Book III. THE WORD OF GOD COMPARED TO A NET. 555 PAR ABLE. appointed. A Fifher ufes often– times moch Policy and Craft, in pmting in, and drawing of his Net. liJ. A Net is caft into a Mul– titude of Water>, at an adven– ture, the Fifherman not knowing whether it may catch many, or few, or any at all. IV. A Fifherman works hard with his Nee, fometi mes a great whrle together, and catcheth no– thing. PARALLEL. Sinners. Paul being crafty, tells the Corinthimts, He took, or catched them with Guile, 2 Cor. xii. 16. IJI. The Gofpel is preached by a faithf~l Mi– nifter to a Multitude of People, who are com– pared to \\'ater1 in many Places of Scripture, and yet he knows not, when he p t·eaches, or caft– eth his Net in, whether he !hall take many or few Souls, nay, whether one Sinner !hall be reached or converted thereby, or not. IV. So a Minifl:er fomeumes labours a long while together, and takes much j>ains in preach– ing the Gofpel, and yet converts not one Soul; Who bath believed our Report ? &c. Ifa. liii. 1. They may fometimes fay with Peter, liVe have labored all Night, and have taken nothing, Luke v. 5· V. A N et takes Fi(b of every V. So the Gofpel.Net takes hold of fame of fort, fame great ones, and fome every fort and degree of Men : Some great and little ones, fame good, and fame honorable, rich and mighty in the vVorld, though bad; as it is exprdled in this not many fuch; fome little ones, fuch as are Parable. mean and poor (n the World. Again, fomc great and notorious Sinners arc taken, fuch as Mary Jvfagdalene and Paul were, before converted ; and fome that are not fuch great and capit<~l Offenders : For though every Man is a grelt Sinner in a proper Senfe, yet comparativtly fome are grea,er, or more guilty and prof1ne than others; And there was a T-Voman in tbe City, that was a Sinner: Not but that all the Women in the Ciry were Sinners, but this Woman was a nororious one, or one noted and eminent for Wrckednefs. Alio the Gofpel and Church of God takes fome bad Profelfors, and counterfeit Chriftians, as well as fuch as are fincere. VI. A Net takes Fifhes out of VJ. The Gofpel or Vl/ord of God, the fpiritual their own natural Element ; and Net, takes Sinners out of their natural Element; as foon as they are taken out of and as foon as they are favingly taken thereby, the \'Vater they die. they die to Sin, and to all fenfual ObjeCts, and VII. A Net takes or rompalfes fometimes a Multitude of Fifhes at once. When Sirnon Peter put in his N'et at the fpecial Command of J efus Chritr, he enc!ofed a great Multitude of FiOJes, Luke v. 6. VIII. A Net, though it be ca£1: into the Sea, and has taken many Fifhes, yet it is not known of what kind or fort they be, until the Net is dsawn up. carnal Delights of the Flefh, and this World, and to their own Righteoufnefs, Rom. vi. z, 6, I 1. VII. The Gofpel-Net alfo fometimes takes hold of, or indofeth many Sinners at one Caft. At one Sermon three rhoufand Souls were con– verted, by that glorious Preacher, and famous Fifher of Men, the Apofile Peter, Afls ii. 37, 40. VIII. So the Gofpel and Church of God, though it take many Souls, yet it is not fully known of what fort they be, until the Time come that Chrift draws the Net up. IX. After the Fifherman hath IX. The Gofpel and Church of God having drawn his Net about fo long, that taken many Sinners, or all being brought in, that he concludes it hath taken all it is are to be taken by this fpiritual Ner, Chrift will, like to enclofe and compafs in, he as it were, at rhe la£1: Day draw it to Shore, and then draws it to the Shore, and then he will fever the Good from the Bad, the fevers the Good from the Bad ; Sheep from the Goats, the fincere ones from the Good he puts into Velfels, and H ypocrites; and the one !hall be faved, and the the Bad he throws away. other thrown away, viz. be damned. Again, the Kingd01JJ of Heaven is like unto a Net that is cafl into the Sea, that taketh of all Sorts, which when it is full, Mm draw it to Land, and gather the Good into Veffcls, and cafl the Bad away : So /hall .it be at the End of the 3 World
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