Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-10-06

DR.. TALMAGE ON THE NEED OF
INCREASED CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY.


the shore, but Sail out Boldly.
BnooKLYN oct. 2.-Since his return from
Europe Dr. Talnage has faced audiences
unusually large and enthusiastic, who are
attracted TO tho Tabernacle no less by the
potent eloquence of the preacher than
through II desire to hear from his own lips
the message of thanks ntrusted to him by
the car to the contributors of The Chris
tian Herald famine cargo, which he and
Mr.. Kspsch conveyed to Russia in the
steamer Leo. 1t is understood that DIR.
Talmage has in preparation full account
OF the mission to Russia, as well OF his
own preaching tour to Germany, England,
Scotland and Ireland The text this morn
ing was taken from Luke V, 4. Launch
out into the deep"
Christ, starting on the campaign of the
worlds conquest, was selecting his staff
officers. There were plenty of students
with high foreheads, and white hands, and
intellectual faces, and refined tastes in
Rome and in Jerusalem. Christ might
have called into the apOetlcship twelve
bOOkWorms, or twelve rhetorcians, or
twelve artists. Instead he takes a group
OF men who had never made a speech; never
taken a lesson in belles-lettre-; never been
sick enough to make them look delicate
their hands broad, clumsy and hard
knucklrd. He chose fishermen. among
other reasons, | think, because they were
physically hardy Rowing makes strong
arms and stout chests. Much climbing of
ratlinos makes ones head steady. A Cali
lee tempest wrested men into gymnasts.
The opening work Of the church was
rough work. Christ did not want twelve in
~ L.. III. H. 3
the time how badly they felt. He leaves
the delicate students at Jerusalem and
Rome for their mothers and aunts TO take
cure of, and goes down to the seashore and
out of tho toughest material makes an
apostleship. The ministry need more cor
pureul vigor than any other class. Fine
minds and good intentions are important,
but there must he physical force to back
them. The intellectual mill wheel may be
well built and the grist good, but there
must he enough blood in the mill race to
turn the one and to grind the other
THE APosTOLICAL FISHERMAN.
He chose fishermen also because they
Were used to hard knocks. The man who
cannot stand assault is not fit for the min
i9try. 1t always has been and always will
be rough work. and the man who at every
Censure or caricature, sits down to cry
had better be at some other work. it. is no
place for ecclesiastical doll babies. a man
who cannot preach because he has for
gotten his manuscript or lost his spec
tacles ought not to preach at all. Heaven
deliver the church from ministry that
preach in Kid gloves and from sermons in
black morocco covers! These fishermen
were rough and ready. They had been in
the severest of all colleges.
" hen they were EuDrk ed Oyer Iy- ba
main boom Of the ship they entered the
Sophomore; when washed Off by great
wave they entered the Junior; when
floating for two days without food or drink
ON plank they came to the Senior, and
When at last their ship dashed On the beach
in a midnight hurricane they graduated
with the first honor.
My text finds Jesus on shiphoard with
one Of these bronzed men-Smon by name
This fisherman had been sweeping his net
in shoal water Push ont" says Christ
"What is the use Of hugging the shore in
this boat? Here is a lake twelve miles
long AID six wide, and it is all populated
just waiting for the sweep Of your net,
Launch out it into the dpup.n
The advice that my Lord gave to Simon
is Is appropriate for us all in a spiritual
sense The fact is that most Of US are Just
TO venture ont into the great deeps of God
and Christian experience. We thiul, that
the boat Will hc upset, or that we cannot
"clew down the mllzcn tOpsail,' and our
cpWard.Cc makes Us poor fishermen. |
think | hear the voice of Christ command
Ing us, rs he did Simon on that day when
bright Galilec, set in among the green
hills OF Palestine, like water flashing in an
emerald cup, "LGrnch out into the deep
DEEP STUDY OF THE BIBLE.
This divine counsel comes first to all
those who are padding in the margin of
Bible research, My father read the Bible
through three times after he was eighty
years Of are, aud without spectacles-not
for the mere purpose of saying he had been
through it so often, but for his eternal
profit John Colby, the brothtr-iu-law Of
Daniel Webster learned to read after be
was cighty-tour years Of age in order that
he might become acquainted with the
scriptures. There is no book in the world
that demands So much Of our attention rs
the Bible. Yet uine-tcnths Of our Chris
tlan men get no more than ankle deep
They think it il good sign not to venture
too far. They never ask how or why, and
II they see some Christian becoming in
quisltive about the deep things Of God
they say, BE careful; you mad better not
20 ont SO far from shore"
My answer is: The farther you 20 from
shore the better, if you have the right kind
oi ship. If You have mere worldly phi
losopAy for the hulk and pride for a sail
and self conceit for the helm, the first
sCuall will destroy you. But if you take
the Bible for your craft the farther you 90
the better, and after you have gone ten
thousand fWloug, Christ VIII still com