Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-05-22
AMONG THE FISHERMEN.
DIR. TALMAGE DRAWS A PARA
LEI FROM THE TEXT.
Tho Nets or Modern Religions too Loose
tn Hold All tho Catch - Harmony
Among tho Ministers OF God of All
Denominations ~ Necessity.

II 60 --lshlhg, crleu simon refer 10 MS
comrades, and the most OF the Apostles had
hands hard from fishing tackle. The fisher:
les OF the world have always attracted at
lentlon. In the third century the Queen
Of Egypt had for pin money four hundred
! aud seventy thousand dollars received from
the fisheries OF Lake Moeres. And II the
time should ever come when the immensely
OF the worlds population could not be fed
by the vegetables and meats OF the land,
the sea has an amount or animal life that
would feed all the populations OF the earth
and fatten them with II food that by it,
phosphorus would make generation
brainy and intellectual beyond anything
that the world has ever imagined.
My text takes us among the
Galilcan fishermen. One half the
Gospel nets with which we have been
scoopmg the sea have had such lde meshes
that they have been all torn To pieces by tue
rushing out into the world OF those whom
tighter net would have keptin. The only
Use of Il net is Ia keep the fish from going
back to where they Were before and taking
them where they could not have been taken
by any other means Alas, that the words
OF Christ are 80 little needed when lie said:
"Who>oever doth not bear his cross and
come after me cannot be my disciple The
church is fast becoming as bad "a the world,
and when it gets IL bad ~ the world is will
be worse than the world by so much as IT
will add hypocrisy OF most appalling kind
10 It's other defects.
Furthermore, many OF our nets are torn
10 pieces by being entangled with other
nets. 1t Is a sad sight to see fishermen
fighting about sea-roOm and pulling IN OPP
pOsite directions, each TO get his net, both
nets damaged by the struggle and losing
all the hsh. IN city like tn OF more than
eight hundred thousand, three are ut least
five hundred thousand not IN Sabbath
schools or churches. And In this land where
there are more than slNty-four million peo-
pie, there are at least thir million not in
the Sabbath schools and churches And IN
this world OF more than fourteen hundred
million people, there are at least eight
hundred million not in schools and
churches. In such an Atlantic ocean of OPP
porlunity there is room for ali the nets and
all the boats aud all the fishermen.
and for millions more. There
should be no rivalry between churches.
Each one does "A work peculiar 10 itself
There should DO no rivalry between minis
tiers. God never repeats himself, and ~
never makes two ministers alike, and each
one has n work which no other man IN the
universe can accomplish. II fishermen are
wise, they viii not allow their nets 10 en-
tangle; or II they do accidentally get
inter.twisted, the work or extraction
? should be kindly and gently conducted.
What glad spectacle for men and angels
when OH our recent dedication day minis
tiers OF all denominations stood OIL this plat.
form and wished for each other widest
, cities IN this country where there is now
going on an awful ripping and rending aud
tearing OF fishing nets. Indeed, all over
Christendom ut this lime there is u great
war gong OIL between fishermen, ministers
against ministers.
Now have noticed man cannot fish and
fight at the same time. He either neglects
his net or his mUsket. 1t IS amazing how
much time some Of the fishermen have TO
look after other fishermen. 1t is more than
: | can do TO take care OF my own net. You
see the wind 10 Just right and it Is such a
good time for fishing and the fish are COM
, ing In so rapidly that have TO keep my
eyes and hand busy. There are about two
hundred million souls wanting TO
get into the Kingdom of God and it will re.
quire all the nets and all the boats and all
fishermen OF Christenden to safely land
them. At East Hampton, Long Island,
: where | summer, out on the bluffs some
morning we see the flags up; and that is
s the signal for launching out INFO the deep.
Fol mile the water is tinged with that Pc
culIar color that indicates whole schools OF
piscatorial revelry and the beach swarms
with men with their coats of and their sea-
cap on and those OF W. who do not 30
, out on the wave stand on the
beach ready TO rejoice when
the boats come back and
in our excitement we rush into the water
with our shoes oil 10 help get the boats up
the beach and we all lay hold the lines and
: pull till we are red In the face ana ~ the
/ living things OF the deep come tumbliDg In
, on the sand, i cry out: Captain, how
msnyY" And he answers: About fifty
thousand" And we shout to the late com.
ers, "Ilurrah, fifty thousandp ~ We must
have AN enthusiasm something like that il
we are ever 10 take the human race for God
. and heaven. Ave we ought TO have that
enthusiasm of the beach multiply q hun.
\ dred fold ard by so much As an immortal sou
! Is worth more than blue fish. o. brethren OF
ministry Let us spend our time fishing
instead Of fighting.
When you are menuing your net for this
I wide. deep sea OF humanity, take out that
/, wire thread OF criticism and that horse ha ii
thread OF harshness and put In a soft silkeu
: thread OF Christian sympathy. In the
. house OF God let all the Christian faces
beam with u look that means welcome. Say
good morning" TO the stranger AS he enters
your pew and at the clc-c shake hands with
:, hun and say "Ilow did you like the musicl'
i Why, you would be TO that man panel OF
the door OF heaven; you would be TO him 4
note of the doXo ogy that seraphs sing
when "A new soul enters. That man Is d
| thous and miles from home and he has Just
heard by telegraph that hts child is sick
with scarlet fever and bis boy al
college has got into disgrace and he
has had business troubles and is
| % bomesick he can hardly keep from cry.
J ing. just one word OF brotherly kindness
: from you would lift him into small
> heaven. / have In other days entered pew
in church and the woman ut other end oil
the pew looked at me IL much as 10 say
How dare your This il my pew and pay
the rent~ We'll, l crouehed in the other
: corner and made myself as small Us posi-
: 10, and felt as though had been stealing
{ something. SO there are people " ho have
2 sharp edge to their religion and they act
\ rs though they thought most people had
!, been elected to be damned aud they were
4. nm
!. manner and appear in utmost gentlemanli.
ness or ladyhood.
Tie object OF fy-dshing Is TO throw the fly
To- out, and then let 1t drop gently down
and Keep IL gently rising aud falling with
the waters aud not plunge IL like man T.
wars anchor; and abruptness and harsh.
ness OF manner must he avoided In our at.
tempt at usefulness. j know man In New
York who is more sunshny and genial
when he has dyspepsia than when he is
not suffering from that depressing trouble
l have found out his secret. When he starts
ont I'm the morntnO with et1ch denreasinn