History of the Old Testament Volume 5, Part 18
Simon called.
AS the Sun in his firſt riſing, drawes all e…es to it; So did this Sun of righteouſnes, when hee firſt ſhone forth into the world; His miraculous cures drew Patients, his diuine doctrine drew Auditors, both together drew the admiring multitude by troopes after him. And why doe wee not ſtill follow thee, ô Sauiour, thorow deſerts and mountaines, ouer land and ſeas, that wee may bee both healed, and taught. It was thy word, that when thou wert lift vp, thou wouldſt draw all men vntounto thee; Behold, thou art lift vp long ſince, both to the tree of ſhame, and to the throne of heauenly glory, Draw vsus, and we ſhall run after thee; Thy word is ſtill the ſame, though proclaimed by men, thy vertue is ſtill the ſame, though exerciſed vponupon the ſpirits of men; Oh giuegive vsus, to hunger after both, that by both, our ſoules may be ſatisfied.
I ſee the people, not onelyonly following Chriſt, but preſſing vponupon him; euen very vnmannerlineſſe findes here both excuſe and acceptation; They did not keepe their diſtances in an awe to the Maieſty of the Speaker, whiles they were rauiſhed with the power of the ſpeech, yet did not our Sauiour checke their vnreuerent thronging, but rather encourages their forwardneſſe. Wee cannot offend thee, ô God, with the importunity of our deſires; It likes thee well, that the Kingdom of Heauen ſhould ſuffer violence. Our ſlackneſſe doth euer diſpleaſe theee, neuer our vehemence.
The throng of Auditors forced Chriſt to leaue the ſhore, and to make Peters ſhip his Pulpit; Neuer were there ſuch nets caſt out of that fiſher-boat before; whiles hee was vponupon the land, he healed the ſicke bodies by his touch; now that he was vponupon the ſea, he cured the ſicke ſoules by his doctrine; and is purpoſely ſeuered from the multitude, that hee may vnite them to him. Hee that made both ſea and land, cauſeth both of them to conſpire to the opportunities of doing good.
Simon was buſie, waſhing his nets: Euen thoſe nets that caught nothing, muſt bee waſhed, no leſſe then if they had ſped well: The nights toyle doth not excuſe his dayes work: Little did Simon thinke of leauing thoſe nets, which hee ſo carefully waſhed; and now Chriſt interrupts him with the fauour and bleſſing of his gracious preſence; Labour in our callings (how homely ſoeuer) makes vsus capable of diuine benediction.
The honeſt Fiſher-man, when hee ſaw the people flocke after Chriſt, and heard him ſpeake with ſuch power, could not but conceiue a generall & confuſe apprehenſion of ſome excellent worth in ſuch a Teacher, and therefore is glad to honour his ſhip with ſuch a gueſt; and is firſt Chriſts hoſt by ſea, ere hee is his Diſciple by land; An humble and ſeruiceable entertainment of a Prophet of God, was a good foundation of his future honour; Hee that would ſo eaſily lend Chriſt his hand, and his ſhip, was likely ſoone after to beſtow himſelfe vponupon his Sauiour.
Simon hath no ſooner done this ſeruice to Chriſt, then Chriſt is preparing for his reward; when the ſermon is ended, the ſhip-roome ſhall bee payd for abundantly; Neither ſhall the Hoſt expect any other pay-maſter then himſelfe: Lanch forth into the deepe, and let downe your nets to make a draught: That ſhip which lent Chriſt an opportunity of catching men vponupon the ſhore, ſhall bee requited with a plentifull draught of fiſh in the deepe: It had beene as eaſie for our Sauiour, to hauehave brought the fiſh to Peters ſhip, cloſe to the ſhore, yet as chuſing rather to hauehave the ſhip carried to the ſhole of fiſh, hee bids (Lanch forth into the deep:) In his miracles, hee loues euer to meet nature in her bounds; and when ſhe hath done her beſt, to ſupply the reſt by his ouer-ruling power; The ſame power therefore, that could hauehave cauſed the fiſhes to leap vponupon dry land, or to leaue themſelues forſaken of the waters, vponupon the ſands of the Lake, will rather finde them in a place naturall to their abiding (Lanch out into the deepe.)
Rather in a deſire to gratifie and obey his gueſt, then to pleaſure himſelfe, will Simon beſtow one caſt of his net; Had Chriſt enioyned him an harder taske, he had not refuſed; yet not without an allegation of the vnlikelyhood of ſucceſſe, (Maſter wee hauehave trauailed all night, and caught nothing; yet at thy word I will let downe the net.
The night was the fitteſt time for the hopes of their trade; not vniuſtly might Simon miſdoubt his ſpeed by day, when hee had worne out the night in vnprofitable labour: Sometimes God croſſeth the fayreſt of our expectations, and giues a bleſſing to thoſe times and means wherof we deſpayre. That paynes cannot be caſt away which we reſolue to looſe for Chriſt.
Oh God, how many doe I ſee caſting out their netsin the great lake of the world, which in the whole night of their life hauehave caught nothing; They conceiue miſchiefe and bring forth iniquity; They hatch Cokatrices eggs, & weaue the ſpiders web; he that eateth of their egs dyeth, and that which is troden vponupon, breaketh out into a Serpent; Their webs ſhal be no garment, neither ſhall they couer themſelues with their labours.
