Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-08-16
REV. DR. TALMAGE
The Eminent New York Dlvine's Sun {
day Sermon.
Subject: ''SIan Overheard"

God told Jonah to 90 to Uneven on an un-
pleasant errand. He would not go. He
thought to get away from his duty by putting
to sea. With pack under his arm find him
on his way TO JOppa, seaport. He goes
down among the shipping aud says to the
men lying around on the docks, (Which OF
these vessels sails today" The sailors an
swer, "Yonder is a vessel going to Tarshish.
think if you hurry you may get on board
her," Jonah steps on board the rough craft,
asks how much the fare Is, and pays it.
Anchor is weighed. sails are hoisted, and the
rigging begins to rattle in the strong breeze
of the Mediterranean. Joppa is an exposed
harbor, and it does not take long for the YES
sci to get on the broad sea. The sailors like
what they call "spanking breeze" and the
plunge of the vessel from the crest Of a tall
wave is exhilarating to those at home on the
deep. But the strong breeze becomes a gale,
the gale hurricane. The affrighted passen-
gers ask the captain If he ever saw anything
like this before.
ooh, yes" he says. 'This is nothing"
Mariners are slow to admit danger to lands
men. But after awhile crash goes the mast,
and the vessel pitches 80 far "abeam's en- u
there 10 q fear she will not be rlghted. The
captain answers few questions and orders
tho throwing ont OF boxes and bundles an l
of so much of the cargo as they can get at.
The captain at last confesses there is but lit
tie hope and tells the passengers that they
had better go to praying. 1t is seldom that
a sea captain Is an atheist. He Knows that
there is God. for he has seen Him at every
point of latitude between Sandy Hook and
Queenstown. Captain Moody, commanding
the Cuba of the Cunard line. at Sunday SER
vice led the music and sang like a Methodist.
The captain of this Mediterranean craft,
I, caff ho IN
around examining the vessel at every point.
He descends into the cabin to see whether in
the strong wrestling of the waves the vessel
had sprung aleak, and he finds Jonah asleep.
Jonah had bad a wearisome tramp and had
spent many sleepless nights about questions
Of duty, and he is so sound asleep that all
the thunder of the storm and the screaming
of the passengers does not disturb him. The
captain lays hold of him and begins to shake
him out Of his Inconsistencies with the
cry: "Don't you see that we are all going
to the bottom? Wake up and go to praying
if you have any God to go to. What mean
est thou, O sleeper? Arise. call upon thy
God, If SO be that God will think upon US,
that we perish not" The rest of the story
will not rehearse. for you know it well. To
appease the sea, they threw Jonah over
board.
Learn that the devil takes mans money
and then sets him down in poor landing
place. The Bible says he paid his fare to
Tarshisb. But see him get out. The sailors
bring him to the side of the ship, lift him
over the guards and let him drop with loud
splash into the waves. He paid his fare all
the way TO Tarshisb, but did not get the
worth of his money. Neither does any one
who turns his back on his duty and does that
which is not right.
Tho~o sc n .,ouDo N who durino tha mast
year has spent large part of his salary in
carousal. What has he gained by it? A
soied reputation, half starved purse. q
dissipated look, petulant temper, a dis
turbed conscience. The manacles OF one OF
two bad habits that are pressing tighter and
tighter will keep on until they wear 10 the
bone. You paid your fare to Tarshish. but
YOU have been set down in the midst OF sea
of disquetude and perplexity.
One hundred dollars for Sunday horse hire.
One hundred dollars for wine suppers.
One hundred dollars for cigars.
One hundred dollars for frolics that shall
be nRmeless.
Making four hundred dollars for his dam.
nationl
Instead of being in Tarshish now he is in
the middle of the Mediterranean.
Here is literary man tired of the faith OIL
his father who resolves to launch out into
what is called freethinking. He buys Theo.
dore Parker's works for $12, Remains "Life
of Christ" for $3.50, Andrew Jackson Davis
works for 800. Goes to hear inddels talk at
the clubs and to see spiritualism at the table
rapping. Talks glibly OF David, the PSALM
list. as an old libertine, of Paul as d wild en'
thusiast and OF Christ as decent kind of d
man. a little weak in some respects, but al.
most as good as himself. Talks smilingly OF
Sunday as a good day to put little extra
backing on ones boots and OF Christians as,
for the most part. hypocrites of eternity
as "the great to be-" "the everlasting now
or "the infinite what is it," Some day he
gets his feet very wet and finds himself that
night chilly; the next morning has hot
mouth aud is headachy; sends word over ia
the store that he will not be there to-day
| bathes his feet: has mustard plasters; calls
the doctor. The medical man says aside,
"This is going to be a bad case of congestion
of the lungs" Voice fails. Children must
be kept down stairs or sent to the
neighbors TO keep the house quiet.
You say, "Send for the minister" But
no. He does not believe in ministers.
| You say, "Read the Bible to him." MOI
| he does not believe in the Bible. A law
yer comes in, and sitting by his bedside
writes document that begins: "In the
name of God, amen. I, being ofsound mind,
do make this my last will and testament.
! 1t is certain where the sick mans body will
be in less than week. 1t is quite certain
who will get his property. But what will
become of his souIl 1t will go into 1.-THE
| great to be-" or "the everlasting now," OF
''the infinite what is it," His soul is in deer
waters. andthe wind is "blowing great guns,
Death cries, "Overboard with the un
believer'' A splash. He goes to the bot
tom. He paid SIS for his ticket to Tarsnlsu
when he bought the inAdel books. III
landed in perdition. -,
Every farthing you spend in sin satan will
swindle you out Of. He promises you shal
have thirty per cent. or great dlvldeno
He lies. He will sink all the capital. YOU
NAV pay full fare to some sinful success, Du
you will never get to Tarshish.
Learn how soundly men will sleep in the
mids. of danger. The worst sinner on ship
board. considering the light he bad, wa
Jonah. He was a member OF the church
while they were heather. The sailors wer'
engaged in their lawful calling, following
| the sea. The merchants on board, sup
nose. were going down to Tarshish to barter
but Jonah. Notwithstanding his Christian
profession. was flying from duty. He wa
sound asleep in the cabin. He has bee
motionless for hours-his arms and feet Il
the same posture as when he lay down-hi
breast heaving with deep respiration On
how could he sleep? What fthe ship strucl
a rock? What if it sprang aleak? What l
the clumsy oriental craft should capsize
What would become of JONAH
So mHn sleep soundly now amid peril
infinite In almost every place, suppose
the Mediterranean might be sounded, but n
line is long enough to fathom the profoun
beneat every impenitent man. PlunginC
thousand fathoms down. you cannot touc
bottom. Eternity beneath him, before him
around him. Rocks close by and whirlpool
an1 hot breathel Levanters. Yet SCUM
asleep! We try to wake him up. but fai
The great surges of warning break over tn