The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-08-09

the midst of danger, The worst sinner
on shipboard, considering the light no
had, was Jonah Flo was member of
the church, while they were heathen
The sailors We're .engaged in their law
full calling following the sea- The mer-
chants on board, suppose, were going
down to Tarshish TO barter, but Jonah,
notwithstanding his Christian profes.
sion, was flying from duty, He was
sound asleep in the cabin He has been
motionless for hours--his arms and feet
in tho same posture as when he lay
down--his breast heaving with deep
respiration. Oh, how could he sleep
What if the ship struck rock? What if
1t sprang aleak? What il the clumsy
oriental craft should capsize? What
would become of Jonahl
So men sleep soundly now amid perils
infinite. In almost every place, sup
pose, the Mediterranean might be sound
3D. but no line is long enough to fathom
the profound beneath every impenitent
man. Plunging a thousand fathoms
down, you cannot touch bottom. Eter-
nifty 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
fail. The great surges of warning break
over the hurricane deck, the gong of
warning sounds through the cabin, the
bells rings. "Awakelh cry hundred
voices. Yet sound asleep III the cabin.
In the year 1878 the captain of
Greenland whaling vessel found him
self at night surrounded by icebergs and
''lay to- until morning, expecting ev-
cry moment to be ground to pieces. In
the morning he looked about and saw a
ship near by He hailed it, No answer.
Getting into boat with some of the
crew, he pushed out for the mysterious
craft. Getting near by, he saw through
the portfolio man at stand, as though
keeping logbook. He hailed him. No
answer, he went on board the vessel
and found the man sitting at the log
book, frozen to death. The logbook was
dated 1862, showing that the vessel had
been wandering for - years among the
ice. The sailors were found frozen
among the hammocks, and others in the
cabin. For ID years this ship had been
carrying its burden Of corpses.
So from this gospel craft today l de-
scry voyagers for eternity. Icry: "Ship
ahoy Ship ahoyW No answers They
float about, tossed and ground by the
icebergs of Sin, hosting no sail for heav-
en-. l go on board I find all asleep. 1t
is a 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 sleepestl 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 that
heather sea captain would ever awaken
him to sense of danger, he would have
scoffed at the idea, but here it is done.
So now men in strangest ways are
aroused from spiritual stupor. A pro
fame man is brought to conviction by
the shocking blasphemy of comrade
A man attending church and hearing
| sermon from the text, 1.-THE OK knoweth
his OWNER" ETC., goes home impressed,
but, crossing his barhyard, an OK come
| up and ticks his hand, and he says:
| 'There it is now. The OK knoweth his
owner and the ass his masters crib,
but do not know God" The careless
remark of teamster has led man to
thoughtfulness and heaven. The child's
remark Father, they have prayers at
uncle's house. Why don't we have
them?" has brought salvation to the
dwelling.
By strangest ways and in the most un-
| expected manner men are awakened.
The gardener Of the Countess of Hunt
| ingdon was convicted of sin 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 emphasis, John Hardoak, come
to judgmontn' The Lord has 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 uncon-
sciously rocking in the awful tempest of
their sin might hear the warning:
"What meanest thou, o sleeper? Arise
and call upon thy Godl"
Awake Too Late.
Again: Learn that man may wake
up too late. If, instead of sleeping,
Jonah had been OH his knees confessing
his sins from the time he went on board
the craft, think that God would have
saved him from being thrown overheard.
But he woke up too late. The tempest
is in full blast, and the sea, i'll convul-
Sion, is flashing 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 l have of
dropping down this moment. The rig
cling is all white with the foam of
death. How chill the night isl 81 must
die" he says, yet not ready. l must
push out upon this awful sea, but have
nothing with which to pay my fare
The white caps! The darknessl The
hurricane How long have been sleep
ing? Whole days and months and years
l am quite awake now / see every
thing, 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 let 1t down over the
side. The winds howl The sea opens
its frothing jaws to swallow. He has
gone forever. And while the canvas
cracked, and the yards ratified, and the
ropes thumped, the sea took up the fu-
neral dirge, playing with open diapason
of midnight storm, Because | have
called, and ye refused, have stretched
out my hand, and no man regarded, but
ye have set at naugh q my counsel and
would none of my reproof, | also will
laugh at your calamity, will mock
when your fear cometh
Now, lest any of you should make
this mistake,I address you i'll the words
of the Mediterranean sea captain
what meanest thou, o sleeper? Arise,
| A. H. ~