The Penn's Grove record., 1894-10-19
REV. DIR. TALNAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE'S sun
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The oarsmen Defeated"

TEXT 1.-THE men rowed hard to bring
It to the land, but they could not, where
fore they cried unto the ord."-Jonah
l., IS, IA.
Navigation in the Mediterranean Sea al
ways was perilous. especially SC 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 reel
the canvas or haul 1t in. then the vessel wal
entirely dependent upon the oars. sometimes
twenty or thirty Of them on either sid Of
the vessel. You would not venture outside
vour harbor with such a 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 a man Is running
away from the Lord he has to run very fast.
God had told Jonah TO go to Nineveh to
preach about the de.truction OF that city.
Jonah ~disobeyed. That always makes rough
water, whether in the Mediterranean, or the
Atlantic, or the Pacific. or the Caspian Sea.
1t is a very hard thing to scare sailors. I
have seen them, when the brow Of the vessel
was almost under water, and they wero
walking the deck knee deep In the surf, and
the small boats by the side of the vessel had
been crushed as small rs kindling wood,
whistling as though nothing had happened,
hut the Bible says that these mariners Of
WYNN L opNuh VOL biShNthCus
That which sailors call "a lump of a sea-
has become a binding, deafening, swapping
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. I.have in my house a piece OF
the sail OF a ship, no larger than the palm OF
my hand. That piece OF canvas wss all that
was lett ofthe largest sail of the ship Greece,
that went into the storm 200 miles of New
fOnnhIanH NJ, what q nfuhf thaf wact r
suppose it wasiu some such storm as this
that Jonah was caught.
He knew that the tempest was on his ac-
count, and he asked the sailors to throw him
overheard. Sailors are a generous hearted
race. and they resolved to make their es-
cape. IL possible, without resorting to such
extreme measures. The sails are of no use,
and so they lay hold On their oars. L see
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
Ont from rowing upon a%river, n as the YES
sci 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 everything in the con-
fusion OF impending shipwre ck, 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
pray God | may have grace and strength
enough to represent it 1ntelligently to you.
Years ago I preached q sermon on another
phase OF this very subject, and l got a letter
from Houston, Tex, the writer saying that
the reading of that sermon in London had
led him 10 God. And I received another let
ter from South Australia, saying that the
reading nj 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
his sermon, In the midst of his argument,
and say, Now, I will tell you a fable" and
to-day l would like to bring the scene of the
text as an illustration of a most important re-
ligious truth. As those Mediterranean oars.
men trying to bring Jonah ashore were dis
comfted, l nave 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. / want tosay that the
unavailing efforts of those Mediterranean
oarsmen have a counterpart in the efforts we
are making to bring souls to the shore oil
safety ana set their feet on the Rock OF Ages.
You have a father or mother or husband or
wife or child or near friend who is not a
Christian. There have been times when you
have been in agony about their salvation.
"A minister OF Christ, whose wife was dying
without any hope in Jesus, walked the floor,
wrung his hands, cried bitterly and said, 81
believe / shall go insane, for l know she Is
not prepared TO meet God" And there, may
have been days OF sickness in your house,
hold, when you feared IL would be a fatal
sickness, and how closely you examined the
face OF the doctor as he came in and scrd-
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
tori" And the hesitation and the uncer-
tainty OF the reply made two eternities flash
before your vision. And then you went anC
talked to the sick one about the great future
oh, there are those here who have tried
10 bring their friends TO God! They
have been unable to bring them to the shore
of safety. They are nc nearer that poin'
than they were twenty years ago You thinl
you have got them almost to the shore, whel
you are swept buck again. What shall yor
dop Put down the oar? oh, no, l do no
advise that, but l do advise that yo'
appeal TO tina God 10 whom the Mediterra-
mean oarsmen appealed-the God whe could
silence the tempest and bring the ship In
safety to the portl I tell you. my friends,
that there has got to be a good deal of pray
ing before our families are brought to Christ.
Alb, 1t is an awful thing to have half a house
hold on one side the line and the other part
of the HOUSEHOLD on the other side OF the line !
Two vessels part on the ocean of eternity,
n 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 foreverl
l 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-
tions for young people as there are now.
Tn literary and the social influences seem
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 e~ternally separated?
Would 1t be the son? Would 1t be the
daughter2 Would 1t be the eldest2 Would
II be the Youngest Would 1t be the n
that Is well and stout or the one that Is
sick2 Oh, l hear some parent saying to-
night: 81 nave tried my best to bring my
children to Christ. Ihave laid hold OF the
oars until they bent in my grasp, and 1 have
braced myself against the ribs Of the boat.
and I have pulled for their eternal rescue,
but I can't get them TO Christ" Then / ask
yout to initiate the men of the text and cry
nightly unto God. We want more i'm
Fortunate praying for children, such as
The father INDUCED in when he had tried to
bring his six sons to Christ and they had
wandered OF into dissipation. Then he got
down in his prayers n said, 30 God, take
away my life, II through that means my
sons may repent and be brought TO Christi
and the Lord s~tartlingly answered the
prayer. and In q few weeks the father was
taken away, and through the solemnity the
six sons fed unto God. Oh, that father
could afford to die for the eternal welfare OF
his childreni He rowsd hard to bring them
to the land, but could not, and then he cried
unto the Lord.
There are parents who are almost dtscour-
aged about their children. Where Is yout
son to-nightP TVAas wondered OF perhaps
10 the ends Q. arth. 1t seems as IL ha
canno get far enough away from your
Christian counsel. What does he care about