The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1912-12-27

was: Master, carest thou not that
we perish?' while Luke records it:
Master, Master, we perish!" Mat
thew was one OF the twelve and hence
his version can be accepted as literally
correct. The differences i'm the Ian
guage used by the Evangelists in re-
cording this miracle only serve to &C
centuate the truth of the story. These
differences are not such as to throw
discredit upon it. Practically the
several accounts are substantially
alike, the slight variation in verbiage
really showing that there could not
have been collision between the
authors. This is said Of the story
without taking into consideration our
belief that those who told it were in
spired and that it is the Word of God.
To my mind very practical lesson
for believers in Jesus as the Son Of
God and Son of Man is deducible from
this miracle. Jesus had power to quell
the physical storm which threatened
the wreck of the vessel in which He
and His disciples were crossing the
sea. 1t was only necessary for Him
to rebuke the wind and to say to the
waves, Peace be still" and they obey
ed Him. He has the same Divine DOW
er today over the human heart, with
all it's emotions, as He exercised in
shilling the tempest on the sea of
Gallilee.
We are passing our lives here
through stress and storm. How Of
ten, i'm sailing over the sea of life, sud-
den and violent tempests break upon
us. Dark clouds arise and shut out
the horizon and the sky of hope Few
If any, human souls there are to
whom such experiences do not come
in one form or another. 1t may be
that they come in the form of ill
health and physical suffering and then
to those who are without Christ in
their lives, gloom, dependency and
oftentimes despair take possession of
them. Not few, under such
circumstances, have sought relief in
death by their own hands. This is
not surprising, for unbeievers know
nothing of the sustaining power of
faith and trust i'm the Divine Saviour,
when sickness, sorrow and adversely
come upon them. But through nights
OF suffering and weary days the chris
tian, when the stress is greatest and
the storm most violent, will cry from
the depths of his anguish, Lord, save
to the weary soul, Peace, be STILL
and there is peace, even through pro-
longed suffering. l say this out of my
own experience not only i'm sickness,
but through trials and sorrows that
otherwise I could not have borne.
With most members of the human
race however, severe illnesses are of
short duration. This condition has,
of course, it's exceptions, and there are
many cases of prolonged and almost
life long suffering. But physical
health and vigor are the rule with hui
man beings, until these are undermined
by the infirmities of old age, and phys
ical weakness and illness are excep-
tons. In so far as mental unrest is
concerned there are innumerable ills
more trying than those which affect
only the body. Into the lives of the
most vigorous come such ills-sore
disappointments, loss of friends,
death of loved ones, failures i'm bust
ness, extreme adversely, restitution and
want, thwarted ambition, the wrong
doing of those near and dear, for
whom pride of future achievement
has been cherished, and so on.
| Think of the distress of parents OF
an only son Of brilliant intellect, with
bright prospects of an honorable, USE
full and successful career, but who
mars it all by plunging into dissipa-
ton, leading a dissolute life and
bringing shame and disgrace upon
those whose hopes were centered in
him. How almost every moment of
their lives is fraught with anguish
that can know no source of allevia-
ton unless they find it in the assured
love of a merciful and sympathetic
Saviour
1t seems to me that few more bale
full storms can break upon the lives
OF good men and women than is arous-
ed by the wrong-doing Of their child
rem. But the effect of such a storm
may be mitigated and peace take the
place of anguish, if the appeal for
such peace be made to Him who quell-
ed the storm on the little lake at the
eastern border of Palestine. Appeals
to Him will bring sleep to the eyelids
when otherwise sleepless nights would
pass, until wearied nature might at
last bring the coveted slumber, but
slumber, at best, disturbed by I'M
pleasant dreams.
Then, think of a husband and
father upon whose labor wife and
children depend for home and livli-
hood, but who may be without employ
ment or disabled by sickness or &C
cident from physical eXertion. How
many such cases there are, all over
the world. How the heart of such
man must be wrung by the cries of
his hungry children for the bread
which he cannot provide. But if he be
christian man he knows there is
one who can and will provide in His
own good time. The storm may grow
fierce and the angry pillows roll about
him; but when he appeals to Him who
stilled the tempest on Gallilee, with
true faith in His power, he hears
again the magic words, Peace, be
STILL" and the storm in his soul be-
comes a calm and the waves of dis
tress sink to rest.
But why multiply examples of the
tempests that break into the lives Of
our race. They are innumerable and
the list of them could not be
exhausted in volume. Let us there
fore consider only another one of the
griefs and sorrows to which the en-
tire race is subject-the death Of those
| to whom we are bound by the tender
Fest ties that can unite human souls.
| Whether this dread catastrophe comes
after days or weeks of suffering by
the loved one, or suddenly, like a