Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1893-10-28

launched. Millions of people want to
| get into It They jostle each other to
| get the best scot in the boat You could
not keep them back though you stood at
the gunwales with club, as on our ship
Greece III a hurricane, and the steerege
passengers wero determined to come up
on deck, whers they would have been
washed of. and the officers stood at the
top OF the stairs. clubbing them back.
Even by such violence, as that you could
not keep people from Jumping into the
most popular lifeboa., made Of church
member Inconsistencies.
In times Of revival when sinners flock
into the inquiry room the most Of them
are kept from deciding Alright because
they know SO many Christians who are
bad. The inquiry room becomes Q
worlds fur for exhibition Of all the
frailties of church members, SO that if
you believe all is there told you you
would be afraid to enter church lest
you get your pockets picked or get
knocked down.
This Is tho way they talk: ~ was
cheated out of $500 by a leader OF 0
Bible class. "a Sunday school teacher
gossiped about me and did her best to
destroy my good name.s II had part
ner In business who swampcd our bust
ness concern by his trickery and then
rolled up his eyes In Friday night prayer
meeting, as though he were looking for
Elijah's chariot to make second trip
and take up another passenger"
But what cracked and wator logged
and gaping scanned lifeboat the incon-
sistencies of othcrsl Put me on single
1nid-Atlantic and leave mo there rather
than In such o yawl Of spiritual conf
dence. God forbid that l should get
aboard 1t. and lest some Of you make the
mistake Of getting into it ! do as the
mariners did on that Mediterranean ship
when the sailors wero about to get into
the unsafe lfcboat of the text and lose
their lives in that way. Then the SOL
diers cut off the ropes Of the boat and
let her fall of"
NOT LEFT TO CHANCE.
WELL" says some one, "this subject
Is very discouraging, for we must have
lifeboat il we are ever to get ashore,
and you have already condemned three.
All, it is because l want to persuade you
to take the only safe lifoboat will not
allow you 70 be deceived and get on to
the wild waves and then capsize or sink.,
Thank God, there lisa lifeboat that,wil
take you ashore in safety, as sure as God
Is God and heaven Is heaven. Tho keel
and ribs Of this boat are made out ofs
tree thnt was set up on bluff back Of
Jerusalem good many years ago. Both
OF the oars are 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. Tie planks Of It
wero hammered together by the ham,
mers of executioners who thought they
were only killing Christ, but were
really pounding together on escape for
all impsEllsd an4lgS sfsalal aSWi
though 1t has been carrying passengers
from sinking ships to firm shore for ages
and has never lost passenger. These
old Christians begin to smile because 1t
lis dawning upon them what ! mean.
The fact is that In this way years ago
they got off wreck themselves, and l
do not wonder they smile. It Is not q
senseless giggle that means frivohty,
but it is smile like that,on the face Of
Christians the moment they leave earth
for heaven-yea, ike tho smile Of God
himself WHOM he had completed the plan
for saving the world.
Right otter TINT big tumble Of the At
lantio ocean SIX or seven weeks ago on
the beach at East Hampton ! met>the
captain Of the life saving station and
said, s'Captain, do you think Nfeboat
could live In o sea Like that?" Although
the worst of II was over, the captain re-
piled, mo, do not think it could" But
this lifeboat Of which l speak can live
in any sea and defes all breakers, and
all cyclones, and all equinoxes, and all
earth, and ell hell. In 20 years the life
saving apparatus along our Atlantic
coast saved the lives Of over $4,000 of
the shipwrecked, bat this lifeboat that I
commend has saved i'll 20 years hundreds
Of millions of the shipwrecked. Like
those newly invented English lifeboats,
1t is nsubmergible. self righting and
self bailing.
All along our rocky American coast
things were left to chance for centuries.
and the shipwrccked crawled up on the
beach to die unless some one happened
to walk along OF some fsherman's hut
might be near. But after the ship Ayr
shire 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 5000, 900 for
life saving stations, and life lines from
taking box are shot over the wild surf,
and hawsers are stretched from wreck
to shore, and 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
exchange metal tickets, so as to show
the entire beach has been kaversed, and
the Coston light flashes hope from shore
to sufferer, and surfnen. incased IN
| Merrilnen life saving dress. and life car
rolling on the ropes, there are many
probabilities of rescue for the unfortn-
| nate of the sea. But the government OF
| tho united heavens has made better pro-
! vision for the rescue Of our souls. Sc
close By that this moment we can put
our hand on Its top aud swing into 1t Is
this gospel Efeboat. 1t will not take
you more than second to get into 1t,
A sTANCu CRAFT.
But while in my text we stand watch
Ing the marines with their cutlasses, pre-
pairing to sever the ropes of the lifeboa'
and let her fall off, notice the pooreauip
\ r-,N hrndrQ(