St Peters Sin and True Repentance, Discourse
St. Peter's SIN, And True Repentance, Amplified and Improved IN A DISCOURSE Occaſion'd by the Publick Profeſſion of Repentance made by T. W. who after Eleven Years Slavery in Turkey, Renounc'd his Baptiſm and Chriſtianity there, and within a Year made his Eſcape, and returning firſt into Holland, deſired Solemnly to Acknowledge his Sin, and Profeſs his Repentance, which he did in the Engliſh Church at Rotterdam, December the 3d 1687. where the following Sermon was then Preach'd.
By JOHN SHOWER.
London, Printed for Samuel Wade at the Bible under the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1692.
St. PETER's SIN, And True REPENTANCE.
Luke 22.60, 61, 62.
And Peter ſaid, Man, I know not what thou ſayeſt. And immediately while he yet ſpake, the Cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter; and Peter remembred the word of the Lord, how he had ſaid unto him, Before the Cock crow, thou ſhalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
THere is ſome little Difference among the Evangeliſts, in the Hiſtorical Account of this Paſſage, of the Sin and Repentance of Saint Peter. But becauſe they give the ſame Account in Subſtance, though with a little variation one from the other, the one not knowing what the other had writ; 'tis an Argument that their Writings were not contrived by any Agreement with one another, and that there was no Deſign among them to cheat the World with a falſe Story, their Teſtimony is thereby Diſtinct, and of the more Authority. Now though two of the Evangeliſts make mention of the Apoſtle Peters weeping bitterly; yet Saint Mark, who was the Companion, and Scholar, and Amanuenſis of Peter, and in whoſe Goſpel the primitive Church agree that he had a hand, when he ſpeaks of his Repentance, he only ſays, He wept; But when he ſpeaks of his Sin, he aggravates the Circumſtances of his Denial more than all the other Evangeliſts, He began to curſe, and to ſwear, I know not this Man of whom ye ſpeak, Mark 14.71. but gives the moſt modeſt Account of his Repentance, ſays not, that he wept bitterly, but that when He thought thereon, He wept.
I would now, upon this Occaſion, ſpeak a little both to the Sin, and Repentance of this Apoſtle.
Firſt, Let us conſider his Sin with its Aggravations.
Secondly, The Truth and Evidence of his Repentance. That from both we may learn, for our Inſtruction and Practice, what ſuch a Diſcourſe is proper to teach us.
Firſt, Concerning this Sin of the Apoſtle Peter, We may conſider both the Hiſtory of it according to the Evangeliſts, And the ſpecial Aggravations wherewith his Sin was cloathed.
1. We find an Account of this by the Apoſtle Peter himſelf, Mark 14.54. as dictating to the Evangeliſt Mark the ſubſtance of his Goſpel, He tells us, that when our Lord was apprehended, and bound, and led away to Judgment, Peter followed him afar off, or at ſome Diſtance, to learn the Conſequence, and ſee the Iſſue of his Trial; and that he followed him to the High Prieſts Palace, or the High Prieſts Hall; that is, of Caiaphas, not his Father in Law Annas, who was the Sagan or Vicegerent under him, to ſupply his Place if there were Occaſion. The High Prieſts Hall, not the Room where the Sanhedrim met, but ſome outer Room through which they paſſed, ſcituated ſomewhat higher, ſo that the Company above might look down upon the Servants and Officers below.
The Firſt Denial of Chriſt that the Apoſtle Peter is guilty of, was upon the Queſtion of a Damſel that kept the Door, ſaying, Art not thou one of his Diſciples? Wert not Thou with Jeſus of Galilee? To whom he replyes, I know him not, ſo one Evangeliſt hath it. I know not, neither underſtand I what thou ſayeſt, ſays another Evangeliſt. And then he went out in the Court, and heard the Cock Crow, but takes no notice of that Warning.
As to the Second Denial of Peter, After a little while another ſaith unto him, Thou alſo art One of them, and he denied With an Oath, I do not know the Man. At firſt he only diſowned his Diſcipleſhip, but now he adds an Oath to confirm his lye.
About an hour after he is challenged again, Verily Thou waſt with Jeſus of Galilee, Thou art a Galilean, and thy ſpeech be wrayeth thee. The Dialect of the Galileans comes nearer to that of the Samaritan or Syrian Idiom, than that of the Jews dwelling at Jeruſalem. There is ſome Difference in all Nations in pronouncing the ſame Language, by thoſe who dwell in the chief Cities, and thoſe who inhabit in the remoter Provinces. They call him Jeſus of Galilee, as a Term of reproach, thereby denying him to be the true Meſsiah, who was to be born in Judea and not in Galilee: For out of Galilee ariſeth no Prophet, John 7.52. That is, There is no Record of any Prophet that ever did ariſe from thence. The Chriſtians were uſually reviled by Julian the Apoſtate, under the Name of Galileans. But Peter denys that he appertains to Jeſus of Galilee, or of Nazareth. And then the whole Company joyn with Him who firſt ſuſpected him: For we read, That they that ſtood by ſaid; ſurely thou art One of them. And among the reſt, there happened to be One there, who was related to Malchus, whoſe ear Peter had ſmote off, and Chriſt had healed, as the Evangeliſt John relates it: And ſays, Did I not ſee thee in the Garden with him? But he denys it, and adds Curſing and Imprecation to gain credit to his perjury.
