SERMON LVIII (2)

But this is not all. For we are not only informed that he followed Jesus afar off, but that “He went into the High Priest’s palace (verse 58.) and sat with the servants.” So that keeping bad company was another step that led to his great fall. Oh Peter! my blood begins now almost to run cold within me. I tremble for thee more than ever. What canst thou propose to thyself, or what bad thing may we not expect to hear of thee, when sitting in such sorry company? I had much rather have heard that thou hadst fled with thy other cowardly brethren. Thou sittest among thy master’s professed enemies to see the end. Whatever becomes of him, I dread to hear what the end of all this gradual backsliding will be, in respect to thy own soul.

Well! the blessed Jesus is now at the bar. Omnipotence suffers itself to be arraigned, and he who set bounds to the sea which it cannot pass, is content to be bound, and that as a criminal, by the work of his own hands. False witnesses rise up against him, and lay to his charge things that he knew not. “This fellow, say they, (verse 61.) said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.” And what reply doth the innocent Jesus make? None at all. Not only because they all knew that it was a malicious slander, but because he stood as our representative. He, therefore, held his peace, and as a sheep before the shearers is dumb, so this immaculate Lamb of God opened not his mouth. At length, being adjured thereto by the High priest in the name of the living God, he confesses himself to be the Christ, the son of the Blessed; and lets the imperious Sanhedrim know, that however contemptible his appearance might be now, yet they should hereafter see him sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. And does not this strike terror into his accusers and judges? By no means. The haughty High-Priest rises in disdain, hypocritically rends his cloaths, urging this as a reason, “He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?” Was ever indignity, like this indignity, put on thee, thou most adorable Mediator! Which shall I marvel at most, the High-Priest’s impudence, or thy patience? Both, doubtless, are unparalleled. And yet, alas! a further trial awaits our suffering Lord. For whilst the master is thus arraigned, insulted, and causelesly condemned at the bar within, Satan is no less busy in wounding him through Peter’s side, who was sitting in the palace without. Peter, indeed, thinks to sit there undiscovered; but a damsel comes to him, (verse 69) saying, “Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.” And what then? Was that high treason? Or rather was it not the highest honour? Peter, what sayest thou? Alas, (verse 70) “He denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.” Know not what thou sayest, Peter? her words were plain enough, “Thou also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Can any words be plainer? To deny this, in the least, was bad, but to deny this before them all, who could so easily confront thee, proves thee to be falling indeed. Call him now no longer Peter, but call him Ichabod: for the glory of the Lord is departing from him.

However, as yet there is hope concerning him. For, conscious, as it were, of his guilt (verse 71) “He went out into the porch.” Satan pursues him. For when a saint begins to fall, his hellish language is, Down with him, down with him, even to the ground. Another damsel, therefore, is put in Peter’s way, who, upon seeing him, says, not unto Peter himself, but to them that were there, (verse 71) “This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.” She speaks the same language with her sister scoffer, and with those who accused the blessed Jesus at the bar. Doubtless, our modern scoffers are related to them, for they use the same dialect every day when speaking of Christ, or those that, through grace, dare to own and confess him before men. But here would I stop and feign be excused from relating to this great assembly Peter’s answer. Oh tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon! But we must not be wise above what is written. The Holy Spirit hath left it upon record, and proclaimed it by four Evangelists upon the house-top, and, therefore, I am constrained to tell you, that again (verse 72.) “He denied with an oath, I do not know the man.” What! an Apostle swear? Was it not enough barely to deny the damsel’s assertion, but he must deny it with an oath? Perhaps, it was a crime he never was guilty of before. Surely, the way of sin is down-hill. One step leads to another. At first he only denied what was said to him, by a kind of equivocation, “I know not what thou sayest.” Now he grows bolder, and denies with an oath, “I know not the man.” What, Peter! Know not the man? That glorious God-man Christ Jesus thy Lord? What! not know Him, who called thee from the poor occupation of catching fish, to make thee an Apostle and a fisher of men? What! not know Him, who bad thee come to him upon the waters, and Him who with his own almighty arm saved thee from drowning, when thou wast answering thy name Cephas, and sinking like a stone? What! not know Him, with whom thou hast so intimately conversed for three years last past, who, so lately pronounced thee blessed, washed thy feet, gave thee a new name, and took thee to Mount Tabor, where he displayed before thee his excellent glory, which made thee cry out, It is good for us to be here? What! hast thou forgot all this, Peter?

Surely, it is high time for the cock to crow. Hark! The cock does crow, not only once, but twice; but all in vain. Fallen as this great man is, he must still fall lower. Satan is now about to give him the last and most fatal thrust. He hath his quiver full of deadly arrows, and hath always instruments at hand, the weakest of which will foil the strongest Apostle when left to himself, “After a while (verse 73) came unto him they that stood by, and said unto Peter, Surely, thou also wast one of them, for thy speech betrayeth thee.” As though they had said, “How canst thou have the impudence to say thou knowest not the man, when thy very language and manner of speaking betrays thy being even one of his followers?” What says Peter now? Can he withstand this glaring evidence? Yes, he not only denies it with a single oath, but (Oh, how shall I speak it!) he “began to curse and to swear,” and with a whole volly of execrable expressions, striving to act the bravado, he persists in saying (verse 74) “I know not the man.” And now, Satan, thou hast gained thy point. A great man, through too much self-confidence, spiritual pride, spiritual sloth, and too great intimacy with some of thy children, is fallen indeed! Thou hast sifted him with a witness.

