The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-02-08
Stirth heTsaosA, ssA4y oe eur neto ere
ssFn to pieces by being shtaasled aish

and pulling IN oppoalte direotipnsa each
to get his net, hot ncts damaged by
tho struggle and losing I'LL the fish,,
In this land, where there are moro
than 10, 900, 900 people, there are st
lea sta &c, 900, 900 not In tho Sunday
5schools and churches. In suoh an At
lantio ocean Of opportunity there is
kooin for oil the nets and all the boatas
and all tho tflshermen and for millions
more. There should be no rivalry be-
tween churches. Each one does d
work peculiar to itself. But there are
cities in this country where there il
now going on an awful ripping and
rending and tearing Of fishing he ts.
Indeed all over Christcndom at this
time there Is q gerat war going on
between fishermen, ministers against
ministers.
Now, ( hare noticed man cannot
fsh and fight at the Same time. Hoi
either neglects his net or his musket
It is amazing how much time some Of
tho fshermcn have to look after other
fishermen. 1t is more than I can do
to tako care Of my own not. You see
tho wind Is just right, and IL is such
good time for fishing, and the fish arc
coming in 20 rapidly that ] havo to
keep my eyes and hand busy. There
are about Soo,ooo,o00 souls wanting to
get into the kingdom Of God, and it will
men of Christendom to safely land
them. Oh, brethren Of tho ministry,
let us spend our time in fishing in
stead Of lighting. But if angrily jerk
my net across your net, and you jerk
your net angrily across mine, we will
soon have two broken nets and no fish.
The French revolution nearly destroyed
the French fisheries, and ecclesiastical
war is tho worst thing possible while
hauling souls into the kingdom. My
friends, notice in the text that ia mes,
tho son Of zebedee, and John, his
brother, We're busy at mending some
body elso's netp, and 1 rather think that
We who are engaged In Christian work
IN this opening century will require
all our spare time to mend our own
nets. God help us in the important
dutyi G
In this work of repair we need to
put into the nets more threads of COM
mon sense. When we can present reli-
gion as q great practically wo will
catch hundred souls where now we
catch one. Present religion as an in
tellectnality and ~s Will fadi. Out in the
fisheries there arc set scross the wa
ters what are called gill nets, and the
fish put their heads through tho meshes
and then cannot withdraw them be-
cause thcy are caught by the gills.
But gill nets cannot be OF any service In
religious work. Men ARE never caught
for tho truth by their hcnds; It is by
the heart or not at all. No argument
ever saved man and no keen analysis
ever brought q man into the kingdom
Of God. Heart work, not head work.
Away with your gill nets! Sympathy,
helpfulncss, oonkola tion, love, arc the
names Of some OF tho threads that wo
need to weave in our gospel nets when
we are ncnding them.
When you arc mcnding your net for
this wide, deep sea OF humanity, take
out that wire thread of criticism and
that horsehnir thread Of harshness
and put in soft silken thread Of Chris
tian sympathy. Yea, when you are
| threads of grutfness and weave In
| few threads Of politeness and geniality.
In the house of God let all Christian
faces beam with look that means
welcome. Say good morning" to the
stranger as he enters your pew and at
the CLOSE shnke hands with him and
say: How did you like the nusic?"
Why, you would be to that man panel
Of tho door Of Heaven you wluld be to
him note OF the doxology that ser.
aphs sing when new soul enters Heav-
en-. I have in other days entered
pew III church, and tho woman
at the other end Of the pow looked at
mo as much ms to say: How daro you?
This is my pew, and pay the rent for
! It'll" WE'LL crouched in the other cor
ner and made myself as small as pos
| sible and felt as though l had been
stealing something So there are peo-
pie who have sharp edge TO their re-
ligion, and they act rs though they
thought most people had been elected
to be damned and they we're glad of it,
Oh, let us brighten up our manner and
appear III gentlemanliness or lady
hood.
Again, In mending our nets we need
also to put in the threads Of faith and
tear out nll the tangled meshes Of nn-
belief Our work Is successful accord
ing to our faith. Tho man who be-
lieveg in only half Bible or tho Bible
In spots, the man who thinks he can
not persuade others, tho man who
halts, doubling about this and doubt
ing about that, Will be failure in
Christian work, Show me the man who
rather thinks that the garden Of Eden
may have had an allegory and is not
quite certain but that thore may be
another chance after death and does
not know whether or not the Bible is
inspired, and tell you that man for
soul saving is a poor stick. Faith ia
| God and in Jesus Christ and the HOLY
Ghost and the absolute necessity of O.
rcgcnereted heart in order to sec God
in peace is one thread yon must have
in your mended not, or you will never
be successful fisher for men. WHY.
how can you doubt? The rott tenest
thread to tear out of your net is unbe-
lief, and tho most important thread
| that you are to put in IL is faith-faith
In God, triumphant faith, everlasting
| faith. 5a
Oh, this important work Of mending
our, nots! II wo could get our nets
| right, we would accomplish more in
soul saving in the next year than we
have in the last 20. Blu whore shall we
get them mended? just where old Zeb-
edeo and his two boys mended their
nets-Twhere you are. James and John