He began to Curſe and to Swear, foreign. Some think that he curſed Chriſt, but it is more likely he Anathematized himſelf, that is, wiſhed himſelf excluded from the Synagogue and the Church, if it were not true. Or, as others, that he wiſhed himſelf an Eternal Sepaartion from the Preſence of God; or, in the Jewiſh Phraſe, Let God do ſo to me, and more, if I am not a perfect ſtranger to the Man you talk of. He wiſhed in effect, that the Devil might take him, that God would deſtroy and damn him, if he were a Diſciple of Jeſus, or any way acquainted with Him. But our Lord looked back upon Peter, and the Cock crew a ſecond time, and then he remembred the words of Jeſus, ſaying, Before the Cock crow twice thou ſhalt deny me thrice; And he went out, and wept bitterly.
2. But before I ſpeak of his Repentance, Let us conſider a little of the Aggravation of his Sin.
Firſt, from the Perſon who is thus guilty of denying Chriſt, In what Rank he ſtood, What Character he bore, and under what Obligations he was to have acted otherwiſe. It was Peters; Not an ordinary Diſciple, but an Apoſtle, One of the twelve, yea One of the chiefeſt of the Apoſtles, unto whom our Lord does often addreſs his Diſcourſe, as to the Firſt and Principal of them. Peter, who had preached and Propheſied in the Name of Chriſt, who had wrought Miracles by his Power, caſt out Devils by vertue of his Commiſſion, yet He denys him. Peter, who was admitted to more than ordinary familiarity and Friendſhip with our Lord; who was not only of his own Houſe and Family, but had been favoured to be one of the three preſent at our Lords Transfiguration. Peter, who had hitherto forſaken all for the Intereſt of his Maſter, and hazarded his Life in his ſervice; who had vowed, proteſted, ſo lately, ſo ſolemnly, that though all ſhould deny him, yet he would not, but rather dye upon the ſpot than quit his Cauſe, or forſake his Company; Yet he denyes him. Peter, who was ſo fully ſatisfied that Jeſus was the Chriſt, the Son of the living God, that he aſſerts and declares it in the Name of all the Diſciples, Math. 16. So that it might have been expected from him, that he ſhould have been an Example of courage and Conſtancy to all the reſt; Yet he denys and forſwears him, as if he had never ſeen him.
Secondly, Conſider the Aggravations of his Sin, from the Perſon whom he denys. He diſowns any Relation to Chriſt the true Meſſiah, whom to know is eternal Life. He denys any Acquaintance with him, who had obliged him ſo particularly, and by ſo many Inſtances of his kindneſs, who called him ſo ſtrangely from his Nets to be a Fiſher of Men; who had honoured him with a Commiſſion to preach the Goſpel, and confirmed it by Miracles; Who took him with James and John, to Mount Tabor, when he appeared in his Glory; who condeſcended to let him walk upon the waters, and when he was ſinking, to ſtretch forth his hand to ſecure him; Yet this kind and merciful Saviour he denys and diſowns, who had ſtooped but a little before to waſh Peters feet, who permitted him to ſit down with him at Table, to eat the Paſſover, and take of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper; And but a few hours before he permitted him to ſee part of his Agony in the Garden, and charged him to watch and pray leſt he enter into Temptation, and awaked him three ſeveral times out of Sleep, with a Repetition of that command; Watch and Pray: Yea, but a little before he made the Multitude fall to the Ground by the force of a mild Expreſſion, I am He; and wrought a Miracle in his Sight, in the ſudden Reſtitution of Malchus Ear by a touch, which Peter had unadviſedly cut off: And yet after all this, he denies his Lord and Saviour, who had given ſuch proofs of his Divinity before his Eyes.
Thirdly, Conſider before whom he denies him, in what Company, before what Witneſſes: The Scribes, and Phariſees, and Chief Prieſts, and Elders of the Jews, could not but rejoyce, That One Diſciple of Chriſt ſhould betray him for money, and Another deny, and forſwear him through fear. The High Prieſts Servants, and the common People of the Jews, could not but be hardened and prejudiced againſt Chriſt and his Doctrine, by ſuch an Inſtance. And if there were any ſecret, hidden, half Diſciples, ſuch who were almoſt perſwaded to be Chriſtians; it muſt needs ſhake and ſtagger their Faith, to find ſuch a One, as Peter, revolt ſo ſhamefully.
Fourthly, Conſider the ſmalneſs of the Temptation, eſpecially to his firſt Denial. A Damſel only asked him the Queſtion, whether he was not one of Chriſts Diſciples; and ſome think, rather out of Pity, than Reproach: And yet he feares to own it. Had the fight of Armed Souldiers, come to apprehend and ſeize him, put him into a fright; Had he been examined before the Sanhedrim, or terrified by the threatnings of the High Prieſt; Had he been bound, and led away to Judgment, before the Roman Deputy; Had there been a Proſpect of an ignominious painful Death, from the Roman Souldiers, As the Conſequence of his owning his Relation to Chriſt; ſomething might be pleaded on his Behalf. But to diſown his Acquaintance with him, and Relation to him, at the queſtion of an inconſiderable Servant to the High Prieſt, that only kept the Door, the ſmalneſs of the Temptation was an Aggravation of the Fault.
