The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-04-22
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Theme:
FISHING FOR SOULS.
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BY THEODORE L. cUYLER, D. D.
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OF 'FEODOHE L. COGLER, y, y.
Jesus Christ commissions His SER
wants to be "fshers Of men," A good
motto for ministers and Christian
people everywhere, anxious for largest
results, lies in Christ's command to
Peter on the shore of Galilee: Launch
out into the deepl" Peters reply to
his Master was that they had been
toiling all night and had caught no
fish; nevertheless, Lord" he says,
'at Thy word | will let down the net"
He was respondent, but not despair
ing. The command of his Lord is
enough to rally his faith. To the eye
of faith many things are clear that
to the eye of sense are exceedingly
dark. Faith sets the bow of Peters
little smack toward the deep water;
the FISH are there, and not in the shoal
water near the shore. So out into the
deep they pull: down goes the net,
and 10! such a great multitude Of
fishes are enclosed that two boats are
required to bring the abundant haul
safely to land.
Here is a lesson for pastors, Sun
day-schOol teachers, parents and all
who long for the salvation of souls
Perhaps last year was not a year Of
success Failure in any good under
taking is a calamity; it often breaks
the neck of weak Christians cour-
age Failure ought to provoke a true
Christian to fresh ardor, and new at
tempts to retrieve the losses of the
past. Failure has a reason for it. and
it ought to stir every honest heart to
the solemn inquiry: Whose fault was
it? God does not break His promises.
His injunction is: Be not weary in
your good work, for in due season We
shall reap. if ye faint not. Shallow
interest, shallow feeling, shallow pray
ing, catch no fish for the Master.
The minister who longs to convert
souls must lay hold of the deep truths
of God, and strive to penetrate the
depths of the hearts before him. Down
in the bottom of the unconverted
heart is the lurking depravity, the be-
setting sin, or the unbelief that keeps
the sinner from Christ; and the truth
must go deep to reach the roots. 1t
must uproot the sin to make conver-
sion thorough. My brother, you will
need strong doctrine to do this. Phil.
lips Brooks well said that mo exhorta,
ton to good life that does not put
behind it some truth as deep as eter-
nifty. can seize and hold the con-
science" Preach all the doctrine your
Bible gives you, and in love to the
sinners soul.
Fishing for souls is a personal work.
1t is not confined to the pulpit; every
man or woman who possesses faith
and an ardent love of Jesus should en-
gage in it. 1t is not a professional"
business, restricted to a few, and to
be done in set fashion. Nor is II to
be accomplished only by whole
church employing a huge net to bring
in a multitude of converts at a single
draught. Sometimes a powerful and
general revival does this. But conver.
sions follow individual effort with in
dividual hearts. A pastor often ac-
complishes as much by an hour OF
close friendly conversation as by
an hour of public preaching. The
Sunday-school teacher can reach his
or her scholars most effectually by a
private visit, and a faithful talk with
each member of the class. Personal
work does the business; each fisher
must drop his own hook; baited with
love. No one is scolded to Christ, yet
an unconverted person will bear
tremendously searching talk If 1t is
conducted in frank, tender spirit and
unmistakably prompted by affection.
The real aim must be persuasion, that
is, to persuade the sinner to let go his
sin and to lay hold of Jesus. He is
wise that winneth souls.
Pastors. teachers and church men,
bers are too often reluctant to take
hold of the hard cases" Sometimes
they are dismissed as past saving. The
fish that bite readily are easily caught,
but that inYeterate Sabbath-breaker,
or that hard drinker, or that open
scoffer, are too often passed by as
hopeless. That was not the fashion
of Peter and his fellow-fishermen, nor
should it be ours. The Almighty
spirit Whlch SuDdued saul or TarSuS
will attend us it, with strong faith, we
grapple with the most chronic cases
of open impenitence. Sometimes
these hopeless cases" yield the soon.
est, far sooner than some decorous
churchgoers who have become hard
ened under a thousand sermons and
through many seasons of revival; and
when a conspicuously irreligious per-
son is converted, the effect upon the
community is all the more powerful.
One thing is certain, and that is that
those Christians who in their daily
conduct, live nearest to Christ, will
win the most converts to Him. Let
us launch out into the deep, and let
us remember that the secret of sue
cess on Galilee was that Jesus was