The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-02
THE V1RGlNlANS WEEKLY SERMON
THE CRY OF THE FISHERMAN

1--WE have toiied ali night and taken
noshing The disciples Of our Lord
were, for the most part, fishermen OF
Galilee They knew the meaning of
toll, of hardshjps- perhaps Of hunger
and want
The life of q fisherman IS. from the
very nature Of the calling a most UNI
pertain enc For those who follow the
Sfurrnws of the sea" like those who
follow the burrows Of the land, are not
always enriched by the harvest.
Thus the night Of failure which had
come 80 Peter and his fellow fisher
men was no new experience (But
Hso is ever fully prepared for dis
appointment
1t had come before. and would come
again end again II was a part OF
the great game Of 1ife-the checkered
career OF the ro{lers of the sea.
The Savtour's command 10 Petor,
That he launch out into the deep ana
let down his nets for draugnt. must
have stirred the fishermans soul to
the deepest depths Of sorrow. He was
already acately conscious OF failure.
Had he not toiled all night and taken
nothing And the Master was telling
him to launch out into the deep and
let down his nets for draaght. II,
Was one Of the hardest things the
Ma ter had required Of him. and his
SEick.
s There was nothing new In It. It
& Eas the conventional cry Of the ages
NA tow Yearfully familiar and normal II
#WasD. And vet it was not the cry
pI waaklings, as the world measures
men.
Eli5ah had uttered II centuries ne
pre-, while the glory OF Mt Carmel
H. Hs vet upon his brow John the
aptist hAlkshut recently re-echoed it
kron the EAny dungeon of Machae-
aS1sis. II waS~hot the cry Of towards
|4t was the human cry of carnaI re
n Gction--a law as natural as the laws
OF birth and death
And, after all, humanity gpealfne
tnere was some reason for this cry.
They had failed, after honest eff
Inrt. when one feels that one has
none one's best. faced the stern tsau es
OF life and fought ones fight braVe1y--
oniy to stare helpIessiy into he face
oI failure, II lis enough ia wiring the
cry Of discoaragemen from the heart
II Is easy TO smile with success 70
EA1i smooth seas, To boast when the
battle Is going your way. But TO re-
main calm and undisfna yee In failure.
70 make port in the storm, 70 conduct
= cool and orderly retreat-fheae are
the true tests of strength or of weak
ness These will discover and deter
mime tho mettle of manhood
victor Hugo ia Lea Misera b1es -'
depicts Napoleon. the hero Of Austen
fifz and Marengo and Jena--the Ma
poieon who. with the tri-calor in his
hand, had forced the bridge at Lodi
retxeatTng from Waterloo; cona1er44
And crestfa4lef, like a common peasant.
DsIeat had found tnc weak place in
nls armor. and no was conquered nj
iast by greater general than the
Iron Duke of Wellington: the gen
~ nj
Despair"
Yet. Departing as was this cry ri
the fisherman. it was nevertheless the
very cry the Saviour wished TO bear
throughout endless ages his ear had
been aftuned to catch that cry Of nu-
HIan neipiessness, rising to heaven
from the deep seas of human need
Ihe shepherd heart of the scarlet mir
Inrllied TO that far faint cry when
TIE morning stars first sang together.
we nave toiled all night All who
can say he did not think OF the night
9. san through which for ages, no star
Or hope had burned 10 beam the gold
less men? ''' 80
refers confession of failure ry4rst
nave tonched the deepest well -v3,rinp
OF the Masters plying soul He had
come 70 heal the heartsick, and to holm
the helpless.
| AtfNA AbGfl1 the limit OF his
power, and was no longer aelf-satfs-
Hed and seif-sufficient He had touch
Gu Wsth helpless hands the great dea,f
sai OF mas weakness The fingers ~
asssn fiad relaxed. ana the hands ~
s We're READY, at the Masters bio
s' 80 iet down the nets into the
sea Tho Master was ready a. },I,.
hirn nov. And how gIor1ousrv,
The heather proverb teaches fl,,,
s 1ls soos help those who help them
sFNes out our God helps iis NV hsln-
ang us OUT of ourselves
~ any man be IN Christ. ha is
nsn creature. Old things are passed
- oeno3d @4t things are become
80" for Ne are dead. and yo,!r
Afe is md with Christ la Cod"
suli ~ ter and the disciples had
prouPht lnto play the very elements
shat are essential TO success
=. Iney had been active They had
lolea. Doubtless their arms srIji
Aeted from the strain Of casting tFa
nets. and from the struggle Win NJ
eea- None Of them had hoped far
success without effort
~ IN equally true IA the spirftual
word that success comes only 10 tbt.ae
Nho ffy Labor omnia vincit.' Is mo-
mere empty, nigh unding phrasr- %,
IT, Iitahl ngleSs motto. Ard the expires
sion mo cross. no crown" ls IA as
tlnctly spiritual truisrn
1he Apostle Paul has condensed
volumes in the brief declaration
Faith without works ia dead
attn may be classically beautifu1
and artisticaIly perfect without works
But its beauty is that Of a marble
siatue--glitter1ng ana graceful bur
cold as Geath--e form Of goodness
aud heart Of stone AS such IL
can only adorn: It can never bless
Ihey had 'loi!ed. - and 10 one familiar