Fifthly, The Repetition of his Denial was another Aggravation of it. He not only denys him, but ſwears to it that he knows him not, he confirms it by an Oath, calls the God of Truth to bear witneſs to his Lye, That he knew not Chriſt, with vvhom he had converſed ſo long and ſo familiarly, and from whom he ſo lately parted. And again he denyes him with the Imprecation of a dreadful Anathema on himſelf, in caſe he aſſerted a Falſhood.
Sixthly, How many other complicated Sins were implyed in this Fault of Peter? The higheſt Ingratitude to his Maſter, unpardonable Raſhneſs, in venturing into ſuch Company, and tarring there ſo long, and without a call making bold with Temptation: For our Lord had not appointed his Diſciples to follow him, but bad them Watch and Pray; He had diſmiſſed them, and appointed a Place to meet after his Reſurrection. There was likewiſe ſhameful Unbelief, in diſtruſting the Knowledge, or the Power of Chriſt, to have aſſiſted him. There was a baſe Cowardiſe, To diſown him in ſuch a manner. And for a time, there was Impenitence and hardneſs of Heart, ſo as not to take the firſt Warning by the Crovving of the Cock, But vvhen the Cock crevv a ſecond time, Our Lord looked upon Peter, and he remembred the words of Jeſus, and went out, and wept bitterly.
1. He went out. Though Calvin and Others condemn him for going out, and think he had done better to have tarried, and ovvned his Maſter, in the preſence of that Company before vvhom he had denyed him; Yet vvhen vve knovv that his Repentance vvas unfeigned, and accepted vvith God, We ought to put the beſt Conſtruction upon ſuch a Paſſage: And therefore I vvould rather conſider it as a proof of his Repentance: For,
1. We may impute it to his Zeal, and Affection to Chriſt. Could he love him as he did, and be ſenſible of his guilt in having denyed him, and yet bear to ſee the outrage and Violence that vvas offered to his Maſter? Hovv can vve ſuppoſe, that he could indure to tarry in ſo deteſtable a Place, to be a Witneſs to the Affronts offered to his Lord! to hear him ſcorned, and reviled, and reproached, and blaſphemed? This might make him retire from that wicked Crew, to mourn in ſecret.
2. We may aſcribe it to the greatneſs of his Remorſe and ſorrow, and penitent ſhame, for his late Apoſtacy. He could not but be greatly aſhamed of his Ingratitude to ſo good a Maſter, and bluſh to look him in the Face, Conſidering that he ſo lately denyed to have ever ſeen him. What elſe could be expected, but that ſhame and ſorrow would make him chooſe Retirement, to vent his Grief by Tears, and pour out his Soul before the Lord in ſecret? Solitarineſs is certainly moſt agreeable to an afflicted Spirit, Iſay. 22.4. Look away from me, I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, becauſe of the ſpoiling of the Daughter of my People. John 20.11. Mary ſtood without, at the Sepulcher, weeping. Unobſerved Privacy is moſt eligible under any great Paſſion of Grief or ſhame: But here is a Conjunction of both. It is an Argument of his Sincerity, to retire in ſecret to mourn. He cannot well be thought to diſſemble his Grief, who chuſes no other Witneſs but the Omnipreſent God.
3. It may be attributed to his Prudence, and Diſcretion. Conſidering the Malice and Fury with which they proceeded againſt Chriſt, he could not rationally expect if he were known to be a Diſciple of Chriſt by an open declaration of him, to meet with much better Entertainment than his Maſter had; and thereby he might loſe the opportunity of teſtifying his ſincere Repentance, by his future Diligence and Reſolution in preaching the Goſpel.
