PETER HIS REPENTANCE. Showing, among other things, these two Points for edification. I. What weakness remains in Gods own Children, especially in times of trial and danger; and so, what little cause they have to trust their hearts, or be confident of themselves, but get to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. II. What is the power of God's grace and Covenant, for renewing his Children by repentance; and so, what encouragement they have to return after every fall, and go on in their course of Watchfulness, Humiliation, Prayer, and magnifying of Jesus Christ.  
By Dr. THOMAS TAYLOR.  ROME 11. 12. 
Be not high minded, but fear.  
Non proponitur tibi exemplum cadendi, sed si cecideris, resurgendi,  Ambros. in Psal. 51. 
Sit casus majorum, tremor minorum.  
LONDON: Printed for John Bartlet, dwelling at the sign of the guilt Cup near St. Augustine's Gate, 1653.   

PETER'S REPENTANCE.  MARK 14. 27. 
And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the Sheep shall be scattered.  
Vers. 28. But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.  
Ver. 29. But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.  
Ver. 30. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the Cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.  
Ver. 31. But he spoke the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.  
IT hath been said of old, 
Instruunt Patriarchae, tam erran●es, quam docentes.  that the patriarchs and holy men of God instructed the Church as well when they erred and fell into sin, as when they delivered wholesome and sound Doctrine. Which may be particularly instanced in the Apostle Peter, who in his two Epistles hath left us very good instructions for our Faith and Obedience, and against Deceivers: and in these passages of the Gospel is propounded to us as a Pattern of humane frailty in his fall, and of Divine power in his rising and repentance; both which instruct Believers concerning the strength of corruptions remaining in them, concerning the weakness of their graces, their need of renewing faith and repentance, their need of humility, fear and watchfulness, the mercy of a pardoning God, what thankfulness they should return for that mercy, and for the certainty of persevering in the estate of grace, though with many failings and hobling in the way.  
But first in general, 
Parts of this History.  concerning all the Disciples; we have here a Prediction of their dispersion, ver. 27. all of them offended in him: together with a confirmation of it by a testimony of the Prophet Zacharie, the Shepherd smitten, and the Sheep scattered, ver. 28. To which Christ subjoins a consolation, namely that he and they should have a joyful meeting together again after his Resurrection; with the place where, in Galilee.  
Particularly of Peter's fall; first we have the occasion of it, that is, his rashness, saying once or twice, he would stick to Christ though all should leave him, ver. 29. Then our Saviour's check thereto, ver. 30. first admonishing him of his fall, thou shalt deny me: secondly, the determinate number of his falls, thrice: thirdly, the time, this day, even this night. Fourthly, the sign he gives him, before the Cock crow twice. Whereunto Peter replies more stiffly, ver. 31. to die with him rather than deny him.  
Afterward, when this prediction is to be acted; we have first the Occasion of Peter's fall, partly in his going into the Priest's Hall and warming himself by the fire, partly in the Priest's Maids, who charged him with adhering to Christ, ver. 66, 67. Secondly, his fall itself, ver. 68 whose particulars with the circumstances and aggravations, we shall meet in treating of the words.  
Lastly, for his Repentance; we have first the time, then: secondly, the means, both external, the crowing of the Cock, and Christ's looking back upon Peter; and internal, 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quum animadvertisset. Bez.  Peter remembered the words of our Lord, and weighed them well: thirdly, the manner of his Repentance, he went out and wept bitterly.  
In all which we shall find useful notes and instructions for the use of edifying, that we may avoid the like falling into like dangers; or, if we fall, we may at least recover all by the like repentance. And first of our Saviour's Prediction.  All ye shall be offended because of me this night, etc. ● 
HE predicteth both their fall and rising, their sin and his grace, that they might not despair though their sin were great; but come again by repentance, and take hold of his grace.  
Note 1. How Christ is a rock of offence; 
Many offended in Christ, and how.  he saith not, you shall be offended by me, but in me. In my infirmity, humanity and base estate; for Christ was never a cause active of offence, never gave just cause; but passively, an occasion of offence, as a rock offends no man, but a blind Man falls and offends at the rock; Not properly and Actively, but accidentally and Passively; so Christ offends none: but so many are the scandals about and concerning Christ, as he pronounceth him blessed that is not offended in him.  
1. Some are offended at the baseness of his Birth; Is not this the Carpinters' Son?  
2. At the place of his Education; Can any good come out of Galilee?  
3. At his Doctrine; these are hard sayings, who can bear them?  
4. At his Miracles; he casts out Devils by Belzebub.  
5. At his conversation as too licentious, Mat. 11. John's Disciples Fast, etc. A Wine-bibber, Glutton.  
6. At his Company; He converseth with sinners, Luke 5.  
7. At his Allegiance; that he pays not tribute, Mat. 17.  
8. At his Cross and Passion; 
1 Coa. 1. 23.  We Preach Christ crucified, a scandal to the Jews.  
But what marvel of all this, that Scribes and Pharisees, blind guides, and blind People led by them, take offence by Christ, when even his Disciples and all they take offence at his low estate and Passion, immediately before warned by his own mouth?  
But see how prone we are to offend ourselves in Christ; say not as the Jews, Had we lived in the days of our Forefathers, we would not have slain the Prophets; so, had we Christ among us, we would not be offended; for every one almost is offended in him: Thus▪  
Christ comes in the Preaching of the Word; but that is a breach and foolishness, yet without this foolishness of Preaching you shall never be saved; 
1 Cor. 1. 〈◊〉.  thou wouldst have heard Christ on earth hadst thou lived; no; He that heareth you, heareth me; and contrary.  
Whatsoever Christ speaks, thou wouldst not be offended; but nothing the Minister speaks but offends thee. If Christ should bid thee leave thy Usury, thou wouldst not be offended at him. If his Minister in his name bid thee, it offends thee.  
If Christ should say to thee, 
James 5.  swear not at all, love your enemies, in giving honour go one before another, 
Mat. 5.  redeem the time, play it not away, put off vain fashi●● in Apparel, etc. you would not be offended. 
Rom. 12.  But he hath said it, and his Preachers cannot speak it after him, 
Ephes. 5. 16.  but thou art offended.  
If Christ should bid thee take up his Cross and follow him, thou sayest thou wouldst not be offended; but the Cross of the Gospel so offend thee, thou wilt rather part with the Gospel then suffer a word of disgrace for thy profession; is not this to be offended at Christ? Christ comes in his Servants that hold forth the word of life by holy profession, and express the virtues of Christ, and abstain from the evils of the world; thou abhorrest them, canst not abide them, a pack of dissemblers; thou wouldst be an enemy to Christ and his Apostles.  
Note 2. Marvel not that the most of the world be offended at Christ this day; 
Holy profession offends at this day.  if the Apostles could be so offended at his very person, how much more the world at his profession? as in the days of the Jews, Isay 8. 18. Behold, I and the Children thou hast given me, are as signs and wonders in Israel.  
Christ's own Disciples who were mirrors in the world, were counted monsters in the world; and those that lived as Angels, were as gazing stocks to men and Angels, 1 Cor. 4. 9  
The holy religion of Christ was once everywhere counted as Heresy, 
Acts 24. 14.  Acts 28. 22. so is it among Christians; but shall we count it Puritanisme, which is a vile Heresy? or is the Doctrine which we Preach and you profess a Sect? if it be a Sect, better be no man than not of this Sect.  
