The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1894-10-25
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
rHE BROOKLYN DIMES SUN
DAY SERMON.
Subject: tThe Oarsmen Defeated"

WAYS was perlous, especially 30 IN early
tnsss. Vessels were propelled partly by sail
and partly by oar. When, by reason OF great
stress of weather, 1t was necessary to reel
the canvas or haul it In, then the vessel wal
entirely dependent upon the oars, sometimes
twenty or thirty OF them on either side oil
the vessel. You would not venture outside
your 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 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 n very hard thing TO scare sailors.
| have seen them, when tho 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 as kindllng wood,
whistling as though nothing had happened,
| hut the Bible says that these mariners OF
| whom I speak were frightened.
That which sailors call "a lump Of o sea"
| has become u 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. have In my house piece OF
| the sail Of ship. no larger than the palm OF
| my hand. That piece Of canvas was oil that
! was loft ofthe largest sail Of the ship Greece,
| that went into the storm 200 miles off New
founlland. Oh. what night that was l
! suppose 1t was In some such storm as this
/ that Jonah was caught.
| He knew that the tempest WAS on his 40
/ count. and he asked the sailors to throw him
| overheard. Sailors are q generous hearted
| race. and they resolved to make their eS.
! cHpe. ii possible, without resorting to such
extreme measures. The sails are Of no use,
and so they lay hold on their oars 1 sec
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 river and as the yes.
sci hoists the oars skip the wave and miss
the stroke, and the tempest laughs to soorn
the fying 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. ''rho men rowed hard to bring
it o 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 1t 1ntelligently to you.
Years ago preached a sermon on another
phase Of this very subject, and I got 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 the
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 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
l,x, h.Nl1 - n<,.(
Almighty, and wreste for theblessing.
Bishop Latimer would stop sometimes In
his sermon, in tho midst of his argument,
and say, "Now, will tell you fable" 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
comlited, I 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 hclp. 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 of
safety and set thor 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.
\ minister of Christ whose wife was dying
without any hope in Jesus, walked the floor,
wrung his hands, cried bitterly and said, ~
believe Shall go insane, for know she IS
not prepared to meet Col" And there, may
have been days OF sickness in your house.
hold when you feared 1t would be fat II
sickness, and how closely you examined tho
face of the doctor us he came in and scrd-
tinized tho patient and felt the pulse, AMI
you followed him into the next room and
said, 'There isn't any danger, is there. do:-
torT' And the hesitation and tho uncer-
n mazda t,fp fla all
before your vision. And then you went and
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, wlen
you are swept back again. What shall you
do? Put down the oar? Oh, no. l do not
advise that, but l do advise that you
| appeal to that God to whom the M61Iterra-
mean oarsmen appealed-the God whe could
| silence the tempest and bring the ship In
safety to the port l tell you. my friends,
| that there has got to be good deal OF pray
| Ing before our families are brought to Christ.
| All, 1t Is ar awful thing to have half q 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,
one going to the right an the other to the
lelt-lurtner apart ana lartner upurt-untlI
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
| counterpart In the efforts some OF US are
| making 10 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 seem
| 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 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 Col. From which of them could
We consent to be externally separate |?
Would it be the SOM Would it be the
daughter? Would 1t be tho eldest? Would
it be the youngrst2 Would it DO the one
that is well and stout or the one that Is
sick? oh, l hear some parent saying to-
night ~ have tried my best to bring my
children to Christ. have laid hold OF tho
oars until they bent in my grasp, and l Lave
braeed myself against the ribs OF the boat
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