The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-04-05
THE STORY OF A SHIP
rT HAD NO PROV OR SAIL OR STEAM
OR HELM.

Sermon by the Great Divine on the Go,
pei Invitation.
NEW YORK, March 31.-Althoug
his oratory is at times magnetic an
eloquent, there is one theme wit
which, whenever he makes it tn
groundwork of his sermon, DR.. Talmag
never fails to communicate to his audi
tors the enthusiasm he himself feels
That theme is the1gospel invitation
and when this afternoon he took for hi
subject 1.-THE Gospel Ship the grea
audience that crowded the Academy
was in full sympathy. The text selected
was Genesis vi, IS, "Thou shalt come
into the ark, thou and thy sons and thy
wife and thy sons wives with thee.
In this day of the steamships Lucania
and Majestic and the Paris will show
you ship that in some respects eclipsed
them all, and which sailed out, an ocean
underneath and another ocean falling
upon it. Infidel scientists ask us to be-
ieve that in the formation of the earth
there have been half dozen deluges,
and yet they are not willing to believe
hn6 6lple story or one deluge.
In what way the catastrophe came we
know not-whether by the stroke of
comet, or by flashes of lightning, chang
ing the air into water, or by stroke of
the hand of God, like the stroke of the
ak between the horns of the OK, the
earth staggered. To meet the catas-
sfophe God ordered a great ship built.
1t was to be without Prov, for it was to
sail to no shore. 1t was to be without
helm, for no human hand should guide
it. 1t was vast structure, probably as
large as two or three modern steamers.
1t was the Great Eastern of olden time.
The ship Is done The door is open.
TIE lizards crawl in. The cattle walk
In. The grasshoppers hop in. The birds
fly in. The invitation goes forth to
Noah, "Come thou and all thy house
into the ark. Just one human family
embark on the strange voyage, and l
hear the door slam shut A great storm
sweeps along the hills and bends the
cedars until all the branches snap in the
gale. There is moan in the wind like
unto the moan of dying world. The
blackness of the heavens is shattered by
the flare of the lightnings, that look
down into the waters and throw a
ghastliness on the face of the noun
tains. How strange it looks! How suf-
locating the air seemsl The big drops
of rain begin to plash upon the upturned
faces of those who are watching the
tempest. Crashl go the rocks in con-
vulsion. Booml go the bursting heav-
ems The inhabitants of the earth, in
stead Of flying to house top and noun
tain top, as men have fancied, sit down
Tn dumb, white horror to die. For when
God grinds mountains to pieces and let's
the ocean slip its cable there is no place
for men to fly to. See the ark pitch and
tumble in the snrf, while from its win
dows the passengers look out upon the
ghipwreck of race and the carcasses
of a dead world. Woe to the noun
tainsl Woe to the seal
Terrible Storm.
I am no alarmist When on the goth
of September, after the wind has for
three days been blowing from the north
east, you prophesy that the equinoctial
storm is coming, you simply state a
fact not to be disputed. Neither am an
alarmist when say that storm is COM
ing, compared with which Noah's del
uge was but an April shower, and that
it is wisest and safest for you and for
me to get safely housed for eternity.
The invitation that went forth to Noah
sounds in our ears, "Come thou and all
thy house into the ark.
Well, how did Noah and his family
come into the ark? Did they climb in
at the window, or come down the roof?
No; they went through the door. And
Just so, if we get into the ark of Gods
mercy, it will be through Christ, the
door. The entrance to the ark of old
must have been very large entrance.
We know that it was from the fact that
there were monster animals in the
earlier ages, and in order to get them
into the ark, two and two, according to
the Bible statement, the door must have
been very wide and very high. So the |
door into the mercy of God is large |
door. We go in, not two and two, but |
by hundreds, and by thousands and by
millions. Yea, all the nations of the |
earth may go in, $1,000, 600 abreastl
The door of the ancient ark was in
the side. So now it is through the side |
of Christine pierced side, the wide
open side, the heart side-that we en-
ter. Aha, the Roman soldier, thrusting |
his spear into the Saviour's side, ex- |
pected only to let the blood out, but he
opened the way to let all the world in
Oh, what broad gospel to preach If
q man is about to give an entertain
ment, he issues 200 or 800 invitations,
carefully put up and directed to the
particular persons whom he wishes to
entertain But God, our father, makes
q banquet and goes out to the front
door of heaven and stretches out his
hands over land and sea, and with
voice that penetrates the Hindoo jun
gle, and the Greenland ice castle, and
Brazilian grove, and English factory,
and American home, cries out, Come,
for all things are now readyr' 1t is a
wide door, The old cross has been taken
apart, and its two pieces are stood up
for the doorposts, so far apart that all
the world can come in. Kings scatter