The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-01
RE Dk. TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DIVINE'S SUN.
DAY SERMON.
Subject: "The Stormy Passage.
preached at Capernaum, in
the Holy Land.l

porary home Of that Christ who, for the
most part of His life, was homeless. On the
site Of this village now in ruins, and all
around this lake, what scenes of kindness
and power, and glory and pathos when our
Lord lived hereI 1t has been the wish of my
ife-I cannot say the hope, for I never e1-
pected the privilege-to stand on the banks
Of Galilee. What solemnity and what
rapture to be herel I can now understand
the feeling Of the immortal Scotchman,
Robert McCheyne, when sitting on the banks
of this lake. he wrote:
1t is not that the wild gazele
Comes down to drink thy tide,
But He that was pierced to save from hell
Oft wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet.
Thou calm reposing sea;
But ah fur more, the beautiful feet
or Jesus walked o'er 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 this lake treated our boat when we
sailed on it yesterday, one would have
thought it incapable Of paroxysm OF rage,
but it was quite different on both the occa-
sions spoken of in my two texts. l close my
eyes, and the shore of Lake Galilee as it now
is, with but little signs Of human life, disap-
pears, and there comes back to my vision the
lake as it was in Christ's time. 1t lay in
scene Of great luxuriance; the surrounding
hanging gardens Of beauty. On the shore
were castles, armed towers Roman baths,
everything attractive and beaCtiful-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.
It 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
beautiful scene!
1t seems as if we shall have quiet night.
Not leaf winked in the air; not a ripple dis
turbed the face Of Gennesaret; but there
seems to be 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 fotilla, 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, tho 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 ont of fisherman's coat I think no
sooner is Christ PROSTATE, and 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 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 dark
mess. The large boat trembles like 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 90 cargo, tackling and masts,
and the drenched disciples rush into the back
say unto Him: master, carest Thou not that
we perishg' That great parsonage lifts His
head from the pillow Of the flsherman'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 it comes the cry Of drowning men.
By the flash of the lightning see the calm
brow of Christ as the spray dropped from His
beard. He has one word for the sky and
| e. ord
cries: "Peacep Looking downward He says:
'sBe stillm
The waves fall fat on their faces, the foam
melts, 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 Hinlp
! 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 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 thom in the past; no trouble can over
throw them; the storms might come down
from the top 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 He has no God to help him. After a
while the storm comes and tosses off the
luasts of the ship; he puts out his lifeboat and
the long boat; tho sheriff and the auctioneer
| try to help him off; they can't help him off;
| he must 90 down-no Christ in tho 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 yoli, 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
| deck, and the decks are crowded with pratt
cal disasters-oh, what would you do then
without Christ in the ship? Take God for
! your portion, God for your guide, God for
your held: then Ill is well all is we'll for time,
all shall be we'll forever. Blessed is that
man who puts in the Lord his trust. He shall
never be confounded.
But my subject also improsses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sailing.
! These disciples got into the small boats,
| and have no doubt they said: What q
beautiful day this is! What a 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