St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-07-14
THE ROUGH PLACES.
Dr.. Talmage Indicates the Best Way
Of Getting Over Them.
Lesson from q Memorable Incident
In the Savlouf's Life-FOll0winG
Christ Not Always Smooth
Sailing.
copyright. 1870. by Louis klopsch.l
Washington,


Washington,
DIR. 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, Mark iv, 80, '.And He
arose and rebuked the wind and said
unto the sea, Peace, be still"
Here in Capernaum, the seashore vii
lagc, 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
Cheyne, when, sitting on the banks OF
this lake, he wrote:
It Is not that the wild gaxelle
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 DER thee.
lean 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 sur
rounding hills, terraced. sloped.
groved; so many hanging gardens OF
beauty. On the shore were castles,
armed towers, Roman baths. every
thing attractive and beautiful-all
styles of vegetation in smaller space
than in almost 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 pleas
ure boats sailing this lake and country
men in fishing smacks coming down to
drop their nets pass each other with
nod and shout and laughter or swing
ing idly at their moorings. Oh, what
beautiful scene!
1t seems as if we shall have q quiet
night. Not leaf quivered in the air,
not a ripple disturbed the face of Gen
nesaret. But there seems to be lit
tie excitement up the beach, and we
hasten to see what it is, and we find
1t an embarkation. From the western
shore a fiotilla pushing out; not a
squadron of deadly armament. nor clip
per with valuable merchandise, nor
piratic vessels ready to destroy every
thing they could seize, but flotilla,
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 multitudes. is
put into somnolence by the rocking OF
the waves. II there was any motion at
all, the ship was easily righted; If the
wind passed from starboard to lar
board, or from larboard to starboard.
the boat would rock and, by the gentle
ness of the motion, putting the Master
asleep. And they extemporized a pill
low made out Of fsherman'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 sleeping child on the
bosom of a 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 a change of weather. And
even the passengers can hear the moan
ing of the storm as it comes on with
great stride and all the terrors of hur-
ricane and darkness. The large boat
tremb.es 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. Over
board 60 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 fisherman's
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 I 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 fiat
on their faces, the foam melts, the ex-
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 out the boats and while they
are trying to untangle the cordage
the disciples stand in amazement, now
into the calm sea, then into
the calm sky, then into the calm
Saviour's countenance, 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, inn
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 a lesson for you and for me to
learn! Whatever voyage we under
take, into whatever enterprise we
start, let us always have Christ in the
hip. All you can do with utmost
tension Of body, mind and soul you
IRE bound to do; but, oh, have Christ
IN every enterprise!
There are men who ask Gods helm
It the beginning Of great enterprises.
he has been with them IN the past;
no trouble can overthrow them; the
storms might come down from tn.
knn - Mn,s~A u>->- - ~ o.