Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-07-12
DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON.
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE BY THE NOTED
DIVINE.
Subject: Life's Stormy Way-It is Rough
Sailing Without Christ in the Ship
He Smooths the Pathway For Those
who Trust in Him.

Sailing Without Christ in the Ship
He Smooths the Pathway For Those
WHO Trust in Him.
tCoryright 1901
WASHINGTON, ID. C.-Dr Talmage, who
is now in Europe preaching to immense
congregations in the great cities, sends
this sermon, i'll 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 rebuled 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
can understand the feeling of tn immor-
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 hell
| OFT wandered by thy side.
Graceful around thee the mountains meet,
/ Thou calm repostng sea,
| But ah far more the beautiful feet
OF Jesus walked Ger 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 Chrlsts time lay III scene OF great
| luNurlance; the surrounding hills, ter
raced, slopcd, groved; so many hanging
! gardens OF beauty. On the shore were cas-
| ties, armed towers, Roman baths, every
! thing attractive and beautiful-all styles
I OF vegetation in smaller space than in e.
most any other space in the world, from
the palm tree of the forest to the trees of
| rigorous climate. 1t seemed as ii the
! Lord had launched one wave of beauty
! OH 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
d beautiful scene.
1t seems as if we shall have a quiet
night Not a leaf quivcred in the air, not
a ripple disturbed the face of Gennesaret.
! But there seems to be little excitement
up the beach, and we hasten to see what
! it is, and we find 1t an embarkation. From
the western shore. a tlotllla pushing out;
not squadron of deadly armament, nor
, clipper with valuable merchandise, nor
| pirate vessels ready to destroy everything
they could seize, but tlotllla, bearing
messengers OF light and life and peace
Christ is in the stern OF the boat. His
! ulStlplpS are III Inp DOW anu ulllluSllJS
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 starEoard to lar
board, the boat would rock and, Uy the
gentlcness of the motion, putting the Mas
ter asleep. And they eXtemporized pill
! low made out of a tshermans 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 sleeping child on the bosom of sleep
ing 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 Gennesaret. But
change OF weather And even the pas
sengers can hear the moaning OF the storm
| as 1t 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, pose on the cliffs OF
the waves and then plunge. Overheard
90 cargo, tacliling 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 fisher
mans coat, walks % 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 flash OF the
lightning | 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!n Locking downward lie s9ays,
''Be still" The waves fall fiat on their
faces, the foam melts 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 bahng out the boats and
while they are trying to untangle the cord
age the disciples sind in amazement, now
looking into the calm sea, then into the
calm sky. then into the calm Saviour 5
countenance, and they cry out, What
manner of man is this. that even the
winds and the sea obey Him
The subject, III the first place, impresses
me with the fact thai 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 Tor you and for me to
learn! Whatever voyage we undertake,
| into whatever enterprise we star. let us
! always have Christ III 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 enterpris2!
There are men va ask Gods help at
tie beginning or great enterprises lie
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 Gennesacet into foam
and into agony, but it could not hurt
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 storm comes, tosses off the masts of
the ship; he puts out his liteboat and the
longboat; the sheriff and the auctioneer
try to help him otT 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 ii
arctic blasts or tropical tornadoes; |
know not what is before YOU, but | know
if you have Christ with you al shall be
well. You may seem TO get along with
out the religion of Christ hile everything
goes smoothly, but afte awhile, when
| sorrow hOvers over the Nul when the