showed his faith, he believed Christ to be the Messiah, or Saviour of the world, and he thought it his duty to obey his commands; his faith and obedience were rewarded, he caught so many fish that he was obliged to call his friends in the other ship to come and help him. It was the power of Christ which brought this number of fish into the net, for Jesus, as God, has power over everything; all creatures obey his will. Peter felt how powerful and holy Jesus was, and how unworthy he himself was to be with Jesus.

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It was this humility which made him say, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Jesus knew what was in Peter's heart, and spoke kindly to him, promising him that he should no longer be a fisherman, but a preacher of the gospel, to bring people to Jesus, that they might believe, and be saved.

All bootless their toil, and their sigh filled the gale, When flushed on the highlands the dawning of

day;

In silence and sadness they spread their white sail, And hied on the face of the waters away.

But who on that shore moves majestic along, His eye beaming mercy, his arm clothed with might?

How he holds in suspense the wondering throng, While they hang on his lips, all entranced with delight.

How calmed are the billows, how stilled is the breeze!

Earth, water, and winds, how their Sovereign confess!

E'en the birds hush their chorus amid the tall

trees,

And the children of sorrow forget their distress.

None lose by the Saviour; once more at thy word The nets are extended beneath the blue sea, The tribes of the wide swelling waves own their Lord,

And hasten to pay their allegiance to thee.

LESSON TWENTIETH.

JOHN III. 1—21.

THERE was a man of the Phari-sees nam-ed Nic-o-de-mus, a ruler of the Jews; the same came to Je-sus by night, and said un-to him, "Rab-bi, we know that thou art a teach-er come from God, for no man can do these mir-a-cles that thou do-est, ex-cept God be with him." Je-sus an-swer-ed and said un-to him, "Ver-i-ly, ver-i-ly, I say un-to thee, ex-cept a man be born a-gain, he can-not see the king-dom of God." Nic-o-de-mus saith un-to him, "How can a man be born when he is old?" Je-sus

an-swer-ed, "Ver-i-ly, ver-i-ly, I say un-to thee, ex-cept a man be born. of wa-ter and of the Spi-rit, he can-not en-ter in-to the king-dom

of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spi-rit is spi-rit." Nic-o-de-mus an-swer.ed and said un-to him, "How can these things be?" Je-sus an-swer-ed and said un-to him, "Art thou a mas-ter of Is-ra-el, and know-est not these things? Ver-i-ly, ver-i-ly, I say un-to thee, we speak that we do know, and tes-ti-fy that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earth-ly things, and ye be-lieve not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heav-en-ly things? And no man hath as-cend-ed up to heav-en, but

he that came down from heav-en, e-ven the Son of man which is in heav-en. And as Mo-ses lift-ed up the ser-pent in the wil-der-ness, e-ven so must the Son of man be lift-ed up, that who-so-ev-er believ-eth in him should not per-ish, but have e-ter-nal life. For God sent not his Son in-to the world to con-demn the world, but that the world through him might be sav-ed. He that be-liev-eth on

him is not con-demn-ed; but he that be-liev-eth not is con-demn-ed al-rea-dy, be-cause he hath not believ-ed in the name of the on-ly be-got-ten Son of God. And this is the con-dem-na-tion, that light is come in-to the world, and men lov-ed dark-ness ra-ther than light, be-cause their deeds were e-vil.