Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-10-03
WORD OF THE LORD
Or. Talmage Tells Why Christ
Chose Fishermen
FOR HIS TRUSTED APOSTLES
They Were Ussd 70 Hard Knocks and
Possesssc Intellectual and Physical
vigoE-Gr=as Congregations.

NgOE-GT-ss Congregations.
BRooKLYS, Oct 2.-since MS return
from Europe Or. Talmags has faced
andieaces unusually large and onth1-
eiasfic, who are attracted 70 the faber-
n.acks 40 less By the potent sloqusnce u
the preacher than through a desire %
hear from his own lips the message OF
thanks intE1stsd "a ann by the CAR 10
the contributors Of The Christian Herald
famine cargo. which ne and sir. Klopsch
conveyed u Russia IN the steamer Leo.
1t il understood that Dc. TalnAgs has
"a preparation fun account Of the mis-
sion % Russia. as well as his own preach
ing tour % Germany, England, Scotland
and Ireland. The text this morning
was taken from Luke v. 4. Launch
cut into tns deep"
Christ, starting on the campaign OF
the worlds conquest, was selecting his
staff officers. There were plenty Of stu
dents with high forehesds, and white
hands, and intellectual fAcss, and refined
tastes II Rome aud IN Jerusalem. Christ
nighE have called into the apostleship
twelve book woEns, Or twelve rhetori-
clans. or twelve artists. Instead he sakes
o group OF men who had never made q
speech, never taken a lesson IN bellies
lsttres; neve- bocn sick enough To make
them look dehcate-thsir hands broad,
clumsy and hard knuckled. He chose
fishermen. among other reasons. | think,
because they were physically hardy.
-
cheats. Much climbing Of rstlines makes
ones head steady. A Galiles tempest
wrestled men into zymnasts.
The opazTing work Of the church was
rough work Christ did not want
twelve invahds hanging about him,
complaining all the time how badly they
felt. tie leaves the delicate students at
Jerusalem ard Rome for their mothers
and aunts 70 take care OF, and goes down
20 the seashore. and out OF the toughest
material makes an apOstleship. The
ministry need moro corporal vigor than
any other class. Fine minds and good
Intentions are important. but there must
te physical force 10 back them. The
intellectual mill wheel may DO well built
and the gr-t good. but there must Do
enough blood in the mill race to turn
The one and 10 grind the other.
Hs chose fishermen also because they
were used TO hard knocks. The man
who cannot stand assault Is not fit for
the ministry. II always has been and
always viii be rough work. and the man
who, at every censure or caricature, sits
down to cry had better be at some other
a.. nj, V<.p lou$o SfS nj
doll babies. A man who cannot preach
because he has forgotten his manuscript
or lost his spectacies ought not to preach
nc all. Heaven deliver the church from
a ministry that preach In kid gloves and
from sermons In black morocco coversi
These fisherman were rough and ready.
They had been in the seversst Of all col
ieges.
When shey were Knocked over by the
main boom Of tho ship they entered the
Sophomore: when washed off by a
great wave they entered the Junior;
whea floating for two days without
food or drink on . plank thsy came to
the Senior, and when At last their ship
dashed on the beach IN q midnisht hur-
ricane they graduated with the FIRST
honor.
JESUS ON sHTPeoARp.
Ny text finds Jesus on shipboard with
one Of these t9onxed men-Simon by
name. Ibis fisherman had been sweep
ing bis net N shoal water. Push out.
says Christ; .-whas u The use of hugging
the shore In this boat, Here is lake
twelve uSales kong md six wide, and IL Is
all popnaeed just Visiting for the
sweep GO your net Launch ont into the
deep
The advice that my Lord gave TO ST.
mon il a. appropriate for "a all IN a
spiritual sense, The fact Ia that most of
us ars Just paddling along the shore.
We are sfrasi 20 venture ont into the
grsss dccps % God and Christian ex-
psrisncs we<tfyisik that she boat VIII
Be upset. or-thatwc cunnos "ciew down
ths rntz-sn topsaif" add our cowardice
makes poor fshsr1nen. think hear
the voice Of Chrssa commencing Us. as
he did Ssnsun On s6st day when bright
Galilee set IN smons tho green hills OF
Palestine. like wstsr flashing in an
emerald cup. launch ont into the
deep"
TINS divine council comes first 70 all
those whe-are padding In the margin Of
Bible research. Nv father read the
Bible through three times after he was
eighty years Of age and without specta-
cles-uot for the mere purpose OF saying
be had been through il 40 often. but for
his eternal profit John Colby. the
hrother~in-lsw Of Daniel Webster
learned IN read after be was eighty -four
years ~ age in orier that he might be-
ccrns acquainted with the Scriptures
There Is No book IN the world that de
mansls so maehof our attention ~ the
Bible Yet nine-trnths Of Christian
rneu get no usors than ankle deep. They
think lt - . good s,xn nos 10 venture 30
far. They never ask how or why. and
II they see sozva Christian becoming in
auisifive about the deep things Of God
thsv say. BE careful. you had better
not go ont 40 Ear fFom shore"
Nv answer a. The farther you q
n Tvr. - fh.