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A Captain of an ocean vessel, one day as his ship was speeding through the waters, saw a signal of distress some distance off. A glass was turned to the spot, and it was seen that there was only one man on a piece of wreck. To go to his rescue, the ship would have to be stopped and turned back in her course, losing much time.
“No,” Said the captain; “some other vessel will pick him up.” He speeded on and was in port in good time, and was commended for his swift passage. But he could not get out of his mind the memory of that signal of distress out there on the wild seas, and the sight through the glass of that one man on the piece of wreck left there to perish. By day and night that picture haunted him.
As we are hurrying on these busy days, do we see no signals of distress on life’s broad sea? Do we hear no cries; no bitter wails from souls that are out on the angry waves? Do we heed the signals and hearken to the cries? Do we turn away from our business, our pleasure, our ease, our money getting, our petty ambitions, to carry rescue to those souls that are perishing, or that are in sorrow? Or do we hurry on and say we have no time for these things, no time to save our brothers, no time to lift up fallen ones, no time to wipe away a tear? If we do not turn aside to help or save may not our deepest sorrow in eternity be the memory of cries of distress unheeded? May not the visions of the perishing ones who called to us for help and got no answer, whom we have left unhelped out on the wild waves, haunt us forever?