Sect. 199.

630 Reflections on CHRIST's Appearance, when Thomas was prefent. hither thine Hand, and put it to my Side; and be not faithless, but believing! Evidently did he hereby, fhew, not only that he was risen from the Dead, but that he circumftantially knew thofe Events which had paffed in his bodily Abfence, and needed not human Information. Let us then ever behave ourselves as in the Prefence of Chrift. Let us act, and fpeak, and think, in fuch a Manner as may bear his Inspection; and ftruck with these united Demonftrations of Wifdom, Power, and Grace, let us proftrate our Souls before him, and fay, Our LORD, and our GOD! honouring the Son, as we honour the Father, (John v. 23.) and adoring the indwelling Deity through this Veil of Flesh, in which it has been pleafed to enshrine itself, and kindly to attemper, tho' not entirely to conceal its Rays.

Ver. 28.

Ver. 29.

Tho' we have not thofe Senfible Manifeftations which were granted to Thomas, let it fuffice us, that the Apostles were the appointed Witnesses of all these Things; and what they faw with their Eyes, and their Hands handled of the Word of Life, that have they declared unto us. (1 John i. 1, 3.) Let us thankfully receive fo convincing a Teftimony. Let us fhew an upright and candid Mind, in accepting fuch Evidence, as the Wifdom of GOD has feen fit to give us; remembering that a truly rational Faith is the more acceptable to GOD, in proportion to the Difficulties which it is able to furmount; and that there are peculiar Blefings in Store for them, who have not feen, and yet have believed.

Sect. 200.

John XXI.

I.

SE C T. CC.

CHRIST difcovers himself to Peter and several other Difciples at the Sea of Tiberias, while they were fishing there. John XXI. 1,-14.

JOHN XXI. I.

SOM
OME Time after thefe Things (a), between
the last Interview he had with the Apostles
at Jerufalem, and the publick Appearance which
he afterwards made to the whole Body of his
Difciples, Jefus manifefted himself again to the

Difci

JOHN XXI. 1.

AFTER thefe Things,

Jefus fhewed himself a

gain to the Disciples at the

Sea

(a) Some Time after thefe Things.] Grotius thinks this whole Chapter was written by fome Elders of the Church of Ephefus, and added to the reft of the Book by the Approbation of that Society, as agreeable to the Relations which they had heard from the Mouth of St. John; and Le Clerc follows him in this Conjecture: But Dr. Mill has taken Pains to invalidate it; (Prolegom. pag. 249.) and the Beginning of ver. 24. deftroys the Force of Grotius's Argument from the latter Part of it. See Note (f) on that Verfe, Sect. 201.

(b) Na

JESUS appears to feveral Difciples, as they were fishing.

Sea of Tiberias; and on this wife fhewed he himself:

2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas nael of Cana in Galilee, and the Sons of Zebedee, and Two other of his Difciples.

called Didymus, and Natha

3 Simon Peter faith unto them, I go a fishing. They fay unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entred into a Ship immediately; and that Night they caught nothing.

4 But when the Morning was now come, Jefus ftood

631

Difciples, at the Sea of Tiberias, near that Moun- Sect. 200.
tain in Galilee, where he had appointed to meet
them: (Mat. xxviii, 16. Sect. 202.) And the John XXI.
Manner in which he now manifefted [himself] to
them was thus.

I. /

Simon Peter, and Thomas who was called Di- 2
dymus, and Nathaniel who was an Inhabitant of
Cana, a Town in Galilee often mentioned in the
foregoing History (b), and alfo the [Two Sons] of
Zebedee, James and John, and Two other of his
Difciples with them (c), were one Day together in
Galilee; whither they were returned after the
Paffover, and where they chose to continue, that
pursuant to Chrift's Appointment (Mat. xxviii. 7,
10. Sect. 195.) they might in a few Days meet
And while 3.
with most of their Brethren there.
they were thus waiting, Simon Peter, that their
Time might not lie on their Hands, and that he
might make fome Provifion for his own Support,
and for the Entertainment of his Friends, fays to
them, I will go a Fishing (d): And they jay to
bim, We alfo will go along with thee, and give
thee what Affiftance we can. They went out
therefore, and immediately took Ship, and spent
not only that Evening, but all the following
Night, in throwing their Nets; but tho' it was
the propereft Time for fifhing, yet they caught
nothing worth the mentioning.

