Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-06-20

SERMON
Rev. Or. CaImiagf

Subject: LlSe's StoRny Way-It is Rough
Sailing Withoat Christ In the ship
he Smooths the Pathway For Thoss
Who Trust In Him.
ICopyrseht lsoal
WASHINGTON, ID. Cdr. Talmage, who
Is now in Europe preaching to immense
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 understand their best
blessings; text, Mar, 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! 1
tai ScOtchman, Robert McCheyne, 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 was pierced to save from he'll
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 DER thee.
l 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
luxuriance; the surrounding hills, ter
raced, slOped, grOved; SO many hanging
gardens of beauty. On the shore were cas-
ties, armed towers, Roman baths, every
.G.,l III
of vegetation in smaller space than in Il
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 moorings. Oh, what
beautiful scene!
1t seems as if we shall have quiet
night. Not leaf Quivered in the air, not
q ripple disturbed the face of Gennesaret.
But there seems to be a little excitement
up the beach, and we hasten to see what
it is, and we find it an embarkation. From
the western shore a hotilla pushing out; /;
not a squadron of deadly armament, nor
clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
piratic vessels ready to destroy everything
tney cOulO seize, Out HOtlIla, bearing
messengers of light and life and peace
Christ is in the stern of the boat. His
| disciples are in the bow and amidships.
Jesus, weary with much speaking to large
multstudes, 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 startoard to lar
board, the boat would rick and, Dy the
| gentleness of the motion, putting the Mas
ter asleep. And they extempOrized a pill
low made out of fisherman's coat. !!
think no sooner is Christ prostrate and
His head touched the pillow than He is
sound asleep. The breezes of the lake run
their fingers through tie locks of the worn
| sleeper, and the boat rises and falls like
sleeping child on the bosom of a sleep
ing mother. -ss>s & ..ssss-E
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
sengers can hear the moaning of the storm
as it comes on with great stride and all
the terrOrs of hurricane and darkness
The large boat trembles like a 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 int the back part
of the boat and lay hold of Christ and say
unto Him, Master, carest Thou not that
we perishy That great parsonage lifts
His head from the pillow of the fisher,
mans coat, walks to the front of the yes.
sci 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 fash of the
lightning l 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 melts, the extinguished
stars relight heir torches. The tempest
falls dead, and Christ stands with His
foot on the neck of the storm. And while
the sailors are baling out the boats and
while they are trying to untangle the cord
age the disciples sid in amazement, now
looking into the calm sea, then into the
calm sky, then into the calm SaviOur's
manner of man is this, that even the
winds and the sea obey Him."
The subject, in the first place, impresses
me with the fact thas it is very important
to have Christ in the ship, for all those
boats would have gone to the bottom OF
Oh, what . lesson for you and for me to
learn! Whatever voyage we undertake,
into whatever enterprise we star. let us
always have Christ in tne ship. All you
can do with utmost tension of body, mind
and soul you are bound to do, but, oh.
There are men W. ask Gods help at
the beginning OF great enterprises. He
has been with them 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 Eurt
them. But here is another man who starts
out in worldly enterprise, and he depends
upon the uncertainties of this life. He
has no God to help him. After awhile
the ship; he puts out his lifeboat and the
longboat; the sheriff and the auctioneer
try to help him eff; they can't help him
off; he must go down; no Christ in the
ship. Your life will be made up of sun
shine and shadows. There may be in it
know not what is before you, but l know
if you have Christ with you am shall be
well. You may seem to get along with
out the religion of Christ while everything
goes smoothly, but after awhile, when
sorrow hovers over the soul. when the
waves of trial-dash clear over the hurri-
zane deck, and the decks are crowded with
piratical disasters-oh, what would you
10 then without Christ in the snr? Take
God for your portion, God for your guide,
UOO ZOE your neip, tnen all Is wei, all Is
well for a time; 81 shall be well forever.
Blessed is that man who puts in the Lord
ais trust. He shall never be confounded.
But my subject also impresses me with
:he fact that when people start to follow
Christ they must not expect smooth sail
ing. These disciples got into the small
boats, and l have no doubt they said,
What beautiful day this is, How de-
ightful is sailing in this boat! And as
Tor the waves under the keel of the boat.
why, they only make the motion of our
little boat the more delightful" But
when the winds swept down and the sea
was tossed into wrath, then they found
that following Christ was not smooth sail
ing. So you have found it; SO l have
:ound it.
Did you ever notice the end Of tie life
of the apostles of Jesus Christ? You
would say if ever men ought to have had
. smooth lite, a smooth departure, then
those men, the disciples of Jesus Christ,
ought tr havo had sY,ch a dona and