But is he fallen, never to rise again? Is Peter sunk too low for free grace ever to raise him up? Will the Redeemer suffer his truth to fail; or shall the prayer put up for him before he was led into temptation, viz. that his faith should not fail, remain unanswered? No, all the promises in Christ Jesus are all yea and all Amen; and having loved his own, he loves them unto the end. The enemy hath broke in upon Peter like a flood, but the almighty Redeemer will now lift up his standard against him, and deliver his captive servant. Immediately, (verse 74) upon this last denial of his Lord, “the cock crew.” And what is most of all (nay, without which the cock might have crowed ten thousand times) another Evangelist tells us, that “the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter,” Oh amazing condescension! Oh unparalleled instance of endearing love! Our Lord was now upon a trial for his life. Fat bulls of Bashan were surrounding him on every side. Yet the same love, that in the night in which he was betrayed, would not permit him to forget his disciples in general, would not, though he was himself now arraigned at the bar, suffer him to forget his poor fallen Apostle in particular. “The Lord, therefore, turned, and looked upon Peter.” But who besides Peter, and souls like him recovering from their backslidings, can tell the language of that look? Doubtless, it carried with it an “Et tu Peter? And art thou there Peter? Is it not enough for me to be falsely accused, and condemned by my enemies, but I must be wounded also in the house of my friends! Is it not sufficient that Judas betrays me, but thou must add to my grief by denying me? Deny me too with an oath, nay, with oaths and curses deny that ever thou knewest me? Is this thy kindness to thy friend? Alas! What is become of thy boasted professions now? Art thou the man that didst so solemnly declare, that though thou shouldst die with me, thou wouldst not deny me in any wise? Yes, Thou art the man.”

This, and much more of the same kind, we may well suppose was the real language of that convincing, heart-piercing look, which the Lord Jesus at this time gave his fallen Peter. Amazing! He looks him into contrition; whereas had he rewarded him according to his iniquity, he might have looked him into hell. Rejoice with me, therefore, my dear hearers. This straying sheep, through the tender mercies of the compassionate shepherd and bishop of our souls, by this look is brought back to the fold again. “And Peter, says our text, remembered the words of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow,” i. e. at the time emphatically called the cock-crowing, which was about three in the morning, “thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out.” (The word seems to import, that he threw himself out with a holy violence) “and wept bitterly.” St. Mark only says, “And when he thought thereon, he wept.” For being an amanuensis to St. Peter, though explicit in the account of his fall, he is very sparing in mentioning his repentance. Unless we suppose that St. Mark would insinuate that whenever Peter reflected on his fall, he always wept for ever after. However that be, he wept bitterly now. Methinks, I see him wringing his hands, rending his garments, stamping on the ground, and with the self-condemned publican smiting upon his ungrateful breast. See how it heaves! Oh what piteous sighs and groans are those which come from the very bottom of his heart! Alas! It is too big to speak. But his tears, his briny, bitter, repenting tears plainly bespeak this to be the language of his awakened soul. “Alas! Where have I been? On the devil’s ground. With whom have I been conversing? The devil’s children. What is this that I have done? Denied the Lord of glory, with oaths and curses denied that ever I knew him. And now whither shall I go? Or where shall I hide my guilty head? I have sinned against light. I have sinned against repeated tokens of his dear distinguishing and heavenly love. I have sinned against repeated warnings, resolutions, promises and vows. I have sinned openly in the face of the sun, in the presence of my master’s enemies, and thereby have caused his name to be blasphemed. How can I think of being suffered to behold the face of, much less to be employed by, the ever-blessed Jesus any more? O Peter, thou hast undone thyself. Justly mayst thou be thrown aside like a broken vessel. God be merciful to me a sinner.”

And is this the language of thy tears, O Peter? Blessed art thou still then, thou Simon Bar Jonah. These tears, and this holy resentment against thyself, bespeak thee to be a holy mourner. Yet a little while, and thou shalt be comforted with a “Go tell his brethren and Peter, that he is risen;” and with a “Simon son of Jonah, lovest thou me? Then feed my lambs.” And where is now thy boasting, O Satan? Or what hast thou gained by foiling this favourite of heaven? Thou didst desire to have him. Thy request was granted. Thou hast sifted him as wheat. But dost thou imagine the all-prevailing Mediator will suffer thee to pluck him out of his hands? No. Jesus hath prayed for him, and therefore Peter’s faith shall not finally fail. Rejoice not then over him, O thou enemy of souls! For though he has fallen, yet see how he begins to rise again. Though at the present he sits in darkness, yet, ere long, the glory of the Lord shall shine around him.