And when the Morning was now come, Jefus 4. flood upon the Shore; nevertheless the Difciples, ciples being at fome Distance, and it not being yet perfectly

on the Shore: but the Dif

(b) Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee.] It is certain, this is the Perfon mentioned before, Fohn i. 45. Dr. Lightfoot, (Hor. Hebr. on Mat. x. 3.) Mr. Fleming, (Chriftol. Vol. ii. pag. 176.) and fome others, take him to have been Bartholomew the Apostle; but I think they give no convincing Reafon for that Opinion.

(c) Two other of his Difciples.] It is indeed uncertain, who thefe Two Difciples were; tho' Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, they were Andrew and Philip; (Hor. Hebr. in loc.) which is not improbable, as they were both Inhabitants of Bethfaida, near the Sea of Tiberias. (John i. 44.) It is however a ftrange Argument against it, to fay, that John must be One, tho' he is not here mentioned," when he is fo well known to have been One of the Sons of Zebedee, who are numbered before among thofe that were prefent.

(d) I will go a Fishing.] It appears from this Story, that feveral of the Apoftles were now returned to Galilee, where Christ had appointed to meet them; which fhews that the Dif courfe (Luke xxiv. 49.) in which our Lord commanded them to continue at Jerufalem, till the Holy Ghoft fell upon them, comes in after this Chapter, and not before it, as it is placed in many Harmonies.

(e). They

John XXI.

5.

any

He fills their Net, and they discover who he was.

Then

632 Sect. 200. fectly light, knew not that it was Jefus. as they approached, Jefus faid to them, Have you Meat with you, my Lads? or have you taken Fish enough to make a Meal upon? They anfwered him, No; we have been toiling here all And he faid to them, Let me 6 Night in vain. then advise you to throw the Net on the Right Side of the Ship, and you will undoubtedly find [Jome.] And willing to try at leaft whether this Stranger conjectured right, they threw the Net therefore as he had directed them; and now they were not able to draw it up into the Ship again, on account of the Multitude of Fishes, which they had inclosed in it (e).

7

7 Therefore that Difciple whom Jefus loved, faith Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt bis Fishers Coat unte him, (for he was naked,) and did caft himfelf into the Sea,

unto Peter, It is the Lord.

Then John, that Difciple whom Jefus peculiarly loved, when he faw fuch aftonishing Succefs after all their fruitless Toil and Disappointment before, fays unto Peter, It is undoubtedly the Lord; who has on this Occafion renewed that Miracle which he wrought in thy Ship fome Years ago, when he first called us to attend him. (See. Luke v. 3,-10. Vol. i. Sect. 34.) Simon Peter therefore hearing him fay, with the Appearance of fuch good Reason, that it was the Lord, was fo transported, that he immediately girded on his Coat, for he was in a Manner naked, having nothing on but his inner Garment (f),) and threw himfelf directly into the Sea, and fwam to Shore ; that he might pay his earliest Duty to his dear Lord,, and testify his Joy in the condescending 8 Vifit he was making them. And the other Difciples came as fast as they could with the Boat, they were not far from Land, drawing the Net [full] of Fishes after them; for

they

8 And the other Difciples came in a little Ship, (for

but

(e) They were not able to draw it up into the Ship again, &c.] This was not merely a Demonftration of the Power of our Lord, but a kind providential Supply for them and their Families, which might be of Service to them, when they waited afterwards in Jerufalem according to his Order: And it was likewife a Sort of emblematical Reprefentation of the great Succefs, which should attend their Attempts to catch Men, in the Net of the Gospel. Compare Luke v. 9, 10. Vol. i. pag. 205.

(f) In a Manner naked, having nothing on but his inner Garment.] It is of great Importance, in order to vindicate feveral Stories in Scripture, which the Ignorance or Malice of fome modern Writers has charged with Indecency, to obferve, that (as Grotius and many others have shewn,) among the Jews they were faid to be naked, who had only an under Garment on. Compare 1 Sam. xix. 24. 2 Sam, vi. 20. Isa. xx. 2, 3. and Acts xix. 16.

(8) Come

They come afbore, and eat with him.

633

but as it were Two Hundred they were not far from the Land, but about Two Sect. 200. Cubits,) dragging the Net hundred Cubits, or One hundred Yards.

with Fishes.

As foon then as they came afhore, they faw a John XXI. Fire of burning Coals laid ready there, and Fish laid 9. upon it, and a fufficient Quantity of Bread lying by; which Jefus had miraculoufly prepared, that they might fee how eafily he could make Provifion for them, even when they were deftitute of the ordinary Means of Supply. And fe- 10 fus faid to them, Bring hither fome] of the Fish, which you have now taken.

