Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-01-02

/ 10 "A group oil frltiifl- III lit SUI
sagcr taking for hi texts the verses OF the
gospel following: John vi, Il: Entered
| into "A ship, and went over the sea toward
| Capernauia-: and Mark w., 81: And be
AROSE and rebuked the wind and the sea-
He said
Here in this seashore village was the tenn
Dorary home of thai Christ who for the most
OF his life was homeless. ON the site oi tnis
village, now in ruins. and all around this
lake, what scenes OF kindness and power, anu
| glory and llatllos when our Lord lived here
/ ii has been the wish of my lifc--l cannot say
the hope, for never expected the PRIV
/ lege-tu stand ON the banks Of Cialilee. W hal
q solcmnity aud what q rapture 10 he here
| can now understand the feeling of the inl-
mortal Scotehman. Robert McCheyne, when,
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'll
OF wandered by thy side
Graceful around thee the mountains meet,
Thou calm, repOsing sen:
But, ah I. far more, the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked Ger thee.
can now easil, 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 this lake treated our boat VIXEN we
sailed on Il Yesterday. one would have thought
| II incapable OF paroNysin of rage, but II was
quite different on both the occasions spoken
OF in my two texts. l close my eyes, aud the
shore of Lake Galilee, ~ Il now Il. with but
little signs of human life. disappears, and
there comes back 10 my Sision the lake as Il
was In Christ's time. IL lay in scene OF
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 vegeta-
tion 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.
II seemed as IL the Lord had launched one
wave Of beauty on all the scene, and IL hung
and swung from rock and hill and oleander.
Roman gentlemen IN plasure boats sailing
this lake, and comtrymen in fish smacks
coming down 10 drop their nets, pass cacll
other with nod and shout aud laughter, or
swinging idly At their moorings y, what
beautiful scene.
II seems as II we shan nave quiet night.
Not leaf winkcd IN the air, not ripple dis
turbed the face of the Gennesaret, but there
seems to be a little excitement mp the beach,
and we hasten to see what II j., and we hind
u an embarkation.
out; not n squadron or deadly armament, or
clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
pirate vessels ready 10 destroy everything
they could seize; but flotilla. bearing mes
sengers OF light and life and peace. Christ Is
IN the front OF the boat. llis disciples are in
smaller boat. Jesus, weary with much speak
ing, TO large multitudes. i put into somno-
lence by the rocking Of the waves. In there
was any motion Ut all, the ship was easily
rigbted II the wind passed from starboard 10
larboard. or from larboard 10 starboard the
boat would rock. aud hy the gentcncss OF
the motion putting the Master asleep. Aud
they eNtemporized pillow made out of lish-
erman's coat.
Calm night, starry night. beautiful night.
Run up all the sails. ply all the oars. aud let
the large boat aud the small boat glide over
gentle Gennesaret. But the sailors say there
Is going 10 be change Of weather. And even
the passengers can hear the moaning Of the
storm. rs i comes ON with great stride, and
all the terrorS of hurricane and darkness.
The large boat tremhles Ike 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 aud masts,
and the drenched disciples rush into the back
part OF the boat. and lay hold OF Christ, and
say unto him: master carcst thou not that
we perish.' That great parsonage lifts his
head from the pillow OF the isherman'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
through IL comes the cry OF drowning men.
BY the dash Of the lightning | sec the calm
brow of Christ a. the spray dropped from his
beard. lie bias one word for the sky and an
other for the waves. Looking upward, he
cries: "Peaee!r Looking downward, be
says: BE stiil.'
The waves fell fat on their faces. the foam
melts, the extinguished stars rclight their
torches. The tempest falls desd, and Christ
stands with his feet ON the meek 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 amazemcnt.
now looking into the calm sea. then into the
calm sky. then into the calm Sayiour's coun-
tenanee. aud they cry out "What manner Of
man = this, that even the wind and sea obey
him.
The subject in the first place impresscs me
with the fact that Il Is very important to have
Christ in the ship, for all those boats would
have gone to the bottom OF GerInesaret II
Christ had not been present. Oh. what
lesson for you and for me to learn! We
must always have Christ in the ship. What
ever voyage we undertake. in whatever en-
terprise We start. bet us always have Christ
in the ship. All Won can do with utmost ten
sion OF body. mind and soul. YOU are bound
to do; hut oh, have Christ in every enter
prise, Christ in every voyage. These disci-
pies got into the small boats. and have no
doubt they said: "Wkat n beautiful day this
Is. What smooth sea-, 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 il; so | 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 de-
parture and such life. They did not find
following Christ smooth sailing. oh, how
they were all tossed in the tempest, But
why go into history when we can draw from
our own memory Illustrations OF the truth Of
what say.
Some young man in a store trying to serve
God, while his employer SCOTS at Christian
ity; the young men in the same store. an
tagonistic to the Christian religion, teasing
him, torlnenting him about his religion. try
ing TO get him mad. saying: you're a pref
ty Christian," Docs that young man find it