The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 41

OI'TEN PRODUCES. "Fear not," said our Lord to Peter; "from henceforth thou shalt ca.tch men" (Luke v. 10). Peter was overwhelmed at the magnitude of the blessing bestowed on him. "He was astonished at the draught of fishes which they had taken.P Had the number been but small, he would not have been astonished, but being what it was, he could only cast himself down before the Lord and cry, "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord!" He had known and seen much of Christ before this; he had heard John say of him, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh," etc.; and he had believed and followed him. But never before, that we know of, had there been wakened up in him such sense of his own unworthiness as he gives utterance to now. What led to it? · Not the quickened belief that Jesus was the Obrist; not the sight of a miracle only, for he had seen other miracles before this-that at Cana, for example; but it was the sense of the Lord's goodness to him, not in this great haul of fish merely or chiefly, but in bis condescension that he should make such as he was his friend, companion, and apostle. And such sense of the Lord's great goodness does have this humbling effect. "The more thy glories strike mine eye, The humbler l shall lie." Where there is borne in upon our minds the great love of God to usward, the light of that love makes us see more clearly our own unworthiness of it. It will not puff any man up with pride, or make him thank God that he is not as otber men are, but will work in bim such humility and lowliness of hi•art as, whilst it qualifies him the better to do Christ's work, will need, and will have, Christ's" Fear not" to prevent it becoming over diffident and doubtful as to whether he can serve Christ at all. They who have been most honoured, as Peter wa~, "t.o catch men for life," as the Lord promised him he should, know how the sense of such unmerited goodness prostrates them before God in deepest self-abasem~nt and in "penitential tears." And it is to this mood of mind -so blessed every way-that the Lord speaks his "Fear not." Let each one of us, would we know more of the Lon.i's goodness, especially in regard to success in all spiiitue.l work, ask ourselve~-What effect does that goodness have upon me? If it makes us proud and self-sufficient, that will be the signal for its coming to an end; out if, as it should, it humble us and make us feel more the.n ever how unworthy, because how sinful we are, then that will be the token that there iii for us more blessing yet in et.ore. Ill. FORBIDS THE GIVING UP 01!' HOPE EVEN IN SEEMINGLY HOPEf,ESB CAl!EB. This is the lesson of the "Fear not" of our Lord's which is given in Luke viii. 50. If ever there was a seemingly hopeless case, it was that of the recovery of the little daughter of Jairus, after the messengers bad come and told him, "Thy daughter is dead." No doubt he had fretted and fumed inwardly at the, a~ he would think it, deplorable interruption and delay which had occurred owing to the poor woman's coming and touching the hem of the Lord's garment, aml so being healed, all which led to her discovery e.nd confession, but likewise to much loss of time. But when the word came to Jairus that his dear child was dead, his distress and anguish must have been terrible, and were clearly visible to the Lord, who at once meets it with this" Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole." Now, this is a typical instance and a never-to--be- forgotten lesson for us all Where Christ is concerned, or rather concerns himself for us, we need never, we may never, despair. 1. We may apply this lesson largely to temporal events, though not universally, because oftentimes his will plainly is not to deliver us from the temporal trouble which we fear. But even then we should not fear, for though not in form, yet in substance, he will give deliverance and help. He will always do what is best, though that best be in some other form than that wbich we have desired. 2. But the lesson is of universal application in regard to spif'itual blessings which we seek at his han<ls. Many a dear one lies spiritually at th.e point of death, and if we have gone to Christ with the entreaty that he will come and heal, we are not to despair of our prayer being answered. We may not see the answer in 1hls world-God's providence may have rendered that impossible, but still we are never to give up hope. "It is told of a woman who prayed long for her llusband, how ■he used to attend a certain meeting-house. in the north of England; but her husband never went with her. Hi, was a drinking, swearing man, and sht1 had much a.nguiab OJI. L 1-20.J .THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 89