Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-01-31


and felt as though had been stealing
something. So there are people who
have sharp edge to their religion, and
they act as though they thought most
people had been elected to be damned
and they were glad Of II. oh. let us
brighten up our manner and appear In
gentlemanliness or ladyhood.
Mending the Nets
oh, this important work of mending
our nets! 1t We could get our nets
right, we would accomplish more in
soul saving IN the next year than we
have in the last twenty years. But
where shall we get them mended? Just
where old Zebedee and his two boys
mended their nets-where you are.
James and John had no time to go
ashore. They were not fishing for fun,
as you and l do in the summer time.
1t was their livelihood and that OF
their families. They mended their nets
where they were-in the ship. "Oh."
says some one, st mean to get my net
mended. and I will go down to the
public library and will see what the
scientists say about evolution and
about the survival of the fittest,' and
l VIII read up what the theologians
say about advanced thought will
leave the ship awhile, and / will go
ashore and stay there till my net is
mended." Do that, my brother, and
you will have no net left. Instead OF
their helping you mend your net, they
will steal the pieces that remain. Bet
ter stay in the gospel boat, where you
have all the means for mending your
net. What are they? do you ask. /
answer. all you need you have where
you are-namely, a Bible and a place
to pray. The more you study evolu-
ton and adopt what is called advanced
thought, the more useless you will be.
Stay In the ship and mend your net.
That Is where James, the son of Zebe-
dee. and John, his brother, staid That
is where all who get their nets mended
stay.
notice that all who leave the gospel
boat and go ashore to mend their nets
stay there. Or IL they try again to
fish they do not catch anything. Get
out of the gospel boat and go up into
the world to get your net mendSi, and
you will live to see the day when you
will feel like the man who, having for
saken Christianity, sighed, 81 would
give thousand pounds to feel as did
in 1920" The time will come when
you would be willing to give a thou
sand pounds to feel as you did in 1901.
These men who have given up their
religion cannot help you bit.
These dear brethren OF all denoml-
nations afflicted with theological I'D
gets, had better go to mending nets
instead of breaking them. Before they
break up the. old religion and try to
folst on us a new religion let them
go through some great sacrifice for
God that will prove them worthy for
such a work, taking the advice of Tai
leyrand to a man who wanted to up
set the religion Of Jesus Christ and
start new one when he said. go and
be crucif1ed and then raise yourself
from the grave the third day!" Those
who propose to mend their nets by
secular and skeptical books are like
man who has Just one week for fish
ing, and six OF the days he spends in
reading Izaak Walton's Complete An
gler' and Whealey's, Rod and Line"
and Scott's Fishing in Northern
Waters" and Pullman's wade Mecum
Of Fly Fishing for Trout" and then
on Saturday morning. his last day out.
goes to the river to ply his art. But
that day the fish will not bite. and late
on Saturday night he goes to his home
with an empty basket. Alas. alas! II
when the Saturday night of our life
drops on US 1t shall be found that we
have spent our time in the libraries OF
worldly philosophy. trying to mend
our nets, and we have only few souls
to report as brought to God through
our instrumentality while some humble
gospel fisherman, his library made up
of Bible and an almanac. shall come
home laden with the results. his
trophies all the souls within fifteen
miles Of his log cabin meeting house.
In the time OF great disturbance in
Naples in 1649 Massaniello, a bare
footed fishing boy, dropped his fishing
rod and by strange magnetism took
command Of that city Of coo. 900 souls.
He took off his fishing jacket and put
on a robe of gold in the presence OF
bowling mobs. He put his hand on his
lip as signal, and they were silent.
He waved his hand away from him,
and they retired to their homes. Ar.
mics passed in review before him. He
became the nations idol. The rapid
rise and complete supremacy OF that
young fisherman, Massaniello. has no
parallel in all history. But something
equal to that and better than that Is
an everyday occurren in heaven.
God takes some of those who In this
world were fishers Of men and who
toiled very humbly. but because OF the
way they mended their nets and en-
ployed their nets after they were mend.
ed he suddenly hoists them and robes
them and scepters them and crowns
them and makes them rulers over
many cities, and he marches armies OF
saved ones before them In review. Mas
saniellos unhonored on earth. but
radiated In heaven. The fisher boy Of
Naples soon lost his power. but those
people Of God who have kept their nets
mended and rightly swung them shall
never lose their exalted place. but shall
reign forever and ever and ever.
Keep that reward in sight.
But do not spend your time fishing
with hook and line. Why did
not James, the son of Zebedee.
sit on the wharf at Cana, his
feet hanging over the lake. and
with a long pole and a worm