The Art of Fishing
Concerning the art of fishing Dr. Henry van Dyke, that successful fisherman, distinguished author, and great preacher, has said: “The attraction of angHng for all the ages of man from the cradle to the grave lies in its uncertainty. ‘Tis an affair of luck. No amount of preparation in the matter of rods and lines and hooks and lures and nets and creels can change its essential character. No excellence of skill in casting the delusive fly or adjusting the tempting bait upon the hook can make the result secure. You may reduce the chances but you cannot eliminate them. There are a thousand points at which fortune may intervene. The state of the weather, the height of the water, the appetite of the fish, the presence or absence of other anglers enter into the reckoning of your success. When you go a-fishing you just take your chances. You offer yourself as a candidate for anything that may be going; you try your luck.
“There are certain days that are favorites among anglers, who regard them as propitious for the sport. I know a man who believes that the fish always rise better on Sunday than on any other day in the week. He complains bitterly of this supposed fact, because his religious scruples will not allow him to take advantage of it. He confesses that he has sometimes thought seriously of joining the Seventh-Day Baptists.
“But in fact, all these superstitions about fortunate days are idle and presumptuous. If there were such days in the calendar, a kind and firm Providence would never permit the race of man to discover them. It would rob life of one of its principal attractions, and make fishing altogether too easy to be interesting.”
While all this is true of angling it is not true concerning the art of fishing for men. When Jesus called His disciples He said: “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.”
He makes them fishers as to their office, by His call, which is twofold, outward and inward, by setting them apart to the office of the ministry; and it is our business to know whether we have it or not.
He makes them fishers as to success; that is. He makes them catch men to Himself by the power of His spirit accompanying the word they preach.
Thomas Boston once said: “What an honorable thing it is to be fishers of men! How great an honor shouldst thou esteem it, to be a catcher of souls! We are workers together with God, says the apostle. If God has ever so honored thee, O that thou knewest it, that thou mightst bless His holy name, that ever made such a poor fool as thee to be a co-worker with Him. God has owned thee to do good to those who were before caught. O my soul, bless thou the Lord. Lord, what am I, or what is my father’s house that Thou hast brought me to this?”
Just to prove that it is possible for us to be sure of success Jesus gives us the vision of His own gracious ministry and then sends out into the workmen like Matthew, a Collector of Customs, and of the opposite extreme a man like Peter, who was a profane fisherman; and both of them became equally successful in the art of man fishing; so that one can readily see that it is not a question of natural gifts but rather a question of absolute yielding to Him who stands ready to equip us with power and skill for this most wonderful work.
One of the most fascinating fishing pictures in the New Testament is found in the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel of John. The scene is on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus loved to be, and which was also an attractive place to His disciples.
After Jesus had been crucified and the disciples were as sheep without a shepherd they were gathered one evening upon the shores of the Sea watching the fishermen put out to their night’s work. There is a peculiar fascination about fishing. If once you have been skilled in this work nothing can ever wean you from it. And Peter was a real fisherman. With eyes flashing and face flushed he turns to his fellow disciples to say: “I go a-fishing.” His spirit stirs them and they reply: “We also go with thee.” It was a poor night’s work for them, for that night they caught nothing. Then there is given to us one of those beautiful gems of scripture in which the Bible so abounds, John 21:4-5-6: “But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then
Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered Him, no. And He said unto them. Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”
It is well worth our while to notice the difference between the close of the third verse and the close of the sixth. In the first we read: “They caught nothing,” in the second it is said “they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes,” How can you account for the remarkable change in results? — for you have the same sea, the same nets and the same fishermen. To my mind it is an easy problem to solve, and herein lies the secret of successful fishing for men. The first time they toiled in their own strength, the second time in the strength of their Risen Lord, The first time they simply exercised their own ingenuity and fisherman’s skill, the second time they obeyed perfectly the commands of Him who stood upon the shore saying: “Cast the net on the right side of the ship and ye shall find,”
Seated one day in my home in Philadelphia in conversation with the Rev, F, B. Meyer, I heard from him the story of his work in the interest of discharged prisoners. He was seeking to aid them by means of a wood yard which was equipped with a splendid saw set on a strong frame and turned by the men themselves. I was the more interested in this because I was seeking to do the same thing for some men in Philadelphia, and the financial results were practically the same. At the close of each week there was a deficit to meet. The wood yard scheme was most unprofitable financially. Then said Mr. Meyer: “There came to me a man who said, ‘Why do you not put a steam engine in your wood yard?’” -Following his suggestions, a little upright engine was set in operation and the first week the results were entirely different. Instead of losing money I found I had actually made a profit. Then said this distinguished teacher and preacher: “I can imagine myself talking to the saw, saying, ‘Old saw, what is it that has made such a difference in you? Up to this time I have always lost money by you and now see what a change.’ And if the old saw could speak,” said my friend, “I doubt not it would say, ‘Well, master, you see prior to this time I have had back of me the power of man, but this week I have been pushed forward by the power of steam.’” And that was the secret of the successful week.
