ife which
they were henceforth to lead--a life of faith rather than of sense; a
life of spiritual communion rather than of physical fellowship. He
kept showing them that, though out of sight, He was still in their
midst. By easy stepping-stones He joined Calvary and Olivet. By
gentle progressive lessons those who had believed because they had seen
were taught to walk by faith, not by sight, and to love One whom they
did not see. And thus it came about that they trod no shore however
desolate, went to no land however distant, dealt with no people however
boorish, without carrying ever with them the thought, The Master is
here!

But let me say here that if you would see Christ everywhere, you must
be like John, the disciple of love. Love will trace Him everywhere, as
dear friends detect each other by little touches that are meaningless
to others. Love's quick eye penetrates disguises impenetrable to
colder scrutiny. Not for the wise, nor for the few, but for the least
that love, is the vision possible that can make a desert isle like
Patmos gleam with the light of Paradise itself.

III. How great a difference Christ's directions made! Before He spoke
they were disconsolately dragging an empty net to shore. The moment
after He had spoken, and they had done His bidding, that net was filled
with a shoal of fish so heavy that it was no easy matter to drag it
behind the ship.

Great lessons await us here! We, like these, have embarked in a great
fishing enterprise--we are fishers of men! Our aim is to catch men
alive for Christ our Lord. For this we are ready to toil, to pray, to
wait. But our success depends wholly upon our Lord. He will not give
it us until we can bear it, and have learned the lesson of the night of
fruitless toil. And if we are to succeed it must be in His realized
companionship, and in obedience to His word.

There is a right side of the ship, and a wrong one; there is a time to
plant, and a time to be still; to everything there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under heaven. We do not know these. If we are
left to ourselves, we may cast the net on the left side of the ship at
the time when we should be casting it on the right, and on the right
side of the ship when we should be casting it on the left. Christ
alone knows, and He will teach us exactly how and when to act with the
very best results.

IV. Christ's provision for the needs of His servants. I should imagine
t