We are, as a matter of fact, working amidst unseen and tremendous forces. We talk about the power of God. The power of God! Why, He keeps the whole universe going, twenty million suns always moving on through space. He alone knows whither they are going. Twenty million burning suns! look at the power of that; think what power that alone implies! and then think of the saving power of one drop of blood shed upon the Cross, when you consider Who it was that hung there. Think, again, of the wonderful influence, the downrush of the Spirit: some of you have seen it in missions; we believe in it at every Confirmation. We are really in touch with most tremendous powers. If we had more faith we should be better fishermen. Therefore we do want a stronger faith in our Lord Himself, always at the heart of our work, a real living faith in a living Lord with us all the time.
(6) And then, sixthly, we must fish for men one by one. Of course, we can have great concerted movements. I shall never forget a midnight march through Westminster at half an hour after midnight on a Saturday night. We swept like a net, bringing quite twenty young men out of every public-house. As we counted them in the church school, we could see that most of them were three-quarters drunk. We could see what would be prevented if the public-houses of London were shut earlier, as, indeed, they now have been during the war. It has benefited Russia greatly that she has abolished the whole vodka traffic. We could not take pledges that night from those men: they were not in a condition to make them; but the Church of England, with all her great organisation, ought to be able to prevent that sort of thing, and catch these souls one by one. Here comes in the need of personality; we must talk to each of these young men, provide somewhere else where he may spend his evenings, and remember that you can only catch fish one by one.
(7) And the last point of all is that, to be successful, the fishing-fleet must be kept together. You really are a fishing-fleet, and not merely individual fishing-boats. When a deanery is kept together, it shows a brotherhood, a cohesion, which is a very beautiful thing to see. To a large extent you are such, but, still, even the best-worked deanery can resolve to work more together than they have done, in happy co-operation, the clergy and people of each parish taking an interest in another's parish, rejoicing in its successes and praying for it in its troubles. If the whole deanery meets regularly for united intercession, this must have a great effect upon the mission work in the district. It must have an effect also upon mission work among the heathen for the Church at home to feel part of the same fishing-fleet as the Church abroad, the workers in one ship beckoning to their partners in the other ship to come and help them.
Well, then, take back with you these simple thoughts which I am trying to put before you as your Bishop and fellow-priest. Pray to be made more keen, more alert, more active and enthusiastic messengers. Pray to be skilful, patient, thorough, good physicians, and kinder celestial surgeons. And, perhaps above all, pray to be hopeful, faithful fishermen; go out together as a fishing-fleet on the great ocean, believing in all the possibilities which lie beneath the surface; realise the presence of your Master directing from the shore the whole fleet. And then at the end of all things, in the morning of the great day, you will have a harvest of souls to draw to the shore to His feet.