47. A just Man falleth and riseth up again. "Alas! I often fall," I hear thee say. My child, let not these falls thy heart dismay; PROV. xxiv. 16. "A just man falleth seven times, and riseth when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood." F in the life of the Christian the sun is often clothed in Finckcloth, and his path lies through storm and rain, the sacred Scriptures nevertheless present us with striking instances that even our falls do not put us to shame, provided that we can contrive to rise again; and that it is to the sickliest of His children that the faithful and affectionate hand of their Lord and Master is specially held out. How many have fallen, and from the example of Peter have gained strength to rise again! It is a great mercy that God has in the sacred Scriptures recorded this example for our use! He whose temperament is like Peter's-soft in the morning and hard at night, all fire to-day and all frost to-morrow-is the readiest to despair of the Lord's ability to rear out of such material a fabric to His glory. And yet it was to this apostle, and to no other, that the Lord addressed the words, "Thou art Peter,1 and upon this rock I will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."2 We are astonished, but our astonishment would probably not be quite as great if we knew how poor and uncouth were the building materials which the Lord had at His disposal in the hearts of the other disciples. How weak they were in the faculty of intelligence, how greatly they misunderstood His plainest sayings, are facts of which manifold striking instances are mentioned. Doubtless, also, in their hearts there was much, very much, for divine grace to purge away; as, for example, the incredulity of a Thomas, and the intemperate zeal of a John. One thing, however, they possessed-they were children, and out of children something may be made, for they submit to be trained; and therefore, great although their poverty was, the Lord was confident of success, and rejoiced in spirit, and said, "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes." 6 It has not unfrequently happened to me to hear a person say, that he could not conceive how one who, like Peter, had affirmed, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God,"-could afterwards deny his Master, and say, with an oath, "I know not the man." Of that I am not so sure, for Wind and weather overnight, Full many a tender flower may blight. No doubt the man who has once fallen is attacked by the whole world; but, after all, does not all depend upon the single point, what weight a person attaches to telling a lie? If the dyke which ought ever to stand erected between the heart 1 The name signifies rock-John, i. 42. 2 Matt. xvi. 18. 3 Matt. xvi. 6-9; Luke, xviii. 34; Mark, ix. 10; John, xiv. 8. 6 Luke, x. 21. 1 of a Christian and falsehood have been broken down-if, between the truth on one side and the falsehood upon the other the compromise vulgarly termed a white lie have been madeand if a lie of that sort glide over the lips as lightly as the word of truth-I do not know whether in the hour of trepidation and danger many who now boast with Peter, "Though all men should be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended," 1 would not fall as that disciple fell. And even though we might not on that night have fallen like him, how many of us would have stood at his side when, in the face of the judges who had crucified the Lord, he cast the testimony, "We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him"? 2-how many of us would have stood by his side when he submitted to be beaten with rods, and "departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer shame for His name "? When the Saviour was nailed to the cross, Peter was of those who drew back; but when it behoved him to verify the words which Jesus had spoken respecting him, saying, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me afterwards," 5 he did not draw back, but by actual deeds became a witness of the sufferings of Christ, followed in his Master's footsteps even to the ignominious tree, and entered into the fellowship of His How many of us who stand up and reproach him would have followed the Saviour so far? No, Peter! it was no unmeaning word when thou didst say to Jesus, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." cross. 4 In what more consolatory way for all of unstable heart who stand with wavering purpose between heaven and earth could 1 Matt. xxvi. 33. 2 Acts, iv. 19; v. 29-32. 4 Heb. x. 39. 5 John, xiii. 36. He, whose strength is made perfect in the weak, have manifested His power? Oh, how often, when I have felt my hands grow weary and my knees faint-when I have staggered with uncertain steps from side to side, and sighed, Oh, when will this dim twilight pass away, And I an outlet find to perfect day?— how often has the example of Peter helped the fallen child to regain his feet! It is true that a long time must have elapsed before, in Peter's case, the cure reached its final stage. We learn that even in after-life, when he had gone forth to preach the name of Christ, not merely did the old Peter still conflict with the new, but that the new was overcome. Paul's account of the matter,1 no doubt, is by many represented in a far worse light than it deserves. They suppose that the disciple had wholly lost the light of true knowledge, and that he who before, in the council of the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, and in the presence of a multitude of believers, had been courageous enough to challenge the zealots of the law, and to say, "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they," "—had yet publicly disowned the grace of Christ, and preached up the righteousness which comes solely from the law. That, however, was not the case. All he did was, that when the zealots were come from Jerusalem, he abstained from eating in company with the Gentiles, in order not to transgress any longer the legal ordinance; and so did the others who were with him.3 By acting thus, no doubt, he showed that he feared men more than God, and sinned against his better knowledge. It was for this that his brother Paul reproved him, and that he humbly submitted to the reproof; for although the apostle does not expressly say so in his epistle, such must have been the case, 2 Acts, xv. 10, II. 3 Gal. ii. 12, 13 1 Gal. ii. II, 12. seeing that otherwise Paul could not, in addressing the Galatians, have referred to the reproof. Now, no doubt, it is shameful that even in an apostle the fear of man could have so far prevailed over his better knowledge; and this may well awaken sad reflections upon the greatness of human frailty, and induce us with double self-distrust to take home the admonition, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," and to renounce all reliance upon our own strength. On the other hand, however, it likewise furnishes a testimony of some importance to the truth, that in a human heart much grace and not a little frailty may for a time coexist side by side. And such a testimony is fraught with encouragement; for this Peter was the same who on the day of Pentecost laid the foundation-stone of the Christian Church, rejoiced to be beaten with rods for the name of Jesus, and afterwards followed his Master to the cross. Have patience, therefore, with thyself, thou weak-hearted disciple, seeing that God has so much patience with thee. another occasion, Hence was it that But how came it to pass that the child who fell so often nevertheless always regained his feet? He did indeed often fall, but never once did he let go the hand that led him; and this hand lifted him up. It was no untruthful word when he said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life;" and upon "Lord, Thou knowest that I love Thee." every fall brought forth repentant tears, and repentant tears increased affection, as is so charmingly described after his denial. He was still standing by the fire in the court of the high priest when the door of the building at the back opened, and the Saviour came forth from the judgment-seat; the cock then crowed the second time, and "the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter: and Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice; and Peter went out, and wept bitterly.”1 Sharp, no doubt, was the bitterness of these tears-they 1 Luke, xxii. 61, 62. |