But to proceed. Spiritual sloth, as well as spiritual pride, helped to throw this Apostle down. The sun, that glorious Sun of righteousness, was now about to enter into his last eclipse. Satan, who had left him for a season, or, till the season of his passion, is now to be permitted to bruise his heel again. This is his hour, and now the powers of darkness summon and exert their strongest and united efforts. A hymn is a prelude to his dreadful passion. From the communion-table, the Saviour retires to the garden. An horrible dread, and inexpressible load of sorrow begins to overwhelm and weigh down his innocent soul. His body can scarcely sustain it. See how he faulters! See how his hands hang down, and his knees wax feeble under the amazing pressure! He is afflicted and oppressed indeed. See, see, O my soul, how he sweats! But what is that which I see? Blood――drops of blood――great drops of blood falling to the ground. Alas, was ever sorrow like unto this sorrow! Hark! what is that I hear? O dolorous complaint? “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” Hark! he speaks again. Amazing! the Creator complains to the creature, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry you here and watch with me.” And now he retires once more. But see how his agony increases――Hark! how he prays, and that too yet more earnestly: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” And will his heavenly Father leave him comfortless? No.――An angel (happy, highly-favoured angel!) is sent from heaven to strengthen him. But where is _Peter_ all this while? We are told that the holy JESUS took him, with _James_ and _John_, into the garden. Surely he will not leave his LORD in such deep distress! What is he doing? I blush to answer. Alas! he is sleeping: nay, though awakened once by his agonizing LORD, with a “_Simon Peter_, sleepest thou? what! couldest thou not watch with me one hour?” yet his eyes, notwithstanding his profession of constancy and care, are heavy with sleep. LORD, what is man!
After hearing all this, we need not be surprized at the account given us, (verse 58.) of another step to his fall, viz. His following JESUS afar off. “But _Peter_, says the Evangelists, followed him afar off.” The Redeemer’s agony was now over, “and behold the hour is at hand, when he is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.” He warns his sleepy disciples of it, and, acting like himself, goes out to meet the threatening storm. “Arise, said he let us go: behold! he that betrayeth me is at hand.” _Judas_, one of the twelve that eat of his bread, performs the hellish task, and lifts up his heel against him. He says, Hail, Master! kisses and then betrays him. For this was the sign agreed on, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, the same is he, hold him fast.” They knew the watch-word, and, like so many roaring lions, seize on their unresisting prey. This rouses _Peter_. Out of an honest, but misguided zeal, he draws his sword, and cuts off the High-priest’s servant’s ear. The blessed JESUS heals the one, reproves the other; and, according to _Isaiah_’s prophecy, is contentedly led as a lamb to the slaughter. _Peter_’s heat is soon cooled, and instead of adhering to his LORD, or saying, as might justly be expected, “Whither thou goest, I will go; whithersoever they lead thee, they shall lead me also:” Alas! alas! he followed him afar off. Observe, he does not deny his LORD all at once. No. Satan leads us on by degrees into great sins, and will not suffer us to be very bad immediately. _Peter_ at first follows afar off: he skulks behind, and keeps on purpose at a distance, lest he should be accounted one of his followers. O _Peter, Peter_, did I not know how prone my own deceitful heart is to go astray from the great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, I should now begin to say, Fie upon thee, fie upon thee. Hadst thou kept close to thy LORD, thou mightest have been sheltered safely under his almighty wings; but how canst thou avoid falling, and that foully too, when thou beginnest thus to be ashamed of thy glorious master?
But this is not all. For we are not only informed that he followed JESUS afar off, but that “He went into the High Priest’s palace (verse 58.) and sat with the servants.” So that keeping bad company was another step that led to his great fall. Oh _Peter_! my blood begins now almost to run cold within me. I tremble for thee more than ever. What canst thou propose to thyself, or what bad thing may we not expect to hear of thee, when sitting in such sorry company? I had much rather have heard that thou hadst fled with thy other cowardly brethren. Thou sittest among thy master’s professed enemies to see the end. Whatever becomes of him, I dread to hear what the end of all this gradual backsliding will be, in respect to thy own soul.