punctuation marks, paragraphs and headings examined and style of type

decided.  After this there is the printing and proof -reading, the addressing

of envelopes, the making up of parcels and the actual posting.  And yet in

most cases the only person actually thought of by the reader, if thought of

at all, is the original writer, whose work would be useless without this co -

Another important point in the passage under consideration is the

unquestioning obedience of the four men.  'They straightway left their nets'.

'They immediately left the ship and their father'.  Their nets represented

their trade; their ship, the whole of their business and invested capital;

their father, the claims of home and loved ones.  It is well to count the

cost, and to impress upon enthusiastic volunteers that there is a cost:

'He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and

he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And

he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of

Me' (Matt. 10:37,38).

These four disciples left their all and followed Him.  This leads us to

the second symbol, that of the 'follower'.  These men were ordinary fishers,

putting into practice the age -old lore of their craft, handed down from

father to son, and supplemented by experience.  But to become 'fishers of

men', they must first be 'followers of Christ'.  Moses had to leave Egypt and

all its learning, and exchange it for the life of a desert shepherd before he

was fit to be entrusted with the leading of Israel.  Earlier in this study we

suggested, and we believe with truth, that much that belonged to our previous

mode of life, our upbringing, temperament, opportunities and training, can be

laid upon the altar of service, consecrated to the Lord, and remodelled for

His use.  We must not, however, forget that there is also much of the old

that we must leave behind as we follow Him.  We must be prepared to find

our knowledge and experience of no value, and must sometimes, contrary to all

our instincts, 'Launch out into the deep'.  Let us conclude this by recording

this incident as a supplement and corrective to that of Matthew 4:

'Now when He had left speaking, He said unto Simon, Launch out into the

deep, and let down your nets for a draught.  And Simon answering said

unto Him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing:

nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net.  And when they had

this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net

brake ... When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees,

saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord ... And Jesus

said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.  And

when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and

followed Him' (Luke 5:4 -11).

It is a solemn thing to realize that we are all either gatherers or

scatterers, even though we may consider our attitude to be one of neutrality.

The Lord has declared that there is no midway position that is neither for,

nor against Him:

'He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with

Me scattereth abroad' (Matt. 12:30).