The Port Gibson reveille., 1905-01-19
1 SERMON FOR SUNDAY
An ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED.
PETERS RENUNcIATloNs."
THE Rev. DIR. John Humpstone Draws
Lesson From y Chapter in the Life Of
simon Peter-He Gave Himself Unre-
servedly TO Jesus Christ.

BROOKLYN, N. Y. - DIR. John HUMP
stone. pastor Of Emmanuel Baptist Church,
preached Sunday morning a sermon on
NThe Life and Character of Simon Peter,
the special subject being Peters Renun-
Citations" The text was from Luke v:S.
4 10, IL: when Simon Peter saw il, he fell
down at Jesus knees, saying. Depart from
me; for l am a sinful man. o Lord.
And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not;
And when they had brought their shins to
land. they forsook All and followed Him."
DR.. Humpstone said:
1t was the second decisive day in the
/ life Of Simon Peter-a dav Of destiny.
Months ago in Judea he had followed his
brother into the presence Of Jesus: for the
/ first time he then saw and heard the Mes.
siah. With Peter, to see and hear was in
stantiy to decide. He became q disciple,
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
and traficking; meditation his constant
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 his
pleasure. No laggard, half-heartcd disci.
pie would Peter be, we are sure. His zeal
and enthusiasm would lead him rather to
Overwork the role Of advocate: to urge
men with heat and energy to accept the
Messiahship Of Jesus. even before they
were ready. There is an unwritten chaOter
OF Peters life as only a disciple. which
would be well worth the reading. II we had
/ It. After its perusal we should be less
disposed than now we are 10 thfnl, that
usefulness in Christ's service IS necessarily
connected with ordination thereto az an
exclusive calling. There could hardly be
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.
gaphy would furnish. If this were not
the case YOU NAV be sure Jesus never
would have called Peter this dav to the
continuous opportunities Of the ministry;
nor. later, to the weightier responsibilities
Of the aposto'ate.
For an incipient crisis had been nrecini-
lated 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 bate unto death. from which
there would be no escape for Him. Re-
ieeted by "His own" after the flesh; it was
time He was gathering Ellis own after
the spirit and preparing them 70 be His
perpetrators and internreters So he left
Nazareth to take IN His residence at Ca
Dernaum. that He might be near the most
prominent and promising OF the groun Of
His early disciples. What thoagh these
were only a quartet of hshermenl The
| lord saw not as men saw. but with the IN
1 sight Of one who "knew what was in man.
and needed not that any should testify Of
man." He knew the time had row 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
from another, approaching the individual
itv of each. and vet discerning their cOm-
Diimenta! 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
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-
comDanied bv continually enlarglng
crowd He reached then ace whore the laen
He sought were washing and rending
their nets after a night Of unrewardec toll
on the lake. The boats We're drawn uD on
the beach, in the midst. Enterinc the one
that belonged to Simon Peter. He asked
him h "thrust out little from the and
that He might use the boat for g nulpit,
from which to address the crowd. 1t vas
to Peter he turned His first thought wacn
He set about the business of selecting His
future ministers. Whatever pre-emirencc
afterward belonged 70 Pete~ was det"r-
mined BY the Lord Himself from the be-
ginning. He knew the qualifications for
leadership that were in bin. He knew
also every abatement Of his fitness to be
first. But the elements that Indicated his
gift Of precedence nutnumbered the weak
nesses which continually threatened his
primacy. So it was Peters boat He elected
to enter. 1t was around Peters personal
ity chiefly, that He chose to nucleato. the
incidents of His calling of the four whom
He would now dctaeh from their business,
that thev might henceforth rive al their
time and thought to Hin and to Ills Llis-
sion.
Two distinct prenarations IIc arranged
for the issuance and acceptance O. the call
itself. The first was a sermon from the
boat to the multitude Aiasl that the dis
course is unrecorded. What c Lesson It
would he as to what preaching is It its
best Sitting N the shadow Of his Master
that dav. watching now the Sneaker, row
the audience, Peter got lis lrst iatroGuc-
discourse for religious cpdc. When. by
and by, lie became himself g preacher. &c
rlay be sure that his discourscs reject tlc
Lords manner and copy His method
The sermon hniahed. followed 2 miracle:
itself a symbol Of tho aim and end OF
preaching: Launch out into the Ceep and
let down the nets for q drau-ht.' was the
peremDtory word OF Jesus t. Peter. when
His discourse we done. Then followed
Simon's characteristic exclamation tPeter-
esoue to the uttermost): "Overscer. we
have toiled all night ard have taken moth
ing; nevertheless az Thy word / will let
down the net" As If be should have said:
"Thou. Lord, art the one to command.
to obey. / have not seen too much Of Thy
mower and presence to refuse. But / have
my own idea OF the uselessness Of ouch
proceeding under the conditions. Expe-
rience IS worth something, especially IN
fishing" Over went the net. at last, and
in came the fish as it was hauled. So
many were the captives that both Peters
boat and Johns, suddenly summoned to
help. were illed almost to the sinking
point.
The effect upon Simon Peter was instan-
taneous and overpowering. AS in a fash
of thought he saw, as he 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 a
black blot on a white surface. He who
had but just now assumed that air and
professional superiority, slight though 1t
was: who had hesitated to trust implicitly
and to follow without question or protest
the wisdom and the precept Of his Master
how was he fit for disc'p,eshipy In the
momentary anguish OF his spirit. awed by
the vision first OF his Lord. then OF him-
and persoral relation to Jesus Christ. Il
am not worthy that Thou shouldst stay in
INV boat or / in Thy fellowship" exclaims
Peter even as he clasps his Lords knees:
ego forth from me. 0 Lord, for l am a
sinful man."