Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-06-15
REV. Or. TALMAGE.
TIKI RMrNKNr pTvUlE'S SUNDAY
DISCOURSE


Subject: LIES Stormy Way-lt Is Rough
Sailing without Christ in the snip
He smooths the Pathway For Those
who Trust in Him.
tCopyright 1900
WASHINGTON, y. CDR. Talrage, 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 now
many people fail to understand tneir pese
blessings; text, Mark W, 80, And ne
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! l
can understand the feeling of tn immor'
| tai Scotchman, Robert NlcCheyne, when,
sitting on the banks of this lake, he wrote:
1t is not that the wild gaelic
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. ali, far more. the beautiful leet
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. Thus lake
in Christ's time lay in 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
thing attractive and beautiful-.all styles
| of vegetation in smaller space than in IL
most any other space in the world, iron
the palm tree of the. forest TO the trees OF
rigorous climate. 1T seemed as II 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. Ealing this
| lake. and countrymen in fishing smacks
coming down to drop their nets pass each
other with nod and shout and laughter. OF
swinging idly at their moorings. Oh, what
beautiful scene!
1t seems as if we shall have a quiet
night. Not leaf quivered in The air, not
ripple disturbed the face Of Gennesaret.
! But there seems to be little excitement
I'D the beach, and we hasten to see what
it is. and we find it an embarkation. From
the western shore a fiotilla pushing out;
not squadron of deadly armament, MOI
clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
piratic vessels ready to destroy everything
thew could seize, but a fotilla, bearing
messengers 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 somnolence by the
Al
motion at all. the ship was easily rlghted
If the wind passed from startoard to lar
board. the boat would rock and, by. the
gentleness of the motion, putting the Mas
ter asleep And they extemporized Pill
low made out of a 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 tie locks OF the worn
sleeper, and the boat rises and falls like
a sleeping child on the bosom OF Il sleep
ing mother. ,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
change of weather. And even the pas
sengers can hear the moaning Of the storm
as it comes on with great stride and al
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 cllifs o.
the waves and then plunge. Oycrboart
60 cargo, tackling and masts. and the
drencbed disciples rush int, the back par
of the boat and lay hold of Christ and say
! unto Him, Master, carest Thou not thai
J we perish?" That great parsonage litt'
, His head from the pillow OF the usher
. mans coat, walks to the front OF the YES
sci and looks out into the storm. Al
{ around Him are the smaller boats, driver
in the tempest, and through it comes tn
i, crv of drowning men. By the flash OF TIT
= lightning | see the calm brow OF Christ a.
J the spray dropped from His beard. ~
, has one word for the sky and another TO
s the waves. Looking, upward; he cries
Peace" Looking Downward, lie says
BE still" The waves fall fiat on then
. faces, the foam melts,. the .extlnguishe'
; stars relight their torches. The temp yi:
falls dead. and Christ stands with IN
foot on the neck of the storm. And whll
! the sailors are baling out the, boats an,
G while they are trying to untangle the cora
. age the disciples Sad in amazement, nov
. looking into the calm sea, then into tn
{ calm sky, then into the calm Saviour
!. countenance, and they cry out, VIVA
. manner of a man is this, that even tn
. winds and the sea obey Him?
The subject, in the first place, .lmpresse
8 me with the fact thai it is very importan
!, TO have Christ in the ship, for all thos
8 boats would have gone to the bottom o
Gennesaret if Christ had not been present
:, Oh, what lesson for you and Tor me U
u learn! Whatever voyage we undertake
o into whatever enterprise we star. let u
always have Christ in the ship. All yo
ran do with utmost tension OF body, MN
and soul YOU are bound to do, but, Oh
have Christ in every enterprise;
i There are men W. ask Gods help a
:, the beginning of great enterprises. IL
has been with them IN the past; n
{ trouble can overthrow them; the storm
i might come down from the top of Noun
G Hermon and lash Gennesaret into toar
:, and into agony, but it could not hun
= them. But here is another man who start
Il out in worldly enterprise, and he depend
C upon the uncertainties of this life. II
}, has no God to help him. After awhl
+, the storm comes, losses of the masts
} the ship; he puts out his lifetoat and In
3 longboat; the sheriff and the. auctionet
Il try TO help him eff; they can't help IN
N off; he must go down; no Christ IN I'll
= ship. Your life will be made up, OF SUI
) shine and shadows. There may be i'll
6 arctic blasts or tropical tornadoes;
q know not what is before you, but ! kno
:. if YOU have Christ with you all shall
y well. You may seem to get along wit
ID out Quit the religion Of Christ while eyerythir
t. goes smoothly, but after awhile, whe
q sorrow hovers over the soul, when I'll
= waves of trial dash clear over the hurl
" cane deck, and the decks are crowded vii
81 piratical disasters-oh, what would ,yS
q. do then without Christ in the smn? Tai
= God for your portion, God for your guild
~ God for your help then all is well; all