And Simon Peter. II
went aboard, and with the Help of his Brethren
drew the Net to Land; and it was full of great
Fishes, there being no less than an Hundred and
Fifty three; and tho' they were fo many and fo
great, yet the Net was not broke.

Then fefus faid to them, Come [and] refresh 12
yourselves (g), after this Fatigue, that you have
had for fo many Hours. And none of the Dif
ciples prefumed to ask him, Who art thou? or
took upon them to enquire, how he came thi-
ther, or whence he procured the Provision he
then offered them? well knowing that it was the
Lord, tho' he converfed with them in fomething
of a diftant Manner; and judging it moft refpect-
ful, to leave it to him to direct the Difcourfe to
more intimate and particular Subjects, in fuch a
Manner, and by fuch Degrees, as he should think
fit; as he presently after did.

Jefus therefore came, and took Bread, as the 13
Mafter of the Feast, and gave [it] them; and
likewife gave them fome of the broiled Fish.

And this was now the Third Time, that Jefus 14
fhewed himself to fuch a Number of his Difciples
at once (h), after he was rifen from the Dead; and
it was attended with fome very remarkable and in-
ftructive Circumstances, which will be particularly
mentioned in the next Section.

IMPROV E

(g) Come and refresh yourselves.] So I chufe to render the Word apismoale, rather than dine; as Homer fometimes ufes apisov to fignify a Morning's Meal.

(b) The Third Time he fhewed himself to fuch a Number &c.] Grotius explains this of the Third Day of his Appearance; for hehad firft appeared to several on the Day of his Refurrection; then after Eight Days, he came to his Difciples, when Thomas was prefent; and now again, be fhewed himself at the Sea of Tiberias. And it is plainly neceffary, that the Words should VOL. II. LI11

be

634 Reflections on CHRIST's Appearance at the Sea of Tiberias.

Sect. 200.

IMPROVEMENT.

CHRIST firft called thefe Difciples, when they were employed in the Duties of their proper Profeffion in Life; and he now manifefts John xxi. himself to them, while they were fo engaged: Perhaps particularly intending thereby, to encourage an honeft Industry, in which indeed we are far more likely to enjoy his Presence, and to converse with him, than when we throw away our Time in Idlenefs and Inactivity.

1,-3.

V.—3,—6.

Ver. 7.

V. 11,-13.

A while he leaves them to labour in vain, that when the plentiful Draught of Fishes came, it might be the more remarkable. Sometimes he may deal thus with his Minifters, in their Endeavours to catch Men ; that we may be convinced to whofe Power we owe our Success, and may not facrifice to our own Net, or burn Incense to our own Drag. (Hab. i. 16.)

All the Disciples rejoiced at his Appearance; but Peter was the foremost to caft himself at his Feet. Confcious that fo much had been forgiven him, he is folicitous to fhew, that he loves much. (Luke vii. 47.) So may the Remembrance of our Miscarriages work upon us, to make us more vigorous in Chrift's Service, and to infpire us with fuch Zeal and Affection, as many Waters may not be able to quench, nor the Floods to drown! (Cant. viii. 7.)

Let us not imagine, this Miracle was merely intended for a Demonftration of Chrift's Divine Power over all that passeth thro' the Paths of the Sea: (Pfal. viii. 8.) It was also the Work of Wisdom and Bounty. By the Sale of fo many large and fine Fishes, a feasonable Provifion was made for the Subfiftence of his Difciples at Jerufalem, while they were there waiting for the Defcent of the Spirit. (Luke xxiv. 49.) Let every Circumstance of this Kind encourage us to trust him, as the Lord of Nature, and of Grace, who will withhold from us no neceffary Supply of either, while we are making it our humble and faithful Care to promote his Glory.

be understood with fome fuch Limitation, to make them confiftent with the Accounts given by the other Evangelifts and St. Paul; which, when laid together, will prove, that this was indeed at least the Seventh Appearance, that Jefus had made fince his Refurrection. For he appeared first to Mary Magdalene; (Mark xvi. 9.) and then to the Women, as they returned from the Sepulchre; (Mat. xxviii. 9.) after this he was feen of Peter; (1 Cor. xv. 5.) and then the fame Day by the Two Difciples that were going to Emmaus; (Luke xxiv. 13,31.) and again the fame Evening he appeared to the Difciples, when Thomas was abfent; (John xx. 19.) on that Day feven-night he appeared to the Eleven, when Thomas was with them; (John xx. 26.) and now after thefe Things he shewed himself a Seventh Time to the Difciples at the Sea of Tiberias. (John xxi. 1.)

SECT.