126 SALMON FISHING IX CANADA. 



have felt, by invisible hands, seems to have drawn off their 

 attention even from the Lord Christ ; it fixed their gaze 

 as they set foot upon the shore, and perhaps, like the 

 burning bush with Moses, helped to persuade them of the 

 actual presence of Divinity. And now you will observe, 

 that though there was all the material for a repast, the 

 Saviour does not forthwith invite them to dine, but first of 

 all — this is a very significant circumstance — directs them 

 to bring of the fish which they had caught. Neither was 

 this direction complied with in haste ; there appears, on the 

 contrary, to have been great deliberation ; the net was drawn 

 to land, the fish were counted, and found to be in number 

 one hundi-ed and fifty and three ; and it was not until this 

 had been done, and as we may conjecture, some of the 

 newly-caught fish had been dressed, in addition to those 

 already prepared, that our Lord bade his disciples partake 

 of the meal provided by Plis supernatural power. 



" Such are the main circumstances of the narrative, in the 

 perusal of which we are inevitably impressed with the sense 

 as of something strange and unearthly. 



" It may readily occiu to the thoughtful mind as one ex- 

 planation of the kindled fire, and prepared repast, that 

 Christ had been thinking kindly of His wearied and hungry 

 disciples ; that, knowing how they had spent the night, and 

 how much they would be in need of refreshment, He had 

 graciously employed His power in making ready a meal, 

 where, had they been left to themselves the}^ would have 



