Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-10-24
C-,alr,,ase
Sermon
BY Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee, ID. d.

Los Angeles. Cal, Oct. 2O.--That the
heaviest sorrows and trials Of life may
be transformed into the greatest snlrit.
ual blessings If, instead Of giving wav
TO hopeless depression, we show forti.
tude by the faithful performance Of
our daily duties is the teaching of thif
sermon The text is John xxi. 3, 81 "a
a-fshing."
| A great tragedy seems to associate
itself with the scene in which it took
place. If we witness a railroad COLI.
| sion or n carriage accident or a trac ic
death OF any kind we cannot pass tho
| place in which it occurred without hay.
Ing the sad event recalled to toe mem.
Org. Especially is this the case when
the tragedy involved the death Of ono
We loved. If you lived in another part
of the country, would you not at once
want TO go home and stay among tho
home scenes and try to blot out tho
hideous spectacle which you had been
| compelled to witness? We'll. that il
Just what Peter and some of the dis.
ciples did after Jesus was laid away
! In the tomb. Come" they cried to
each other; "let US get away from this
| cruel city of Jerusalem. Let us 20 back
to Galilee near where we were born
and where we lived when the dear
Lord called us TO leave our nets and
become fishers Of men," 50 they mack.
ed up their belongings and started
| north for the Zebulon hills. They turn.
ed their backs upon the great walled
in capital and the temple and sought
the scenes of their childhood aud Of
their early communion with Christ.
Methlnks ] can see them now walk.
ing along The sun was shining just
MS bright then as during some of tho
walks they had taken with him. Tly
birds We're singing just as sweetly. Il
was the springtime. All the flowers
were in full bloom-the wild flowers
which Jesus so loved. The sheep wers
pasturing upon many hills. The grass
was green and soft. As the weary
travellers rested for the lunch hour II
did seem as though nature cared not
whether its Creator was living or dead.
Oh, their hearts were so crushed and
bleeding. The farther they got away
from Calvary the more their grief
seemed to bow them down. The hard
est times of sorrow do not come dur
ing the hours of the funeral, but after
ward. Then the house is so lonely,
the arms SO empty, the loved voices 50
still. Everywhere the pilgrims went
they could see his dear face and hear
him speaking. Christ a score Of times
had travelled with them over this same
road and rested by these same springs.
Peters First Impulse.
When they reach home the same un.
utterabe grief abides with them. They
try to cheer each other up, but 1t is nc
use. One afternoon toward evening as
the sun was sinking In the west these
disciples are again gathered together
to talk over the past | hear the rough.
brusQue, impulsive Peter speak up. He
says: Men, | cannot stand this any
longer. Every time l think of hi:
trial and death I hear myself denyln;
him. Then l see that sweet face turn
ed In pity upon me, as when the cock
crew twice. l must do something IL
rouse myself out of these recolectious
Of the past. III go a-Gshing.' With
that Peter starts to find his old boat
and his nets. And all the other discl-
Plies say, I'VE hlso 90 with thee"
They descend the hills to the yebbled
beach. They get out the old oars
They fill the bottom of the boat with
the nets. Off they pull. As l see that
boat going farther and farther away
from shore l see Christ, the loving
Christ watching his dear disciples
They cannot see him. but he sees them
Some practical gospel truths arise In
nay mind as | think of the impulslve
words of this most human of all the
apostles when he said. Il 90 a-tishing,'
and the other disciples answered, IVA
also go with thee"
Peter, starting for the nets on ths
sea of Galilee. shows, IN the first place,
the never ending grip the habits OF
early youth take upon our minds and
hearts. What we learn before dfteer
years Of age we seldom forget. You
have often heard of Old people coming
to their second childhood. This means
that when the hair IS white and tie
step infirm an aged man may forget
what he did in his twenties and thir-
ties and IN his middle life, but he rare
y forgets what he did us little child
He may forget his wife and chlldre..
but. as rule, he never forgetS his
mother and father and brothers and
sisters. 1t is no unusual sight to hear
an old man calling his sons and dausl.
ters by the names Of his brothers and
sisters and plaintively talking 10 his
wife as though he were little child
addressing his mother The places an
Old man dreams about most are the
scenes Of his early boyhood. the brooR
which ran through his fathers mead
Hw lands, the old schoolhouse where he
studied his primer. bis old trundle
bed. the nuts he used to crack and tss
red apples he used 70 eat on winter
evenings before the cracking logs OF
the old family ireside.
Mr.. Moody emphasized this truth In
another way. He said: THE older
grow the harder it is for mo to learn
Scripture. As a preach l am con,
tinually committing to memory new
Bible texts and chapters, yet I very
soon forget them. But the Scriptures
verses which ] learned at my mothers
kuee | have never forgotten. The les.
sous which she taught me are more