Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-06-15
TIL SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON n. SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATioNAL SERIES. JUNE 10.

8 Sven Of The disciples lad, under the
leadership Of Peter. gone afshing. But al
though they tailel al might they took
nothing. Perhaps Peter thought OF an
other night when they bad laborcd in vain,
but in the morning the Master filled two
boats. He was now no longer with them.
and perhaps it was His absence and their
need that led them at ihls time TO turn to
the old occupation.
s. In the morning one stood on the shore
whom they knew not and asked them II
they had any meat. They were compelled
70 confess their emptiness and helplessness
as they answered no. They should have
trusted Him unseen AS when He was visibly
with them Bat they were like ourselves,
very slow to learn and full Of doubts and
fears and unbelief
6. At His word they cast the net once
more and as on a former occasion when He
called them to forsake all they catch a
multitude Of fishes. lie changes not. His
power is ever the same. IL we would only
trust Him, we might always be filed with
iov aud peace from. XIV, l3l and know
somewhat of satisfied with the favor and
full with the blessing of the Lord" (Deut.
xxxiii, 23).
7. John, whom Jesus loved, was the first
to recognize the Lord. There must have
been some unbelief about the fishing bust
ness, else be might have known Him sooner.
1t was unbelief on the part of Mary that
caused her not To know Him (chapter XXX,
IA, for had she believed His words she
would never have looked for the body of a
dead Christ. The two who walked with Him
IN, aud Him Nj "A Ian
full of unbelief Q4uke xiv, 25). Ara so
always unbelief blinds the eyes CIIeb. iii, l9).
s. As soon as Peter heard John say ut is
the Lord, - he at once cast himself into the
sea to get TO Jesus, while the other disciples
came dragging the net with fishes. AS Pc
ter had led off In this going fishing, per-
haps he wanted word with the Lord
alone, that he might take the blame upon
himself and clear the others. As he had
led out, he would be the first TO lea2aback,
a thing not always so easily done, as Is seen
in the case OF Manasseh I'll Chron. xxxiii,
16, ~.
8. Without any efforts Of theirs, and with
out any of the fish that they had caught,
their breakfast was ready for them. They
might as well have trusted the Lord to care
for them, for they had testified that when
He sent them without purse or scrip or
SHOES IneN ndu HDllflilS \AtuhC AAite
3d. He will surely provide for all who truly
serve and follow Him, according to Phil. Nv,
10. We wonder if the fire of Goals made
Peter think of another fire of Goals when
he got into trouble Chapter xviii, 49,.
10. Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the
fish which you have now caught" AS If
they had done it. He wrought through
them and then gave them the credit of do
ing it, That is the way He does still. He
works in us, when we are willing both to
will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil.
ii, 49,, and then promises to reward us for
the works which we allow Him to do
through us (Rev. xxi, 12) Is not His name
truly "Wonderful?"
IL. On the former occasion the net broke
| duke v, o. but not so now, although it
contained 1853 great fishes. In III Chron. Ii,
II, we read that there were 1853, 600 strangers
in the land in the days of Solomon, whom
he employed to get materials for the tenn
| pie. We know that the sea represents peo-
pies and nations (Rev xvii, 15). and that
from the nations the Lord is gathering out
people for His name. to form great spir-
itual temple as a dwelling place for God
| (Eph. ii, 81, 22), and that Peter was the
first to open the door to the nations (Acts
XIV, 14).
IL. Jesus saith unto them, Come and
break your FAST OR. W See now why
| they Lad gone fishing. They were evidently
| hungry, had been fasting for some time,
| and no one seemed TO care. So 1t looked as
| If they must do something, but their some
| what was all in vain till He commanded
! Without Him all our efforts will amount
! to nothing John XIV, 81. He was visibly
before them now, and they saw His pro
vision for their need. Their lack of conf
/ dence in Him when invisible kept them
J from saying much.
ID. Jesus then cometh, and taketh
bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise"
J He is always serving and supplying and
| caring for His people. The Son of Man,
who came not to be ministered unto. but
| to minister (Math. Xxx, 2S), is still our High
! Priest with girded breast (Rev. /, 49, whose
! love and power combine for the best inter
ests of all who are His. "He who spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for
us all, how shall He not with Him also
freely give us all thingsi" (Rom. viii, 32.)
| IA. This is the third appearance to the
| disciples recorded by John; see chapter Xxx,
| 10. %. While it is probably the seventh APP
| pearance since the resurrection, it is the
/ third to any number of the disciples, the
other four being to Mary, who first saw
| Him; then to the other women, and after
ward to Peter, then to the two who walked
| to Emmaus, or possibly To the two before
He appeared to Peter.
Is. Lowest thou me more than theseP
| Did He ask Peter whether he loved Him
more than the other disciples loved Him,
because Peter had made the strongest pro-
LESSONS of love before the crucifxion (Math
XVI, 80, 35; John xiii, 80, or did He ask
Peter whether he loved the service of
| Christ, even though it should involve some
hunger and fasting, more than food for the
body such as had now been provideds We
! all need to remember that man doth not
| live by bread alone, but by every word of
God (Math. iv, a, and that it is possible to
| esteem the words Of His mouth more than
our necessary food dob xiii, l2).
I6. Lowest thou mes" The second time
| the question comes. but He does not add
smore than these" We sometimes hear
people testify in public as to how much
they love the Lori / confess it always
makes me feel that they would do better to
testify to the great love Of God to them, for
our love to Him is. / fear. scarcely thing
to be talked of in public. Let us manifest
| our love by caring for His sheep and lambs;
| by doing to Others as He would do were lie
here: by acting on Johns admonition, Let
| us not love in word, neither in tongue; but
in deed and in truth Il John iii, Isl
IL Lowest thou mey" The third time
the question comes. for il is a heart search
ing one Would Peter think OF his three
| fold denials Why was he grieveds How