two ships
standing by the lake; but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were
washing their nets.'"

"We wash our'n by pullin' 'em through the water," said the net man.

"The Lord entered one of the ships, which belonged to a man named
Simon, and asked him to push out a little from the shore. 'And he sat
down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now, when he had left
speaking, he 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.'"

"In course! whether 'twas any use or not,"--the man with the net said
approvingly. "So he had oughter."

"Yes, and he knew it would be of use in some way, for God never gives a
command without a reason. And when they had let down the net, 'they
enclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they
beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they
should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so
that they began to sink.'"

"That was a bigger haul than ever I see, yet," remarked the man.

"Neither had Simon ever seen anything like it--he knew that it was
brought about by the direct power of God.

"When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, 'Depart
from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.' For he was astonished, and all
they that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had
taken."

"Can't see what he said _that_ fur," said the oarsman.

"No more don't I!" said the other. "He had got a good haul o' fish,
anyway--if he was ever so!--and we aint none of us white lilies."

"But then Peter knew that he ought to be a white lily--and such a new
view of God's power and greatness made him feel it more than ever. So
that he was both afraid and ashamed,--he thought himself unworthy to
have the Lord in his ship, and was afraid to have him stay there."

"I wouldn't have asked him to go out, if he had been in mine,--_I_
don't think!"--said the elder fisher slowly. "I don't see as that chap
need to ha' been afeard--he hadn't done nothin' but good to him."

"But it's what we do ourselves that makes us afraid," said Mr. Linden.
"So it was with Adam and Eve in the garden, you know--God had talked to
them a great many times, and they were never afraid till they disobeyed
him--then the moment he spoke they ran and hid themselves."