with which the parable deals, it would
be childish trifling on the part of a Churchman to quote it as of
authority against Nonconformists. In the same Bible stands the precept,
"Come out from among them and be ye separate;" and the Nonconformist has
as good a right, that is, no right at all, to quote it as of authority
by itself against a Churchman. The matter cannot be settled, on either
side, by general announcements like these, although they are selected
from the Scriptures. Every case must be judged upon its own merits. The
question whether a dissenter has separated from a corrupt community in
order to obey his Lord, or has rent the Church to gratify his own pride,
must be determined in each case by an appeal to the facts: no solution
satisfactory to intelligent Christians, or to grown men, can be reached
by superciliously throwing a text in your neighbour's face. This remark
is made upon the supposition that the parable bears upon the point,
which I think is more than doubtful. Those who gravely counsel the
fishes to abide peacefully within the net, and not to leap out
pharisaically and schismatically because foul fish abound within the
same enclosure, certainly show themselves incapable of appreciating the
analogies of nature, whatever may be their familiarity with
ecclesiastical affairs.

We subjoin two practical lessons; the first, though in itself
self-evidently true, depending for its suggestion here on the special
view of the net which we have submitted; the second founded directly on
the word and enforced by the authority of the Lord.

1. We of this generation, a miscellaneous multitude of old and young,
good and evil, move about at liberty in the wide expanse of life, as
fishes move about in the deep broad sea; but certain mysterious,
invisible lines, have been let down into the water, and are silently,
slowly creeping near, and winding round us. The net at first has a vast
compass: a fish within its circle has as much room as it needs, and
cares not for distant danger. Even when the cords begin to come near, he
moves out of their way, and for his own comfort embraces warmly the
opinion that these cords do not constitute a net. They are some loose
things,--certain species of sea-weed, such as he has often seen before.
He has gone round them or through them often and easily: he will do so
again. But these approach persistently, and still from the same side:
they lie between him and the open sea: to avoid t