chap. I.] THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 37 



that these our four Fishermen should have a priority 

 of nomination in the Catalogue of his Twelve Apos- 

 tles, Mat. x. 2-4. Acts i. 1, 3., as namely, first St. Pe- 

 ter, St. Andrew, St. James, and St. John, and then the 

 rest in their order. 



And it is yet more observable, that when our bless- 

 ed Saviour went up into the mount, when he left 

 the rest of his disciples and chose only three to 

 bear him company at his Transfiguration, that those 

 three were all Fishermen. And it is to be believed, 

 that all the other Apostles, after they betook them- 

 selves to follow Christ, betook themselves to be 

 Fishermen too ; for it is certain, that the greater 

 number of them were found together fishing by 

 Jesus after his Resurrection, as it is recorded in 

 the twenty-first chapter of St. John's Gospel, v. 3, 4. 



And since I have your promise to hear me with 

 patience, I will take a liberty to look back upon an 

 observation that hath been made by an ingenious 

 and learned man ; who observes, that God hath been 

 pleased to allow those, whom he himself hath ap- 

 pointed to write his holy will in Holy Writ, yet, to 

 express his will in such metaphors as their former 

 affections or practice had inclined them to : and he 

 brings Solomon for an example, who before his con- 

 version was remarkably carnally- amorous ; and 

 after by God's appointment wrote that spiritual 

 dialogue or holy amorous love-song, the Canticles, 

 betwixt God and his Church ; in which he says his 

 beloved had eyes like the fish-pools of Heshbon. 



