ON SATURDAY, May 1, 1915, the giant Cunard liner, Lusitania, one of the largest and fastest ships afloat in her day, sailed out of New York harbor with 2000 souls aboard.
It was wartime, but most of the passengers, seemingly confident that the great swift vessel could elude and outrun any enemy underwater craft, were having luncheon. As she neared the coast of Ireland, suddenly, without warning two torpedoes, fired from a German submarine, crashed into her starboard side, and in a very short time the huge ship sank with a frightful loss of 1400 lives.
Harold Boulton, a young Englishman, was one of those who were saved. When he heard that the ship had been struck by torpedoes, he quickly put on a life belt, jumped into the ocean, and started swimming away from the ship. From the water he saw the Lusitania sink. Later Harold was saved by some fishermen who pulled him out of the water and took him to England. He wrote: When the lifeboats were just about to be lowered, I saw Captain Turner appear on the bridge, shouting loudly and waving his hands. “Don’t lower the boats!” he called at the top of his voice. “The ship can’t sink. She is all right. Kindly assist in getting the women out of the boats and off the upper deck!”
I believe that the loss of many lives is chargeable to the captain’s order to empty the boats, for later there was not time to reload them. I saw that the send class passengers had ignored the captain’s orders and were loading the lifeboats; they had launched four of them. This is why, I think, more second class than first class passengers were saved.
The captain made a terrible mistake. How sorry he was later that he told passengers on the Lusitania they were safe, when they were not.
Clergymen, preachers, teachers and parents can make terrible mistakes too. Oftentimes they tell people they are safe when they are not. Do not rest, dear reader, in the thought that you are saved from judgment, and saved for heaven, until you have God’s word for it.
“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Harold Boulton also wrote: I asked a woman and her daughter if there was anything I could do for them, and the mother replied, “Not a thing, thank you. We’re not going to get excited, but remain calm and stay here. The captain says the Lusitania cannot sink.” Alas, they were both drowned.
This world is a sinking ship, but Christ is God’s Lifeboat — large enough to save all who will come and put their trust in Jesus. Countless thousands have left the sinking ship of this world and are safe aboard, safe in Christ and on their way to heaven’s happy shore. There’s still room for more.
But all who remain in the world’s doomed ship will surely go down with all their sins into death’s dark waters and eternal judgment.
Come from darkness into light,
From the way that seemeth right;
Come and start for heaven tonight!
Be in time!
ML-07/18/1976