Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-15
LIES STORMY WAY.
ROUGH SAILING WITHOUT CHRIST IN
THE SHIP.

mense congregations In the great cities,
sends this sermon. in which he de-
scribes the rough places OF life and in
dicates the best means of getting over
them and shows how many people fail
to understand their best blessings; text
Mark Nv, 80. "And he arose and rebuk-
ed the wind and said unto the sea,
Peace, be still"
Here in Capernaum. the seashore viii
l2ge. 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 herei I 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 gazcue
Comes down 20 drink thy tide,
But he that was pierced 20 save from he'll
Oft wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet.
Thou calm. rcposng sea-
But, ali. far more the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked DER 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
scene of great luxuriance: the sur
rounding hills. terraced. slopcd, groved;
so many hanging gardens of beauty.
On the shore were castles. armed tow
ers, Roman baths, everything attract
ton 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. Ro-
man gentlemen in pleasure boats sail
ing 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 n beautiful scenei
Calming the Tempest.
IT seems as il we shall have n quiet
night Not n leaf quivered i'm the air.
not n ripple disturbed the face of Gen
nesaret. But there seems to be n little
excitement up the beach, and we has
ten to see what il is and we find il an
embarkation. From the western shore
flotilla pushing out; not n squadron
OF deadly armament, nor clipper with
valuable merchandise, nor pirate YES
sells ready to destroy everything they
could seize. but n flotilla. bearing mes
sengers 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 somno-
lence by the rocking OF the waves. II
there was any motion Mt all. the ship
was easily righted; IL the wind passed
from starboard TO larboard, or from
larboard TO starboard, the boat would
rock and. 10y the gentleness OF the mo-
ton. putting the Master asleep And
they eXtemporizcd n pillow made out
OF fishcrman's coat. / think no soon
or Is Christ PROSTATE and his head
touched 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 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 De n change of weather. And even
the passengers can hear the moaning
or the storm rs IL comes on with great
stride and all the terrors of hurricane
and darkness. The large boat trembles
like deer at bay among the cIangor of
the hounds; great patches OF foam are
Hung into the air; the sails OF the YES
sci loosen and In the strong wind crack
Ike pistols; the smaller boats, like net
rels, 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 saw
unto him. Master, carest thou not that
we perishT" That great parsonage lifts
ms mead from the pillow OF the fisher
mans 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 n
comes the cry OF drowning men. Rv
the flash or the lightning see the calm
brow or Christ as the spray dropped
from his beard. He has one word for
the sky and another for the waves
LOOKING upward. he cries, ''Peacev'
LOOKING downward, he says, "Be stillv'
Inc waves fall fat on their faces. the |
foam melts, the cxtinguished stars re-
light their torches. The tempest falls
dead. and Christ stands with his foot ON |
the neck or the storm. And while the |
sailors are balinS out 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 Saviour's countecance, and they
cry out. What manner of man is this.
that even the winds and the sea obey
himg"
Christ In the ship.
Inc subject, In the first place. i'm.
presses me with the fact that II fs very
important TO have Christ in the shin:
Tor all those boats would have gone to
the bottom OF Gennesaret If Christ had
not been present. Oh. what n lesson
Tor you and FOR me to learnt Wbotev.
sr VoyaSe we undertake. into whatever
enterprise we start, let us always have
christ In the ship. All you can do with
utmost tension OF body, mind and soul
you are bound to do; but, oh, have
Christ In every enterprise!
Ihere are men who ask Gods help at
the beginning of great enterprises. He
mas 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 hurt them. But here is another
man who starts out in worldly enter
prise. and he depends upon the uncer-
talnties or this life. He has no God to
heip him. After awhile the storm
comes. losses off the masts of the ship;
ne puts out his lifeboaf and tba 1ono