Beſides, what Service could he render his Maſter by ſo bold an Action? What Obligation was he under to hazard his Life, when there was no apparent Neceſſity to warrant his doing ſo? Eſpecially having ſuch late experience or his own Weakneſs, notwithſtanding his former Reſolutions of Conſtancy. He was bound both in Prudence, and in Conſcience to avoid Temptation, and therefore to quit the Place and Company, where he had met with the Temptation that occaſioned his Fall. He did well therefore, that he went out. But that is not all, For,
Secondly, There is a ſecond proof of the ſincerity of his Repentance, Which, is his Bitter weeping; He went out, and wept bitterly. Not only is the ſecrecy and retirement that He choſe for his ſorrow, an Argument of his Sincerity; But we are likewiſe to conſider, That this his Grief was extraordinary, and his Tears abundant, As the Phraſe of weeping bitterly does import, and is ſo uſed in other Places, Iſay. 22.14. Chap. 33.7.*You that are come here to teſtifie your Repentance for having denyed Chriſt, and renounced your Faith in Turky, ought to take notice of this, and imitate the repentance of Peter as I hope you do. Doubtleſs with his Tears, was joyned a free and hearty confeſſion of his Sin, Bewailing his Folly, Acknowledging his offence, Earneſtly imploring Pardon and Forgiveneſs For if his Grief was too big for words, we may well perceive the inward Remorſe of his Conſcience, and ſmart Reflections he made on himſelf, to ſome ſuch purpoſe as this,
O my Soul! What have I done? Have I denyed and abjured the Author of Eternal Life, for fear of a temporal Death? Did I not once acknowledge Chriſt to be the Son of the living God? And have I ſince denyed him with Oaths, and Curſes, and Imprecations? Did I not promiſe to lay down my Life for his ſake, and though all ſhould forſake him, yet I would not; And have I yet diſowned and denyed him, at the voice of a Damſel? O what Unfaithfulneſs; what Weakneſs! what Wickedneſs! Thus to deny and forſwear my Lord! Have I denied thee, O my Saviour! before the wicked*And you may ſay ſo as to the Mahometans and Turks. Jews? and may'ſt not thou juſtly deny me before thy Father and his Holy Angels? Did I diſown that I ever knew thee? And may'ſt not Thou, at the great Day, bid me depart amongſt the Workers of Iniquity; ſaying, I know you not. Did I joyn my ſelf in Company with thy Haters, and Deſpiſers, and Murtherers? And may I not be rejected, condemned, and puniſhed with them? O that my Head were a Fountain, that I might weep continually! That the Fault of one Night might be Lamented by me all the days of my Life. Lord, was I not warned, and cautioned, and expreſly foretold, that my Confidence would betray me, and let me fall? And yet ſo fooliſh was I and ignorant, ſo heedleſs and unwary, ſo unmindful of thy Friendly Admonitions, ſo forgetful of thy Monitory Prediction, as thus literally to fulfil it by my Triple Denial.
To this purpoſe we may ſuppoſe he did accuſe and condemn himſelf, and that with the deepeſt Remorſe and Anguiſh of Spirit, which his Tears do more than intimate; owning himſelf an Apoſtate Wretch, a Condemned Malefactor, unworthy to live, a Son of Death; To whom the common Light of the World was too great a Favour, and outer, everlaſting Darkneſs a deſerved Portion.
Thirdly, But this is not all: For he further teſtified his Repentance by his Carriage and Behaviour *And you that now profeſs your Repentance here, for having renounced Chriſt and Chriſtianity, ought to take notice of this.afterward. That in two Particulars. 1. By the lively Remembrance of that Sin, and Humble Confeſſion of it upon all Occaſions. 2. By more than ordinary forwardneſs and zeal, to teſtifie his Love to Chriſt and propagate the Faith of the Goſpel.
1. By the lively Remembrance of that Sin, and humble Confeſſion of it. It is reported in Eccleſiaſtical Hiſtory, that ever after, when this Apoſtle heard the Crowing of a Cock, he would either fall upon his knees, or in ſome other manner expreſs his Repentance, and bleſs God for his Recovery. Others ſay, that he was wont to riſe at Midnight, and ſpend the time between Cock-crowing and Day-light, in penitent Devotion. We find ſomthing agreeable to this in the Inſtance of David, after his Adultery and Murther, Pſal. 6.6. I made my bed to ſwim, and watered my Couch all night with my Tears. His Bed brought to Remembrance his Adultery with Bathſheba; and his Couch revived the Thoughts of his Murther of Uriah, For we find him on his Couch when he Signed the Order for the Death of Uriah. The Romaniſts, who are apt to turn every thing into Superſtition, began that practice of placing a Cock upon the top of Towers and Steeples, to put people in mind of this Sin of Peter, and his Repentance, by that Signal.
2. The truth of his Repentance was confirmed, by his extraordinary Zeal and Forwardneſs afterward, to expreſs his Love to Chriſt, and propagate the Chriſtian Faith. It is true, we do not find that after he went out from the High Prieſts Hall, that ever he ſaw his Maſter again, till he was riſen from the Dead: But we find that he came early in the Morning on the Third day unto the Sepulcher, and was the Firſt that went down into it, John 20.6. And we find him deſirous to teſtifie a peculiar Affection to his Maſter, John 21. begin. For when Peter and the other Diſciples were fiſhing at the Sea of Tiberias, our Lord appears on the ſhoar. The Apoſtle John ſaid unto Peter, It is the Lord, ver. 7. Then Peter, to make haſte to meet him, only girts his Coat about him, and caſts himſelf into the Sea; while the other Diſciples, not above Two Hundred Cubits from Land, come by Ship to meet him. After a ſhort Dinner, it may be paſt in Silence; for we read in the Twelfth Verſe, that when Jeſus ſaid unto him, Come and Dine, yet none of the Diſciples durſt ask him, Who art thou? ſeeing they knew he was the Lord. But Jeſus ſays unto Simon Peter, Loveſt thou me more than theſe? He anſwered, Yea Lord, thou knoweſt that I love thee. And being asked again, he replies, Thou knoweſt that I love thee. And being asked a third time, he anſwers, Lord, thou knoweſt all things, thou knoweſt that I love thee. Profeſſing his Love three ſeveral times, as he had been guilty of a Triple Denial.
