would create considerable anxiety : how much more then should it, when it respects everlasting happiness or everlasting misery ! Well indeed may that man be grieved, who is in the least doubt what answer he shall give to the question in our text, " Lovest thou me?"]
We cannot however but take occasion from the
instance before us to observe,
III. That notwithstanding we have deviated for a time from the path of duty, we may be so far recovered as to warrant an appeal to Christ, that we do indeed love him —
God forbid that we should encourage any man to think lightly of sin ; or that any thing we speak for the comfort of true penitents should have such a con- struction put upon it. Yet we must not conceal the truth, for fear it should be perverted ; nor must we forbear to magnify the grace of God, lest some one should abuse it. Our position, properly understood, will not sanction false confidence in any man. We concede, that a man may have fallen as grossly as ever Peter did, yet may he afterwards recover his confidence towards God, provided, like Peter, he,
1. Bitterly bewail his sin —
[Peter, after his fall, " went out and wept bitterly :" and as our Lord had particularly " prayed for him, that his faith might not fail," we can have no doubt but that he sought for mercy in God's appointed way. Now let this be done in sin- cerity and truth, and we do not hesitate to declare, that it shall not be done in vain : whether the guilt be contracted by an ignorant opposer of the Gospel, or a backslidden professor of it, and whether it be more or less heinous, it shall certainly be forgiven k, and peace shall be again restored to his wounded conscience. " God will heal his backslidings, and love him freely," yea, and seal a sense of his pardoning love upon his soul. Upon his confessing with David, " I have sinned against the Lord," the Lord will say to him, " I have put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die." But besides this he must,]
2. Take occasion from his fall to search out and mortify his besetting sin —
[Peter's besetting sins were self-preference, and self- confidence. He had such an over-weening conceit of his own strength, that he engaged, that " though all the other
k Isai. i. 18. 1 John i. 7, 9.
1734.1 INQUIRIES ABOUT LOVE TO CHRIST. 2o\
Apostles should forsake their Lord, he never would : no ; he would rather die with him than deny him." To this our Lord alludes in his first question, " Lovest thou me more than these ?" To that part of the question Peter made no reply : he would no more boast of his superiority to others ; but was contented with affirming what from his inmost soul he knew to be true. Moreover, he seems many years afterwards to have had in view his own fatal miscarriage, when he gave that advice to the Church at large ; " Be sober, be vigilant ; for your adversary the devil goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour : whom resist, steadfast in the faith." Thus he learned both humility and caution from his past experience.
A similar effect in us will warrant a similar assurance of our love to Christ. It is often a long time before our besetting sin be even known to us : for sin has such a bewitching power, that it makes us not unfrequently admire as a virtue, what others see and know to be a weakness and a crime. Pride, envy, covetousness, and a variety of other evils, often lurk and reign in us, while we are scarcely sensible of their existence in our hearts. Now if we have been led to search out these hidden abominations, to mourn over them, to subdue and mor- tify them, and maintain a spirit directly opposed to them, we can scarcely wish for a clearer evidence of our sincerity : the very fruit we produce, indisputably proves our union with Christ ; and consequently justifies an assured conviction of our love to him. Thus humbling himself for his iniquity, he must yet further,]