The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-12-17

to the same drowning, for this day the
descendants Of some of those porcine
creatures retain the demons, and as the
devils were cast out Of man into them they
now afflict the human race with the devils
Of scrofula, that comes from eating the un-
clean meat! The healthiest people on earth
are the Israelites, because they follow the
bill OF fare which God in the book of
Levfticus gave to the human race, and our
splendid French DR.. Pasteur and our
glorious German DR.. Koch may go on with
their good work Of killing parasites in the
human system; but until the world corrects
its diet, and goes back to the divine regula-
tion at the beginning, the human race will
continne to be possessed of the devils Of
microbe and parasite. But I did not mean
to cross over to the eastern side Of Lake
Galilee even in discussion.
Pull away, ye Arab oarsmeni And We
come along the shore near by which stand
great precipices Of brown and red and gray
limestone crowned by basalt, in the sides Of
which are vast caverns sometimes the hiding
honest shepherds, and sometimes the dwell
ing place Of pigeons and vultures and eagles.
During one Of Herod's wars his enemies hid
in these mountain caverns and the sides were
too steep for Herods army to descend, and
the attempt to climb in the face Of armed
men would have called down determination.
So Herod had great cages Of wood, IRON
bound, made and filled them with soldiers and
let them down from the top Of the precipices
until they gave signal that they were level
with the caverns and then from these cages
they stepped out to the mouth Of the caverns,
and having set enough grass and wood on
fire to fill the caverns with smoke and stran-
gulation. the hidden people would come
forth to die; and if not coming forth volun-
tarily Herod's men would pull them out with
long iron hooks. and Josephus says that one
father, rather than submit to the attacking
army flung his wife and seven children down
tho precipice and then leaped after them to
his own death.
Now, ye Arab oarsmen, row on with swift
er stroke for we want before noon to land
at Capernaum, the three years home Of
Jesus. But before arrival there we are to
have a new experience. The lake that had
been a smooth surface begins to break up in
to roughness. The air, which all the morn
ing made our sail almost useless, suddenly
takes hold Of our boat with grip astonish-
ing, and our poor craft begins to roll and
pitch and tumble, and in five minutes we
pass from calm to violence. The contour
of thislake among the hills is an invitation to
hurricanes. used to wonder why 1t was
that on 80 limited a sheet of water be-
stormed boat in Christ's time did not put
back to shore when hurricane was coming.
! wonder no more
On that lake an atmospheric fury gives no
warning, and the change we saw In five
minutes made me feel that the boat In which
Christ sailed may have been skilfully man
aged when the tempest struck it and the wild,
importunate cry went up, "Lord save us or
we perishI" I had all along that morning
been reading from the New Testament the
story of occurrences on and around that lake.
But our Bible was closed now, and 1t was as
much as we could do to hold fast and wish
for the land. IF the wind and the waves had
continued to increase in violence the follow
ing fifteen minutes in the same ratio as in the
first five, and We had been still at their mercy,
our bones would have been bleaching In the
bottom Of Lake Gennesaret instead OF our
being here to tell the story.
But the same power that rescued the fish
ermen Of old to-day safely landed our party.
What a Christ for rough weatheri All the
sailor boys ought to fly to Him as did those
Galilean mariners. All you in the forecastle
and all you who run up and down the slip
perry ratlines take to sea with you Him who
with quiet word sent the winds back
through the mountain gorges. Some Of you
Jack Tars to whom these words will come
need to ''tack ship" and change your course
If you are going to get across this sea Of life
safely and gain the heavenly harbor. Belay
there! Ready aboutI Helms a-leel Main.
Gail hanlt -is--.