The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-10-05
ROUGH SAILING.
Lessons Drawn from the Miracle
on the Sea of Galilee.
Latest Sermon by DIR. Tslmags-PeoPis
Who Follow Christ Must Not Always
Expect smooth Sailing Christ
should BE on the Ship.

In q late sermon at New York Rev.
T. Dewitt Talmage preached on q dra-
matte incident during the Saviour's
life among the Gallilean fisherman, and
drew from it q striking lesson for the
men and women of the present day.
The subject was, Rough Sailing"
and the text, Mark iv. 36-37: And
there were also with him other little
ships, and there arose q great storm OF
wind" DIR. Talmage said:
Tiberias, Gallilee and Gennesaret
were three lanes for the same lake. 1t
lay In q scene Of great luxuriauce. The
surrounding hills, high, terraced, slop-
ing, gorged, were SO many hanging gar
dens Of beauty. The streams rumbled
down through rocks of gray and red
limestone, and flashing from the hill
side, 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 rig
orous climate were only . little way
apart. Men in vineyards. and olive
gardens were gathering up the riches
for 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
patience and trust. 1t seemed u II
God had dashed . wave of beauty on
all the scene until 1t hung dripping
from the rocks, the hills, the oleandera
On the back of the Lebanon range the
glory Of the early scene was carried up
Is II to set In range with the hills of
Heaven.
No other gem yer had SO exquisite
Q setting as beautiful Genuessret.
The waters were clear and sweet. and
thickly inhabited, tempting innumer-
able nets, and affording . livelihood
for great populations B~ethsaida,
| Choranzin and Capernaum stood IN
the bank, roaring with wheels Of
traffic aud fishing with splendid equip
ages, and shooting their vessels across
the lake. bringing merchandise for
Damascus and passing great cargoes OF
wealthy product. Pleasure boats Of
Roman gentlemen, and fishing smaoks
Of the country people who had come
down to cast = net there, passed each
other with nod and shout and well
come, and side by aide swung idly at
the mooring.
Palace and luxuriant bath and Vine
yard, tower and shadowy arbor, looked
Of upon the calm, sweet scene "a the
evening shadows began to drop, and
Hsrmon, with it, head covered with
psrpstual snow, In the glow Of the set
ting sun looked like . white-besrded
prophet ready to ascend In . chariot
Of Ere. think we shall have Q quiet
night Not . leaf winks in the air, or
. ripple disturbs the surface Of Gem
nesaret The shadows Of the great
hesdlands stalk clear across the water.
The voices Of evening-tide, how
drowsily they strike the ear-the
splash Of the boatman's par, and the
thumpin9 Of the captured fash on the
boats bottom, and those INDISPENSABLE
sounds which All the air at nightfall
You hasten up the beach of the lake
. little way, and there you find an Ak
element as Of an embsrkation. A
Hotilla 10 pushing out from the western
shore of the lske-not q squadron
with . deadly armament; not . clipper
to ply with valuable merchandise; not
pirstio vessels with graphing hook. to
hug to death whatever they could
seize, but . hotilla laden with mes
ssngers OF light. and mercy, and peace.
Jesus Il In the front ship; His
friends and admirers are In the small
boats following after. Christ, by
the rocking of the boat and the IA
tiGues Of the preaching exercises Of
the day, II induced TO slumber, and I
see Him In the stern of the boat, with
. pillow perhaps extemporized out Of
. AshermAn's coat, sound asleep The
brsszes Of the lake ran their Angers
through the locks Of the worn-out
sleeper. and ON It's surface there riseth
md fslleth the light ship. like 0 child
ON the bosom Of it, sleepinG motheri
Calm night. Starry night Beautiful
night. Run up all the ssila and ply
all the oars. and let the bosts-the big
boat and tho little bosts-go gliding
over the gentle Gennesarst
The sailors prophecy . change ih the
weather. Clouds begin to travel up
the sky and ~oongrsgats. After awhile,
y the passsngers hear the moan of
the storm, which comes on with rapid
strides, and with all the terrors Of hur-
ricans and dsrknssA The boat caught
In the sudden fury. trembles like .
deer at bay, amid tho wild olsngor Of
the hounds. Great patches Of foam
are flung through the air. The loos-
snsd sails. Mapping in the wind.
crack like pistols- The small
boats poised on the white clih
Of the driven ssa tremble like ocean
pstrsls, and then plunge into the
trough with terrific swoop until q
wave strikes them with thunder-crack,
and overheard 60 the cordage, the
tackling. and the masts, aud the
drsnohsd disciples rush into the stern
Of the bost and shout amid the hurri-
cane: master, carest thou not that
We psrishY' That great parsonage
lifted His head from the fsherman's
cot and walked out TO the PROV of the
vessel and looked upon the storm. On
all sidss were the small boats tossing
In h~slplessness. and from them came
the cries Of drowning men. BY the
Aash Of lightning I zee the calmnssa o,
the uncovered brow Of Jesus. and the
spray Of the sea dripping from Hi
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: "Psscs" and then HI
looks down into the Infatuated watera
and He says: BE still" The thunder
beat . retreat. The waves fall fat OF
their faces The extinguished star
rskindls their toreheA The foam melts
The storm IL dead. And while the crew
are untangling the cordage and thu
cables, and battling out the water from
the hold of the ship, the disciples stand
wonder-struck, now casing into the
calm sky, now gazing into the calm
sea, now gazing into the calm face Of
Jesns. and whispering one to another
what manner Of man 10 this, tina,
even the winds and the sea obey Him9'
Ilsarn. first. from this subject that
when you are going to take q voyage
of any kind you ought to have Chris
in the ship. The fact il. that thoss
boats would have all gone to the bot
tom II Christ had not been there
Now. you are about to voyage out init
r some new enterprise-into some new
, business relstion; you are going Il
a plan some great matter Of profit.
' hope 1t Is &c. II you are content to e
along in the treadmill course and plar
nothing new, you are not fulfilling
your mission. What you a do by thu
utmost tension of body, mind, anG
soul, that you are bound to do