The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-03-29
TALMAGE'S SERMON.
THE RELIGIOUS AWAKENING,
THK SUBJECT ON SUNDAY.
Preached from Luke v: as Follows;
They Enclosed Great Multitude of
Fishes, and Their Net Brose"--Strons

Copyright, 1901. by Louis Klopsch N. -
Washington, March 24.-This dis
course of DR.. Talmage is most perth
nent at this time when a widespread
effort for religious awakening is being
made; 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 school of fishes was talk
en- that the hardy men began to look
red in the face as they pull, and hard
ly have they begun to rejoice at their
success when, snap, goes a 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 it:
Ship ahoy! Bear down this way"
The ship comes, and both boats, both
fishing smacks. are filed with the
fioundering treasures.
All" says some one, "how much
better it would have been IL they had
stayed on shore and fished with a
hook and line and taken one at time
instead of having this great excite
ment and the boat almost upset and
the net broken and having to call for
help and getting sopping wet with the
seal"
The church is the boat, the gospel is
the net, society is the sea, and great
revival is whole school brought in
at one sweep of the net. / have ad-
miration for that man who goes out
with hook and line to fish. admire
the way he unwinds the reel and ad-
justs the bait and drops the hook in
quiet place on still afternoon and
here catches one and there one, but
like also big boat and large crew
and net mile long and swift oars
and stout sails and stiff>breeze and
a great multitude of souls brought
so great multitude that you have
to get help to draw it ashore, strain
ing the net to the utmost until it
breaks here and there, letting a few
escape, but bringing the great multi
tude into eternal safety.
: Belief In Reviva's.
In other words, | believe in revivals.
The great work of saving men began
with 5000 people joining the church
in one day, and 1t will close with forty
-or hundred million people saved in
"a hours, when nations shall be born
in day. But there are objections to
revivals. People are opposed ito them
because the net might get broken and
If by the pressure OF souls 1t does not
get broken, then they take their own
penknives and slit the net. They in
closed 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 as there is a 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 churches the vast majority of
the useful people are those who are
brought in under great awakenings,
and they hold out. Who are the prom
inent men in the United States in
churches, in prayer meetings, in Sab
bath schools? For the most part they
are the product of great awakenings.
/ have noticed that those who ere
brought into the kingdom of God
through revivals have more persist
ence and more determination in the
Christian life than those who come
in under low state of religion. People
born in an icehouse may live, but they
will never get over the cold they
caught in the icehouse. A cannon ball
depends upon the impulse with which
1t starts for how far it shall go and
how swiftly, and the greater the re-
vival>force with which a soul is start |
ed the more far-reaching and far-re-
will be the execution.
Gatherin. In the Young.
1t is sometimes said that during re- !
vivals Of religion great multitudes of |
children and young people are brought
into the church and they do not know
what they are about. 1t has been my
observation that the earlier people
come into the kingdom of God the
more useful they are. Robert Hall. the
prince of preachers, was converted at
IL years Of age. 1t is likely he knew
what he was about Matthew Henry.
the commentator, who did more than
any man of his century for increasing
the interest in the study Of the scrip
lures, was converted at IL years of
age; Isabella Graham, immortal In the
Christian church, was converted at 10
years of age; DR.. Watts, whose hymns
will be sung all down the ages, was
converted at years of age; Jonathan
perhaps the mightiest intel