Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-12-07
AND THE NET BROKE.
REV. DR.. TALMAoE MAKES A STRONG
PLEA FOR REVEALS.


He Does Not Mind Much Even II the Net
Breaks With the Pressure Of souls-Fa-
tai lIistakes-An Unconvertcd Ministry.
Training For Hcsven.
BROOKLYN, Dec. 2.-Dr. Talmage
chose for the subject Of his sermon
through the press today 1.-THE Objec-
tions to Religious Reviyals, " from the
text Luke V, 6, "They inclosed great
multitude Of fishes, and their net brake. "
Simon and his comrades had expert
enced the night before what fishermen
call "poor luck. " Christ steps on board
the fishing smack and tells the sailors
to pull away from the beach and directs
them again to sink the net. Sure enough,
very soon the net is full Of fishes, and
the sailors begin to haul in. So large a
school Of fish was taken that the hardy
men begin to look red in the face as
they pull, and hardly have they begun
10 rejoice at their success when snap
goes thread Of the net, and snap goes
another thread, so there is danger not
only Of losing the fish, but Of losing the
net.
Without much care as to how much
the boat tilts or how much water Is
splashed on deck, the fishermen rush
about gathering up the broken meshes
of the net Out yonder there is ship
dancing on the wave, and they hail 1t,
"Ship ahoy, bear down this way!" The
ship comes, and both boats, both fishing
smacks, are filled with the foundering
treasures.
"Ah," says some one, chow much
better it would have been If they had
staid on shore, and fished with a hook
and line. and taken one at a time, in
stead Of having this great excitement,
and the boat almost upset, and the net
broken, and having to call for help, and
getting sopping wet with the seaP The
church is the boat, the gospel Is the
net, society is the sea, and a great reviy-
al is q whole school brought In at one
sweep of the net. 1 have admiration for
that man who goes out with hook and
line to fish. l admire the way he un-
winds the reel and adjusts the bait and
drops the hook in quiet place on
still afternoon, and here catches one and
there one. but I like also big boat, and
a large crew, and a net mile long, and
swift oars and stout sails, and a stlf
breeze. and q great multitude of souls
brought-so great a multitude that you
have to get help to draw 1t ashore
straining the net to the utmost until 1t
breaks here and there, letting few es-
cape, but bringing the great multitude
into eternal safety.
The First Revival.
In other words, l believe In revivals.
The great work of saving men began
with 8, 900 people joining the church in
one day, and it will close with 40, 600, =
600 or 100, 900, 900 people saved in "a
hours. whom nations shall be born in a
day. But there are objections to reyiv-
ais People are opposed to them be-
cause the net might get broken, and If
by the pressure Of souls it does not get
broken then they take their own PEN
knives and slit the net "They inclosed
a great multitude of fishes, and the net
brake"
It is sometimes opposed to reyiyals OF
religion that those who come into the
church at such times do not hold out;
as long as there Is gale Of blessing
they have their sails up, but as soon
as strong winds stop blowing then they
drop into dead calm. But what are
the facts in the case? In all our church
es the vast majority of the useful peo-
ple are those who are brought in under
great awakenings, and they hold out
Who are the prominent men in the
United States in churches, in prayer
meetings. in Sabbath schools? For the
most part they are the product Of great
awakenings.
1 have noticed that those who are
brought into the kingdom Of God
through revivals have more persistence
and more determination in the Christian
life than those who come in under q
low state Of religion. People born in an
icehouse may live, but they will never
get over the cold they caught in the ice
housel A cannon ball depends upon the
impulse with which it starts for how
far it shall go and how swiftly, and the
greater the revival force with which
soul is started the more farreaching
and far resounding will be the exeou-
| tion.
But It is sometimes objected to reviv-
ais that there is so much excitement
that people mistake hysteria for reli-
gion.
Excitement.
We must admit that in every revival
of religion there is either a suppressed
or a demonstrated excitement Indeed II
a man can 90 out of state OF condem-
nation into state of acceptance with
God. or see others 90, without any agi'
tation Of soul, he Is in an unhealthy,
morbid state, and is as repulsive and
absurd as a man who should boast he
saw a child snatched out from under
horses hoofs and felt no agitation, or
saw a man rescued from the fourth sto-
~ of house on fire and felt no accel-
Grafton Of tho pulses.
Salvation from sin and death and
hell into life and peace and heaven for
ever is such O tremendous thing that
IL man tells me he can look on 1t with
out any agitation doubt his Christian
ity. The fact is that sometimes excite
ment is the most important possible
thing. In case Of resuscitation from
drowning or freezing, the one idea Is 70
excite animation. Before conversion we
are dead. Ii is the business Of the church
to revive, arouse. awaken, resuscitate'
startle into life Excitement is bad or
good according to what it makes us do.
| II it makes US do that which is bad, II
is bad excitement, but II 1t make us ag'
itated about our eternal welfare, II II
make us pray. II it make us attend upon
Christian service, il it make Us cry unto
God for mercy, then it is a good ex'
element
It Is sometimes said that during re.