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three: his following Christ afar off; his being in bad company, amongst Christ's enemies; and his presumptuous confidence of his own strength and standing. 1. His follow ing of Christ afar off. To follow Christ is the work of faith, and fruit of love; but to follow him afar off, was the effect of fear and frailty. Woe unto us, when a temptation comes, if we be far off from Christ's presence and assistance. 2. His being in wicked company among Christ's enemies. O Peter, thou hadst better have been a-cold by thyself alone, than sitting by a fire encompassed with the blasphemies of the wicked where thy conscience, though not seared, was yet made hard. The way to escape prevailing temptations to sin, is to shun such places, and to avoid such companions, as in all probability will invite and draw us into sin. 3. Confidence of his own strength and standing was another occasion of Peter's falling. Pride and presumptuous confidence have been ever the forerunners and occasions of a fall. O Lord! to presume upon ourselves is the ready way to provoke thee to leave us to ourselves if ever we stand in the day of trial, it is the fear of falling must enable us to stand. Not only they who go forth in the strength of nature, but also they who go forth in the strength of inherent grace, may quickly fall from their own stedfastness. Observe, 3. The reiteration and repetition of his sin. He denies him a first, a second, and a third time. He denies him first with lie, then with an oath, and after all with an anathema and a curse. O how dangerous is it not to resist the first beginnings of sin! If we yield to one temptation, Satan will assault us with more and stronger. Peter proceeded from a bare denial, first to perjury, then to cursing and imprecation. Observe, 4. The aggravating circumstances attending this sin of Peter, and they are these: 1. The character of the person thus falling: a disciple, an apostle, a chief apostle, a special favourite; who, with James and John, had the special honour to be with Christ upon mount Tabor; Peter, who had preached and prophesied in Christ's name, cast out devils, and wrought miracles by Christ's power, yet he denies him. 2. Consider the person whom he denies: his Master, his Saviour, and Redeemer; he that had washed Peter's feet but a little before; that eat the passover with Peter, and gave the sacrament to Peter; yet this kind and condescending Saviour was denied by

Peter. 3. Consider before whom he denies him in the company and presence of the chief priests, scribes, and elders, and their servants, who rejoiced at it, and were hardened by it; that one disciple should sell him for money, and another disciple deny him through fear. 4. Consider the time when he denied him; verily it was but a few hours after he had received the sacrament of the Lord's supper from Christ's own hand. How unreasonable then is their objection against coming to the Lord's table, because some that go to it dishonour Christ as soon as they come from it! Such examples must not discourage us from coming to the ordinance, but excite and increase our watchfulness after we have been there, to take heed that the future conduct of our lives be suited to the solemnity of a sacramental table. 5. Consider the smallness of his temptation to deny Christ; a damsel only put the question to him, Art thou not one of his disciples? If a band of armed soldiers had appeared to him, and affrighted him, had he been terrified by the high priest's threatenings, bound and led away to judgment, sentenced to an ignominious, painful death, some excuse might have been made for him: but to disown his relation to Christ at the question of a maid-servant that kept the door only, the smallness of the temptation was an aggravation of the crime!" Ah, Peter, how unlike thyself art thou at this time? Not a rock, but a reed; a pillar blown down by a woman's breath! O frail humanity, whose strength is weakness and infirmity!" Observe here, That in most of the saints' falls recorded in scripture, either the first enticers, or the accidental occasions, were women. Thus in Adam's, Lot's, Samson's, David's, Solomon's, and Peter's. A weak creature may be a strong tempter; nothing is too impotent or useless for the devil's service. It was a great aggravation of Peter's sin, that the voice of a maid, a doorkeeper only, should be stronger to overcome him than his faith in Jesus to sustain him. But what shall we say? Small things are sufficient to cast us down, if God doth not hold us up: we sink under any burden, if he sustain us not, and yield to every temptation, if he leave us to ourselves. A damsel shall then make a disciple shrink, and a door-keeper is enough to drive an apostle before her. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