I doubt not but that many of us have failed in our fishing for men because we have worked simply in the energy of the flesh. When back of us there is the power of the Risen Christ, success is very sure.
There are different ways of working. I know of one man who has given up everything, friends and home and comforts of every sort, that he may personally labor in behalf of the lost, and he has won men to Christ by the score. Some men may feel, however, that they have little strength or talent to do the personal work for Christ.
I was told the other day of a wealthy man in St. Louis, who listened to a discussion of personal Evangelism, who, when it was over, came to his pastor to say: “See here, I cannot do this work myself; first, because I am too busy, and second, because I am sure I have no talent for it, but if you will find someone whom you know and ask him to devote his whole time to winning souls, I will assume his financial support for at least six months,”
A certain Baptist minister who had toiled fourteen years in a certain church, never had a Communion Service that he did not have the joy of welcoming many people into the church and to Christ. Men wondered at his success. They studied his methods to find the secret of his power, all to no avail. When the pastorate came to an end and he was saying good-bye to those who could not say farewell to him, he came to an old bed-ridden saint who said to him: “Doctor, I have never heard you preach, but in all the time that you have been the pastor of our church, I have prayed for you without ceasing. Whenever I could not sleep I prayed and Saturday nights especially, I asked God for a great blessing to rest upon you on the morrow.” The secret was out. This aged Christian man had all the time been winning souls, although he could not leave his room and rarely left his bed. This is another way of doing this work for the Master, but whether we work, or pay or pray, it must all be in the strength of the Risen Christ who has promised not only to make us fishers of men, but to equip us with power to do the work. And when we work under His direction and leave it all with Him, what may have seemed to be insignificant in our sight becomes mighty in His, for when our weakness is coupled to His strength no difficulty is too great to surmount. Literally is it true that we can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us.
The story is told of an artist who fashioned a statue of an Angel from the marble and then sent invitations to his artist friends to look upon his work and criticise it. They were all loud in their praises. Michael Angelo came among the number, and the artist desiring to hear his comments without being seen, hid himself from view and with fast beating heart heard the great artist say as he examined the work critically, “It lacks one thing.” The poor artist was well nigh broken hearted when he heard what seemed to be an unfavorable criticism made by the master. After days of suffering he sent to Angelo to hear from his own lips what the lack might be, and he heard the artist say: “It lacks only life to make it perfect. If it had life it would move its wings and take its place among the angels in the skies, and would be as perfect almost as God Himself could make it.”
Whether our work be great or small it amounts to nothing until it has the Master touch and with that touch it is absolutely sure of being crowned with success.
In the New York Observer, of a recent date, Arthur Jloward Hall has emphasized this thought at the standpoint of a poet:
“Upon the canvas long the artist wrought. With brush and pallet through each weary day. ‘Alas!’ he sighed, ‘I but my faults display’; And sinking on the floor with saddened thought,
Soon fell asleep. The evening sunbeams caught Perfection’s lights and shades in rich array, Because the Master’s feet had passed that way — His skill had done what pity had besought.
“E’en so the Master who has gone above, Beholding how our work is crude and bare, In His own hands the tools doth often take, And by the strong transforming touch of love For our surprise and honor doth prepare. Perfection’s lines of beauty, ere we wake.’”
