oruclixion, was Il
not sol YeMarys who swooned away with
the sun OF the midday heavens, was It not
so, by his stripes we are healed.n BY
his death we live. BY his sinking In the
deep sea Of suffering we get off In a safe
lifeboat. Yes, we must put into this story
u little OF our own personality. We had n
ride in that very lifeboat from foundered
craft TO solid shore.
Once on the raging seas rowrd.
The storm was loud; the night WAS dark;
The ocean yHwned and rudely blow'd
The wind that tossed my laundering bark.
But got into the gospel lifeboat, ana
20, ashore. No religious speculation for
me. These higher criticism fellows do nor
bother meg bit, You may ask me 50 que.
lions about the sea, and about the land and
about the liteboat that l cannot answer
but one thing know, am ashore, and
am going TO stay ashore, II the Lord BY his
grace will help me. feel under me some
thing so firm that | try 1t with my, fright
foot, and try it with my left foot, and then
try II with both feet, and it Is so solid that
think Il must 10 what the old folks used
to call the Rock Of Ages,
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