The free press., 1895-10-10
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THIS EMINENT DIvINE's SUNDAY
6ERMON.
Subject: "Rough Sailing"

hills, high. terraced. slopin9, gorSed, wer
so many hrnGng gardens of beauty. Th
| streams tumbled down through rocks of gra,
| and red limestone, and flashing from th
| hillside bounded to the sea. In the time o
| our Lord the valleys, headlands and ridge
| We're covered thickly with vegetation. and So
| great was the variety OF climate that thu
! palm tree Of the torrid and the walnut tret
| OF rigorous climate were only little way
| apart. Men in vineyards and olive gardens
| were gathering up the riches for the OF
| 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. 1t seemed as
| IL God had dashed wave of beauty on al
/ the scene until it hung dripping from the
rocks, the hills. the oleanders. On the back
OF the Lebanon range the glory ofthe earthly
scene was carried up as if to set it in range
with the hills of heaven.
No other gem ever had so exquisite set
ting as beautiful Gennesaret. The waters were
clear and sweet and thickly inhabited tempt
ing innumerable nets and affording livei-
hood for great populations. Bethsaida, Choir
azin and Capernaum stood on the bank roar
ing with wheels of traffic and flashing with
splendid equipages, and shooting their ves-
sells across the lake. bringing MERCHANDISE
for Damascus and passing great cargoes of
wealthy product. Pleasure boats Of Roman
try people, who had come down to cast Il net
there passed. each other with nod and shout
aud welcome, or side by side swung idly ut
the mooring. Palace and uxuriant 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
in a chariot of fire. | think we shall have
quiet night Not leaf winks in the air or
ripple disturbs the surface of Gennesaret.
The shadows OF the great headlands stalk
clear across tho water The voices Of
eveningtide, 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 indcscribable
sounds which fill the air at nightfall. You
hasten up the beach of the lake little way,
and there you find an excitement as of an
embarkation. flotilla is pushing out from
the western shore Of the lake-.not a squad
ron with deadly armament. not clipper to
ply with valuable merchandise. not pirate
vessels with graphing hook to hug to death
whatever they could seize. but fotila
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 l see Him in the stern of the boat, with
pillow perhaps extemporized out of a 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 of its 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 a 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 go the cordage,
the tackling and the masts, and the drenched
disciples rush into the stern of the boat aud
shout amid the hurricane, 'Master, carest
Thou not that we perish?" That great per-
sonage lifted his head from the fisherman's
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 I 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. Helooks 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 untangling the cordage
and the cables and balng 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 or 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 gong to take voyage of any kind
you ought to have Christ in the ship. The
fact is that those boats would all have gone
to the bottom if Christ had not been there.
Now. you are about to voyage out into some
new enterprise-into some new business re-
lation. You are going to plan some great
matter OF profit. 1 hope it is so. If you are
content to go along IN the treadmlll 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 tc
be- colonel of regiment if God calls you tc
command an army. You have no right to bt
stoker in a steamer if God commands you tC
be admiral of the navy. You have NJ
right to engineer ferryboat from river banl
to river bank if God commands you to en-
gineer Cunarder from New York to Liver
pool But whatever enterprise you under
take. aud ou whatever voyage you start, b'
sure to take Christ in the ship. Here are mel
largely prospered. The seed ola small en-
terprise grew into an accumulated and over
shadowing success. Their cup of prosper
ity is running over. Every day sees II com
mercial or u mechanical triumph. Yet the
are not puffed up. They acknowledge tn
God who grows the haryests and gives then
all their prosperity. When disaster come
that destroys others, they are only helpe
into higher experiences. The coolest wind
that ever blew down from snow capped Her
mon and tossed Gennesaret into foam an
agony could not hurt them. Let tn
winds blow until they crack their cheeks
Let the breakers boom-a is wei
Christ is in the ship. Here are other men
the prey OF uncertainties When they sue
ceed. they strut through the world in grea
vanity and wipe their feet on the sensitive
ness of others. Disaster comes, aud the