Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-03-30
Sunday Branding,
EDITED BY REV. p. l.. LEEPER.
Means of Themselves Unavailing.
Luke V. Ill, and John xxi. Is

Luke V. Ill, and John xxi. Is.
In the first case you hear the con-
lession, "Master, we have toiled all
the night and have taken nothing"
In the last case you hear them answer
to the question, "Children, have We
no meat ?" "No"-a sorrowful no.
What was the reason Of this? Were
they not fishermen plying their spe-
cial calling? Verify they are no raw
hands; they understood the work.
Had they gone about the toll unskill-
fully? No. Had they lacked indus
try? No, they had toiled all the
night. Was there a deficiency of
fish in the sea? Certainly not, for as
soon as the Master comes there they
are by shoals. What, then, is the
reason? Is it not because there is no
power in the means of themselves
apart from the presence of Christ?
The Great Worker who does not dis
card the means would still have his
people know that he uses instrument
tality, not to glorify the instrument,
hut for the sake Of gloryfying him
self.
Brethren, let us as church always
keep this in mind, that without
Christ we can do nothing. "Not by
might, nor by power, but by my
Spirit, saith the Lord" Put depend
ence upon societies, upon committees,
upon ministers, upon anything that
we can do. Let us work as if all de-
pended upon us but let us come to
God depending upon him, knowing
of a surety it does not rest with us,
but with him alone. Let us send
forth the missionaries to the heather;
let us send forth our men into the
dark streets and lanes Of London; let
us scatter tracts; let us send forth
preachers by scores, but when this is
done, let us not sit still and say,
"Now it is all accomplished, good
must come of it." Nay, Lord, un'
less thy blessing descend from on high
as well might we have done nothing
You will remember, dare say, that
one brother was moved some, years
ago to distribute volume of the ser
mons preached here to every student
in Oxford and Cambridge. After
that had been done, and some two
hundred thousand sermons had beer
distributed, he then gave them tC
every member of Parliament, t
every peer of the realm, and tt
princes, kings, and emperorS of Eu
rope, and having accomplished thai
work, he took another in hand Of
great magnitude. Dear friends, as
think of these books travelling every
where among high and low, the rich
and poor, in all places Of the land
my heart is glad; but then, if God
withholds the blessing, as well had
they never been born in the press anC
circulated by human hand. Wha'
good can they do? Let the net bt
never so broad, never so strong, anC
let it be never so industriously cas-
into the sea, yet we shall toll al
night and take nothing unless thu
Master comes to own the work. LIE
us, tlren, be always in prayer for thu
blessing. Let us remember that w
have done nothing until we have
prayed over what we have done, lie
us consider that all the seed we hav,
put into the ground is put there TO
worms to eat, unless we have drop
ped into the soil the preserving grair
Of prayer to keep that other grail
alive. We shall have harveSts if W
wait on God for them, but after al
our sorrowing, if we look to the soil
the seed, or the sower, we shall Sc
nothing of our pains.