Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-09-03
A ROUGH SEA VOYAGE
DR.. TALMAGE SAYS CHRlST'S FOL-
LOWERS MUST EXPECT IT.
He preache. a sermon Of solaoe to People

the Calm on the Sea of Gennesaret-The
Harbor.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29.-This sermon
by Rev. DR.. Talmago will be Of great
solace to people who are finding their
life rough voyage. Text, Mark iv, S6'
"And there were also with him other
little ships, and there arose a great
storm Of wind. And the wind ceased
and there was great calm. "
Tiberias, Galilee, Gennesaret-threo
names for the same lake No other gem
ever had so beautiful a setting 1t lay
in a scene Of great luxuriance--the sur
rounding hills high, terraced, sloped,
groyed, so many hanging gardens Of
beauty; the waters rumbling down be-
tween 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 al
most any other space in all the world
from the palm tree Of the forest to the
trees Of a rigorous climate.
Smooth Sailing.
Itsecmed as if the Lord had launched
one wave Of beauty on all the scene
and it hung and swung from rock and
| hill and oleander Roman gentlemen in
pleasure boats sailing the lake and
counrymen in fish smacks, coming
down to drop theirnets, pass each other
with nod and shout and laughter or
singing idly at their moorings Oh,
what a wonderful, what a beautiful
lakel
1t seems as if we shall have quiet
night. Not a leaf winked in the air,
not a ripple disturbed the face of Gen
nesaret, but there seems to be little
excitement up the beach, and we hasten
to see what it is, and we find it an en-
barkation.
From the western shore a hotilla
pushing out, not a squadron or deadly
armament, nor clipper with valuable
merchandise, nc. piratic vessels ready
to destroy everything they could seize,
but a fotilla, bearing messengers Of life
and light and peace. Christ is in the
front of the boat. His disciples are in
a smaller Loaf Jesus, weary with much
speaking TO large multitude, Is put in-
TO somnolenco By the rocking Of the
waves. Il there was any motion at all,
the ship was easily riShtedi If the wind
passed from one side from the star
board to the lalboard or from the lar
board TO the starboard, the boat would
rock. and by the gontleness Of the mo-
ton putting the master asleep And
they extemporized a pillow made out Of
a fisherman s coat 1 think no sooner Is
Christ prostrate and his head touching
the pillow than he is sound asleep. The
breezes of the lake run their fingers
through the locks Of the worn sleeper
and the beat rises and falls like a sleep
ing child on the bosom Of a sleeping
mother
A Change Of Weather.
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
a change Of weather And even the
passengers can hear the moaning of the
storm as IL comes on with long stride,
with all tie tcrrors Of hurricane and
darkness The large boat trembies like
deer at bay trembling among the
claneor 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 50
cargo. tackling and masts, and the
| drenched disciples rush into the back
mart of the boat and lay hold Of Christ
and say unto him, Master, carest thou
not that we perish:" That great per-
sonage lifts his head from the pillow OF
the fisherman coat, walks to the front
of the vessel and looks out into the
storm. All around him are the smaller
boats. driven in the tempest and
through il comes the cry Of drowning
men, By the fash Of the lightning /
see the calm brow Of Christ as the
surav dropped from his beard. He has
one word for the sky and another
word for the waves Looking upward,
he cries, "Peacep" Looking downward
he says, "Be stillV
The waves fall fiat on their faces the
foam melts, the extinguished stars re-
light their torches, the tempest falls
dead. and Christ stands with his foot
on the neck of the storm. And while
the sailors are bailing out the boats ana
while they are trying to untangle the
oordage the disciples stand IN amaze
ment, now looking into the calm sea-
then into the calm sky, then into the
calm of the Saviour's countenance' and
they cry out, What manner Of man Is
this. that even the winds and the sea
obey himY
The subject in the first place impress
es me with the fact that 1t Is very I'M
portant to have Christ in the ship, for
all those beats would have gone to the
bottom of Cenncsaret if Christ had not
been present Oh, what a lesson Tor you
and for me TO learnt Whatever voyage
we undertake, into whatever enterprise
we start, let us always have Christ IN
the ship Many Of you in these days OF
revived commerce are starting out IN
new financial enterprises. l bid you
good cheer Do all you can do. Do II
on as high plane as possible. You
have no right TO be a stoker in the ship
if you can be an admiral Of the navy
You have no right to be a colonel OF a
regiment il you can command a brigade
you have no right to be engineer OF .
boat Oh river banks or near the coast II
Won can take the ocean steamer from
New York to Liverpool All you can do
with utmost tension Of body, mind ana
.oul, YOU are bound to do; but, on, have
Christ in every enterprise, Christ IN
every voyage, Christ in every shipl
There are men who ask God to help
them at the start Of great enterprises
He has been with them in the past NC
trouble can overthrow them. The storms
Il. t.,,, Of