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

more than 80 people. though loaded 10
the waters e,lg,.
/ j think by marine law all our modern
/ vessels have enough lIf.huats IL hold all
IN" crew and all the passengers in ease
+ OF emergency. hut the marines of my
text were standing hy the only boat, and
that a small boat. and yet PC passengers
But what thrills IN" through and through
is the fact that though we are wrecked
| by sin and trouble and there is only one
lifehoat, that boat j. large enough to
hold all who are willing to get into it,
| TIL" gospel hymn expresses it:
All may come, " h'..vrr will
/ This Man receives is.,r sinners stili
But must haul in that statement "a
little. Room for all in that hfcbnat,
with just one exception. Not ynu-i do
not mean you. hut there is one exceI,-
| ton. Their. have been eases where ships
were III trouble. and the captain got all
the passengers AMI crew into the life
boats. but there WAS not room for the
captain. IL" through the sea trumpet,
shouted: Shove off now ami pull for
the beach. i"oIbyr' And then tho
captain, with pathetic AMI sublime self
sacrifice, went down with the ship. )"
the Captain If our salvation. Christ til.
Lord. launches the gospel lifeboat and
tells us nll to get in. but he perishes.
1T behoovc,l Christ to suffer" Was
| it not 81. yc who witnessed his a.,onizing
expiration Simon Of Cyrene was it not
so! Cavalry troops. whose horses paved
tho dust ut the cruciiixion was it not 50?
sun of the midday heavens. was ii not
30? by hi. stripes we are healed" by
| his death we live. By his sinking in the
deep sea of suffering we get oil in safe
lifeboat. YES. we must put into this
story u little If our own personality.
| We had ride in that very lifeboat from
foundcrcd craft to solid shore.
Once on the raging seas ruwc,i.
The storm Was lnu,l: he night was dark
The ocean yawned and ru'lcly hl"wi
The wind that tossed my laundering bark.
But got into the gospel lifeboat, and
got ashore. No religious speculation for
me. These higher criticism fellows do
not bother me "a hit. You may ask me
10 questions about the sea. and about the
land. and about the lif.boat that can
not answer. but one thing | know. am
ashore. AMI am going to stay ashore, if
IN. Lord by his grace will help me.
feel under III" something So firm that
try it with my right foot. and try it with
my left foot. and then try it with both
feet, and il is SO solid that | think it
must I've what tho old folks used to call
the Rock of Ages.
And lie my remaining days on earth
many or few | am ,:"ins Ia spend my
time i'll recommending. the lifchnat which
fetched me here irnr sinner saved by
grace. AMI in swinging tn. cutlass,s
10 sever the ropes "f any unsafe lif"hoat
AMI let her fall uif My nearer, without
asking any questions. ,,et into the gospel
lifcboat. Room, and VT there. is room.
The biggest boat IN earth i. tn. gospel
lIirhnIt. You must remember the pro
portion Of things. ANIL that the ship
wrecked craft is the whole earth. AMI the
lifrh"at must ln' III proportion
You talk about y"iIr Campnnias and
Your Lucanias. AMI Your Mai"stics. and
y"ur City of New Works. hut all If
thcln put together are SMALLER than an
Indians canoe On Scfr"un lax. conn
lir,." enough to take in all nations
t.,om for on" AMI room fpr all. Get
III! How? How" y"I ask
Well. | know how yen feel. for SUN
Inrr before last on the sea- If Finland
had the same experience. The ship III
which "" sailcd ."uld n"t venture near
n than - mile from sh.r... whcr" st"rl
the Russian I,alac" If I.i"rii"f. anil we
bad Ia get into a small inat and bc
r"wcd ashore. Tlr. water WAS rough.
lnd rs we went down the ladder 1T tho
side IL the ship we held firmly on Ia the
railing, but in ORDER IL ;:..t int" the l.nat
" had mt last I" lrt -.
How did | know that the loat was
good and that the aIrsin"n were sutii-
,icnt: How did know tina: the Finland
SEA would not swallow us with one open
in: of its crystal jaws? We had {" trust.
and we dill trust, AMI our trust was well
rewarded. In III" same WY ..st int" this
gospel lif"hoat. Let -. \, lnn.; rs you
hold on To- any other h"Is. Won are inn
I"rile,l and ynu get NJ advantage from
tn. lif.lrat. Let 80. DOES some one
here say. II guess will h"ll IN little
to- NV good works. or toa l,ioIls parent
age. or To something | cin do in the way
IL achieving my own salvation" NJ,
No, let 20, Trust the Captain, who
would not put y"u into Il rickcty or I'M
certain craft.
AN ELOQUENT rEEoHNrIoy.
For the sake of your present and ev-
crlastins welfare. with all the urgency
If mn immortal addressing ilnnlortals.
cry from the depths of my snul and at
tn" top of my voice. Let "a. Last sum
mcr The life savin. crew AT East Ilamp-
ton invited mo 10 come up to the life
station and SEQ tn" crew Practice, for
twice Il week they are drilled IN the inn
Iortant work assigned them bv thu Unit
cd States government. and they 80
through all the routine ot saving the
shIpwreckc,l. But that would give lit
Il" i'lea If what they would hay" to dn
II ,"u" midnight next winter. the wind
driving backward. vessel should get
~ ia" grasp "f hurricane.
81" tin, lights Oar" from thu. ship IN
the breakers. and then responding lights
naring from the beach. and hear the
rockets buzz rs they rise. aud the life
boat rumbl''s ont. and the gun boonis.
and the life line rises and falls across the
splintered decks. and the hawser tight
ems, and the Afc car goes to and fro. car
rying the exhausted mariners. and tho
ocean. as il angcretl by the snatching of
the human prey from the white teeth of
its surf and th,Astruke of its hillowing
paw. rises with increased fury to assiil
the land. So now am engaged in no
light drill practicing fer what may
come over some If your souls. 1t is with
some If you wintry midnight AMI your
hopes for this world and the next are
wrecked
But s,rl see! Tho lights kindle,l ON
the beach! | throw ont the life line.
Haul in. hand over hand, All. th"re is u
lifcboat III the surf. which all the wrath