Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-03-14
THE DRAUGHT OF FISHES.
LESSON XII, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH te.

10 Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per.
mission Of H. S. Hoffman. publisher, Philadel
phia.
|. "The people pressed upon Him to hear
the Word of Col" Our last lesson left Him
on His tour through Galilee preaching the
Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all man
ner of sickness and all manner of disease
among the people Matt. iv, 30. We now
find Him again 10y the sea of Galilee, or, as
it is in our lesson, the lake of Gennesaret,
and probably at or near Capernaum, where
Peter lived Most of our Lords public life
was spent in thesneighborhood of this sea.
.. "And saw two boats standing by the
lake, but the fishermen were gone out of
them, and We're washing their nets" Two
or three of these fishermen had already been
with Je-u, some time, had seen His miracles
and heard His words, yet had not wholly
left their calling to follow Him
3. "He sat down and taught the people out
of the boat Having stepped into Simons
boat, He meeklv asks him to push out a lit
tie from the land, and sitting down, He from
/ the boat teaches the people as they stand an
| eagerly attentive crowd, upon the shore.
/ /. He said unto Simon, Launch out into
/ l,.ou,'h+~ Ni.,,, b,,-i,,, halt ,,i,.on +bo
p.e nj hi. h,or Ias,,s will NOW ro,r,rl MIN
/ for if mud torch him o+ tbo sorna ti,,e many
/ thi,... Si,,or boJ fo, a li+4Ia saosor croot..
fuIl,. oivon bi,ns.lf and his boat to fin. Master
/ for lTis work and NOW tlis ,,rociou. Lord
and Vo-to. j. ,i,,,+ to ,,i,,,. s7,.iaI attartion
to Sinor.s WORT Y, one over suffered loss
Inv ,ivip, ,ttnntiop to tba enaciol vyorl. of
cI,,i.+ I'1t ,,,,'.i4.,1- lo,.,, li.,,, Ilo.sl f,
ti,ne and at..,,it,. Ia. obnvin, Matt Vi 33 If
~, - "a RI. ,.l,.,. Ito win 500 to ol1 o.,,.n eads
/ hptt.r far than we could
J. MASTER. we have toiled all the night
and have taken nothinrn So replial Simon.
.onf.,,iu., their unavailinr toll and their
present need
q "Aud when they bod this done they in
closed n ,rra9t multitude of fishes. and their
nets brake So Whether it he n great fish to
swallow Jonah, or a smaller fish TO bring a
piece Of money. or nulhtudes of fish to fiji
those nets. all are obedient to Him who creat.
ed them. and vino also created Adam and
said unto him. Have dominion over the fish
of the sea"
I "Thev came and fll,d both the ships so
that they began to sink" We are told in the
tenth verse tuat James and John were MARI.
ners with Simon. and finding that he had
more fish than he could manage. he called his
partners and they found fish enourn to fill
both the boats to Overlooking. Our Lord
Jesus loves to have emptv vessels. ana not a
few. that he may fiji them When the woman
with the not of oil BEGAN to pour into the
amptv vessel, the oil kent COMING fill every
vessel was filed. When Jesus fed the thou.
sands they did nil eat and We're filled
s "Deplrt from me. for | am n sinful
man. O Lord This is the language of Simon
Peter rs seeing this GREAT miracle ne real.
lies somewhat in whose presence he stands.
and falls at Jesus knees with these words.
This is mart of the emptvinr process. n deem
conviction of sin as we see ourselves in Gods
sight # was so with lob. Isaiah. Daniel
and John dob xiii. >. 6: lisa. vi. J. Dan. \. 5:
Rev. i IN. and until il becomes 50 with MS
} there is no prospect of our beiu., much used
of God Observe that the name used all
throurb this lesson. except in this verse i,
not the new name "Cenhas.n or "Peter'
tJohn i. 42,. but the old name. indicatil.e the
natural man. SIMON and in order to serv-
ice for Christ there must be the constant and
persistent reckoning dead. Duttine or mon.
tifvinp of the old man with his deeds. and
the putting on of the new. thar the life OF
Jesus may he manifested in these mortal
bodies Roin ri. &. II: viii. 10: Enh w.
22-24. II Cor. iv. III.
0 For he was astonished. md NH that
were with him." The Revised Version say.
that n. wa, amazed So Saul of Tar,u, when
convinced of ul, sin on the way To Damascus,
"trc.lD.in.,an,l astonsacl." ,ail. 81. ord. what
wilt Thou have me TO dor We pur forth our
best effort, i'm most o,prnve1 fashion. and
labor uuwearyiurly for the salvation Of soul.
and for the ,l,.,..uin., of believers. bu- how
often we have to confess as to the result
"nothiug." In some unlikely way. and per
han, through some weak but empty vessel
the Spirit of God works. and we all stand
; astonished Our wisdom is confoluded. oul
plan, upset. and it becomes clorion,ly mani
fest that this is the hand of cod If We
would see the wonders of His grace. we must
wait ONLY upon Him.
10. And Jesus said unto Simon. Fear
not.r When convicted of sin we fail at Je
sus feet in our helplessness and unworthiness
Then il is that we hear His "Fear not. - on
when we. all unworthy, are willing to be YES
; sells for I'll, service Dan. K II 10. Rev i Il