eignment to some chamber rrr gallery that simply asserts; he then asserts with an overlooked the courtyard. The excitement oath; lastly, he adds curses to his oath. of the tri11l and its accompaniments having " One temptation unresisted seldom foils to eomowhat subsided, 11ttention wa1 again be followed by another ; a second and greater turnecl upon Peter, who, in his nervous infidelity is the punishment of the firat, and trepidation, could not remain quiet .and often the cause of a third. Peter joins per- silont, but aroused observation by his in- jury to infidelity. Deplorable progress of discreet movements and garrulity. They inficlelity and blindness in e.n apostle in so that stood by. Among whom, as St. John short a time, only ont of fear of some under- notes, wee a kinsman of Malchus, who indis- servants, and in respect of a Master whom tinotly' remembered h11ving seen Peter at he hari acknowledged very God. He might Gethsemane. Proba.bly by this time some possi6ly have proceeded even as far as rumour of the presence of a disciple of Jesus Judas, had God left him any longer to him- had spread among the crowd, and t!Jero self" (Quesnel). Immediately the cock arose au eager desire to discover him. IC crew. Thie was the second crowing (Mark Peter had not talked, he might have escaped xiv. 72); the first had been heard at the further notice. Thy speeoh bewrayeth thee ; first denial (Mark xiv. 68). makes thee Tmoum. His dialect (for doubt- Ver. 75.-Peter remembered the word e! less he spoke Aramaic) showed that he J"eBUS. Simultaneously with the crowing of wu e. Ge.lilman, and as most of Christ's the cock, the Lord turned round, e.nd from adherents came from that region, they in- the chamber facing the court looked upon ferred that he was one of Christ's diaciples. Peter (Luke xxii. 61), singled him out from The language and pronunciation of the all the crowd, showed that amid all hie own northern district differed materially from sufferings and sorrows be had not forgotten the polished dialect of Judma and Jerusa- his weak apostle. What that look did for lem, and its provincialisms were readily Peter we leam by succeeding events; it is detected. The Galilmans, we a.re told, could for the homilist to expatiate thereon. Christ not properly pronounce the gutturu.l letters, had prayed for him, and the effect of that aleph, kheth, and ayin, and used tau for prayer was now felt. :e:e went out. From shin, pe for beth, etc.; they also often omitted the portico where the denial had taken syllables in words, occasioning equivocal place; he rushed from that evil company mistakes, which afforded much amusement into the night, a broken-hearted man, that to the better instructed. no human eye might witneBB his anguish, Ver. 7!.-To curse and to swear. Peter that alone with his conscience and God he fortifies this, his third denial, by imprecating might wrestle out repentance. Wept bit- curses on himself (,cmTa9,µa:rl(,iv) if he spe.ke terly. Tradition ~serte that all his lifo not the truth, and again (ver. 72) confirming long Peter hereafter never could hear a his assertion by a solemn oath. There is e. cock crow without falling on his knees and certain gradation in his denie.lB : he fimt weeping.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-5.-The shadow of the cros,. I. THE PROPHECY. 1. The end of the Lord's public teaching. "Jesus had finished all these sayings." There was precious teaching yet to come; but that would be private, in the upper room, addressed to the little circle of the twelve. This Tuesday was the last day of the Lord's public teaching. Now he had finished al]these sayings-the controversies with scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees, the great discourse delivered on the Mount of Olives, the parables of judgment, the awful prophecy in which he describes himself as the great King, who shall sit on the throne of glory, who shall judge all the nations of the world. Now be passes from the prophetic to the priestly office. The work of public teaching is ended; the work of atonement is beginning. We are approaching that tremendous sacrifice, the one most awful scene in the whole history of the world, when the high Son of God, who for our salvation's sake beoame the Sou of man, offered up himself the one sufficient Propitiation for the sins of the whole world. It becomes us to draw near with reverence and godly fear, with deep self-abasement and adoring love. 2. The 11ear approach of his death. "After two days," he said, "is the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified." It was his second clear announcement of the form of death which he was to suffer. It was to be the death of the cross, of e.11 deaths the most horrible. He would indeed sit on the throne of glory with e.11 the holy angels round him ; but the cross must come first. He knew it; he knew the day and the 636 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [011. nvi.1-75.