Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1893-10-28

she NeceM snrut importance Of
the IiG.boats- That Can Iiv. In
Any sca-A Sure Refuge In the storm
of Life.
BRooKIYN. Oct. -. After preaching
on nearly 1000 different subjects and
being closely followed by the printing
press for about - years Rev. DIR. Tai
mage still seems to find new subjects
that have never been preached on. This
forenoon he chose for his subject I'm
safe ifeboats." the text being Acts
xvii, 3s, Then the soldiers cut off tho
ropes of the boat and let her fall off,"
While your faces are yet somewhat
bronzed by attendance on tho interna-
tional boat contest between tho Vigilant
and the valkyric address you. Good
things when there is no betting or dissi-
patton. those outdoor sports. We want
more frcsl, air and breeziness in our
temperaments and our religion. a stale
and slow and lugnbrious religion may
have done for other times. yet will not
do for these. But my text calls our at
tention to boat Of different sort. and
instead Of the Atlantic it is the Mediter-
ranean. and instead of not wind enough,
as the crews Of the Vigilant and Valky-
rie the other day complained, there is
too much wind and the swoop Of Eu-
roclydon.
am not calling your attention so
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 fortnight the
main vessel had been tossed and driven.
For that two weeks. the account says.
the passengers had continued fasting"
] suppose the salt water, lashing over,
had Spoiled tho sea biscuit. and tho pas
sengcrs We're scasick anyhow.
The sailors said. "It is me- use: this ship
must go down." ani they proposed
among themselves to lower the lifeboat
and get into il aud take the chances for
reaching shore. although they pretended
they were going Ia 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 20 down with the ship
than do such mean thing AZ those Jack
Tars of my text attempted.
When on the Mediterranean last June
the Victoria sank un.ler the ram of The
Camperdiown. 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 sail
ors are valorous. hut these sailors Of the
text were exceptional and pretended to
do duty while they were really preparing
for flight in the lifeboat. But these ina
rines" on boar,i-sca solliers--had i'm es-
pecial charge II little missionary who
was turning the world upside down. and
when These marines saw the trick the
sailors were about Ia play they lifted the
cutlasses from til. ..irtlle and chop! chop!
went those cutlasses into the ropes that
held the lifeboat. and splash! it dropped
into tho sea.
Ny text describes IL. The soldiers cut
off the ropes If the boat and let her fall
off," AS that empty lifrboat dropped
and was capsize'l on n sea where for two
weeks winds AMI billows had been in
battle | think that many on board tho
main vessel felt their last hope of ever
reaching home had vanished. In that
temestuous sea - small boat could not
have lived five minutes.
Ny subject is Unsafe Lifcboats."
We cannot cxag,erate the Importance If
tho lifeboat. All honor to the memory
Of Lionel Lnkin. the coach builder Of
Long Acre. London. who invented the
first lifeboat. AMI do not blame him for
ordering put upon his tombstone in Kent
the inscription that you may still read
there:
This Lionel Lukin was tho first who
built lifeboat and was tho original in
ventor Of that principle of safety by
which many lives and much property
have been preserved from shipwrcck,
and he obtained for it the kings patent
in the year 1885,"
WORD OF CAUTION.
All honor to the memory Of Sir Will
liam Hillary, who. living in tho isle of
Man. and after assisting with his own
hand in the rescue of 305 lives of the
shipwrecked. stirred the English parlia-
ment to qnic.; action in the construction
of lifehoats. Thanks to God for the
sublime and pathetic AMI divine mission
of the lifeboat. No one will doubt its
important mission who has read Of the
wreck of the Amazon in the bay of Bis
cay, of the Tweed running on the reefs
of the gulf Of Mexico. or Of the Ocean
Monarch on the coast of Wales. or Of the
Birkenhead on the Cape of Good Hope.
or of the Royal Charter on the coast Of
Anglesea. or Of the Exmonth on the
the Irish coast. or Of the Atlantic on the
rocks of Nova Scotia. or Of the Lexing-
ton on Long Island sound.
To add still further 10 the importance Of
the lifeboat, remember there are at least
1900, 600 men following the sea. to say
nothing of the unconntcd millions this
moment ocean passengers. We land
lubhers," as sailors call MS. may not
know the difference between u marline
spike and a ringbolt. or anything about
heaving log. or rigging out q flying
jibboom. or furling n topsail. but we all
realize to greater or less extent the i'm
portance Of lifeboat in every marine
equipment.
But do we feel the importance Of n
lifeboat in the matter of the souls rescue?
There are times when we all feel that we
are ont mt sea. and as many disturbing
and anxious questions strike us as waves
struck that 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. AMI in proportion as
they ar. thinking l"splc Il" these Iucs-
tions arise.
There is no wrong in thinking II God
had not intended Ms Ia think and keep
Specimen Cases.