Whereupon our Lord minds him of what he had formerly ſaid, That when he was converted he ſhould ſtrengthen his Brethren; and therefore puts him upon this Evidence of his ſincere Repentance and Love to Chriſt, Feed my Lambs, Feed my Sheep. Though thou haſt denied and diſowned the Shepherd of thy Soul, yet feed my Sheep: Let this be the firſt Teſtimony of thy Love, which afterwards thou muſt confirm with the loſs of thy Life, and ſeal with thy Bloud. And by the Hiſtory of the Acts of the Apoſtles, we find his extraordinary Diligence to ſpread the Goſpel: For the Travels of this Apoſtle in his Miniſterial work, are computed to be above Nine Hundred and Fifty Miles.
'Tis an Inſtance of the Wiſdom of Divine Providence, that this Apoſtle ſhould be ſent principally to Preach the Goſpel to the Jews, and be the Miniſter of the Circumciſion, who had thus joined with the Jews in diſowning Chriſt; that he ſhould endeavour to perſwade them to join with him in Repentance, as he had joined with them in Sin.Dr. Jackſon. And the Parallel may be carried further, As the Nation of the Jews had known the Lord above all other People, had ſeen his Wonders, and been favoured by peculiar Inſtances of his Kindneſs, ſtood in ſpecial Relation to Him, and made the higheſt Profeſſion of Love and Obedience, and expected the coming of the Son of God; Yet when he came amongſt them, they diſowned his Authority, and proteſted againſt him, We have no King but Caeſar, &c. So the Apoſtle Peter, though he had ſeen our Saviour, and lived in his Family, and been Witneſs to his Miracles; was nearly related to him, and profeſſed more than ordinary Affection and Obedience; Yet he baſely diſowned him, when it came to the Trial. His Sin was in ſome reſpect like Theirs, and therefore he is the fitteſt Perſon to Preach the Goſpel to them. His Diligence therein is another Argument of the Sincerity of his Repentance.
The Application follows; For Inſtruction, and Practice.
1. From the very Relation of this Paſſage of the Scandalous Fall of one of the Apoſtles, and the particular Deſcription of it by the Apoſtles themſelves, We may learn one Argument to confirm the Truth of the Goſpel Hiſtory. Had it been a Forgery, or Humane Contrivance, theſe things would have been concealed: But the Spirit of God has left this upon Record, to warn us againſt the like Sins, and to encourage the Repentance of thoſe that have fallen in an Hour of Temptation. We may obſerve farther
From the Sin and Fall of this Apoſtle, What little Reaſon the Church of Rome has to boaſt of the pretended Succeſſion of their Popes to the Apoſtle Peter. They are his Succeſſors in denying Chriſt the Glory due to him as Mediator, but in vain do they pretend to be the univerſal Biſhops of the univerſal Church as his Succeſſors. We read of no ſuch Superiority that Peter had over the reſt of the Apoſtles; Not till Chriſts Aſcenſion to be ſure, for then there would have been two heads of the Church. Nor afterward: For he was only the Apoſtle of the Circumciſion. And St. Paul the Doctor of the Gentiles, withſtood him to the Face, and ordained Paſtors without him,Gal. 2. and 2 Cor. 11.5. and tells us he was not inferiour to the chiefeſt Apoſtles. And Peter was ſent as a Meſſenger from the reſt of the Apoſtles, Acts 8.14. And when he was accuſed, he pleads his own Cauſe before the other Diſciples, and ſubmits to the Judgment of the Council, Acts 11. Moreover when there were Diviſions in the Church of Corinth, that ſome were for Paul, and ſome for Apollos, and ſome for Cephas, or Peter; We do not find the Apoſtle Paul directs them to Center all in Peter; He owns no ſuch Authority and Supremacy in him above others, as the Church of Rome have inveſted him and his Succeſſors in. The Biſhops of Rome have imitated Peter too much in the Denial of Chriſt, but in little elſe that we know of. Again,
From the Sin and Fall of Peter, We may obſerve the Subtlety of the Devil, to ſuit his Temptations to the particular Tempers of Men; and ſo to ſeaſon and time his Temptations, as to have the greateſt probability of Succeſs. He takes confident Peter in a fit of Fear at the Apprehenſion and Arraignment of his Maſter; who at another time would have replied to the Devil, as Chriſt did to him when he acted the Devils Part, Get thee behind me Satan. Our great Adverſary the Devil knows how to aſſault us with ſuitable Temptations, and in what Circumſtances we are moſt likely to yeild; we had therefore need to watch and ſtand upon our guard.
