Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-04-05
THE STORY OF A SHIP
IT HAD NO PROV OR SAIL OR STEAM
OR HELM.

OR HELM.
But Rev. DIR. Talmage Says 1t Eclipsed
All Modern steamshlps--An Eloquent
Sermon by the Great Divine on the Cos
pei Invitation.
New YORK, March 91.-Although
his oratory is at times magnetic and
eloquent, there is one theme with
which, whenever he makes it the
groundwork Of his sermon, DR.. Talmage
never fails to communicate to his audi
tors the enthusiasm he himself feels
That theme is the gospel invitation,
and when this afternoon be took for his
subject "The Gospel Ship" the great
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 a 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-
lieve that in the formation Of the earth
there have been a half dozen deluges,
and yet they are not willing TO believe
the Bible story of one deluge.
In what way the catastrophe came we
know not-whether by the stroke Of a
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-
trophe 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.
The 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 d" 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 a moan in the wind like
unto the moan of a dying world The
blackness of the heavens is shattered by
the fare of the lightnings, that look
down into the waters and throw
ghastliness on the face Of the noun
tains How strange it looks How suf-
locating the air seemsl The big drops
Of rain begin oplash upon the upturned
faces of those who are watching the
tempest. Crash go the rocks in con-
vulsion BOOM 60 the bursting heay-
ems. The inhabitants Of the earth, in
stead Of flying to house top and noun
tain top, as men have fancied, sit down
in dumb, white horror to die. For when
God grinds mountains to pieces and lets
the ocean slip its cable there is no place
for men to fly to. See the ark pitch and
tumble in the surf, while from its win
dows the passengers look out upon the
shipwreck Of a race and the carcasses
of dead world Woe to the noun
tainsl Woe to the seal
A Terrible Storm.
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
fact not to be disputed. Neither am | an
alarmist when say that a 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
nc 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 a 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, 10000, 600 abreastl
The door of the ancient ark was in
the side. So now it is through the side
Of Christ-the pierced side, the wide
open side, the heart side-that we en-
ter. Aha, the Roman soldier, thrusting
his spear into the Sayiour's side, ex-
pected only to let the blood out, but he
opened the way to let all the world inl
Oh, what a broad gospel to preach! IL
a man is about to give an entertain
ment he issues 200 or 300 invitations
carefully put up and directed TO the
narticular persons whom he wishes to
entertain. But God, our father, makes
a 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 readyF 1t Is
wide doorl 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
treasures on days of great rejoicing. SO
Christ, our king, comes and scatters the
Jewels of heaven.
Rowland Hill said that he hoped to
get into heaven through the crevices OF
the door But hewas not obliged thus to
20 in. After having preached the gospel
In Surrey chapel, going up toward heay-
an. the gatekeeper cried, Lift up your
heads, ye everlasting gates, and let this.
man come inp' The dying thief went
In. Richard Baxter and Robert Newton
went In Europe, Asia, Africa, North
and South America may yet 90 through