upon him to the uttermoft; but, as he tells our Apoftle in the next Verse, be prayed to his Father that his Faith might not fail, that is, that it might not utterly fail, fo as that he should fall without ever rifing again. For, let the Writers of the Church of Rome fay what they will against it, in Favour of their Pope's Infallibility, as the unerring Succeffor of St. Peter, the Event plainly fhewed, that his Faith did fo far fail at this Time, as that it gave Way to his Fear, till he had actually denied his Master in the most positive and folemn Manner. But as he immediately repented of what he had done, (which Repentance was, no doubt, the gracious Effect of our Saviour's Prayers for him) fo his Faith quickly broke forth again, like the Light of the Sun iffuing out with greater Splendour from under a dark Cloud; and was ever after fo eminently ftrong and teddy, that it carried him through much greater Trials and Difficulties than this was, and ever made him more than Conquerour over

all

all the Temptations of Satan, and the Powers of Darkness.

But as all this was owing to the free Goodness and tendereft Compaffion of his bleffed Mafter, fo our Saviour thought it necessary, even now, as well as after his Refurrection upon another Joh. xxi. Occafion, to let him know what Ufe he 15,8. ought to make of fo much Kindness fhewed to himself, in his future Behaviour towards his Brethren, and the reft of Mankind: And therefore, after he had told him of his Danger, and hinted plainly enough to him his Fall, and what would nevertheless be the happy Iffue of both at laft, he immediately subjoins the Words of the Text, as a very natural Inference from the whole; And when thou art converted, ftrengthen thy Brethren. (a) And here again the moft zealous Advocates for the Papal Tyranny are hard at Work, tho' differently affected with

(4) This Paragraph was omitted in Speaking, but is thought fit to be printed, for the fuller Explication of the Text, and Manifeftation of the Arts used by the Writers of the Church of Rome, to pervert Scripture to their own Purpoles.

with two Words in this remarkable Paffage. For, First, (b) they are very uneafie at the Word converted, and labour much to make it a meer Hebraifm; as if our Saviour had only faid, do thou hereafter in like Manner, or in thy Turn, ftrengthen thy Brethren. And this they do very probably, because they would not have it thought that St. Peter (and we well know for whofe Sake they are fo ready to clear him) ftood in Need of any proper Converfion. And fome others, particularly Grotius (c), have, I think, gone too far in favouring this Interpretation on Criticifms that will not bear a ftrict Examination. But then, Secondly, they are even tranfported with Joy at the Word ftrengthen, as if it neceffarily implied Supremacy, Dominion, and Infallibility in the Bishop of Rome, as the alone Succeffor of St. Peter, and the undoubted Pof

(b) See Bellarmine, Maldonate, &c.

(c) See Grotius on the Place; and fome of the Fratres Poloni go this way; as Wolzogenius and Brenius. See this Interpretation examined and confuted in Gerhardi Harm. Evang. pag. 867.

Poffeffor of his extraordinary Gifts, and as if no one could ftrengthen his Brethren but an uncontroulable and infallible Teacher. Whereas] the plain and only Meaning of the Words is this: When thou art converted, that is, when thou haft seen thy Fault in Denying me, and haft repented of it; and haft efcaped the Snares that were laid for thee by the great Enemy of Mankind, through my Goodness to thee, confider what a Bleffing thou haft received thy felf, and be ever ready and diligent to fhew the fame Kindness to thy Brethren, the rest of the Apoftles, or to others, as there is Occafion, that I have fhewed to thee: Confirm the Weak, establish the Wavering, receive the Penitent, and give me this farther Proof of the Sincerity of thine own Converfion, by doing to others as I have done unto thee. Go and do thou likewife. This then being the true and full Meaning of the Words, as they relate more immediately to St. Peter, I fhall pursue them no farther in that View; but take Cccafion from his

Par

particular Cafe, and our Bleffed Saviour's well-grounded Advice upon it, to advance this more general Propofition, viz. That it is the Duty of all those, who have received fuch Bleffings, of what kind foever, from the Hands of God, as they find themselves exceeding happy in the Enjoyment of, and which they are fenfible their Brethren ftill want, and can never be truly happy without, to do all they can to make them alfo Partakers of the fame: This is what I fhall endeavour,

First, To make out to you by pro per Arguments. And then,

Secondly, Apply the General Propofi tion to the particular Bufinefs now before us.

And, First, as to the General Propofition its felf, it is plainly grounded upon these Principles, which I fhall make use of as fo many Arguments to evince the Truth and Reasonableness of it.