,small ,books on ,great ,subjects4--,,xi4 ,,the ,,making ,,of ,,an ,,apostle4 ,by ,r4 ,j4 ,campbell4 ,,london3 ,,james ,,clarke ,,co41 #ac #ad1 ,fleet ,street4 #ahih4 ,first ,edition1 ,october1 #ahih4 ,contents4 ,the ,making of an ,apostle ,simon ,meets with ,jesus ,the ,call to ,service ,simon's ,first ,commission as a ,preacher ,simon ,acknowledges ,jesus to be the ,christ ,simon ,peter ,witnesses the ,transfiguration ,peter ,thinks his ,sacrifice ,complete ,the ,scene in the ,upper ,room ,gethsemane and ,after ,the ,power of the ,resurrection ,a ,new ,commission ,the ,prince of the ,apostles ,,the ,,making ,,of ,,an ,,apostle4 ,the ,new ,testament supplies us with little in the way of biography4 ,even from the ,gospels themselves we do not gather much concerning the actual life of our ,lord apart from ,his public ministry4 ,it has been justly said that no person has ever influenced the history of the world on such a scale as ,jesus of ,nazareth1 yet it would be impossible to write a chronological life of the ,founder of ,christianity4 ,what is true of the ,master is true of ,his followers4 ,we know very little about the ,apostles themselves2 apart from their life-work of preaching ,christ1 the details of their circumstances and fortunes are most meagre4 ,yet it is worth while from such materials as we have to attempt to trace the influence of ,jesus ,christ upon those through whom ,he founded ,his ,church upon earth4 ,the choice of ,apostles1 for instance1 is sometimes regarded as having been made in a very exceptional or semi-miraculous way1 that ,jesus summoned to ,his side individuals upon whom ,his gaze fell for the first time1 and that these men forthwith became the instruments of ,his service4 ,but from comparison of the ,gospel narratives we discover that very interesting life-stories might be written concerning the men who stood closest to ,jesus during ,his earthly ministry4 ,we find1 as we might have expected1 that ,jesus took in them an active personal interest1 that their lives were shaped under ,his influence as clay in the hands of the potter1 that ,he had a plan with each of them1 and patiently worked at it1 that ,he applied to them a discriminating treatment and placed upon each his own individual value4 ,is not the same process going forward even now8 ,does not the risen ,lord still continue to issue ,his summonses to the souls of men8 ,we feel that it were better to think so1 and that ,he by whom the very hairs of our head are all numbered still gives to ,his servants in the world individual care1 interest and attention1 fashioning heroes and saints out of the most unpromising materials1 and making apostles as in the days of old4 ,as an example of ,jesus's ways of dealing with ,his servants the life of the ,apostle ,peter is most suggestive4 ,in the first place1 because he was admitted to be the leader of the ,apostles1 or at any rate occupied the position of greatest prominence amongst them1 and also because we are able by the comparative method to obtain from the ,gospels sufficient information for a history of his character1 if not of his career during the three most formative years of his life4 ,i4 ,simon ,meets with ,jesus4 ,we are fortunate in possessing an account of the first occasion on which ,simon1 the ,galilean fisherman1 met with ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,we are told 7,john i4 #ce-db7 that immediately after the ,baptism of ,jesus1 and1 therefore1 before ,his public ministry began1 ,john the ,baptist made a semi-public declaration that ,he was the long-expected ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,his words1 as recorded in the ,fourth ,gospel1 are3 ,i knew ,him not3 but ,he that sent me to baptize with water1 ,he said unto me1 ,upon whomsover thou shalt see the ,spirit descending1 and abiding upon ,him1 the same is ,he that baptizeth with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and ,i have seen1 and have borne witness that this is the ,son of ,god4 ,with the exception of the mother of ,jesus1 ,john the ,baptist appears to have been the only person1 who1 at this particular time1 was perfectly convinced1 without a word from ,jesus ,himself1 that the long-expected ,messiah had appeared4 ,his declaration just quoted must have been made in the presence of a certain number of ,his disciples1 though with what effect we are not told4 ,in a sense the ministry of ,jesus begins with the declaration of ,john1 and a certain importance must therefore attach to the historicity of the account of it4 ,if ,john recognised1 as we are entitled to think he did1 that ,jesus was the very person whose advent it had been his mission to inaugurate1 then ,jesus's own work must in its initial stages have been greatly simplified4 ,there could be no possibility of rivalry between the teachers1 nor was there any necessity for ,jesus to exactly imitate the procedure of ,john1 and to commence unaccredited the work of evangelising an unresponsive people4 ,john had prepared the minds of his more spiritual and earnest followers for just such a revelation as ,jesus was about to give4 ,we may say without irreverence that our ,lord appropriated the results of the preaching of ,john4 ,the latter beheld without jealousy or disquietude the departure of his best disciples to the side of ,jesus1 and his own magnanimous statement in view of this change has exalted him to a high pinnacle in the esteem of ,christendom3 ,he must increase1 but ,i must decrease4 ,his work was not necessarily done when ,jesus arrived upon the scene4 ,the austere and noble-hearted prophet was still able to continue doing his best to prepare the way1 to strengthen the hands of ,jesus and to stir the hearts and awaken the spiritual susceptibilities of his countrymen4 ,what a majestic self-devotion6 ,it is not surprising that attempts should have been made at intervals to discredit the ,gospel account of the close connection between ,john and ,jesus in doctrine and discipleship4 ,m4 ,renan1#a for instance1 regards the ,messianic proclamation as unhistorical4 ,he thinks the story sufficiently refuted by the fact that ,john afterwards sent to inquire whether ,jesus really was the promised ,messiah4 7,matt4 xi4 #b et seq41 ,luke vii4 #ah et seq47 ,john's inquiry in this case was certainly very peremptory4 ,art ,thou the ,christ1 or look we for another8 ,but an easy explanation is to be found in the history of the time that lies between the ,messianic proclamation after the ,baptism and the date of his own arrest and imprisonment4 ,john's idea of ,messiahship did not exactly accord with that of ,jesus4 ,he was surprised to find that ,jesus went on quietly preaching and healing1 saying little or nothing about ,his own personal claims1 and assuming neither state nor retinue4 ,this course of action puzzled the fiery prophet who had foretold ,one mightier than himself1 a ,messiah who should impress the imagination of the world1 and render to every man according to his deeds4 ,jesus's procedure disappointed1 and perhaps irritated him1 hence the abrupt inquiry1 which seems to contradict his assurance at the outset of our ,lord's ministry4 ,supposing1 therefore1 that ,john really did proclaim ,jesus as the ,messiah1 we should expect the announcement to kindle a very great interest in those who understood the ,baptist best4 ,from the first chapter of the fourth ,gospel we may infer that ,john had a school of disciples to whom he gave esoteric teaching4 ,these few intimates were1 no doubt1 eagerly anticipating the near advent of ,him who should restore the kingdom to ,israel4 ,we do not know how many were included in this group of enthusiasts1 but it is more than probable that all1 or nearly all1 of the names which formed the nucleus of ,jesus's first band of disciples were originally regarded as the followers of ,john the ,baptist4 ,these were precisely the kind of men to whom ,jesus would be drawn and upon whom ,he could rely for the sort of exalted disinterestedness which1 in some degree at least1 ,he required from them at the very outset of their acquaintance with ,himself4 ,but to return to the narrative of that introduction3 ,on the following day1 the writer of the ,fourth ,gospel goes on to say3 ,john was standing1 and two of his disciples2 and he looked upon ,jesus as ,he walked1 and saith1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god6 ,and the two disciples heard him speak1 and they followed ,jesus4 ,doubtless they were influenced to do so because of the announcement of the day before4 ,the disciples of ,john were all well aware of the fact that ,john was the herald of a greater to come4 ,john's statement in regard to ,jesus1 therefore1 which statement he now repeated to themselves alone1 stimulated their eager interest1 and leaving their master1 they followed the ,nazarene4 ,the opportunity was an easy one2 there was no crowd1 ,john was simply talking to his two followers2 ,jesus was alone4 ,the sequence of events was very simple2 ,jesus turned1 saw them following1 and asked what they sought4 ,their reply was the counter question1 ,rabbi1 where abidest ,thou8 ,come1 said ,he1 and ye shall see4 ,they came1 therefore1 continues the story1 and saw where ,he abode1 and they stayed with ,him that day2 it was about the tenth hour4 ,here we have a complete little narrative1 full of beautiful and natural suggestion4 ,these two men evidently had a long conversation with ,jesus1 perhaps far into the night1 nor did they leave ,him the next day1 save for a purpose to which we must presently refer4 ,a sacred intimacy was begun in those hours of association with the new teacher4 ,one of the two that heard ,jesus speak and followed ,him was ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter's brother4 ,who was the other8 ,could it be the writer of the ,fourth ,gospel himself1 ,john the ,divine8 ,if so we have here the record of the beginning of a holy friendship1 which so long as the ,church of ,god lasts will be spoken of4 ,john enjoyed the singular privilege of being the disciple whom ,jesus loved1 though he was not the one chosen to lead the little band of adherents whom ,jesus left behind ,him4 ,to observe this first mention of ,john the ,divine is not a digression1 for the life of the ,apostle ,john is linked in a very special way with that of the rugged fisherman whom ,jesus called to the foremost place4 ,why ,andrew and his brother ,simon were to be found in this particular neighbourhood just now we do not know4 ,probably they were in ,jerusalem for a special purpose1 and before returning to ,galilee went to listen to ,john the ,baptist1 among whose disciples they counted themselves to be4 ,andrew was certainly such1 though possibly his brother was not4 ,at any rate1 ,andrew's first thought before returning home was to bring ,simon to ,jesus4 ,the narrative