Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1889-12-27

ret if Christ had not been present Oh, what
lesson for you and for me to Learnt We
must always have Christ in the ship. What
ever voyage we undertake, into 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 iii the past; no trouble can over
throw them; the storms might come down
from the ton of Mount Hermon and lash
Gennesaret INTO foam and into agony but it
could not hurt them. But here is another
man who starts out in worldly enterprise.
and he depends upon the uncertainties Of this
life. lie has no God to help him. After a
while tho storm comes and tosseS off the
mastS of the ship; he puts out his lifeboat and
the long boat the sheriff and the auctioneer
try to help him off; they can't help him of: +:
he must go down--uo 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 what
is before you, but know if you have Christ
with you all shall be well. You may seem to
get along without the religion of Christ while
everything goes smoothly, but after awhile,
when sorrow hovers over the soul, when the
waves of trial dash clear over the hurricane
boChS tlllI IlIS OcChS uIO CIOWu6u WlUl Dlratl-
cal disaSters-oh, whGt would you do then
without Christ in the ship? Take God for
your portion, God for your guide, God for
your held; then all is well; all IS we'll for time
all shall be well forever Blessed is that
man who puts in the Lord his trust. He shall
never be confounded.
But my subject also impresses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sailing
TnncQ HiSaiy1ac not into ,a hoo
and have no doubt they said: "What a
beautiful day this isl What smooth sea-
What bright sky this isl How delightful
is sailing in this boat! And as for the waves
under the keel of the boat, why they only
make the motion of our little boat the more
delightful" But when the winds swept
down and the sea was tossed into wrath, then
smooth sailing. SO you have found it; so l
have found it, Did you ever notice the end
Of the life of the apostles Of Jesus Christ?
You would say. II ever men ought to
have had smooth life, a smooth departure,
then those men, the disciples of Jesus Christ
ought to have had such departure and such
life st. James lost his head st. Philip
was hung to death on pillar St. Matthew
had his life dashed out with halbert. ST.
Mark was dragged to death through the
streets. St. James the Less was beaten to
death with fullerS club. st. Thomas was
struck through with spear. They did not
find following Christ smooth sailing. Oh,
how they were all tossed in the tempestl John
Huss in the fire. Hugh McKail in the hour of
martyrdom; the Albigenses, the Waldenses
the Scotch Covenanters- they fnd
it smooth sailingP But why 60 into
history when we can draw from our
own memory illustrations of the truth of
what l say? Some young man in q store try
ing to serve God, while his employer SCOTS
at Christianity; the young men in the SAME
store, antagonistic to the Christian religion,
teasing him, tormenting him about his re-
ligion, try to get him mad They succeed in
getting him mad, saying: YOU'RE pretty
ChrstianW Does that young man find it
smooth sailing when he tries to follow Christ?
Or, you remember a Christian girl. Her
father despises the Christian religion; her
mother despiscs the Christian religion; her
brothers and sisters scolf at the Christian re-
ligion; she can hardly find quiet
place in which to say her prayers
Did she find it smooth sailing
when she tried to follow Jesus Christ? Oh
mol All who would live the life Of the
Christian religion must suffer persecution; 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 thronep And
the answer came back: "These are they
Wno came up out of great tribulation--great
aailing as the original has 1t; great failing,
great pounding-and had their robes washed
and made white in the blood Of the Lamb"
Oh, do not be disheartenedl Take courage
You are in glorious companionship. God
will see you through all trials and He will
deliver you. Ny subject also impresses me
with the fact that good people sometimes get
very much frightened.
ln the tones of these disciples as they
rushed into the back part Of the boat, l find
they are frightened almost to death. They
say; Master, carest Thou not that we
pershT They had no reason to be frightened,
for Christ was in the boat. / suppose il we
had been there we would have been just as
much affrighted. Perhaps more In all ages
very good people get very much alfrighted.
IL is often SO in our day, and men say
why, look at the bad lectures: look at the
various errors going over the church OF
God; we are going to founder the church
Is going to perish; she is going down.
Oh, how many good people are alright
ed by iniquity in our day, and thinb
the church Of Jesus Christ is going to oe
oyerthrown, and are just as much affrighted
Gs were tho disciples of my text. Don't worry
don't fret, as though iniquity were going to
triumph over Righteousness A lion goes
into cavern to sleep. He lies down with hi,
shaggy name covering the paws, Meanwhile
the spiders spin web across the mouth of the
cavern and say: "We have captured him.
Gossamer thread after gossamer thread un.
til the whole front of the cavern is covered
with the spiders web and the spiders say:
"The lion is done; tho lion is fast" After
while the lion has got through sleep
ing, he rouses himself, he shake
his name, he walks out into the sunlight: he
does not even know the spiders web is spun,
and with his voice he shakes the mountain
So men come spinning their sophistries and