That distinguished preacher and soul winner, Rev. J. H. Jowett, of Birmingham, England, recently said in a sermon: “George Eliot was once listening to the complaints of some angling friends as they were describing their fruitless day’s work. Looking into their empty creels she said: ‘Yoti should make a deeper study of the subjectivity of the trout.’ That is a very suggestive word, and pregnant with significance for the fishers in the world of men. We must study the fish that we may find out what will win them for the Lord. All fish cannot be caught by the same bait. We must study the individual prejudices and habits and tastes. We must discover what will catch this man and that man, and address ourselves accordingly. I was once passing through a little village in the Lake Disirict, and there was a card in the shop window which gave me more than a passing thought. On the card were a number of artificial flies with this engaging head-line: ‘Flies with which to catch fish in this locality.’ The shopkeeper had nothing to say about the requirements of the Midlands. He had studied the characteristics of the fish in his own neighborhood, and he had discovered what bait provided the best allurement. We preachers must do it in our own localities. It was the practice of the Apostle Paul: ‘To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews.’ He became ‘all things to all men that he might gain some.’ He baited his hook according to the fish he wanted to catch. I don’t think we should fish with the same hook for Lydia and the Philippian jailer. It may be that we shall discover that a sermon will never effect the purpose. We may find out that a letter will do infinitely better work. Or it may be that a direct talk may be the requisite constraint. Or, again, it may be that a long conversation, apparently indirect and aimless, but quietly dropping one delicate hint, may win a soul for Christ. Study the fish!; “Learn from other fishermen I Other men will never make us fishers but they will make us better fishers. If we have the rudimentary gift their experience may help to enrich it. Let us turn to the expert fishermen and see if their ways and methods can give us helpful counsel. John Wesley was a great fisher; can we learn anything from him? Dr. Alexander Whyte has told us how he has made a patient and laborious study of John Wesley’s journals for the purpose of classifying all the texts upon which the great preacher built his evangel. Is not that a splendid discipline for anyone who wishes to become skilful in the great ministry? What did Wesley preach about? And how did he fit his message to the changing circumstances of his varying spheres? The Salvation Army has a great body of expert fishers. They lack many things, but they catch fish. How do they do it? We may dislike many of their ways, but what is it in their ministry which enables them to win multitudes for the Lord? What was the secret of Finney and Moody? And what is it about Torrey which constrains the people to become disciples of the Christ? Let us set about this investigation like men who wish to do great business for the Lord. Let us eagerly pick up any hints which these highly endowed and experienced men may be able to give us.
“‘It is a great matter to take a trout early in your trial. It gives one more heart. It seems to keep one about his business. Otherwise you are apt to fall into unproductive reverie.’ I know no word more closely applicable to the work of the ministry. If we do not catch men we are in great danger of losing even the desire to catch them. Our purposed activity is in peril of becoming a dream. Let me counsel my fellow-preachers in the lay ministry to make up their minds to catch one soul, to go about it day and night until the soul is won. And when they have gained one man for the Master I have then no fear as to what will be their resultant mood. The joy of catching a soul is unspeakable! When we have got one soul we become possessed by the passion for souls. Get one and you will want a crowd! And let me say this further word. Keep a list of the names of the souls you win for the King, and if on any day you are apt to be cast down,
lo and the lightness and buoyancy goes out of your spirit, bring out that list and read it over, and let the contemplation of those saved lives set your heart a-singing, and inspire you to fresh and more strenuous work. It is a good thing to have lists of the Lord’s mercies by which to drive away the clouds in a day of apparent adversity. Let your labor be directed to the immediate catching of men for the Lord. ‘It is a great matter to take a trout early in “^ your trial.’
“And now I will close this meditation by offering a suggestion which I obtained from an advertisement in an anglers’ paper some time ago. ‘Now is the time for your old favorite rods to be overhauled and treated with a steel tonic that will not fail to work wonders in the way of renewing their strength.’. And following this advertisement came this confirmatory testimonial: ‘I am glad to acknowledge that a very whippy gig-whip of a rod has been converted into a powerful weapon.’ My hearers will immediately perceive the spiritual significance of the words. There are times when we need the ‘steel tonic’ in order that our poor ministers may be converted into powerful weapons. And, blessed be God, we have the promise of this redemptive work in the very names in which the Holy Spirit is revealed to us. He is called the Renewer, the Reviver, the Restorer of souls, and by His baptism the poorest, weakest agent can be turned into a y powerful weapon. ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.’ Let us turn to our Lord
JT this very night, and seek for that renewal in the strength of which we shall turn to our work with multiplied possibility, and with perfect assurance of success.”