continues3 ,he findeth first his own brother ,simon1 and saith unto ,him1 ,we have found the ,messiah4 ,he brought him unto ,jesus4 ,and as in the case of ,nathaniel1 recorded in the same chapter1 ,jesus seems to have anticipated an introduction4 ,the ,gospel says1 ,he looked upon him1 and said1 ,thou art ,simon1 the son of ,john1 thou shalt be called ,rock4 ,no doubt ,andrew had told ,jesus the name of his brother1 and also that he was going to fetch him2 possibly1 likewise1 he had referred to his impulsive1 wayward character1 his instability and irresolution4 ,all the more surprising1 therefore1 must have been the reception which ,jesus gave to the newcomer3 ,thou art ,simon 7whom ,i have been expecting74 ,thou shalt be called a rock4 ,jesus looked very far ahead when ,he welcomed poor1 impetuous ,simon with such a prophecy4 ,a rock was the very last thing in the world which in character he would ever be likely to resemble4 ,the new ,teacher evidently saw possibilities in him which every one1 including himself1 had ignored before4 ,this1 then1 is ,simon's first meeting with ,jesus1 the commencement of a training which was to yield him a destiny that the great ones of the earth might well envy4 ,to him it was given to see a day which many prophets and righteous men had desired to see and had not seen4 ,in this apparently commonplace man who lived1 possibly1 a coarse and sinful life1 ,jesus had discovered1 though he did not say so1 save in a general prophecy1 the prince of the ,apostles1 the leader of the ,church that was to be4 #a ,life of ,jesus1 p4 #aef4 ,,ii4 ,the ,call to ,service4 ,we may assume that ,peter's acquaintance with our ,lord continued for some time ere he was called to actual service4 ,the ,synoptists all refer to this call1 but with certain differences in detail4 ,matthew's first mention of ,simon 7iv4 #ah7 occurs in connection with his account of the commencement of the preaching ministry of ,jesus4 ,he tells us that after the temptation our ,lord went to live in ,capernaum4 ,we know little or nothing of ,his movements save that ,he began to preach1 and that the substance of ,his exhortation was1 ,repent1 for the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at hand6 ,a great deal1 however1 is suggested here4 ,capernaum was ,simon's home1 and by piecing the narrative in ,john i4 with that in ,matthew iv4 we are justified in thinking that after making acquaintance with ,andrew and ,simon in ,bethabara beyond ,jordan1 ,jesus went with them to ,galilee and continued ,his association with them on terms of intimacy1 vide ,john i4 #dc1 ,john ii4 et seq4 ,john ii4 #ab4 ,jesus's sojourn in ,capernaum was not intended to be permanent1 as we see in ,john ii4 #ab4 ,it is quite possible it was only undertaken for the sake of drawing closer the relations between ,himself and the two brothers whose acquaintance ,he had made through the medium of the ,baptist4 ,in ,matt4 iv4 #ah we are informed that walking by the sea of ,galilee ,he saw two brethren1 ,simon and ,andrew his brother1 casting a net into the sea1 for they were fishers4 ,and ,he saith unto them1 ,come ye after ,me1 and ,i will make you fishers of men4 ,and they straightway left the nets and followed ,him4 ,but for the considerations presented above we might imagine that this was the first time ,jesus had ever seen ,peter4 ,mark and ,luke are more explicit1 ,luke especially4 ,in ,mark i4 #af1 that is very early in this particular ,gospel1 we read that after ,john was delivered up ,jesus came into ,galilee4 ,and passing along by the ,sea of ,galilee1 ,he saw ,simon and ,andrew the brother of ,simon1 casting a net into the sea1 for they were fishers4 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,come ye after ,me1 and ,i will make you to become fishers of men4 ,when we remember that ,mark's ,gospel is really ,peter's own ,gospel1 written in all probability under his guidance1 we are prepared for the early introduction of the call of the first ,apostle4 ,a previous acquaintance is clearly presumed here4 ,mark states with his usual simple directness and vividness1 ,he saw ,simon4 ,the presumption is that ,simon was already well known to ,jesus1 and the fact that the two brothers left their nets and followed ,him is not so wonderful if we consider that their friendship with ,jesus was already well established1 and their belief in ,his authority confirmed by their increasing knowledge of ,himself4 ,it is to ,luke1 however1 that we must turn for a circumstantial account of the crisis so briefly referred to by ,matthew and ,mark4 ,under the guidance of ,luke our conjectures as to the intercourse between ,jesus and ,simon become certainty4 ,in ,luke iv4 #ch we are told that after preaching in the synagogue of ,capernaum ,he entered into the house of ,simon4 ,he healed ,simon's wife's mother1 who was suffering from fever4 ,this appears to have been one miracle among many of a similar kind that day2 possibly the news of it went forth1 ,and1 ,luke continues1 when the sun was setting all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto ,him4 ,evidently ,jesus is here a familiar guest in the house of ,simon and makes it ,his head-quarters4 ,in the next chapter 7,luke v4 #a-aa7 we have ,luke's account of the call to service and the circumstances which led up to it4 ,jesus1 as an honoured guest1 seems to have made use1 not only of ,simon's home1 but of his fishing-boat4 ,this fishing-boat on occasions supplied him with a pulpit from which ,he was able to address the crowds that lined the seashore4 ,on one such occasion1 when ,he had finished speaking1 ,he asked ,his host to put out into the deep4 ,simon did so1 no doubt thinking that the new ,teacher required to escape and rest after ,his long exertions4 ,but ,jesus had another motive than this4 ,simon had been obliged to wait ,his pleasure while ,he was preaching2 he had been out the whole of the previous night plying his calling1 and was1 doubtless1 weary and exhausted4 ,jesus knew all this and intended to help him4 ,by ,his direction ,simon let down his net for a draught1 explaining1 however1 while he did so1 that he expected no result in the day-time since he had taken nothing through the hours of darkness4 ,he lowered the nets simply to please ,jesus1 to whom he had become1 by this time1 much attached4 ,the result was the miraculous draught of fishes4 ,the effect upon ,simon of this beneficent exhibition of the super-human power of ,jesus was overwhelming4 ,his impulsive character showed itself at once4 ,he threw himself down at the feet of his ,master with the ill-considered but earnest petition born of the feeling of the moment1 ,depart from me1 for ,i am a sinful man1 ,o ,lord6 ,what was the reason of this strange outburst8 ,the miraculous draught of fishes was not of itself sufficient to account for it2 it was the occasion but not the cause of ,peter's action4 ,a better way of explaining it would be to try to form a sympathetic estimate of the working of this rude fisherman's mind under the influence of his short acquaintance with ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,like others of his class1 ,simon had very likely been1 until the day when ,andrew introduced him to ,jesus1 ill-disciplined and coarse4 ,he may have thought very little about high and holy things1 and yet1 as often happens in a rude but generous nature1 he felt an instinctive respect for goodness whenever he saw it embodied in another4 ,he was attracted to ,jesus by ,andrew's assertion that ,he was the ,messiah4 ,in the increasing intimacy of subsequent intercourse he must have come to feel that ,jesus was the best man he had ever met4 ,jesus came as a benediction to ,simon's home4 ,his very presence must have stirred the better feelings latent in the boisterous fisherman's heart4 ,simon came to love ,jesus1 and listened no doubt with a simple1 awe-struck interest to the words ,he was accustomed to address to the crowds from the vantage-ground of ,simon's boat4 ,jesus discovered him to himself3 he saw how poor and mean and unsatisfactory his own life and ideals were when compared with the character of this august stranger4 ,to these considerations ,jesus added another4 ,out of pure thoughtfulness and kindness for ,simon ,he had asked him to put out to sea and let down his nets1 and poor ,simon1 totally unprepared for the result1 now saw that in his friend and guest were combined at once marvellous goodness and marvellous power4 ,simon's first feeling was that he wanted to get away from ,him1 that he was totally unfit to be in the presence of such a ,being1 and1 like the centurion afterwards1 was not worthy that ,he should come under his roof4 ,the cry1 ,depart from me6 meant1 doubtless1 ,leave my home4 ,do not stay with me any more4 ,i am unfit for such a privilege1 unworthy of such companionship4 ,select another and a better associate1 for ,i am a sinful man6 ,we are beholden to ,luke for this circumstantial account of an important event in the life of an interesting man4 ,some persons think that ,luke has mixed up this story with the similar one recorded in ,john xxi4 ,there is no need to think so1 the scene ends very naturally4 ,matthew and ,mark omit to say how it was that ,jesus came to extend the call to ,simon and ,andrew1 ,james and ,john4 ,according to their brief statement ,jesus saw them casting a net into the sea2 according to ,luke it was ,he who told them to cast that net4 ,simon's confession and request supplied ,him with a further opportunity3 ,fear not1 ,he said1 from henceforth thou shalt catch men4 ,and when they had brought their boats to land they left all and followed ,him4 ,we see from this beautiful sequence of dealings that ,jesus bestowed much tender thought and care upon the training of the men who were to serve ,him in the work of evangelising the world4 ,his prophecy in respect to ,simon at their first meeting ,he set ,himself to fulfil4 ,peter was not then ready to be called1 nor did ,jesus call him2 without explaining ,his meaning ,he uttered a prophecy in regard to ,simon's future character which no one but ,himself could understand4 ,he welcomed ,simon's avowal of unworthiness as the first condition toward the attainment of that character4 ,simon was fit to be used just in proportion as he realised his own unfitness4 ,i am a sinful man1 was the utterance which made it possible for him to arise and become a saviour4 ,,iii4 ,simon's ,first ,commission as a ,preacher4 ,before long it became necessary for our ,lord to make a selection from amongst the number of ,his disciples of those who were to represent ,him and be clothed with ,his authority1 after ,his visible presence was withdrawn from the infant ,church4 ,in ,matthew x41 ,mark iii41 and ,luke vi41 we have the ,gospel accounts of the appointment of ,apostles4 ,the choice was very solemnly entered