The log cabin Democrat., 1909-10-07

sunshine after shadow, and shadow after sunshine.
 All this for our good. Spring would be but gloomy weather had we noth- ing else but spring" If you have been uniformly successful in all your undertakings, you have not really been a success. Unless you have been developed by failure one side of your character is still undeveloped. These thoughts are illustrated by the | dealings of Jesus with the disciples in the miraculous draught Of fishes. We have here the good effects of failure and the good effects of sue | cess.
 (1) When it puts us to preparing for larger success. The fish were not running; the wind was in the wrong direction, or there was something the matter with the moon; anyway there were no fish to be caught. They toiled all night and had caught nothing but grass and mud. The grass and mud on the net, however. gave them some thing to do; they were not idle. In the flowing stream or on the pebbly beach of the lake they were washing their nets and preparing for fishing in the future.
 Has your health failed? God per. haps desires to lay you aside for a while that He may cleanse and mend the net. He takes the net in hand fin order that we may be cleansed aud mended for larger draught of suc- cess in the future. Whatever the failure, you may prepare. during the leisure that is given you. for the | larger success in the future.
 2. Failure has a good effect when 1t leads us to put what remains at the disposal of Jesus. Peter had no fish, but the boat was left If he had caught fish the boat would not have been clean, but this very failure made the boat more ready for occupation and as the crowd presses upon Jesus. almost pushing Him into the sea. Pe- ter brings the boat around, takes the Lord in, pushes a little from the land and sits and listens to His discourse to the people. Put into the hands of Jesus what remains of the wreck of faith, of business, of health, or of life, and He can use it for His glory.
 8. Failure has a good effect when it leads us to do what Jesus commands, regardless of apparent reasons against it. Peter thought there was no use in launching out and casting the net, but he yielded his own judgment to the judgment of Christ, submitting his will to the will of Jesus, and throw ing the responsibility of success upon Him. When We pursue that course, depend upon it, there will never be real failure.
 This brings us to
 The Good Effects of Success.
 l. They caught so many fish that their nets were breaking and by and by the boats were sinking. The great est failures of all the world have been successes large enough to sink the boats with men and nets to the bot tom of the sea And after We have succeeded in any undertaking it is difficult to hold our success. It is harder often to keep roney than to make it. Holding the fish m the net is more difficult than throwing the net around them.
 And this leads us to the second ef- feet Of success.
 2. The sense of unworthiness. Pe- ter was overwhelmed with con- seriousness of sinfulnesi as he stood in the presence of this miracle-work- ing God. Not only the power of Je- sus. but His purity, in contrast with Peters weakness and sinfulness, led him to exclaim, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord" The tendency of success is to puff us up and make us forget God, who gives us success. Peter might have said: "Oh. We might have caught the fish anyway; the presence of Jesus had nothing to do with it. We came out just at the right time" But he did not say it. he attributed the success to Christ. and his sense of unwortht ness humiliated him before the Lord
 8. The best effect of this success was promotion. From henceforth thou shalt catch men" Jesus at once promoted them from catching fish in Gailee to catching men in Jerusalem and in the world; from following a secular to sacred employment; from everyday routine work against wind and tide to everyday spiritual work against greater opposition: from working for money He promoted them to working for souls. And the climax of this promotion was the privilege of sacrificing for Him. They for sooE all and followed Him." Men who acquire much think they are sue