tliinlc for themselves, or act for themselves, according to the convictions of their own minds. They take not their faith and practice from the Scriptm'es of Truth, bvit from a standard which obtains among them, and from which they are afraid to deviate. Who would think that Peter himself, bold and intre- pid as he was by nature, and still more fortified by grace, should yet yield so far to the prejudice of his Judaizing brethren, as even to endanger the utter subversion of the Gospel, which he had been the honoured instrument of first opening both to the Jewish and Gentile world? Yet so he did, through fear of their displeasure. Who, then, has not cause to acknowledge himself in danger of erring, through the operation of this evil principle ?]
To all who yield to its influence, it brings a fatal snare —
[Thousands it keeps from coming within the reach of spiritual instruction. The fear of that expostulation, " He hath a devil and is mad ; why hear ye him''?" is quite suffi- cient to intimidate the generality of men, whom curiosity at least might otherwise bring within the sphere of spiritual in- struction. And in those of whom better things might have been hoped, it has wrought, in unnumbered instances, to the production of the most tremendous evils, moral, spiritual, eter- nal. Behold in Peter a dissimulation, which led even Bar- nabas astray. They, through mercy, were recovered : but many it has led to utter apostasy, and involved in everlasting ruin. In the days of our blessed Lord many were " afraid to confess him, because they loved the pi'aise of men more than the honour that cometh of God;" and many who had followed him " went back, and walked no more with him : " and so in every age, even to the present hour, have many been turned aside by the dread of persecution*^, and have " made shipwreck of their faith." And what the issue of this is to their souls, we are told: for " the fearful and unbelieving," no less than *' murderers and whoremongers, have their portion in the lake that burnetii with fire and brimstone, which is the second death '^." In truth, our adorable Saviour warned his heai'ers respecting this, from the very beginning ; declaring to them at all times, that they who should be ashamed of hini, and should deny him, would assuredly find him ashamed of them, and would be ultimately denied by him in the presence of his Father and of the whole assembled universe.]
Seeing, then, that we are all exposed to this danger, it will be expedient that I point out to you,
II. Its proper and only effectual antidote —
» John X. 20. b Matt. xiii. 21. ^ j^ev. xxi. 8.