Note 3. Comfort to godly Preachers and professors of Religion; 
Comfort to godly Preachers and professors.  if the world be offended in them, it was so in their head before them. And the servant is no better; and they are offended in them that would be offended in Christ himself; be content as Christ; and for no other cause in them then that in Christ, and the light being the same, if it offended in the Head, it will in the Members; Christ's Doctrine tended to Mortification, and crossed wicked men's lusts; if thine do so, as the world was offended in him, so will it in thee. Christ's life was holy and innocent, and actually reproved the corruptions of the world, and this was another cause of offence. If thy life do so, all loose persons, Teachers or others will be offended in thee; 
Mat. 7. 29.  Christ's Ministry was powerful against sin, not as the Scribes, but with Authority; this was an eyesore to blind guides. If thine be so, than it will be an offence and prick in the eyes of numbers.  
Christ's whole course was so gracious, so profitable, as God testified with him everywhere that he was with him; here was a matter of envy: If God testify with thee, envious men will testify against thee; For if we let him alone, all men will believe in him.  
Note 4. Let our care be, 
Offend none justly.  that the world may not justly be offended by us; and if in us, it was our Lord's case, and our comfort shall be, men are not so much offended in us, as in Christ in us.  
Christ never offended any man, yet what loads of slanders carried he to sanctify ours?  
Quest. How should a Christian subject to offence carry himself, to stop the mouths of wicked men, when nothing he doth never so carefully and justly, but is traduced, himself slandered, wronged, abused?  
Surely thus we must resolve:  
1. That innocency, wisdom, goodness, will not free us against the world's malice, no not if it were equal with Christ's, no more than it did with him; but before God's tribunal and equal hearing of men.  
2. That Dogs will bark at Strangers, though they neither make nor meddle with them; and a wise Traveller (shall make himself work enough to stop every Dog's bark) will go on his way, and esteem it as the bark of Dogs.  
3. Labour to give no offence; and if Christ in thee offend any, let them stumble and fall; for to this they were appointed.  
Note 5. A R●● for the choice of our Religion, 
A trial of true religiousness.  or the trial of it. Christian religion is a general offence to the wicked, as Christ the subject of it; most of the world are offended with it, as Christ himself was left of followers, friends, Disciples, kinsfolks; and ever suspect that way the most walk in, that is the broad way; the greater part still is against the better part.  
Few shall be saved, few believe, few find the narrow way; Christ hath but a few Disciples, and they for a time offended in him too.  
Dislike not that Religion which hath but a few; a few hair brained fellows only run to Sermons, and are so precise, say some. But choose thou the broad way at thy peril, and esteem thy Religion as the Papist his, by Multitudes.  
Good men must choose theirs by Truth, and that is a dear commodity in the hands of a few; and you must make this your wisdom to go rather by the guide of a few that have their eyes to see their way, then of Multitudes that are blind and discern nothing.  For it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the Sheep shall be scattered. 
COnfirmation of the former Prediction, by a testimony of Zachary 13. 7. Christ gives here a twofold reason of the Disciples scandal.  
1. It was foretold; the Prediction must be accomplished.  
2. Because the Shepherd was to be smitten▪ they as Sheep must be scattered.  
The Scope of which place is, to prove Christ the true Pastor of the Flock, 
Scope.  even by his smiting and abasement; and so most aptly alleged that the Disciples might have matter of strength and comfort thence where they stumbled and offended themselves.  
How different Divine conclusions are from humane, 
Divine conclusions differ from humane.  and how contrary God's spirit is from man's in drawing conclusions! Humane reason saith thus, Christ is smitten, and therefore he is not to be longer followed as a Guide: the Disciples themselves fall off from him; but Divine reason concludes clean contrary; Christ is smitten, and therefore is the Shepherd to whom the Sheep ought to cleave and not scatter themselves; so Isaiah 53. 4. Because he was smitten of God and humbled, proves him to be our Messiah and Redeemer.  
Reason saith, That is not the true Religion which is so opposed and contradicted by Jews, Turks, Papists, held but by an handful of men; the Spirit saith, that is true Christianity which is so resisted; never was the Sun so beset with dark clouds as Truth with oppositions. As therefore that Christ is the true Messiah, 
Luke 2. 34.  because he is a sign of contradiction, whom now Herod seeks to kill, the Scribes and pharisees are deadly enemies unto: so is that true Christianity, which the world opposeth.  
Humane reason saith, That cannot be the true way which so few walk in; can so many Ages, 
Mat. 7. 14.  so many great Persons be so deceived? the Spirit faith, therefore it is the right way, 
1 Cor. 1. 26.  because so few find it; not many great ones, wise, learned, etc. as not many, but a few mean Fishermen followed Christ himself.  
Reason saith, they cannot be dear to God, who are so afflicted and smitten; the Spirit from thence concludes them Sons of God, Heb. 12, 6, 7.  
Use 1. Unsafe therefore it is to follow our reason for our guide in divine things; no, be ordered by the word and rules, of Religion.  
2. And we learn to deny ourselves which is the first lesson in Christianity, Mat. 16, 24.  I will smite the Shepherd. 
WHO is the Shepherd? Christ himself, 
Christ according to his many benefits hath many names.  john 10. I am the good Shepherd. Christ hath as many names as Benefits.  
1. He redeemed us, and thence called the Redeemer of Israel.  
2. He rules us by his Spirit and grace, and thence called the King of the Church.  
3. He feeds us, and called thence the Bread of life.  
4. He refresheth us, and thence called the Water of life.  
5. He enlighteneth us, and thence called the Light of the World. john 8. 12.  
6. He eternally appeaseth the Father, so called our high Priest, and here our Shepherd.  
Quest. Why?  
Answ. Because promised, Ezek. 34. 23. I will set up one Shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, and accordingly performed all, offices of a good Shepherd.  
So here called a Shepherd, a name of great love and sweetness.  
1. As descending of ancient Patriarches who were Shepherds, 
Christ why called a Shepherd.  and they Types of him, Abel, Jacob, David, Moses.  
2. He knows his Sheep, and marks them for his own. john 10. 3. 14. And God sets his seal on them, 2 Tim. 21. 19 knows them by name, as Cyrus his Soldiers.  
3. He feeds their Souls and bodies in green pastures, Psal. 23. and drives them to the sweet streams and waters of comfort, by the paths of grace and righteousness.  
4. Defends them from the Wolf and enemies, being timorous, simple, weak, shiftless creatures, to fly, resist, or save themselves; as David met the Lion and Bear, and slew them, and saved the Sheep, 1 Sam. 17. 34. so this Shepherd goes on to meet the Adversaries, and to give his life for the sheep. Oh wonderful love, and accordingly to be much magnified! this good Shepherd watcheth over his Flock with his eye never absent day nor night, sleepeth not by night as other Shepherds, but keepeth our bones, Psal. 34. 20. numbers the hairs, Mat. 10. 30. observeth Enemies and turneth them back, Psal. 56 9  
One Sheep may forget another, as the Butler did Joseph, but Christ cannot forget any of his Flock.  
5. Nourisheth the young and tender Lambs, Isa. 40. 11. breaks not bruised reeds, suffereth not his to be tempted above their strength.  
Seeks them straying, rejoiceth in finding, as in the Parable of the lost Sheep; seeks and saves them that are lost, cures the diseased; if the diseased be contagious, removes it till it be cured, washeth them in the streams of his blood, and every way saveth.  
7. He bringeth them to the Fold 

1. Of grace.  
2. Of glory.    
So of Christ's Title.  
