The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-04-12
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
DR.. THEODORE L. cUYLER.
Subject: "The Souls Anchors"

SuDJeCI. 'lne SOulS Anchors
Brooklyn, N. Y.-The Rev. DR.. Theo
dore l.. Cuyler occupied his old pulpit
in Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian
Church, Lafayette venue and South
Oxford street, Sunday morning. a
very large congregation was present
DR.. Cuyler, who is now in his eighty
fourth year, preached with his old
time vigor on The Anchors of the
Soul" He took as his text Acts xvii
90: They cast four anchors out of the
stern and wished for the day." anG
said:
The account of Paui's voyage tt
Rome is n of those graphic passages
Of the New Testament which never
loses its interest. 1t not merely throw:
a strong light upon ancient navigation
but is strong confirmation of the truth
fulness of the Acts of the Apostles, TO,
modern nautical services have estab
lished every word of the narrative
The chief interest to us to-day is its
rich, practical, spiritual instruction
The story of the storm and the ship
wreck you have all been familiar with
from childhood. For fourteen days the
ship had been in the clutch Of a terrific
blizzard" as we would call it. but
which is described in the narrative as
a ~''eurocyldon." No sun or moon OF
stars appeared during that terrible
fortnight. For safety much Of the
cargo was heaved overheard and they
We're obliged to bind around the crazy
craft with hawserS in order to keep
from laundering in mid sea. They
imagined they were drawing nigh to
the land, and heaving the lead it tells
off twenty fathoms. The next cast OF
the lead shows fifteen fathoms. They
are now close on the lee shore. Only
one maneuver can save them. They
cast four anchors out Of the stern, and
it is a striking fact that pictures on
the walls Of Herculaneum and Pom
pei depict the galleys anchored in that
manner. What a long and dreary
night was that to the drenched and
weary voyagers, while they listened to
the terrific laundering of the breakers
on the shore. But Paul, Christ's pris'
oner, is on board, and he is the real
master of the situation. His precious
life is insured from heaven, for, re.
member until their work is done. II
was part Of Gods wish that the an
chors should preserve the most valu,
able life then on the globe until Paurs
mighty mission was accomplished.
Human life is a voyage, and all of
you now before me are bound on it for
the judgment seat and for eternity. II
is not a voyage owe smooth seas and
before soft, south winds. Everything
under God depends on the compass and
the anchors. You observe that the an
chors are not attached to anything
afoat. but they plunge through the
waves and bite into the tenacious clay.
And so it is with our spiritual anchors.
Make fast to Gods immutable word
and to the omnipotent Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ. An anchor, too, is
unseen. And so it is with the inward
union with the unseen Christ that
keeps many a one safe in the hour OF
temptation, and brings composure to
those in the depths of terrible trials,
When Martin Luther was struck with
q heavy head sea he used to let slip the
cable Of the forty-sixth psalm and,
throughout the voyage Of life you and
I have vital need Of the anchors which
our divine Master, the Captain of our
salvation, has provided for our safety.
What are the four anchors?
The first and foremost anchor is
faith. That is often defined as rust in
an unseen God. and we take Gods
word more implicitly than we take the
notes issued by tie Government, be-
cause they bear the stamp Of the Uni
ted States with its vast resources be-
hind it. But the mightiest spiritual
force for you and me is the Christ
faith. Now, that is a great deal more
than q mere opinion. Faith is infinite
ly more than a sentiment or feeling or
opinion. 1t is an act; it is the positive
act of the soul laying hold Of Jesus
Christ as our Saviour, joining our
weakness to His strength; our unWor-
thinesS to His merits; our weak selves
to His infinite and almighty Self. We
are not commanded only TO believe in
Christ, we are commanded to believe
on Christ, if we would be saved. A
friend of mine was staying at q hotel
in Albany and noticed a rope in his
room and had faith in it because he
saw it was a w~ell-braided rope. At
midnight he was aroused by a cry of
Fire" On opening the door the
smoke and flames burst in, and he
grasped the rope and let himself down
in safety to the sidewalk. He believed
on the rope. That is saving faith
when you rest on Christ. clinging fast
to Christ, trusting in Him alone to up
hold you to the end and assured Of His
promise. II will never leave thee nor
fcrsake thee" Salvation of the soul is
an actual experience. 1t is the actual
testing of Christ; the actual attach
ment to Christ, the actual love for Him
hid in the very depths Of the soul. The
British Government requires all its an
chors to be stamped. The eleventh
chapter of Hebrews is the Holy Spir.
it's record of the stamps on the anchor
of faith. My mothers Bible was
marked all through with pencilings on
the margin, proving how these various
promises had been tested, and the an
Choir never dragged.
The second anchor is loyalty to Christ
and obedience to His commandments,
Every day I attach less Importance to
a religion Of mere emotion. 1t is very
pleasant to sing and sometimes to shout
on the mountain tops, but a religion
Of mere emotion is subject to its Gibbs
and flows and is not reliable in the
strain and stress of temptation. 10y