Here 1 a plain and orderly ſtory related with many circumſtat- ces, tending to ſhew us the Power and Intluence of God upon Ment Succeſles, in their honeſt, and ordinary callings, and alſo that God Aath a Command upon the Fiſh in the Sea,together with an account of Chriſts call of Simon Peter, to be a Preacher of the Goſpel. The only difficulty is to reconcile this, to what Matthew tells us. Char 4.18, 19, &c. Matthews words are theſe. And eſis wallins b the Sea of Galilee, ſaw two Brethren Simon calle? Peter. and PS Rd his Brother, caſting a net intothe Sea for they were Fiſher ep er 4s ſaid unto them, follow me, and I will make you Fiſhers of Men. Anz they flraightway left their Nets, . and followed hin, Ana going 0n from thence, he ſaw other two Brethren, James the $21 of Zebedee
and John his Brother, in a Ship with Zebedee their Father mendin.s thetr Nets, and he called them, And they immediately left the Ship, and their Father and followed him. Marks relation doth much asree with Matthews. The ditferences are in theſe things. Matthew 1nd
Markſpeak of Chriſt's calling theſe Diſciples, as he was walhins by the Sea. Luke ſeems to mention it as done in the Ship. Arſe Lube doth not ſay, that Chriſt ſpake ſo to Simon in the Ship, tho he doth indeed mention thoſe words to Sima, before he mentioneth theſe bringing the Ship to Land, becauſe poffibly, he would give account of all that Chriſt did or ſpake together. 2, They might be out of the Ship, walking by the Seca, before he called Fam?s aud John, whoſe call Luke doth not mention, but Matthew and Mark alone. 2. Mat- thew and Mark, mention no Ships, nor going of Chriſt into any. nor any draught of Fiſhes. Anſ. Matthew faith, that he ſaw Sime::
and Andrew caſting their Nets into the Sea. But there is nothing
more ordinary tian for one Evangeliſt to relate more fully what ano-
ther repeateth ſummarily. 3. Matthew and Mark ſpeak of Andrew
being with Simon. Lube mentioneth Son alone. Anſ, Luke denies
not that Andrew was there, and we are lure Simon alone, could nct :nanage the Nets with ſuch a draught of tiſh. 4. Matthew and
Mark ſpeak of the calling of Szman, Antrew, Fames, and John. Lathe
2nly of the calling of $719m. Anſ. It doth not follow from thence
chat they were not called during Chriſt's wa!k by the Sea after he
came out. of the Ship; Matthew and Marb aflure us they were
s. Matthew and Mark fay, that Fames and John were mendins their
Nets, Anſ. Luke faith nothing to the contrary, for he doth not
mention their call at that inftant when S:mon's was. That immedi-
ately after ſuch a draught of Fiſhes,their Ners ſhonld want mending,
1nd they ſo imployed, 1s nothing at all ſtrange. So as it was like
there was a little diſtance of time betwixt the call of Peter, and the
athers, yet Luke omitting ſome circumitances mentioned by Matthew and Mark, as well as adding much to this Hiſtory by them omitted
faith (at leaſt) of more than ore, Tiey forſook all, and followed him.
Heace appeareth that there may be a cohereat Hiſtory; taking in
what all three Evangeliſts ſay, only allowing that Chriſt came upon
the Shore, and walked by the Sea fide, ſome ſhort time, before hc
called James and Fohn, The Hiltory 1nftrutteth us. 1. How good a
thing it is for Men to be employed in their honeſt callings, tho never fo
mean. There God meets People with Bleffings. 2. How much it 3s
our duty to yield obedience to God's Commands, and how advantaginus it
will prove, how contrary ſoever they appear to our ſenſe and Reaſon.
3» Upon whom our Bleſſing depends, iet our labour be what it will.
4. That it is the works of Mimſters of the Goſpel to catch Men, to gain
Souls to God. 5. How powerful God's calls are. They forſook_all and
For the differcnce betwixt what John ſaith, Chap. 1.
49, 41. of the call of Andrew and S!mon, from what the other three
Evangeliſts ſay, we have ſpoken ſometiing in our Notes on Matth,
4. 18, and ſhall add more when we come to that place in Fohn, In
ſhort, John ſpeaketh of another time, before that either of them
were called to follow Chritt.
12 Andit came to paſs, when he was in a certain city, behold, a man full of leprofie, who ſeeing Jeſus, fell on h# face,and beſought him, ſaying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canſt make me clean. |
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, {ag- ing, I will, be thou clean. And immediately the Jlepro- fie departed from him,
1+ And he charged him to tell no man, but go and ſhew thy ſelf to the prieſt, and offer for thy cleanſing, * according as Moſes commanded, for a teſtimony un- +14. ,; to them. S, 21, 22:
15 But ſo much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear
2nd to be healed by him of their infirmities.
ce the Notes on Matth. 8. 2, 3, c. and on Mark 1. 40, 41,75. Matthew reports this Miracle done when Chriſt came down from the Mountain, and i mmediately after ſaith, that he entred into Caperna- um, v. $. Mark alſo concluding the firſt Chapter with this piece of Hiſtory, he begins the ſecond with telling us, that he entred into Ca- pernaum after ſome days. So that ſome think he was near Capernazu, within the bounds of it when he wrought this Miracle, but there 15 no certainty of that, : ;
16 And he withdrew himſelf into the wilderneſs; and prayed. | ;
We meet with Chriſt often commending to us the Duty 0 5ecyet Prayer, by his own example, as he had done by his precept, Mat. 6. and always chuting for 1t, the moſt private and retired places, to teach us to go and do fo likewiſe,often to pray to our Fatner, which ſeeth in Secret ; and his example more pretlerh us, becaule we nave much more buſineſs with God in Prayer than le had ; he had no Sins to confeſs, nor to beg Pardon for, no need co ask tor any fan- Rifying habits of Grace, Wc. It is poſſible alſo that he withdrew into deſart places oft times, to avoid all th
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27. Ch. 12. 2*
5
ew of Oftentation, or
*bedee, which-were partners with Simon. And Jeſus
But fup- poſe
dangers of tumults and to obtain a little reſt for bimſel?,
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