2. This Shepherd must be smitten; namely, with ignominy, reproach, grievous strokes, 
Zech. 13. 17.  death and the Sword; so in Zachary, Sword, arise and smite, etc.  
Quest. What had he deserved?  
Answ. He was fellow of the Lord, 
How Christ is God's fellow.  not only in familiarity of grace, but conformity of nature; for none can be God's fellow which is not of the same nature; what fellowship between abhorring natures? therefore he was more pure than the Sun, and no spot in him from top to toe, but all perfection of grace; he was not therefore smitten for his own sake, but ours; so Isa. 53. 5. he was wounded for our transgressions.  
3. Who smit him? 
By whom he was smitten.  I will smite him.  
Object. The Original in Zachary saith; Sword smile, and rise upon the Shepherd.  
Sol. The Evangelist or our Saviour respecting sense rather then words, thus changeth them.  
2. The Prophet speaketh prophetically, Allegorically, obscurely, in a compared sense.  
But now the accomplishment of a Prophecy being the best Expositor, he speaks according to the accomplishment plainly and without obscurity.  
3. In both Phrases nothing else is signified but that all that trouble and persecution of Jesus Christ was moved according to the will and counsel of God, as Act. 4. 28. Herod and Pilate met to do whatsoever thy hand and counsel determined: the Prophet in the commandment to the Sword expresseth the counsel of God; the Evangelist the hand of God in the death of Christ.  
Object. But he was smitten by the high Priests and Jews who slew him.  
Answ. The hand and action of God was in it latent, the actions of the instruments were apparent, God's hand was secret and hid to them, and therefore they sinned highly in bringing God's purpose to pass.  
Object. That God had a counsel ordaining and permitting this sin we grant; but that he had a hand in the sin, is hard to say.  
Answ. Saint Luke addeth also, that God had a hand in this action, but more improperly than counsel; for this hand wrought not with them in the sin, but moderated, guided, restrained and overruled the sin to his glory and Christ's advancement.  
Use 1. In that Christ is the Shepherd, comfort ourselves in his 

1. Love.  
2. Care.    
1. Love; 
Comfort in Christ our Shepherd.  more Love is included in this word Shepherd, then if he should call himself our Father, Brother, Kinsman; the good Shepherd gives his life for his Sheep, which every Father and Brother will not do.  
2. Care; the Sheep need care for nothing but the Shepherd's presence, Psal. 23. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall want nothing; that is, nothing that is needful and good; Jacob was a careful Shepherd as any was, yet lost some Sheep; some lost, some stolen, some torn, Gen. 31. 39, 40.  
But the care of this Shepherd is such as he loseth none whom he hath chosen. job. 17. 12.  
Moses was a careful Shepherd of God's People, but sometimes weary, sometimes grudged at the great burden and charge, Numb. 11. 11. But Christ was obedient even unto the death.  
Use 2. In that Christ was smitten with the Sword; 
Be patient in all smitings.  learn patience in all afflictions and crosses, ordinary and extraordinary, Heb. 12. 2. Run with patience the race before us looking at Jesus.  
Are we smitten with tongues of men, swords of men? so was the green Tree; the dry may be contented.  
1. He suffered for no necessity or desert, but by voluntary humility; we deserve even fiery trials.  
2. He not for his cause, but ours, and shall not we for his?  
3. He despised the shame, and why should not we do so?  
4. The end of his cross was the exaltation at God's right hand, and we expect the same end.  
Use 3. Of admonition; 
Mourn for sin which caused Christ to be smitten.  in that he was smitten for us, see it affect us with sorrow that we by sin drew out the Sword against Christ; Oh that we could cry out of ourselves and sins, who brought God's companion, and as the Apostle saith, one who thought it no robbery to be equal with God, to abase himself as a Servant, as a Sinner, to be smitten and suffer death as a malefactor, Phil. 2. 6. how should it humble us? look on him whom we have smitten and mourn.  
Again we should stir up ourselves to thankfulness, that he who was God's companion in grace and nature, 
Sudy to be thankful to Jesus Christ.  would be content to be smitten for us, that by his stripes he would heal us; had the stroke for the least sin light upon ourselves, it could not be but eternally mortal; now he having put himself between the blow of God's sword and us who had deserved the deadly blow, to him belongs all the praise of our peace and freedom; if a man should keep a blow off us with the loss of his life, we would be sorry and thankful for such a friend; nay if loss of a limb, etc.  
Again, 
Not all hated of God who are smitten by him.  was Christ the Shepherd smitten, who was equal with God, and that by God? see that all are not hated of God, who are smitten of God; never was there such an object of God's love, all creatures were not capable of that love which his Father poured upon him; yet he was smitten with temptation, persecution, and all kinds of affliction to sanctify all kinds unto us, and not spared to the death.  
Let none say he is cast out of favour because of afflictions, never any so smittenas Christ, never any so dear to God.  
Again, 
The liker to God, the more smitten.  note who they be that are most smitten by the World in the World; even those that are likest unto God, and most conformable unto Jesus Christ.  
If Christ had not been God's companion, he had escaped better; so acquaintance with God brings many a blow from the World; if thou wilt converse with the World which knows neither him, nor thee, he hath rods in water to lash thee as a W●nderer or Stranger.  
What marvel is it that godly Pastors whose lives and doctrine come nearest unto this chief Shepherd, be most smitten in the World? if Jeremy be lying in the Dungeon; if Herod smite James with the Sword, and take Peter, and vex others; if the whole rout of Drunkards, Usurers, and bench companions say, come and let us smite this Jeremy with the tongue, 
Jer. 18. 18.  let us slander him Town and Country, we dare not with our hands, but our tongues are our own, say lewd fellows, who can control us?  
Let us say to our Preacher that he never did or thought of, somewhat will stick, if we can do it boldly enough, and with faces of brass; for even thus was our Lord and chief Shepherd smitten, who saith they laid to my charge things I never knew; so may we, so may I.  
Though Christ was smitten it was not by chance, 
Comfort because God's hand is in it.  fortune, or altogether by malice of wicked men, but all by the counsel and decree of God, comfort thyself.  
1. It is God's hand, not so heavy as Devils or wicked men's, john 19 10. nor shall always lie on thee, nor so long as they would, Psal. 125. 3.  
2. As in Christ's smiting, God is now executing by evil men some of his good purposes towards thee; all works for good.  
3. He suffers them to try and exercise thee for a time, as Christ; but not his council only is in it, but his hand to moderate it, that they cannot do what they will, but what he will.  And the Sheep shall be scattered.] 
THE effect or consequent of the Shepherds smiting.  
1. Who be these Sheep, Ezek. 34. 10. 2. How they are scattered.  
These Sheep be the Disciples and faithful Believers in the name of Christ, under the Rule, care and custody of the chief Shepherd.  
1. The Church is the great Sheepfold, 
Church called a Sheepfold, why.  john 10. 16. for out of the Church is no salvation; the fold is a defence for Sheep; and because the Members of the Church live in concord and peace as Sheep, not as Lions, Wolves, Tigers, etc. The mark of Christ's Sheep is love, John. 13. 13.  
Every Christian resembles this creature in the Text: 
Christians why called Sheep.  1. Simple, foolish, subject to stay and to be scattered; yea quite lost without the care of the Shepherd, Isa. 55. 6. seek the Lord while he may be found; so are the faithful, not only before conversion, 1 Pet. 2. 11. I beseech you as Pilgrims, wherein the whole life is but a straying from God; but even after never so little left of the Shepherd, as Noah, Lot, David, Hezekiah, and here all the Apostles; and can never return without the Shepherds call, partly in the word as Nathan to David, partly by corrections, which are as the Shepherd's Dog to fetch us in, as joseph's Brethren.  
