The Red Cloud chief., 1892-10-14
LAUNCH OUT.
Or. Talmage Discourses on Christ's
Earthly Work.
Why ne Chose the Disciples re Did and
How re Urged Them 60 Launch
Out-scarch,ng the Scriptures
For Light.

Dewitt Talmage preached from Luke
Y. 4: "Lsunch out into the deep" He
said:
Christ starting on the campaign Of
the worldfs conquest, was selecting his
stan officers. There were plenty of
students with high forcheads, and white
hands, and intellectual faces, and re-
fined tastes In Rome and in Jerusalem.
Christ might have called into the
apostlcship twelve book worms, or
twelve r~hetoricians, or twelve artists.
Instead, he takes n group Of men who
had never made n speech, never taken q
lesson In bellies lcttres, never been sick
enough TO make them look delicate
their hands broad, clumsy and hard
knuckled. He chose fishermen, among
other reasons, I think, because they
were, physically hardy. Rowing
makes strong arms and stout chests.
Much climbing Of rstlines makes
ones head steady. A Galilec tempest
wrestlcd men into gymnasts The
opening work Of the church was rough
work. Christ did not want twelve in
valids hanging about Him. complaining
all the time how badly they felt. He
leaves the delicate students at Jerusa-
lem and Rome for their mothers and
aunts TO take care OF, and goes down to
the seashofc and out OF the toughest
material makes an apostlcship. The
ministry needs 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 well built and the grist good, but
there must be enough blood In the mill
. race to turn the n and to grind the
other.
= lie chose fishermen, also, because they
were used TO hard knocks. The man
who cannot stand assault il not At for
the ministry. II always has been and
always. will be rough work; and the
man who at every censure or c~aricature
sits down TO cry had better find some
other work. 1t is no place for e~cclesi-
astical doll babies. A man who cannot
preach because he has forgotten his
manuscript or lost his spectaclcs ought
not 10 preach Mt all. Heaven deliver
the church from y ministry that preach
In kid gloves and from in black
morocco cover. These fishermen were
rough and ready. They had been In
the severcst of all colleges. When they
were knocked over by the main boom Of
the ship they entered the "Sophomore;"
when washed OF by a great wave they
entered me "Junior;" when floating for
two days, without food or drink, on Q
plank, they came to the "Scnior;" and
when q last their ship dashed on the
!!bSaeh I'm. . midnight hurricane they
graduated with the first honor.
Ny text finds Jesus on shipboard with
n Of these bronzed men, Simon by
name. This fisherman had been sweep
Ing his net In shoal water. Push out"
says Christ; ''whati Is the use of hugging
the shore in this boat? Here is u lake
twelve miles long and six wide and Il
IN all populated, just waiting for the
sweep of your not. Launch put into
the deep"
The advice that my Lord gave to 81.
mon is as appropriate for us oil in a
spiritual sense. The fact Is that most
OF ua are just padding along the shore.
wv y 0AA0iu VI NCutuTC Out lnLO Iu0
great deep Of God and Christian expert
ence. We think that the boat will bs
upset, Oh that we cannot ''clew the miz
zen topsair and our cowardice makes
US poor fishermen. l think I hear the
voice Of Christ commanding us as He
did Simon on that day when bright Gal
ileo sat among the green hills Of Pales
tine like water flashing In an emerald
cap: "Launch out into the deep"
This divine counsel comes. FIRST, I,
all those who are padding In the mar
gin of Bible research. My father rea,
the Bible through three times after h,
was eighty years Of age and withou
spectacles, not for the mere purpose o
saying he had been through It 80 often
but for his eternal profit John Colby
the brother-in-law OF Daniel Webster
learned to read after he was eighty.fou
years Of age In order that he might be
come acquainted with the Scriptures
There Is no book in the world whicI
demands so much Of our attention u
the Bible. Yet nine-tenths OF Christia
men get no more than ankle deer
They think 1t is q good sign not u yer
ture too, far. They never ask how G
why, andif they see some Christian be
coming inquisitive about the deep thing
of God they say: he careful; you ha
better not go out SO far from shore.
My answer Is: The further you Q
from shore the better, II you have III
right kind Of ship. II you have Inc,
worldly philosophy for the hull
AID pride for n sail, and sci
conccit for the helm, Il
frst squal will destroy you. But
You take the Bible for your craft Il
farther you go the better; and II ye
have gone 100000 furlongs Christ wi
stili command: Launch out into Il
deep" Ask some such question
"who is God?" and 60 on for ten yea
asking II. Ask It at the gate of eve
parable; amidst the excitement OF eve
miracle; by the solitariness Of eve
patriarchal threshing floor; amidst Il
white faces Of Sennacherib's sla
turned mp into the moonlight; amid
the chariots Of the Golden City. A
who Jesus is, and keep on asking it
every Bible lily, Of every raven,
every star, of every crazed brain cure
of every blind man come to sunlight,
.averv coin in n Hsh's month ~ ana