The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-09-25

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 a regiment If God
calls you to command an army. You
have no right to be stoker in steamer
if God commands you to be admiral of
the navy. You have no right to engi-
neer ferrybo from river bank to
river bank if God commands you to en-
gineer Cunarder from New York to
Liverpool. But whatever enterprise
you undertake, and upon whatever voy-
age you start, be sure to take Christ in
the ship. Here are men largely pros
pered. The seed of small enterprise
grew into an accumulated and over
shadowing success. Their cup of pros
perity is running over. Every day secs
a commercial or mechanical triumph.
Yet they are not puffed up. They ac-
knowledge the God who grows the har-
vests and gives them all their pros
perity. When disaster comes that
destroys others they are only helped
into higher experiences. The coldest
winds that ever blew down from snow
capped Hermon and tossed Genncsaret
into foam and agony could not hurt
them. Let the winds blow until they
crack their cheeks; let the breakers
boom-all is well, Christ is in the ship.
Here are other men, the prey of uncer-
tainties. When they succeed they strut
through the world in great vanity and
wipe their feet on the sensitiveness 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 cannot out
ride storm After awhile the packet
is tosssd abeam's end, and it seems as
if she must go down with all the cargo.
Push out from the shore with lifeboat,
longboat, shallop and pinnace. You
cannot save the crew. The storm
twists off the masts. The sea rises
, up tc t2':e dom the'vcsscl, Down she
, gcasl No Christ is in that ship.
speak to young people whose vcy-
age in life will be a mingling of sun
shine and of darkness, of arctic blast
and of tropical tornado. You will have
many a long, bright day of prosperity.
The skies clear, the sea smooth The
crew exhilarant. The boat staunch
will bound merrily over the pillows.
J Crowd on all the canvas. Heigh, no!
Land ahead! But suppose that sickness
puts its bitter cup to your lips; suppose
that death overshadows your heart
suppose misfortune with some quicl
turn of the wheel hurls you backward
suppose that the wave of trial strike:
you athwart ships, and bowsprit shiv
cred, and billiards swept into the sea
and gangway crowded with piratica
disaster, and the wave beneath, anC
the sky above, and the darkness arount
are filled with the clamor of the voices
of destruction. O! then you will wan
Christ in the ship.
. learn in the next place that peopl
who follow Christ must not always cx
pect smooth sailing. When these dis
ciples got into the small boats the,
said: What a delightful thing this is
Who would not be a follower of Chris
when he can ride in one of these smal
boats after the ship in which Jesus
sailing?" But when the storm cam
down these disciples found out tina
following Jesus did not always max
,, smooth sailing. SO you have found ou
and so have found out. If there ar
any people who you would think ougf
to have good time in getting out {
this world, the apostles of Jesus Chri,
ought to have been the men. Have yo
ever noticed how they got out of til
world? st. James lost his head. S
Philip was hung to death against
I, pillar. st. Matthew was struck
death by habord. st. Mark w;
= dragged to death through the street
ST. james the Less had his brair
:, dashed out with q fuller's club. $
Matthias was stoned to death S
Thomas was struck through with
spear John Hess in the fire, the All
e genses the Weaknesses, the ScotC
C Covenanters-did they always fiji
;, smooth sailing? Why go SO far? The
u is young man ina store in New Yol
q who has hard time to maintain b
: Christian character. All the cler
10 laugh at him; and when he loses h
II patience they say: You are prct
C Christian" Not so easy is it for tn
e young man to follow Christ. If t,
q Lord did not help him hour by no
e he would fail. There are scor
&c of young men to-day who wou
&c be willing to testify that in Fl
% lowing Christ one does not alwa
r" find smooth sailing. There is Chr
< tian girl. In her home they do not Ii
< Christ. She has hard work to get
"a silent place in which to say h
IL prayers. Father opposed to religic
$, Mother opposed to religion. Brothe
:, and sisters opposed to religion. T
"a Christian girl does not always find
ID smooth sailing when she tries to follC
10 Jesus But be of good heart. AS S,
10 farers, when winds are dead ahead,
IL setting the ship on starboard tack a
III braceing the yards, make the win
n, that oppose the course propel the 81
le forward, so opposing troubles, throu
o1 Christ veering around the bowsprit
p faith, will watt you to Heaven, whit
V,o if the winds had been abaft, they mig
a. have rocked and sung you to sleep, a
10 while dreaming of the destined port
- Heaven you could not have heard
10 cry of warning and would have &c
DO crashing into the breakers.
We Again, my subject teaches me Il
IS. itnn1.r. not