The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1905-01-20
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
PETERS ReNuNclsTioNS."
The Rev. Dr. John Humpstone Draws a
Lesson Prom Chapter in the Life OF
simon Pei.r-He Gave Himself Unre-
servedly 10 Jesus Christ.

BROOKLYN. y. Y. - Dr.. John Hump
atone, pastor ot Emmanuel Baptist Church,
preached SUNDAY morning sermon on
The Life and Character Of Simon Peter,
the special subject being Peters Renun-
ciations. The text was from Luke N;s.
10, II: When Simon Peter saw IL, he fell
down at Jesus knees, saying. Depart from
me; FOR l am sinful man, q Lord.
And Jesus SAID unto Simon. Fear not;
IRON hencetOrth thou shalt catch men.
And when they had brought their shins 10
land: they torsook all and followed Him
Dr. Humpstone sand.
Ii was the second decisive day IN the
ufe OF Simon Peter--a dav OF destiny.
Months ago IN Judea he had followed has
brother into the presence oi Jesus; for the
nrst time he then saw. and heard the Mes.
siah. With Peter 10 see and hear was IN
-tant,y 10 decide He became a disciple,
forthwith. In the interval, Peter has been
some of the time IN company with his Mas
ter, hat much OF ~ at ms business. tollng
and tratfickng; meditation his constant
avocation: 20 testify of the Christ TO 9th
ers, as he met them IN the contacts of the
strand or the market, has habit and his
pleasure. No laggard. hali-hearted discl'
pie would Peter be. We are sure. HIS zeal
and enthusiasm would lead HIM rather 70
Overwork the role OF advocate: 20 urge
men with heat and energy "a accept the
Messahshp OF Jesus even before they
were ready. There Is an unwritten chapter
OF Peters lie as only q disciple, which
would be- well worth the reading. If we had
IL. After ITS perusal We should toe less
disposed than now We are 10 think that
usefulness IN Christ's service ls necessarily
connected with ordination thereto as an
exclusive calling. There could hardly be n
more effective showing OF what mere
disciple can do for MS Master and mis- fell
low men than this lost leaf OF Peters bio.
graphy would furnish Ii this were not
the case you may be sure Jesus never
would have called Peter this Gay to the
continuous opportunities OF the ministry;
nor. later, 10 the weighter responsibilities
OF The apostolate.
For an incipient crisis had been precipi
tated m the career OF Jesus as Messiah. His
rejection at Nazareth was the cloud. no
bigger than a mans hand that. never,he-
less. pOrtended the final distant storm
burst OF hate unto death. from which
there would be no escape tor HIM. Re
JeCted by HIS own aiter the flesh. II was
time He was gathering HIS own after
the spirit and preparing them 10 he HIS
perpetrators ard internrcters. So He left
Nazareth TO take up His residence az Ca
pernaum, that Tie might be near the most
prominent and promising OF the groun OF
| HIS early disciples What though these
were only a quartet OF hshermenl The
Lord saw not as men saw. but with the IN
hlENt OF one VINO knew Nndt was IN fnau.
and needed not that any should testify OF
man" He knew the time had uow come
TO seDarate unto Himself and the service of
His kingdom the founders of His church.
HIS eve saw every precious possibility IN
their nature He Disseminated them one
irom another, approaching the individual
ltv OF each, and vet discerning their com
phmenfal temperameDtS and qualifications.
/ With HIM 10 feel was TO act; when His
hour had come He never deferred.
Ia the ear,v morning. therefore, lie be-
took Himself TO the lakes shore There
Ne found the multtudes already astir.
The people Were abroad. as the manner IS
IN the East. with the break of day: taking
the AR, hasting on their eTrands. following
each his beat. But soon Jesus berame the
centre OF their interest and attention. The
lame OF HIM was a,readV everywhere. To
see Him was TO wish to hear Him. with an
eaRerness that would not he refused Ac-
companled bv n continually enlarging
crowd He reached the nlace where the men
He sought were washing and mending
their nets after n night of unrewarded toll
on the lake. The boats were drawn up on
the beach. in the midst Entering the one
that belonged 20 Simon Peter. He asked
HIM 10 thrust out little from the land"
that He might use the boat for n pulpit.
from which to address the crowd. 1t was
10 Peter He turned His first thought when
He set about the business of selecting His
future ministers. Whatever pre-eminence
aiterward belonged 70 Pet@ was deter
mined by the Lord Himself from the he
ginring. He knew the qualifications for
leadership that were IN hun He knew
also every abatement OF hls fitness 10 be
first. But the elements that Indicated his
gilt Of precedence outnumbered the weak
nesSes which continually threatened his
prmacy So II was Peters boat lie elected
20 enter. 1t was around Peters personal
ity chiefly. that He chose 10 nucleate the
incidents OF His calling Of the four whom
He wond now detach from their business.
that theN mIght hcncetorth glve all their
time and thought 10 Him and 10 His ms
son
Two distinct preDaratons He arranged
for the issuance and acceptance Of the call
itself The first was a sermon from the
boat to the multitude. Alas that the dis
course Is unrecorded What a lesson 10
would be as 30 what preaching ~ at its
best. Sitting IN the shadow of his Master
that dav. watching now the Speaker, now
the audience. Peter got his first introduc-
ton TO the science and the art OF public
discourse Tor religious ends When. by
and by, he became himself preacher, We
may be sure that his discourses reflect the
Lords manner ard copy His method.
The sermon finished. followed a miracle:
itself a symbol OF the aim and end Of
preaching Launch out into the deep and
Jet down the nets for a drauSht, was the
DeremDtory word Of Jesus 90 Peter. when
Has discourse was done. Then followed
swon's characteristic exclamation peter
esque 90 the utteTmostD "Overscer, we
have toiled all night and have taken moth.
ing; nevertheless az Thy word / will let
down the net A. If he should have said
Thou, Lord, art the one 10 command. j
10 obey. ] have not seen too much OF Thy
power and presence 20 refuse But ] have
my own idea OF the usplessness Of such a
proceeding under the conditions. Expe.
rience ~ worth something. especially IN
fishing Over went the net, at last. and
in came the FISH as 10 was hauled So
many were the captives that both Peters
boat and johns. suddenly summoned 20
help. were filed almost 20 the sinking
point.
The effect upon Simon Peter was instsn-
taneous and overpoweTing. AZ in a fash
Of thought he saw. A. be never had seen
felt. as he never had known. the differ
ence between his Lord and himself Over
against the Masters divine power his own
helplessness and ignorance stood forth as q
black blot on a white surface He who
had but Just now assumed that air and
professional superiority. slight though IL
was who had hesitated 90 trust implicitly
and 90 follow without question or protest
the wisdom and the precept Of his Master
how was he 80 for discipleshIpy In the
momentary anguish Of his spirit awed by
the vision first Of he Lord then Of him
self he proposed 20 renOuuce his peculiar
and personal relation % Jesus Christ Il
am not worthy that Thou shouldst stay in
my boat or ! in Thy fe,loPship," e1clams
Peter even a. he clasus hs Lords knees:
agc fcrfb frrrn no - ard frr 4 an . |