Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-05-18

and each one has a-WOrk which no OJher
man in the universe can accomplish. II
fishermen are wise, they will not allow
their nets to entangle; or if they do ac-
cidentally get inter-twisted, the work oil
extrication should be kindly and gently
conducted. What a glad spectacle for
men and angels when on our recent
dedication day ministers Of all demon
nations stood on this platform and
wished for each other widest prosperity
and usefulness. But there are cities IN
this country where there is now going
on an awful ripping and rending and
tearing of fishing nets. Indeed, all over
ChristendOm at this time there iSa great
war going on between fishermen, min
listers against ministers.
CAN'T FISH AND FIGHT.
Now l have noticed man cannot fish
aud fight at the same time. He either
neglects his net or his muSket. 1t is
amazing how much time of the fisher
men have 10 look after other fishermen.
1t is more than can do 10 take care OF
nv own net. You see the wind is just
right and it is such good time for fish
ing and the fish are coming in so rapid
ly that have TO keep my eye and hand
busy. There are about two hundred
million souls wanting TO get into the
kingdom of God and it will require all
the nets and all the boats and all the
fishermen of Christendom to safely land
them. At East Hampton, Long Island,
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 tlnged
with that peculiar color that indicates
whole schools of piscatorial revelry and
the beach SwarmS with men with their
coat off and their Sea-cap on and those
of US who do not go out on the wave
stand on the beach ready TO rejoice
when the boat comes back, and in our
excitement we rush into the water with
our shoes on TO help get the boat up
the beach, and we all lay hold the lines
and pull till we are red in the face and
as living things OF the deep come tum-
bling in on the sand, l cry out: Cap
tain. how many?" And he answers:
about fifty thousand" And we shout to
the late corners, "Hurrah, fifty thou
Sand." We must have an enthusiasm
something like that if we are ever to
take the human race for God and
heaven. Aye, we ought 10 have
that enthusiasm of the beach
multiplied a hundred fold and by
so much as an immortal soul is worth
more than blue-fSh. o, brethren OF
ministry. Let us spend our time in
fishing instead of fighting. But if |
angrily jerk my. 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
destroyed the French fisheries, and
eccleSia stical war is the worst thing pos
Sible while hauling souls into the king
dom. | had hoped that the millennium
was about to dawn, but the lion is yet
too fond of lamb. My friends, notice
i'm the text that James, the son OF Zebe-
dee, and John his brother, were busy,
not mending somebody elSe'S nets, but
mending their own nets, and | rather
think that we who are engaged in Chris
tan work in this latter part of the Nine
teenth century 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 to
put into the neat more threads OF com
mon sense. When we can present re-
ligiOn as great practically we will
catch hundred souls where we now
catch one. Present religion as an in
tellectu2ity and we wilffail. Out in the
fisheries there are set across the waters
what are called gill nets and the fish put
their heads through the meSheS and
then cannot withdraw them because
they are caught by the gillS. But gill
nets cannot be Of any service in any
service in religious work. Men are
never caught for the truth by their
heads; it is by the heart or not at all.
No argument ever saved man and no
keen analysis ever brought man into
the kingdom of God. Heart work, not
head work. Away with your gill nets!
Sympathy, helpfulneSS, consolation,
love are the names of some of the
threads that we need to weave in our
gospel nets when we are mending them.
TROUBLES OF TIE WORLD.
Do you know that the worlds heart
is bursting with trouble and if you could
make that world believe that the re-
ligion of Jesus Christ is soothing
omnimpotence, the whole world would
surrender tomorrow, yea, would sur
render this hour. The day before James
A. Garfield was inaugurated as PreSi-
dent. / was in the cars going from Rich
mond TO Washington. A gentleman
seated next to me in the ears knew me
and we were soon in familiar converse
ton. 1t was just after bereavement
and | was speaking TO him from an over
burdened heart about the sorrow
was suffering. Looking at his
cheerful face, 1 said, 81 guess
you have escaped all trouble.
| should judge from your cOunten-
ance that you have come through free
from all misfortune" Then he looked
at me with a look shall never forget
and whispered in my ear: "S,r, you
know nothing about trouble. My wife
has been in an insane asylum for fifteen
years" And then he turned and looked
out of the window and into the night
with 4 silence l was too OverpOwered to
break. That was another illustration
of the fact that no one escapes trouble.
Why, that man seated next to you in
church has on his soul weight COM
pared with which mountain is a
feather. The woman seated next TO
YOU in church has grief the recital of
which would make your body, mind and
soul Shudder.
When You are mending your net for
81 kt,r,. oe,ffr Fal n