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also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Was it something of this quickening that Peter experienced as he responded to the Mas ter’s call? The weariness was forgotten as Faith sprang forward to its goal in God. How exhilarating and enabling are the promises and commands of the Mas ter. Thirdly, Faith triumphs over contra diction of custom. It had not been the custom of Peter and Co. to go afishing in the morning or to be directed by a landsman as to how and when to catch fish, but there is something in the voice and presence of the Master that compels obedience, and once more faith triumphs over prejudice and habit, and shouts, “Nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.” In his previous utterance Peter said, “We will let down the net,” now he uses the singular, “ I will let down the net.” The following of the Master calls for a personal faith and the wil lingness to stand alone. The one all- important thing is to be sure that you are following the Master and not your own ambitions. You will notice that Peter is very careful to state the conditions on which he makes this bold personal venture—“at thy word.” In those words you have all that faith requires to proceed—the per son and word of the Master. On this the Church has carried out its great Mis sionary enterprises throughout the cen turies— “ Lo, I am with you always.” The consciousness of the Master’s pres ence and the conviction that He who hath promised is faithful, has been the dynamic of the great faith ventures that have sent the Gospel Messenger to the ends of the earth, with the Message of the Cross. Not only is this the power for the propagation of the Gospel, but also for Christian living. What a strength it is in the midst of the problems of life to be conscious of the presence of the
3VERTHELESS at thy word I will let down the net. Luke 5:5. To appreciate this utter ance we must study the con text, and out of that study come some very precious truths. The first I would suggest Is that you have here an illustration of how Faith triumphs over utter failure. “We have toiled all the night and have taken noth ing, nevertheless at thy word X will let down the net.” ' It had been a night of fruitless toil. The nets were empty, but in spite of the failure of the past, faith dared to obey the Master, where skill and toil had proved so fruitless only a few hours before. There is nothing that paralyzes effort like failure, and too often we sit down in the presence of a great opportunity and fail to reap its wealth through the consciousness of yes terday’s defeat. In the case before us faith rises superior to failure, and reck ons the thing possible because of the Master’s word. The believer can never be defeated, simple faith dares the im possible and counts on the faithfulness of the Master. Secondly, faith triumphs over physical weakness. “We have toiled all the night.” The word translated toiled means to be spent with work or wearied with labor. The same word is used in John 4:6, where we read of the Master being wearied with his journey. In spite of exhaustion and weariness Peter responds to the Master’s call and shoots his net once more, the weariness overcome by the exercise of simple faith in the Mas ter’s word. In Rom. 8:11, we read, “He that raised up Christ from the dead shall
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