Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-07-28

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face and obeyed his voice when he said,
Follow me, and 1 will make you fish
erS of men,
The Importance of REVEALS.
People have often asked me whether
believed in revivals of religion. Of
course do. Every one Of the different
Protestant denominations has been
started under the influence of a re-
vival. Nearly all the mighty men of
! God, past or present, have confessed
the Saviour through the influence
which has directly or indirectly come
from some revival. But revival serv-
ices can do harm as well as good.
| When a great number of sinners are
brought to Christ through the inf1u-
ence of revival and then neglected,
nobody looking after the converts, no.
body caring for them, nobody trying
to have them identified with a Sunday
school class, prayer meeting, Chris
tan Endeavor society or Christian
work Of any kind, there is an awful
! lack somewhere. 1t is all important
to lead men to Christ, but it is also
important not to let them backslide by
neglecting them after they have once
| been brought to the feet of Jesus.
A few years ago in Neuchatel. Swift
Zerland, a number of Christian men
and women got together for an inter-
eSting experiment. They meant to see
what personal work among the crimi-
nal classes might do for the Master.
The criminal records of that county
showed that 66 per cent of all crimi-
nails liberated from the penitentiary
usually returned to crime and ulti-
mately went back to the convict cells
to serve out a second and a third term.
So these Christian men and women put
into practice this plain, simple plan:
Whenever criminal was incarcerated
some one of their number was detailed
to look after that convict. In sense
he was the prisoners guardian. This
gospel fisherman would visit the cell;
he would pray with the prisoner; he
would send him books and give him
advice, and when that convict had
served his term this Christian guardian
would find work and set him upon his
feet. Did this gospel plan work? The
| IeCOIuS VI ludt VI
proved that by this gospel process the
number of the returned convicts was
decreased over so per cent. Instead
of &C per cent of criminals being re-
turned to the penitentiary for second
or a third term there was only II per
cent. So it is not only important for
the gospel fisherman to bring souls to
Christ, but it is also important to have
the new converts interested in and
identified with Christian work. When
an immortal soul is brought to the
mercy seat, the true work for the Cos
pei fisherman has just begun. If a sin.
ner is allowed to confess Christ and
then on account of the Indifference OF
so called Christian friends allowed to
drift back into sin, his last condition is
worse than his first.
Under the Masters Eye.
But the true gospel fisherman is al
ways working under the Masters eye
whether Christ's face is visible to him
or no. After Peter and Andrew be
came ChriSt's fishermen he never left
them. One night when these brethren
with John the Beloved who was also
fisherman, and some of the Other
disciples, were tossing about on Lake
Galilee they thought they were going
to be drowned but Christ was watch
ing their struggles, and in the fourtl
watch of the night, or just about
o'clock in the morning, Jesus was seer
walking toward them upon the wave:
of Lake Galilee. And after the cruel
fiXion, when Peter and his brethren
went back to their old avocation O.
fishing, Jesus again appeared unt'
them by the shores of Lake Galile'
and told them to cast their nets upol
the other side of the boat. The tru'
gospel fisherman can feel that Chris
is always ready to help him; tina
Christ will always come to his rescu
when the waters of trouble begin t
roll too high and the mists are settlin;
too Tricky around the gospel lifeboat
, Christ's care for his gospel fishermen
is a constant and tender care. In tn
e Scotch fishing villages the mothers an,
wives and daughters illustrate by
: beautiful custom which prevails amon
them their care for their sons and hus
) bands and brothers who have gone OF
/ to fish. When the fogs settle down uI
t on the coast and the lighthouses. can n
e longer be seen, the women go out an
, sit upon the rocks. When the return
Y ing fishermen begin to approach tn
E shores and while yet unseen, they star
!. a fishers song. The loved ones wait
r ing upon the rocks listen until the
;, hear the familiar notes waited throug
e the fog. Then the mothers and wive
d and daughters and sweethearts ais
: begin to sing, and the fishermen, heal
p ing the voices of their loved ones
know which way to steer. So whe
: the gospel fishermen in times of tror
e BILE call to Christ he always answer
r their call. And the Sayiour's voice
e sounding clear amid the voices of til
ho hor horan6