SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8986, 17 September 1892, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

LAUNCHING OUT: ADDRESS ON HOW TO SUCCEED. [BY THE REV. JOHN M'NEILL.] "Launch o'it into (he deep, and let down your nets for a draught."—Luko v., i. Our subject is " Launching out; letting down; leaving all." While these men were fishing for fish our Lord was fishing for the fishermen, and splendidly they tumbled into his net. 1 am face to face to-day with a company of fishermen, or intending fishermen. And, after all, Christ's great difficulty is not with the fis.li—the great sea of humanity ; His difficulty is to get the fishermen into His hands—to teach us His ways, and get us to walk according to His instructions. Notice how all this came about. These men had toiled all night and caught nothing At the close of his sermon Jesus Christ asked Simon to launch out and let down the nets for a draught. His word of command is pregnant with meaning. When the Lord steps on board a man's boat, there is no more ownership or mastership with him. Christ takes command. We need to remember that when the Lord is awayand in a time of weak faith, or doubt, or formalism, He is virtually away — WE FLAY NICE GAMES on board the boat. See, for instance, how we divide it up into sections and compartments. There are the rough, honest fellows in the forecastle; there are others in the waist of the ship ; while the superior officers are away back on the poop-deck. But when the Master's presence is realised the best of us is only a deck-hand ; the thing for us to do is to bend our back and fish. Then there is no standing apart and looking at these rough fellows, who do not know the original documents, and to whom Jehovah and Elohini are the same thing. Honest, hard work is sublimed by the Master's presence into something for which the angels might well leave their blissful seats. " Launch out into the deep." Alas! to a far too great extent we are timid ; we are but poor shrimpers ofttimes among the shallows. There are deeps. What deeps there are in Good's Word! What rocking deeps in His promises ! What depths in His ETERNAL FATHOMLESS PURPOSES ! What profound deeps in the Christ of God ! The pity of it is that we think we know. We have been so lons.' in the ministry, so long engaged in the work of fishing among souls, that we think we are journeymen now. Like Simon, we are experienced fishermen, born and bred and trained to the business. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ dared to show that He knew more about fishing than these fishermen. It was not that there were not plenty of fish ; yet the most experienced of the fishers had toiled all night and taken nothing. There is only one thing more uncertain than success in catching fish, and that is success in catching men. Here is a vivid parable for us all. Let us be like little children in tie Master's .hand — hearing Hi? voice as He steps on board and the boat yields to His weight. Have we lost faith, enterprise, inventiveness, or ingenuity? He comes into our congregation, our ministry, or our church, and He bids us forget the things, that are behuid. " Behold, I make all things new. You will see and you will do new things. Discovery and well - directed enterprise will break out on the right hand and the left, for I have come." It is when we reach the low point of utter failure and exhaustion that we TAP THE STRENGTH OF GOD. The miracle of the barrel of meal comes when the meal is exhausted, and we are like to tumble in, scraping our nails aloug the bottom of the barrel. " Into the deep." God has taken me away on a mighty deep. For years I hesitated and hung back, afraid to venture. I knew the inshore fishing better, and had good success ; there was no need to leave it. But God can step in and cut away all fastenings, and He has launched me out into the deep. He has the same blessing for you as for me. Well may the Breton fisherman's prayer come into our mind as we launch out with Jesus, and the caller air of eternity begins to fan our faces, and the mighty swell 01 the ocean tide lifts the billows : " Have mercy upon me ; my boat is so little and Thy sea is so great." " We have toiled all night and caught nothing." What a suggestive combinationnight and nothing. And how beautiful is the combination in the next verse, MORNING AND THE MASTER. A splendid combination when the Master comes. " Weeping may endure for a night; but joy cometh in the morning." Oh ; for some " new business !" as the commercial traveller would say. _ I rejoice in this evangelistic work— peripatetic" they call it—because there is new busiuess in it. It is true one does not always get a cordial welcome. Some " houses" will not do business with us. Some clergymen will not look near us. In oue place a brother minister (and he was not an Established Church man one of the "Government Trawlers") intimated our meetings, but said he did not take much stock in these " EVANGELISTIC CARPET BAGGERS." I am not a carpet bagger. I carry the same kind of bag as my brother does himself—one in which the shirt and the sermon can both lie full length without any damage to the starch in either! Dear brethren, let us face the worst. Do not manufacture evidences. If souls are being saved, you will not need to be in any doubt about it, but you cannot manufacture the thing. "Nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net." Simon wanted to let the Lord know that he was an authority on fishing matters, and that if this new" venture was not a success he would have something to say about it later on. Just as in our Presbytery meetings there are those who reserve their right to enter a caveat when any new scheme is on hand, and to say, should it happen to miscarry : " I told you so." If brother Simon must use his breath, it would have been quite as easy for him to say " Hallelujah " as " Nevertheless." Really there would have been NO PARTICULAR MERIT in Simon's doing what Christ told him, instauter, and without a single word. Christ might have said to him : " At my word ' the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water;' at my word light came, and the heavens were studded thick with stars, and the hills forsook their fixed seats." So there is not a* share of merit in implicitly, at Christ's word doing what we never did before, or never dreamt of doing. But suppose the fish had not come, how wise, how unbearable, Simon Peter would have been. And I tell you, my brothers, we may keep the fish from coming. If the Lord sees that we are more anxious to safeguard our own reputation than to run risks for Him in a day of rebuke and blasphemy, He may leave us to our little concern for our reputation. We are desperately far astray. There is something wrong with us. This Glasgow of ours is a mighty sea, and IT SWARMS WITH FISH. There is no fear of the Lord doing His part. Are we ready to do ours ? Of all kinds of evangelical alliances that I care for is the alliance of all the denominations flocking together for some big take of sinuers. I have no objection'to our Keswicks and our Retreats, and so forth, but commend to me the bringing together of the fishermen for a big haul. I sometimes wonder a little if the Lord is present in such power as we are told at some of our conferences when there is no great" take." Pentecost was a great revival of spiritual life, but it was a magnificent ingathering of souls. I must confess that, in my own spiritual life, if I ever take a step forward it is when the Lord condescends to save souls at my hand. Nothing should deepen the spiritual life more quickly, or produce greater humility, brokenness of heart, and conviction of sin, than when the Lord deigns to give some success. God grant the time may come in all our congregations when the brethren shall beckon to their partners in all the churches to come and help them in a big take. We never lose sight of our poor denominational divisions so much ! as when we are busy saving souls. God give [ us all such blessing that we shall be compelled to say, " Withhold ; I can take no more." It is in the Master to doit.' Oh, that we could trust him tor it! ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE WAY. NOT FOR DESTRUCTION, BUT FOR BENEFIT. We saw a deep trench dug around some olive trees, and it was suggested that this was preparatory to their being felled, and