upon1 the ,master continued all night in prayer to ,god1 and when it was day ,he called ,his disciples3 and ,he chose from them twelve1 whom also ,he named ,apostles4 ,in this little band ,simon was permitted a special prominence4 ,in the lists severally given by the ,synoptists1 ,simon's name is always at the head4 ,matthew especially opens with the distinctive words1 ,but first1 ,simon who is called ,peter4 ,simon's precedence was evidently the wish of ,jesus ,himself4 ,the twelve1 moreover1 accepted it without demur2 ,simon is almost invariably their spokesman4 ,if ever ,jesus had occasion to ask a question of all ,simon usually made reply in the name of the others4 ,the only case in which his leadership was disputed was during the rivalry with the sons of ,zebedee4 ,to this1 however1 we must make reference presently4 ,the newly-appointed apostles were now sent forth on a preaching mission2 their business was to herald the advent of ,jesus ,himself in the districts into which ,he was about to come4 ,their theme was to be1 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is at hand4 ,certain miraculous powers were bestowed upon them2 they were to heal the sick1 cleanse the lepers1 raise the dead1 cast out demons4 ,they were to travel without gold or silver2 they were not to take two coats or shoes or a staff1 but were to trust to the hospitality of those to whom they preached4 ,they were to regard themselves as sheep sent forth in the midst of wolves2 they were to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves4 ,they were to expect persecution2 and here their ,master foreshadowed what was to take place long afterwards1 namely1 that they were to expect to be brought before governors and kings for ,his sake and for a testimony to the heathen world4 ,they were not to be over-anxious as to the form of their message2 for1 said ,jesus1 it is not ye that speak1 but the spirit of your ,father that speaketh in you4 ,they were not to fear opposition1 they were bidden to have a high courage and a simple faith4 ,they were to yield themselves in the most thorough obedience and submission to the ,leader in whose service they were now enrolled4 ,jesus expected to be the supreme interest in their lives4 ,he asked for a devotion which should shrink from no sacrifice1 reaching the climax of ,his exhortation in the statement that ,he that doth not take his cross and follow after ,me is not worthy of ,me4 ,he that findeth his life shall lose it1 and he that loseth his life for ,my sake shall find it4 ,this preaching journey was ,simon's first trial in the work of the ministry4 ,jesus had not only called him1 ,he had given him work to do4 ,it was but a simple duty1 yet the faithful discharge of this preliminary obligation was by-and-by to lead to greater things4 ,there is no doubt that it was ,jesus's intention to test in this way the men whom ,he had summoned to ,his side4 ,this preaching tour was the humble beginning of the heroic days of the early ,church4 ,,iv4 ,simon ,acknowledges ,jesus to be the ,christ4 ,so far our ,lord seems to have said little or nothing to ,his disciples in regard to ,his own personality4 ,he must have had certain reasons for this course1 the principal one being1 no doubt1 that ,he shrank from arousing mistaken expectations in the minds of ,his followers4 ,they looked for a hero ,messiah1 a great liberator1 a secular prince4 ,jesus knew from experience how extremely difficult it is to change any man's point of view1 or to dislodge a prepossession from his mind1 hence ,he preferred to allow ,his character to produce its own impression1 and from this new standing ground to raise men's ideas of the functions of ,messiah4 ,his ministry would have been seriously maimed by any premature insistence upon ,his supernatural claims1 indeed1 the danger was on certain occasions only narrowly averted4 ,at one time the people would have taken ,him by force to make ,him a king1 at another time they welcomed ,him to ,jerusalem with hosannas4 ,he was often addressed as the ,son of ,david1 a description applicable only to the ,christ1 as the ready reply of the ,pharisees to ,his own question on a critical occasion clearly shows4 ,what think ye of ,christ8 ,whose son is ,he8 ,they answered without hesitation1 ,the ,son of ,david4 ,jesus had no wish to conceal ,his pretensions1 but on the other hand ,he was careful not to arouse misconception as to ,his real character by declaring them4 ,this reticence puzzled the religious leaders a good deal1 as is evident from their somewhat peremptory demand1 ,how long dost ,thou make us to doubt8 ,if ,thou art the ,christ1 tell us plainly4 ,with the disciples themselves ,jesus pursued the same course1 for they were liable to the same danger1 the danger of misapprehending the real nature of ,messiahship4 ,how long ,he refrained from speaking plainly on the subject we cannot determine2 but some time after the return of the ,apostles from the preaching mission ,he thought the time had come to elicit from them a theory of ,his ,person4 ,one day1 on ,his way through the villages of ,caesarea ,philippi1 ,he suddenly put to ,his followers the question1 ,who do men say that ,i am8 and they answered1 ,some say ,john the ,baptist1 some ,elijah1 and others one of the prophets4 ,jesus continued ,his interrogation by the further inquiry3 ,but whom say ye that ,i am8 ,matthew1 ,mark and ,luke#a are all agreed that ,peter furnished the desired response1 ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 ,matthew's account is the most circumstantial and conveys most distinctly the impression that ,jesus was pleased with the answer4 ,his words of commendation to ,simon on this occasion are a remarkable extension of the prophecy contained in ,his first greeting to him as set forth in ,john i4 #db4 ,matthew's version is ,blessed art thou ,simon ,bar-,jona1 for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee1 but ,my ,father which is in heaven4 ,and ,i also say unto thee that thou art ,peter1 and upon this rock ,i will build my ,church1 and the gates of ,hades shall not prevail against it4 ,i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven1 and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven2 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven4 ,from this point ,simon the fisherman becomes merged in ,peter the ,apostle4 ,his training had now reached a point when his spiritual perceptions were sharpened and his faith in ,jesus had led to the ejaculation which is the fundamental article of the creed of ,christendom4 ,jesus's reference to ,simon on this occasion has advanced somewhat in fulness since the day of their first meeting4 ,then ,he had stated1 ,thou shall be called a rock1 now ,he avers1 ,blessed art thou4 ,thou hast been taught of ,god2 thou art a rock1 and on this rock will ,i build ,my ,church4 ,here was a high distinction for the first apostle2 a trust was committed to him1 the guardianship of the newly-formed ,church1 and how much was involved in that he himself at this particular moment could not by any means foresee4 ,much discipline is yet needed ere he becomes fit to undertake the grand responsibility4 ,probably he does not shrink from the task1 for he knows not its magnitude1 neither is he modest in regard to his own qualifications for it1 as will presently appear4 ,he is to be taught by failure and humiliation that to follow ,jesus is a way of the cross1 that power for the duty is resident1 not in ,peter the ,apostle but in ,christ who gave the commission and in the ,father who revealed to him the truth about the ,son of ,god4 ,the period upon the consideration of which we have now entered was a time of spiritual ups and downs for the ,apostle ,peter4 ,he seems to have been too easily elated1 though as easily abased4 ,he now began to feel his importance1 and was doubtless somewhat exalted in spirit by our ,lord's emphatic commendation of him in the presence of the ,twelve4 ,he had declared ,jesus to be the ,christ1 but a ,christ who learned obedience through sufferings was as yet unthinkable to him4 ,this crude perception is the explanation of the mistake into which he immediately fell4 ,no sooner had ,jesus elicited the declaration that ,he ,himself was the ,christ than1 after charging the disciples to say nothing to any man in regard to it1 ,he began to teach them the true nature of ,messiahship4 ,in their several accounts of what follows the ,synoptists differ a little4 ,matthew 7xvii4 #ba7 implies that some time may have elapsed ere ,jesus began to systematically instruct ,his disciples concerning ,his vocation and death4 ,luke 7ix4 #bb7 states that ,he continued at once in the same interview to prepare them for ,his coming humiliation1 shame1 and death4 ,luke--who1 as ,dr4 ,bruce remarks always spares the ,twelve--says nothing about any further interference of ,peter in the conversation4 ,it is to ,mark that we must turn this time for the clearest account of what took place4 ,peter1 at any rate1 never spares himself in his narrations4 ,in chapter viii4 #ca1 ,mark tells us that after ,peter's avowal1 ,thou art the ,christ1 ,jesus began to teach them that ,the ,son of ,man must suffer many things1 and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes1 and be killed1 and after three days rise again4 ,it is noteworthy that in this ,gospel ,peter says not a word about the extraordinary blessing and promise bestowed upon himself in consequence of his acknowledgment of the ,messiahship of ,jesus4 ,he does1 however1 faithfully and humbly tell us of the severe rebuff he received for his presumption4 ,he was very sorry to hear ,jesus predict ,his own sufferings and death4 ,such a fate did not at all accord with ,peter's idea of the destiny of the ,christ4 ,he could not understand it1 and we may suppose he loved ,jesus too much to be willing that ,he should suffer anything at all1 either of humiliation1 rejection or failure4 ,he was not prepared1 either1 to believe that his own new primacy over the ,apostles was to result in nothing better than tragedy and defeat4 ,he clung1 as we shall observe1 for a long time to the notion of worldly honour and advancement4 ,such rewards he conceived to be in the natural order of things2 they were the result of his preconception of the functions of the ,christ of ,god4 ,perhaps1 too1 ,peter felt somewhat elated and self-important on account of the words which ,jesus had just applied to him1 and pluming himself upon his exceptional privilege he undertook the duty of reproving his ,master4 ,for1 ,mark tells us1 ,peter took ,him and began to rebuke ,him4 ,a severe reprimand followed4 ,jesus turned about1 and1 seeing ,his disciples1 rebuked ,peter1 and saith1 ,get thee behind ,me1 ,satan1 for thou mindest not the things of ,god but the things of men4 ,matthew adds that ,jesus also