Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-31

spircd with that holy fcarlcssncss and
disregard of ourselves that we may
save souls for Christ wherever we can
find them, which all Christ's fishers of
men should show in his servccf
The true gospel fisherman must be
spiritually strong man. Peter and
Andrew, to whom Christ spoke, were
net fishermen. | think they rarely. If
ever. fished with line or Il pole. They
were in all probability the kind of
fishermen you perhaps have seen off
the Massachusetts coast. There the
fishermen fastcn their net to stakes
that have been driven into the ground
and the tops of which can be seen
above the surface of the sea. They were
physically strong men, else they could
not have handled and set the nets. or
they may have been fishermen who
watched the surface of the sea, Just
as the fishermen used to do along the
Long Island coast. Then. as soon as
the sea would be rufllod by the schools
of swarming nsh. the signal nag would
be lifted, the fishermen would gather
upon the bench, and the longboat,
filled with the piled up net, would be
launched. Then the fishermen on shore
would hold a rope attached to one end
Of the net. and the boat would be
rowcd out around the school of fish
Then. when the whole net had been
paid out" the boat would approach
the shore the other end of the net at
tachod by a rope to the stern. Then
the men would begin to pun the ropes
at either end of the net. dragging tie
fish nearer and nearer inshorc until
at last they would capture the whole
school. Yes, those fishermen had TO be
physically strong men. Their nerves.
had to he steady, their muscles firm,
or they could never have dragged n
those heavy nets hurdoncd with many
fish.
strong spirit Needed.
The true gospel fisherman must lie
spiritually, as well rs physically, a
strong man. The gospel net Of faith
is Il wide net, a long net, a heavy net,
and unless supernatural power bc
given to the gospel fisherman he will
never he able to handle it, How could
Charles G.. Finncy have been able to
lead thousands and tens Of thousands
OF immortal sous 10 tAriSt unless hc
had been spiritually Il strong man. III
ms own strength as gospel hShorhah
Ae could 90 nothing, but with Christ
/ Ae coUld 90 al tHlhSs. 10 SNOW now
absolutely Mr.. lhhey depended upon
olTiii' strength TOR the hahuIIhE 81 tAe
gospel net On" Ot my p!H llttSpurE
elders used to tell me OF remarEabic
scene ne once witnessed III New
YORK thrat'r' Mr' flnn'| WAS preach
ING there ana the bu'lH'AS was packer
/ with people After the noted c'1hg'I-
/ !St had been Speahlng about ten MIN
.,nrn,,'ro, t,n .Ii,l,. S,'ir;t,. i,nrorno
l. NOT hon, to1ov Ivo must ,,ot tho ra.
orforon,non+ ~ tbo dirino ro,yor ols,
w.. ,r, haI,1oss ro+ -. ,,,.,,." U.il
+ho+ Ia, 1.,,l+ man n,o et,,.o ord J.,
,,,.,,.,,1 ,,r.,I ,ha .,,,tt.,,oo, ,,.,, ,,,ol+od
~ toorc Va rr,vod and such v.o.
tho rn.onforco,1nnt of divine stronctt
ot 4,,+ r,ootir,, tb.t u,o .,os.,l 1,n,
,.ot,ored rho sirnrrs iu l,y tho scor,
MA h,. +ho brrdrods oI+bo-oh d,riro
+bo+ nr+t,., ,o,.,ioa C,ror;,u - rirro,
ain nor nranch onotbor word nc
sipn1v proved -njoodinc,v nr,vod
How could John or Charles Wesley or
cooro, Nyhftonc,d mr. Cnorca >r,,IIor
mr. II 7 Mandy over hovo boudIod Tin,
,,.,,.l ,.., ,c H.. an ,,,,l,., l,o L,.