The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-10-31
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: ssThe Oarsmen Defeated

Subject: ssThe Oarsmen Defeated
TEXT: "The men rowed hard to brin,
It to the land, but they could not, where
fore they cried unto the Lord."-Jonat
l., IS, "A.
Navigation In the Mediterranean Sea al
ways was perilous, especially so In early
. times. Vessels were propelled partly by sail
and partly by oar. When, by reason of great
stress Of weather, it was necessary to rec
the canvas or haul 1t in, then the vessel wal
entirely dependent upon the oars, sometime!
twenty or thirty OF them on either side o
your harbor with such craft as my text
finds Jonah sailing In. but he had not much
choice Of vessels. He was running away
from the Lord, and when man Is running
away from the Lord he has to run very fast.
God had told Jonah to 90 to Nineveh to
preach about the destruction Of that city.
Jonah disobeyed. That always makes rough
water, whether in the Mediterranean, or the
Atlantic, or the Pacific, or the Caspian Sea.
Il Is a very hard thing to scare sailors. 7
/, have seen them, when the brow OF the vessel
was almost under water, and they wero
s walking the deck knee deep In the surf, and
the small boats by th side Of the vessel had
been crushed as small as kindling wood,
whistling as though nothing had happened,
but the Bible says that these mariners Of
whom speak were frightened.
That which sailors call ga lump Of sea"
has become binding, deafenlng, swamping
fury. How mad the wind can get at the
water, and the water can get at the wind,
you do not know unless you have been
spectators. have In my house piece Of
A6o. - ,Is l. H., - -
my hand. That piece OF canvas was all that
was left ofthe largest sail Of the ship Greece,
that went into the storm 200 miles off New
foundland. Oh, what night that was! I
suppose 1t was In some such storm as this
that Jonah was caught.
He knew that the tempest was on his &C.
count, and ne asked the sailors to throw him
overheard. Sailors are generous hearted
race, and they resolved to make their es.
cape. II possible, without resorting to such
extreme measures. The sails are Of no use,
the long bank Of shining blades on either
side the vessel. Oh, how they did pull, the
bronzed seamen, as they lay back Into the
oars! ! But rowing on the sea Is very differ
ent from rowing upon a river, and as the YES
sci hoists the oars skip the wave and miss
the stroke, and the tempest laughs to scorn
the flying paddles. It Is Of no use, no use.
There comes wave that crashes the last
mast and sweeps the oarsmen from their
places and tumbles everything In the con-
fusion Of impending shipWreck, or, as my
text has 1t, "The men rowed hard to bring
It to the land. but they could not, wherefore
they cried unto the Lord"
This scene is very suggestive to me, and
pray God I may have grace and strength
enough to represent 1t 1ntelligentlY to you.
Years ago preached a sermon on another
phase OF this very subject, and got letter
hom Houston, Tex, the writer saying that
the reading Of that sermon In London had
led him 10 God. And received another let
Ter from South Australia, saying that the
reading of that sermon in Australia had
brought several souls to Christ. And then,
thought why not now take another phase OF
the same subject, for perhaps that God who
can raise In power that which is sown In
weakness may now, through another phase
OF the same subject, bring salvation to the
people who shall hear and salvation to the
people who shall read. Men and women who
know how to pray, lay hold Of the Lord God
Almighty, and wrestle for the blessing.
: Bishop Latimer would stop sometimes in
hissermon, in the midst of his argument,
and say, "Now, will tell you u table," and
to-day would like to bring the scene Of the
text as an illustration of most important re-
ligious truth. As those Mediterranean oars
men trying to bring Jonah ashore were dis
comfted, have to tell you that they were
not the only men who have broken down on
their paddles and have been obliged to call
on the Lord for help. I want TO say that the
unavailing efforts Of those Mediterranean
oarsmen have counterpart In the efforts we
ara making to bring souls to the shore Of
safety and set their feet on the Rock Of Ages.
You have father or mother or husband or
wife or child or near friend who is not
Christian. There have been times when you
have been In agony about their salvation.
A minister of Christ, whose wife was dying
wrung his hands, cried bitterly and said, "I
believe shall 60 insane, for know she Is
not prepared to meet God" And there, may
have been days OF sickness in your house
hold, when you feared 1t would be fatal
sickness, and how closely you examined the
face Of the doctor as he came in and scru-
tinized the patient and felt the pulse, and
you followed him into the next room and
said, "There isn't any danger, Is there, doc
tor?" And the hesitation and the Incer-
tainty OF the reply made two eternities flash
talked to the sick one about the great future.
Oh, there are those here who have tried
TO bring their friends to God! They
have been unable to bring them to the shore
OF safety. They are no nearer that point
than they were twenty years ago. You think
you have got them almost to the shore, when
you are swept back again. What shall you
do? Put down the oar? Oh, no, do not
advise that, but do advise that you
appeal to that God to whom the Mediterra-
mean oarsmen appealed-the God whe could
silence, the tempest and bring the ship in
safety TO the port! I tell you. my friel'is.
that there has got to be good deal OF pray
Ing before our families are brought to Christ.
All, 1t Is an awful thing to have half house,
hold on one side the line and the other part
OF the houshold on the other side Of the line /!
] Two vessels part on the ocean OF eternity,
one going to the right and the other to the
left-farther apart and farther apart-until
the signals cease to be recognized and there
are only two specks on the horizon, and then
they are lost to sight forever!
have to tell you that the unavailing ef-
forts Of these Mediterranean oarsmen have a
counterpart in the efforts some OF US are
making to bring our children to the shore OF
safety. There never were so many tempta-
tons for young people rs there are now.
The literary and the social influences ssenl
10 be against their spiritual interests. Christ
seems to be driven almost entirely from the
school and the pleasurable concourse, yet
God knows how anxious we are for our
children. We cannot think Of going into
heaven without them. We do not want
to leave this life while they are tossing
on the waves Of temptation and away
from God. From which of them could
we consent to be eternally separated?
Would it be the son2 Would It be the
daughter! Would it be the eldest? Would
It be the youngest? Would 1t be the one
that is we'll and stout or the one that Is
sick2 Oh, 7 hear some parent saying to-
night 'I have tried my best to bring my
children to Christ. I have laid hold OF the
oars until they bent in my grasp, and Lave