said1 ,thou art a stumbling-block unto ,me4 ,luke kindly omits all reference to the painful moment4 ,thus1 in the course of a few moments1 ,peter achieved a great spiritual success and was guilty of an unspiritual blunder--he was exalted and humiliated1 commended and reproved4 ,in after days he remembered with peculiar distinctness his lack of the true spirit at this hour1 and by ,mark's agency1 therefore1 faithfully reproduced for the ,church of ,christ the record of his well-deserved abasement4 ,all three ,synoptists conclude their account of this scene by repeating the great saying of ,jesus3 ,if any man would come after ,me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow ,me4 ,for whosoever would save his life shall lose it1 and whosoever shall lose his life for ,my sake and the ,gospel's shall save it4 ,for what doth it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life8 ,for what should a man give in exchange for his life8 ,most of us find this lesson as difficult to learn as apparently ,peter did4 ,the singular eminence of the religion of ,jesus depends upon a right apprehension of the principle just illustrated4 ,the ,christian life is and must be a ,via ,crucis1 yet at the same time is the way that leadeth unto life4 ,the principle of dying to live as enunciated by ,christ differs from that of even the greatest of ,his predecessors in the recognition that true gladness is conditioned by self-crucifixion4 ,human nature has been slow to learn the lesson4 ,the great renunciation of ,gautama ,buddha1 for example1 consisted in the repression of individuality and the destruction of the natural desires4 ,the effect of his system was negative2 the higher life was to be one of self-suppression1 a very different thing1 surely1 from self-crucifixion4 ,gautama placed the ideal in ceasing to live2 ,christ1 on the other hand1 taught ,his followers to live more deeply1 truly and grandly than before4 ,to follow ,jesus1 now as always1 means to feel more and not less1 to add to the sum of our interests1 and not to take from them1 to raise the standard of our hopes1 not to depress it4 ,like ,gautama1 ,he calls for a renunciation1 but that renunciation is the gateway into larger life4 ,the solemn gladness of ,christian experience finds its parallel in no other teaching that the world has ever received4 ,how can we be surprised that ascetics and hedonists within the bosom of the ,christian ,church itself have so frequently and lamentably mistaken the spirit of their ,master's teaching8 ,the ideal of ,thomas a ,kempis1 in spite of its beauty1 is no more that of ,jesus than was the ideal of ,gautama4 ,how slowly men come to learn that peace and tribulation1 joy and suffering1 gladness and the ,cross1 are not incompatible1 but the very conditions of each other6 ,before we visit ,peter with our censures because of his unmistakable reluctance to accept ,christ's vision of the cross let us give heed to ourselves4 ,the same mistakes may take very different form4 ,with many of us the ideal of human felicity which we call ,christian is essentially ,pagan4 ,our very thanksgivings show it4 ,we are grateful to ,god for troubles averted1 happiness preserved1 fortune assured2 we tacitly assume that the opposite of these things would have been an evil4 ,we praise the goodness of ,god in shielding us from the untoward and calamitous1 and though it may seem hardly worth while to say it1 some naturally amiable characters with a bias toward holy things have lost their faith and lost their sweetness at one and the same time with the arrival of sorrow4 ,far be it from me to insist that men should cease to thank ,god for the sweetness and the joy of life1 but if we lay the stress here and refuse to take the cross when it is presented to us we have shut ourselves off from the attainment of that highest good1 which is to know the fellowship of the sufferings of ,christ4 ,strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life1 and few there be that find it4 ,if the clear truth of the necessary connection between the assumption of the cross and the attainment of true blessedness were to be grasped by those who seek to follow ,christ1 there would be fewer of the sad failures so frequently apparent amongst those who are disappointed with the result of their faith in ,god4 ,i do believe1 what you call trust ,was self-delusion at the best3 for1 see6 ,so long as ,god would kindly pioneer ,a path for you1 and screen you from the world1 ,procure you full exemption from man's lot1 ,man's common hopes and fears1 on the mere pretext ,of your engagement in ,his service--yield you ,a limitless licence1 make you ,god1 in fact1 ,and turn your slave--you were content to say ,most courtly praises6 ,what is it1 at last1 ,but selfishness without example8 ,none ,could trace ,god's will so plain as you1 while yours ,remained implied in it2 but now you fail1 ,and we1 who prate about that ,will1 are fools6 ,in short1 ,god's service is established here ,as ,he determines fit1 and not your way1 ,and this you cannot brook4#b ,peter's remonstrance here is but an example of a very common human feeling in regard to the things of ,christ4 ,it exhibited a certain immaturity of character and crudeness of perception such as1 in spite of his genuine affection for his ,master1 disqualified him at this stage from understanding ,him4 #a ,matt4 xvi4 #af1 ,mark viii4 #bi1 ,luke ix4 #bj4 #b ,browning1 ,paracelsus4 ,v4 ,simon ,peter ,witnesses the ,transfiguration4 ,at the close of the conversation referred to above our ,lord stated1 ,there be some here of them that stand by which shall in no wise taste of death till they see the kingdom of ,god come with power4 ,about a week after this promise--,mark says six days and ,luke about eight days--,jesus took with ,him ,peter and ,james and ,john1 and went with them to a high mountain apart by themselves1 and was transfigured before them4 ,matthew 7chapter xvii47 says that ,his face did shine as the sun and his garments became white as the light4 ,luke beautifully states that as he was praying the fashion of ,his countenance was altered and ,his raiment became white and dazzling4 ,and behold there talked with ,him two men1 which were ,moses and ,elijah1 who appeared in glory1 and spake of ,his decease which ,he was about to accomplish at ,jerusalem4 ,the three ,apostles were in some danger of missing the vision1 for1 as happened afterwards in the hour of ,his agony1 they slept1 or at least were heavy with sleep4 ,however1 as ,luke continues1 when they were fully awake they saw ,his glory1 and the two men who stood with ,him4 ,the three ,galileans were awed by the sight1 and ,peter in his perturbation broke out with an offer to build three tabernacles4 ,mark says1 ,he wist not what to answer1 for they became sore afraid4 ,matthew writes that1 ,while ,he was yet speaking1 behold1 a bright cloud overshadowed them2 and behold1 a voice out of the cloud1 saying1 ,this is ,my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased2 hear ye ,him4 ,and when the disciples heard it1 they fell on their face1 and were sore afraid4 ,and ,jesus came and touched them1 and said1 ,arise1 and be not afraid4 ,and lifting up their eyes1 they saw no one1 save ,jesus only4 ,in the ,second ,epistle of ,peter 7i4 #af-ah71 we have a further account1 purporting1 indeed1 to be the direct statement of ,peter himself1 in regard to this extraordinary vision4 ,he says1 ,for we did not follow cunningly devised fables1 when we made known unto you the power and coming of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 but we were eyewitnesses of ,his majesty4 ,for ,he received from ,god the ,father honour and glory1 when there came such a voice to ,him from the excellent glory1 ,this is my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased3 and this voice we ourselves heard come out of heaven1 when we were with ,him in the holy mount4 ,as they came down from the mountain ,jesus charged them to tell no man until that ,he should be risen from the dead4 ,and according to ,mark1 they kept the saying1 questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead should mean4 ,it is evident that even at this point ,peter had found himself unable to realise that his ,master was really to be crucified and slain4 ,we cannot but regret that the immediate effect of this glorious vision upon ,peter and ,james and ,john seems to have been a tendency to arrogance and ambition4 ,we have now hints about a division in the ,apostolic circle between the adherents of ,peter and those of ,james and ,john4 ,peter and the sons of ,zebedee now become rivals for supremacy2 they had together been witnesses of the ,transfiguration--a supposed foretaste of the earthly glory of their ,master which was presently to appear4 ,mark is our chief authority for this supposition1 and we may trust that in his account we have ,peter's recollection of the true sequence of scenes and incidents4 ,after his record of ,jesus's prophecy in regard to ,his own death he continues1 ,and they came to ,capernaum4 ,and when he was in the house ,he asked them1 ,what were ye reasoning in the way8 ,but they held their peace3 for they had disputed one with another in the way1 who was the greatest4 ,and ,he sat down and called the twelve2 and ,he saith unto them1 ,if any man would be first1 he shall be last of all and servant of all4 ,and he took a little child1 and set him in the midst of them3 and taking him in ,his arms1 ,he said unto them1 ,whosoever shall receive one of such little children in ,my name1 receiveth ,me2 and whosoever receiveth ,me receiveth not ,me1 but ,him that sent ,me4 ,luke in fewer words confirms this story2 ,matthew makes a very brief reference to it1 saying nothing of the dispute4 ,mark and ,luke add a reference to another incident which gives us a sidelight upon the then state of mind of him who came to be the beloved disciple4 ,john said unto ,him1 ,master1 we saw one casting out devils in ,thy name1 and we forbade him1 because he followeth not with us4 ,but ,jesus said unto him1 ,forbid him not1 for he that is not against you is for you4 7,mark ix4 #ch-dj1 ,luke ix4 #di-ej47 ,luke subjoins a further statement about the two sons of ,zebedee which1 in company with the one just mentioned1 leads us to imply that the three most favoured ,apostles were at this time in a state of mind in which arrogance1 ambition and intolerance kept company4 ,jesus and ,his followers had been refused hospitality in a ,samaritan village1 and ,james and ,john asked to be allowed to emulate ,elijah and call down fire from heaven to consume them4 ,their ,master at once rebuked them1 adding regretfully 7for ,he must have seen very plainly how matters were going in ,his circle71 ,ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of4 ,for the ,son of ,man came not to destroy