The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1895-04-05
THE STORY OF A SHIP
II HAD NO Prov on SAIL on STEAM
on HELM.

i'ut Rev. Dr. Talmngo says IL Eclipsed
All Modern steamships-An Eloquent
Sermon by tho Great Divine on tho Cos
pei Invitation.
New YoRk, March 8l.--Although
his oratory Is al times magnetic and
eloquent there is ono theme with
which, whenever he makes it tho
groundwork Of his sermon, DR.. Talmag,
never fails to communicate I his audi
tors the enthusiasm no himself feels,
That theme Is the gospel invitation,
and when this afternoon he took for his
subject 1.-THE Gospel Ship" tho great
audience that crowded the Academy
was In full sympathy. The text selected
was Genesis vi, IS, "Thou shalt como
into the ark, thou and thy soma mud thy
wife and thy sons wives with thee. "
In this day of the steamships Lucania
and Majestic and the Paris l will show
you ship that In soma RESPECTS eolipsed
them all, and which sailed out, an ocean
underneath and another ocean falling
upon it. Infidel scientists ask rs to be-
lieve that in the formation of the earth
there have been a half dozen delnges,
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 n
comet, or BY flashes Of lightning, chang
ing tho air into water, or by d stroke of
tho 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 q great ship built.
1t was to be without prow for 1t was to
sail to ne Shore 1t was to DO without
helm, for no human hand should guido
it. 1t was vast structure, probably as
large as two or three modern steamers.
II was the Great Eastern of olden time,
The ship is done. The door is open.
The lizards crawl in. The cattle walk
Id. The grasshoppers hop in. The birds
fly III. The invitation goes forth to
Noah, "Come thou and all thy house
into the ark. ,eJust 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 d moan lii the wind like
hnto the moan of d dying world, Tie
blaokness 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 1t looks How suf.
locating the air see1nsl The big drops
Of rain begin to plash Upon the hpthrned
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, hs 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 viii
dows the. passengers look out upon the
shipwreek Of a race and the carcasses
If dead world. Woe to the noun
taihs Woe to the sea!
A Terrible Storm.
AM nc 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 STORM is coin.
ing, compared with which Noah's del
uge was but an April shower, and that
it is wisest and safest for you and fo-
me to get safely housed for eternity.
The invitation that went forth to Noah
sounds I'M 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 1T 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 90 in, 10000, 900 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 Saviour's side, ex-
pected only to let the blood out, but he
opened the way to let all the world inl
Oh, what broad gospel to preach If
a man is about to give an entertain
ment, he issues 200 or 300 invitations,
carefully put up and directed to the
particular 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 a
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 q
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
treasures on days Of great rejoicing. So
Christ, our king. comes and scatters the
jewels Of heaven.
Rowland Hill said that lie hoped to
get into heaven through the crevices Of
the door, But he was not Obliged thus to
60 in After having preached the gospel
In Surrey chapel, going up toward heav-
en-, the gatekeeper cried, Lift up your
heads, ye everlasting gates. and let this
man come in" The dying thief went
In. Richard Baxter and Robert Newton
went in Europe, Asia, Africa. North
and South America may yet 90 through
-