in which He speaks, and further the Holy Spirit is promised to all who ask; by the Word and Spirit we are still directed to the Lamb of God. This is the best of all knowledge, to know Him; and this is the best and happiest of all sights, to see Him by faith as our Saviour. This best knowledge we may have; this best and happiest sight we may see. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!

35

Call of Andrew and Simon.

CHAP. i. 35-42.

"Again, the next day after, John stood, and two of 36 his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as He walked, 37 he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two

disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou? He saith unto them, Come 39 and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40 "One of the two which heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being 42 interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone."

NE of these two disciples was Andrew; the other, there

is reason to think, was St. John himself, the writer of the Gospel. The way in which he tells the story would lead us to think he was there, and he was always slow to mention himself. Why should he name Andrew, and yet not name the other, unless it was himself?

John the Baptist's disciples still kept with him; but now he wished them to be no longer his disciples only,

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but Christ's disciples. So, the day after his first public testimony, as he stood with these two disciples, and again saw Jesus coming, he said, for them to hear, "Behold the Lamb of God!" He had begun with preaching repentance; now he preached Christ: thus he led his disciples on. And thus should we go on. We must not stop short of Christ. Let us know our own hearts, let us have a deep sense of sin, let us be truly contrite; but we are not to stop there; let us go forward to believe in Him who takes away sin.

The two disciples heard what he said, and followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned and spoke to them encouragingly: "What seek ye?" And when they answered, "Rabbi (that is, Master or Teacher), where dwellest Thou?" He encouraged them yet further: "Come and see." He still encourages all who set their faces to seek Him. Their knowledge of Him at first, like that of these two, may be distant and vague; but He bids them come nearer; He invites them to visit Him, and learn. He will despise none who, according to the light they have, try to follow Him; He will notice them, and be gracious to them. Every sincere inquirer He will welcome kindly.

The two disciples did follow Him. Wherever it was that He was dwelling, or staying, that day, thither He took them, and kept them with Him there. It was about the tenth hour- that is, ten o'clock in the morning, according to some; or, as others think, four o'clock in the afternoon. Some hours at least of the day yet remained; and all that time they stayed with Him. Precious hours! They were probably alone with Him, and learnt from His own lips. Never had they passed such hours before. Did not their hearts burn within

them, as He talked with them? Often afterwards they heard Him speak; but that first evening with Him they could never forget. How precious are all hours spent with Him alone! How precious and how happy all time that we pass in communion with Him; when we abide with Him, and He teaches us by the Spirit! Let us seek such times. Every day let us make sure of some such time, however short.

Doubtless he

Andrew was a fisherman from Galilee. had come down to that place, with others of his countrymen, to hear and see this wonderful new teacher, John the Baptist, and there had become his disciple and been baptized. One of his companions was his own brother, better known afterwards than himself, called then Simon. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, and tell him the good news. In this he was beforehand with the other disciple: before he could tell any, Andrew told Simon. If St. John was the other disciple, we see his humility in mentioning this. We can often trace the same in what he wrote.

Christ, the

But he did

"We have found the Messias," the Anointed One: that was Andrew's news. more than merely tell him the news; "he brought him to Jesus." Is it not always so? When, through grace, one has found Christ, he cannot rest without telling it to others, and trying to bring them to Him. No one who has really found the Saviour will be content to keep the knowledge to himself. But we should be far more zealous than we are in telling others.

And whom should we tell sooner than those of our own flesh and blood? Some find it difficult even to mention the subject of religion in their own family. They can muster courage to speak to a stranger; but to

those with whom they have been familiar all their life, and with whom they have to do every day in the commonest things, to them they find it hard to speak. Yet ought it to be so? have not they the first claim? Let this difficulty be got over. Andrew told Simon first afterwards he told many besides. Let brother tell brother, and sister sister. Let those in a family who have found Christ make their own family their first object. Let them try to bring the rest to Jesus.

It was when Simon was thus brought that the name was given him by which we know him best-the name of Peter; "Thou shalt be called Cephas:" for Cephas, in the common language of that country, meant just the same as Peter in Greek; both mean, in English, a Rock or Stone. No reason was then given by our Lord for this name; but we must remember that, after his fall, Peter was strengthened by grace, and did become a very rock, or stone, in firmness and constancy to his Lord.