men's lives1 but to save them4 ,mark 7x4 #ce-de7 relates another incident of a similar kind in which ,james and ,john made a bid for precedence1 requesting on the strength of their intimacy with ,him that it might be given them to sit1 the one on ,his right hand1 and the other on ,his left1 in ,his ,kingdom4 ,jesus rightly replied1 ,ye know not what ye ask4 ,matthew 7xx4 #bj7 says that the mother of the sons of ,zebedee preferred their request1 and that the ten were moved with indignation concerning the two brethren4 ,jesus was very patient with them4 ,looking beyond their foolish desire ,he prophesied that they should indeed drink of ,his cup and be baptized with ,his baptism1 and closed with a general exhortation to the twelve to lay aside ambition1 saying1 ,whosoever would be great among you shall be your minister3 and whosoever would be first among you shall be servant of all4 ,for verily the ,son of ,man came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give ,his life a ransom for many4 7,mark x4 #dc-de47 ,poor human nature6 ,the only evident effect so far of the high privilege accorded to the three foremost apostles has been to beget rivalry and jealousy between them4 ,the ,sons of ,thunder display an intolerance and self-seeking which excite the anger of the others2 ,peter1 we may be sure1 included1 since ,peter was the person whose primacy was threatened4 ,peter had not yet reached the point of willing self-abnegation--far from it1 as we shall presently see4 ,our ,lord's object-lesson by means of a little child has1 as yet1 no result in the character of the ,prince of the ,apostles4 ,he was not prepared to exhibit the spirit of a little child1 or to conform his own disposition to the heart of a little child4 ,he was1 as yet1 unable to conceive how the first could be last1 or how the master of all could be servant of all4 ,the favour shown to him by his ,divine ,master has hitherto served but to raise him in his own estimation4 ,from this point we shall see that only through the experiences of humiliation and failure was ,peter able to attain to the true idea of ,christian service4 ,the point at which we have now arrived is one of the most instructive in the ,new ,testament record of our ,lord's view of true manhood4 ,it is frequently supposed that personal ambition is an essential to the progress of society4 ,great thinkers1 before and after ,christ1 have agreed in recognising that this particular passion has been an instrument in the advancement of society1 and hence has served a useful purpose4 ,before ,christ the only alternative to this view seems to have been that of the duty of quiescence1 and long after ,christ the same theory has been very commonly held4 ,as examples of the former view the reader has only to call to mind the sentiment of ,homer's immortal epic1 or the odes of ,pindar1 in order to see that ambition was regarded as the motor quality of heroism4 ,where this selfish passion was regarded as an evil and renounced in favour of a supposedly higher theory of life1 the result nearly always took the form of asceticism or withdrawal from active service in the world4 ,no via media was thought of as possible between thorough-going ambition and the 444 fugitive and cloistered virtue1 which has exhibited to the world so different an ideal4 ,in dreamy1 mystical1 ,oriental cults we see this latter tendency carried to its extreme4 ,almost invariably the renunciation of ambition as an incentive to human action has meant the disuse of many noble human powers and gifts4 ,so much has this been the case that even in our own day1 with the ,christian ideal in our possession1 ambition has been regarded as an indispensable ingredient in most strenuous human efforts put forth on behalf of humanity4 ,edmund ,burke classifies sympathy1 imitation and ambition together as motors in the progress of the community4#a ,professor ,lecky1 in his great work1 ,the ,history of ,european ,morals1 seems to regard it as indispensable to a vigorous national life4 ,this great thinker1 accustomed to habits of exact observation1 is1 no doubt1 right in the assumption that this position receives abundant confirmation in the field of history2 but have we so learned ,christ8 ,the fact is that in giving to the world a higher ethical ideal in regard to the sanction of service ,jesus must have well understood the difficulties that lay before ,him4 ,perhaps this is why ,he was so patient with the selfish hopes of ,his followers in regard to their personal preferment4 ,he must have known that the whole trend of history was against the new teaching4 ,it is easy for us now to say that the intrusion of self-interest in any good work vitiates its value to a great extent2 but must we not reflect that we owe this conception to ,christ8 ,society is now saturated with the ethical teaching of the ,man of ,nazareth4 ,we are confronted with the observation that in its moral tendencies ,society is moving toward an ideal which was exhibited to the world nearly nineteen hundred years ago4 ,we are not reaching forward to an indeterminate something in the region of morals1 we are moving toward a standard exhibited in a life4 ,further1 it is easy for us1 reading the ,new ,testament1 to hastily judge and condemn the obtuseness and unspirituality of the little band that surrounded ,jesus4 ,the arrogance of ,peter and the selfish intrigues of the sons of ,zebedee move us to impatience4 ,how much worthier and kinder the attitude of our ,divine ,master6 ,he knew that a moral revolution could not be effected in an hour4 ,his object was to train the men who should transform the world4 ,if ,he could possibly influence the twelve men whom ,his ,father had given ,him so that they could know what they ought to feel and do1 ,he could afford to be content4 ,the gates of ,hades should not prevail against the advancing ,gospel4 ,what1 then1 was ,his ideal8 ,it was nothing less than complete renunciation of all self-interest without any diminution of energy and effort in service for the good of the world4 ,jesus repudiated ambition in any form as the dynamic of human aspiration and endeavour4 ,he required from ,his disciples the completest self-renunciation1 combined with enthusiastic self-devotion to the duty of making the world better4 ,to give up self was not to give up service1 it was simply the substitution of a higher motive for a lower4 ,this explains in a measure why ,christianity came to replace the ,stoic and ,epicurean philosophies4 ,stoicism is exhibited at its best1 perhaps1 in the nobly active life of the greatest of the ,antonines4 ,its ideal was rigid devotion to duty1 that of ,christ was service inspired by love4 ,ambition is a mode of self service1 yet if we may so expand the meaning as to make it include the ,christian principle we might say that in the place of ambition for the sake of self ,christianity substitutes ambition for the sake of ,god4 ,in each case it is love for a person that supplies the motive for the highest human endeavours4 ,but how incomparably grander and stronger is the ,christian principle than that which it replaced6 ,all useful or desirable things that men are accustomed to do for themselves ,christianity requires them to do for ,god4 ,when the apostles finally came to understand this new commandment their ,gospel became a resistless force1 and whenever since their day the ,church has succeeded in doing the same ,christianity has arisen in newness of life4 #a ,essay on the ,sublime and ,beautiful4 ,sect4 xii4 ,,vi4 ,peter ,thinks ,his ,sacrifice ,complete4 ,his ,consequent ,expectations4 ,in the three synoptical ,gospels we have an account of a remarkable conversation between ,peter and his ,lord in regard to the reward promised to those who took service in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,the occasion was one of special interest4 ,a rich young ruler came to ,jesus to ask the momentous question1 ,what shall ,i do to inherit eternal life8 ,the disciples appear to have been much impressed by the incident--,peter1 perhaps1 most of all1 for in ,mark's ,gospel we have the best account of the matter4 ,jesus1 he says1 was attracted by the simplicity1 humility and earnestness of one who certainly ran the risk of incurring odium by stooping to ask advice of the new ,teacher4 ,peter has preserved for us in one vivid sentence something of the very aspect of the ,master in ,his final reply1 ,jesus1 looking upon him1 loved him1 and said unto him1 ',one thing thou lackest2 go1 sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor1 and thou shalt have treasure in heaven1 and come1 follow me4' ,this test was too much for the seeker2 he turned and went away sorrowful1 for he was one that had great possessions4 ,in the discourse that followed1 the ,master1 doubtless in a vein of mingled sadness and solemnity1 observed1 ,how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the ,kingdom of ,god6 ,peter accepting his ,master's words in their most literal sense1 in the light of the foregoing incident1 spoke out in his impulsive way1 ,lord1 we have left all and followed ,thee4 ,what1 then1 shall we have8 ,two things in regard to this question have a certain significance for us4 ,the first1 ,peter's inadequate sense of the extent of the renunciation he had made1 and secondly1 our ,lord's patient and wise reply4 ,peter evidently considered his renunciation and that of his companions to have been complete4 ,they had abandoned their fishing nets1 and to a certain extent their homes4 ,they had done so on the understanding that ,he who summoned them was the promised ,messiah and future ,king of ,israel1 and therefore would be able in the future to compensate all who associated themselves with ,him to their own loss4 ,we must not suppose that this was the leading motive which attracted ,simon and the sons of ,zebedee to the new ,prophet1 but it is very clear that after they had been associated with ,jesus for some time ambitious hopes for place and power began to take possession of their hearts4 ,of this we have already considered an example4 ,up to the present they had misapprehended the deepest principle of the ,master's teaching2 they felt that abandonment of their accustomed pursuits and possessions merited a present and material reward not to be long delayed4 ,hence ,peter's question--a question which no doubt related to the expectations of his companions also4 ,the idea of a renunciation of themselves1 a spiritual renunciation1 had not yet become clear to them4 ,from our point of view it is surprising that they should so long have misunderstood4 ,had ,he to whom the inquiry was addressed been as most of us are1 ,peter would have received another sharp rebuke4 ,how different is ,jesus's answer on this occasion from the stern1 ,get thee behind me1 ,satan6 of a little while before6 ,the