We may alſo obſerve the Juſtice of God, in permitting the ſtrongeſt Confidence to be ſhamed and baffled. Let us therefore remember, that none are ſo likely to enter into Temptation, and be overcome, as thoſe who are leaſt afraid of it. None are more likely to fall, than thoſe who are moſt confident of their own ſtanding. None more ready to yeild to Temptation, than ſuch as preſume they ſhall never yeild. Moreover,
In that after Peter's firſt Denyal he heard the Cock crow, and did not take warning, we may learn, That whoever ſins againſt the Light of his own Mind and Conſcience, may be ſo far hardened and ſtupified by it, as that the plaineſt warnings, for a time at leaſt, ſhall be diſregarged, and have no influence. One would wonder, after what Chriſt had told him concerning his Denial before the Crowing of the Cock, that he did not recollect it when he firſt heard the Cock to Crow.
We may further learn, That there is a Mixture of Fleſh and Spirit, of Corruption and Grace, in the beſt Saints. I doubt not, but Peter's Reſolution to dye with Chriſt, rather than deny him, proceeded from a Principle of Grace and true Affection to his Lord. I queſtion not, but he verily thought he ſhould do as he ſaid; but his Confidence of himſelf, whereby he preſumed on his own ſtrength, had a ſinful mixture with it, which occaſioned his Fall. It therefore concerns all, even the beſt men, that they watch and pray, leſt they enter into Temptation.
But conſidering, That though the Sin of Peter was great, yet his Repentance was not long delayed; We may compare it with ſome other Inſtances in Scripture, and obſerve, That Sins, by the ſurprizal of a ſudden Temptation, are much ſooner repented of, than where the Sin is preſumptuous, deliberate and contrived. Let us take the Inſtance of David, in the matter of Bathſheba and Uriah, and compare it with this Example of Peter.
Peter knew ſo well that he ſhould not deny his Lord, that he was confident he never ſhould. He honoured his Maſter in his Heart, and came to the High-Prieſts Hall with a Reſolution of Conſtancy;Biſhop Sanderſon. but denied him, to decline a preſent apprehended Danger, under a violent Paſſion of Fear; Which was not ſo deliberate and preſumptuous a Sin, as David's Adultery and Murther: For he continued in his Adultery with Bathſheba for a long Time; and in order to the ſecrecy of it, gave command concerning the Death of Uriah the Husband; and that not in an haſty Paſſion, or in a ſudden ſurprize; but in cool blood, with many a deliberate thought about it. Now as there was a great difference in their Sin, ſo as to the time of their Recovery. St. Peter took the warning of the ſecond Crowing of the Cock, and immediately goes forth to expreſs his Repentance; but David continued almoſt a Twelve-Month without any ſolemn Repentance, that we read of, after ſuch a Fault, and till the Prophet Nathan comes to him, and is forced to tell him, Thou art the Man. Again,
From Peter's taking the Warning of the ſecond Crowing of the Cock, when he was not awakened by the firſt, We may obſerve, That the ſame Means, which men have had for a time and not profited by, may yet, through the Bleſſing of God, be afterwards effectual, if they be continued or vouchſafed again. Let ſuch as have long enjoyed the Means of Grace, and have not profited, bleſs God that they are yet continued, and beg the Influence of the Spirit, that at length they may be effectual. You that for many years have ſat under the Preaching of the Word, that every Lords Day, and frequently on the Week Days, are called to Repentance, and yet have been unprofitable Hearers hitherto; you ought not to forbear your Attendance on the Publick Worſhip, becauſe the ſame Truths which have been heard at one Time with little Profit, at another may come with Power and Efficacy to your Souls.
Laſtly. You may take notice of the Mercy and Love of Chriſt to his poor Diſciple, and of his Faithfulneſs to his Promiſe.
1. His Mercy and Love to his poor Diſciple. He forgets not Peter, when He himſelf was apprehended and brought to Judgment, amidſt the Calumnies and falſe Accuſations, the Injuries and Indignities which our Lord met with, yet he remembers Peter, and turns about, and gives him a gracious Look, that melted his Heart, and recals him to Repentance. Certainly he hath not leſs Kindneſs for his Followers now he is in Heaven, than he had while he was upon Earth.
2. Obſerve his Faithfulneſs to his Promiſe, and the Prevalency of his Prayer for Peter. Satan, ſays our Lord, has deſired to have thee, and to ſift thee as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy Faith fail not, Ver. 31. of this Chapter. And therefore though he was permitted to Fall, to humble him for his Confidence, and to warn us by his Example, and to teach more Watchfulneſs and Circumſpection; yet his Faith did not finally fail, but he is recovered again by a ſpeedy and deep Repentance. And there is no true Chriſtian but is intereſted in this Promiſe, and ſhall ſhare in the Prevalency of the Interceſſion of Chriſt: His Faith ſhall not finally fail; He that hath begun a good Work, will carry it on: He that is the Author of Divine Faith, will be the Rewarder and Finiſher of it.