2. Beset with all manner of enemies, Dogs, Wolves, Lions, Foxes, and destitute in itself of all means of safety, without speed, courage, and natural weapons (as other creatures are armed with) to resist so many Adversaries, so as their whole safety is in the presence and care of the Shepherd.  
So the Members of Christ beset with Tyrants, Heretics, Hypocrites, Seducers, false Brethren, and cannot put back violence with violence; their safety and defence lies not as many beasts, in their Horns, Hoofs, Nails or teeth; they are only armed with the mercy and care of the Shepherd, without whom they are sure to be a daily prey to the Devil, 
1 Pet. 5▪ 8.  the roaring Lion and his instruments.  
3. Harmless, patient, bear all wrongs, offer none, lose the Fleece, their lives, with meekness, without struggling.  
Thus Christians resemble the Shepherd himself, he bore all wrongs, he never did wrong, he was led as a Sheep to the slaughter, and before the Shearer opened not his mouth; and his Members must receive a second wrong, rather than revenge a former, and still possess their Souls in patience.  
Use. 4. Acknowledge ourselves after grace received silly Sheep, 
Note thy weak disposition even after grace received.  most easy to stray away and become a prey to all the ravenous Beasts of the field; take notice of our wand'ring and straying disposition, resembled in the parable of the lost Sheep, Luke 15. that unless the good Shepherd leave the ninety and nine to seek us up we never come back.  
Let this 

1. Make us depend on the Shepherd.  
2. Be more watchful.  
3. Pray that he would seek us out of our wander and reduce us.    
Psal. 119. 176. I am as a wandering Sheep, Oh seek thy Servant.  
Use. 2. Imitate Sheep in sundry Christian virtues. 
Imitate Sheep and wherein.   
Though they be easy to stray, yet being strayed they be easily reduced whither the Shepherd will without resistance and trouble; so God's Sheep having broke out into some sin, sometimes a small check of conscience, sometimes a light affliction, sometimes a word of threatening or reprehension in the Ministry will bring them on their knees and humble them, when as all God's plagues will not subdue the hard heart of wicked Pharaoh not reduced with ten plagues, therein like the Leviathan. Job 41. 15.  
Sheep know their Shepherd and no man else; they know his voice or whistle and no man else.  
We must know our Shepherd in his Person, in his offices, and esteem to know nothing but Jesus Christ, 
1 Cor. 2. 2.  and him crucified; we must know no man else for Pardon of our sin, for merit of righteousness, for intercession or obtaining salvation, but only Jesus Christ.  
Vera gloria, Jer. 9 24. the right glorying.  
Vita aeterna, john 17. 3. this is eternal life.  
We must know and acknowledge no voice but his, no word but his, no unwritten traditions, no determination of Popes, Counsels, Fathers, but his Scriptures a perfect guide, Gal. 1. 8, 9 If any man or Angel bring another word, hold him accursed.  
3 Sheep presently hear the voice of the Shepherd, John. 10. 27. my sheep hear my voice, not the voice of Satan calling from light to darkness, not of Antichrist calling to traditions and superstitions; But Christ's voice.  
1. external exhortationin the ministry.  
2. Internal inspirations, by the motions of his spirit not quenched.  
3. Bountiful Largition; Christ speaks in his mercies, inviting to repentance, Rom. 2. 4.  
4. Corporal flagellation; his hand is his voice, and calls to humiliation and conversion.  
A good Christian hears all this; Hear the Rod, and who appointed it, Mic. 6. 9  
4. Sheep follow their Shepherd; so the Sheep of Christ obey him; a fruit of hearing; and bring in abundant fruits of obedience, abounding in good works. Nothing but profitable in Sheep, fleece, flesh, increase, profitable in life and death, they be nowhere but enrich the Ground. Thus did the Shepherd, and thus must we. So of the Sheep.  
Secondly, How the Sheep shall be scattered.]  
OUr Saviour expresseth it, 
Of the scattering of the People.  joh. 16. 32. Behold, the hour cometh, yea is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every one to his own, and leave me alone. I shall be this night smitten with reproach, ignomy, and the sharpest sword of God and men, even to the death; and now whereas soundness of Faith would make you cleave unto me in life and death, you shall forsake me; some of you shall deny and forswear me, and all fly from me, and be scattered every one his way, as if you were deceived and deluded in me; yea, every one of you shall shift for his own safety, and fall both from me, and one from another, as Sheep are dispersed and scattered, when the Shepherd is slain and taken from them.  
And how this Prediction was accomplished, see Mat. 26. 56. Then all the Disciples forsook him and fled, so soon as he was in his enemy's hands; and not only they but other Disciples and followers of Christ, as the two Disciples that were going to Emaus, 
Luk. 24. 11.  whose Faith was so shaken, as they say, We thought this should be he that should redeem Israel, and this is the third day: but now they began to be of another mind.  
Quest. Why were the Disciples thus scattered?  
Answ. 1. In themselves; carnal and excessive fear of themselves, who were yet weak, and had not received the Spirit to strengthen them as afterward; they had not cast the costs of their profession, nor accounted sufficiently the expense of this building, as their Master had long before exhorted them.  
Ans. 2. God in his wisdom would have Christ left of all his Disciples, because he was to be known to tread the Winepress of God's wrath alone, 
Esay 63. 3.  without partner or fellow; none must share in the Action, or in the glory.  
Ans. 3. Thus it behoved the Scripture to be fulfilled, in regard of Christ himself, who voluntarily undertaking the grievous burden of our sin, must be forsaken of God, and all other creatures, and comforts for the time; for so we had justly deserved, and he must be left alone and comfortless.  
Ans. 4. To teach us, that all the safety and comfort of the strongest Christians, were they as near to Christ as his dear Disciples, is in their relation and dependence on the chief Shepherd; for without Christ, the Shepherd of souls, we lie dispersed, ungathered, and in a forlorn estate: If he withdraw himself never so little, as great Believers as the Disciples fly away from him, and never come to him till he come to them.  
Use 1. Are the Disciples scattered when Christ is persecuted and smitten? 
No marvel if unsound fall quite away.  what marvel if hypocrites be quite blown away from their profession by perecution, who only as chaff cleave to the Wheat?  
If the godly be scattered for a time from Christ and from themselves, as here the Disciples, what marvel if hypocrites be scattered from both?  
If affliction for Christ shake the Faith of so great Apostles, no marvel if it quite overturn such as be unsettled and ungrounded.  
This is one of the ends of affliction for the Gospel, to try them that are sound; for as the fair season of the Spring sets and ripens Fruits, so the Winds and boisterous blasts of Autumn makes them fall off.  
We may not therefore stumble when we see great Professors fall off in trials; for some believe but for a time, Luke 8. 13. and so of some 1 John 2. 19 that they went out from us, because they were not of us.  
Use 2. Let no man presume of his own strength to stand in trial, 
Let none trust trust his own heart.  nor be too confident in another in trial. Little knows a man, nor will believe the deceit and hollowness of his own heart; Hazael will not believe he can prove such a Dog, 
2 King. 8. 13.  and so vile as the Prophet speaks of.  
Little knows many a man, who now continues well-affected to sound Preaching, how soon they should find their inner disposition and outward too changed, if outward occasions were changed but a little.  
