Dodge City times., 1890-01-02
The Rev. T. De Witt Talmaee preached

The Rev. T. De Witt Talmage preache,
at Capernaum, Sunday, Dec. Is, to
group OF friends on The jStormy Pas
sage, taking for his text the verses O.
the gospel following: John vi, II: EN-
tered into the ship, And went over tn,
sea toward Capernaum;" and Mark vi
80: And he rose and rebuked the wini
and the sea-" He said:
Here in this seashore village was the
temporary home of that Christ who fol
the most of His life was homeless. Or
the site of this village, now in ruins
and all around this lake, what scenes OF
kindness and power, and glory anG
pathos when our Lord lived herei II
has been the wish of my life-I canno,
say the hope, for 1 never expected the
priyilege-to stand Oh the banks ei
Galilee. What solemnity and what q
rapture to be here! l can now under
stand the feeling of the immortal
Scotchman, Robert McCheyne, when,
sitting on the banks of this lake, he
wrote:
1t is not that the wild razelle
Comes down to drink thy tide,
But he that was pierced to save from he'll
Oft wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the noun tains meet,
Thou calm reposing sea;
But ah! far more, the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked Der thee
lean now easily understand from the
contour 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 occasions spoken
of in my two texts. 1 close my eyes, and
the shore of Lake Galilee as it now is,
with but little signs OF human life, dis
appears, and there comes back to my
vision the lake as it was in Christ S
time. 1t lay in a scene of great luxuri-
ance; the surrounding hills, terraced,
sloped, groOved, SO many hanging gar
dens of beauty. On the shore were cas-
ties, armed towers, Roman baths, every
thing attractive and beautiful-aIl
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.
1t seemed as if the Lord had launched
one wave of beauty on allthe scene, and
it hung and swung from rock and hill
an 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 swing
ing idly at their moorings. Oh, what a
beautiful scene!
1t seems as if We shall have n quiet
night. Not a leaf winked in the air;
not ripple disturbed the face of Gen
nesaret; but there seemed to be q little
excitement up the beach, and We hasten
to see what it is, and We find it an en-
barkation.
From the western shore o fotilla
pushing out; not squadron. or deadly
armament, nor clipper with valuable
merchandise, nor pirate vessel ready to
destroy everything they could seize, but
a fiotilla, bearing messengers of light
and life and peace. Christ is in front
of the boat. His disciples are in a SINH
lar boat. Jesus, weary with much speak
ing to large multitudes, is put into
somnolence by the rocking of the waves.
If there was any motion at all, the ship
was easily righted; if the wind passed
from starboard 20 larboard, or from lar
board to starboard, the boat would rock,
and by the gentleness of the motion
putting the Master asleep. And they
extemporized a pillow made out OF
fisherman's coat. 1 think no sooner is
Christ PROSTATE. and His head touches
the pillow, than He is sound asleep.
The breezes of the lake run their fin
gers through the locks of the worn
sleeper, and the boat rises and falls like
a sleeping child on the bosom of sleep
ing mother.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful
In al h.
oars, and let 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 even the pas
sengers can hear the moaning of the
storm, rs it comes on with great stride,
and all the terrors of hurricane and
darkness. The large boat trembles like
a deer at bay among the clangOr of the
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 ofthe waves and then
plunge.
Overheard 60 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 perish2" That
great parsonage lifts his head from the
pillow of the fisherman'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 drown
ing men. Byt the flash of tine lightning
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:
: Peace Looking downward He says:
BE still"
The waves fell flat on their faces, the
foam melts, the extinguished stars re-
light 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 Sayiours countenance, and they
cry out: What manner of man is this,
that even the winds and the sea obey
Him?"
ALWAYS HAVE CHRIST IN THE SHIP.
The subject in the first place i'm
presses me with the fact that it is very
important 10 nave SurlSt III the snip, |
for all those boats would have gone to |
he bottom of Gennesaret if Christ had |
not been present. Oh, what lesson |
for you and me to learn. We must al |
ways have Christ in the ship. All you |
IAN do with utmost tension of body, |
mind and soul, You are bound to do; |
,ut oh! have Christ in every enterprise, |
Christ in every voyage.
There are men who ask Gods help at |
he beginning of great enterprises. He |
,as been with them in tine past; no
rouble can overthrow them; the storms
night come down from the top of Mount
and lash Gennesaret into foam
md into agony, but it could not hurt |
hem. But here is another man who
Itarts out in worldly enterprise, and he
depends upon the uncertainties of this
life. He has no God to help him. After
. while the storm comes and tosses off
he masts of the ship; he puts on his
ifeboat and the long boat; the sheriff
md the auctioreer try to help him off;
hey can't help him off, he must go
lown-no Christ in the ship. Your life
will be made up of sunshine and