Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-12-03
AND THE NET BROKE.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE MAKES A STRONG
PLEA FOR REVEALS.

Breaks W.T., the Pressure of Souls-Fa-
tai Mistakcs-An Unconverted Ministry.
Training Tor Heaven.
BROOKLYN, Dec 2.-Dr. Talmage
chose for the subject of his sermon
through the press TO-DAY ''The Objec-
lions to Religious Revivals, from the
text Luke V, 6, "They inclosed a 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
to 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 tho
net.
Without much care as to how much
the boat tits or how much water is
splashed or 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 it,
''Ship ahoy, bear down this way!" The
ship comes, and both boats, both fishing
smacks, are filled with the laundering
treasures.
''Ah,'' says some one, chow much
better it would have been if they had
staid on shore, and fished with 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 tho sea, and great reviv-
al is whole school brought in at one
sweep of the net. I 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 i'll quiet place on
still afternoon, ard here catches one and
there one, but like also big boat, and
a large crew, and 4 net mile long, and
swift oars, and stout sails, and a stiff
breeze, and n great multitude of souls
brought-so great multitude that you
have to get help to draw it ashore
straining the net to the utmost until it
breaks here and there, letting few cs-
cape, but bringing the great multitude
into eternal safety
The First Revival.
In other words, [ bell eve in revivals.
The great work of saving mon began
with 8, 900 people joining the church in
one day, and it will close with 40, OOO,-
900 or 100, 900, 900 people saved in "a
hours, when nations shall be born in
day. But there are objections to reviv-
ais. People are opposed to them be-
cause the net might get broken, and if
by tho pressure of souls it docs not get
broken then they take their own pen
knives and slit the net. ''Thcy inclosod
great multitude of fishes, and the net
brake
1t IS sometimes opposed to revivals of
religion that those who come into the
church at such times do not hold out;
as long IS there is a gale of blessing
they have their sails up, but as soon
as strong winds stop blowing then they
drop into q dead calm. But what are
the facts in the case? In all our church
es the vast majority of the useful peo-
pie arc those who are brought in under
great awakenings, and they kold cut
Who arc the prominent men i'll the
United States in churches, i'll prayer
meetings, i'll 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
revivals have moro persistence
and more determination in the Christian
life than those who come il under
low state Of religion. People born in al
icehouse may live, but they will never
get over the cold they caught in the ice
housed A cannon ball depends upon tie
impulse with which it starts for how
far it shall go and how swiftly, and the
greater the revival forco with which q
soul is started the moro farrGac-ling
and far rescunding will be the o-Cau-
ton.
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 suppressed
or demonstrated excitement. Indeed If
a man can go out of state of condem-
nation into a state of acceptance with
God, or sec others go, without any agi-
tation of soul, he is in an unhealthy,
morbid state, and is as rcpulsive and
absurd as man who should boast he
saw a child snatched out from under
1orse's hoofs and felt no agitation, or
saw q man rescued from the fourth sto-
~ of a house on fire and felt no accel-
GRAFTON of tho pulses.
Salvation from sin and death ant.
hell into life and peace and heaven for