So a man would have promised as much as any of the Disciples of Christ, as any in the world; nay, the Disciples would not believe Christ telling them how cowardly they should leave him; they thought themselves wronged, as their answer shows; yet how should a man have been deceived in them? how were they deceived in themselves, who immediately after our Lord had forewarned them, fall into this their weakness?  
Use 3. Arm ourselves well against trial; 
Arm against shaking trials.  it was nothing for the Disciples to stick to Christ while in peace; and we now while Christ is with us easily hold up the head; but when Christ is smitten then is the trial; sound love to Christ is tried by continuing with him in temptation.  
Sound love to the Word, Preachers and Professors is that which hath endured trial; as that is sound Gold which hath passed the fire; good Ground is known by enduring.  
Arm we therefore ourselves with resolution, that we must suffer; that the Shepherd shall be smitten, and yet go on: so with sense of our own impotency to stand with watching and prayer, 
Mat. 26. 41.  that we enter not into temptation: also with sound love of Christ and Christian Religion; or else if the Pastor be smitten, thou shalt be scattered.  
Use 4. If godly Ministers or Professors in time of trouble be left, and those that seemed to depend on them, 
Think not much to be left alone in a good cause.  to affect them for the best things, fall to the stronger side, it was our Lord's case, we must be patient and contented; Elias persecuted by Jezabel, was left alone; Paul himself for Christ in his bands, had none to assist him (2 Tim. 4. 16.) or stand with him: it is no new case, that faithful Pastors especially should be conformable to the chief Shepherd; all times of persecution did ever confirm this truth, that the Pastor was no sooner smitten, than the Sheep were scattered from him. But let it comfort Ministers, as Christ, I am not alone, 
John 16. 32.  but my Father is with me.  
Use 5. If the Disciples be scattered in days of trouble, 
Make muc● of the 〈◊〉 season of grace and peace.  let us know the day of our peace, our season, the time of our visitation; frequent holy Assemblies, get hold of Christ, increase of Faith, grow in wisdom, enjoy our season, our Sun, our Summer, our seed time; not knowing our day forfeits it; work while we may, do in our peace what we would, but cannot if trial come.  Ver. 28. But after I am Risen.] 
NOW follows Christ's Consolation. 
Gospel upon sad news soon yields comfort  Wherein Note difference between Law and Gospel; the Law pronounceth heavy things, and there resteth. But the Gospel still after heavy news, ends with good tidings; the Law throws down a man, and there leaves him; the Gospel raiseth the humbled: You shall be scattered, but I will come again. Mat. 16. 21. I must go up to Jerusalem to suffer: heavy tidings; Peter dissuades him; But I will rise again the third day; There is Gospel indeed.  
So to the Church; You shall be hated of all men for my name's sake; sad tidings; but if you continue to the end, ye shall be saved, Mat. 10. 23.  
You must take up the Cross and follow Christ, but I will give refreshing to your souls, john. 16. 33. In the Worl● ye shall have affliction, but be of good comfort.  
Use. 1. Lay hold upon the Gospel, and sow in never so many tears, thou shalt reap in joy.  
Use. 2. Accept the condition of the Gospel, be content to begin with the Cross, be weary laden, lay a good foundation in Repentance, mortification, godly sorrow; on this condition attain the crown of refreshing, and entrance into the Kingdom by many afflictions, Act. 14. 22.  
If we suffer, we shall reign; all true joy is fetched out of sorrow; blessed are the mourners.  
Use 3. Let Papists stick to the comfort of the Law, they shall never hear a good word from Christ.  
Let profane Persons shun the heaviness of the Gospel they shall never have joy; Christ wipes away no tears where none be shed; he that will not be a weary needs no refreshing. This by the way.  Ver. 28. But after I am risen I will go before you into Galilee. 
SUch a promise as was never heard off before, and without exception, that a dead man should rise within few days, and promise so to do.  
Having spoken of Christ's admonitions; now of consolation where the Lord sustains them with many grounds of comfort.  
1. That there shall be a certain end of this evil ready to swallow them up.  
2. There shall be a short end after a few days, three or four.  
3. There shall be a happy end; For,  
1. Christ shall rise again from the dead with power and glory.  
2. Whereas they are run from him, he will come to them again.  
3. Though they have left their Shepherd, yet he will become their Shepherd again, and go before them, and guide them as a Shepherd goes before his Sheep.  
For their full confirmation, he declares both the time and place where he will, and when he will meet them; in Galilee a place fit for their estate; for it signifieth dispersing or scattering; the Sea of Galilee forty miles from Jerusalem.  
Quest. Why in Galilee? 
Why Christ would meet them in Galilee.   
Answ. 1. That they may more surely enjoy one another without fear of the Jews, and instruct them in the Kingdom of Christ.  
2. Because Christ had more Disciples and Favourites in Galilee to whom he would familiarly offer himself, and manifest his resurrection, then in Judea.  
3. Themselves were of Galilee, he would bring them back were he found them.  
4. They must follow their calling till Christ came, and for the time before they can get into Galilee, he will be there before them, expecting them; note here.  
Note. 1. The wonderful lenity and meekness of Jesus Christ; 
Wonderful gentleness of Christ.  he was going to die for his Disciples, they fly from him, and doubt the truth of his whole proceedings, his Person, his Doctrine, his miracles, sufferings, the event of all his course.  
He now doth not sharply rebuke them for their infidelity, inconstancy and temerity after so long being with him, but uses them gently, and with great and loving affection (as the Titles of Shepherd and Sheep import) not only forewarneth them of their danger, but furnisheth them with grounds of comfort, and promiseth them most loving and kind entreaty even after their flight, as if they had never forsaken him.  
Use A Rule to carry ourselves toward Brethren that fail; let them be restored by the spirit of meekness; 
Gal. 6. 1.  yea if the offence concern ourselves, wherein we are hottest, to be most cool and calm; Christ casts not off for ever, no more must we break affection, but imitate him with all moderation.  
Note 2. Christ never withdraws himself from his Members, 
He never quite leaves his.  but he leaves some comfort behind him, something to bring them in love with him, or to stay them in his absence, or to make them desire and seek after him again; yea, something instead of his presence or promise, john. 14. having told his Disciples he must go away and leave them; yet ver. 18. he promiseth not to leave them comfortless; for he will send the comforter to supply his absence; and still, God ordinarily takes not away one mercy but he gives another; as Christ here removes his personal presence, but supplies it with a double blessing.  
1. Protection of their persons in his absence.  
2. Promise of his presence to rest their faith on in the mean time, Cant. 5. the Church would not open unto Christ when Christ called; he goes away in displeasure at her unkind answer, but he left behind him drops of Mirth, some sweet work of the spirit that made her spirit yearn within her, which wrought compunction for her offence and quickened her to seek him, ver. 25. His desertions are never total.  
Use Which may comfort poor souls affected in sense of Christ's absence; feelest thou a want of Christ's presence? he hath left some pledge behind him, and he is perhaps nearer than thou thinkest.  
1. He hath given thee a promise, he will not leave thee long.  
2. He hath given the spirit which hath wrought some grace of trembling for offending him; some grace of fainting and longing after him; some grace of seeking him, as him whom thy soul loveth; some grace of prayer, breathing, earnest and inward desires, not satiate without him, some grace of fortitud, sustaining the heart for the present, and enabling to undergo many troubles for his sake, yet abiding and waiting for him; this sweet hunger and thirst shall be satisfied, Mat. 5. 6.  
