The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-10-22
Ca(n1aQe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaee. D. D.


be transformed into the greatest spirit
ual blessings if, instead of giving way
! to hopeless depression, we show forti
| tude by the faithful performance of
our daily duties is the teaching of this
sermon The text is John xxi, 3, Il 60
u fishing"
| A great tragedy seems to associate
| itself With the scene in which it took
| place If we witness railroad COLI
| sion or a carriage accident or a tragic
death Of any kind we cannot pass the
place in which it occurred without hav
| ing the sad event recalled to the mem
DRY. Especially is this the case when
! the tragedy involved the death of one
we loved. If you lived in another part
of the country would you not at once
want to go home and stay among the
| home scenes and try to blot out the
hideous spectacle which you had been
compelled to witness? Well, that Is
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 go 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," So they pack
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 and OF
their early communion with Christ
Methinks | can see them now walk
ing along. The sun was shining just
as bright then as during some OF the
walks they had taken with him. Ife
birds were singing just as sweetly. 1T
was the springtime. All the flowers
were in full bloOm-the wild flowers
which Jesus SO loved. The sheep were
pasturing upon many hills. The grass
was green and soft. AS the weary
travellers rested for the lunch hour it
did seem as though nature cared not
whether its Creator was living or dead
Oh, their hearts were SO crushed ana
bleeding The farther they got away
from Calvary the more their grlef
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 so
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 spfings-
Peters First Impulse.
When they reach home the same I'M
utterable 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
brusuue, impulsive Peter speak up. lie
says: Men, cannot stand this any
longer. Every time l think of bis
trial and death hear myself denying
+ him. Then | see that sweet face turn
ed in pity upon me. as when the coch
crew twice must do something tt
rouse myself out of these recollections
of the past I'll go a-ishing." With
that Peter starts to find his old boat
and his nets. And all the other disci
pies say, 1--WE also go with thee"
i They descend the hills to the pebblet
beach. They get out the old oars
I They fill the bottom of the boat witt
! the nets. Off they pull. AS see tina
boat going farther and farther ava!
from shore / see Christ, the loving
Christ, watching his dear disciples
They cannot see him, but he sees them
Some practical gospel truths arise II
nv mind as think of the impulsiv'
| words of this most human of all tn
I apostles when he said. II go a-flshing.
. and the other disciples answered. "W'
also go with thee"
Peter, starting for the nets on thu
sea of Galilee, shows, in the first place
early youth take upon our minds ant
hearts. What we learn before fifteel
I years Of age we seldom forget Yo'
have often heard of old people coming
to their second childhood. This mean
that when the hair is white and tn
= step infirm an aged man may forge
|; what he did in his twenties and thin
ties and in his middle life. but he rare
ly forgets what he did as little child
He may forget his wife and children
but. as rule, he never forgets hi
q mother and father and brothers an
sisters. 1t is no unusual sight to hea
an old man calling his sons and daugt
tiers by the names of his brothers an
sisters and pIaintiyely talking to hi
wife as though he were little chill
addressing his mother. The places a
old man dreams about most are tn
3 scenes of his early boyhood. the broo
which ran through his fathers mea6
ow lands the old schoolhouse where b
studied his primer. his old trundl
bed. the nuts he used to crack and th
red apples he used to eat on winte
evenings before the cracking logs 9
the old family fireside.