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SERMON V.

PETER's denial of his Mafter, practically improved.

Matth. xxvi. 74.

Then began be to curfe and to fwear, faying, I know not the man, and immediately the cock crew.

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HESE words relate an event in its kind one of the most remarkable

we meet with in scripture; an eminent christian, nay, an apostle of Chrift, fuddenly caught in a very heinous defection from his duty, even the denial of his Lord with curfing. From whence, if we confider it seriously with all its circumstances, many useful instructions to us will arife, which shall be the principal subject of this discourse, But, in order to proceed the more diftinctly, it will be neceffary, firft, to ftate the fact, The Apostle Peter, whose character by the accounts which the gospel history gives of him,

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SERM.him, appears diftinguished among the difV. ciples by a warm and forward zeal in his religious profeffion, tho' not always duely balanc'd with knowledge and deliberation; he was the first on many occafions, to exprefs his affectionate refpect to his master, and readiness to undertake any service which fhould be enjoined him; he had the honour to make that excellent confeffion concerning our Saviour, recorded Matt. xvi. 16, Whereupon he was declared to be the rock, upon which the christian church is built; not exclufively, however, of the other Apostles, for the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets; that is, their doctrine: And to him were committed the keys of the kingdom of heaven: Not peculiarly neither, but he was the first, which is the full meaning of that promise, that opened the kingdom of God, or preach'd christianity to the Gentiles; but fee how little reafon there is to glory in any external priviledges, and what fatal reverses in their fpiritual ftate and affairs men are liable to, who poffefs the most eminent of them! Peter, foon after being thus honoured by his mafter, as we read in the fame 16th of Matt. expreffed himself so ignorantly, and

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inconfiderately, upon the defign of our Sa- SER M. viour's coming, and the nature of his king- V. dom, as to diffuade him from undergoing the fufferings his father had appointed for him; thereby meriting to himself this fevere rebuke, get thee behind me, fatan, thou art an offence to me: for thou favoureft not the things that be of God, but thofe that be of men. This eminent Apoftle, I fay, was warn'd by his lord, not only in common with the other disciples, but himself personally, of the extraordinary trial he was to meet with on the occafion of his master's entering into that most difmal fcene which concluded in his death. A trial fo fevere, that it produced the unhappy effect of our Saviour's disciples forfaking him in his greatest extremity; which was a grievous circumstance in his fufferings; foreseen indeed by himself, and foretold long before by one of the ancient prophets, for thus is expounded Matt, xxvi. 31. the prediction of Zech. xiii. 7. fmite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be fcattered. But, as Peter was more earnest in his profefs'd refolution of adherence to his mafter in all events, ver. 33. of this chapter, tho all men fhould be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended; and ver. 35, tho' I H 4 Should

SERM.fhould die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. IV. So he had a special warning of his danger, nay, he was exprefsly told of the great particular tranfgreffion he would fall into, with all the the most material circumstances of it.

Ver. 34. Verily I fay unto thee, that this night before the cock crow, (i. e. in that watch of the night, which was commonly call'd by the Jews the cock crowing; from midnight to three in the morning, or before the finishing it, that is before three) thou fhalt deny me thrice. And accordingly he was by providence permitted, to be in this fignal inftance a memorable and inftructive example of human weakness. We must at the same time observe, that with Chrift's forefight of his frail fervant's defection, there was mix'd a gracious care for his recovery, which was even intimated to him; for to the fame event refer these words of our Lord, Luke xxii. 31, 32. Simon, Simon, Satan bath fought to have you, that he may fift you as wheat; but I have pray'd for thee, that thy faith fail not, (that thou may'st not altogether apoftatize from my religion, but obtain mercy to repent, and return to thy duty) and when thou art converted, Strengthen

Arengthen thy brethren. We need only add, SERM, in stating the fact, that Peter's denial of his V. master was attended with high aggravations, not only by the premonitions given him, and his own contrary purpose declared with great vehemence, which have been already taken notice of; but by its being often repeated, three times, in a very short space. The occafion does not seem to have been fo shocking, but that the spirit of a man might have sustain❜d it, if he had not been thrown into a pannic, for scarcely could one in a calm state of mind believe, that the accufation of being Chrift's disciple, if it had been prov'd and even confefs'd in judgment, could have expos'd him to death; which yet he had undertaken to endure, rather than deny his Lord and, finally, the temptation, still the farther it proceeded, grew the harder for him; and his fin increas'd from a flight denial at the first, to a paffionate abjuration of his Master; for he denied with curfing and fwearing.

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From the fact thus ftated, as it plainly appears in, there arise very important inftructions to us, which we may profitably confider, concerning the fallibility and weakness of human nature; concerning the dan

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