Note. 3. That Christ will shortly come again after his smiting, 
Desertions neither total nor final.  within a very few days; learn that as Christ's desertions are not total, so neither sinal; Christ never goes away but he will see us again, john. 16. 22.  
1. His displeasure is but for a moment. 
Psal. 30. 5.   
2. Final desertion were above their strength, 
1 Cor. 10. 13.  and so against his promise.  
3. It will not only endanger the faith of the Elect, but quite destroy it, which is impossible; 
1 john 5. 4.  against all the Gates of Hell it is their victory.  
4. Union between Christ and the Christian admits no final desertion; a fruit of it is in John 17. 24. to be where Christ is and see his glory.  
5. The Covenant is everlasting, not to depart, but do us good, Jer. 32. 40. He marries us for ever in mercies, Host 2. 12. and is a perpetual covenant, not only on God's part as Papists say; but on our part also who will never break finally with God, because of his fear put in our hearts, never to depart from him, Jer. 31. 41.  
Use. Now, 
Comfort thyself with the assured end of every trial.  as Christ would confirm the faith and confidence of the Disciples by setting before them a certain end of the trial; so let us confirm ourselves with these words; If the Lord seem to absent himself, he will not do it for ever; his mercy cannot come to an utter end, his mercies are as the Ocean which hath no ebb but a flow again; sometimes he stands off the longer, because his Children stand off with him, and the case seems desperate, as Abraham for a Son, but he will come at length to Abraham in the Mount, but not till the third day; to Ionas in the third day; Christ may lie in the grave till the case seem desperate, but riseth the third day, and appeareth to all the Disciples save Thomas the same day, john 20. he more glorifies himself in his long absence then presence, john 11. 6.  
Note. 4. Note again, how Jesus Christ prevents us with his grace, he promiseth the Disciples, 
Christ prevents his with loving kindness.  that before they can get to Galilee, after they have kept the Feast at Jerusalem, he would be there before them. The Shepherd smitten will return to the dispersed Sheep, he will gather them again, and he will be found of them in Galilee, the place of dispersion.  
He saith not, they shall come to him, but they shall go into Galilee▪ and there he will find them: surely, we never come to him, unless he come to us first; he must come to the Disciples themselves, or they cannot come to him, much less we.  
Note 5. Christ here both strengthens them in the Article of his Resurrection, 
Christ an everlasting guide to his.  and tells them the end of his Resurrection, which is, to go before them; he will not only rise again, but for this purpose, to be their guide and leader, and to take them again as companions with him, as if they had never sinned against him.  
How this was performed, see Mat. 28. 7. the Angels tell the Women; Arise; go tell his Disciples, he is risen; behold, be goeth before you into Galilee, and Mark 16. 7. As he said unto you, etc.  
As Christ at first found them, and began to be their guide and leader into Galilee; so now, after his resurrection he would manifest himself an eternal Shepherd.  
Use. And this was their happiness and ours, 
See hence our happiness.  purchased by his eternal Resurrection; that we have an high Priest immortal, and higher than the heavens. They fled into Galilee to avoid danger from their persons, but he finds them there.  
They go thither because their Master was dead, and betake them to their old Callings again. But their Lord finds them again at the Sea of Galilee, and makes them 〈◊〉 fishers of Men, furnishing them with power from on high, above all they could have expected.  
Christ raised, gives gifts unto men; his Death merits them, his Resurrection applies them; as a great King gives great gifts on the day of his Coronation; so Christ. Let us follow so worthy a guide in Faith and Obedience, who rose from death to be our guide to eternal life. We proceed.  Verse 29. And Peter said unto him, Though all men should be offended, yet would not I. 
HERE we have an instance (as many elsewhere) of Peter's temerity and rashness, not well considering his weakness, and what spirit he was of. For this holy Disciple bewrayeth great infirmity, in arrogating much above that was in him.  
1. He directly contradicteth his Lord, 
Peter's rashness in five particulars  who said, all ye; Peter saith no, not all, he will not; not this Night; no, never.  
2. Believes not the Oracle of the Prophet Zacharie, but would shi●t it off with pomp of words, not as concerning him; he was none of the sheep that should be scattered, though the Pastor was smitten.  
3. He presumes too much upon his own strength, and of that which is out of his own power, never mentioning or including the help and strength of God, by whom alone he should be enabled to stand; he neither considered his own frailty, which will overthrow him, nor yet the power of God which should sustain and uphold him.  
4. He prefers himself too too vaingloriously above all men; as if all men were weak to Peter; and Peter the only champion; if all men should deny thee, I would not; stronger in conceit then all the Apostles.  
5. He is bold, hardy and vainly confident in a thing to come, in which he had never tried his strength; he knew his present affection, he will take no notice of his future peril; nay, he disclaims and almost scorns the danger, now when he is next to it, and even falling into it, and the difficulty expressed John 13. 37. Cannot I follow thee now? I will give my life for thee; I will be so far from denying thee, that I will confess thee to the death; perils, dangers, fears, or death itself shall not separate me from thee. Alas man! thou that canst not follow Christ, canst thou go before him?  
Object. But Peter had a Promise, 
Noact of faith in a Promise.  Mat. 16. 18. that the gates of hell should not prevail against his Faith; might not he be bold in this Promise?  
Answ. 1. Promises of God make no man presume, but stir up watchfulness and excite to prayer, which Peter should have done, being admonished of our Lord.  
2. Though his Faith lwas not quite to be shaken and extinct, yet he might for a time be so foiled as might bring him shame and sorrow enough.  
3. He had promised indeed before this the spirit of fortitude and strength; but Peter anticipates the time; they were to be endued with virtue from above, but not till after the Resurrection, which was no privilege but that in the mean time they might fall dangerously.  
4. No Promise could cross the word of the Prophet, and Christ himself now applying it to the present occasion, which ought to have been believed.  
Objec. But might not Peter be bold of victory, standing in so good a cause? must Christians stand doubtful and in suspense always of their standing?  
Answ. 1. Peter must not be bold against so express a word of Christ.  
Ans. 2. No Christian boldness may make a man confident in himself, and neglect prayer to God; that is a blame-worthy boldness for a Soldier to run into the fight without his weapons, or against the word of his Captain.  
Ans. 3. He should have considered the infirmity of his Faith, which yet was weak and suspected, if not for the truth yet strength of it, not knowing the strength of the imminent temptation.  
Ans. 4. He should have considered that the strength of Faith of the Saints hath been shaken in temptation, as Abraham, Paul, David, and why not he?  
Objec. Christians are to come with courage to the battle, assured of victory.  
Ans. 1. But by his strength that hath loved us, Rom. 8. 37.  
2. With the best diligence in using the means which Peter lays off, 

Faith.  
Prayer.  
Watchfulness.    
3. With mixing Faith and Fear together; certainly believing the Promise of God, but fearing and suspecting our own weakness; so Phil. 2. 11, 12. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; there is fear: for it is God that works the will and deed; there is Faith: the temper of Faith and Fear upholds us in the trial, when our eye is cast both on our weakness and God's strength.  
Objec. But God's children are as bold as Lions, 
Prov. 28. 1●  Prov. 28. 1.  
Answ. 1. There is boldness of 

Flesh.  
Faith.    
2. Boldness in the strength of God and love of our Father, not of our strength and love of him; Peter presumed to stand because of the love Christ.  
