The Penn's Grove record., 1897-09-03
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.

SOlncc TO ReOpie VINO are IN lTOuDie-
The storm, the Calm and the Harbor.
TEXT: "And there were also with Him
other little ships, and there arose a great
storm of wind. And tho wind ceased and
there was a great calm. Mark w., SO.
Tiberias, Galilec, Gennesaret - three
names for the same lake. No other gem
ever had so beautiful a setting. 1t Inv In a
scene OF great luxuriance-the surround
ing hills high, terraced, sloped, groved, SO
many hanging gardens Of beauty; the wa
ter rumbling down between rocks Of gray
and red limestone, flashing from the hills
and bounding into the sea. On the shore
were castles, armed towers, Roman baths,
everything attractive and beautiful, all
styles of vegetation In shorter space than
in almost any other space in all the world,
from the palm tree Of the forest to the
tree OF q rigorous climate.
1t seemed as IL the Lord had aunched
one wave Of beauty on all the scene, and 1t
hung and swung from rock to rock and hill
and oleander. Roman gentlemen in pleas
ure boats sailing the lake and countrymen
in fish smacks, coming dow to drop their
nets, pass a other with nod and shout
and laughter or singing idly at their moor
ings. oh, what a wonderful, what a beau
tlful lakel
1t seems as IL we shall have a quiet night.
Not q leaf wlnked In the air, not a ripple
uiotNthru Lno iicb VI neuutSuItt, buE
there seems to be n little excitement up the
beach, and we hasten to see what 1t Is, and
we find it IN embarkation.
From the western shorea iotilla pushing
out, not q squadron or deadly armament,
nor clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
pirate vessels ready to destroy everything
they could seize, but a ~lotilia, bearing mos
sengers Of life and light and peace. Christ
is In the front OF the boat. His disciples
are In q smaller boat. Jesus. weary with
much speaking to large multitudes, is put
Into somnolence by the rocking OF the
waves. If there was any motion at all.
the ship was easily righted; IL the wind
the arboard or from the larboard to the
starboard, the boat would rock, and by the
Rentleuess OF the motion putting the Mas
ter asleep. And they extemporized apil-
low made out OF a fsherman's coat. Z
think no sooner Is Christ PROSTATE and His
head touehing the pillow than Ho is sound
asleep. The breezes Of the lake run their
fingers through the locks OF the worn sleep
err, and the boat rises and falls like a Sleep
ing child on the bosom OF a sleeping moth
or.
Calm night, starry night, beautiful
night. Run up all the sails, ply all
the oars, and let the large boat and the
small boat glide over gentle Gennesaret.
But the sailors say there Is going to be q
change of weather. And even the passen-
gers can hear the moaning OF the storm as
1t comes on with long stride, with oil the
%terrors OF hurricane and darkness. The
large boat trembles like n deer Mt bay
trembling among the clangor OF the hounds;
great patches of foam are flung into the
air; the sails of the vessels loosen, and the
sharp winds crack like pistols; the smaller
boats like petrels poise on the cliff OF the
waves and then plunge. Overheard go
cargo, tackling and masts, and the
| drnDahan diaoIDlpa ruah into tha hnnk nd ~
OF the boat and lay hold Of Christ and say
unto Him, master, carest thou not that
We perish2" That great parsonage lifts
his head from the pillow OF the f%isherman's
coat, walks to the front Of the vessel and
looks out into the storm. All around him
are the smaller boats, driven in the temp
est, and through it comes the cry OF drown
Ing men. By the flash Of the lightning ]
see the calm brow Of Christ as the spray
dropped from His beard. He has one word
Tor the sky and another word for the waves.
Looking upward. He cries. "Peacel" Look
ing downward, He says, "Be stilli"
The waves fall fiat on their faces, the
foam melts, the e~xtinguished stars rellght
their torches, the tempest falls dead. and
Christ stands with His foot on the neck of
the storm. And while the sailors arc bail
ing out the boats and while they are trying
10 untangle the cordage the disciples stand
In amazement, o looking into the calm
sea, then into the calm sky, then into the
,alm Of the S%aviour's countenance, and
they cry out, 'What of man is this,
that even the winds and thes Q obey Himf''
The subject In the first place impresses
ne with the fact that it Is very important
to have Christ in the ship, for all those
boats would lave gone to the bottom OF
dennesaret II Christ had not been present.
Oh, what n lesson for you and for me to
learnt Whatever voyage we undertake, in
TO whatever enterprise we start, let us al
ways have Christ in the ship. Many OF you
In these days of revived commerce are
starting out in new financial enterprises. 1
Did YOU good cheer. Do all you can do.
Do 1t on us high a plane as possible. You
have no right to be a stoker in the ship IL
you can be an admiral of the navy. You
have no right to be a colonel OF a regiment
II you can command q brigade; you have
no right to be engineer of a boat on river
banks or near the coast IL you can take the
ocean steamer from New York to Liver
pool. Ali you can do with utmost tension
Of body, mind and soul, you are bound to
10; but, oh, have Christ in the enterprise,
christ in every voyage, Christ in every
Ihipl
There are men who ask God to help them
At the start OF great enterprises. He has
been with them In the past. No trouble
ean overthrow them. The storms might
some down from the top Of Noun Hermon
and lash Gennesaret into foam and into
tSouy, Dut II cOulu NOT uurt IHelH. but
here Is another man who starts out In
worldly enterprise, and he depends Upon
,he uncertainties Of this life. He has no
God to help him. After awhile the storm
comes and losses off the masts Of the ship.
He puts out his lifeboat. The sheriff and
The a%uctipneer try to help him OFF. They
amt help him off. He must go down-no
Christ in the ship. Here are young men
lust starting out in life. four life will be
made up of sunshine and shadow. There
may be in 1t arctic blasts or tropical torna-
does. / know not what is before you, but l
know II you have Christ with you all shall
DO well.
You may seem to get along without the
religion of Christ while everything goes
smoothly, but after awhile, when sorrow
hoyers over the soul, when the waves of
trial dash clear over the hurricane deck
and the bowsprit is shivered II the hal
yards are swept into the sea and the gang
way is crowded with piratical disasters
oh, what would you then do without
Christ In the ship? Young man, take God
for your portion, God for your guide, God
for you help. then all is well-all is well
for time, all shall be well forever. Blessed
is that man who puts in the Lord his trust.
He shall never be confounded.
But my subject also impresses me with
the fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sailing.
These disciples got into the small boats,
and 1 have no doubt they said: "What a
beautiful day this Isl What a smooth seal
What n bright sky this isl How delightful
Is sailing in this boat And as for the
waves under the keel OF the boat, why,
they only make the motion OF our little
boat the more delightful" But when the
winds swept down and the sea was tossed
Into wrath, then they found that following
Christ was not smooth sailing. So You
have found 1t; so / have found it. Did
you ever notice the end Of the life Of the
apostles of Jesus Christi You would say
that II evermen ought to have had a smooth
life, a smooth departure, then those men,
the disciples of Jesus Christ, oughtto have
had such departure and such u life.
st. james lost his head st. Philip was
hung to death on a pillar. st. Matthew
had his life dashed out with a halberd.
81, Mark vas dragged to death through the
streets. st. James the Less was beaten to
death with a fuller's club, st. Thomas was
struck through with a spear. They did not
find following Christ smooth sailing. Oh,
how they were all tossed in the tempestl
John Huss In the fire, Hugh MeKail In the
hour NJ mortvrIon fba Alhfnanapa fla