The Penn's Grove record., 1905-01-20

HIS disciples experience when Jesus is
surest to turn encourager and ~restorer Of
His own. When we are determined to say
the worst of ourselves He is busy making
the best of rs. When we think. such Is
our sense of unworthiness. that He and
we must part company, then He is most
resolved never to leave nor to forsake us.
Fear not" rings out His word of cheer.
This is the beginning Of richer life and
wider service. Henceforth thou shalt catch
men," For the knowledge Of self and the
distrust of self it arouses, and the knowl-
edge of Christ. with the confidence in
Christ it awakens - these are the first
shoots OF spiritual growth and the first
foundation stones IN the edihce Of a dis
ciple's usefulness. Spiritual sensitlveness
is the condition of ministerial effective
ness. 1t is the man who knows he is not
fit to minister whom Christ can make so.
Therefore. when the boats with their
marvellous freight Of fish, had been brought
to land. did Jesus ask Of Peter and his
partner that surrender of themselves to
service, which involved the separating Of
themselves from every other interest and
occupation to exclusive and continuous
eompanionship with Christ. and 20 con-
slant work for others, under His direc-
ton. Then and there. as one OF four. did
Simon Peter make that supreme renuncia-
ton, which. because 1t was made at mis-
ONA NohlAudllu. dIa was LiC hadhAlNobakASl
Of faith. and the proof Of love. the Lord
accepted, and forever after blessed: They
forsook all and followed Him" 1t was a
sacrifice of conservation which only those
who have lone the like are fit or eompe.
tent to judge. If we are ready to put-our-
selves in Peters place, to face the indeter-
inmate future as he faced it, that day: to
think of the kind of interest in his bush
ness a man of such energy must have had,
and the enthusiasm for his occupation as
fisherman which evidently, to tine last. he
felt: If we are observed to note the latent
evidences in the gospel story that the busi-
ness hitherto had hourished and pros
pered, so that Peter and his associates
dwelt in comfort, bordering on the edge,
at least. of competence, estimated by the
standards of that land and age-then we
shall know what a venture OF faith and ex-
preston Of confidence in his Lord Peter
made when he left all for Christ, giving up
the chance of future gains and binding
himself to the sacrificed use of present
possessions for the common good. 1t IS
frequently said. disparagingly, of Peters
remuneration of the world and its good.
ut was n little all that he left" and
Peter has been criticised. for himself. re-
%ferring. at n later day. to the sacrifice he.
with others, now made-"a boat, a few
nets. dirty and old. an occupation espe-
cially laborious and in some features OF Vt
repellant to men of ordinary refinement"
was what he left, we are told. Well per-
haps it was so: more likely 1t was other
wise. But whether the "alP' were little or
much, Peter left it; left it instantly, utter
w and without regret. He transferred
himself in ~profoundest faith and l~iveliest
gratitude to Jesus Christ and His service
exclusively, forever. For Christs sake.
the works sake, the worlds sake. he re-
nounced his former life and ambitions. to
give himself and all he had unreservedly
to Jesus Christ. And Christ welcomed.
aDplauded and has ab~undantly rewarded
the sacrifice. 1t is a surrender not asked
of every disciple, but in proportion as anv
disciple approximateS its spirit Of tdth
and conservation, IN that measure will he
realize his completest spiritual life. 1t is a
sacrifice eompleter even than IS asked OF
every disciple called to an exclusive min
istry: but only to the degree that the min
lister of Christ can detach himself from the
world, and its spirit OF gain getting, VIII
his largest spiritual power and widest IN
huence be realized. Here stands Peters
noble example of remuneration for Christs
sake. upon the pages OF scripture, summon
ing us all. from our vain seeking for ma
terial good as the all Of life; and from our
disposition to keep what we have gotten
as exclusively as our own. Chrlsts disei-
pies belong to Christ, and all they have Is
His: whether they are called to use 1t all
in His more immediate service or not.
Let every servant of Jesus beware of los
ing his life in the effort to save and cher
ISL it. For what is a man prohted II he
shall gain the whole world and lost bis
soul?"
Surely the incentive to such sacrifices is
not wanting in the light of Peters subse-
quent career. On that later day, when the
rich young ruler had gone away sorrowlng
$500 l. IL --I.A -a--a--aNnz and WAS
therefore unwilling to make the r%enuncla
ton, which. in his case. Jesus had asked
to save him from the cancer of avariee,
which was eating ont his life, Simon Peter,
after the Lord had discoursed a little On
the deceitfulness and hindranee OF riches
unduly loved, said. 80, we have left our
own and followed Thee" Whereupon
Jesus replied, verify / say unto you,
there is no man that hath left house. or
wife. or brethren, or parents. or children.
for the kingdom of Gods sake, who shall
not receive manifold more In this time:
and in the world to come eternal lite.
And has not that promise been abundant
" fulfilled in Peters case! On thinks
not so much of the eternal distinction that
has come to him in the veneration Of mui-
tudes who think of him as the foremost
apostle of the church: nor of a memorial
to his name so magnificent as that which
rears its lofty. graceful dome to the Ro-
man sky. but Of the unfolded fulness OF his
spiritual life as registered in his epistles;
of the influence he has exerted upon men
from the Pentecost onward: of that pecu-
| liar e~fHuenee of help and cheer which he
| ever has exhaled through his individual
need for painful discipline and his equally
| triumphant realization Of a purified and
ennobled character, grown strong and lux
uriant out of the very soil of its MANY in
| frmities. Surely the remuneration of ST.
mon Peter was not in vain. either for HIM
self or for the world. What that little.
life Of his might have remained to be~oB
| deteriorated to become, IN its narrow Sy-
Ran round, if he had refused the call OF
Christ, who can adequately say? But the
| imagined contrast between what he would
then have been and what he now IS SUIT
fees to move US to the swift acceptance
of every proposal Christ makes to Us. and
the speedy answer to every call of HIS fol-
ourselves and our service, at whatever
present cost that answer must be given.