The Compleat ^Angler 



St. Andrew, St. James, and St. 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 themselves 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 2ist chapter of St. John's 

 Gospel. 



And since I have your promise to hear me with patience, I will 

 take the 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 appointed 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 conversion was remark- 

 ably 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. 



And if this hold in reason (as I see none to the contrary) then it 

 may be probably concluded that Moses, who I told you before writ 

 the book of Job, and the prophet Amos, who was a shepherd, were 

 both anglers ; for you shall, in all the Old Testament find fish-hooks, 

 I think, but twice mentioned : namely, by meek Moses, the friend of 

 God, and by the humble prophet Amos. 



Concerning which last, namely, the prophet Amos, I shall make 

 but this observation ; that he that shall read the humble, lowly, plain 

 style of that prophet, and compare it with the high, glorious, eloquent 

 style of the prophet Isaiah (though they both be equally true), may 

 easily believe Amos to be, not only a shepherd, but a good-natured, 

 plain fisherman. 



Which I do the rather believe, by comparing the affectionate, loving, 

 lowly, humble epistles of St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, whom 



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