him, the reft by filence confeffed their fear and their shame; Peter only stood forth, and, with a courage feeming to be fuperior to all trials, profeffed, Though all men fhall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. His Lord again declared unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice: but Peter, whofe heart was confcious of no fear, anfwers boldly, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee.

As the time of our Lord's fufferings drew near, he retired to prayer, and made choice of Peter and others to join with him. But here, oppreffed with fleep, they forgot themselves and their Master: but foon they were awakened with the noife of those who came to apprehend them, and with the fight of fwords and ftaves. Peter ftood to his defence; and had it been a caufe proper for the decifion of the fword, he had at least died with glory; but he mistook the weapons of his warfare, and knew better how to venture his life in the field, than to refign it at the call of confcience: an evident fign that natural courage is not the true fource of confidence in fpiritual trials, in which they only can conquer, whose ftrength is not of man, but of God. No fooner were the hopes of defence taken away, and the fuccours which natural courage affordeth rendered useless, but Peter's refolution began to fail: he could not indeed totally forget his love to his Mafter, and therefore he followed him to his trial; but he followed him, as the text expreffes it, afar off, and mingled himself in the crowd of fervants who attended the chief-priefts and elders, hoping

by that artifice to pafs unfufpected of any acquaintance or familiarity with the perfon accufed. But whether his fear discovered him, which even by the concern it sheweth to lie concealed often betrayeth itself, or however elfe it happened, he was challenged by a damfel, who told him, Thou also waft with Jefus of Galilee: Peter denies it, and, being again fufpected, affirms with an oath, I know not the man. A third time he is queftioned, and then, to fhew his innocence by his refentment of their fufpicions, he began to curfe and to fwear, faying, I know not the man. And now it was that the cock crew, and the Lord turned and looked upon Peter; with a look, however, full of tenderness and compaffion, that ftruck Peter to the heart, and brought to his mind his prefumption and his basenefs: under this confufion he retires from the prefence of his Mafter, and from the eyes of the world; and, when he thought of himself and of his Lord, he wept bitterly.

Happy tears! and bleffed were the fruits that followed them! Not long after this the scene changes again: St. Peter ftands in the place of his Mafter, before the tribunal of the high-prieft, fummoned to appear for his doctrine at the peril of his life and now he who denied Chrift when he was queftioned by a maid-fervant, boldly preaches him before the high-prieft and elders, testifying, that God had raised up Jefus, whom they flew, and hanged on a tree, and had exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael and forgiveness of fins: and when he had been beaten, and let go, he departed, rejoicing that he had

been counted worthy to fuffer fhame for the name of Chrift and thus he continued conftant in faith under all trials and afflictions, and at last laid down his life for his Mafter, with whom he now reigns in glory, diftinguished with the brightest crown of martyrdom.

This example of St. Peter affords us many useful reflections, and many excellent inftructions for our conduct and behaviour in the course of our lives here; fome of which I beg leave to fuggeft to you, And,

First, Hence we may learn that confidence and prefumption are very unpromifing figns of fteadfaftness and perfeverance in religion. Truft in God is one thing, and truft in ourselves is another; and there is reason to think that they will differ as much in the fuccefs that attends them, as they do in the powers upon which they are founded.

There is a boldness and intrepidity natural to the temper of some men, which makes them eafily undertake, and often achieve, great things; which gives them fuch affurance and reliance on themfelves, that they overlook the dangers and difficulties at which others ftand amazed, and at the fight of which they find all their powers forfake them. But then great fpirits are generally attended with great paffions, which by turns ufurp the dominion, and leave little room for thought or reflection; fo that a cool head and a warm heart feems to be one of the rareft compofitions in nature. How applicable fuch tempers are to religion, may be known by confidering, that the first principles of true religion are a fear of God, and a mistrust of

ourselves, which will not eafily infinuate into a mind that fears nothing, and is full of self-sufficiency. Hence it is, that fome fierce fpirits fet up for defpifers of religion, as if even to fear God were too mean a condefcenfion in a man of courage.

But were fuch men once entered into the ways of holiness, it may be thought perhaps that the fame warmth, which preffes them on to great attempts, would foon make them eminently virtuous; fince courage and resolution are the likelieft means to carry us to the greateft heights in religion. Such indeed are Chriftian courage and refolution, which arife from a fure truft in God, and a perfect fubmiffion to his will, which enable us not only to act with zeal, bút to bear the disappointments we meet with an unfhaken firmnefs of mind. But when men set out upon their own bottom, they will foon be offended, and turn back: glory and fuccefs are the incitement of human courage; reproach proper and afflictions the neceffary exercise of Chriftian fortitude. When St. Peter was furrounded with fwords and ftaves, he was nothing difmayed, his heart and his hand went together in the caufe of God. But yet he who could fight for his religion, could not fuffer for it. This fhews that the courage of a Christian is very different from that of the natural man; that it arifes from other confiderations, and is fupported by other hopes and expectations and it is in vain for you to promise yourfelves a fuperiority under trials and temptations, unless you lay the right foundation, by imploring the aid and affiftance of God's holy Spirit, whose

province only it is to confirm the faithful to the

end.

Secondly, From this example of St. Peter we may learn also what little reason there is to promife ourfelves fuccefs against temptations which are of our own feeking. St. Peter had warning given him, and was told by one whose word he might have taken, that he was not able to undergo the trial, which he seemed fo much to defpife. But try he would, and learnt to know his own weakness in his miscarriage.

God knows our ftrength better than we ourselves do; and therefore, when he has warned us to avoid the occafions of fin, and to fly from the prefence of the enemy, it is prefumption to think ourselves able to ftand the attack, and our preparations to meet the danger must be vain and ineffectual. When we strive not lawfully, even victory is dif honourable, and no fuccefs can justify disobedience to orders and, where our ftrength is not our own, but is derived to us from the great Captain of our falvation, it is impoffible we should profper, whilft we disobey his authority, unless we can suppose that he will enable us to act in contempt of his commands. When therefore we court the dangers and temptations which the Spirit of God has warned us to flee from, we fight without commiffion, we are no longer the foldiers of Chrift, or have any pretence to expect fupport from him in our undertakings. The promise of the Spirit was given to comfort us in doing the work of God, and his affiftance is granted to enable us to perform it. And whilft we are doing the work of our Father,