Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1895-09-27
IF CHRIST BE ABOARD
THERE is NOTHING TO FEAR IN MAX
ING LlFE'S STORMY VOYAGE.

pest-A Brilliant Picture.
NEW YORK, Sept. 22.-In his sermon
for today Rev. DIR. Talmage discourses
on dramatic incident during the Say
iour's life among the Galilean fisher
men and draws from it a striking les
son for the men and women Of the pres
ent day. The subject was "Rough Sail
ing" and the text, Mark iv, 36, 81,
"And there were also with him other
little ships, and there arose a great
Itorm of wind.
Tiberias, Galilee and Gennesaret were
three names for the same lake. 1t lay
in scene of great luxuriance. The sur
rounding hills, high, terraced, sloping,
gorged, were so many hanging gardens
Of beauty. The streams tumbled down
through rocks Of gray and red lime
stone, 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 variety of climate
that the palm tree Of the torrid and the
walnut tree Of rigorous climate were
only a little way apart. Men in vine
yards and olive gardens were gathering
up the riches for the oil press. The hills
and valleys were starred and crimsoned
with flowers from which Christ took
his text, and the disciples learned les
sons of patience and trust. 1t seemed as
if God had dashed a wave Of beauty on
all the scene until it hung dripping
from the rocks, the hills, the oleanders.
On the back Of the Lebanon range the
glory of the earthly scene was carried
up as if to set it in range with the hills
of heaven.
A Beautiful Sea.
No other gem ever had so exquisite a
setting as beautiful Gennesaret The
waters were clear and sweet and thick
" inhabited, tempting innumerable nets
and affording a livelihood for great pop
ulations. Bethsaida, Chorazin and Ca
pernaum stood on the bank roaring with
wheels Of traffic and flashing with
splendid eQuipages, and shooting their
vessels across the lake, bringing mer-
chandise for Damascus and passing
great cargoes Of wealthy product. Pleas
ure boats Of Roman gentlemen and fish
ing smacks Of the country people, who
had come down to cast net there, pass
ed each other with nod and shout and
welcome, or side by side swung idly at
the mooring Palace and luxuriant bath
and vineyard tower and shadowy arbor,
looking off upon the calm sweet scene
as the evening shadows began to drop,
and Hermon, with its head covered with
perpetual snow, in the glow Of the set
ting sun looked like a white bearded
prophet ready to ascend in a chariot OF
fire. Think we shall have quiet night
Not a leaf winks in the air or ripple
disturbs the surface Of Gennesaret. The
shadows of the great headlands stalk
clear across the water. The voices OF
eveningtide. how drowsily they strike
the ear-tho splash Of the boatman 8
oar, and the humping Of the captured
fish on the boats bottom, and those in
describable sounds which fill the air at
nightfall You hasten up the beach OF
the lake a little way, and there you find
an excitement as Of an embarkation A
fiotilla is pushing out from the western
shore of the lake-nOt a squadron with
deadly armament, not a clipper to ply
with valuable merchandise, not piratic
vessels with graphing hook to hug to
death whatever they could seize, but
ffotilla 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 ano
the fatigues Of the preaching exercise:
of the day, is induced to slumber' and
see him in the stern Of the boat, with g
pillow perhaps extemporized out of
fsherman's coat, sound asleep. The
breezes Of the lake run their fingers
through the locks Of the wornout sleep
er, and on its surface there riseth anC
falleth the light ship, like a child on th'
} bosom Of its sleeping mother Calm
night Starry night. Beautiful night
Run up all the sails, and ply all th'
oars. and let the boats-the big boat anC
= the small boats-go gliding over gentle
Gennesaret.
} A Storm Arises.
: The sailors prophesy change in tn
l weather. Clouds begin to travel up tn
sky and congregate. After awhile, evel
the passengers hear the moan OF tn
D storm, which comes on with rapi'
strides and with all the terrors Of hur
l ricane and darkness. The boat, caugh
s in the sudden fury, trembles like dee
i at bay amid the wild clangor OF tn
/, hounds. Great patches Of foam are fun
through the air The loOsened sails
Tapping in the wind, crack like pistols
e The small boats poised on the whit
8 cliff Of the driven sea tremble like oceal
r petrels, and then plunge into the trougl
= with terrific swoop until wave strike
= them with thunder crack, and over
t board go the cordage, the tackhng an
d the masts, and the drenched disciple
o rush into the stern of the boat and shou
I amid the hurricane, Master, cares
. thou not that we perish?" That grea
Q parsonage lifted his head from the fish
s erman's coat and walked out to tn
8 prov of the vessel and looked upon tn
a storm. On nll sides were the small boat
o tossing in helplessness, and from thel
came the cries of drowning men. b
the fash of lightning see the calmne'
of the uncovered brow Of Jesus and tn
> spray Of the sea dripping from nj
beard. He has two words Of comman
y one for the wind, the other for tn
= sen. He looks into the tempestuous hea'
o ems and he cries, "PeaceP' and then b
looks down into the infuriate water
n and he says, "Be still" The thunder
= beat q retreat The waves fall fiat
their faces. The extinguished stars n
y kindle their torches. The foam melt
q The storm is dead And while the ere
a are untangling the cordage and the c
y bles and baling out the water from Il
o hold of the ship the disciples stand wo
! der struck, now gazing into the cal
n sky, now gazing into the calm sea, NO
"a gazing into the calm face of Jesus, al