THE storm which took place on Christmas Eve produced its sad result in the loss of many lives. At Kingstown many hearts were saddened by the lifeboat disaster, in which fifteen brave men lost their lives in the effort to rescue the crew of the “Palme” in Dublin Bay. The story is well known, and has awakened deep feelings of sympathy with the bereaved all over the kingdom.
On the afternoon of 24th December, a terrible gale from the east swept the sea in huge waves against our coast. A ship was seen in distress drifting towards the outside of the harbor pier. All efforts to prevent her from drifting failed; she dragged her anchor and was carried past the harbor entrance, striking on the sands and remaining at the mercy of the waves. The lifeboat, which was immediately manned and put to sea, could make but poor progress towards the ship in the terrible sea which was then ruing. Suddenly she was caught in the trough of the sea and overturned by a great wave. To whatever cause it may be attributed, she failed to right herself, and remained bottom upwards; and so these brave men lost their lives in the attempt to save others.
This sad incident suggests some very striking lessons. First, those on board the “Palme” were in terrible need; help must come from outside or they would be most certainly lost. So it is with the sinner; he can do nothing to extricate himself from the position he is in, as awaiting the just judgment of God on account of his sins. Again, we say, help must come from outside, or he must perish eternally. How eagerly those sailors must have watched the approach of the lifeboat! But, alas! it failed to reach them. Oh, how valuable a lifeboat has been on many and many an occasion: it has saved those who could not save themselves. Just so, Christ has died for the ungodly; He has come to seek and save the lost, and He can never, never fail. Yet, when we were without strength, Christ died for us, and everyone who believes on Him as their Saviour is perfectly safe. But after all, the lifeboat, looked at in itself, is but a human thing; and it may fail and be lost. Not so the great and mighty Saviour of whom the lifeboat is but a feeble illustration. Jesus died and rose again, He has won the victory over death, His precious blood cleanses from all sin; and those who trust in Him share His victory too, for He Himself has said that they shall never perish, and none can pluck them out of His hand.
But help did come at last to the men on the “Palme.” When the storm had somewhat abated, the captain of the “Tearaght” bravely put to sea, and at great risk to himself and his crew launched his lifeboat, and, proceeding twice to the wrecked ship, rescued all on board. Christ, the true lifeboat for the lost and perishing sinner, can never fail; and oh! how glad these poor people must have been to avail themselves at once of this merciful deliverance. How strange we should have thought it had they signaled to the captain of the steamer that they did not want assistance yet: we should have said that they deserved to perish in the waves. But no — they knew too well their danger, and availed themselves of the deliverance at once.
And yet it may be that some reader is doing just what we should have blamed them for, in the matter of his or her soul’s salvation. Are you bartering your never-dying soul for present things? How many will wake up in the hopeless gloom of a lost eternity to find it is too late! They would not have Christ when He was offered as the Saviour; they would not be reconciled to God when He besought them to be so. The poor shipwrecked people must have felt truly grateful to their deliverers; and so the true Christian can say, in the words of the hymn—
“Oh what a debt I owe
To Him who shed His blood,
And cleansed my soul, and gave me power
To stand before His God.”
B.
IF you saw a murderer on the way to execution, what would you say to the moralist who bade the man conduct himself in a manner suitable to the dignity of humanity? You would bid the prating fool know it was too late. Or if a religious man drew near and read the unhappy victim a sermon on the ten commandments, you would cry, Away, mocker, it is too late; for such a man there is nothing but the sword of justice and the felon’s grave. And so we cry aloud to you, It is too late for morality to save you, too late for religion to save you, eighteen hundred years too late; there is nothing for you, as you are, but the justice of God and everlasting death, if Christ be refused as your Saviour.