44 Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists
in a very dangerous position to warn men of the perils that threaten
them on the trackless sea. The keeper was boasting of the brilliancy of
his light, which could be seen ten leagues out at sea, when the visitor
said to him: You speak with enthusiasm, sir; and that is well. I like
to hear men tell what they are sure they know; but what if one of the
lights should go out?’
“‘Never, never! absurd! impossible!’ replied the sensitive watch-
man, in consternation at the mere supposition of such a thing. ‘Why,
sir,’ he continued, pointing to the ocean, ‘yonder where nothing can
be seen, there are ships going by to every port in the world. If, tonight,
one of my burners should go out, within six months would come a
letter, perhaps from India, perhaps from Australia, perhaps from a
port I never heard of before,—a letter saying that on such a night, at
such an hour, at such a minute, the light at such a point burned low
and dim; that the watchman neglected his post, and that vessels were
consequently put in jeopardy on the high seas. Ah, sir,’ and his face
shone with the intensity of his thought, ‘sometimes in the dark nights,
and in the stormy weather, I look out upon the sea and feel as though
the eye of the whole world were looking at my light. Go out? Burn
dim? That flame flicker low or fail? No, sir, never!’
“And shall Christians, shining for tempted sinners, allow their light
to fail? For, ever out upon life’s billowy sea are souls we see not,
strange sailors in the dark, passing by, struggling, it may be, amid
the surges of temptation. Christ is the great light, and Christians are
appointed to reflect that light. The ocean is vast, its dangers are many,
and the eyes of far-away voyagers are turned toward the light-house,—
the church of Jesus Christ.” If the world intervenes between the church
and Christ, its light will burn dim, and souls will be lost because of a
lack of that light. Shall it not be the language of every heart here this
morning, What! let the light that is in me go out or burn dim! Never!
never!
We are all woven together in the great web of humanity, and God
holds us responsible for the influence we exert over others. Throw a
pebble into the lake, and a wave is formed, and another, and another;
and as they increase, the circle widens, until they reach the very shore.
Thus our influence, though apparently insignificant, may continue to
extend far beyond our knowledge or control. It is as impossible for us