69 Now Peter sat without in the palace : and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
71 And when be was gone out into tbe porcb, another ?»aj(isaw him, and said unto them that were there. This felloiv\\i\?> also with Jesus of Nazareth.
72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
73 And after a while came unto Mm they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art 07ie of them ; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying^ I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me tl'.rice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
These verses relate a remarkable and deeply instructive event the apostle Peter's denial of Christ. It is one of those events, which indirectly prove the truth of the Bible,
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If the Gospel had been a mere invention of man, we should never have been told that one of its principal preachers was once so weak and erring, as to deny his Master.
The first thing that demands our notice, is the full na- ture of the sill ofiuhich Peter ivas guilty.
It was a great sin. We see a man, who had followed Christ for three years, and been forward in professing faith and love towards Him, — a man who had received boundless mercies, and loving-kindness, and been treated by Christ as a familiar friend, — w^e see this man denying three times that he knows Jesus ! — This was bad. — It was sin committed under circumstances of great aggra- vation. Peter had been warned })iainly of his danger, and had heard the warning. He had just been receiving the bread and wine at our Lord's hand, and declaring loudly that though he died with Him, he would not deny Him ! — This also w^as bad. — It was a sin committed under apparently small provocation. Two weak women make the remark that he was with Jesus. They that stood by say, " Surely thou art one of them." No threat seems to have been used. No violence seems to have been done. But it was enough to overthrow Peter's faith. He denies before all. He denies with an oath. He curses and swears. — Truly it is a humbling picture !
Let us mark this history, and store it up in our minds. It teaches us plainly that the best of saints are only men, and men encompassed with many infirmities. A man may be converted to God, have faith, and hope, and love towards Christ, and yet be overtaken in a fault, and have awful falls. It shews us the necessity of humility.