Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-06-14
STORM ON GALILEE.
LESSONS FROM A MEMORABLE INCL
DENT IN THE sAvlouRS LIFE.


WASHINGTON, June 10-Dr. Talmage,
who is now in Europe preaching to i'm
mense congregations in the great cities,
sends this sermon, in which he describes
the rough places of life and indicates the
best means of getting over them and
shows how many people fail to under
stand their best blessings text, Mark iv,
80 And he arose and rebuked 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 was
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
here! / can understand the feeling of
the immortal Scotchman, Robert Nc
Chcyne, when, sitting on the banks of
this lake, he wrote:
1t is not that the wild gazelle
Comes down to drink thy tide,
But he that pierced to save from hell
Oft wandered by thy eide.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet,
Thou calm, reposing sea.
But, ah. far more the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked DER thee.
I 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 Christs time, lay in scene of great
luxurance; the surrounding hills, terrace
ed, sloped, groved; so many hanging gar
dens of beauty. On the shore were cas-
ties, armed towers, Roman baths, every
NJ he, Il oil et,-In
Of vegetation in smaller space than in al
most any other space in the world, from
the palm tree Of the forest TO the trees of
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 this
lake and countrymen in fishing smacks
coming down to drop their nets pass each
other with nod and shout and laughter or
swinging idly at their mornings. Oh,
what a beautiful scene
1t seems as if we shall have a quiet
night. Not a leaf Quivered in the air, not
a ripple disturbed the face of Gennesa-
ret. But there seems to be little ex-
element up the beach, and we hasten to
see what it is, and we find it an embarka-
ton. From the western shore a hotia
pushing out; not squadron of deadly
armament, nor clipper with valuable mer-
chandise. nor piratic vessels ready to de-
stroy everything they could seize, but n
flotilla, bearing messengers of light and
life and peace. Christ is in the stern Of
the boat. His disciples are in the bow
and amdships. 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 starboard to larboard, or from lar
board to starboard, the boat would rock
and by the gentleness of the motion,
putting the Master asleep. And they
extemporized a pillow made out of n
isherman's coat. / think no sooner is
Christ PROSTATE and his head touched
the pillow than he 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 sleep
ing child on the bosom OF sleeping
mother.
Coming Of the Storm.
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 pas
sengers can hear the moaning of the
storm as it comes on with great stride
and all the terrors Of hurricane and dark
ness. The large boat trembles like deer
at bay among the clangor of the hounds;
great patches of foam are flung into the
air; the sails of the vessel loosen and in
the strong wind crack like pistols; the
smaller boats, like petrels, poise on the
cliffs of the 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
thou not that we perish?'
That great parsonage lifts his head
from the pillow of the fishermans 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 light
ming | see the calm brow of Christ as
the spray dropped from his beard. He
has one word for the sky and another for
the waves. looking upward, he cries.
Peace" Looking downward, he says,
"Be still" The waves fall fat on their
faces, the foam 1nelts, the extinguished
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 baling ont the boats
and while they are trying to untangle the
cordage the disciples stand in amaze
ment, now looking into the calm sea,
then into the calm sky, then into the
calm Saviours countenance, and they
cry out, What manner Of man is this,
that even the winds and the sea obey
hm?"
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 if Christ had not
been present. Oh, what lesson for you
and for me to learn! Whatever voyage
we undertake, into whatever enterprise
We start, let us always have Christ in the
ship. All you can do with utmost ten
sion Of body, mind and soul you are
bound to do; but, oh, have Christ in ev-
cry enterprise!
Seeking Gods Help.
There are men who ask Gods help at
the beginning of great enterprises. He
has been with them in the past; no trou-
Bile can overthrow Them the storms
might come down from the top of Mount
Hermon and lash Gennesaret into foam
and into agnoy but it could not hurt
| them. But here is another man who
starts out in worldly enterprise, and he