The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-02-26
FOR THE SKEPTICAL.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE breaches ON "A
SHATTERED FAITH"

Ship-Theological Theories and Common
Sense Facts Selling the First Thing
That Offers In fine of Peril.
DE FUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla, Feb. a.
After many years of invitation DIR. Tai
mage breaches today at this great Chau-
tauqua. From all parts Of the south the
people are assembled. The sermon is
nightly helpful for those who find it
hard to believe everything DR.. Tai
mage returns this week to Washington.
The subject of this sermon is "a Shat
tered Faith and the text Acts xvii,
A, "And some Oh broken pieces of the
ship"
Never of Goodwin 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 276 passengers were driven on
the coast of Malta, five miles from the
metropolis of that island, called Citta
Vecchia. After two weeks tempest,
when the ship was entirely disabled and
captain and crew had become complete
" demoralizod, an old missionary took
command of the vessel. He was small,
crooked backed and sore eyed, accord
ing to tradition. 1t was Paul, the only
unsecured man aboard. He was no more
afraid of 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 rations, first ask
ing for them blessing. Then he insur-
ed 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
a thread Of it, whether it were gray
with age or golden with youth. "There
shall not hair fall from the head of
any of you"
Paul In Command.
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 q wave dashes clear over
the deck, and it seems as if the old craft
has gone forever. But up she comes
again. Paul's arms around 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 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 reached it. But
alas for those others! They have 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 rudder," says
Paul to one. 'Take that fragment of a
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
Dreakersl Oh, the merciless waters,
how they sweep over the heads of men,
women and children! Hold on therel
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
,rawls up out of the surf the centurion.
There another plank comes in, with a
life clinging fast to it. There another
piece of the shattered vessel, with its
reightage Of an immortal soul. They
must by this time all be saved. Yes; {
here comes i'll last of all, for he had
been overseeing the rest, the old mis-
who wrings the water from his ]
yray beard and cries out, "Thank God,
III are hereP'
How They Escaped
Gather around a fire and call the
oil. Paul builds fire, and when the
,undle of sticks begin to crackle, and,
tanding 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
IL the shivering passengers, let the
,urser of the vessel go round and see if !
my of the poor creatures are missing.
Not one of the crowd that were plunged ]
nto the sea. How it relieves our anxiety {
S we read: "Some ON broken pieces Of l
he ship. And so it came to pass that L
hey escaped all safe to land.
Having on previous occasions looked i
t the other passengers, 1 confne myself !
oday to an examination of those who !