The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1897-10-07
TALMAGES SERMON.
No Matter How Hard the Storm
Christ is in Command.
Those Whose Voyage Of Life is Tempestu-
Gus Should Always Take Christ in
the ship and Port Will be
Safely Reached.

Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage in the fol-
lowing sermon, designs to give comfort
TO those who find life heset with trials
and troubles The text is:
And there were also with Him other little
ships, and there arose great storm Of wind
....A And the wind ceased and there was great
calm.-Mark iv.. So 80
Tiberias. Galilec, GenneSaret-three
names for the same lake. No othe1
gem ever had SO beautiful setting. 1t
lay IN d scene of great luXuriancc; the
surrounding hills, terraced, sloped,
groved, 50 many hanging gardens of
beauty; the water, rumbling down be
tween rocks of gray and red limestone,
flashing from the hills, and bounding
into the sea. On the shore We're cas-
ties, armed towers, Roman baths,
everything attractive and beautiful;
all styles of vegetation in shorter
space than in almost any other space
in the world, from the palm tree of the
forest to the trees of a rigorous climate.
1t seemed 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
countrymen in fish sInacks coming
down to drop their nets, pass each 9th
er with nod and shout and laughter, or
swinging idly at their moorings. Oh,
what d wonderful, what a beautiful
lake!
1t seems as if we shall have a quiet
night. Not leaf wlnked in the air;
not a ripple disturbed the face of Gen
neSaret; but there seems to be Il little
excitement up the beach. and we hasten
to see what it is, and we find it an en-
barkatlOn.
From the western shore a tlotilla
pushing out, not squadron, or dead
1y armament norclipper with valuable
merchandise, nor pirate vessels ready
to destroy every thing they could seize;
but tiotilla, bearing messengers of
life, and light, and peace. Christ is in
the front boat. His disciples are in a
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; if the
wind passed from one side, from star
board to larboard, and from the
larboard to starboard, the boat would
rock, and by the gentleness of the mo-
ton putting the Master asleep. And
they extempOrized pillow made out
of a tishernan's coat. | think no
sooner is Christ PROSTATE, and Ills head
touching the pillow. than lie is sound
asleep. The breezeS of the lake run
their fingers through the locks of the
worn sleeper, and the boat rises and
falls 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 Gennesa-
ret. 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 it comes on with long
stride. with all the terrors of hurricane
and darkness. The large boat trembles
like deer at bay trembling among the
clangor of the hounds; great patches
of foam are flung into the air: the sails
Of the vessel loosen, and the sharp
winds crack like pistols; the smaller
boats, like petrels, poise on the cliff of
waves and then plunge. Overheard go
cargo, tackling and masts, and the
drenched disciples rush into the back
part of the boat, and lay hold of Christ,
and say unto Him: Master. carest
not that we perish?' That great per-
sonage lifts His head from the
pillow of the fishermans coat,
walks to the front of the vessel
and looks out into the storm.
All al und 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 fell fiat on their faces,
the foam melts, the extinguished stars
relight their torches. The tempest
isiiS utdtt, anu SIflSG STANDS with III
foot on the neck of the storm. And
while the sailors are bailing out the
boats, and while they are trying to I'M
tangle the cordage, the disciples stand
In amazcment, now looking into the
calm sea, then into the calm Sky, then
into the calm of the Savour's counte-
nance, and they cry out: What man
ner 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 shin:
for all those boats would have gone to
the bottom of Gennesart if 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 fnan-
cial enterprises. bid you good cheer.
DO all you can do. Do it on as
high a plane as possible. You have
no right to be stoker in the ship if
Won can he an admiral of ~, ~