The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-08-14


lirht he had, was Jonah. He was 4
member of the church. while they
were heathen. The sailors were en-
gagged in their lawful calling, follow
ing the sea. The merchants on board
I suppose, were going down to Tar
shish to barter, but Jonah, nothwith-
standing his Christian profession, was
nvins from duty. He was sound
asleep in the CABIN. He has been mo-
tionless for hours-his arms and feet
in the same posture as when he lay
down-his breast heaving with deep
respiration. Oh, how could he sleep
What if the ship struck a rock. What
if it sprang leak, What if the clum-
sv oriental craft should capsize What
would become OF Jonah:
So men sleep soundly now and
amid perils infinite. In almost every
place. l suppose, the Mediterranean
might be sounded, but no line is long
enough 10 fathom the profound be-
meath every impenitent man. Pluug-
ing a thousand fathoms down, you
cannot touch the bottom. Eternity
beneath him, before him, around him
Rocks close by and whirlpools and
hot breathed Levanters; yet sound
asleep, We try to wake him up, but
-, The great surges of warning
break over the hurricane deck the
gong of warning sounds through the
cabin-the bell rings. Awake" cry
hundred voices; Yet sound asleep in
the cabin.
In the year 17775 the captain of a
Greenland whaling vessel found him
self at night surrounded by icebergs
and LAY to- until morning, expect
ing every moment to be ground to
pieces. In the morning he looked
about and saw a ship near bv. He
hailed it. No answer. Getting into
a boat with some of the crew, he
pushed out for the mysterious craft.
Getting near by, he saw through the
portfolio man at a stand, as though
keeping q logbook. He hailed him.
No answer. He went on board the
vessel and found the man sitting at
the logbook frozen to death. The log
book was dated 11G2, showing that the
vessel had been wandering for 13
years among the ice. The sailors were
found frozen among the hammocBs
and others in the cabin. For 13 years
this ship had been carrying its burden
of corpses.
So from this gospel craft today 1 de-
scry voyages for eternity. | cry
Ship ahoy." No answer. They float
about, tossed and ground by the ice.
bergs of sin, hoisting no sail for heav-
en-. go on board. I find all asleep.
It is frozen sleep. Oh, that my
Lord Jesus would come aboard and
lay hold of the wheel. and steer the
craft down into the warm gulf stream
of his mercy! Awake, thou that sleep
est. Arise from the dead, and Christ
shall give thee life.
Again, notice that men are aroused
by the most unexpected means. If
Jonah had been told one year before
thata heather sea captain would ever
awaken him to a sense of danger, he
would have scoffed at the idea, but
here it is done. So now men in
strangest ways are aroused from spir-
itual stupor. A profane man is
brought to conviction by the shocking
blasphemy of comrade. A man at
tending church and hearing a sermon
from the text, ''The OK knoweth his
owner" etc., goes home unimpressed
but, crossing his barnyard, an OK
comes up and ticks his hand, and he
says, There it is now-'the OK know
eth his owner, and the ass his masters
crib, but I do not know Cod" The
careless remark of a teamster has led
man to thoughtfulness and heaven.
The child's remark, Father, they
have prayers at uncle's house-why
don't we haye them?" has brought sal
vation to the dwelling.
By strangest way and in the most
unexpected manner men are awaken
ed. The gardener of the Countess of
Huntington was convicted Of tsin by
hearing the countess on the opposite
side of the wall talk about Jesus.
John Hardoak was aroused by
dream in which he saw the last day,
and the judge sitting, and heard his
own name called with terrible empha-
sis, John Hardoak, come to judg-
ment,m The Lord has a thousand
ways of waking up Jonah. Would
that the messengers of mercy might
now find their way down into the
sides of the ship, and that many who
are unconsciously rocking in the aw-
full tempest of their sin might hear the
warning: "What meanest thou, 0
sleeper: Arise and call upon thy
God"
Again, learn that man may wake
up too late. If, instead of sleeping,
Jonah had been on his knees confess
ing his sins from the time he went on
board the craft, I think that God
would have saved him from being
thrown over board. But he woke up
too late. The tempest is IN full blast,
and the sea in convulsion, is lashing
itself, and nothing will stop it now
but the overthrow of Jonah.
So men sometimes wake up too late
The last hour has come. The man
has no more idea of dying than have
of dropping down this moment. The
rigging is all white with the foam of
death. How chill the night is. II
must die," he says, ''yetnot ready. l
must push out upon this awful sea,
but have nothing with which to pay
nay fare. The white caps! The dark
ness. The hurricane How long
have been sleeping? Whole days
and months and years. l am quite
awake now I see everying, but it is
too late" Invisible hands take him
up. He struggles to get loose. In vain.
They bring his soul to the verge. They
le: it down over the side. The winds
howl. The sea opens its frothing