preachers of the Gospel have a right to believe that their labour shall not prove in vain. They may often preach ^e Word with many tears, and see no result of their labour. But God's word shall not return void. (Isai. Iv. 11.) The last day shall show that no work for God was ever thrown away. Every faithM fidiaman shall find his Master's words made good : '^ Thou shalt catch men."
Notes. Xukb V. 1—11.
4. — [Launch out into the dsep.'] Let us note that this command must have been peculiarly trying to a fisherman's faith. The deep waters are not generally the waters in which fish are taken in lakes.
tJ. — ITheir net brake.'] The womI Tendered "brake" would have been better translated, " began to break," just as a similar word in the next verse is translated, " began to sink/' That the net 4lid not actually .break, is dear from the context It " was breaking," or " on the point of breaking."
10. — [Thou shalt catch men.] It has been often remarked, and with much justioe, that the Greek word translated" catch," means literally " take alive." It is only used here and in one other place, 2 Tim. ii. 26, a passage which is often much mis- interpreted, but rightly understood is a remarkable parallel to our Lord's words in this place.
Let us not forget, in reading this miracle, that holy and good men in every age -have seen in it a remarkable type and emblem of the history of Christ's Church in the world. They have regarded the ships as emblems of the Churches, — the fishers of Ministers, — the net of the Gospel, — the sea of the world, — ^the shore of eternity, — and the miraculous draught of the success attending work done in strict complianx^e with Christ's word. There. may be truth in all this. But it needs to be cautiously and delicately used. The habit of allegorizing and seeing hidden meanings in plain langoage of Scripture has often done gi'eat hairn.