Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-10-27

If there be one person here present on TINS
blessed Sabbath all OF whose thoughts have
been always right, all of whose actions have
always been right, and all OF whose words have
ALWAYS been right, let him stand up, or II al
ready standing let him lift his hand, and
will know that he lies. Paul had 1t about
sight when hesaid, "By the deeds Of the law
shall no flesh living be justified" David had
il about right when he said, There IS none
that doeth good no not one.
The old book had it about right when il
said, "All have sinnsd and come short OF the
glory Of God" Let q man get of that little
steamer called The Maid OF the Mist, which
sails up to the foot OF Niagara Falls and then
climb to thetop OF the falls onthe descending
foods for he can DO it easier than any man
ever will be able to climb TO heaven by his
good works.
Ifvour thoughts have always been exactly
right. and your words exactly right, and
-FOUR deeds always exactly right, you can
20 up to the gate OF heaven, and you need
1ot even knock tor admittance, but open It
rourself and push the angels out OF your way
and 20 up and take one OF the front seats.
But YOU would be so unlike any one else that
mas gone up from this world that you would
De a curiosity in heaven and more fit for
heavenly museum than for place where the
inhabitants could look at you free OF charge.
No. sir. Iadmire your good works. and tina
ifeboat YOU are thinking OF trusting in IS
nandsomer than any yawl OF pinnace or
yacht or cutter that ever sped out ola boat
house or hoisted sail fora race. But she leaks.
Trust your soul in that, and you will go TO
he bottom. She leaks. So l initiate the
mariners Of the text. and with a cutlass strike
he ropes OF the boat and let her fall OF.
Another liieboat is Christian Incon-
:stencies. The planks OF this boat are
composed OF the split planks OF shipwrecks.
That prov is made out Of hypocrisy from
the life of man who professed one thing
and really was another One oar oil TINS
,ifeboat was the falsehood Of a church mem
Der. and the other oar was the wickedness
Of some minister OF the Gospel, whose in
iquities were not for long while found out.
Not one plank from the oak of Gods
eternal truth in all that lifeboat. All the
blanks. By universal admission. are decayed
and crumbling and fallen apart and rotten
and ready to sink.
well. well. yoa say, mo one will want
10 get into that lifeboat.' Oh, my friend,
you are mistaken. That is the most popular
lifeboat ever constructed. That IS the most
popular lifeboat ever launched. Mlllors OF
people want to get into it, They Jostle each
other TO get the best seat in the boat You
could NOT Keep IEttll DdNh AhVhEA gNN
at the gunwales with club, as on our snip
Greece in a hurricane. and the steerage pas
sengers were determined to come up on DECK,
where they would have been washed OF. and
the officers stood at the top OF the stairs
clubbing them back. Even by such violence
rs that you could not keep people from
iumping into the most popular lifeboat, 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 n Worlds Fair for exhibition
of all the frailties OF church members, so thar
IL Won believe all is there told you you would
he afraid TO enter a church lest you get your
nockets picked or get Knocked down.
This is the way they talk Il was cheated
ont of $500 by leader OF Bible class. "a
Sunday-school teacher gossiped about me
and did her best to destroy my good name.
~ had a mariner in business who swamped
orr business concern by his trickery and then
rolled up his eyes in Friday night prayer
meeting. as though he We're looking LOT
Eliiah's chariot to make second trip ana
take up another passenger
Rut what a cracked and water logged and
gaming scanned lifeboat the inconsistencies
of others Put me on shingle mid-Allantlc
and leave me there rather than IN sucn u
vawl of spiritual confidence. Goo ioroiQ tnat
/ should get aboard it, and lest some OF you
make the mistake Of getting into 1t l do as
the mariners did on that Mediterranean ship
W hen the sailors were about to get into the
unsafe lifeboat OF the text and lose their
lives in that way. Then the soldiers cut
of the ropes Of the boat and let her fall on.
"WeU. savs some one. this subject IA
vary discouraging for we must nave he
boat II we are ever to get ashore, ana you
have already condemned three. An. 1t Is
because | wantto persuade you to take the
onIy safe lifeboat. will not allow you to be
deceived and get on TO the wild waves ana
then capslze or sink. Thank God. there Is 4
Jifeboat that will take you ashore In safely
as sure as God l. God and heaven Is heaven,
The keel and ribs Of this boat are made out
OF tree that was set up on a DUN DAcA
OF Jerusalem a good many years ago Do'u
o; the oars are made out OF the same tree.
The rowlocks are made out of the same tree
'fne greefs.g gear Is made out OF the same
tree. The blanks OF It were hammered to-
cether bv the hammers of executioners VINO
thought they were only killing Christ, but
were really pounding together an escape 10
all imperiled souls Of all ages.
II is an old boat. but good as new, though
il has been carrying passengers IRON slAAIhS
sbips 10 firm shore for ages and has never
lost a passs nger. These old Christians begin
TO smile because it Is dawninS upon them
what mean. The fact is that in this way
years ago they got of wreck thems 'IVe~'
and do not wonder they smile. IL IS not a
senseless giggle that means frivolity. but It
is a smile like that on the face OF Christians
the moment they leave earth Tor heaven
Yea. like the smile OF God Himself when tie
had completed the plan for savinSthe world.
Right after that big tumble OF the Atlantic
Ocean six or seven weeks ago on the beach
at East Hampton l met the captain OF the
life saving station and said captain. 40
vou think a lffeboat could live in a sea ike
that?" Although the worst OF It was over,
the captain replied. mo, do not tninR IL
could But this iifeboat OF which SPEAK
can live in any sea and defes all breakers,
and all cyclones. and all equinoxes. and All
earth, and all hell. In twenty years the lie
saving apparatus along our Atlantic coast
saved the lives of over $4,000 of the ship
wrecked. but this lifeboat that / commend
has saved in twenty years hundreds OF mill
ions of the shipwrecked. Like those newly
invented English lifeboats, il is unsuomerY'
ible. self righting and self bailing.
All along our rocky American coast tnlnS'
were left to chance for centuries, ana I'M
shipwrecke d crawled up on the beach TO die
unless some one happened to walk along OF
some isherman's hut might be near. But
after the ship Ayrshire was wrecked al
Squan Beach. and the POwhatial let her 30
dead strewn along our coast. and another
vessel went on the rocks, 400 lives perishinc.
the United States Government woke IN and
made an appropriation of 100000 for
life stations. and life lines from fax
ing box are shot over the wild
surf. and hawsers are stretched from
wreck to shore and what with Lyless gun
and six Dared surtboat with cork at the sides
to make il unsuitable. and patrolmen all
night long walking the beach until they meet
each other and exchange metal tickets, 50 as
to show the entire beach has been traverse1,
an1 the CostOn light flashes hope from shore
TO sufferer, and surimen, incase1 in Merr-
man life saving dress. and life ear rolling on
the ropes. there are many probabilities 0
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 It's top and swing into it is
this gospel ifebo1t. II will no: taxa yoI
more than a second 10 got into II.
But while in my text we stand watching
the marines with their cutlasses. preparing
to sever the ropes Of the lifeboat and let her
fall OF. notice the poor equipment. Only