Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-03-02

were driven on the
coast of Malta. five miles from the me-
tropolis of that island, called Citta
Vecchia. After two-weeks tempest,
when the ship was entirely disabled,
and captain and crew had become COM
pletely demoralized, an old missionary
took command of the vessel. He was
small, crooked backed and sore-eyed,
according to tradition. 1t was Paul,
the only unsecured man aboard. He
was no more afraid of Euroclydon
tossing the Mediterranean sea, now up
to the gates Of heaven and now sinking
it to the gates of hell, than he was
afraid of kitten playing with string.
He ordered them all down to take their
rations, first asking for them a bless
ing. Then h insured all their lives,
telling them they would be rescued,
and, so far from losing their heads,
they would not lose so much OF their
hair as You could cut off with one click
OF the scissors: nay, not thread OF
1t, whether it were gray with age or
golden with youth. There shall not
hair fall from the head OF any OF
YOU
knowing that they can never get to
the desired port, they make the sea
on the fourteenth night black with
overthrow ca tgo, so that when the
snip strikes ii will not strike so heavily.
AT daybreak they saw a creek and in
their eXigency resolved to make for
1t. And so they cut the cables, took
thnxy nd th0C
old boats, and hoisted the mainsail
so that they might come with such
force as to be driven high up on the
beach by some fortunate billow. There
she goes-tumbling toward the rocks,
now PROV foremost, now stern fore
most, now rolling over to the star
board now aver TO the larboard. now
a wave dashes clear over the deck, and
1t seems as IL the old craft has gone
forever. But up she comes again.
Paul's arms around mast, he cries:
"Ali is well, God has given me all those
that sail with me-" Crash. went the
prov, with such force that 1t broke off
the mast. Crash! went the timbers,
till the seas rushed through from side
TO side of the vessel. She parts amid
ships, and into thousand fragments
the vessel goes, and into the waves
two hundred and seventy-six immortals
are precipitated Some of them had
been brought up on the seashore, and
had learned to swim and with their
chins just above the waves and by the
strokes Of both arms and propulsion
OF both feet, they put out for the beach,
and reach 1t. But alas for those others!
They have never learned to swim, or
they were wounded by the falling of
the mast, or the nervous shock was too
great for them. And others had been
weakened by long sea-sickness.
Oh, what will become of them?
Take that piece of a rudder." saws
Paul to one. Take that fragment of
SPAR" says Paul to another. Take
that image of Castor and Pollux."
Take that. plank from. the lifeboat."
Take anything, and head for the
beach," What a struggle for life in
the breakers! Oh, the merciless waters
how they sweep over the heads of men.
women and children! Hold on there!
Almost ashore; keep up your courage.
Remember what Paul told you. There,
the receding wave on the beach leaves
in the sand a whole family. There
crawls up out of the surf the centurion.
There, another plank comes in, with
life clinging fast to it. There, an
other piece of the shattered vessel,
with its freightage of an immortal soul.
They must by this time all be saved.
Yes; there comes in last of all, for he
had been overseeing the rest, Ihe old
missionary, who wrings the water
from his gray beard and cries out:
Thank God, all are here!"
l believe in both the Heidelberg and
Westminster Catechisms, aud i wish
you all did; but you may believe in
nothing they contain except the one
idea that Christ came TO save sinners
and that you are one of them, and Won
are instantly rescued. If you can come
in on the grand old ship, would rather
have you get aboard, but if you can
only. find piece OF wood as long as the
human body, or piece as wide as the
outspread human arms, and either of
them is a piece of the cross, come in
on that piece. Tens of thousands of
people are today kept out of the king
dom Of God because they cannot be-
lieve everything.
am talking with a man thoughtful
about his soul who has lately travelled
through New England and passed the
night at Andoyer. He says to me: Il
cannot believe that in this life the des-
tiny Is irrevocably fixed; think there
will be another opportunity OF re-
pentance after death" say to him:
my brother, what has that to do with
you? Don't you realize that the man
who waits for another chance after
death when he has good chance be-
fore death is stark fool? Had not
you better take the plank that is
thrown to you now and head for shore,
rather than wait for plank that may
) by Invisible hands be thrown TO you
after you are dead? Do as you please,
but as for myself, with pardon for all
my sins offerad me now. and all the
Joys OF time and eternity offered me
now, I instantly take them, rather than