Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-10-31
REV. DIR. TALNAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIvINE,S sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Oarsmen Defeated" :"

WAYS was perilous, especially SO In early
times. Vessels were propelled partly by sail
md partly by oar. When, by reason Of great
stress OF weat her. II was necessary to reef
the canvas or haul il in. then the vessel was
entirely dependent upon the oars. sometimes
twenty Orthrty of them on either side OF
the vessel. iou would not venture outside
your hartO with such n craft AS my text
finds Jonah sailing in. but he hal not much
cFoica or vessels. He was running awav
from the Lord. and when man Is running
away from the Lord he has to run very fast.
Col hal told Jonah TO go to Nineveh to
roach about the detruction OF that city.
Jonah disoheyei. That always makes rough
water. whether in the Mediterranean, or the
Atlantic, or the Pacific, or the Caspian Sea.
II is a very har thing to scare sailors.
have seen the's. when the brow Of the vessel
was almost nm Ter water, and thew wcro
walking the deck knee deep In the surf, AMI
the small boats by the side of the vessel had
been crushed as small as kindling wood.
whstling as though nothing had happened,
iut the Bible says that these mariners Of
whom speak were frightened.
That which sailors call ga lump OF sea-
has become a binding. deafening. swampine
fury. How mad the wind can get at the
y..ter, 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 thar the palm Of
my hand. That piece OF canvas was all that
WIS lett Ofthe largest sail OF the ship Greece,
that went into the storm 200 miles of New
foun 'iani. oh, what a night that wasI I
suppose 1t wasin 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-
egpe. II possible, without resortinS to such
extreme measures. The sails are OF no use,
and so they lay hold on their oars. [ se8
no ha MI nf mi bI,I oft bap
sile 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 ariyer. ani as the YES.
Sol hoists the oars skip the wave and miss
the stroke, and the tempest laughs to scorn
the fying paddles. 1t is OF no use, no use.
There comes q wave that crashes the last
mast and sweeps the oar5men from thOir
places and tumbles everything in the con-
fusion of impending shipwreck. or, as my
text has II. "Fhe men rowed hard TO bring
1t 10 the Land. but they could not, wherefore
they cried unto the Lori"
This scene is very suggestive to me, and I
pray God l may have grace and strength
enough TO represent il inteligently to you.
Years ago preached a sermon on another
phase OF this very subject, and 1 got a letter
from 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 tho
reading of that sermon in Australia had
brought several souls to'Christ. And then, I
thought why not now take another phase of
the same subject, for perhaps that Col who
can raise In power =tbat which Is sown in
weakness maysnow, through another phase
Of the same; sp5iect, bring salvation TO the
people who>sha1l res.d. 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, New, 1 will tell You a fable" and
to-day I would like 10 bring the scene of the
text as an illustration of n ~ ost important re-
ligious truth. As those Mediterranean oars.
men trying to bring Jonah. ashore were dis.
comfited, have to tell you that they were
not the only men whs have broken down on
their paddles and have been obliged to call
unayailing efforts OF those Mediterranean
oarsmep have a counterpart Ia. the efforts We
are making to bring souls to the shore. OF
safety and 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
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, "I
believe shall go insane. for l know she is
not prepared 10 meet Col" And there, may
have been days of sickness in your house
hold when you feared it would be "A 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 uncer-
tainty OF the reply made two eternltieS Hash
before your vision. And then you went ant
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 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
do2 Put down the oar? Oh, no, do not
advise that, but l do advise. that yos
appeal 10 that 600 TO vnon tho Medfterra-
mean oarsmen appealed-the Col whe couii
silence the tempest and bring the ship In
safety to the portI i tell you. my frienis,
that there has got to be a good deal OF pray
ing before our families are brought to Christ.
All II Is ar awful thing to nave half house.
hold on ons side the line an the other pirt
OF the houshoid on the other siie OF the ilnai
Two vessels part on the ocean OF eternity,
one going to the right an the other TO tho
left-farther apart and farther apart-uutii
the signals cease 20 be recognized and thers
are only two specks on the horizon, and then
they are lost to sight forever!
| have to tell YOU that the un1vailinS ef-
forts
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 as there are now.
The literary and the social influences SEEN
to 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 gong INTO
heaven without them. We do not want
to leave this life while they are tossing
on the waves of temptation and away
from Col From which OF them could
Wa consent to be eternaily separatsd!
Would It be the son? Would It be the
daughter? Would 1t be the eldestf Would
II be the youngest2 Would 1t be the one
that is we'll and stout or the one tnat Is
sck2 Oh, 1 hear some parent saying to-
night: az have tried my best to bring nay
children to Christ. have laid hold OF the
oars until they bent in my grasp, and 1ave
braced myself AGAINST the ribs OF the LOAF.
and nave pafted for their eternal rescue,
but can't get them TO Christ. Ihen ask
youto initiate the men OF the text anu cry
nightly unto God. We want more I'M
Fortunate praying for children, sucn a.
The father In iulged in when he had tried TO
bring his six sons to Christ and tney nao
wandered OF into dissipation. Then ne got
down In his prayers and said, 10 Goo, tage
away my life, n through that means my
sons mag repent and be brought to Christ.
and the Lord startlingiy answered the
prayer, and IN a few weeks the father was
taken away, and through the soemnity the
NJ sons fed unto God. On, that k6her
could afford to die for the eternal welfare OF
his chiidrenI He rowed hard to bring them
to the land, bu could not, and then he cried
unto ths kord.
There are parents VINO ara almost dis'our-
aged about their children. Where Is your
son Tonight He has wondered on perhaps
70 tba ands of the earth. 1t seemS rs II he
cannot ret far enough away from your
Christian counsel. What does he ecare about
the furrows that come to yolr brow, about
the onick whitening OF the hair. about tise
fact that-your back hegtns TO stoop with tns ,,
burdensS Why, he WON'T not care musn !,
he heard Won were dead! Tie. .black-efge !
letter that brought the tidinIs he would put
..n---. -..l.. ~, ,-rfth other. Letters TOLL