Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-04-01
LESSONS FROM THE OYSTERS LIFE.
A Colored Preachers Sermon to 8 Con-
gregation of oyster Shuckers.

A Colored Preachers sermon to Con-
gregation of oyster Shuckers.
"The oyster is the lowest species of
| animal life," said the Rev. |. L.
Thomas, pastor of Centennial Colored
Methodist church, in his sermon to
oyster shuckers recently, "but it can
be shown that it is fair representa-
tive of man, and that in every part of
the oyster suckers profession he is
shown the way to the Lord Now the
shucker don't have anything TO do
with the oyster until it is put into his
box, but before it gets there it must
be caught. 1t seems strange to say
that the oyster must be caught, but
when we examine the beds in the
ocean, bay and river, we see the neces-
| sity of providing means to catch it. 1t
cannot be caught with the hook and
| line, so other means have been in
vented, some of which have been very
successful. Just so with a man. He
| has to be caught, and no one but the
Lord is prepared to catch him up out
of the bed of sin. The oyster comes
| to the shucker in shocking box Now
the suckers box represents the
| Church of God, and the man is caught
| out of the sea of death and pitched in-
to the box prepared for him, just like
| the oyster.
The hammer represents the word
of God, and just as the shucker ham,
| merS on the oyster to make it open its
shell, so the word of God strikes
| mighty blows on mans heart until it
opens a little bit, so that the Holy
Spirit, represented by the knife, can
get in.
Just like the suckers knife gets in
and touches the heart of the oyster
and throws off the shell does the Holy
Spirit touch mans heart and throw off
the shell of worldliness. After the
shell is off the oyster is chucked into
| pot, which represents the visible
church of God.
"NoW the shucker has three pots
one for small, another for large, and
another for extra large oysters. The
little pot represents faith, which is the
first thing a man gets after the knife
of the Holy Spirit touches his heart.
The next pot is hope, which always
comes when faith springs up in a
mans breast, and the last pot-the
extra large one-is love and charity,
which ILLS the mans heart as he goes
on to perfection.
"Then come the skinner and the
water. These represent the cleansing
power Of Jesus blood. The oysters
are put on the skinner and the water
is poured over them to wash off little
pieces of shell and any other impuri-
| ties. So is the water of life poured
over man by God, and all the impuri-
ties are washed away until he is white
as snow.
Next, the quantity the shucker
shucks represents justice. If there is
anything shucker wants more than
another it is Justice. He wants to
know that he gets paid for all he
shucks, and that he isn't shocking in a
| measure with a false bottom, that
moves down when the oysters are put
in and moves up when they come out.
an all shocking houses is bio
blackboard on which the numb ers of
all the shuckers are placed. This rep
resents the Book of Life, on which
names are recorded in Heaven. For
every gallon of oysters man shucks
his peg is moved up a hole, and unless
that peg moves the man has no claim
on the firm, but the more he shucks
the further his peg moves and the big
ger his claim. So, if man hasn't re-
corded his name in Heaven and won't
do good works he has no claim on
Heaven. If he does much he will oct
much; if he does little his reward will
be little.
"The canning process represents per-
lection. When an oyster is put in the
can and sealed up all has been done to
it that is necessary to be done. SO
when man has done what the Lord
wanted him to do he has reached per-
lection.
"Next comes the express. What
would it avail an oyster if it stoppe2
where it was after being canned?
tell you the firm would feel might
blue if all the oysters canned stayed
in the factory. Shipping the oysters
represents the express train or the life
boat for heaven, which is death. When
the oyster reaches perfection it's got
to move, and so does a man. The per-
son to whom the canned oysters are
sent represents the rightful claim of
Jesus Christ, who stands on the other
side of the river to look az the boats as
they 90 by to see if there's anything
on board for Him. If the man bears
the mark of the Lord on his forehead,
then the Lord cries, He's mine, he's
miner and takes him ashore and into
the wonderful city. "-Baltinaore Sun.