Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1892-10-06
DEEP SEA FISHING.
DR.. TALMAGE breaches FROM
ST, LuKE's GOSPEL.
Launch Out Into the Deep and DO Not
Hug tho shore--The Text Used as
an Incentive for Bibie study--A Ser
mon for Ministers 20 Read,

bkuphlnN, ~, Il, oCI @,~~NlnCe MS
return from Europe, DR., Talmagc has
faced audiences unusually large and
enthusiastic, who are attracted to the
Tabernacle no less by the potent elo-
quence of the preacher than through y
desire to hear from his own lips the
message of thanks entrusted TO him by
the Car to the contributors Of The
Christian Herald famine cargo, which
he and Mr.. Klopsch conveyed to Russia
in the steamer Leo, II is understood
that Dir, Talmagc has in preparation "a
full account of the mission 10 Russia,
AS well as his own preaching tour 10
Germany, England, Scotland, and
Ireland. The text this morning was
taken from Luke 50: Launch out
into the deep"
Christ, starting on the campaign of
the worlds conquest, was selecting his
staff officers, Thee We're 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 apostleship twelve book
worms, or twelve rhetoricians, or
twelve artists, Instead, he takes u
group of men who had never
made speech, never taken n
lesson in bellies lcttrcs, never
been sick enough to make
them look delicatc--thoir hands
broad, clumsy, and hard-knucSled, He
chose fishermen, among other reasons,
think, because they were physically
hardy. Rowing makes strorg arrs
and stout chests, Much climbing of
ratlincs makes ones head steady, A
Galilec tcmptist wrestled men into
gymnasts, The opening work of the
church was rough work Christ did
not want twelve invalids hanging
about him, complaining all the timo
how badly they felt. lie leaves the deli
cate students atJcruSalcm nndRome for
their mothers and aunts to take care
of, and goes down To the sea-shorc, and
out of the toughest material makes an
apostleship, The ministry need more
corporeal vigor than any other class.
Fine minds and good intentions are
important, but there must be physical
force to back them. The intellectual
mill.wheel may be we'll built and the
grist good, but there must be enough
blood In the mill-rucc To turn the one
and grind the other,
lIe chose fishermen, also, because
they were used 20 hard knocks. The
man who cannot stand assault IL not
At for the ministry, IL always has
been aud always will be rough work;
and the man who, at every censure or
caricaturc, sits down to cry, had better
be at some other work, II Is no place for
ecclesiastical doll-babies. A man who
cannot preach because he has forgotten
his manuscript or lost his spectaclcs
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 sevcrest of all
colleges. When they were knocked
over by the main boom Of the ship,
they entered the Sophomore" when
washed off by great wave, they en-
tcred the "Junior;' when Heating for
two days, without food or drink, on n
plank, they came to the Seniors" and,
when, at last, their ship dashed on the
beach in midnight hurricane, they
graduated with the first honor
My text finds Jesus on shipboard
with one of these bronzed men--Simon
by name. This fisherman had been
sweeping his net in shoal water. "Push
out" says Christ; what is the use of
hugging the shore in this boat? Here
is a lake twelve miles long and six
wide, and ii Is all populated--just wait
ing for the sweep of your net Launch
out into the deep" The advice
that my Lord gave to Simon is
as appropriate for us all In a spiritual
sense. The fact Is that most of MS are
Just padding alo e the shore. Weare
afraid to venture ont into the great
deeps OF God and Christian experience.
We think that the boat will be upset,
or that we cannot ''clew down the
mizzen top-sail," and our cowardice
makes MS poor fishermen. ! think !
hear the voice OF Christ commanding
ms, as he did Simon, on that day when
bright Galilee set in among the green
hills of Palestine, like water flashing
in an emerald cup: Launch out into
The deep"
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 so years of age, and with
out spectacles, not for the mere pur-
pose Of saying he had been through 1t
so often, but for his eternal profit.
John Colby, the brother-in.law OF
Daniel Webster learned To read after
he was 81 years of age, in order that
he might become acquainted with
the scriptures. There is no book
In the world tn at demands so much of
our attention as the bible. Yet nine
tcnths Of Christian men get no more
than ankle deep. They think IT is a
good sign not to venture too far. They
never ask how or Why and II they sec
some tnTlStldH DecOhink ihiuio'"'c
about the deep things of God, they say;
"Be careful; you had better not go out
so far from shore" My answer Is;
The farther you go from shore the bet
ter, IL you have the right kind of ship,
II you have mere worldly philosophy
for the hulk, ana pride for sail, and
sclf-conceit for the helm, the first
squall will destroy you. But II
you take the bible for your craft, the
farther you go the better; and after you
have gone ten thousand furlongs,
Christ will still command: Launch
out into the deep" Ask some such
question as "Who is God?" and go on
for ten years asking it Ask 1T at the
gate of every parable; amidst the ex-
element of every miracle; by the soli-
fairness of every patriarchal threshing-
floor, amidst the white faces of
Sennacherib' slain turned up into the
moonlight; amidst the flying chariots
of the Golden City. Ask who
Jesus is. and keep on asking
it of e--ry bible lily, of every
raven, of every star, of every crazed
brain cured, every blind man come to
eunl;oht ~ avery coin In n fish Is