difference is due to the fact that1 in this case1 ,peter spoke of his own renunciation1 while in the former case he had ventured to interfere with his ,master's4 ,jesus therefore replied with a patience and kindness that were possible only to one who saw far beyond the moment4 ,there is no man1 said ,he1 that hath left house or brethren or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for ,my sake1 and for the ,gospel's sake1 but he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time1 houses and brethren and sisters and mothers and children and lands with persecutions2 and in the world to come eternal life4 ,but many that are first shall be last1 and the last first4 ,some have objected to the tenor of this reply1 arguing that it held out false hopes to those who heard it1 and that to promise such a reward was in any case to lower somewhat the ideal of service4 ,when1 however1 we look forward to the noble fulfilment of the promise we cannot but think the spirit of it altogether worthy of ,jesus4 ,it is a continuance of the superhuman insight which had led ,him to assert on ,his first meeting with ,simon1 ,thou shalt be called ,rock4 ,if ,mark's ,gospel is really ,peter's memoirs it is probable that the story of this promise was committed to writing long after ,peter had begun to recognise its meaning4 ,he who afterwards at the ,beautiful ,gate of the ,temple addressed the cripple who asked for money was a nobler ,peter than the one who now sought a similar gift for himself4 ,silver and gold have ,i none1 but such as ,i have give ,i unto thee4 ,in the name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth1 rise up and walk4 ,such as ,i have6 ,who would not desire to share in a possession so rich8 ,silver and gold1 social and political prominence1 had faded into nothingness in the presence of the privilege of speaking in the name of ,jesus ,christ of ,nazareth4 ,a mortal1 sin's familiar friend1 doth here ,avow that he will give all earth's reward1 ,but to believe and humbly teach the faith1 ,in suffering and poverty and shame1 ,only believing he is not unloved4#a #a ,r4 ,browning1 ,pauline4 ,,vii4 ,the ,scene in the ,upper ,room4 ,as our ,lord's earthly ministry draws to a close the spiritual history of the first ,apostles reaches a crisis4 ,the scene in the ,upper ,room has for us a special interest in this connection4 ,it is recorded in all the four ,gospels in such a manner as to establish its importance and historicity4 ,as usual ,peter's own account is the most vivid1 but ,luke supplies us with a sentence from which we learn more of the state of affairs than is given by the other three4 ,this is exceptional1 for ,luke1 as a rule1 idealises the ,apostles4 ,he tells us that there arose also a contention among them which of them is accounted to be greatest4 ,we see then that even into the ,upper ,room and to the last ,supper had penetrated the jealousies1 rivalries and ambitions of these few men who were afterwards to become heroes of the ,cross4 ,we only associate the upper room with thoughts of peace and sacredness1 but here is another side of the matter4 ,it may well be that the little meeting ended in solemnity and quietness1 but it can hardly have begun so4 ,the stamp of truth seems to rest on ,john's account of what took place1 simply because it expresses so naturally ,jesus's method of dealing with the contention which ,luke says was in existence4 ,he rose from the table and performed for ,his followers the ceremony their jealousy of one another had made them omit4 ,the foot-washing may have had a direct reference to the future practice of mutual service1 but it had also an immediate significance4 ,the disciples refused to wash one another's feet1 and the ,lord and ,master of them all undertook the duty ,himself4 ,perhaps the change of feeling induced by this simple and lowly act made possible the beautiful utterances which only ,john has preserved for us 7,john xiii4-xvii474 ,in the forefront of this discourse1 however1 ,jesus exchanged a few sentences of special emphasis with ,peter4 ,simon1 ,simon1 ,he declared1 behold1 ,satan1 asked to have you that he might sift you as wheat2 but ,i made supplication for thee1 that thy faith fail not2 and do thou1 when once thou hast turned again1 stablish thy brethren4 ,this statement of tender solicitude must have been called forth by ,his knowledge of the contention which had been taking place4 ,doubtless ,he was filled with sorrow that ,peter had not yet learned the lesson of humility and self-forgetfulness4 ,he foresaw the failure1 the cowardice1 the denial1 but ,he foresaw1 too1 the repentance1 the restoration1 and the greater ,peter whose strength should lie in his humility and willingness to be led by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,but at this moment the very last person to see any need of such a change was ,peter himself4 ,jesus went on to describe what in the time immediately following would happen to the little band4 ,all ye1 ,he said1 shall be offended in ,me this night1 for it is written1 ,ye shall smite the ,shepherd1 and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad4 ,peter instantly declared1 ,though all shall be offended in ,thee ,i will never be offended4 ,what feelings were contending in his mind at the moment we can only conjecture4 ,possibly he felt a little sore at the implied rebuke contained in the foot-washing and in the prophecy of the sifting which had followed it4 ,more probably1 however1 the simple affection which he really had for his ,master impelled him to declare his loyalty4 ,exceeding vehemently1 according to his own account1 he persisted1 ,if ,i must die with ,thee ,i will not deny ,thee4 ,he felt it was possible that ,jesus might in the coming danger need to rely upon the services of an active and courageous friend like himself4 ,doubtless he felt every word he said1 but he also felt the importance of the assistance he could render to ,jesus4 ,it never occurred to him that ,jesus had no need of his assistance4 ,peter needed a sharp lesson1 and ere long he had it4 ,the secret of true service consists in self-emptying4 ,he learned the true spirit of his ,master's teaching only after the utter and painful failure of his own self-confident promises4 ,for the present ,jesus's only reply was1 ,verily ,i say unto thee1 that thou1 to-day1 even this night1 before the cock crow twice shalt deny me thrice4 ,,viii4 ,gethsemane and ,after4 ,the testing time was not far distant4 ,peter1 filled with determination to show his loyalty and courage1 seems to have carried away from the upper room one of two swords that had lain therein4 ,he believed himself ready for emergencies1 but failed at the very outset to give what his ,master really needed4 ,once again we find the story told best by ,peter himself4 ,he1 ,james and ,john were stationed by their ,master's desire a little nearer to ,his person than were the others4 ,most pathetically ,jesus entreated their sympathy4 ,my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death4 ,abide ye here and watch4 ,this1 however1 they proved themselves unable to do4 ,luke says they were sleeping for sorrow1 and most likely this is in a measure true4 ,they could not have been indifferent to their ,master's trouble4 ,he had given them sufficient opportunity to observe ,his state of mind1 and doubtless they had done so1 and were stirred with affectionate sympathy4 ,nevertheless this sympathy did not go so far as to enable them to share in ,his vigil4 ,probably ,peter considered himself as a guard to ,his person--the intensity of his ,master's agony he could not understand4 ,his emphatic promise in the upper room1 however1 was being badly fulfilled4 ,even if he were no more than a guard to ,christ's person he should have kept awake4 ,in his own account of the scene he places the emphasis on this point3 ,and ,he cometh and findeth them sleeping1 and saith unto ,peter1 ,simon1 sleepest thou8 ,couldest thou not watch one hour8 ,watch and pray1 that ye enter not into temptation4 ,the implied reproach here has reference almost certainly to the vehemence of ,peter's promise of superior loyalty4 ,though all shall be offended yet will not ,i4 ,jesus gently reminded him of the promise1 and signified that he had begun badly in the way of keeping it4 ,the ,master recognised1 however1 the sincerity and simple affection of the ,apostle in ,his concluding words1 ,the spirit indeed is willing1 but the flesh is weak4 ,even while ,jesus was speaking the surprise came4 ,judas and the rabble with swords1 staves and lanterns burst into the garden4 ,instantly all was confusion and alarm2 only ,jesus remained calm and self-possessed4 ,judas stepped forward and kissed ,him2 the disciples hurried to ,his side1 ,peter drew his sword1 and without waiting for explanations struck at the foremost of the advancing band4 ,the act was one of sheer folly2 it might have involved himself and his companions in one common ruin4 ,so far from saving ,jesus it was ,jesus who now saved him4 ,the ,master turned hastily round and with quick gesture bade ,peter restore the sword to its place1 saying1 ,they that take the sword shall perish with the sword4 ,the statement no doubt had immediate reference to ,peter's rashness4 ,jesus saw that any of ,his disciples taken with arms in their hands would forfeit their lives4 ,the warning did not need to be repeated2 ,peter's new-found courage had already deserted him4 ,the assailants seem to have been in similar case4 ,to save ,his disciples ,jesus confronted them1 and as ,he advanced they retreated1 stumbling over one another1 till1 as ,john relates1 they fell to the ground4 ,whom seek ye8 asked the victim of ,pharisaic hate4 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 they replied4 ,i am ,he1 was the rejoinder1 and then1 with a thoughtfulness and love of which in this dreadful hour ,jesus only seems to have been capable1 ,he continued1 ,if therefore ye seek ,me let these go their way4 ,for some moments the officers hesitated2 the majesty and dignity of ,him whom they had come to seize cast a spell upon them2 no one liked to be the first to arrest ,him1 and ,jesus had to declare ,himself a second time ere the leaders ventured to execute their commission4 ,the moment this was done1 however1 all the disciples left ,him4 and fled4 ,so far ,peter's self-assertion had ended in failure1 but further humiliation was yet to come4 ,he could not bear to remain in ignorance of the fate of a ,master whom he really and truly loved2 so1 checking his flight1 when he saw the procession move off he followed it at a safe distance4 ,his friend and partner1 ,john1 who appears to have had friends in the house of ,caiaphas1 obtained admission for him and he waited therein1 as ,matthew says1 to see the end4 ,all his bravery had now deserted him2 he was in a