The Red Cloud chief., 1889-12-27

for you and for me to learn! We must
always have Christ in the ship. What
ever voyage VIC undertake, into what
ever enterprise we start, let us always
have Christ in the ship. All you can
do with utmost tension Of body. mind
and soul. you are bound to do: but oh.
have Christ in every voyage.
There are men who ask Gods help at
the beginning of the great enterprises.
He has been with them in the past: no
might come down from the top Of Mount
Hermon. and lash Gennesaret into foam
and into agony, but it could not hurt
them. But there is another man who
starts out in worldly enterprises, and he
depends upon the uncertainties of this
life. He has no God TO help him. After
awhile the storm comes and losses off
the masts of the ship: he puts out his
lifcboat and the lon-bOat; the sheriff
and the a%uctioneer try TO help him
off: they can't help him off: he must
60 down-no Christ in the ship. Your
life will be made up of sunshine
and shadows. There may be in it
Arctic blasts or tropical tornadoes: l
know not what is before you. but |
know if you have Christ with you all
shall be well. You may seem 10 get
along without the religion of Christ
while every thing goes smoothly. but
after awhile. when sorrow hovcrs 'be
soul, when the wave of :-:f 4" n" a,
over the hurricane deck. a
are crowded with piraticar
oh. what would you do vii .ri>t
in the ship? Take God for r por-
ton, God for your guide. God for your
help; then all is well: all is well for
time. all shall be well forever. BlesseG
is the man who puts in the Lord his
trust. He shall never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impresses me with
the fact that when people start TO fol-
low Christ they must not expect smooth
sailing. These disciples got into small
boats. and I have no doubt they said:
What a beautiful day this is. What a
smooth sea, What a bright sky this is.
How delightful is sailing in this boat!
And as for the waves under the keel of
the boat, why they only make the mo-
ton of our little boat the more delight
full" But when the winds swept down
and the sea was tossed into wrath. then
they found that following Christ was
not smooth sailing. SO YOU have found
it; SO l have found it. Did you ever no
tice the end of the life of the apostles
of Jesus Christ? You would say. if ever
men ought to nave had a smooth life, a
smooth departure. then those men. the
disciples of Jesus Christ. ought to have
had such a departure and such a life.
st. James lost his head. st. Philip was
hung To death on a pillar. st. Mat
thew had his life dashed out with a hal
through the streets st. James the
Less was beaten to death with a %fuller's
club. ST. Thomas was struck through
with a spear.
They did not find following Christ
smooth sailing. Oh. how they were
all tossed in the tempest! John Huss
in the fire: Hugh Mckail in the hour of
martyrdom; the Albigenses. the Wal
denses. the Scotch co~venanterS did
tltb III ~ Siilcotu SdtlfuS. hut WHY
go into history when We can draw from
our memory illustration Of the truth of
what l say? Some young man in a store
trying 10 serve God. while his employer
SCOTS at Christianity: the young men in
the same store. ~antagOniStic to the
Christian religion. teasing him. tor
menting him about his religion. trying
to get him mad. They succeed in get
ting him mad. saying: You're a pretty
Christian" Does that young man find
it smooth sailing when he tries to fol-
low Christ? Or you remember a Chris
tian girl. Her father despises the
Christian religions: her mother despises
the Christian religion: her broth
ers and sisters scott at the Chris.
tan religion: she can hardly find
a quiet place in which to say her
prayers. Did she find it smooth sailing
when she tried to follow Jesus Christ?
Oh. no. All who would live the life of
the Christian religion must suffer per-
secution: if you do not find it in one
way. you will get it in another way.
The question was asked: Who are
those nearest the throne?." And the
answer came back: These are they
who came up out of great t~ribulatiOn-
great failing. great pounding-and had
their robes washed and made white in
the blood of the Lamb" Oh. do not he
disheartened. Take courage. You are
in glorious companionship. God will
see you through all trials and He will
deliver you. My subject also impresses
me with the fact that good people m
times get very much frightened.
In the m of these disciples as they
rushed into the back part of the boat l
find they are almost frightened to death.
They say: Master. carest Thou not
that VI perish?" They had no reason
to be frightened. for Christ was in the
boat. l suppose if We had been there
We would have been just as much af-
frighted. Perhaps more. In all ages
very good people get very much af-
frighted. 1t is often so in our day. and
men say: why look at the bad lect-
ureS, look at the various errors going
over the Church of God: we are going to
founder: the Church is going down: she
is going down" Oh, how many good
people are affrighted by iniquity in our