Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-01-26
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
An ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED,
.'PETER'S 7ENUNclATtoNs."

The Rev. DR.. John Humpstone Draws =
Lesson From q Chapter In the Life OF
Simon Peter-He Gave Himself Unre-
servedly to Jesus Christ.
BROOKLYN, n. Y. = Dr. John Hump
stone, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church,
s'The Life and Character Of Simon Peter,''
the special subject being Peters Renun-
clatons:, The text was from luke v:8,
10, IL: "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell
down at Jesus knees. saying. Depart from
me: for l am a sinful man, 0 Lord.
And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not;
And when they had brought their ships to
land. they forsook all and followed Him"
DR.: Humpstone said:i
It was the second, de:isiE5 3ay in the
life of Simon Peter-a day of destiny.
| Months ago in Judea he had followed his
| first time he then saw and heard the Mes
| siah. With Peter, to see and hear was in
| stantly to decide. He became disciple,
I forthwith. In the interval, Peter has been
some of the time in company with his Mas.
| ter; but much of it at his business, toiling
avocation; to testify of the Christ to 9TH
ers, as he met them in the contacts of the
strand or the market, his habit and anis
pleasure. No laggard, half-hearted disci-
pie would Peter be, we are sure. His zeal
and enthusiasm would lead him rather to
men with heat and energy to accept the
Messiahship Of Jesus, even before they
were ready. There is an unwritten chapter
Of Peters life as only disciple, which
would be we'll worth the reading. if we had
it. After its perusal we should be less
disposed than now we are to think that
usefulness in Christ's service is necessarily
connected with ordination thereto as an
exclusive calling. There could hardly be a
more effective showing of what a mere
disciple can do for his Master and his fell
low men than this lost leaf of Peters bio
graphy would furnish. If this were not
the case you may be sure Jesus never
would have called Peter this day to the
continuous opportunities Of the ministry;
nor. later, to the weightier responsibilities
Of the apostolate.
For an incipient crisis had been precipi-
tated in the career of Jesus as Messiah His
rejection at Nazareth was the cloud. no
bigger than mans hand, that. neverthe-
less, portended the final distant storm
burst of hate unto death. from which
there would be no escape for Him. Re-
iected by ''His own" after the flesh. it was
time He was gathering ellis own after
the spirit and preparing them to be His
perpetrators and interpreters. So He left
Nazareth to take UP His residence at Ca
pernaum, that He might be near the most
prominent and promising Of the group of
His early disciples. What though these
were only quartet of fishermen! The
Lord saw not as men saw, but with the IN
and needed not that any should testify of
man" He knew the time had now come
to separate unto Himself and the service of
His kingdom the founders of His church.
His eye saw every precious possibility IN
their nature. He Disseminated them one
from another, approaching the individual
, itv of each, and yet discerning their COM
plimental temperaments and qualifications.
With Him to feel was to act; when His
"hour' had come He never deferred.
In the early morning. therefore, He be-
took Himself to the lakes shore. There
He found the multitudes already astir.
The people were abroad, as the manner is
2 in the East, with the break of day; taking
the air, hasting on their errands, following
each his beat. But soon Jesus became the
; centre Of their interest and attention. The
fame OF Him was already everywhere. To
. see Him was to wish to hear Him, with an
: eagerness that would not be refused. Ac-
= crowd He reached the n ace where the men
He sought were washing and mendine
] their nets. after night Of unrewarded toll
on the lake. The boats were drawn up on
. the beach, in the midst. Entering the one
that belonged to Simon Peter, He asked
MIN to thrust OUT nLtle from Lne ldnQ
t that He might use the boat for pulpit
), from which to address the crowd. It was
. to Peter He turned His first thought when
He set about the business of selecting His
future ministers. Whatever pre-eminence
s afterward belonged to Peter was deter
. mined by the Lord Himself from the be
:, ginning He knew the qualifications fol
= leadership that were in him. He knew
{. also every abatement Of his fitness to /.
p, first. But the elements that indicated his
e gift of precedence outnnrabercd the weak
nesses which continually threatened his
primacy. So it was Peters boat He elected
: to enter It was around Peters personal
n ity, chiefly, that He chose to nncleate the
. incidents of His calling Of the four vhor
/ He would now detach from their business
IS that they might kenceforth give all theil
e time and thought 20 Him and to His mis-
&c sion.
- Two distinct 2-aparations He arrange
i for the issuance and acceptance Of the cal
u itself The first was c sermon from tn
it boat to the multitude. Alas! that the Gis
= course is unrecorded. What lesson i
= :, would he as to what preach -ng is at it
L best. Sitting il the shadow Of his Maste