The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1905-02-24

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and personal relation to Jesus Christ. Il
am not worthy that Thou shouldst stay in
my boat or | IN Thy fellowship" exclaims
| Peter even as he clasps his Lords knees:
ego forth from me, 0 Lord, for | am a
sinful man"
But this is precisely the act of renuncia.
ton that Christ will not let any disciple
| OF His make, though his infiPmities be
! many and his self-will assertively strong
He knows that when. in some time of SUI.
preme illumination, His disciple gees him.
self in silhouette against the brightness OF
his Masters glory and power the sense of
righteous self-depreciation will be oyerpow-
eringly strong. But never yet did Jesus,
never will He answer accedngly the de-
spalring, desperate cry of a soul thus
searched and scorched by the sense of the
contrast between himself and his Lord.
For He is come not to call the self-approv-
ing in their vain confidence, but sinners
in their penitence and humility to a better
knowledge of themselves and of Him. He
who could see where the fishes swarmed in
their multitude in the hidden deep knew
also the innermost heart of His disciple,
and saw under all his frailtv the frmness
of his rocklike constancy and the fXity Of
his nascent faith. No man need expect
Christ to leave him because he knows HIM
self sinful The moment when he is most
painfully and abasngly conscious of his
weakness and inferiority is the instant in
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 u.s. When we think, such il
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.
Sc |Io hnrr 81 ,.,o1 70 Nd
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 oe spiritual growth and the first
foundation stones in the edifce of a dis
ciple's usefulness. Spiritual sensitveness
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
companionship with Christ, and TO con-
slant work for others, under His direc-
ton Then and there, as one Of four, did
DlnOD J6CPr make LudC supreme E6uuuCld-
ton, which, because it was made at mis-
own command, and was the manifestation
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 done the like are fit or compe.
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 hush
ness man Of such energy must have had,
and the enthusiasm for his occupation as
fisherman which evidert.y, to the last. he
felt if we are observed to note the latent
evidences in the gospel stnrv that the bust:
ness hitherto had hourished and pros
rered, 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 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 sacrifcal use of present
possessions for the common good. 1t is
frequently said, disparaginglv Of Peters
remuneration of the world and its good,
''It was a little all that he left" and
Peter has been criticised, for himself, re-
ferring, at a later day, to the sacrifice he,
with others, now naGe-"a boat, few
nets, dirty and old. an occupation espe-
cially laborious and in some features of j:
repellant to men of ordinary refinement"
was what he left, we are told, Well! per-
haps it was so; more likely it was other
wise. But whether the call" were little or
much. Peter left it; left it instantly, utter.
ly and without regret. He transferred
himself in profoundest faith and liveliest
gratitude to Jesus Christ and His. service
exclusively, forever. For Christ's sake,
the works sake, the worlds sake. he re-
give himself and all he had unreservedly |
to Jesus Christ And Christ welcomed, |
applauded and has abundantly rewarded |
the sacrifice. 1t is surrender not asked |
of every disciple, but in proportion as any |
disciple approXimates its spirit of faith |
and conservation, in that measure will ne |
realize his competcst spiritual life. 1t is |
sacrifice. compl9ter 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 |
word, and its spirit Of gain getting, will |
his largest spiritual power and widest IN
huence be realized. Here stands Peters
noble example of remuneration for Christ's
sake, upon the pages of scripture. summon
ing lis all. from our vain seeking for ma
terial good as the all of life and from our
IlSDOSIllOu 10 Keep NldC VIC nave ShtNOh
rs exclusively as our own. Chrlsts dlsc-
oles belong to Christ, and all they have is
His; whether they are called to use it all
n His more immediate service or not
Let every servant OF Jesus beware of los
ng his life in the effort to save and cher
sh it. For what is a man profted II he
'hall gain the whole world and lost his
,oul?"
Surely the incentive to such sacrifices is
rot wanting in the light of Peters subse-
Juent career. On that later day, when the
'ich young ruler had gone away Borrowing
because he had great possessions, and was
therefore unwilling to make the renuncia-
ion, which, in his case. Jesus had asked
o save him from the cancer of avarice,
which was eating out his life, Simon Peter,
fter the Lord had discoursed little on
he deceitfulness and hindrance OF riches
lnduly loved. said, 30, we have left our
,wn and followed Thee Whereupon
.,aoI;oI EEUor;lxy + unto x-O,,