Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-12-22
REV. DIR TALMAGE.
THE BROOKLYN DININES
SUNDAY SERMON

the night before what fishermen call "poo-
luck. Chris. steps on board the fishing
smack and telis the sailors 70 pull away froT
the beach and directs them againto sink th'
net. Sure enough. very . 0 the net Is full
OF fishes, and the sailors begin 10 haul IN.
80 large a school Of hsh Was tak"n that The
hardy man begin 10 look red In u. face a
they pull. and hardly hnvc they 20 re-
thread Of the net, anil snap goes another
thread. so thero is danger not only u losing
the Ash, Int Of losing the MT.
without mnch care ne 70 how much n"
foat Tits or how much water IL splashei on
deck. the fishermen rnsh about gathering
up the broken meshes OF the net. Out
yonder there is a ship dancing on IN
wave, and they hail 1t, ship ahoy. heal
down this way" The ship cones, NH
both toats, both fishing smarka. are a!let
with 'hn Numbering Treasures.
"Ah,' says some one, "how rnnch letter
II would have been IL they hal staId on
ehora, and fshei with a hook and line. nnt
taken ono nj a time. instead Of having mis-
great excitement, md the boat almost uea"t,
and tho net broken. and having 10 cal! fos
help. and getting soppinH wet with the
sea !" The church Ia the boat, tho gospel IL
the net, society Is the sea. and q grca. re-
rivai is n whole school brought n NJ one
sweep OF the net. | have admiration foi
that man who goes ont with a hook An lin.
10 fish. I admire the way he un"in3s tie
reel and adjusts tho bait anl drops tie
hook In a quiet place on a still after.
noon, and here catches one and there
one, but | like also q big Loaf. ant
n large crew, and anct n milo long, and swift,
oars, and stout sails, And n stiff brsez", ana
u great multitude OF souls hrought-.o grnht
n multitude that you have TO get help to
draw II shore-strnininy the net 10 the VI
most until 1t breaks here and there. letting .
few es,apc. but bringing the great multitude
into eternal safety.
In other words. | believe In r~evivals. The
great work ofsnving men began with 5000
people Joining the church In ono day. antN
will close with 40, 000, coo or 100. 900 900 PEG
pie saved IN "a hours, when nations 4hnll he
born In a day. But there are objections &c
.revivals. People are opposed to them te-
cause the net might get broken. and II ty
the pressure OF souls It doest not get broker,
then they take their " penknives and SIT
the net. "They inclosad q great multitude
OF fishes, and the net brake"
II Is sometimes opposed TO ~reviynls Of re-
ligion that those who come into the church
at such times do not hold out as long rs
there il n gale OF blessing they have thotr
rails up, tut ns soon As strong Winds STOP
hlowlnRthe they drop into "A dead calm.
Iut what are the facts in the case2 In ali
oar churches the vast majority OF the useiu
people are those who nre brought in under
great nwakenings, and they hold out. VIII.
are tho prominent men In the United States
in churches, In prayer meetings, In sabbath
schools For the mcst part they are the pro
duct Of great awakenings.
! have noticed that those who are brought
into the kingdom OF God through revtvals
hnve more persistence and moro determine.
tion In the Christian Me than those who
come In under a low state OF religion. Peo-
pie born In an icohouse may live, but they
will never get over tho cold they caught IN
the icehouse! A cannon ball depends upon
the impulse with which It starts FOR how far
It shall 20 and how swiftly, and the greater
THE revival force with which q soul Is started
the moro farrcaching and far ~resounding will
DO tho execution.
But IT Is sometimes objected to revival,
that there is so mnnh excitement that peopl,
mistake ~hysteria for religion.
We must admit that In every revival OF rc-
ligion there is either q suppressed or q
demonstrated excitement. Indeod II u man
can 70 out OF n state OF condemnation into
n state OF acceptance with God. orfec others
go. without any agitation OF soul, he is IN m
unhealthy, morbid state, and is rs repulsive
and absurd ms u man who should bolst he
saw Il child snatched out from under a
horses hoofs and fclt no agitation, or saw a
man rescued from the fourth story OF n
house on fire and felt no ncceleration Of the
pulses.
salvation from sin aud death and hell into
life ANA peace and heaven forever is SUCH 4
tt"mrnIous thlncthat II d man tolls me hf
can look on 1t without any agitation | dount
his Christianity. Tho fact Ia TINT sometimes
excitement Is tho most important possible
thing. In case OF rec usc,tntion from brown.
ing or freezing, the on" Idea Is TO excite ami,
nation. Before conversion we nre dead. II
Is the business OF the church 10 revive
arouse. awaken. rcsuscitate. startlo into I'o
Excitement is bad or good according 10 whn'
II makes VA 10. II II makes US dotnnt wnlcl
Is bad. II IS bad excitement. but If 1; make N
iEitlt"! about our eternal welfare, l. 4
make ~ pray, If II max" US attend uPot
Christian service. II II make us cry unto God
for mercy. then II + a good .xritemcnt.
X - sometimes said that during revival,
OF rriiE on great multituios OF chi aren nn
young people nr" brought into the church
AMI they 10 not know W Aat they are about
II has been my observation that tn" carrie
peopt" como into tho kingdom OF God III,
more useful they are.
, r'n"rt rati. inc prince OF Bap,ls, prcach
CTS, converted al twelve years OF age. |,
ia supposed he knew what he WIS about
Matthew Nanry. IN" commentator. who dd
mere ;htfl any man Of his century for in
crca~ius the Interest, in the stu Y OF tht
Scriptures. was converted N eleven years .
axe; Isabella Graham. immortal III III,
Christian church. WAS couvcrto AT ter
years OF age DR.. Watts, whose HYMNS Wi!
Ia sung all down thu ages. was converted al
nine Years OF age. Jonathan Edwards. per
haps the mighticst intellect that the Ameri
can pulpit ever produced, was converted a
scycn years OF age, and that father ant
mother take am awful responsibility whel
they tell their child at seven years OF age
You are too young TO he a Christian" o
"iou are too Young 10 connect yourself with
the church That Is n mistake az long q
eternity.
II during n revival two persons presen
themselves as ean!ila;es Tor the church an.
the enc Is ten years o. age. and thu other II
forty years Of age. | Will nave more conf
dcnce In the profession OF religion Of I'll" on,
tn years Of axe than the on" fortv years Q
age. Why The one who press ;. al fort
years ot axe has forty years - rpuise /
the wrong direction 10 correct, zoe child ha
only ten years II the wrong direction Z
correc'. -Four times ten are forty. Fou
times inc religious prospect for tua iai tha
comes into the kinelou Of Goa. ana int,
the church AT ten year. OF age than the ma.
III forty.
IAN very Gptto look upon reviva.s as cor
netiet WIKI certain mea VIC foster them
People who in this day 10 10, ! &c ~revIvals
nevertheless. have no; words 10 rAtress the!
admiration for Ine ylyalistsc:ths 01s.. '0'
they were revivaiists-Inua:han E8wa-ts
,tehn Wesley. George Whitea"lf. Griffin
Davies, Osborn. Knapp. Nettlctou an ,a@n1
lbs ~.