The leader., 1889-12-21
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN
DAY SERMON.
subject: "The stormy Passage
pres he'd at Capernaum, in
the Holy Land.)

TExTs: Entered into ship, and ,cent
oeer Atte sea toCard Capernaum n--John
VI, ~ And He arose aud rebuEed the
to'nd and the sed."-Mark iv, 80.
Here in this seashore village was the tenn
porary home of that Christ who, for the
most part Of His life, was homeless. On the
sue Oh this village, now in ruins, and all
around this lake, what scenes of kindness
AID power, and glory and pathos when our
Lord lived herel It has been the wish Of my
hte-i cannot say the hope, for never ex-
pected the privilege-to stand on the banks
OF Gaiilee. What solemnity and what
rapture to be here! l can now understand
the feeiing of the immortal Scotchman,
nopert McCheyne, when sitting on the banks
OF this lake, he wrote:
1t is not that the wild gazelIe
Comes down to drink thy tide,
But he tnat was pierced to save from he'll
Oft wandered by thy side.
graceful around thee the mountains meet,
Thou calm reposing sea;
But an far more, the beautiful feet
Of Jesus walked DER thee.
can now easily understand from the con-
tour of the country that bounds this lake that
storms were easily tempted to make these
waters their playground. From the gentle
way thus lake treated our bosAwhen we
sailed on it yesterday, ones dld have
thought it incapable of pau SIN of rage,
but it was quite different OF Sth the occa-
sions spoken of in my two Il close nv
eyes, and the shore Of Lake. y1iilee as it now N
Us, with but little signs Of human life. dSap-
pears, and there comes back to my vision the
lake as it was in Christ's time It Law in
scene of great luxuriance; the surrounding
hills, terraced, sloped, grooved, so many
hanging gardens of beauty. On the shore
were castles, armed towers, Roman baths.
everything attractive and beautiful-al
styles of vegetation in shorter space than in
almost any other space in all the world, from
the palm tree Of the forest to the trees of
rigorous climate.
1t seemed as if the Lord had launched one
wave of beauty on all the scene, and it hung
and swung from rock and hill and oleander.
Roman gentlemen in pleasure boats sailing
this lake, and countrymen in fish smacks
coming down to drop their nets, pass each
other with nod and shout and laughter, or
swinging idly at their moorings o, what a
beautiful scene!
1t seems as if we shall have a quiet night
Not a leaf winked liz the air; not ripple dis
turbed the face of Gennesaret; but there
seems to be a little excitement up the beach,
and we hasten to see what it is and we find
it an embarkation.
From the western shore fotilla pushing
out; not squadron, or deadly armament
nor clipper with valuable merchandise nor
piratic vessel, ready to destroy everything
they could seize, but f1otilla, bearing mes
sengers of light and life and peace. Christ is
in the front of the boat. His disciples are in
smaller boat Jesus, weary with much
speaking to large multitudeS, is put into
somnolence by the rocking of the waves.
If there was any motion at all, the ship was
easily righted; if the wind passed from star
board to larboard, or from larboard to star
board, the boat would rock, and by the
gentleness of the motion putting the Master
asleep. And they extemporized pillow
made out of a fsherman's coat l think no
sooner is Christ PROSTATE, aud His head
touched the pillow, than He is sound asleep.
The breeZes of the lake run their fingers
through the locks of the worn sleeper, and
the boat rises and falls like sleeping child
on the bosom of a sleeping mother.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful night
Run up all the sails, ply all the oars and let
the large boat and the small boat glide over
gentle Gennesaret. But the sailors say there
is going to be a change of weather And
even the passengers can hear the naning of
the storm, as it comes With great rtride
and all the terrors of hurricane and dark
ness. The large boat trembles Ikea deer at
bay among the clangor of the hounds; great
patches of foam are flung into the air: the
sails of the vessel loosen, and the sharp winds
crack like pistols; the smaller boats like
petrels poise on the cliffs of the waves and
then plunge.
Overheard go cargo, tackling and maSts,
and the drenched disl4pleS rush into the back
part of the boaE, atd lay hold of Christ and
say unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that
we perish? saat great parsonage lifts His
head from tL5 F4l y Of the fisherman's coat,
walks to the front of the vessel, and looks out
into the storm All around Him are the
smaller boats, driven in the temptest, and
through ii comes the cry of drowning men.
By the fash of the lightning see the calm
brows Christ as the spray dropped from His
Il y 1a hoe Or6 fo ha clyxy md
kanQtheN for the waves. Looking upward He
cries, sPeacew Looking downward He says;
nsBe stiIlw
The waves fall flat on their faces. the foam
melts, 1.-THE extinguished stars relight their
torches The tempest falls dead and Christ
stands With His feet on the neck of the storm.
And while the sailors are bailing out the
boats, and while they are trying to untangle
the cordage, the disciples stand in amaze
ment now looking into the calm sea, then
into the calm sky, then into the calm
Saviour's countenance, and they cry out
"What manner of man is this, that even the
winds and the sea obey Him%
The subject in the first place impresses me
with the fact that it is very important to
have Christ in the ship; for all those boats
would have gone to the bottom of Gennesa-
ret if Christ had not been present. Oh, what
| lesson for you and for me to learn! We
must always have Christ in the ship. What
l. ever voyage we undertake., lnCO Whatever en-
| .terprise we start let us always have Christ
in the ship. All you can do with utmost ten
| sion of body, mind and soul, you are bound
| to do; but oh! have Christ in every enter
| prise, Christ in every voyage.
| There are men who ask Gods help at the
beginning of great enterprises. He has been
| with them in the past; no trouble can over
throw them; the storms might come down
| from the top of Mount Hermon. and lash
| tiennesaret into foam and into agony, but il
| could not hurt them. But here is another
man who starts out in worldly enterprise
| and he depends upon the uncertainties of this
/ life He has no God to help him. After 6
while the storm comes and tosses off the
masts of the ship; he puts out his lifeboat an6
the long boat; thu sheriff and the auctioneer
try to help him off; they can't help him off
| he must go 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; / know not wha
is before you, but 1 know if you have Chris
| with you all shall be well. You may seem t.
| get along without the religion of Christ Will,
| everything goes smoothly, but after awhile
| when sorrow hovers over the soul, when tn,
| waves of trial dash clear over the hurricane
| deck, and the decks are crowded with pratt
| cal disasters-oh, what would you do theI
without Christ in the ship? Take God fol
your portion, God for your guide, God fol
your held: then all is well: all is well for time
all shall be well forever. Blessed is tina
man who puts in the Lord his trust. he shal
never be confounded.