CHAP. I. 



THE FIRST DAY. 



37 



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 iy f nnr "f {welve. 



And it is observable, that it was our SavjourVvvilLthat the.se 



our fni i r Ti^prm^Tp^T?SlTfrf^ha yp^jp-j rTyj ty nf 



catalogue^of his twelve apostles (Matt, x. 

 namely7fii-st, St. Pete^J^~ Andrew, St. 



2, Acts i. 



St. John, 



_ 



And it is yet more observable, that when our blessed Saviour 

 went up into the moum\when he left the rest of his disciples 

 andj chosejjnly three tcTbeaFhim company at his transfiguration, 

 that those three were all fishermen. And it is to be believed, 

 tlqat^ll the other apostles, alter they betook themselves to fdllow 

 Jllh r i g t, betook themselves tu 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, ver. 3 and 4. 



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 



and after, by God's appointment, wrote that spiritual dialogue, 

 QI holy amorous^Jcjve^song-, the Canticles, betwixt God and his 

 lis. h< a l<"ivf>f| ]rac\ eyeft like the fish- 



nd if this liold 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 

 f^sh-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 



