The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-10-09
REV. DIR. TALMAGE
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE
NOTED DIVINE.
Subject: "Rough Sailing"


storm Of wind."-Mark iv., sc. 81.
Tiberias, Galilee and Gennesaret wer'
three names for the same lake. 1t lay in {
scene OF great luxuriance. The surrounding
hills, high, terraced, Sloping. gorged, were
30 many hanging gardens OF beauty. Tht
gtreams tumoled down through rocks of gray
and red limestone, and flashing from The
hillside bounded to the sea- In the time o.
our Lord the valleys. headlands and ridge:
were covered thickly with vegetation, and &c
great was the variety Of climate that the
palm tree o. the torrid and the walnut tres
of rigorous 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 flowers, from which
Christ took Histext, andth disciples learned
lessons Of patience and trust. 1t seemed as
II God had dashed 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 il to set 1t IN range
with the hills OF heaven.
No other gem ever had 80 exquisite set
ting as beautiful Gennesaret. The waters were
clear and sweet and thickly inhabited, tempt
ing innumerable nets and afordinG Iveli-
hood for great populations. Bethsaida, Chor-
azln and Capernaum stood on the bank roar
ing with wheels of traffic and flashing with
splendid eauipages, and shooting their YES
sells across the lake, bringing merchandise
for Damascus and passing great carRoes OF
wealthy product. Pleasure boats OF Roman
gentlemen and fishing smacks Of the coun-
try people, who had come down to cast q net
there, passed 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 Her
mon, with its head covered with perpetual
snow, in the glow OF the setting sun looked
like white bearded prophet ready to ascend
quiet night! Not leaf winks in the air or
ripple distur5s the surface Of Gennesaret.
The shadows of the great headlands stalk
clear across the water. The voices OF
eveningtit,e, how drowsily they strike
the ear-the splash OF the boatman's oar, and
the humping of the captured fish on the
boats bottom. and those indescrlbable
sounds which I'll the air at niShtfall. You
hasten up the beach OF the lake little way.
and there you find an excitement as OF an
embarkation. A fotilla is pushing out from
the western shore of the lake-not q squad
ron with deadly armament. not clipper to
vessels with graphing hook to hug to death
whatever they could seize. but flotilla
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 and the fatigues OF the preaching
exercises Of the day. is induced to slumber,
and I see Him in the stern of the boat, with
q pillow perhaps extemporized out OF fish
erman's coat, sound asleep. The breezes OF
the lake run their fingers through the locks Of
the wornout sleeper. and on its surface there
riseth and falleth the light ship. like child
on the bosom ofits sleeping mother! Calm
night. Starry night. Beautiful night. Run
up all the sails, and ply all the oars, and let
the boats-the big boat and the small boats
go gliding over gentle Gennesaret.
The sailors prophesy change In the
weather. Clouds begin to travel up the sky
and congregate. After awhile, even the
passengers hear the moan of the storm,
which comes on with rapid strides and with
all the terrors of hurricane and darkness.
The boat, caught in the sudden fury .trembles
like a deer at bay amid the wild clangor Of
the hounds. Great patches OF foam are
flung through the air. The loosened sails,
Tapping in the wind. crack like pistols. The
small boats poised on the white cliff OF the
driven sea tremble like ocean petrels, and
then plunge into the trough with terrific
swoop until wave strikes them with thun-
der crack, and overheard 80 the cordage,
the tackling and the masts, and the drenched
disciples rush into the stern of the boat and
shout amid the hurricane, "Master, carest
Thou not that we perish?" That great per-
sonage lifted his head from the flsherman's
coat and walked out to the PROV OF
the vessel and looked upon the storm.
On all sides were the small boats tossing
in helplessness, and from them came
the cries Of drowning men. By
the flash of lightning see the calmness Of
the uncovered brow of Jesus and the spray
OF the sea dripping from His beard. He has
two words Of command-one for the wind
the other for the sea. HelooSs into the tenn
pestuous heavens and He cries 'Peace!" and
ther He looks down into the infuriate waters
and He says, "Be still" The thunders beat
a retreat. The waves fall fiat on their faces.
The extinguished stars rekindle their torches.
The foam melts. The storm is dead. And
while the crew are untanSling the cordage
and the cables and balinS out the water
from the hold Of the ship the disciples stand
wonder struck, now gazing into the calm
sky, now gazing into the calm sea,
now gazing into the calm face of Jesus.
and whispering one to another, "What man.
ner OF man is this. that even the winds and
the sea obey Him."
learn. first, from this subject that when
you are going to take a voyage or any kind
you ought to have Christ in the ship. The
fact is that those boats would all have gone
to the bottom II Christ had not been there.
Now, you are about to voyage out into some
new enterprise-into some new business re-
lation. You arc going to plan some great
matter OF profit. I hope it Is so. II you are
content to 60 along in the treadmill course
and plan nothing new, you are not fulfilling
your mission. What you can do by the ut
most tension Of body, mind and soul that
you are bound to do. You have no right to
be colonel OF regiment il God calls you to
command an army. You have no right to be
stoker in a steamer if God commands you to
be admiral of the navy. You have no
right to engineer ferryboat from river bank
to river bank If God commands you to en-
gineer Cunarder from New York to Liver
pool. But whatever enterprise you under
take. and on whatever voyage you start, be
sure to take Christ in the ship. Here are men
largely prospered. The seed of a small en-
terprlse grew into an accumulated and over
shadowing success. Their cup of prosper
ity Is running over. Every day sees a com
,nercial or a mechanical triumph. Yet they
are not puffed up. They acknowledge the
God who grows the harvests and gives them
all their prosperity. When disaster comes
that destroys others, they are only helped
into higher experiences. The coolest winds
that ever blew down from snow capped Her
mon and tossed Gennesaret into foam and
agony could not hurt them. Let the
winds blow until they crack their cheeks.
Let the breakers boom-al is well,
Christ is in the ship. Here are other men.
the prey OF uncertainties. When they sue
ceed. they strut through the world In great
vanity and wipe their feet on the sensitive
ness Of others. Disaster comes, and they
are utterly down. They are good sailors on
fair day, when the sky is clear and the sea