! the roots torn up. Yet it was not so, for th« I trench was meant to hold the manure which would make the olives live more vigorous] and fruitfully. Many an affliction has seemed to threaten a Rood man's destruction. but it has turned out to be a special means A grace, by which lie has been greatly blessed It may be well for tried ones to remembei this when the Dresser of the vineyard is die ping about them with His sharp spade. }{, aims at increased fruit, not at destruction THE ROYAL COURIER. When Her Majesty the Queen desired to winter in the south of France, she sent a courier, a man of great judgment and circumspection, to select a suitable place for her sojourn. He went to several towns made many inquiries, and gave to each spot his own personal inspection, and at last we saw it announced that the royal residence for such a time would be at Hyeres. This care in the selection of a retreat for royalty is most benefitting, and no one wonders at it; but what shall we say of the privilege enjoyed by Israel expressed in such a text as this, " The Lord your God went in the way before yoj, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in?" Here the Great Chief acts as courier for His subjects God Himseli becomes the pioneer of His people ! Whal He did for Israel in the wilderness, He does for believers still; and each one of them may well say, " Thou shalt choose mine inheritance for me." LOOKING UNTO JESUS. A friend writes me from Bordighera : "As Mentone is in sight of my hotel windows, my thoughts often take wings across the bay, and inquire, 'How is Mr. Spurgeon to-day?'" Our thoughts will depend upon the turn o! our mind. Which way are we looking? It may seem a small matter, and yet upon it the whole of our life may turn. if our eyes are towards the Lord we shall commune with Him. If we are looking unto Jesus, His name, person, work, and coining will often be suggested to our minds. Oh, that the window of our heart may look due eust towards Calvary ! May the eyes of our expectation be lifted to the hills, whence cometh our help! May we look towards the heavenly Jerusalem, from which our Lord will shortly come THE DISTAFF OF PATIENCE. The old woman of the peasant family cannot do much of the hard work of the house, and so she sits down in the sun with her distaff, and spins all day long- This must Ido while I am laid aside, and am told that my recovery is hopeless unless I practice an enforced idleness. If I cannot work with the plough of public ministry, I will spin with the distaff of patience. I fear that many ,1 woman will beat me, for the sisters are great at endurance; but still I will do my best. What a tread of never-ending goodness have Ito spin! My happy work will never be done, for there is ever more to follow than I am able to draw out. Ever tolling is the tale of loving kindness ; but never is it fully told. O my soul, never weary of work sc simple, natural, and profitable ! ' THE UNBELIEVING DOG. A lean and hungry dog was in the public way, and a compassionate heart took pity upon him. A biscuit was bought, and he was called to eat it; but when his benefactor came near him, he turned and showed his teeth, and barked viciously. Nevertheless, a piece of food was thrown to him, but this also he for the moment resented, as if he thought it had been a stone cast at hint. It was not long before he saw his mistake, and seized the bit of biscuit, and looked eagerly, yet very cautiously for more. Poor dog, he was unbelieving, and could not think that a stranger would feed him. Have not we also, in our folly, turned upon our best Benefactor, spoken against the Lover of our souls, and regarded his choice gifts as if they were evil instead of good? What angry barks have many of us given in answer to the tender calls of divine love ! Yet we have not the excuse of our canine doubter ; he had been so badly used in former times that he had learned to be distrustful of that cruel creature, man. We have never had an unkind act or word from our ever good Creator, God.— C. H. Spurgeon, in Sword and Trowel.

HIMSELF. "HIMSELF HATH DONE IT." Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord. Once it was the feeling. Now it is His word. Once His gifts I wanted, Now Himself alone. Once I sought for healing, Now the Healer own. Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect- trust. Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost. Once 'twas ceaseless holding, Now Ho holds me fast. Once 'twas constant drifting, Now my anchor's cast. Once'twas busy planning. Now 'tis trustful prayer. Once 'twas anxious caring, Now He has the care. Once 'twas whit I wanted,, Now what Jesus says. Once 'twas constant asking, Now 'tis ceaseless praise. Once it was my working, His it hence shall be. Once I tried to use Him, Now he uses me. Once the power I wanted. Now the Mighty One. Once I worked for glory, Now His wi'l alone. Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He's mine. Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine. Once for death I waited. Now His coming hail. And my hopes are anchored, Safe within the veil.