News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-12-26

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of Life.
Especial Dispatch to the Boston Herald
CAPERNAUM, Dec. 10. 1889. Rev. #. D
Witt Talmage, D. D., preached here tod
to group of friends on THE Stormy Pa
sage" taking for his texts the verses of IL
gospel following: John vi, IL: "'Enterc
into ship, and went over the sea towar
Capernaum"; and Mark w., 80: "And |
arose and rebuked the wind and the sea
He said
Here in this seashore village was the ten
porary home of that Christ who for the mo-
OF his life was homeless. On the site of th
village, now in ruins, and all around tn
lake, what scenes of kindness and power, an
glory and pathOs when our Lord lived here
1t has been the wish of my life-I cannot sa
the nope, for l never expected the priv
lege-to stand on the banks of Galilee. Wht
solemnity and what a rapture to be here
L can now understand the feeling of the in
mortal Scotchman, Robert McCheyne, wher
sitting on the banks of this lake, he wrote
1t is not that the wild gazelle
Comes down to drink thy tide,
But he that was pierced to save from he
Oft wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet
Thou calm, reposing sea:
| But, ali! far more, the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked DER thee.
| I can now easily understand from the con
| tour OF the country that bounds this lake tina
| storms were easily tempted to make thes
waters their playground. From the gentl
way this lake treated our boat when W.
sailed on 1t yesterday, one would have though
1t incapable of a paroXysm of rage but if wa
| quite different on both the occasions spOke1
of in my two texts. / close my eyes, and tn,
shore of Lake Galilee, as it now is, with bu
little signs of human life, disappears, anC
there comes back to my vision the lake as i
was in Christs time. 1t lay in a scene o.
great luXuriance; the surrounding hills, ter
raced, sloped, groOved, so many hanging gar
dens of beauty. On the shore were castles
armed towers, Roman baths, everything at
tractive and beautiful-all styles of yegeta
ton in shorter space than in almost any other
space in all the world, from the palm tree OF
the forest to the trees of the rigorous eli
mate.
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 oIeander.
Roman gentlemen in plasure 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 scenel
1t seems as if we shall nave a quiet night.
Not leaf winked in the air, not ripple dis
seems TO be little excitement up the beach,
and we hasten to see what it is, and we find
it all embarkation.
From the western shore a f1otilla pushing
out; not a squadron or deadly armament or
clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
plratlc vessels ready to destroy everything
they could seize; but fiotlla, bearing mes
ssengers of light and life and peace. Christ is
In the front of the boat. His disciples are in
smaller boat. Jesus, weary with much speak
ing, to large multitudes. is put into somno-
lence by the rocking of the waves. If there
was any motion at all, the ship was easily
righted; if The wind passed from starboard to
larboard, or from larboard to starbOard. the
boat would rock, and by the gentleness of
the motion putting the Master asleep And
they eXtemporiZed pillow made out of fish
erman's coat.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful night.
hun 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 gong TO be change of weather. And even
the passengers can hear the moaning of the
storm. as it comes on with great stride, and
all the terrors of hurricane and darkness
The large boat trembles like a 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 disciples rush into the back
part of the boat, and lay hold of Christ and
say unto him: "Master carest thou not that
we perlshF, That great parsonage lifts his
head from the pillow 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 tempest, and
~ the NASH % liz, calm
jeaTd. lie has one word for the sky aud an
g.. l. 7
,ries: "Peacel" Looking downward, he
,ays: ':Be still"
The waves fell flat on their faces, the foam
nelts, the extinguished stars relight their
orches. 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
he cordage, the disciples stand in amaZement, |
low looking into the calm sea, then into the |
aim sky, then into the calm Saviour's coun- |
enance, and they cry out: ''What manner of |
nan is this, that even the wind and sea obey |
limY'
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 |
lave gone to the bottom Of Gennesaret if |
Jhrist had not been present. Oh, what |
essen for you and for me to learn! We |
must always have Christ in the ship. What
ver voyage we undertake, in whatever en-
erprise we start, let us always have Christ
n the ship. All you can do with utmost ten
zion of body, mind and soul, you are bound
o do; but oh! have Christ in every enter
Prise, Christ in every voyage. These disci-
,les got into the small boats, and | have no
loubt they said '"What a beautiful day this
S! What smooth seal" But when the
Winds swept down, and the sea was tossed
ntO wrath, then they found that following
christ was not smooth sailing. So you have
ound it; so have found it. Did you ever
notice the end of the life of the apostles of
Jesus Christ? You would say, if ever men
'ught to have had smooth life, smooth
departure, then those men, the disciples of
Jesus Christ, ought to have had such a de-
ollowing Christ smooth sailing. Oh, how
hey were all tossed in the tempest! But
Why go into history when we can draw from
,ur own memory illustrations of the truth of
What | say!
Some young man in a store trying to serve
Tod, while his employer SCOTS at Christian
ty; the young men in the same store, an
agonfstic to the Christian religion, teasing
lin, tOrmenting him about his religion, try
ng to get him mad, saying: "You're pref
V Christian - Does that young man find it
mOoth sailing when he tries to follow
yhrist? Or you remember Christian girl
Her father despises the Christian religion;
Ter mother despises the Christian religion;
Ter brothers and sisters scotf at the Christian
eligion she can hardly find quiet place in
which to say her prayers: Did she find it
mooth sailing when she tried to follow Jesus
christ? Oh, no! All who would live the life
If the Christian religion must suffer persecu-
ion; if you do not find it in one way, you
will get it in another way. The question
vas asked: ''Who are those dearest the
hroDe?' And the answer came back:
These are they who came up out of great
failing, as the original has
t; great failing, great pounding-and had
heir robes washed and made white i'll the
blood of the lamb" Oh, do not be disheart-
med! Take courage. You are in glorious
God will see you through
III trials, and he will deliver you. My sub
ect also impresses me with the fact that
rood people sometimes get very much fright
med.
In the tones of these disciples as they
'ushed into the back part of the boat, l find
hey are frightened almost to death. they
ay, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?"
They had no reason to be frightened, for
christ was in the boat. Oh, how many good
people are aflrighted by iniquity in our
lay, and think the church of Jesus Christ IS
,oing to be overthrown, and are just rs much
ltfrighted as were the disciples of my text.
Don't worry. don't fret, as though iniqulty
we're going to triumph over Righteousness.
4 lion goes into cavern to sleep lie lies
Town with his shaggy name covering the
paws. Meanwhile the spiders spin web
.cross the mouth of the cavern and say: 1--WE
nave captured him." GOSSamer thread after
ross mer thread, until the whole front of the
tavern is covered with the spiders web, and
he spiders say: "The lion is done; the lion is
last" After a while the lion has got through
sleeping; he arouses himself, he shakes his
name, and walks out into the sunlight, he
Toes not even know the spiders web is spun,
md with his voice he shakes the mountain.
So men come spinning their sophistries and
,cepticism about Jesus Christ; he seems to
,e sleeping. They say: eve have captured
hn L OIL he Will neNnr como forth Anain