The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1895-11-16

gazing into the calm sea; now gazing
Into the calm face OF JESUS, and wills
pering one to another: s'What iffanncl
of man is this, that even the wind,
and he sea obey Himg'
| Ilearh, first, from this subject thai
when you are going TO take voyage
of any kind you ought to have Chris,
in the ship: The fact is; that those
boats would have all gone to the bot
tom IL Christ had not been there
Now, ycl are about to voyage ont
into some new enterprise-into some
new business relation; you are go
Ing to plan some great matter Of
profit. | hope 1t Is so. II you
are content to go along in the
treadmill course and plan nothing
new, you are not fulfilling your mis-,
sion. What you can do by the utmost
tension Of body, mind, and soul. that
you are bound to do. You have no
right to be colonel of regiment II
God calls you to command an army.
You have no right to be stoker In a
steamer IL God commands you to be ad.
miral of the navy. You have no right to
engineer ferryboat from river bank
to river bank II God commands you
to engineer a Cunarder from New York
! to Liverpool. But whatever enter
prise yon undertake, and upon what.
ever voyage you start, be sure to take
Christ in the ship. Here are men
largely prospered. The seed of a
small enterprise grew into an
accumulated and overshadowing
success. Their cup of prosperity is
running over. Every day sees a COM
| mercial or mechanical triumph. Yet
they are not pulled up. They aclsnowl-
edge the God who grows the harvests,
and gives them all their prosperity.
When disaster comes that destroys 9TH
ers, they are only helped into higher
experiences. The coolest winds that
ever blew down from snow-capped
Hermon and tossed Gennsaret into
foam and agony could not hurt
them. Let the winds blow until they
crack their cheeks; let the breakers
boom-all is we'll, Christ is In the ship.
Here are other men, the prey of UNI
certafnties. When they succeed, they
strut through the world in great vani-
ty, and wipe their feet on the sensi.
tiveness of others. Disaster comes,
and they are utterly down. They
are good sailors on fair day, when
the sky is clear and the sea is
smooth; but they can not outride
the storm. After awhile the packet
is tossed abeam's end, and it seems as
If she must go down with all the car
go. Push out from the shore with
lifeboat. longboat, shallop, and pin
mace. Yon can not save the crew The
storm twists off the masts. The sea
rises up to take down the vessel. Down
she goes? No Christ in that ship.
/ speak to young people, whose voy
age in life will be mingling of sun
shine and of darkness, OF Arctic blast
and of tropical tornado. You will
have many long, bright day of pros
perity. The skies clear, the seas
smooth. The crew exhilarant The
boat stanch will bound merrily over
the pillows. Crowd on all the canvas.
Heigh, no! Land aheadl But suppose
that sickness puts its bitter cup to yonr
lip; suppose that death overshadows
your heart; suppose misfortune. with
some quick turn of the wheel. hurls
you backward; suppose that the wave
of trial strikes you athwart-ships. and
bowsprit shivered, and halliards swept
into the sea, and gangway crowded
with piratical disasters, and the waves
beneath and the sky above, and the
darkness around are filled with the
clamor of the voices of destruction.
Oil then you will want Christ in the
ship.
learn, in the next place, that peo-
pie who follow Christ must not always
expect smooth sailing. When these
disciples got into the small boats they
said; What delightful thing this is.
Who would not be follower of Christ
when he can ride I'm one of these
small boats after the ship in which
Jesus is sailing?" But when the
storm came down these disciples found
out that following Jesus did not al
ways make smooth sailing. So you
have found out, and so l have found
out. II there are any people You
would think ought to have a good
time in getting out of this world, the
apostles Of Jesus Christ ought to have
been the men. Have you ever noticed !
how they got out of the world?
st. James lost his head. st. Philip |
was hung to death against pillar. |
St Matthew was struck to death by a |
halberd. st. Mark was dragged to
death through the streets. ST. James |
the Less had his brains dashed out |
with a fuller's club. st. Mattheas |
was stoned to death. st. Thomas was |
struck through with spear. John
Huss in the fire, the Aibigenses, |
the Waldenses. the Scotch Cow
they always find smooth |
Why go so far? There is |
young man in store in New York |
who has hard time to maintain his |
Christian character. ALI the clerks |
laugh at him, the employers in !
that store laugh at him; and |
when he loses his patience they say: |
lyon are pretty Christian" Not SO
easy is it for that young man to follow
Christ. If the Lord did not help him |
hour by hour he would fail. There are
scores of young men to-day who would |
be willing to testify that in the fol-
lowing Christ one does not always |
find smooth sailing. There is q
Christian girl. In her home they do
not like Christ. She has hard work to |
get silent place in which to say her
prayers. Father opposed to religion. |