The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1897-03-05
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
Tho Eminent Divine breaches from
the Text "a Shattered Feith."
Theological Theories and Common
Sense Facts-Seizing on the First
Thing That Offers I'm Time
of Perlls

never OH dOOuWln SANDS or the SKIER
ries or Cape Hatteras was ship in
worse predicament than, in the Mediter-
ranean hurricane, was the grain ship on
which 27G passengers were driven on
the coast of Malta, five miles from the
metropolis of that island, called Citta
Necchia. After a two weeks tempest
when the ship was entirely disabled End
captain and crew had become complete
ly demoralized, an cid missionary took
command of the vessel. He was small,
crooked backed and sore eyed, accord
ing to tradition. 1t was Paul, the only
unscaretl man aboard. He was no more
afraid of a Euroclydon tossing the Med
iterranean 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 a string. He ordered them
all down to take their ratiuns, first ask
ing for them a blessing. Then he in
sured all their lives, telling them they
would be rescued, and, so far from los
ing 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 a 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 over
thrown cargo, SO that when the ship
strikes it will not strike so heavily. At
daybreak they saw creek and in their
eXigency resolved to make for it. And
so they cut the cables, took in the two
paddles they had on those 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 to-
ward the rocks, now PROV foremost,
now stern foremost, now rolling over
to the starboard, now over to the lar
board; now a wave dashes clear over
the deck, and it seems as if the old craft
has gone forever. But up she comes
again. Paui's arms around q mast, he
cries: "All is well. God has given me
all those that sail with me-" Crash
went the prov, with such force that it
broke off the mast. Crash went the
timbers till the seas rushed through
from side to side of the vessel. She
parts amidships, and into a thousand
fragments the vessel goes, and into the
waves 276 inmortals 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 reached it. But
alas for those others! They had never
learned TO swim, or they were wounded
by the falling of the mast, or the nerv-
Gus 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," says
Faul 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 struggle for life in the
breakers! Oh. the merciless waters,
women and children! Hold on there!
Almost ashore. Keep up your courage.
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 another
piece of the shattered vessel, with its
of an immortal soul. They
lust by this time all be saved. Yes;
there comes in last of all, for he had /
been overseeing the rest, the old mis- |
sionary, who wrings the water from his |
gray beard and cries out: Thank God, |
I'll are here!"
Gather around a fire and call the |
oil. Paul builds a fire, and when the /
bundle of sticks begins to crackle, and, |
and sitting around the blaze,
he passengers begin to recover from |
heir chill, and the wet clothes begin to
Try, and warmth begins to come into
III the shivering passengers, let the
,urser of the vessel go round and see if
my of the poor creatures are missing.
Sot one of the crowd that were plunged
nto the sea. How it relieves our anxiety
s we read: ''Some on broken pieces of
he ship. And so il came to pass that
hey escaped all safe to land"
Having on previous occasions looked
t the other passengers, / confine my
elf to-day to an examination of those
tho came in on broken pieces of the
hip. There is something about them
hat eXcites in me an intense interest.
am not so much interested in those
hat could swim. They got ashore, as
expected. A mile of water is not a
cry great undertaking Tor strong
WINNER, or even two miles are not.
tut l cannot stop thinking about those
n broken pieces of the ship.
The great Gospel ship is the finest of
&c universe and can carry more pas
engers than any craft ever construct
d, and you could no more wreck it than
on could wreck the throne of God AL
tightly. 1 wish all the people would
Dme aboard of her. / could not prom
'e a smooth voyage, for ofttimes it will
c tempestuous or a chopped sea, but L
Juld promise safe arrival for all who
Dok passage on that Great Eastern, so
llled by me because it's commander 6
lme out of the east, the star of the :,
Ist badge of his antiquity.
But a vast multitude do not take reg
ar passage. Their theology is broken :,
pieces, and their life is broken in :
eces, and their habits are broken in :
eces, and their worldly and spiritual :
are broken in pieces, and yet q
believe they are going TO reach the +
lining shore, and l am encouraged by 6
e experience of those people who are h
oxen of in the text: ''Some on broken a
eces of the ship a
One object in this sermon is to en- n
urage all those who cannot take tine 7
hole system of religion as we believe I