urse
with Him to be gradually led to dependence upon Him, and to the
strongest attachment to His person; so that when they became witnesses
to Him they might not only be able to say, "Jesus whom you crucified
rose again," but might be able to illustrate His character by their
own, to represent the beauty of His holiness by simply telling what
they had seen Him do and heard Him say, and to give convincing evidence
in their own persons and lives that He whom they loved on earth lives
and rules now in heaven.

And what we need now and always is, not men who can witness to the fact
of resurrection, but who can bear in upon our spirits the impression
that there is a risen Lord and a risen life through dependence on Him.

XXV.

_RESTORATION OF PETER._

"So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon Peter,
Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto
Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him,
Feed My lambs. He saith to him again a second time, Simon, son of
John, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest
that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Tend My sheep. He saith unto
him the third time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me? Peter was
grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And
he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I
love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep."--JOHN xxi. 15-17.

To the interpretation of this dialogue between the Lord and Peter we
must bring a remembrance of the immediately preceding incident. The
evening before had found several of those who had followed Jesus
standing among the boats that lay by the sea of Galilee. Boat after boat
put out from shore; and as the familiar sights and smells and sounds
awakened slumbering instincts and stirred old associations, Peter with
characteristic restlessness and independence turned away to where his
own old boat lay, saying, "I go a-fishing." The rest only needed the
example. And as we watch each man taking his old place at the oar or
getting ready the nets, we recognise how slight a hold the Apostolic
call had taken of these men, and how ready they were to fall back to
their old life. They lack sufficient inward impulse to go and proclaim
Christ to men; they have no plans; the one inevitable thing is that they
must earn a livelihood. And had they that night succeeded as of old in
their fi