XIV.

THE GOSPEL NET.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." MATT. xiii. 47-50.

EVERAL of our Lord's disciples were fishermen; much of his ministry was passed by the sea of Galilee; we find him on various occasions making use of a fishing-boat for crossing that inland sea or lake, and once at least he preached from one. Such a scene as that described in this parable might be seen there any day, and may be still. For fishermen still ply their business on those waters; their boats still cross from side to side; their nets are still let down for a draught, and at other times may be seen spread on the rocks.

A net must of necessity gather "of every kind," the bad as well as the good, the worthless as well as the useful. The separation takes place afterwards. Then the bad are cast away, and the good are kept. This is done now, wherever net-fishing is practised, just as it was done of old. There are few crafts which have changed less than that of the fisherman.

This parable therefore, in its story part, is a very plain one, and as plain to us as it was to those who first heard it.

Our Lord has made the spiritual meaning equally clear. He himself explained it.

First, he gives us to understand that the parable is meant to represent "the kingdom of heaven"; that is, the visible church of Christ, or God's government on earth under the gospel. In other words, what fishermen do in gathering all kinds of fish into their net, and then separating the bad from the good, is like what Almighty God is doing now, and will do hereafter, with regard to men.

The visible church embraces people of every kind. As the net gathers of every kind, so does the gospel. True believers and mere professors, spiritual Christians and heartless formalists, the careless and thoughtless, the undecided, the hypocrite, the deceiver of others and of himself, all these may be found within the visible church of Christ, the general body of those who call themselves Christians.

the

How great a difference there may be even among members of one congregation! They sit side by side, they unite in the same prayer, they hear the same preaching; yet how vast a difference there may be among them in the sight of God! He sees the hearts of all, and it is by the heart that he judges. Man himself would separate between the grossly wicked and the pious; between the thief, the swearer, the drunkard, the sabbath-breaker, on the one hand, and the man of consistent godly life on the other. But God sees further than man; and much that is respectable in the eyes of men is not approved by him. "Without faith

it is impossible to please God." Only he who is of a penitent and contrite heart, and rests his hope on his Saviour, and seeks to serve and glorify him, is accepted and approved by God.

But this mixture is only for a time. When the net was full, it was drawn to shore, and the separation was made. When the gospel net shall be full, that is, when God shall see fit to put an end to the present state of things, then likewise a separation will be made. The fishermen would not suffer the bad fish to be among the good any more. None but good should be put into the vessels. The rest must be thrown away as useless, and worse than useless. In like manner, when the great day shall come, God, by his angels, will "sever the wicked from among the just." They must stay where they are no longer. The hypocrite, the formalist, the careless, the profane, the undecided, may no longer be with the true servants of God. They must now be parted-parted for ever. The righteous will go to their place, the place which was purchased for them by their Redeemer's blood, and which he himself went before to prepare for them; and the wicked must go to theirs. They cannot escape now, for they despised the day of grace, and the day of grace is past. They cannot escape now; they can never escape. They must be cast "into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

"But this is for the wicked," some may say; "must all who are not classed among the righteous be placed with the wicked ?" Even so. There is no place between the abode of the righteous and that of the wicked; in the sight of God, there is no character between these two. All the fish gathered into the net

were either good or bad; all were either put into vessels, or thrown away. There was no middle sort, not good enough to be kept, yet not bad enough to be thrown away. So, every soul will be placed either among the righteous or among the wicked. The angels will leave none but the just among the just. There will be no confusion or mistake in that division. Every one whose name is not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. There is no middle class, no middle place.

How solemnly does this parable speak to all! How it should lead us to deep searchings of heart! For we are all concerned here. We are all now gathered into the gospel net, and we shall all have a part in that separation, none will be mere lookers on. Where shall we be placed then? Shall we be numbered among the just? Are we so now? Does the all-seeing Eye behold us this very day as true children of God, real believers, Christians in heart as well as in name? Oh, if not, let this parable be as a quickening and awakening voice from God himself! Let there be no self-deception, no stifling of conscience, no vain and unscriptural hope that things may not, after all, be as they are repreNothing can alter the word of God. The only wisdom, the only safety, is now to seek Jesus with all the heart, and thus to make sure of being found in him at last.

sented. They will be.

XV.

THE NEW CLOTH, AND THE NEW WINE.

“Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast. No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved."

MATT. ix. 14-17; see also MARK ii., and LUKE V.

HIS double parable was spoken by our Lord in answer to a question, and must therefore be considered in connection with it.

"The disciples of John and of the Pharisees," St. Mark tells us, "used to fast." The Pharisees were always trying to entrap our Lord with questions, and it was they probably who set on the disciples of John the Baptist to come and ask our Lord why his disciples did not fast too. As for John's disciples, they most likely asked the question in all sincerity, surprised at seeing the disciples of Christ neglect what they considered a religious duty, and really desiring to know the reason.

Our Lord told them the reason. It was two-fold. First, it was not a right time for his disciples to fast, because he was still with them. Fasting is suited to a time of sadness and humiliation, not to a season of joy.

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