strange city where men of his province were despised and ridiculed4 ,he was only a humble fisherman1 and stricken with fear by finding himself in the power of authorities ecclesiastical and secular4 ,humanly speaking1 his next mistake was one that might have been prophesied4 ,he was discovered and questioned2 in his bewilderment and terror all the coarseness of his old ,galilean life returned upon him1 and1 forgetful of everything but the desire of saving himself1 he denied his ,master1 with cursing and swearing4 ,jesus directed upon him a second reproach1 this time a mute one4 ,he turned and looked upon ,peter1 but that look was enough4 ,it brought him to his senses1 laid bare his miserable failure1 ingratitude1 cowardice and broken promises4 ,he saw how completely he had fallen beneath himself by over-confidence in himself4 ,the ,peter of that moment was not the real ,peter1 after all4 ,he did love his ,master1 and had run the risk of arrest and death to get near ,him again1 but his humiliation was complete and his self-abasement intense4 ,he went out and wept bitterly4 ,shall we say that the experience of the next few days was the greatest crisis in his career8 ,from this depth of humiliation he rose qualified to become an ambassador and a saviour4 ,,ix4 ,the ,power of the ,resurrection4 ,we know nothing of ,peter's history during the anguished hours that intervened between the ,crucifixion and the ,resurrection1 but we may believe that his shame and contrition continued until ,jesus ,himself breathed in his ear words of forgiveness and hope4 ,we may infer indirectly that ,peter must have been humbled by the recollection of his own self-confident boasting in the presence of the other apostles1 for we find him still in association with them4 ,the little company seems to have held together to mourn their lost ,master and to assist each other with a common sympathy4 ,that ,peter must have been with them is clear from the fact that he was mentioned by name to the women who visited the tomb on the first day of the week4 ,go1 tell ,his disciples and ,peter1 ,he goeth before you into ,galilee4 ,when we consider that ,peter still associated with those who had listened to his self-confident assumption of superiority to themselves we can discern something more than remorse in his demeanour4 ,there is evidence of a new humility1 and yet at the same time a continuance of tender affection for the ,lord whom he fully believed he should never see again4 ,there is one incident in which ,jesus was concerned after the ,resurrection of which there is no record--there could be none4 ,it is the first interview between ,jesus and ,peter after the ,resurrection4 ,the disciples in the upper room were informed that the ,lord had appeared unto ,simon4 ,what took place at that first meeting we can never imagine2 it must have been a season of such sacredness and solemnity that ,peter would not be likely to say much about it to his brethren4 ,the loving thoughtfulness of ,jesus bade ,him seek out ,his humiliated and sorrow-stricken follower that ,he might assure him of forgiveness and restoration4 ,very intense and holy must their intercourse have been4 ,from this moment ,peter became a great and noble character2 his discipline has not been for nothing1 his self-seeking is at an end2 ambition has no place in his mind for the future2 arrogance and self-confidence thenceforth must have given place to a lowliness born of the remembrance of his cowardice and wretched failure4 ,when in after days he wrote for the guidance of the saints he was writing from the depths of his own experience3 ,yea1 all of you gird yourselves with humility to serve one another1 for ,god resisteth the proud1 but giveth grace to the humble 7#a ,peter v4 #e74 ,the appearance of genuineness rests upon this ,new ,testament story4 ,in its idyllic simplicity and faithfulness to the facts of human nature it stands in marked contrast to the spurious and unauthorised legends about ,jesus and ,his ,apostles with which the sub-apostolic age abounded4 ,the ,church has not lost much1 in all probability1 by the oblivion in which these lesser gospels have been buried4 ,to unearth them now would1 no doubt1 be of service in throwing light upon critical problems in regard to the existing ,new ,testament texts1 but they could add nothing to the sweet and natural accounts of the spiritual history of the men who guided the early ,church4 ,we know ,peter better from the pages of the four ,gospels than we do from legendary accounts4 ,indirectly this faithfulness of the evangelic records is of great assistance in establishing their historicity4 ,nothing is concealed1 or toned down1 that we ought to know1 nothing that would tend to represent the ,apostles as superhuman or exceptional in their lofty character is thrust upon our notice2 we are permitted to see ,peter as he really was1 a man made noble by the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,what he was1 we are4 ,ambition1 self-seeking1 self-confidence1 have throughout the history of ,christendom been the most serious defects of the strongest characters4 ,sometimes these vices have been displayed upon a grand scale1 oftener their scope has been petty and mean4 ,the sins of the ,catholic ,church1 as painted by a ,bernard or a ,catherine of ,siena1 are to be found in many a little ,bethel in the ,protestant ,england of our day4 ,simony is not unknown amongst the ministers of ,christ1 even in the ranks of ,non-conformity4 ,not unfrequently these sinful tendencies are to be found allied with a true and earnest desire to serve the ,master4 ,all the same1 they are a serious hindrance1 not only to ,christian character1 but to the effect of ,christian service2 the spirit in which a man does his work has the profoundest influence upon the good result of that work4 ,where a man is sincere in his wish to do good1 and yet at the same time in any degree the victim of his own self-confidence or self-seeking1 he is sooner or later brought to the point where he must choose between his wish and his practice4 ,in nearly every case the necessity for this choice is revealed to him by a sharp discipline4 ,peter's case is repeated again and again in the lives of the servants of ,god4 ,it is hard to dislodge self from its vantage-ground in the region of human motives4 ,it would be hard to find a church in which selfishness or jealousy had neither place nor influence1 and it is uncommonly difficult1 even for a good and true man1 not to feel elated by admiration or depressed by being surpassed4 ,but surely the cure for this kind of feeling is included in the very nature of ,christian service4 ,there is absolutely no relation between moral excellence and worldly recognition of it4 ,we have conceded something to the world when we stop to think of its applause as an object of desire4 ,it is easier to go without such applause and to labour in obscurity than it is to remain unaffected by it once it has been bestowed4 ,still harder is it for a man to retire from a position and a duty in which he has done nobly and well1 and then to see his bishopric taken by another4 ,sooner or later this experience falls to the lot of most of ,god's heroes2 it were well1 therefore1 that they should recognise it in advance1 count the cost1 know their own minds1 and render unnecessary the sharp discipline which accompanies self-discovery4 ,when ,god means to use us1 as ,he meant to use ,peter1 ,he never spares us4 ,jesus could not afford to allow ,peter to go his own way1 and therefore it was that the prince of the ,apostles became an instrument for good1 yet so as by fire4 ,x4 ,a ,new ,commission4 ,although1 however1 our ,lord had in such a beautiful and thoughtful way restored ,his poor1 self-abased disciple in private1 ,peter had still a necessary discipline to undergo4 ,he had sinned in the presence of others1 it was necessary that others should know of the new understanding between his ,master and himself4 ,only ,john has preserved the record of the conversation in which this new understanding was declared4 ,but ,peter himself distinctly refers to it in his ,second ,epistle 7i41 #ad74 ,john tells us in the last chapter of his ,gospel that ,peter and a few of the accustomed circle went fishing on the ,lake of ,tiberias4 ,peter's announcement1 ,i go a fishing1 has sometimes been taken to imply that he had determined to renounce apostleship and return to his old life1 that1 in short1 he was disappointed with the reward of following ,jesus and disenchanted with the vision of a ,kingdom of ,god4 ,i go a fishing1 therefore1 has been construed to mean ,i abandon these dreams2 they have brought me no advantage2 ,i will go back to my fisherman's boat and my fisherman's home4 ,it is difficult to see what justification there is for this theory4 ,peter was simply continuing habits he had never entirely renounced4 ,neither he nor ,john had any intention of dismissing all thought of ,jesus or of abandoning ,his service when they entered upon this particular fishing expedition4 ,on the contrary1 it is probable that their minds1 hearts and conversation were full of the marvels which had occurred since first the vision of angels had informed them that ,jesus was alive4 ,no doubt they were full of expectancy in regard to the place and time of ,his next appearance4 ,about daybreak1 as they drew near to the shore1 they perceived some one standing on the beach whom presently they made out to be the ,lord4 ,john was the first to recognise ,him1 and told ,peter1 who instantly leaped into the sea and went to ,him4 ,jesus had prepared a meal for the hungry disciples1 and waited till they had broken their fast before entering upon the serious subject which occupied ,his mind and1 perhaps1 ,peter's4 ,possibly ,peter had some knowledge of what ,jesus intended to say1 though not of the form in which it was to be said4 ,in the previous and more private interview the ,master had most likely signified to the disciple that the protestations he had made in the presence of others in the upper room would have to be referred to again in the presence of some at least of those who had first heard them4 ,he could not1 therefore1 have been surprised at the three questions now addressed to him4 ,simon1 son of ,john1 said the ,master1 lovest thou ,me more than these 7,greek3 agapao78 ,the now humbled ,simon replied in lowly terms by appealing to ,jesus's personal knowledge of him1 and in particular1 perhaps1 to their previous private conversation4 ,yea1 ,lord1 said he1 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee 7,greek3 philo74 ,the reference to the upper room is distinctly seen both in question and answer4 ,in the former case ,simon had claimed for himself a superiority in devotion4 ,he had offered to his ,master the loyalty of a soldier to his captain or of a friend