For Direction as to Practice. From what has been ſaid, we may learn
1. To take heed of the Beginnings of Sin. If the Devil have once got the advantage of Peter, by his firſt Denial of Chriſt, he ſhall quickly be tempted to deny him again; If he yield to one Temptation, he ſhall ſoon meet with more and ſtronger. At firſt only a Damſel asks the Queſtion, but afterwards the whole Company accuſe him as a Follower of Chriſt. He that will venture upon a Lye, ſhall be tempted to tell another to conceal the firſt, and to add Perjury and Imprecation to prevent diſcovery. The breaking of our good Purpoſes and Reſolutions in one Inſtance, will make way for our doing ſo in many others. As David from Adultery proceeded to Murther, and Lot from Drunkenneſs to Inceſt; and Peter here from a bare Denial to Perjury, and Curſing, and Imprecation. The admiſſion of one Link of a Chain will make way for more. And without watching againſt the beginnings of Sin, they will ſoon multiply; as one curling Circle in the Water produces a ſecond, and ſo a third, of a larger ſize and figure than it ſelf. When you yield to any Temptation of the Devil, you know not where you ſhall ſtop, you give him an advantage againſt you, you Weaken and Harden your own Hearts, ſtifle Conſcience, and lay your ſelves more open unto Temptation, and your Reſiſtance will ſtill be weaker.
2. Let us heartily pity thoſe, who by the ſurpriſe of a great Temptation have ſinned like Peter, in denying their*We have a ſad Inſtance of one of our Country-men, now before us, who renounc'd his Baptiſm and Chriſtianity in an hour of Temptation. Lord. Let us not preſently cenſure and condemn them of the Sin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, or of ſinning wilfully after the Knowledge of the Truth, in ſuch a manner, as that it ſhould be impoſſible for them to be renewed again to Repentance. Let us rather pray for them, that it be not a Sin unto Death, Eſpecially when we have any Inſtance of their*As we have in the preſent Caſe. Repentance: For the Sin unto Death, and the Sin againſt the Holy Ghoſt, exclude Repentance, ſuch as are guilty do never repent.
3. Let us not be high-minded, but fear; and while we ſtand, take heed leſt we fall. Did an Apoſtle, and ſo great an Apoſtle, Deny and Forſwear his Lord? and that ſo ſoon after he had been at the Lords Table, which was but the Night before, or but ſome few hours before? And ſhall any of us be confident of our own Courage and Conſtancy? How many Inſtances are there of thoſe who have ſhamefully fallen in an hour of Temptation, of ſuch as have renounc'd their Chriſtianity in Turky and received the Impoſtures of Mahomet; Of many more in Popiſh Countries, that have abjured the Reformed Religion, to comply with the Superſtitions and Impurities of Rome? Many ſuch there are, who once thought themſelves as unlikely to do ſo, as any of us can now think that we are: And ſhall we be Poſitive and Certain, Confident and Preſumptuous, that, though we had all their Temptations, we ſhould not do as they? Had not Peter, think you, more Reaſon to think and hope well of himſelf, and to believe that he ſhould rather Dye with Chriſt, than Deny him; than any of us have? Thanks be to God, you do not yet meet with the Temptations that others have experienced, and that there is no near proſpect that you ſhall meet with ſuch Temptations; yea I rejoyce in the hope that many of us would be aſſiſted and enabled by God, rather to dye for Chriſt, than deliberately to abjure, and deny him; But let us not be confident in our ſelves; The Inſtance of this Text ſhould make us humble and cautious, and fill us with a Holy Fear, becauſe they who are able to ſtand their ground againſt ſome ſorts of Temptation, may yield and be overcome by others.
4. Let us all reflect with ſhame and ſorrow upon our ſelves, That in too great a degree we have imitated the Sin of Peter. We have denied our Lord as well as he; tho' not after the ſame manner, yet with as high Aggravations, and ſometimes more criminal ones. Have we not denied Chriſt by our Actions, though not by our Words? By having a form of Godlineſs, but denying the Power of it: Tit. 1.16. By profeſſing to know God and Chriſt, when in Works we deny and diſhonour him, 2 Tim. 3.5. We have not been ſcared from the Profeſſion of his Name and Truth, by threatening Dangers, and the fear of Suffering; yet have we not forſaken and diſowned him, by the Luſts of the Fleſh, the Luſts of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, contrary to our Baptiſmal Covenant? Though we are not Apoſtates by a formal Abjuration of his Holy Religion, as to Doctrine and Worſhip; yet do we not practically contradict the Principles and Rules of it?
Do you not deny him to be King, by not kiſſing his Scepter, ſubmitting to his Authority, and keeping his Commandments; by not walking as his Servants and Subjects, in univerſal Faithful Obedience, according to the Oath and Covenant we are under. Do you not deny him to be the Great High-Prieſt, by not depending on his Meritorious Righteouſneſs, and prevailing Interceſſion, as the Ground of your Acceptance with God, for Pardon of Sin and Eternal Life? Do you not Deny him to be the Great Prophet, by choſen Ignorance, and wilful unbelief, under all the Teachings of his Word, and Spirit? Notwithſtanding the bright Revelation of his Goſpel that we injoy, and have ſo long injoyed? Do we not deny and diſown him to be our Lord, and Head, and Captain, and Saviour, by thwarting his Example, and refuſing to walk in his Steps? For Inſtance, by Drunkenneſs and Gluttony, when He was the greateſt Example of Temperance and exact Sobriety: By Haughtineſs and Pride, when he has left us a Pattern of the deepeſt Humility: By Covetouſneſs and Uncharitableneſs, and want of Compaſſion to the Poor; when Charity, and Love, and Kindneſs towards all was exemplified in his whole Courſe.
