The Holly chieftain., 1897-09-10


Slppcd. grovcd -u many hanging gar
dcus Of beauty: the waters rumbling
down between rock uf gray and red
limestone, flashing from the hills. and
bounding into the -en On the shore
were castles, armed towers. Roman
baths. everything attractive and b"uu.
tiful. all styles pf vegetation in rorter
space than in aImo-, any other space
in the world. from tn, p. tree OF
the forest tu the trees pI rigorous
climate.
It -cru-.. u- tine Lord had iunchrd
one wa'" NJ beauty on all the scene.
and g. hing and swung from rock and
i... AND o.raudrr. Roman gentlemen
SO p.ru>urr boats sailing Tia" lake. and
.wstr.urn 10 fish ~mariss coming
.,u =" drop their nets. pass each
,v.sr with nod and shout and laugh-
ter or aging idly at their moor
ing~ .tN SO at a wonderful. what Il
beautiful lake II seems as IL we shall
have met night Not Il leaf winked
in the nOt ripple disturbed thu
face ii D,rnncsarct: but there seems to
be a ,.,t." excitement up the beach,
and We hasten ts -rr what it is, and
we find it an riRUu~'-ation.
From the western -h"rv horilu
pushing out: not a., --irou or deadly
armament, nor clipper with valuable
merchandise. nor T.rut,. vessels ready
To destroy everything they Gould seize;
but hotillu- ocnring messengers Of
life. and light, and peace. Christ iGl.
the front boat His disciples are IN
smaller boat Jesus. weary with
much speaking to large multitudcs, is
put into eomnolcnce by the rocking
Of the waves. II there was any motion
at all. the ship was easily rightcd; II
the wind passed from one side from
the sturbourd to the larhoard. or from
larboard to starboard. the boat would
rock. and by the gentlcncss of the mo-
tion putting the Master asleep And
they eNtcmporizcd pillow made ont
Of tishermauN coat think no
sooner is Christ prustrnte, and His head
touching the pillow, than He is sound
asleep. The brcczee Of the lake run
their fingers through the locks of the
worn sleeper. and the boat rises and
rolls like a sleeping child on the bosom
of sleeping mother.
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 Gen
nesaret. But the sailors say there is
going to be change of weather. And
even the passengers can hear the moan
ing of the storm, as it comes on with
long stride, with all the terrors of
hurricane and darkness. The large
boat trembles like a deer at bay trem-
bling among the clangor of the hounds;
grent patches of smoke are flung into
the air: the sails of the vessels loosen,
and the sharp winds crack like pistols;
the small boats like petrels poisc on
the cliff of waves and then plunge.
Overheard go cargo, tackling and
masts, and the drenched disciples rush
into the pack part of the boat. and lay
hold of Christ, and say unto Him:
Master. carest not that we pcrish?"
That great parsonage 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 it comes the
cry of drowning men. by the flash of
the lightning see the calm brow of
Christ as the spray dropped from His
beard. He has one word for the sky.
and another word for the waves.
Looking upward, He cries: Peace"
Looking downward. He says: BE
still"
The waves fall fiat on their faces.
the foam mel:s, the cNtinguished stars
relight 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, and while they are trying to un-
tangle the cordage, the disciples stand
in amazement now looking into the
calm sky, then into the calm of the
Saviour's counteuance, and they cry
out: What manner of man is this
that even the winds and the sea obey
Him"
The subject in the first place i'm
presses me with the fact that it is very
important to have Christ in the ship:
for all those boats would have gone to
the bottom of Gennesaret il Christ had
not been present Oh, what lesson
for you and for me to learn. What
ever voyage we undertake, into what.
ever 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 enter
priscs. | bid you good cheer. Do all
you can do. Do it on as high plane
as possible. You have no right to be
stoker in the ship If you can be ad-
miral of the navy. You have no right
to be u colonel of regiment II sou can
command n brigade: you have no right
to be engineer of boat on river banks,
or near the coast. il you can take the
ocean steamer from New York 10 Liy-
crpool. All you can do with utmost
tension of body. mind and soul. you
are bound to do; but. oh. have Christ
in every voyage. Christ in every ship.
There are men who ask God to help
them at the start of great enter
in the past; no trouble can overthrow
them; the storms might come down
from the top of Mount Hermon, and
lash Gennesaret into foam and into
agony, but it could not hurt them
But here is another m:n who
starts out in worldly enterprises, and
he depends upon the uncertainties of
this life. He has no God to help him. !
After awhile the storm comes and
tosses off the masts of the ship: he puts I
out his lifeboat: the sheriff and the |
auctioD"@r try tn help him Off; they J