The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1901-03-30
RELIGIOUS REVIVALS
DR.. Talmage, in Timely Discourse,
Declares His Belief in Them.
Sermon Adapted from the story of
simon and the Fishers-Greatest
Obstacle to Revivnls Is an
Unconverted Ministry.

copyright, 1901, by Louis Klopsch. N. "
Washington,
This discourse of DR.. Talmage is
most pertinent at this time when a
widespread effort for religious awak-
ening is being made; text, Luke, verse
6: "They inclosed 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 dl-
rects 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 a school of fishes was taken
that the hardy men began to look red
in the face as they pull, and hardly
have they begun to rejoice at their sue
cess when snap goes a threat 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 tits or how much water is
|
about, gathering up the broken meshes
of the net. Out yonder there is a 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 filled with the
floundering treasures.
"Ah," says some one, "how much
better it would have been if they had
staid on shore and fshed with hook
and line and taken one at time in
stead of having this great excitement
and the boat almost upset and the mel
broken and having to call for help ano
getting sopping wet with the SEAL
The church is the boat, the Gospe
is the net, society is the sea, and
great revival is a whole school brough
in at one sweep of the net. have al
miration for that man who goes ou
with hook and line to fish. l admir-
the way he unwinds the reel and ad
justs the bait and drops the hook in
quiet place on a still afternoon an
1 here catches one and there one, but
like also big boat and large GREY
and a net mile long and swift oar
i and stout sails and stiff breeze and
3 great multitude of souls brought-s
great a multitude that you have GO
to get help to draw it ashore, strainin
:, the net to the utmost until it break
= here and there, letting few escape
! but bringing the great multitude int
= eternal safety.
In other words, l believe in revival
o The great work of saving men bega
e with 1900 people joining the church
l. one day, and it will close with 40 or
n hundred million people saved in
hours when nations shall be born in
ID day. But there are objections to r.
l. vivals. People are opposed to thel
= because the net might get broken, an
n if by the pressure of souls it does nt
, get broken. then they take their ow
y penknives and slit the net. They il
4, closed a great multitude of fishes, al
1t the net brake"
Il 1t is sometimes opposed to reviva
of religion that those who come int
the church at such times do not no
d out. AS long as there is gale of bles
A. ing they have their sails up. But
- soon as strong winds stop blown
- then they drop into dead calm. B
NJ what are the facts in the case? In ;
n our churches the vast majority of Il
w useful people are those who a
/ brought in under great awakening
- and they hold out. Who are the prol
rs inent men in the United States
er churches, in prayer meetings, in Sa
ks bath schools? For the most part tn
ho are the product of great awakenings.
l have noticed that those who a
OF brought into the Kingdom of G.
it. through revivals have more pc
ia sistence and more determination in t
- Christian life than those who cor
in under a low state of religion. Pc
vs. pie born in an icehouse may live. b
rn they will never get over the cold tn
ut caught in the icehouse. A cannon b
depends upon the impulse with whi
it starts for how far it shall go a
at vival force with which n soul is start
the more efar-reaching and far-resouI
W. ing will be the execution.
on But it is sometimes objected to
nd vivals that there is so much eXcitemt
va that people mistake hysteria for rel
ion. We admit that in every revival
religion there is either a suppressed
u demonstrated excitement. Inde
we IL a man can go out of a state of c.
So demnation into a state of acceptal
\ with God or see others go without q
iio agitation of soul he is in an unhealt
Ia morbid state and is as repulsive 6
Ia absurd as man who should boast
,rk saw a child snatched out from unde
Il, horses hoofs and felt no agitation,
'-S saw a man rescued from the fou
on starry of house on fire and felt no
The ceieration of the pulses.
ib- Salvation from sin and death I
nd hell into life and peace and Heaven
ever is such tremendous thing t
ny il man tells me he can look ol
my without any agitation doubt
Christianity. The fact is that so
times excitement is the most imI