



Produced by Larry B. Harrison, and the Archives and Special
Collections, University Libraries, Ball State University
and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at
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[Illustration: Book Cover]

  No. 26.

  CHRIST IN THE STORM.

  BY THE AUTHOR OF "PEEP OF DAY."

  LONDON:
  JOHN HATCHARD AND SON.
  1848




[Illustration]

CHRIST IN THE STORM.


There are a great many troubles in this life. Ask your father and your
mother whether this is true. Your father will say, "I have had a
great many troubles; I have found it hard to get bread for my
children." Your mother will say, "I have had a great deal of sorrow in
bringing up my little family."

My dear child, have you had any troubles? I am sure you have had some.
Have you ever felt great pain? have you lost a little baby brother or
sister? have you got into disgrace? have you been punished for your
faults?

There is one friend to whom every one may go in every trouble. It is
Jesus, the Son of God. When we are unhappy, if we cry unto him, he
will hear us and help us. Once he lived down upon this earth, and was
a man. Now he is in heaven, and he is a man still as well as God.

I will tell you how he helped some of his friends out of trouble when
he lived in this world. His friends were called disciples. One evening
they went into a ship. Jesus did not go with them; he stayed where he
was, and spent the night all alone on the top of a mountain, praying
to his Father. God was his Father. The disciples were in their little
ship on the water when the wind began to blow very hard indeed. The
waves rose high, and the ship was tossed about. Every moment the poor
men were afraid that the water would fill their ship, and that they
should sink to the bottom of the sea.

All night long the disciples were in sad distress, trying with all
their might to row their ship to land, but all they could do was of no
use. At last they saw a man walking on the sea. There he was in the
midst of the great waves, walking as on the dry land. He went faster
than the ship, and seemed as if he would pass by it. The disciples did
not know who it was. They thought it could not be a man with a body
like ours; they supposed it was a spirit, who has no body. They were
very much frightened, and they cried out in their trouble. Then they
heard a voice saying, "It is I, be not afraid." Whose voice was that?
You know, and they knew; it was the voice of Jesus. Though the winds
were whistling and the waves roaring, his voice could be heard.

One of the disciples, named Peter, said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me
come unto thee on the water." Jesus said, "Come." So Peter got out of
the ship and walked on the water to go to Jesus. He believed that
Jesus could help him to walk on the water, and Jesus did help him. But
when Peter saw how high the wind was, he began to be afraid. This was
wrong. He ought to have trusted in Jesus. Soon he felt that he was
sinking, and he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus heard that short
prayer; he was very near, and he stretched out his hand, and caught
hold of Peter.

Trusting in God is called faith. Peter had a little faith, but not
much. So he was able to walk on the water a little way, but not far.
Jesus went into the ship and took Peter with him, and as soon as he
was there the wind left off blowing. Then all the disciples came round
him and worshipped him, saying, "Truly thou art the Son of God."

It is this Jesus who can help you in your troubles. Will you trust
him? Do not be like Peter, and only trust him a little while, but go
on trusting in him, and you will find that he will keep you safe, and
make you happy. He forgives sins, which no one else can do, because he
died upon the cross to save us from our sins. When we are dying he
will not leave us if we trust in him, but he will comfort us and take
us to heaven.

This history you will find in Matt. xiv. 22--33; Mark vi. 45--52.




      I lay my sins on Jesus,
        The spotless Lamb of God;
      He bears them all, and frees us
        From the accursed load.

      I bring my guilt to Jesus,
        To wash my crimson stains
      White in his blood most precious,
        Till not a spot remains