The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-09-17
DIR. HUTCHIN'S SERMON.
THE FIsHERMAN's NET AND THE
GOSPEL NET.
Both should be Kept in Perfect Order
strong simile Exists Between Them.

into the deep and let down your nets
for draught."
Following is synopsis of the dis
course:
Returning from Nazareth and preach.
ing by the way our Savior has come to
the Plain of Gennesaret and is sur.
rounded by multitude eager to hear
his wonderful words, passing along the
level sandy beach of the Sea of Galilee,
he finds fishing boats along the edge of
the shore and among them. the boat of
Andrew and Peter and that of James
and John. Entering the boat of Peter,
he requests him to put out a little into
the bay SO that he may address the peo-
pie as in an Amphitheater. We may
think of the sky as cloudless, the air as
calm and the waters placid. 1t must
have been most impressive scene to
behold the serene Jesus, the prophet
and healer, as he spake words of cure
and comfort to the multitude of sick,
weary, and sin-burdened souls. AS he
closed his discourse, he turned to Peter,
who was the steersman of the bark and
said, Launch out into the deep and
cast down your nets for draught."
1--WE have toiled all night" said the
fisherman, and have caught nothing,
nevertheless at thy word. we will cast
in the net, and Immediately upon the
casting, the net was full, well nigh to
breaking.
The partners John and James who
had been beholding the wonder, were
beckoned that they should come and
help in the landing of the haul; and
both boats were filled to the vety gun.
vale. In wonder and astonishment,
Peter prostrates himself before his
Lord, humble and reverent, impressed
with his own unworthiness in the pre-
sence of his Lord, he exelaims depart
from me for am sinful man.. Fear
not" said Jesus, "henceforth, you shall
catch men, Passing on a little to
James and John, who had withdrawn,
he calls them also into his apostleship.
This transaction in its conditions and
results is symbolical.
Now notice some of the specific les
sons from this miraculous draught of
fishers. And first lesson from the
mending and washing of the fishermen's
nets. Many strands and meshes are
there in the net, the accidents of use
have broken some of them and the fish
will be lost if the rents and gaps be not
mended. The gelatinous slime of the
fish has glued together parts of the net
and made them unpliant.
The gospel net, is Christian influence
and is composed of many strands, many
meshes. A mans beliefs, his purposes,
his habits, his tastes, his character, his
reputation, are all interlaced in the
net of his influence. In the wear and
tear of social life, this net is liable to be
rent, llltemper, consciousness, covet-
ness, avarice, oppression, these may
make great gaps in it, SO that when the
net is lowered, the fish will laugh at it,
And the Christians net often needs
cleansing, his prejudices, his envy, his
jealousy, his pride, may make his in
tluence unpliant, unyielding. Many
a parent is powerless to bring his child
rem into the kingdom because he has
not mended and washed his own net
Many Sunday school teacher is an I'M
successful fisherman because the fish go
through the rents OF his broken influence
uncaught.
Beloved, let us mend and wash our
nets. Let us learn second lesson
| from the fruitless night labor of the
fishermen. They had toiled all night
and had caught nothing. How weari-
some, how discouraging What multi
tudes of Christian pare nts, through the
family alter and Christian training,
have toiled through long years to land
| their children in the kingdom. and
| have at last, left them flounderinL in the
| turbulent waters of worldliness. What
hours of darkness and gloom and ex-
hausting labor prove utterly fruitless.
With what elaborate effort and immense
expenditure, does the church often cost
| the gospel net without even drawing it
up to Zee if anything has been caught.
Let us also learn a lesson from the
welcoming of Christ by the fishermen,
as the practical master of the ship.
! Wonderful results attended that wei.
come. 1t is a great thing for soul tO
| take its Saviour on board in love and
faith and implicit obedience. Itgives a
sense of divine reinforcement it recon
Giles us to needed innovations. Though
we have toiled all night and know the
night TO be the best time for fishing, yet
at His word we are ready to launch out
into the deep, His presence makes us
enterprising, He creates within us the
exp citation of success, which is akin t.
faith, and His presence brings success
itself. Have we, as individuals, caught
no souls? Then we have not utterly
yielded the command of our lives tC
Jesus Christ.
We may, moreover, learn a lessor
from the assistance rendered by jane
and John. 1t would have been un
handsome for them to decline to Civ,
help. One-half the fish would hav,
been lost, if not the other half also, j
, they had refused assistance. Nor woult
it have sufficed for them to say, "W
are silent and not active partners" Cal
any contributions of money or officia
, service excuse any Christian fisherman
| from helping his fellow fisherman IL
the specific work of catching souls am
leading them in the kingdom of CHI Isl
There is a further lesson for us il
2 Peters sense of unworthiness in tn
presence of his great success. He wa
not inclined to go ashore and boast t
his fellow fishermen of his marvelou
haul; he was awed, rather, by the pres
ence of inscrntable powers. He VIII
works in conjunction with Christ
2 never inflated by his successes; he
rather steadied by sense of respons
bility as the ship is steadied by h'
= ballast.
>. Finally, beloved, learn lesson frol
d the fisherman as Candidates Tor divir
v promotion. When Peter welcomed ii
Master to his ship and implicitly obeye
his orders. launching out into the dee
n and casting in his net, he was on h
d way to the Penticostal season and thi
a magnificent haul of 5000 souls in OF
: day. In obedience to Christ in Il
10 saving of men shall we find God