The Opelousas courier., 1890-01-25
TALMAGE'S TRIP.
FHE a~KUOgLgH utglNE'> NJ rE,A
SLRHHN

- pa lis tIip, was homeless. Tn the
sue OF this village, now in ruins, and all
around this lake, what scenes of kindness
1hd power, aud glory and pathos when our
hord lived herel 1t has been the wish of nv
nIe-i cannot say the hope, for | never ex-
pscted the privilege-to stand on the banks
VI uasilee, What a solemnity and what a
rapture to be here, | can now understand
the feeling Of the immortal Scotchman.
Ioneft McCheyne, when sitting on the banks
OF this lake, he wrote:
Ii is not that the wild gazelIe
Comes down to drink thy tide.
but lie That WIS pierced ID save from hell
OH wandered by thy side.
GRACEFUL around thee the mountains meet,
Thou calm rcpoSing sea;
But all far more, the beautiful feet
OI Jesus walked ocE 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 lako treated our boat when We
sailed Gil it yesterday, one would have
thought 1t incapable of Il paroxysm of rage,
but 1T was quite different eli both the occa-
Stohs spoken OF IL MY two texts. I 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 ChrisL's time. 1t Law in a
scene OF great luxuriance; the surrounding
hltls, terraced, stopped, ~groovel, Sc manF
tittbSiii9 SuEIStIS Ut lt3ttLNI Sn the SnOr0
were castles; tnieft towers, Roman baths.
everything attractive and beautiful-all
| styles OF vegetation in shorter space than in
almost any other space i'll all the world, from
the palm tree of the forest to the trees Of
rigorous climate.
1t seemed as il the Lord had launched one
wave OF beauty on all the scene. and it hung
and swung from rock and hill and oledndef:
itoman gentlemen iii pleasure boats sailing
this Lake, and cGuutrynien in fish sntackS
| coming down to drop their nets, pass each
other with nod and shcat and laughter, or
| swinging idly at their moorings. O., what a
J beautiful Scenet
! 1t seems as if we shall have a quiet night,
/ Not a leaf winked in the air; not 4 ripple dis
turlcd the face Of Gennesaret; but there
seems to De a little excitement up the beach,
and we hasten to see what it is, and we find
1t an embarkation.
From the western shore a Gotilla pushing
out; not a squadron. or deadly armament
nor clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
pirate vessel, ready to destroy everything
they could seize, but a ~flotilla, bearing mes
sengers of light and life and peace. Christ is
: in the front Of the boat. His disciples are in
q smaller boat. Jesus, weary with much
J speaking 10 large m~u!titudes, is put into
somnolencs by the rocking of the waves.
If there was any motion at ell, the ship was
easily rightea; IL the wind passed from star
board kEarboard, or from larboard to star
board, De boat would rock, aud by the
gentleneSs of the motion putting the Master
asleep. Ans they extamporized a pillow
made ont of a ffsherman's coat. | think nc
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 a sleeping child
on the bosom of a sleeping mother.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful night.
R1II1 nv oil fs1n coils rlv+ III 4hn AMPS aud lot
the large boat and the small boat glide over
gentle Gennesaret. But the sailors say there
is going to be a change Of weather. And
sven the passengers can hear the moaning OF
the storm, as 1t comes on with great stride,
and all tue terroTs of hurricane and dark
ness. The large boat trembles like g deer at
bay among the clangor of the hounds. great
patches of foam are flung into the dir; 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 perishS' That great parsonage lifts His
head from the pillow of the fsheru1an's coat;
ITw}ks TO the front Of the vessel, and looks out
q fnto tie storm, Ali around Him are the
Smaller boats, driven in the TEMPEST, and
tli uuSul ID Ctl11SS tilb CIy Vi UIOWIIHS IlCl.
By the flash of the lightning l see the calm
brow Of Christ as the spray dropped from His
beard. He has one word for the sky and
another for the waves. Looking upward He
cries: 'Peacepi Looking downward He says:
'tBe stillr'
The waves fall Cat on their faces, tie 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 cut the
boats, and while they are trying to untangle
the cor6aga the disciples stand in amaze.
ment, now looking into the calm ga, then
into Stshe calm shy, then into the calm
Savi6ufs t~ountedance, and they cry out:
What manner Of man is this, that even the
winds and the sea obey Hinl?'
The subject in the first place impresses me
with the fact that it is very important to
have Christ il the ship; for all those boats
! would have gone to the bottom OF Gennesa-
ret if Christ had not been present. Oh, what
q 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 mon who ask Gods help at the
beginning Of great enterprises He has been
with them in the past; 10 trouble can over.
throw them: the storms might come down
from the top of Mount Hermonl and lash
Gennesaretinto foam and into agony, but it
could not fIft them. But here is another
man who starts, out in worldly enterprise,
and he depends bs,Son the uncertainties of this
life. He has natSod to help him. After 9
while theass5rHHY comes and tosses of the
masts of the ship: he puts oft his lifeboat and
the long boat the sheriff and the auctioneer
try to help hlHl off; they can't help him off;
he must go down-no Christ in the ship
Yeur life will be made up of Sunshine
and shadows. There may be in it Arctic
blasts or tropical tornadOes; | know not wha
is before you, but I know if you have Chris
with you all shall be well. You may seem K
get along without the religion of Christ Will,
everything goes smoothly, but after awhile
when sorrow movers ever the soul, when tht
waves of trial dash clear over the hurricane
dock, and the decks are crowded with pratt
cal digasters-oh, what would you do the1
without Christ in the ship? Take God fol-
your portion. God for your guide, God fol
your held; then all is well; all is well for time
all shall be well forever. Blessed is tina
man who puts in the Lord his trust. He shall
never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also irnpresses me will
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
beautiful day this isl What a smooth sea
What a bright sky this isl How delightful
is sailing in this boat! And as for the wave
under the keel of the boat, why they onl,
make the motion of our little boat the NOR
delightful But when the winds sweep
| down and the sea was tossed into wrath. the
they found that following Christ was no
smooth sailing. Sd you nave found it; SO
have found it. Did you ever notice the en-
: OF the life of the apostles Of Jesus Christ
! w.. rr.n,aId cnr if nrar man nrfrhf Ii