THE STORMS OF LIFE

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 110, 9 May 1903, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE STORMS OF LIFE

BY THE LATE REV. DR. JOSEPH PARKER.

(Of the City Temple, London).

And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And there arose a "reat storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it, was now full. And He was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. And they awake Him, and say until Him, Master, carest Thou not that we perish? And He arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. — Mark iv. 35-37-39.

Canute rebuked the encroaching tide, but the persistent waves heeded not the Royal mandate —they rushed over their long frequented paths as proudly and familiarly as though the monarch had never lived. Christ addressed the swelling Storm, and immediately the most furious billow was hushed into silence like an obedient child.

How am I to account for this difference of result? I accept both statements as historically true. What mode of solution shall we adopt? There is none, I submit, which will meet the ease, but that which assigns to Christ the prerogative of God Lead. The glory of divinity blazed from the eyes which beheld the tempestuous lake, and the voice which commanded silence was the voice that said "Let there be light," in the age of chaos and gloom. Here is A SPECIAL APPEAL TO CHRIST FOR AID. No prayer is offered to a distant deity. The disciples proved their faith in Christ by appealing to Him for help in that calamitous hour. They believed in His power to deliver, hence the cry, "Lord, save us; we perish." Let our appeal be to the Being in whom we professedly believe; and for the invigoration of our faith let us remember these two facts, viz.:—

1. That the entire of Christ's life is a proof of His benignity. I cannot md a single instance in which He was not o»neficent. Misery never appealed in vain to Hie compassion. He passed no tears •without ministering consolation. From Bethlehem to Calvary there stretches one unbroken line of light. He will not belie Himself now; therefore make Him the object of your frith, the pillar and ground of your confidence. He can ov-r----mle the storm which rages on your bike of life, and bring you to the- "desired haven."

,2. That He is ever-present to tie ' cliever. He is a God nigh at hand, •■■nd not afar off. He surrounds me as an atmosphere—nay, He dwells in the very centre of my being. Let us evermore realise the proximity of Christ, for, in doing so, we shall "overcome the world." Mv friend,

CHRIST IS WITHIN WHISPERING

REACH

of thy spirit. Thy feeblest sign viurabis in His ear. Yes, that same Christ who delivered the disciples on the Galilean lake is living now, and is at once aWe and willing to answer the entreaties of his people. We honour Christ, by appealing to His compassion and power. There is "no reason why we should not go to Him a 9 directly and confidently as the lisciples went in the case before us. Here is a type of men who invoke supernatural aid at troublous times. The disciples indeed, did not belong to the class indicateu, inasmuch as thiy ■associated with Christ in the calm as well as in the storm. There are, however, men who never pray but in tempestuous times. They seek the altar when the whirlwind rages; but when the f ary is overcast, "God is not in all their thoughts." Passing along the dreary Valley of Sorrow, I-have seen many altars piled, and descried the prints of many a knee; but when I have ascended the Mount of Prosperity, the number has fearfully diminished.

Trouble shows us

THE WORTHLESSNESS OF ALL SENSUOUS HELPS.'

There are crises in which the help of the mightiest human helper is utterly useless. We have now and again been girt, as 'twere, with fire, and all way of escape has failed. At such times, we have, with agonising earnestness, sought the supernatural. Like spirits to whom all rest is denied, we- have roamed in life's wild wilderness, crying, "Oh, that we knew where we might find Him!" We never know the value of Divine help until we are thrown into such circumstances; then we feel that unless God interposes, we must be plunged into irretrievable ruin! (To be concluded next week).