Smyrna times., 1898-07-27

sermon was the main feature, and we
are indebted to Rev. Dame for the fol-
lowing synopsis:
''LEc prayed him that he lOOuId
thrust out q LttLc from the lund. -
st. Luke, 5:3.
Subject, Fishing"
Before entering upon the discussion
of my subject | desire to extend n
hearty welcome to the merchants and |
the store clerks who have assembled |
here in such large numbers to worship |
with us in st. Peters church. l un- |
derstand your presence here to-day is |
intended by yOu as a public demon
stratiOn of your appreciation of the
part have taken, in cooperation with
others, in persuading the merchants of
Smyrna to close their business houses
at an earlier hour. rejoice with you
this morning that after struggle of
quarter of century complete success
has crowned our efforts at last. The
benefits to all concerned will be incal
culable and far-reaching. Some of
these you have already reaped. 9th
ers are maturing under your rejoicing
eyes.
To turn to my subject reminds me
that the glasses through which we
look on the world about us are cOlOred
by our occupations and we fall into
the temptation to express our thoughts
and feelings about men and things in
the language of the business by which
we win our daily bread.
The first Christian congregations
were largely composed of fishermen.
Hence we are not surprised to learn
that they expressed religious truth in
| SMILES taken from a seafaring life.
A fish was the secret sign by which a
| Christian revealed himself to a stranger
Christian. The letters of the Greek
work for fish-IKTHUs- when placed
acrostically stood for the creed Of the
early church; "Jesus Christ. son of
God, Saviour" And even the GreGt
Fisherman did not hesitate to elOthe
his sweet invitation to the world in the
language of the fisherman: Follow
me and l will make yOu fishers of
men,"
In humble imitation of this illus
triOus example l desire to have you
look at our common faith this morn
ing from the standpoint of fisherman.
1t does not need much imagination
to think of the world as a vast sea and
of the men and women who glide over
its surface as fishermen angling for
something. Some are reaching for
golden fish, the luxury and power of
acquired wealth. Others are after
knowledge; yet others are seeking for
righteousness. But the great majority
are fishing to pass the years which lie
| L IL, =.
catch oblivion of the cases and broken
hopes and sins and sorrows that fall,
like shadows of eternal night, on their
pathway here. Jesus Christ was fish
ing also at the time we see him in the
teXt-fshing for 'ransOmed church
of God" The crowd at Capernaum
, had pressed upon him on the shore OF
the sea of Galilee, and our Lord haC
;; called on Simon Peter to take Hin
= into his boat. Having entered, He
: "prayed him that he would thrust out
little from the land" st. Peter
pushed off little from the shore anC
Jesus sat in his boat and tished on
hour after hour, to catch men.
As He sits there, study this divine
L fisherman for a moment. A difficult
{ labor, for he is such a mystery, so diff
: | ferent from other men, so much larger
, grander, purer, that we have no one
with whom to compare Him. He was
: no statesman, yet the greatest of thu
= worlds politicians have drawn thel
y wisdom for ruling empires from Him
- He was no scientist, yet He showed {
y more profound knowledge of thi;
Z world than AgaZziz and Darwin ant
Il Draper combined. He was no soldier
81. vet He conquered more empires thai
~ Alexander, and the Caesars and NapO
= leon and Washington. He was tn
= poorest of men, yet he command
e more millions to-day than the Bank c
= England ever owned. He wrote n
l. book, yet he has inspired more essays
y sermons and volumes than all th
- philosophers of ancient or mOder
times. He was neither orator nor poet
y vet His parallels, his simple sou
= breathings have stirred and thrille
:, more hosts of men to noble aspiration
~ and loftier deeds than all the orator
20 and poets who ever lived.
Let us pass from this mysteriou
fisherman to the human fish there o
the shore. Observe their disinclini
tion to be caught. 1t is a curiOu
a phase of human nature that we figE
o so shy of God and resist so firmly Hi
ID efforts to draw us out of sin. The ms
n jOrity of us send fiat refusal to HI
( invitation. Others invent all kinds {
g excuses that the human mind can dC
,. wise to stand off from His ''everlastin
N arms"
!: And, strange to say, by some order
1T ing of Providence, the catching
le these human fish is necessary to I'll
/, divine glory. God cannot know I'll
oil
l. church of God is saved to sin II
lie more" Curiously enough by anothe
he ordering of Providence, equal
r strange, these fish lose their lives
IN the process of catching. They d
S. unto sin. They cruelty the old MAJ
ne They pass from death uutO life. The
IS are born again. They become ne
l. creatures, with higher motives, noble
M aspirations, cleaner hearts and sweetC
of minds.
IN Pass on now from the first to col
d. slider the bdit-very important in SUI
In cessful fishing. What kind of bai
or was the divine Fisherman using there
OF that day, to catch men?
ne Three kinds:
be "a. The beauty of perfect lif,
as Men go mad over perfection of any d
H. scription-a vice, a book, deed,
e, virtue-lOcated anywhere will alwal
ad draw. How much more when all ii
c. virtues are united in one man. n
Co wonder these poor, hungry, imperfec
lis weary people crowded about Him,
p whom PLATE could find no fault. n
be wonder sOe press about Him to touC
His robe, to catch His loving word
I'D to watch His conduct, to have Him {,
SIX our Saviour.
Il? He draws us also with His "11eac,
so so attractive to the soul as It rol
we and tosses ceaselessly on this sea
We life. Oh! to rest for awhile from i
81 yearning for knowledge, for truth, f,
er the true bread, for holiness, for Go
al Then He comes by and ''the voice
DO Jesus whispers peace within" Z
a. bats, once more, with the promise
we united friendships. Multitudes ha
er been caught of God because he on
lu stood over the grave of Lazarus al
2, pledged His divine word that d
1g christian should find those he III
N loved long since and lost awhile" "
Pass on from the Bait to that 9th
most important feature in successf
'sse nshlng, namely 's1he Fishermar
IS Luck"