Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-06-16
LIFE'S STORMY WAY.
ROUGH SAILING WITHOUT CHRIST IN
THE SHIP.


DIR. Talmage.
WASHINGTON, June 10.-Dr. Talmage
who is now In Europe preaching to i'm
mense congregations I'm the great cities
sends this sermon, in which he de
scrlbes the rough places OF life and In
dlcates the best means Of getting ovel
them and shows how many people fal
to understand their best blessings; text
Mark iy, 80. "And he arose and rebuk
ed the wind and said unto the sea
Peace be still"
Here In Capernaum, the seashore VII
lage, was the temporary home OF that
Christ who for the most Of his life wa:
homeless. On the site of this village
now In ruins, and all around this lake
what scenes of kindness and power
and glory and pathos when our Lord
lived herei | can understand the feel
ing Of the immortal Scotchman, Robert
McCheyne. when, sitting on the banks
of this lake, he wrote:
II Is not that the wild gazelle
Comes down to drink thy tide,
But he that was pierced to save from hell
Oft wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet,
Thou calm. reposing sea.
But. ah. far more the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked Ger thee.
can easily understand from the con-
tour of the country that bounds this
lake that storms were easily tempted
to make these waters their playground.
This lake, In Christ's time. lay In a
scene OF great luxurlance; the sur
rounding hills. terraced. sloped, groved;
so many hanging gardens Of beauty.
On the shore were castles. armed tow
ers. Roman baths. everything attract
I've and beautiful-all styles OF vegeta-
tion In smaller space than In almost
any other space in the world. from the
palm tree Of the forest 10 the trees or
rigorous climate. II seemed as II the
Lord had launched one wave Of beauty
on all the scene and II hung and swung
from rock aud hill and olrandcr. RO-
man gentlemen In pleasure boats sail
Ing this lake and ceuntrymcn In fishing
smacks coming down to drop their nets
pass each other with nod and shout
and laughter or swinging idly at their
moorings. Oh. what n beautiful scene!
Calming the Tempest.
c,,p,c o, 10 xra chall hora nilinf
night Not a leaf quivered in the air,
not a ripple disturbed the face Of Gen
nesaret. But there seems to he little
excitement up the beach. and we has
ten to see what it Is. and we find 1t an
From the western shore
a fiotilla pushing out; not a squadron
Of deadly armament, nor clipper with
valuable merchandise. nor plratlc ves-
sells ready to destroy everything they
could seize. but fiotllla, bearing mes
of light and life and peace.
Christ is In the stern of the boat. His
disciples are In the bow and amldships.
Jesus. weary with much speaking to
large multitudes, Is put into somno-
Ience by the rocking of the waves. If
there was any motion at all. the ship
was easily rlghted; II the wind passed
from starboard to larboard. or from
arbOard to starbOard, the boat would
rock and. by the gentleness Of the mo-
lion. putting the Master asleep. And
they extemporized a pillow made out
If a fisherman's coat. think no soon
er is Christ PROSTATE and his head
touched the pillow than he is sound
asleep. The breeZes of the lake run
heir fingers through the locks Of the
worn sleeper and the boat rises and
'alls like sleeping child on the bosom
II sleeping mother.
Calm night, starry night. beautiful
light! Run up all the sails. ply all the
,ars, and let the large boat and the
mail boat glide over gentle Gennesa-
eft. But the sailors say there Is going
o be change Of weather. And even
he passengers can hear the moaning
Il the storm as II comes on with great
tride and all the terrors of hurricane
nd darkness. The large boat trembles
Ike deer at bay among the clangor Of
he hounds: great patches Of foam are
lung into the air: the sails Of the YES |
el loosen and In the strong wind crack |
Ike pistols; the smaller boats. like pet |
els poise on the cliffs Of the waves |
nd then plunge. Overheard go cargo. |
ackling and masts. and the drenched |
isciples rush into the back part OF the |
'oat and lay hold Of Christ and say |
INTO him. Master. carest thou not that |
We perish?" That great parsonage lifts
is head from the pillow Of the fisher
mans coat. walks to the front Of the I
essel and looks out into the storm.
LII around him are the smaller boats,
riven In the tempest. and through II !
ONES the cry Of drowning men. By |
be fash of the lightning | see the calm !
row Of Christ as the spray dropped
rom his beard. He has one word for
be sky and another for the waves.
looking upward, he cries, Peace"
.ooking downward, he says. "Be still"
he waves fall fat on their faces, the
oan melts, the extinguished stars re.
ght their torches. The tempest falls
cad. and Christ stands with his foot on
be neck Of the storm. And while the
ailOrs are baling out the boats and
7hile ther are trying to untangle the
ordage the disciples stand In amaze.
lent. now looking into the calm sea,
hen into the calm sky. then into the
aim Saviour's countenance. and they
ry out. What manner of man Ia this.
hat even the winds and the sea obey
inn"
Christ In the Ship.
The subject. In the first place. i'm.
resses me with the fact that II Is very
Important to have Christ In the ship;
Or all those boats would have gone to
he bottom Of Gennesaret II Christ had
OF been present Oh. what a lesson
or you and for me to learn! Whatev-
r voyage we undertake. into whatever
nterprise we start, let us always have
hrist In the ship. All you can do with