Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-01-16

ever voyage we undertake, into whatever
enterprise we start, let us always have
Christ in the ship. All you can do with
utmost tension of body, mind and soul,
you are bound to do; but oh! have Christ
in every enterprise, Christ in every voy-
age.
There are men who ask Gods help at
the beginning of great enterprises. He
has been with them in the past; no
trouble can overthrow 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 into worldly enterprise, and
he-depends upon the uncertainties of
this life. He has no God to help him.
After while the storm comes and losses
off the masts of the ships; he puts out
his life boat and the long boat; the
sheriff and the auctioneer try to help
him off; they can't help him off; he must
go down-no Christ in the ship. Your
life will be made up of sunshine and
shadow. There may be in it Arctic
blasts or tropical tornadoes; know not
what is before you, but / know If you
have Christ with you all shall be we'll.
You may seem TO get along without the
religion of Christ while every thing goes
smoothly, but after awhile, when sor-
row hovers over the soul, when the
waves of trial dash clear over the hur-
ricane deck, and the decks are crowded
with piratical disasters-oh, what would
you do then without Christ in the ship?
Take God for your portion, God for your
guide, God for your help; then all is
we'll; all is well for time, and shall be
well forever. Blessed is that man who
puts in the Lord his trust. He shall
never be COMPOUNDED.
But my subject also impre sses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sail
ing.
These disciples got into the small
boats, and l have no doubt they said
''What beautiful day this isl 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 tho mo-
tion of our little boat the more delight
full" 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 it;
so have found it. Did you ever notice
the end of the life of the apostles of
Jesus Christ? You would say, il ever
men ought to have had smooth life,
smooth departure, then those men, the
disciples of Jesus Christ, ought to have
had such departure and such life.
st. James lost his head. st. Philip was
hung to death on pillar. st. Matthew
had his life dashed out with halbert
st. Mark was dragged to death through
the streets. st. James the Less was
beaten to death with fuller's club. st.
Thomas was struck through with a
spear. They did not find following
Christ smooth sailing. o, how they were
tossed in the tempest! John Huss in the
FIRE; Hugh McKail in the hour of martyr
dom; the Albigenses, the Waldenses, the
Scotch Covenanters = did they find !
it smooth sailing2 But why go into
history when we can draw from our own |
memory illustrations OF the truth of |
what say? Some young men in a store |
trying to serve God, while his employer /
SCOTS at Christianity; the young man in
The same store, antagonistic to the Chris
ian religion, teasing him, tormenting |
aim about his religion, trying to gethim
mad. They succeed in getting him mad,
saying: you're a pretty Christian
Does that young man find it smooth sail
ng when he tries to follow Christ? Or \
you remember Christian girl Her /
ather despises the Christian religion;
her mother despises the Christian relig-
on; her brothers and sisters scoff at the
Christian religion; she can hardly find
quiet place in which to say her prayers
Did she find it smooth sailing when she
ried to follow Jesus Christ? o, mol All
Who would live the life of the Christian
'eligion must suffer persecution; if you
10 not find it in one way, you will get it
n another way. The question was
.sked: "Who are those nearest the
hrone?" And the answer came back:
These are they who came up out of
rreat tribulation-great failing, as the
original has it; great failing, great
had their robes washed
md made white in the blood of the
amb." o, do not be disheartened! Take
ourage. You are in glorious compan-
hip. God win see you through all trials
md He win deliver you. My subject
.lso impresses me with the fact that
rood people sometimes get very much
In the tones of these disciples as they
ush into the back part of the boat,
ind they are frightened almost to death.
They say: ''Master, carest Thou not
hat we perish?" They had no reason to
,e frightened, for Christ was in the boat.
suppose if we had been there we would
AVE been just as much affrighted. Per-
laps more. In all ages very good peo-
lie get very much affrighted. 1t is often
o in our day. and men say: "Why. look
t the bad lectures; look at the various
rrors going over the church of God; we
re going to founder; the church is GO
ng to perish; she is going down. o,
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