And he went out and wept bitterly. Here we have an account of St. Peter's rising and recovery after his shameful fall, by a renewed act and exercise of repentance. Where observe, The suddenness of his repentance, the means of his repentance, and the manner of it. Observe, 1. The suddenness of his repentance: although his sin was great, yet his repentance was speedy and without delay. From whence note, That sins committed by the surprisal of a sudden temptation, are much sooner repented of, than where the sin is presumptuous and deliberate. David's sin of murder and adultery were presumptuous and deliberate sins; he continued a long time in them, and lived almost a twelvemonth without any solemn repentance of them. St. Peter's sin was hasty and sudden, under a violent passion of fear, contrary to his settled purpose and resolution of constancy; and he takes the warning of the second crowing of the cock, and goes forth to express his repentance. Observe, 2. The means of his repentance, which was twofold. Less principal, the crowing of the cock; more principal, Christ's looking upon Peter, and Peter's remembering the words of Christ. 1. The less principal means of St. Peter's repentance, was the crowing of the cock: as the voice of the maid occasioned him to sin, so the voice of the cock occasioned him to repent.* That God who can work without means, doth sometimes work by weak and contemptible means, and when he pleases can open the mouth of a bird or beast for the conversion of a man.

But

why should our Saviour choose the crowing of a cock as a mean to bring St. Peter to repentance? There is ever some mystery in Christ's instruments; the cock was a preacher to call Peter to repentance, there being something of emblem between the cock and a preacher. A true minister must have the wings of a cock to rouse up himself from security, and to awaken others to a sense of their duty. He must have the watchfulness of a cock, to be ever ready to discover and forewarn danger. He must have the voice of a cock, to cry aloud and tell Israel of their sin, and terrify the roaring lion, and make him tremble. In a word, he must observe the hours of the cock, to crow at all seasons of the night, to preach in season and out of season the glad tidings of salvation. But, 2. The more principal means of St. Peter's recovery, was, 1. Christ's looking upon • Rp. Reynolds on St. Peter's Fall.

Peter. Christ first looks upon Peter with an eye of mercy, grace, and pity, before Peter looks upon his sin in order to repentance. Here take notice of the greatness of Christ's grace, of his wonderful love and mercy to his poor disciple. When our Saviour was upon his trial for his life, a time when our thoughts are wholly taken up about ourselves: even then did Christ find leisure to think upon Peter, remember to turn about, and give him a pitiful but piercing look; a look that melted his heart, and dissolved it into tears. We never begin to lament for sin, till we are first lamented by our Saviour. Jesus looked upon Peter. That is the first more principal means of Peter's repentance. The second is, Peter's remembering the words of Christ, Before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice. This remembrance of Christ's words was an applicative and feeling remembrance of them. He remembered the prediction of Christ, and applies it sensibly to himself. Teaching us, That the efficacy of Christ's word, in order to the bringing of a soul unto repentance, depends not upon the historical remembrance of it, but upon the close application of it to every man's conscience. A sanctified remembrance of Christ's words, and our own sins, is an excellent preparative to repentance. Observe lastly, The manner of Peter's repentance: it was secret, he went out; it was sincere, he wept bitterly; it was lasting and abiding all the days of his life, and attended with an extraordinary zeal and forwardness for the service of Christ to the end of his life. 1. It was secret, he went out; Vere dolet, qui sine teste dolet. He sought a place of retirement where he might mourn in secret; he cannot well be thought to dissemble his grief, who chooses no other witness but the omnipresent God. Solitariness is most agreeable to an afflicted spirit; and as St. Peter's sorrow caused him to go forth, so might also his shame, Christ looked upon Peter, but how ashamed must Peter be to look upon Christ, considering that he so lately denied to have ever seen him! 2. His repentance was sincere, he wept bitterly; his grief was extraordinary, and his tears abundant. There is ever a weeping that follows sin; sin must cost the soul sorrow, either here or in hell; we must mourn awhile, or lament for ever. Doubtless with Peter's tears there was joined hearty confession of sin to God, and smart reflections upon himself after this manner: Lord, what

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have I done? I that did once acknowledge my Master to be Christ the Son of the living God, have since denied him with oaths, curses, and imprecations. I that promised to lay down my life for his sake, have yet disowned and denied him at the voice of a damsel. O what unfaithfulness, what weakness, what wretchedness!