Yea there are many who profeſs themſelves Chriſtians, who not only Deny Chriſt, as Peter; but betray him, as Judas. Who ſell their Conſciences for Temporal Profit, and the gain of a little Money; Who undervalue the Bloud of the Redeemer, and all the Riches of his Grace, for thirty pieces of Silver; preferring their Eaſe, and Honour, and Wealth, before his Preſence and Favour, &c. Who is there, my Brethren, that has not in ſome ſenſe ſinned like Peter, with the like Aggravations as his Fault was attended with? Have we not ſinned after the knowledge of the Truth, after we have confeſſed that Jeſus is the Lord, after we have owned him to be our Lord, and our Jeſus; after we have promiſed and proteſted by Baptiſm, and frequently ſince by the repetition of that Covenant at the Lords Table, that we would obey and ſerve him as long as we live? Have we not denied and diſhonoured him, after we have been adopted into the Family of God, and enjoyed the Priviledges of his Houſe; after eminent and ſpecial Mercies, and peculiar Favours, as well as Peter; after we have been convinced, and awakened, and reſolved, and begun well, and held out againſt Temptation for a little while? Have none of us after this revolted from Chriſt, and returned to folly? Have you not retracted your vow, contradicted your Experience, diſhonoured the Holy Name by which you are called, and denied the Lord of Glory, that ſo willingly was a Sacrifice for you? Yea have you not been called to Repentance again and again, by the Preaching of the Word, as well as Peter by the crowing of the Cock, and yet remain impenitent to this Day?
Nay further, Many of our Sins are more aggravated than the Sin of Peter, Peter denied Chriſt, it is true; but it was in the Houſe of Caiaphas: But ſome of us deny him even in his own Houſe and Temple. Peter denied him, but it was in the midſt of Enemies; But we do ſo in his own Family, amongſt his Diſciples, and Children, which is an higher Aggravation of our Sin, than his*And this poor Man in Turkiſh Slavery, under great and ſore Temptations, which he long reſiſted.. Peter denied him, but it was when his Spirit was overwhelmed with fear, and ſurprizing Trouble; Whereas we deny and diſobey him, in the midſt of Peace and Plenty. Peter denyed him, but it was under the Apprehenſion of a Temporal and cruel Death, that might be the Conſequence of Owning him; But bleſſed be God we have no ſuch Temptation: On the contrary, if we deny him, it is in deſpight of the threatening of temporal and eternal Death. So that our Apoſtacy from Chriſt, and practical denyal of him, is more criminal in ſeveral reſpects, than the Fault of Peter.
Laſtly. Therefore as we have imitated his Sin, let us imitate him in his Repentance too. We have heard that the Second Call awakened him to Repentance, when our Lord looked upon him; But how many Calls from God have ſome of us had? how often hath Chriſt looked upon and ſpoke to us? and knocked at the Door of our Hearts by his Spirit? Shall we not then obey his Voice to repent? As ſoon as Peter remembred his Sin, you have heard that he left the Place where he contracted his guilt, he avoided the Company that had been a ſnare to him. Oh imitate him in this, continue not to frequent ſuch Places, and ſuch Company, where you have been enſnared, and defiled, and met with prevailing Temptations to ſin.
Concerning Peter you have heard, that he expreſſed his Repentance by bitter Weeping; Oh imitate him in this, and not only ſay you are ſorry, but give ſome convictive Sign and Evidence of it, that you do in earneſt Repent, and bring forth fruits meet for Repentance. Concerning Peter, you have heard that he manifeſted the truth of his Repentance, by his future zeal and Diligence, by his extraordinary Love to Chriſt, and Concern for his Honour, and Fidelity in his Service: O follow his Example, if you would ever have the Comfort and Reward of unfeigned Repentance; and not onelyonly ſin no more, but be doubly diligent in circumſpect, and holy walking.
'Tis ſad to conſider, how much formal, ſuperficial, counterfeit Repentance there is in the World. Men ſay they are ſorry they have done amiſs, they acknowledge their Faults, and it may be fetch a ſigh, or mutter a Groan, or drop a Tear, in a ſerious mood, or upon ſome ſolemn occaſion; But in a few Days, it may be ſooner, are the ſame again; The Convictions, and ſerious Impreſſions, they had upon the Lords-day, are very often loſt and gone before the return of the next Sabbath; The Vows and Reſolutions they make at the Lords Table, are not remembred and obſerved for an entire MonethMonth, but there is ſad work for a new Repentance, before the monthly Seaſon comes about. After ſolemn Profeſſions of Repentance, they are as bold and venturous upon Temptation as ever, as unmindful of their holy vows as ever; as careleſs and fearleſs, and ſo as eaſie a Prey to the Devil, as before. Have you not reaſon to reflect upon this? and therefore to go home, and weep bitterly, as Peter did? This would be a happy improvement of this Example. The Lord grant it may have ſuch Effects. Amen.
FINIS
End of the text · John Shower, St Peters Sin and True Repentance (1692)