The climax. [volume] (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1887-1897, 1895-09-25

it a striking lesson for the men and
women of the present day. The sub
ject was Rough Sailing" and the text,
Mark iv., sc, 81: And there were also
with him other little ships, and there
arose a great storm of wind.
Tiberias, Galilee and Gennesaret
were three names for the same lake
1t lay in a scene of great luxuriance.
The surrounding hills, high. terraced,
slOping. gorged, were so many hanging
gardens of beauty. The streams rum
bled down through rocks of gray
and red limestone, and flashing
from the hillside, bounded to the
sea. in the time OF our Lord
the valleys, headlands and ridges
were covered 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
vineyards and olive gardens were gath
eriug 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 lessons of patience and trust
II 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 Leb-
anon range the glory of the earthly
scene was carried up as if to set it in
range with the hills of Heaven.
No other gem ever had so exquisite
a setting as beautiful Gennesaret. The
waters were thickly inhabit tempt
| ing innumerab bic nets and affOrding 4
livelihood for great populations.
! bethesda, Chorazin and Capurnaum
stood on the bank. roaring with
wheels of traffic and flashing with
| splendid equipages and shooting their
! vessels across the lake. bringing mer-
| cnandise for Damascus and passing
great cargOes of wealthy product
! Pleasure boats of Roman gentlemen
and fishing smaclIs of the country peo-
! pie who had come down to cast a net
passed each other with nod and shout
! and welcome. or side by side swung
| idly 1T the mOOring. Palace and lux
uriaut bath and vineyard. tower and
/ Shadowv 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
and looked like a white-haired prophet
ready to ascend in chariot Of fire.
think we shall have a quiet night!
Not d leaf winks in the air or a ripple
/ disturbs the surface of Gennesaret
! The shadows of the great headlandS
| stalk clear across the water. The
voices Of evening tide, how drowsily
| they strike the ear-the splash of the
| boatmen's ore. and the humping Of
the captured fish on the boats bottom,
| and those indescribable sounds which
| fill the air at nightfaU. You hasten
up the beach of the lake a little way
and there You find an excitement as OF
an embarkation. A flotilla is PUSHING
out from the western shore of the lake
not a squadron with deadly arma'
ment; not a clipper to ply with
valuable merchandise; not pirate YES
sells with graphing hook, to hug tC
death whatever they could seize, but d
fortilla laden with messengers OF
light, and mercy, and peace. Jesus il
the front Of the ship; his friends and
admirers are in the small boats follow
ing after. Christ by the rocking OF the
boat and the fatigues of the preaching
exercises Of the day. is induced u
slumber. and l see Him in the stern O
the boat, with a pillow extemporizeC
out Of a fisherman's coat sound asleep
The breezes of the lake run their fin
] L - l.
/ sleeper. and on its surface there risetl
and falleth the light ship, like a child
on the bosom Of its sleeping mother
Calm night. Starry night. Beautiful
night Run up all the sails and ply al
the oars, and let the boats-the big
boat and the little bOats-go gliding
over gentle Gennesaret
The sailors prophesy change in the
weather. Clouds begin TO travel NJ
the sky and congregate. After Z
while, even the passengers hear the
moan of the storm, which comes OF
with rapid strides, and with all tn,
terrors of hurricane and darkness
The boat, caught in the sudden fury
trembles like deer at bay amid tn,
wild claugor of the hounds. Grea
patches of foam are flung through tn,
air. The lOosened sails, tapping il
the wind, crack like pistols Tn,
small boats poised on the white cliff o
the driven sea tremble like ocean pc
treis. and then plunge into the trough
with terrific sNoOp until wave strike
them with thunder crack, and over
board go the cordage, tacl5ling. and tn
masts, and the drenched disciples rusl
into the stern of the boat. and shou
amid the hurricane, Master, cares
Thou not that we perish?" That grea
Parsonage lifted his head from tn
fisherman's coat, and walked out t
the prov of the vessel, and looked W
on the storm. On all sides were tn
small boats tossing in helplessness
and from them came the cries o
drowning men. By the fash of light
ming see the calmness of the uncover
ed brow of Jesus, and the spray of tn
sea dripDing from his beard He ha
two words of command-one for tn
, wind, the other for the sea. He look
into the tempestuous heavens, and h
cries, Peace and then he looks dow
into the Infatuated waters and h
says, BE stillr' The thunders beat
retreat The waves fall fiat on thei
. faces. The extingEished stars rekindl
their torches The foam melts. TIL
storm is dead, and while the crew ar
untangling the cordage and the ca BILE.
and baling out the water from tn
hold of the ship the disciples stan
wonder-struck, now gazing into tn
calm sky, now gazing into the cal1
sea, now gazing INTO the calm face o
Jesus, and whispering one to another
What manner of man is this, tina
even the winds and the sea obey him?
I learn first, from this subject tina
when you are going to take a voyag
of any kind, you ought to have Chris
|. in the ship. The fact is, that thOs
J boats would all have gone to the bot
tom if Christ had not been there. Now
you are about TO voyage out into som
i new enterprise-into some new bus
ness relation; you are going to pla
some great matter OF profit. / hope
is so. If you are content to 60 alon
in the treadmill course and plan moth
ing new. you are not fulfilling You
mission What you can 90 by the "
n most tension of body, mind, and sou
that YOU are bound to do. You hav
no right to be colonel of a regiment
God calls you to command an army
You have no right to be stolxer in
steamer if God commands You to be al
I miral of the navy. You have no RICH
, to engineer a ferryboat from rive