O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep all my days for the fault of this one night!" Blessed indeed are the tears of a converted revolter, and happy is the very misery of a mournful offender. 3. This holy man's repentance was lasting and abiding; he had a lively sense and remembrance of this sin upon his soul all his life. Ecclesiastical history reports, that ever after, when St. Peter heard the crowing of a cock, he fell upon his knees and mourned; others say, that he was wont to rise at midnight, and spend the time in penitent devotion between cockcrowing and day-light. And the Papists, who love to turn every thing into superstition, began that practice of setting a cock upon the top of towers, and steeples, and chimneys, to put the people in mind of this sin of Peter, and his repentance, by that signal. Lastly, St. Peter's repentance was attended with an extraordinary zeal and forwardness for the service of Christ to the end of his life. He had an earnest love towards Christ, Thou that knowest all things, knowest that I love thee: and as an evidence of it, he fed Christ's sheep; for in the Acts of the Apostles, we read of his extraordinary diligence to spread the gospel, and his travels in order thereunto are computed to be nine hundred and fifty miles and the wisdom of God thought fit that this apostle should preach the gospel to the Jews, as St. Paul did to the Gentiles; that as he had joined with the Jews in denying and disowning Christ, so he should endeavour to persuade them to join with him in repentance, as he had joined with them in their sin. His sin was in some respect like theirs, therefore he is sent to preach the gospel to them, and his diligence therein is an undoubted proof and evidence of his repentance. Have any of us fallen with Peter, though not with a formal abjuring, yet by a practical denying, of him, let us go forth and weep with him; let us be more vigilant and watchful over ourselves for the time to come; let us express more extraordinary love unto and zeal for Christ, more

diligence in his service, and more concernedness for his honour and glory. This would be an happy improvement of this example. The Lord grant it may have that blessed effect. Amen.

CHAP. XXVII.

WHEN the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

The foregoing chapter gives us an account of Judas his treason, in delivering our Saviour into the hands of the chief priests. In this chapter we find our holy Lord brought by the chief priests unto Pontius Pilate the Roman governor, in order to his arraignment and condemnation. Whence observe, That it has been the old policy of corrupt church-governors to abuse the power of the civil magistrate, in executing their cruel and unjust censures upon holy and innocent persons. The chief priests and elders do not kill our Saviour themselves, but they deliver him over to the secular power, and desire Pilate, the civil magistrate, to sentence and condemn him; which soon after we shall find he did. They bound him, and led him away: but what need was there of binding him, that never made any resistance? And O, what ingratitude was it to bind him with cords, who came to unloose those bands of sin wherewith we were bound.

3. Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. 5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Here we have a sad relation of Judas's desperate death, after an hypocritical life, as also of the horror of his mind and con

science before his death. Observe here, 1. The time when Judas repented; after it was too late. When he saw that he was condemned, he repented. Learn thence, That they that will not see their sins timely to their conversion, shall see them sooner or later to their confusion. Observe, 2. The repentance itself, in the several parts and branches of it: he was sorrowful for the fact, he made confession of his sin, and made restitution for the wrong done. He repented, saying, I have sinned; and cast down the thirty pieces of silver. Learn thence, That a wicked man, when conscience is thoroughly awakened, may make confession of his sin, express some sorrow for it, and endeavour also the making of some satisfaction and restitution for the wrong and injury done by it. They that mourn for sin as sin; they that mourn more for the intrinsic evil that is in sin, than for the penal and consequential evils that follow sin; they that confess sin voluntarily and freely, particularly, penitently, believingly, with an eye of sorrow upon their sin, and an eye of faith fixed upon their Saviour; they that make restitution as an act of obedience to the command of God, and as an act of justice and righteousness to their neighbour; such persons' repentance shall find acceptance with God. Observe, 3. The answer and reply which the wicked high priests and elders make to despairing Judas. 1. They excuse themselves, What is that to us? It is natural to all sinners to shift sin from themselves, and to lay it at any door rather than their own. Those that have had a share in the pleasure and profit of sin, are yet very desirous to throw the odium and guilt of it upon others. What 25 that to us? say these monsters in sin. O wonderful stupidity! could they think it nothing to them to hire a man to betray innocent blood? Was not the money given the price of blood, and the field they bought called the field of blood? yet do they impudently say, What is that to us? 2. As they excuse and acquit themselves, so they load and burden him: Look thou to that. Lord! what miserable comforters are companions in sin to one another, when distress and sorrow comes upon them! When sin comes to be questioned in order to its being punished, every sinner is for shifting for himself, and leaves his fellow in the lurch. Let us then remember the words of the Holy Ghost, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools

