The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-10-25
UNSAFE LIFEBOATS."
Theme for a Sermon by Rev. T,
Dewitt Talmage.
1t Was Suggested by tho Recent Intorna-
tionai Yacht Races-Theosophy the Y
New Lifeboot- Christian Inoon-
sistencies Another The Cos
pei Lifeboat tho Only
safe One.

4 Ina recent discourse at the Brooklyn
tabernacle Rev. DR.. Talmage chose for
his subject "Unsafe Lifeboats," the
text being Acts xvii, 80:
"Then the soldiers cut on the ropes Of the
boat, and let her fall on"
While your faces are yet somewhat
bronzed by attendance on the interna-
tional boat contest between the Wig
liant and the Valkyrie, l address you.
Good things when there is no betting
or dissipation, these outdoor sports.
We want more fresh air and breeziness
In our temperaments and our religion.
A stale and slow and lugubrious reli-
gion may have done for other times,
yet will not do for these. But my text
calls our attention to boat of differ
ent sort, and instead Of the Atlantic 1t
Is the Mediterranean, and instead OF
not wind enough, rs the crews OF the
Vigilant and Valkyris the other day
complained, there is too much wind
and the swoop Of Euroclydon. I am
not calling your attention 30 much to
the famous ship, on which Paul was
the distinguished passenger, but TO the
lifeboat of that ship which no one
seems to notice. For a fortnight the
main vessel had been tossed and driv-
en-. For that two weeks, the account
says, the passengers had continued
fasting" / suppose the salt water,
dashing over, had spoiled the sea bis
cult, and the passengers were seasick
anyhow. The sailors said: "It Is no
use; this ship must go down." and they
proposed among themselves to lower
the lifeboat and get into it and take
their chances for reaching shore, al
though they pretended they were 60
ing to get over the sides Of the big
ship and down into the lifeboat
only TO do sailors duty. That was
not sailor-like, for the sailors that
j have known were all intrepid fellows,
and would rather go down with the
ship than do such a mean thing as
those Jack Tars Of my text attempted.
When on the Mediterranean last June
the Victoria sank under the ram Of the
Camperdown, the most majestic thing
about that awful scene was that all
the sailors staid at their posts doing
their duty. AS q class all over tho
sailors Of the text were exceptional,
and pretended TO do duty while they
were really preparing for fight In the
lifeboat But these marines" on
board-sea-soldie 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 ohopl
chopi went those cutlasses into the
ropes that held the lifsboat, and splash
II dropped into the sea. My text de-
scribes II: THE soldiers cut off the
ropes Of the boat, and let her fall off. "
As that empty lifeboat dropped and
was capsized on a sea where for
two weeks winds and billows bad been
In battle, think that many on board
the main vessel felt their last hope OF
ever reaching homo had vanished. In
that tempestuous sea q small boat
could not have lived FIVE minutes
My subject IL Unsafe Lifeboats."
We cannot exaggerate the Importance
OF the lifeboat All honor TO the mem
ory of Lionel Lukin, the coach-builder
of Long Acre, London, who invented
the first lifeboat, and / do not blame
him for ordering put up on his tomb
stone in Kent the inscription that you
may still read there:
''This Lionel Lultin was the first who
built lifeboat. and was the original
inventor Of that principle of safety, by
which many lives and much property
have been preserved from shipwreck
and he obtained for IL the kings pat
ent in the year 1885"
All honor to the memory OF Sir VII
liam Hillary, who. living in the Isle Of
Man, and after assisting with his owr
hands in the rescue Of 305 lives Of the
shipwrecked, stirred the English par
lament 10 quick action in the construc
ton OF lifeboats Thanks TO God for the
sublime and pathetic and divine mis-
sion OF the lifeboat No one will doub
Its important mission who has read o.
the wreck OF the Amazon in the bay o.
Biscay; Of the Tweed running on tn,
reefs OF the Gulf OF Mexico, or Of thu
Ocean Monarch on the coast Of Wales
OF Of the Birkenhead on The Cape O.
Good Hope, or Of the Royal Charter OF
the coast OF Anglesea, or Of the Ex
mouth on the Scotch breakers, or o
the Cambria on the Irish coast, or o.
the Atlantic on tho rooIfs Of Nov,
6ootia, or Of the Lexington on LvnI
Island Sound To add still further u
the importance Of the lifoboat, remem
Der there are 5000, 900 men following
the sea, TO say nothing Of the IN
counted millions this moment ooeai
passengera We 'iand-lubbers," n
sailors call us, may not know the diff
ference between marlin spike and I
ring bolt, or anything about heavlng |
log, or rigging out flying jibboom. o.
furling top sail, but we all realize I,
greater or less extent the importanc,
OF a lifeboat In every marine equip
ment. But do we feel the importanc,
OF n lifeboat in the matter Of the soul
rescue? There are times when we nj
feel that we are out at sea, and a
many disturbing and anxious question
strike us as waves struck that vesse
against the sides OF which the lifeboa
of my text dangled. Questions abou
the church. Questions about the world
Questions about God. Questions abou
our eternal destiny. Every thinking
-, and woman have these ouestions