Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1893-11-03
REV. DR.. TALNAGE.
The Eminent Brooklyn Divine's Sun.
day Sermon.
Subject: "Unsafe Lifeboats.
TEXT: "Then the soldiers cat off the ropes
of the boat and let her fall of."-Acts xvii,

of the 6o0t ana tet hef' J0| o. -Acto AA'i',
80.
While your faces are yet somewhat bronzed
by attendance on the international boat con-
test between the vigilant and the valkyrie l
address you. Good things when there Is no
betting or dissipation, those outdoor sports.
We want more fresh air and bfeezlness ID
our temperaments and our religion. stale
and slow and lugubrious religion may nave
done for other times, yet will not 90 lot
these. But my text calls our attention to a
boat of different sort, and instead of the
Atlantic 1t Is the Mediterranean, and instead
of not wind enough, rs the crews OF thefigi-
liant and the Valkyrie the other day COM
planned, there is too much wind and the
swoop Of Euroclydon.
am not calling your attention so much
to the famous ship on which Paul was the
distinguished passenger, but TO the nIeboat
| OF that ship which no one seems to notice.
For fortnight the main vessel had been
tossed and driven. For that two weeks, the
account says, the passengers had 'contin-
ued fasting" I suppose the salt water,
dashing over, had spoiled the sea biscuit,
and the passengers were seasick anyhow. =
The sailors said, "It Is no use this ship
must 20 down." and they proposed among
themselves to lower the lifeboat and get into
1t and take the chances for reaching shore,
although they pretended they were going to
get over the sides of the big ship and down
into the lifeboat only to do sailors duty.
That was not sailorlike, for the sailors that
have known were all intrepid fellows and
would rather go down with the ship than do
such mean thing as those Jack Tars OF my
text attempted.
When on the Mediterranean last June the
Victoria sank under the ram of the Camper
down, the most majestic thing about that
awful scene was that all the sailors staid at
their posts doing their duty. AS class all
over the world sailors are valorou5, but these
sailors Of the text were exceptional and pre-
tended to do duty while they were really pre-
pairing for flight in the lifeboat But these
''marines" on board-sea soidiers-had in
especial charge a little missionary who was
turning the world upside down, and when
these marines saw the trick the sailors were
about to play they lifted the cutlasses from
the girdle and chop chopl went those cut
lasses into the ropes that held the lifeboat,
and splash It dropped into the sea.
NY text describes it, 'The soldiers cut of
the ropes of the boat and let her fall of. "
As that empty lifeboat dropped and was cap
sized on a sea where for two weeks WINDS
and pillows had been in battle think that
many on board the main vessel felt their
last hope of ever reaching home had vanished.
not have lived five minutes.
NV subject is "Unsafe Lifeboats." we
cannot exaggerate the Importance OF the
lifeboat. All honor to the memory OF Lionel
Lukin. the coach builder of Long Acre, Lon
don, who invented the first ifeboat and do
not blame him for ordering put on his tomb
stone in Kent the inscription that you may
still read there;
"This Lionel Lunkin was the first who
built liteboat and was the original inventor
of that principle Of safety by which many
lives and much property have been pre-
served from shipwreck, and he obtained for
1t the kings patent In the year 1766.
All honor to the memory OF Sir William
Hillary, who, living in the Isle OF Man, and
after assisting with his ewn hand in the res
cue OF 305 lives Of the shipwrecked, stirred
the English Parliament to quick action in
the construction of lifeboats. Thanks TO God
for the sublime and pathetic and divine mis-
sion of the lifeboat. No one will doubt It's
important mission who hasread oil the wreck
of the Amazon in the Bay OF Biscay, OF the
Tweed running on the reefs OF the CUR OF
Mexico, or of the Ocean Monarch on the
coast OF Wales, or of the BirSenhead on the
Cape of Good Hope, or of the Royal Charter
on the coast of Anglesea, or of the Exmouth
on the Scotch breakers, or OF the Cambria on
the Irish coast, or of the Atlantic on the rocks
of Nova Scotia, or Of the Lexington on Long
Island Sound. ~
To add still further to the importance OF
the lifeboat, remember there are at least
| 5000, 900 men following the sea, to say moth
ing of the uncounted millions this moment
ocean passengers. We "land-luoDers, as
sailors call us. may not know the difference
between a marline spike and ringbolt, or
anything about heavng log or rigging out
flying iibboom, or furling a topsaii, but we
all realize to greater or less extent the I'M
portance OF a lifeboat in every marine equip
ment.
But do we feel the Importance OF a ifeboat
in the matter Of the souls rescue2 There are
times when we all feel that we are out at sea,
and as many disturbing and anxious ques-
| tions strike us as waves struck tnat Vessel
against the sides of which the lifeboat OF my
text dangled. Questions about the church.
Questions about the world. Questions about
God. Questions about our eternal destiny.
Every thinking man and woman has these
questions, and in proportion asthey aretninS-
ing people do these questions arise.
There is no wrong in thinking. LII God had
not intended us to think and keep on think
inr. He would not have built under this
wheehouse of the skull this thinking ma
chine. which hats not in its revolutions from
cradle to grave. Even the midnight does
not stop the thinking machine, for when we
are in dreams we are thinking, although we
do not think as well. All OF US who are ac-
customed to thinking want to reach some
solid shore OF safety and satisfaction, ana IL
any one has good lifeboat that we may
honorably take I wish he would unswing II
from the davits and let us get into itand put
for the shore.
But give you fair notice must first ex-
anime the lifeboat before l risk my soul IN II
or advise YOU TO risk your soul in 1t. All the
splendid Ramsgate lifeboats, and Margate
lifeboats. and South Shield lifeboats, and
American lifeboats were tested before pein9
put into practical use as to their puoyancy
and speed and stowage and self-righting ca
pacity. And when you offer my sodf NE
boat I must first test it. -,
Here is a splendid new Hfeboat called
Theosophy. 1t has only a little while been
launched. although some of the planks are
really several thousand years cid, and from
u worm eaten ship, but they are painted
over and look new. They are really fataiism
and pantheism of olden time. But we must
forget that and call them theosophy. The
Grace Darling of this lifeboat was al oars
woman by the name of Nine. Biavatskyi
but the oarswoman now Is Annie Besant. 30
many are getting aboard the boat II IS
worthy of examination, both because oil tne
safety of those who have entered 1t and be-
cause we ourselves are invitsdfo get in.
Its theory is that everythihgfs God. Horse
md star and tree and man are parts OF COD
We have three souls-an animal soul, a hu-
man so j, q spiritual son. The animal soui
becomes, after awhile, wandering 1mng'
irving to express itself through mediums.
IT. enters beasts or enters human oelngs
md when you find an effeminate man 1t is
because womans soul has got into the
man. and when you find masculine woman