Milford chronicle., 1908-04-17
Calnaee
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt TalmaGe, D. D.


mon the preacher refers 10 the wonder
full Providence which preserves men
amid countless dangers on every side
and shows us that it is Gods way OF
admOnishing US to better lives and
greater activity in his service. The
text is Acts xvii A, and so it cams
90 pass that they escaped all safe to
sand"
What an awful catastrophe is threat
ening the Alexandrian corn ship on
which Paul, the great apostle, is being
carried a prisoner to Rome! You may
picture the heaving, rocking pillows;
you may talk about shrieking Eurocly-
don; you may illustrate for me the poor
sailors and the frightened soldiers and
the terrified passengers for many days
In the darkness OF the tornado and in
the blackness of the night tossed about
upon these Mediterranean waters with
ont compass and without guide. But
after all, the most impressive part OF
this chapter, which proves to me the
horror of this cyclone, is the latter part
Of the twentieth verse, "And when nei-
ther sun nor stars in many days ap-
peared and no small tempest lay on us
all hope that we should be saved was
taken away" 1t is a serious matter
for all on board when officers and
crew lose hope l suppose that in such
circumstances the captain ceased to
give orders TO his sailors, and the cen
turiOn ceased to give orders to his sol
diers, and the passengers and crew
alike said: What is the use? We are
going TO drown anyway. 1t does not
matter what we do" When a rough
band OF soldiers and sailors fall into
that reckless mood one never knows
what excuses they may be guilty OF. |
'And all hope was taken away"
Now. that sentence means even more |
to a military or a naval man than it |
does to a civilian. In the army or
the navy so rigid is the discipline that |
q soldier or a sailor is not supposed to
stop and think. but to do simply as his
commanding officers bid him. he is
capable Of heroic conduct so long as
discipline is maintained.
Perhaps you have read the story Of
the sinking Of the japanese cruiser
Takasago of Port Arthur. The ship
was under the command Of Captain
Ishibashi. OF the 500 men in that
crew only 1873 were saved. The cruiser
was steaming along doing patrol duty.
Suddenly the hull grated upon mine.
The mine exploded and made a hole
IN the ships bottom about six feet in
diameter under the water line. The
crew tried to stop the inhowing Of the
water. 1t was impossible. The wind
was blowing a gale. 1t was bitterly
cold. The snow was falling heavily.
Captain Ishibashi called the men to
him and said: sailors. no man must
leave the ship until she sinks. We
will together share the fate of the YES
sell" So every sailor grimly stood at
bis post Then they raised a rOusing
Danzai for their emperor and began to
ling the national air of Gallant Sail
Dr." And while scores and hundreds
II those men were sinking into a wa
cry grave the sailors stood silently at
heir posts of duty. martyrs to the ma
7al discipline of Japan.
All Hope Gone.
But here on this Alexandrlan corn
hip all is confusion. All hope is gone.
Then it was in the darkest hours Of
heir voyage that Paul stepped forward
nd uttered words of encouragement.
Then it was that he said, And now l
xhort you TO be of good cheer, for
here shall be no loss of any mans ,
lie, but Of the ship" Then, as full s
llment Of this prophecy, we read the $
heering words of the chapter, And so 6
came TO pass that they escaped all I
afe to land" 1t was a wonderful +
seape from destruction that seemed 6
Inevitable. l wonder if they all felt
thankful to God when they stood safe !
n dry land. Would they remember r
heir deliverance and their obligations :
o him during their later lives or T
7Ould they live as carelessly and wick =
dly as before? How do men act gen
rally? Or, to come closer, how have
re acted when God has interposed to :,
ave us from calamity or death? 1t =
; a strange fact that. though we felt = =
rateful to God at the time of the :
escue. yet we seem to have forgotten .
ur obligation afterward. l want to u
efresh your memories in reference to
hese past dangers and renew your d
latitude to God for his loving and It
snder care. How often have we, like .
be passengers and crew who were Il
nth St. Paul In the Alexandrian corn y
hip, escaped safe to land? II
We have had, in the first place, mar y
DIV physical escapes. Oh. how many "
here have been! The crew and the 9
assengers and the soldiers Of the 1,
lexandrian corn ship struggling in d
le surf were not in any greater phys $
al danger than some of US have been u
/ times. People have often said to u
lie. 1T is an outrage that so many a
lman lives are sacrificed every year II
? accidents" My answer is always II
Ifs, ''The wonder Of wonders to me is g
Dt that we have as many accidents D
! Va do h11f that each year a fhou u