3. A boldness upon the assured Promises of God and infinite merits of Christ, foiling both carnal fear and presumption; Peter's boldness was not with the Word, but against it.  
4. Boldness not suffering to fear damnation, but to extinguish the fear of transgression.  
5. A boldness banishing fear to fall away into perdition, but not the fear of falling into fin and offence of God, which his own Children are often too bold in.  
Note. The vain presumption of man's heart; 
Note, and watch pride of heart.  in Peter see ourselves; our nature is as confident; we think if all should fly from Faith and Religion, sure we would not. But were the Sword shaken a little, and the Sceptre swayed but a little another way, many would see their mould and temper; they that now spit at the name of the hateful Idol of the Mass, would easily conceive it a better Religion, and we should not want some Catholic Moderators who would say, These two Religions with a little yielding each side, might be brought into one. We are as strong before the Battle as Peter, and when danger seems farther off; whereas the sight of one adversary would make a whole Army of us run away, as I●rael at the sight of Goliath.  
But Peter should have remembered, and so should we, the Answer of the King of Israel to Benhadad, 1 King. 20. 11. Let not him that putteth on his Armour boast as he that puts it off. Let us not crow before the Victory. We are ready to promise ourselves success and events as he was, which are out of our power; he might promise and purpose watchfulness; endeavour, strive against this temptation, which was all he could do; but to promise of the event and issue, was not his part nor to dispose of.  
We can as easily promise to ourselves, above that God hath promised, as he; nay, against the word of God, as he, that we shall be safe and stand, and conceive some singular prerogative or strength in ourselves, while yet we forget to use means to grow in knowledge, awaken our Faith, provoke our watchfulness; we can be as proud and bragging in our speech as he was, forgetting modesty and humanity, promising Mountains; and should our actions swell to our words, we would do wonders; but away with these brags, and learn to speak humbly, warily and modestly, as knowing what befell this Apostle.  
Use. Beware of Pride of heart, which is so hateful to God, as robbing him of his glory, and so prejudicial to ourselves; for, if nature only and the pride of it, quicken our resolutions, and not Faith, they will die and deceive us; if flesh only incite our courage, it will suddenly be cold, as in Peter.  
Objection. But I have great gifts of knowledge, and speech, and zeal, and love and faith.  
Answ. 1. Let no gifts puff thee up; suppose thou hadst gifts Apostolical, Peter had all these gifts, but pride of heart foiled them all; and the more and better the gifts be, it is so much the worse where they be abused or corrupted.  
2. Never pride thyself above any man, who mayest see those corruptions and evils in thyself, which thou never sawest in any other man.  
Use 2. Thou standest by Faith, Rom. 11. 12. be not highminded but fear. Peter that was now so forward, had no small cause to fear; and we want not more cause; as,  
1. The weakness of flesh and proneness to sin, yea weakness of spirit in the best, being borne of God, but yet as children.  
2. Satan's malice, ever seeking to cast us down, winnowing us also as Wheat.  
3. Naughtiness of our bad works, and imperfections of our best, in them unprofitable.  
4. Perfection of God's Law, strictness against the least disobedience, and in giving up of our Accounts.  
Objection. But what need the Saints fear, or how may they, having against the former God's power, God's promise, God's intercession; and seeing nothing is more contrary to Faith then fear and doubting?  
Answ. When the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 1. 17. wisheth Christians to pass the whole time of their dwelling here in fear, he implieth both the possibility and necessity.  
But we must distinguish of fear, which is of 

Humility.  
Infidelity. 
Fear of humility and of infidelity.     
The former is a reverend fear of God's presence, whom we would not offend; a fear of falling into sin, or making matter of unkindness between him and ourselves.  
The latter a hateful fear of his presence, which we would avoid; a fear of falling into hell, and suffering according to our deserts.  
The one is a despair of God's goodness, because sin lies at door, and wrath hangs over their heads, and their Couscience is restless, and death is ready to overtake them in sin, and hell is open, and the Devil reaching at them to eternal confusion.  
The other is a fear of reverence, by which we fear the corruption of our Nature and treachery of our own hearts; we fear the commiting of the least sin, and make conscience of all known evils; we fear lest we be called to account before the reckoning be ready; we fear to offend God and godly men, or grieve his holy Spirit; we fear to be infected by evil men, and carried into their error.  
The former cannot stand with Faith, but is utterly against it; and being a fear of diffidence, makes men even distrustful.  
The latter is not against Faith, but stablisheth it, and makes our hearts watchful and attendant to good means, both of continuance in the estate of grace, and work of it, and increase of Faith, that we may be upheld to the end.  
Let us therefore nourish this fear in us:  
Motive 1. This fear is love's keeper and preserver of graces, 
Holy fear to be ever cherished.  fear of falls, temptations, occasions of offending.  
2. It smiteth with conscience of our own infirmities and drives out to the spirit of strength and fortitude.  
3. It restaines us from evil, as the Midwives, Exod. 1. 17. and Joseph, Ge●. 39 9 and Job c. 1. 1.  
4. It hath all the Promises made good to it, of prosperity and blessedness: Blessed is he that feareth always, Prov. 28. 14. We proceed.  Ver. 30. Jesus said unto him, verily I say unto thee, this day, even this night, before the Cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. 
OUR Saviour perceiving the corruption of Peter, notably checks and reproves it in this verse, with this asseveration, Verily I say. Wherein;  
1. He admonisheth Peter of his fall; thou shalt deny me.  
2. He gives him a sign, by which he shall take knowledge. Cock crow twice.  
3. The time, this day, even this night; double for certainty.  
4. The determinate number of falls or denials; deny me thrice. As if he had said otherwise thus:  
Oh Peter, 
Paraphrase.  thou attributest and ascribest too much to thine own strength, and knowest not the present danger; for verily I say unto thee; the more seriously I speak it, the more nearly it concerns thee to consider it; that thou who art confident above all thy fellows, and thou who singlest thyself as more constant unto me then all the rest, even thou Peter shalt deny me.] Besides that thou shalt fly away from me with the rest, thou shalt deny me, thou shalt deny me that ever thou knowest me, or ever hadst any reference or dependence on me; and thou shalt do this this night: thou sayest thou wilt never at any time do so, but thou shalt this present day do it, while yet thy promise is yet in thy mouth and thou canst not well forget it. ay, many days and nights thou mightest forget me or thy promise, but even this day, this night shall not pass till thou hast denied me. And that thou mayest consider the truth of this my Prediction, both before and after it is come to pass, I will give thee a sign, or mark, as a remembrance between us; Before the Cock crow twice: A Cock ordinarily crows two times in one night.  
1. About midnight, called Gallicinium.  
2. Towards morning, called Colicinium. Both times after.  
But before the morning Cock crow, or before the Cock have done that crow, thou shalt perceive the truth of my words, and the vanity of thine own.  
And because thou hast more confidently boasted of thy strength then all the rest of my Disciples, thou shalt more shamefully fall then all the rest; for thou shalt not content thyself to deny me once, but in that small time thou shalt deny me thrice, and that in such a manner, as now thou wouldst scorn to hear, but thou shalt not shame to do. 
Christ's divinity, he knows secrets that are to come.  John 2. 25. He knew what was in man.  