to his friend4 ,he had assumed that his assistance was of importance to ,jesus2 he had offered to devote himself as a patriot might to his country1 or a hero to a cause4 ,of this ,jesus now reminded him by the use of a single word 7,greek3 agapas74 ,the ,english ,new ,testament rendering of this passage fails to convey its full significance4 ,peter surrendered his whole position2 he had no intention of doing more than affirming what ,christ already knew1 that even in the midst of his boasting1 desertion and denial1 he had very really and truly loved his ,master with a deep and tender affection4 ,this he expressed in his careful answer by the use of the word ,greek3 philo4#a ,in effect1 he now offers the love that a child might give to a parent4 ,he is conscious he can confer no benefit upon ,christ1 nor be of any service to ,him beyond the powers of other people4 ,very humbly1 therefore1 he asserts that his heart is true4 ,he loves his ,master1 and his ,master knows it4 ,three times does ,jesus put the same question1 on each occasion following up the answer by giving to ,peter a new and glorious commission4 ,he was to feed the lambs and tend the sheep4 ,as ,peter had denied ,him three times so now he is interrogated three times concerning his loyalty4 ,the third test was the closest4 ,jesus takes up ,peter's own word1 and asks him ,greek3 phileis me4 ,the narrative goes on to say that ,peter was grieved because he was asked the third time ,lovest thou ,me8 ,here we see1 however1 that the source of his sorrow was that ,jesus should appear to doubt his humble use of the humblest word he could find to express his unchanging affection for the ,master who had restored him to his better self4 ,jesus had pressed the question home by adopting ,peter's word1 and the earnest reply which followed satisfied ,him4 ,yea1 ,lord1 said poor ,simon1 ,thou knowest all things2 ,thou knowest that ,i love ,thee4 ,then said ,jesus1 ,feed my sheep4 ,peter1 though he hardly knew it1 was now more ready for service than he had ever been before4 ,christ had accepted the service of one who now rated his own value so low4 ,from henceforth1 indeed1 he was to be a fisher of men4 ,it had taken a long time to lead ,peter to this point1 yet ,jesus had foreseen it at their first meeting in ,bethabara beyond ,jordan4 ,very patiently had ,he trained him from the hour in which1 with prophetic insight1 ,he had said1 ,i will make you to become a fisher of men4 ,now indeed ,he could set him to work4 ,now ,he could trust him with the sublime duty of being the rock on which the new-born ,church should rest4 #a ,in whatever language they were originally spoken there is a presumption amounting to certainty that the careful use of these words in the ,greek of ,john's ,gospel corresponded to the shade of meaning employed both by ,jesus and ,peter4 ,,xi4 ,the ,prince of the ,apostles4 ,jesus's closing words to ,peter as we have them in the #bast of ,st4 ,john could only have been spoken to one who had advanced far beyond the point at which ease1 honour or riches were regarded as motives for service in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,what a contrast between the ,peter who inquired1 ,what shall we have therefore8 and the ,peter to whom the solemn assertion was made1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 when thou wast young thou girdedst thyself1 and walkedst whither thou wouldest3 but when thou shalt be old1 thou shalt stretch forth thy hands1 and another shall gird thee1 and carry thee whither thou wouldest not4 ,now this ,he spake1 signifying by what manner of death he should glorify ,god4 ,and when ,he had spoken this1 ,he saith unto him1 ,follow ,me4 ,here again is a distinct reference to the ,lo1 we have left all and followed ,thee of an earlier day4 ,peter is now informed that he is to expect stripes1 imprisonment1 martyrdom4 ,he is to glorify ,god in sufferings and death4 ,he can be under no further misapprehension as to the meaning of ,christ's mission and work for and amongst men4 ,follow ,me6 meant more now than it had done the first time he heard it by the ,lake of ,galilee4 ,calvary had supplied the interpretation4 ,peter's new commission began at the ,cross4 ,prominence in the ,kingdom had been given to him1 but that prominence was a prominence of suffering4 ,he was to be first of all1 not in ease1 reputation or power1 but first in the difficulties1 the dangers and trials of the little community he had now to shepherd4 ,in the ,second ,epistle of ,peter i4 #ad1 there is a pathetic confirmation in ,peter's own words of the solemn charge addressed to him by the ,lake of ,tiberias3 ,i think it right1 as long as ,i am in this tabernacle1 to stir you up by putting you in remembrance2 knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle cometh swiftly1 even as our ,lord ,jesus ,christ signified unto me4 ,yea1 ,i will give diligence that at every time ye may be able after my decease to call these things to remembrance4 ,one or two instances might here be cited as evidence of the new spirit which animated him who was now prince of the ,apostles4 ,in ,john xxi4 #bj-bc we have given to us in a few words the earliest instance of ,peter's new-found desire of self-abnegation4 ,peter1 turning about1 seeth the disciple whom ,jesus loved following4444 ,peter therefore seeing him saith to ,jesus1 ,lord1 and what shall this man do8 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,if ,i will that he tarry till ,i come1 what is that to thee8 ,follow thou ,me4 ,curiously enough1 this incident has been variously misinterpreted4 ,peter has been accused of idle curiosity or of semi-discontent at the comparison of his own hard lot with the probable happier fortune of the ,apostle ,john4#a ,the reply of ,jesus to the inquiry has therefore been represented as a sharp and well-deserved rebuke4 ,it can hardly be that any of these explanations represent the true state of the case4 ,the truth would rather seem to be that ,peter shrank from the new responsibility and prominence which had been assigned to him1 and would willingly have become a follower of his old rival1 now his companion and friend4 ,john was the disciple who understood his ,master most nearly--the one whom ,jesus loved4 ,he had been present with ,peter on the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 in ,gethsemane and in the house of ,caiaphas4 ,peter in old days had been jealous of him1 and this jealousy had led to strife among the disciples4 ,he was in no mood to strive for preference now4 ,the disciple whom ,jesus loved had1 he thought1 a better right to tend the sheep and feed the lambs than he had4 ,john was the only one who had not entirely abandoned his ,master2 he had followed ,him to the midnight trial1 he had been present at the ,crucifixion1 and been the recipient of a pathetic commission thereat--namely1 to take care of ,jesus's mother4 ,peter now felt that ,john was a worthier leader of the ,apostolic ,church than he himself could hope to be4 ,no doubt the arrest of ,jesus had drawn them more closely together4 ,john had done him the service of obtaining his admission to the house of ,caiaphas4 ,he had remained with him most likely in the dark hours before the resurrection morning2 he accompanied him to the tomb2 he was with him now4 ,how could ,peter better exemplify his humility than by his unwillingness to take precedence of a man whose true nobility and generosity he had now proved to the full8 ,jesus's answer gave in very brief terms a forecast of ,john's function in the ,kingdom1 and re-emphasized for ,peter the importance of unquestioning obedience4 ,he said1 in effect3 ,john's commission will not affect yours4 ,i have chosen4 ,suppose that yours is to strive and lead1 and his to stand and wait8 ,how will his commission affect the faithful discharge of yours8 ,how thoroughly both ,peter and ,john accepted the positions allocated to them their immediate after history shows4 ,peter led the van1 ,john served in silence4 ,their friendship continued and expanded4 ,for the future we hear much of ,peter and ,john4 ,these two began a new friendship4 ,john shared in ,peter's punishment2 if ,peter did the speaking alone1 ,john took the imprisonments with him4 ,as they had been together on the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 together in ,gethsemane1 together in the hall of ,caiaphas1 so now they remained together in spirit until the day of ,peter's martyrdom came4 7,acts iii4 #a-;iv47 ,in a certain sense we have now reached the beginning rather than the end of the life and work of the ,apostle ,peter4 ,from the point at which most of the particulars regarding his personality cease to be afforded in the ,new ,testament commences the astonishing work of which he was in a sense the leader and inspiration4 ,a few ,galilean fishermen set to work to turn the world upside down4 ,the vast and venerable fabric of the ,christian ,church reposes upon such foundations as we have considered4 ,this revolution wrought in the history of the world is a moral miracle4 ,the task essayed was stupendous4 ,neither ,peter nor his companions could have estimated its magnitude or foreseen its triumph4 ,that he himself should come to be regarded as the first and greatest of the long line of sovereign pontiffs of the ,roman ,church we may be sure never occurred to him4 ,he entered upon his task in faith1 leaving results to the great ,master whom ,he served4 ,compared with the great ,apostle of the ,gentiles he was neither wise nor learned2 he was but one of the weak things of earth chosen to confound the mighty4 ,the ,holy ,spirit rested upon him for service4 ,he was a willing instrument whom ,god could use because self-seeking was entirely banished from his motives and desires4 ,how this came to be so we have just seen4 ,it was ,jesus who made ,peter what he was4 ,jesus believed in him from the first1 knew him better than he knew himself1 and looked to the ,peter that was to be rather than the ,simon that was4 ,jesus dealt with him in patience and love such as fills us with wonderment4 ,who but ,jesus would have thought it worth while to do it8 ,what ,he did for ,simon the fisherman ,he is still able to do for all who yield themselves to ,him4 ,there is nothing impossible with ,christ4 ,the weakest and most sinful amongst us is of infinite value to ,him4 ,how many of us are saints in the making6 ,may the story of ,his dealings with one life lead us all to the same experience of faithful and loving obedience4 ,may it be ours to respond even through stumblings and failures to ,his gracious invitation1 ,follow ,me6 ,he will lead us from strength to strength1 we shall learn of ,him and find rest unto our souls4 #a ,bruce1 ,training of the ,twelve1 p4 #eaa4 ,,london3 ,w4 ,,speaight ,,and ,,sons1 ,,printers1 ,,fetter ,,lane1 ,e4,c4