Milford chronicle., 1902-08-01

vivaL Nearly all the mighty men or
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 great number Of sinners are
brought to Christ through the influ-
enee Of revival and then neglected
nobody looking after the converts. no.
body caring for them, nobody irving
to have them Identified with a Sunday
school class, prayer meeting, a Chris
tian 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 NeuchateI. 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 6G 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 nut
into practice this plain, simple plan:
whenever criminal was incarcerated
some one of their number was detailed
to look after that convict. In a 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
records OF that county Of Neuchatel
proved that by this gospel process the
number of the returned cOnyicts was
decreased over 80 per cent. Instead
Of GO per cent of criminals being re-
turned to the penitentlary for a second
or third term there was only 10 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 u 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 Chrlst'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 fourth
watch Of the night, or just about
O'Clock in the morning, Jesus was seen
walking toward them upon tire waves
Of Lake Galilee. And after the cruel
fixion, when Peter and his brethren
went back to their old avocatiOn Of
/ fishing, Jesus again appeared unto
them by the shores Of Lake Galilee
and told them to 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 mists are settling
too thickly around the gospel lifebOat.
Christ's care for his gospel fishermen
is n constant and tender care. In the
Scotch fishing villages the mothers and
wives and daughters Illustrate by a
beautiful custom which prevails among
them their care for their sons and hus-
bands and brothers who have gone off
to fish, When the fOgs settle down up-
on the coast and the lighthouses can no
longer be seen, the women go out and
sit upon the rocks. When the return
ing fishermen begin to approach the
shores and while yet unseen, they start
a fishers song. The loved ones wait