The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-10-26
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINES sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "rho oarsmcn Defeated. -

fore they cried unto % Lord,"-Jonah
j., 10, a.
Navigation in tho Mediterranean Sea al.
ways wns perilous, especially SO in early
times. Vessels We're propelled partly by sail
and partly by oar When, by reason of great
stress o. weather, 1t was necessary 10 reef
the canvas or haul 1t in then the vessel was
entirely dependent upon the oars. sometimes
twenty or thirty Of them on either side of
the vessel. You would not venture outside
your harOor with such craft as my text
mos 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 20 90 to Nineveht 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.
! 1t IS very hard thing to scare sailors.
nave 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 rs small as klndllng wood,
whisting as though nothing had happened
but the Bible says that these marinersof
whom | speak were frightened.
That which sailors call ga lump OF sea-
H X, BWHUDluE
Jury 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 a piece Of
the sail OF ship, no larger than the palm Of
my hand. That piece Of canvas was all that
was lett ofthe largest sail Of the ship Greece,
that went into the storm 200 miles off New
toundland. Oh, what night that was
suppose it was in some such storm as this
that Jonah was caught.
lie knew that the tempest was on his ac-
count, and he 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,
and so they lay hold on their oars. ( 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
ent from rowing upon ariver, and 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 wave that crashes the last
mast and sweeps the oarsmen from thor
places and tumbles everything in the con-
fusion OF impending shipWreck, or, as my
text has it, 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 may have grace and strength
enough to represent it lnteligently to you.
Years ago preached a sermon on another
phase of this very subject, and got letter
from Houston, Tex, the writer saying that
the reading of that sermon in London had
led him 10 God. And l received another let
ter from South Australia, saying that the
inn 81 81 has 81, IL. i,
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 ih
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 Cod
Almighty and wreste for the blessing.
Bishop Latimer would stop sometimes in
his sermon, in the midst Of his argument,
and say, Now, will tell YoVa fable" and
to-day l 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
comlted, l 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. l 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 oil
safety and set their feet on the Rock of Ages.
You have father or mother or husband OF
wife or child or near friend who is not q
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
7 believe shall 60 insane, for know she is
not prepared 10 meet Cod And there, may
8 have been days Of sickness in your house,
hold, when you feared 1t would be a fata
l sickness, and how closely you examined the
G face of the doctor as he came in and scru.
tinized the patient and felt the pulse, anl
G you followed him into the next room an(
said, '"There isn't any danger, is there, doc
tor?' And the Hesitation and the uncer
D tainty OF the reply made two eternties ilasl
before your vision. And then you went an
talked to the sick one about the great future
q Oh, there are those here who have tre,
10 bring their friends TO Gcd The
1 have been unable 10 bring them TO the shor
OF safety. They are no nearer that poin
than they were twenty years ago. You thin
@ you have got them almost TO the shore, whe
i you are swept back again. What shall 70
do? Put down the oar? Oh, no, do nc
: advise that, but l do advise that 20
appeal to that God to whom the Mediterra
3 mean oarsmen appealed-the Gol whe coul
= silence the tempest and bring the ship il
safety TO the port l tell you. my friends
I that there has got to be good deal Of pray
O. ing before our families are brought to Christ
All, it is ar awful thing TO have half a house
: hold on one side the line and the other par
of the HOUSEHOLD on the other side of the line
, Two vessels part on the ocean Of eternity
is one going to the right and the other 10 tn
, left-farther apart and farther apart-unt
81 the signals cease to be recognized and ther
n are only two specks on the horizon, and the
they are lost to sight forever
IL / have to tell you that the unavailing e.
q forts of these Mediterranean oarsmen have
~ counterpart in the efforts some Of us ar
O making TO bring our children to the shore G
safety. There never were so many temptj
< tons for young people as there are no =
IF The literary and the social influences sect
-, TO be against their spiritual interests. Chris
n seems TO be drv II almost entirely from tn