7O THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



these happy fishermen, concerning which choice 

 some have made these observations : 



First, that he never reproved these for their em- 

 ployment or calling, as he did the scribes and the 

 money-changers. And secondly, he found that 

 the hearts of such men by nature were fitted for 

 contemplation and quietness, men of mild and 

 sweet and peaceable spirits, as indeed most an- 

 glers are ; yet these men our blessed Saviour, who 

 is observed to love to plant grace in good natures, 

 though indeed nothing be too hard for him, yet 

 these men he chose to call from their irreprovable 

 employment of fishing, and gave them grace to be 

 his disciples, and to follow him, and do wonders ; 

 I say four of twelve. 



And it is observable that it was our Saviour's 

 will that these our four fishermen should have a 

 priority of nomination in the catalogue of his twelve 

 apostles (Matt, x.), as namely, first, Saint Peter, 

 Saint Andrew, Saint James, and Saint John, and 

 then the rest in their order. 



And it is yet more observable that when our 

 blessed 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 Saint John's Gospel. 



