Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-10-05

your present wants. OF your present sins
and Of you present blessings. With a
sharp blade cut away your past half
and half Christian life, and with new
determination, and new plans, and new
expectations launch out into the deep.
POINTERS TO FISHERMEN.
The text is appropriate to all who are
engaged in Christian work. The church
of God has been fishing along the
shore. We set our net in good, calm
place, and in sight of fine chapel, and
we go down every Sunday to see If the
fish have been wise enough to come into
our net. We might learn something
from that boy with his hook and line.
He throws his line from the bridge-no
fish. He sits down ON log-no fish.
He stands in the sunlight and casts the
line, but no fish. He goes up by the
mill dam, and stands behind the bank,
where the fish cannot see him, and he
has hardly dropped the hook before the
cork goes under. The fish come to him
as fast as he can throw them ashore.
In other words, in our Christian work
why do we not go where the fish are3 1t
is not 80 easy to catch souls in church,
for they know that we are trying to
take them. If Won can throw your line
out into the world, where they are not
expecting you. they will be captured Is
it fair TO take men by such stratagem?
Yes. would like to cheat five thousand
souls into the kingdom.
The whole policy of the church of God
is to be changed. Instead of chiefly
looking after the few who have become
Chrictians our chief efforts will be for
those outside. Ii after man is con-
verted he cannot take care of himself
am not going to take care OF him. Ii he
thinks that am going to stand and pat
him ON the back, and feed him out of an
elegant spoon, and watch him so that
he does not get into a draft of world
Iiness, he is much mistaken. We have
in our churches a great mass Of helpless,
inane professors, who are doing nothing
for themselves or for others, who want
us to stop and nurge them. They are so
troubled with doubt as to whether they
are Christians or not. The doubt is sell
tied. They are not Christians. The best
we can DO with these fish is to throw
them back into the stream and go after
them again with the Gospel net.
"Co into the world and preach the
Gospel" says Christ--into the factory,
the engine house, the clubroom; into the
houses Of the sick; into the dark lane;
into the damp cellar; into the cold gar
ret; into the dismal prison. Let every
man. woman and child know that Jesus
died, and that the gate Of heaven is wide
open. With the Bible in one pocket,
and the hymn book in another pocket,
and a loaf of bread under your arm,
launch out into the great deep Of this
worlds wretchedness.
The text is appropriate to all the un-
forgiven. Every sinner would come to
God if he thought that he might come just
as he is. People talk as though the par.
don of God We're q narrow river, like the
Kennebec or the Thames. and that their
sins draw too much water to enter it,
No; it is not river nor bay, but "A sea.
should like to persuade you to launch
out into the great deep of Gods mercy.
am merchant. have bought cargo
of spices in India. have, through a bill of
exchange, paid for the whole cargo. You
are ship captain. give you the orders
and say, "Bring me those Spices" You
land in India. You go to the trader
and say, "Here are the ORDERS" and you
find everything all right. You do not
stop to pay the money yourself. 1t is
not your business to pay it. The ar
rangements were made before you
started. So Christ purchases your par
don. He puts the papers, or the prom
ises, into your hand. Is 1t wise to stop
and say, 81 cannot pay for my re-
demptionp' God does not ask you to
pay. Relying on what has been done,
launch out into the deep.
The Bibles promises join hands, and
the circle they make will compass all
your sins, and all your temptations, and
all your sorrows. The round table of
King Arthur and his knights had room
for only thirteen banqueters, but the
round table Of Gods supply is large
enough for all the present inhabitants
of earth and heaven to sit at, and for
the still mightier populations that are yet
to be-
KEEP AWAY FROM THE REEFS.
Do not sail coastwise along your old
habits and old sins. Keep clear of the
shore. Go out where the water is deep
est. Oh, for the mid sea of Gods mercy!
"Be 1t known unto you, men and breth-
rem, that through this man is preached
unto you forgiveness of SINS" / preach
it with as much confidence to the eighty
year-old transgressor as to the maiden.
Though your sins were blood red they
shall be snow white. The more ragged
the prodigal, the more compassionate
the father. Do you say that you are too
bad? The high water mark Of Gods
pardon is higher than all your trans
gressions. "The blood of Jesus Christ
cleanseth from all SIM"
Do you say that your heart is hardf
Suppose it were ten times harder. Do
you say that your iniquity is long con.
tinuedy Suppose it were ten times
longer Do you say that your crimes |
are black? Suppose that they were ten |
times blacker. Is there any lion that
this Samson cannot slay? Is there any |
fortress that this Conqueror cannot take? |
Is there any sin this Redeemer cannot |
pardon.
II is said that when Charlemagne's |
host was overpowered by the three ar
mics Of the Saracens in the pass of Ron
cesvalles his warrior, Roland, in terrible |
earnestness seized trumpet and blew
IL with such terrific strength that the
army reeled back with terror,
but at the third blast of the trumpet it |
broke In two. l see your soul fiercely |