Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-10-24
ROUGH SAILING.
Christ Gan Calm the Troubled
Waters.
The Lessons We Should Learn from the
Tempest on tho Sea Of Galilee-If We
Have Christ In tho Ship We
Need Have No Fear.

people OF to-day. His text was iron
Mark w., SO, 81: "And there were ais
with Him other little ships, and Their
arose great storm Of wind"
Liberals, Galilee and Gennesare
were three names for the same lake. /
lay In scene OF great luxuriance
The surrounding hills, high, terraced
sloping, gorged, were SO many hanging
gardens Of beauty. The streams rum
Sled down through rocks Of gray ani
red limestone, and flashing from the
hillside, bounded to the sea. In the
time Of our Lord the valleys, headlands
and ridges were covered thickly with
vegetation. and, SO great was the vari
ETY. Of climate, that the palm tree of the
torrid and the walnut tree Of the rig
orous climate wero only q little way
apart. Men in vineyards and other gar
dens were gathering up the riches FOL
the oil press. The hills and valleys
were starred and crimsoned with flow.
ers, from which Christ took His text,
and the disciples learned lessons OF pa.
thence and trust.
No other gem ever had so exquisite a
setting as beautiful Gennesaret. The
waters were clear and sweet, and thick
ly inhabited, tempting innumerable
nets, and affording livelihood for
great populations. Bethesda, Chorazin
and Capernaum stood on the bank,
roaring with wheels Of traffic and fash
ing with splendid equipages and shoot
ing their vessels across the lake, bring
ing merchandise for Damascus, and
passing great cargoes of wealthy pro-
duct. Pleasure boats of Roman gentle
men and fishing smacks of the country
people who had come down to cast a
net there, passed each other with nod
and shout and welcome, or side by side
swung idly at the mooring. Palace
and luxuriant bath and vineyard, tow
er and shady arbor, looked off upon the
calm sweet scene as the evening shad-
ows began to drop, and Hermon, with
its head covered with perpetual snow,
in the glow Of the setting sun, looked
like white-bearded prophet ready to
ascend in chariot Of fire. Il think we
shall have quiet night Not leaf
winks in the air, or ripple disturbs
the surface of Gennersaret. The shad-
ows of the great headlands stalk clear
acrossShe water. The voices of even
ingAtide, how drowsily they strike the
ear-the splash of the boatman's oar.
and the humping Of the captured fish
on the boats bottom, and those indie
scribable sounds which fill the air at
nightfall. You hasten up the beach of
the lake little way, and there you
find an excitement as Of an embarka-
ton. A fiotilla is pushing out from
the western shore of the lake--not a
squadron with deadly armament; not q
clipper to ply with valuable merchan-
disc; not pirate vessels with graphing
hook, to hug to death whatever they
could seize, but fotilla laden with
messengers of light, and mercy, and
peace. Jesus is in the front ship; His
friends and admirers are in the small
boats following after. Christ, by the
rocking of the boat and the fatigues of
the preaching exercises of the day, is
induced to slumber, and see Him in
the stern of the boat, with a pillow
perhaps extemporized out Of a fisher
erman's coat, sound asleep The breezes
OF the lake run their fingers through the
locks OF the WORKOUT sleeper, and on
its surface there riseth and falleth the
light ship, like child on the bosom of
its sleeping mother. Calm night.
Starry night. Beautiful night. Run
up all the sails and ply all the oars,
and let the boats-the big boat and
the small boats-go gliding over gentle
Gennesaret.
The sailors prophesy change in the
weather. Clouds begin to travel up the
sky and congregate. After while,
even the passengers hear the moan Of
the storm, which comes on with rapid
strides, and with all the terrors OF hur-
ricane and darkness. The boat, caught
in the sudden fury, trembles like deer
at bay, amid the wild clangor OF the
hounds Great patches Of foam are
flung through the air. The loosened
sails, Tapping in the wind, crack like
pistols. The small boats poised on the
white cliff of the driven sea tremble
like ocean petrels, and then plunge into
the trough with terrific swoop until
wave strikes them with thunder crack,
and overheard go the cordage, the tack
ling and the mast, and the drenched
disciples rush into the stern of the boat
and shout amid the hurricane: "Mas-
ter, carest Thou not that we perish?"
That great parsonage lifted His head
from the fsherman's coat and
walked out to the PROV Of the
vessel, and looked upon the
storm. On all sides were the small
boats tossing in helplessness, and from
them came the cries Of drowning men.
By the flash Of lightning / see the
calmness OF the uncovered brow Of
Jesus, and the spray of the sea drip
ping from His beard. He has two
words of command-one for the wind,
the other for the sea. He looks into
the tempestuous heavens, and He cries:
"Peace!" and then He looks down into
the Infatuated waters, and He says: BE
still !" The thunders beat q retreat.
The waves fall fat on their faces.
The extinguished stars rekindled their
torches. The foam melts. Tho storm
is dead. And while the crew are un-