The Yale expositor., 1894-10-19

mage, who is still absent on his round
the-world tour, has selected as the sub
iect of to-day's sermon, through the
press: "The Oarsmen Defeated"
Navigation in the Mediterranean sea
always 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 reef the
canvas or haul it in, then the vessel
was entirely dependent upon the oars,
sometimes twenty or thirty of them
on either side the vessel. You would
not venture outside 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 go to Nine
veh to preach about the destruction Of
that city. Jonah disobeyed. That al
ways makes rough water, whether in
the Mediterranean or, the Atlantic,
or the Pacific, or the Caspian sea. 1t is
very hard thing to scare sailors. l
have seen them, when the brow of the
vessel was almost under water, and
they were walking the deck knee-deep
in the surf, and the small boats by the
side of the vessel had been crushed as
small as kindling wood, whistling as
though nothing had happened; but the
Rible says that these mariners of
whom speak were frightened That
which sailors call "a lump of sea"
had become a binding, deafening,
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. l
have in my house piece of sail of a
ship, no larger than the palm of my
hand. That piece of canvas was all
that was left of the largest sail of the
ship Greece that went into the storm
200 miles off Newfoundland. Oh, what
a night that was! / suppose it was in
some such storm as this that Jonah was
caught.
He knew that the tempest was on his
account, and he asked the sailors to
throw him overheard. Sailors arc q
| generous hearted race, and they re-
solved to make their escape, If possible,
without resorting to such extreme
measures. The sails are of no use, and
so they lay hold on their oars. see
the long bank of shining blades on
either side of the vessel. Oh! how they
| did pull, the bronzed seamen, as they
laid back into the oars. But rowing on
the sea is very different from rowing
upon river; and as the vessel hoists,
the oars skip the wave and miss the
stroke, and the tempest laughs to scorn
the flying paddles. 1t is of no use, no
use. There comes a wave that crashes
| the last mast, and sweeps the oarsmen
from their places, and tumbles every
thing in the confusion of impending
,hipwrecl1, or, as my text has it, "The
men rowed hard to bring it 10 the land;
but they could not; wherefore they
cried unto the Lord"
This scene is very suggestive to me,
and l pray God may have grace and
strength enough to represent it intelli-
gently to you. Years ago preached a
sermon on another phase of this very
subject, and l got letter from Hous-
ton, Texas, the writer saying that the
| reading of that sermon in London had
led him to God. And l received another
letter from South Australia, saying that
the reading of that sermon in Australia
had brought several souls to Christ.
And then, thought, why not 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 some
times in the midst of his argument, ,and
say, Now, / will tell you fable;'
and to-day l would like to bring the
scene of the text as an illustration of a
most important religious truth. AS
those Mediterranean oarsmen trying tc
| DTlnB OOlhl aSAAOAC, "OAV hASOOhAASSN
have to tell you that they were not
the only men who have broken down
on their paddles, and have beer
obliged to call on the Lord for help.
want to say that the unavailing efforts
of those Mediterranean oarsmen have
a counterpart in the efforts we are
making to bring souls to the shore o.
safety and set their feet on the Rocl
of Ages. You have a father, ol
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 dy
ing without any hope in Jesus, walked
the floor, wrung his hands, cried bit
terly, and said, II believe l shall gc
insane, for know she Is not prepared
to meet God" And there may hav,
been days of sickness in your house
hold, when you feared it would be ;
fatal sickness; and how closely yol
examined the face of the doctor as h,
came in and scrutinized the patient
and left the pulse, and you followed