Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-08-01

with people. After the noted ers,ngcl-
list had been speaking about ten min
utes. he suddenly stopped and said:
Brethren. the Holy Spirits influence
is not here today We must get the re-
enforcement OF the divine power. else
we are helpless. Let rS pray" With
that he knclt upon the stage, and he
prayed until The audience was melted
10 tears. lie prayed. and such was
the re enforcement of divine strength
at that meeting that the gospel net
gathered the sinners i'm by the score
aud by the hundreds. although during
that entire service Charles q. Finney
did not preach another word. lie
simply prayed plcadingly prayed.
How could John or Charles Wesley, or
George WhiteGcld. .or George Muller.
or D. l.. Moody ever have handled the
gospel not MS no did unless he had
been spiritually inspired and strength
cned. unless he had been man of deep
faith and fcrvent praycrr
The Christian believer must be sDir-
ltually inspired if be is ever to become
n successful fisher of men. My mother
used To impress this thought upon me
all my life. and especially did she try
TO do so after hal entered thc gospel
ministry. There was hardly q letter
which she sent 10 me after MY ordina-
ton that did not read like this: MY
dear boy, il rs important for you to be
mentally equipped for your church
But. remember. true gospel minister
is essentially one who is inspired by
the Holy Spirit You cannot lead souls
TO Christ unless you yourself are di-
vinely inspired You cannot lead souls
TO Christ unless you have been much
in communion with God. unless much
upon your knees In prayer. You must
plead Mt the mercy scat in your own
home IL you would plead Alright for
Christ i'm the pulpit" The mother can.
not become a fisher of men and lead
her children into spiritual lives unless
she herself has experienced this divine
inspiration. The Sunday school teach
or cannot lead his class to the feet of
Christ unless he himself has first been
baptized by the Holy Spirit. The min
lister cannot truly preach Christ unless
he has first taken Christ into his own
heart and life. Peter and Andrew be-
came gospel fishermen because they
themselves had first seen the Masters
face and obeyed his voice when he said.
Follow me. and will make you fish
ers Of men,"
The Importance of RcvivaIs.
People have often asked me whether
] believed in revIvalS OF religion. Of
course L do. Every one of the different
Protestant denominations has been
started under the influence OF n 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-
fees can do harm as well rs good.
| When n great nNnber of sinners are
| brought to Christ through the indu.
ence of q revival and then neglected.
nobody looking after the converts. no.
body caring for them. nobody trying
TO have them identified with Sunday
school class. prayer meeting. n Chris
tan Endeavor society or Christian
work OF any kind. there Is an awful
lack somewhere. 1t is all important
TO lead men 10 Christ, but It is also
| neglecting them after they have once
been brought 20 the feet of Jesus.
a few years ago I'm Neuchatcl. Swift.
Eerland, number of Christian men
and women got together for an inter
estlng experiment. They meant 10 sec
what personal work among the crimi.
nal classes might do for the Master.
The criminal records OF that county
showed that GO per cent OF all crimi
nails liberated from the pcnitentiary
usually returned 10 crime and ultI
mately went back TO the convict cells
TO serve out second and n tl.ird term
So these Christian men and women nut
into practice this plain. simple plan.
whenever 4 criminal was -incarceratcd
some one OF their number was detailed
10 look after that convict. In sense
he was the prisoners guardian. This
gospel fisherman would visit the cell.
lie 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 End work and set him upon his
feet Did this gospel plan work? The
records OF that county of Neuchatel
proved that by this gospel process the
number OF the returned cOnvlcts was
decreased over so per cent. Instead
or >G6 per cent OF criminals being re.
turned 10 the penitentiary for n second
or third term there was only II per
cent SO il is not only important for
the gospel fisherman TO bring souls TO
Christ, but ii is also important TO have
the new converts interested I'm 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 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 eve.
whether Christ's face is visible TO him
or no. After Peter and Andrew he
came Christ's fishermen he never left
them. One night when these brethren.
with John the Beloved. who was also
n 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 fourth
watch~of the night or just about =
O'Clock i'm the morning. Jesus was seen
walking toward them upon the waves
or Lake Calilee. And after the cruel.
fixion. when Peter and his brethren
went back To their old ayocation of
fishing, Jesus again appeared unto
them by the shores OF Lake GaIiIee
and told them 10 cast their nets upon
the other side OF the boat. The true
gospel fisherman can feel that Christ
IS always ready TO help him; that
Christ will always come to his rescue
when the waters OF trouble begin TO
roll too high and the msis are settling
too thickly around the gospel llfeboat.
ChriStS care for his rosneI fisherman