Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-03-30


9. 'They nclosed 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 nat is full of fishes, and
the sailors begin to haul in. So large a
school of fishes was taken that the hardy
men begin TO look red in the face as they
pull, and hardly have they begun TO re-
joice at their success when snap goes 4
thread of the net, and snap goes another
thread, 50 there is danger not only Of
losing the fish, but of losing thu net
Without much care rs TO how much
the boat tits n how much water is
splashed on deck the fishermen rush
about, gathering up the broken meshes
of the net Out yonder there is It 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 laundering
treasures.
All" says some one. "how much bet
ter it would have been if they had staid
on shore and fiShed with hook and line
and taken one at time instead Of hay
ing this great excitement and the boat
almost upset and the net broken and
having to call for help and getting sop
ping wet with the sea"'
The church is the boat, the gospel is
the net, society is the sea. and a great re-
yiyal is whole school brought in at one
sweep of the net. have admiration for
that man who goes out with hook and
line to fish. | admire the way he I'M
winds the reel and adjusts the bait and
drops the hook in quiet place on a still
afternoon and here catches one and there
one, but like also big boat and large
crew and a net a 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, straining the net
to the utmost until it breaks here and
there letting a few escape, but bringing
the great multitude into eternal safety
Belief in Revivals.
In other words, | believe in reviyals
The great work of saving men began
with 5000 people joining the church in
one day. and it will close with forty or a
hundred million people saved in II hours
shen nations shall be born in II day.
But there are objections to REVEALS.
People are opposed to them because the
net might get broken, and if by the pres
sure of souls it does not get broken, then
they take their own penkniyes and slit
= h. Il.
tude OF fishes, and their net brake"
1t is sometimes opposed to reviyals of
religion that those who come into the
church at such times do not hold out. As
long as there is gale of blessing they
have their sails up. But as soon as
strong winds stop blowing then they
drop into a 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 prominent men in the United
States in churches, in prayer meetings,
in Sabbath schools? For the most part
they are the product of great awaken
ings.
have noticed that those who are
brought into the kingdom of God through
revivals have more persistence and more
determination in the Christian life than
those who come in under low state Of
religion. People born in an icchouse may
live, but they will never get over the
cold they caught in the icehouse. \ can
non ball depends upon the impulse with
which it starts for how far it shall 20
and how swiftly, and the greater the re-
vival force with which Il soul is started
the more farreaching and far resoundins
will be the execution.
Gathering 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 commen-
tator, who did more than any man Of his
century for increasing the interest in the
study Of the Scriptures, was converted
at IL years Of age; Isabella Graham, inn
mortal in the Christian church, was con-
yerted at 10 years of age; DIR. Watts,
whose hymns will be sung all down the
ages, was converted at 0 years OF age;
Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the might
EST intellect that the American pulpit
ever produced, was converted at years
of age, and that father and mother take |
an awful responsibility when they tell
heir child at years Of age, "You are
100 young to be a Christian" or, You |
ire too young to connect yourself with
he church" That is a mistake as long
ss eternity.
IL during revival two persons present |
themselves as candidates for the church |
Ind the one is 10 years Of age and the |
,ther Is 40 years Of age, / will have |
more confidence in the procession Of re-
igion OF the one 10 years Of age than |
he one 40 years Of age. Whyf The |
me who processes at 40 years OF age
ias 40 wars OF impulse in the wrong d. \
lection rnScorrect, and the child has only
en- years in the wrong direction to cor
'ect. Fous times 10 are 40, -Four times
he religious prospect for the lad that
.0mes into the kingdom ~ ycd e.ld into