The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-07-23

ntuch as it will add hypocrisy of a most
appalling kind to its other defects.
Furthermore, many our nets are torn
to pieces by being entangled with other
nets. 1t is sad sight to see fishermen
fighting about sea-room. and pulling in
opposite directions, each to get his net,
both nets damaged by the struggle and
losing all the fish. In a city like this,
of more than eight hundred thousand,
there are least five hundred thousand
not in Sabbath-schools or churches. And
in this land, where there are more
than sixty-four million people,
there are at least thirty million not
in the Sabbath-schools and churches,
And in this world, of more than four
teen hundred million people, there are
at least eight hundred million not in
schools and churches. In such an At
lantic ocean of opportunity there is room
for all the nets and all the boats and
all the fishermen and for millions more
There should be no rivalry between
churches. Each one does a work pc
culiar to itself. There should be no
rivalry between ministers God never
repeats Himself, and He never makes
two ministers alike, and each one has a
work which no other man in the uni
verse can accomplish. If fishermen are
wise, they will not allow their nets to
entangle; or if they do accidentally get
intertw isted the work of extrication
should be kindly and gently conducted.
What glad spectacle for men and
angels when on our recent dedication
day ministers of denominations stood
on this platform and wished for each
other widest prosperity and usefulness.
But there are citizens in this country
where there is now going on an awful
ripping and rending and tearing of fish
ing nets. Indeed, all over Christendom
at this time there is a great war going
on between fishermen, ministers against
ministers.
Now | have noticed a man can not
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 10 to
take care of my own net. You see the
wind is just right and it is such good
time for fishing and the fish are coming
in so rapidly that have to keep my eve
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
the fishermen of Christendom to safely
land them. At East Hampton, L. l.,
where l summer, out on the bluffs some
morning we see the flags up; and that
is the signal for launching out into the
deep For a mile the water is tinped
with that peculiar color that indicates
whole schools of piscatorial revelrv,
and the beach swarms with men
with their coats off and their sea-
caps on, and those of us who do not
go 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 ON to
help get the boats up the beach, and we
all lay hold the lines and pull till we
are red in the face, and as the living
things of the deep come tumbling in on
the sand, l cry out: Captain, how
And he answers: ''About
fifty thousand" And we shout
to the late corners: "Hurrah
fifty thousandr' We must have an
enthusiasm something like that if we
are ever to take the human race for
God and Heaven. Aye, we ought to
have that enthusiasm of the beach null
tiplied hundred fold, and by so much
as an immortal soul is worth more than
a blue-fish. o, brethren of minstrel
Let us spend our time in fishing instead
of fighting. But 1 angrily jerk nv
net across your net, and you jerk your
net angrily across mine, we will soon
have two broken nets and no fish.
The French revolution nearly de-
stroyed the French fisheries, and eccle-
war is the worst thing possible
while hauling souls into the kingdom.
had hoped that the millennium was
about to dawn, but the lion is vet too
fond of lamb. My friends, notice in
the text that James the son of Zebedee
and John his brother were busy not
mending somebody else nets, merRing
their own nets, and / rather think that
we who are engaged in Christian work
in this latter part of the nineteenth CEN
tuary will require all our spare time to
mend our own nets. God help us in the
important duty!
In this work of reparation we need
% put into the nets more threads of
sense. When we can present
'eligion as great practically we will |
latch hundred souls where now we
latch one. Present religion as an in
and we will fail. Out in
he fisheries there are set across the
waters what are called gill nets
md the fish put their heads throuph |
he. meshes and then can not with
lraw them because they are caught bv
he gills. But gill nets can not be of |
my service in religious work. Men are
lever caught for the truth by their
leads; it is by the heart or not at all.
No argument ever saved man: and no
,een analysis ever brought man into
he kingdom of God. Heart work. not
lead work. Away with your gill nets,
helpfulness, consolation.
owe, are the names of some of the
breads that we need to weave in our
oSpel nets when we are mendinor +bo,,