Oh ye ſonnes of men, how long will ye louelove vanity and follow after lyes? Yet, if wee hauehave thus vainely miſpent the time of our darkeneſſe; Let vsus at the command of Chriſt, caſt out our new-waſhen nets; our humble and penitent obedience, ſhall come home laden with bleſſings, (And when they had ſo done, they incloſed a great multitude of fiſhes, ſo that their net brake:) What a difference there is betwixt our owne voluntary acts, and thoſe that are done vponupon command; not more in the grounds of them, then in the iſſue? thoſe are oft-times fruitleſſe, theſe euer ſucceſsfull: Neuer man threw out his net at the word of his Sauiour, and drew it backe empty; who would not obey thee, ô Chriſt, ſince thou doſt ſo bountifully requite our weakeſt ſeruices?
It was not meere retribution that was intended in this euent, but inſtruction alſo: This act was not without a miſtery; He that ſhould be made a fiſher of men, ſhall in this draught foreſee his ſucceſſe; The kingdome of heauen is like a draw-net, caſt into the ſea, which when it is full men draw to land; The very firſt draught that Peter made after the complement of his Apoſtleſhip, incloſed no leſſe then three thouſand ſoules. Oh powerfull Goſpell, that can fetch ſinfull men from out of the depthes of naturall corruption: Oh happy ſoules, that from the blinde and muddy cells of our wicked nature, are drawne forth to the glorious liberty of the ſonnes of God. Simons net breaks with the ſtore; Abundance is ſometimes no leſſe troubleſome then want; the net ſhould hauehave held, if Chriſt had not meant to ouer-charge Simon both with bleſſing and admiration: How happily is that net broken, whoſe rupture drawes the fiſher to Chriſt. Though the net brake, yet the fiſh eſcaped not; Hee that brought them thither to be taken, held them there till they were taken, (They beckened to their partners in the other ſhip, that they ſhould come and help them;) There are other ſhips in partnerſhip with Peter, he doth not fiſh all the lake alone; There cannot be a better improuement of ſociety, then to helpe vsus againe, to releeue vsus in our profitable labours; to draw vp the ſpirituall draught into the veſſell of Chriſt, and his Church: wherfore hath God giuen vsus partners, but that he ſhould becken to them for their ayd in our neceſſary occaſions? Neither doth Simon ſlacken his hand, becauſe he had aſſiſtants. What ſhall we ſay to thoſe lazie fiſhers, who can ſet others to the drag, whiles themſelues looke on at eaſe; caring onelyonly to feede themſelues with the fiſh, not willing to wet their hands with the nett?
What ſhall wee ſay to this exceſſe of gaine? The nets breake, the ſhips ſinke with their burden: Oh happy complaint of too large a capture! O Sauiour, if thoſe Apoſtolicall veſſels of thy firſt rigging, were thus ouerlayd, ours flote and totter with an vnballaſted lightnes: Thou, who art no leſſe preſent in theſe bottoms of ours, lade them with an equall fraight of conuerted ſoules, and let vsus prayſe thee for thus ſinking.
Simon was a skilful Fiſher, and knew well the depth of his trade, and now perceiuing more then Art or nature in this draught, hee fals downe at the knees of Ieſus, ſaying, (Lord, goe from mee, for I am a ſinfull man.) Himſelfe is caught in this net: He doth not greedily fall vponupon ſo vnexpected and profitable a booty, but hee turnes his eyes from the draught to himſelfe, from the act to the Author, acknowledging vileneſſe in the one, in the other Maieſty; (Goe from me Lord, for I am a ſinfull man.)
It had beene pitty the honeſt Fiſher-man ſhould hauehave beene taken at his Word: Oh Simon, thy Sauiour is comne into thine owne ſhip to call thee, to call others by thee vntounto bleſſedneſſe, and doeſt thou ſay, Lord, goe from me? As if the Patient ſhould ſay to the Phyſician; Depart from me, for I am ſicke. It was the voyce of aſtoniſhment, not of diſlike; the voyce of humility, not of diſcontentment: yea, becauſe thou art a ſinfull man, therfore hath thy Sauiour neede to come to thee, to ſtay with thee; and becauſe thou art humble in the acknowledgement of thy ſinfulnes, therfore Chriſt delights to abide with thee, and will call thee to abide with him; No man euer fared the worſe for abaſing himſelfe to his God; Chriſt hath left many a ſoule, for froward and vnkinde vſage, neuer any for the diſparagement of it ſelfe, and intreaties of humility. Simon could not deuiſe how to hold Chriſt faſter, then by thus ſuing to him, to be gone, then by thus pleading his vnworthineſſe.
O my ſoule be not weary of complaining of thine owne wretchedneſſe, diſgrace thy ſelfe to him that knowes thy vilenes; be aſtoniſhed at thoſe mercies which hauehave ſhamed thine ill deſeruings; Thy Sauiour hath no power to goe away from a proſtrate hart; Hee that reſiſts the proud, hartens the lowly (Feare not, for I will make thee hence-forth a fiſher of men.) Lo, this humility is rewarded with an Apoſtleſhip: What had the earth euer more glorious, then a legacy from heauen? He that bad Chriſt goe from him, ſhall hauehave the honor to goe firſt on this happy errand; This was a trade that Simon had no skill of: it could not but be enough to him, that Chriſt ſaid, I will make thee; the miracle ſhewd him, able to make good his word; hee that hath power to command the fiſhes to be taken, can eaſily enable the hands to take them.
What is this diuine trade of ours then, but a ſpirituall piſcation? The world is a ſea; ſoules like fiſhes ſwim at liberty in this deep, the nets of wholſome doctrine, draw vp ſome to the ſhore of grace and glory; How much skill, and toyle, and patience, is requiſite in this art? Who is ſufficient for theſe things? This ſea, theſe nets, the fiſhers, the fiſh, the veſſels are all thine, ô God; doe what thou wilt in vsus, and by vsus; GiueGive vsus ability and grace to take, giuegive men will and grace to bee taken, and take thou glory by that which thou haſt giuen.