shall be destroyed. How jolly soever sinners are together, when in the height of their lusts; they are but miserable comforters to one another upon a sick bed, or under the lashes of an awakened conscience. But though they may avoid each other now, there is a time coming when it will be impossible; at the great day the sinner shall see both his companions in sin, and his sins themselves, to be what he would never believe them here, the vilest of monsters. Observe, 4. The sad and fatal end of Judas; he went forth and hanged himself. Horror and despair took hold upon him, and seized his conscience; which was so intolerable, that he ran to the halter for a remedy. Learn hence, 1. That conscience is a powerful though invisible executioner; the wrath of man may be endured, but the wrath of God is insupportable, and the eruptions of conscience are irresistible. O how intolerable are those scourges that lash us in this tender and vital part! Judas awakened with the horror of his fact, conscience begins to rouse, and the man is unable to bear up under the furious revenge of his own mind. There is an active principle in men's breasts and bosoms, which seldom suffers daring sinners to pass in quiet to their graves. Guilt is naturally troublesome and uneasy; it disturbs the peace and serenity of the mind, and fills the soul with storms and thunder, both in life and death. How vainly did Judas hope to take sanctuary in a grave, and to meet with that ease in another world which he could not find in this! Thus ended this miserable man, Judas. Behold! ye professors of religion, the terrible example of God's justice on a deceitful hypocrite. Behold! a disciple, an apostle, first a traitor, and then a self-murderer. Behold! all ye covetous worldlings, to what the love of that accursed idol has brought this wretched apostle. Behold! Judas, once shining in the robes of a glorious profession, now shining in the flames of God's eternal wrath and vengeance. Lord! how earnest ought we to be for thy preserving grace, when neither the presence, the miracles, the sermons, the sacraments of Christ, could preserve and secure a professor, a disciple, and apostle, from the fatal mischief of a ruinous apostasy! Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.

6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the

treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; 10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.

Observe here, 1. The niceness and scrupulosity of these hypocrites: they made no scruple to give money to shed blood, but they scruple the putting that money into the treasury which was the price of blood. They are afraid to defile their treasury, but are not afraid to pollute their souls. Thus hypocrites strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel; scruple a ceremony, but nake no conscience of murder and perjury. Observe, 2. The use which they put this money to, which Judas brought them: they bought with it a field to bury strangers in. Thus Christ, who was himself a Stranger in a borrowed grave, by the price of his blood (being thirty pieces of silver) conferred graves on many strangers. Observe lastly, How the wisdom of God ordered it, that hereby a scripture-prophecy might be fulfilled, Zech. xi. 13. They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver, and I took and cast them unto the potter. Whence learn, That all the indignities and abasing sufferings which the Lord Jesus underwent, were not only foreordained by God, but also foretold by the holy prophets; his being scourged, buffeted, spit upon, and here his being sold for thirty pieces of silver.

much that the governor marvelled greatly.

Observe here, 1. That our Saviour readily answers Pilate, but refuses to answer the chief priests before Pilate. Pilate Jews? Jesus readily answers, Thou sayest: asks him, Art thou the King of the or, It is as thou sayest. But to all the accusations of the chief priests, and to all that they laid to his charge before Pilate, our Saviour answers never a word: probably for these reasons; because his innocency was such as needed no apology; because their calumnies and accusations were so notoriously false, that they needed no confutation; to show his contempt of death, and to teach us by his own example patience and silence, when for his sake we are slandered and traduced. Learn thence, That although we are not obliged to answer every captious and ensnaring question, nor to refute every slander and false accusation, yet we are bound faithfully to own and confess the truth, when we are solemnly called thereunto. Saviour, as a deaf man, hears not, answers not, the calumnies of the chief priests; but when Pilate asks him, Art thou the King of the Jews? or, as St. Mark has it, Art thou the Son of the Blessed? Jesus said,

I

Our

am; though he knew that answer would cost him his life. Hence the apostle, I Tim. vi. 13. says, That Christ before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. Teaching us, sometimes to hold our peace when our reputation is concerned; but never to be silent when the honour of God, the glory of his truth, the edification and confirmation of others, may effectually be promoted by our open confession: then must we with Christ give a direct, plain, and sincere answer. whoever denies him, or any truth of his, knowingly and wilfully, him will Christ deny in the presence of his Father, and before all his holy angels.

For

11 And Jesus stood before the 15 Now at that feast the govergovernor and the governor asked nor was wont to release unto the him, saying, Art thou the king of people a prisoner, whom they would. the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, 16 And they had then a notable Thou sayest. 12 And when he was prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 Thereaccused of the chief priests and fore, when they were gathered togeelders, he answered nothing. 13 ther, Pilate said unto them, Whom Then saith Pilate unto him, Hearest will ye that I release unto you? Bathou not how many things they wit- rabbas, or Jesus which is called ness against thee? 14 And he Christ? 18 For he knew that for answered him to never a word; inso- envy they had delivered him.

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