Whence Note 1. The Divinity of Jesus Christ, who knew things to come in the particular circumstances; he foretells a fact which Peter must presently do, while he is even protesting against it, and thinks it most unlikely and impossible: he discovereth the time, the manner, the repetition, how often, and all circumstances by which he is distinguished and discerned from all creatures and false Gods, Isaiah 41. 23, 26. Bring forth your Gods, let them tell us what is to come. Men may see events, as Peter did this, but Christ forseeth them; men see imperfectly by consequents and effects, Christ seeth and knoweth by the causes, he soundeth the depth of Peter's heart which Peter himself could not gauge, he saw the back and deceitful corners of it, and discerned how it must needs serve him, being left a while of Grace.  
Use 1. To live in his sight with fear and trembling, to whom all our ways are known long before; no sin we can commit, but it is foreseen, as Peter was, his eyes are upon the ways of man, Prov. 5. 21. for as there is no sin committed but the eye of the Conscience is upon it above a thousand witnesses, so there is none to be committed but the eye of the Lord is upon it, which is above a thousand Consciences.  
Use 2. Never think to carry sin so close but it shall come to reckoning, Luke 12. 2. Nothing is so covered which shall not be revealed; no darkness can hide the works of darkness, 
2 King. 5. 26.  as the Prophet to Gehezi, Did not my spirit go with thee? so, doth not the eye of the Judge go with thee, Ez●ch. 35. 12. Thou shalt know the Lord hath heard all thy blasphemies which thou hast spoken against the Mountains of Israel: so thou shalt know the eye of the Judge hath seen all thy drunkenness, the times, places, manner, how often; so thou blasphemer, thou railer, thou de●ier of good men shalt know to thy cost and torment, yea, Men and Angels shall know.  
Lastly, Christ is as ready to take notice of the least good, to reward it, 1 King. 14. 13. the little good in Abjah mentioned and recompensed.  
Note. 2. The humanity and meekness of our Lord and Saviour; 
Christ's humanity, he reproacheth not Peter for denials foretold.  Peter had already grievously sinned in contradicting his Lord, in despising the Prophetical word, in advancing himself presumptuously against the express word; yet our Lord is not severe in rebuking, nor so sharp in checking or reproaching him as he had deserved, but patiently hears him, passeth by the infirmity, and only most lovingly and plainly forewarns him of his present danger, not reproaching him for future denials.  
1. Our Lord breaks not the bruised Reed, 
Grounds of it.  nor quencheth a smoking week.  
2. The Spirit in Peter, even in the midst of infirmity, making request for him, gets a cover and acceptance.  
3. There was a grain of Faith, and spark of love, in Peter's heart, which was more in Christ's eye, than all his frailty; the Lord in mercy looks more on his work in us, then ours, against him.  
4. Christ was now to leave them as weaklings and children, which was grief enough to them, and would not so much discourage them, especially at this time, measuring the trial they were to undergo.  
5, He saw them now out growing their weaknesses, and therefore thought fitter to bear with them for a time; there was a good work begun which himself was to perfect, and it is notably expressed in John 13. 37. setting down the Story; thou canst not follow me now, but hereafter shalt follow me; namely, in bearing crosses, and suffering to the death hereafter, when the Spirit is come to strengthen the●▪  
Use. Which must be a pattern of our imitation on the like grounds to provoke ourselves to meekness & gentleness towards our Brethren offending; 
In like cases do as Ch●ist did.  if we must reprove, let them see our love; if we can spy the least good in them, let that qualify our heat for the present; if we cannot spy any for the present, hope what they may be, they may receive the Spirit, and outgrow the weaknesses. How ever we should not forget our Saviour's meekness, nor that ourselves may be tempted, as Peter, nay to good for evil.  
The Woman of Canaan refuseth him a dish full of Water, but he opens to her the water of life.  
Note. 3. How to come to know our own weakness, Christ here admonisheth Peter; 
We never know ourselves aright till Christ teach us.  we never truly come to know ourselves till Christ take us in hand to teach us, as the Woman at the Well (John 4.) never came to know herself till Christ taught her.  
The word is a square, a glass, a balance, a light; Christ in the Gospel discovereth to us the dark corners of our hearts, letteth us see our hypocrisy, pride, earthliness, errors and lusts.  
How many can say they never saw themselves in ill case till the word came, Rom. 7. 7. nay Paul was alive without the Law; so every natural man thinks himself alive, in good case, no fear of sin, no terrors of conscience or fear of damnation, but are happy and well, their case being as a man sick and near to death but complains not, tells how he is not sick, because his senses being overcome he feels not his disease; so is every unregenerate man.  
But if Christ in his word cannot be believed, as Peter believes not he is so ill as Christ saith, than there is another means to bring us to the sense of our own weakness, and that is by Experience the Mistress of fools, and so Peter in this History.  
Many say, if all were true as the Minister saith, we were in a miserable state; but we cannot make men believe us calling them to the sight of themselves, that they are so bad as they are.  
To thee I say thou that belongest to God as Peter, God will give thee up to some lust or other, till experience beat this knowledge into thee as Peter, but in mercy thou shalt see it in season.  
Thou that dost not believe nor belongest to God, shalt also have woeful experience of the malice of thy heart, and wretchedness of thy course, but too late when thy state shall be remediless; choose you now whether you will believe the word or feel it; one you must; the word if it judge not in this day, shall in the last day, Joh. 12. 48.  
Note. 4. This Day, 
Suddenly we are apt to fall from very good resolutions.  this night.] Note how suddenly even a good man is turned from good resolutions if but a little left to himself, or he remit but a little of his own watchfulness; a few hours make so confident a Disciple of Christ, who scorned to think of denial of his Master, to deny and forswear him too.  
Reas. 1. We stand by grace, which if it be not every moment renewed, we must needs fall; as a man upheld by a crutch, remove the crutch, and he falls down; or set a staff upright, withdraw the hand, ye need not thrust it down; so we.  
2. The suddenness of the temptation which cometh like a lightning, and our proneness to be kindled with the same; David in the forenoon might be not only chaste, but holily employed in holy meditations, but in the afternoon on his Gallery spies Bathsheba, and is all inflamed and moiled in foul wantonness and lust.  
3. Freedom of the Spirit who cometh and goeth when he lists, as the Wind; which is a ground of humiliation in the most holy estate we can get into; not every joy, not any gracious estate may lift us up; Nescis quid serus vesper vehat, the Sun may shut under a Cloud suddenly.  
2. To watch our graces well, and forecast temptation.  
3. Depend on the spirit of God to perfect and accomplish his own good motions, and leave us not to ourselves, who can quickly quench them.  
4. No marvel if the righteousness of Hypocrites be as the morning dew, 
Host 6. 4.  their desires as flashes to make them inexcusable, being in the spirit, they delight not to dwell in that good frame, but vanish into nothing.  
Note. 5. Deny me thrice.] 
Prouder than others falworse than others.  Peter was most confident of all the Disciples, and must fall more shamefully than they all; he will die with Christ ere he will once deny him; but within four or five hours, he shall deny him thrice; he would never deny him, but instantly shall not content himself to deny him once and again, but thrice.  
It commonly falls out, that they who pride themselves above others, even in good gifts, that they are given up to fall more shamefully than others; and why?  
Reas. 1. God doth avenge pride of heart with sin and shame; cannot abide it in any, least in his Children.  
2. His wisdom tempers poison to a remedy, by these falls to abate the humour, and let out the core.  
If presence of grace puffs up, absence of grace or presence of corruptions shall take them down.  
3. Pride is a rock against which grace makes Shipwreck; 
Motives to humble walking with God.  walk therefore humbly before God; for, when pride cometh then cometh shame, Prov. 11. 2. and where pride is, there is folly and ignorance of a man's self, and his own estate; so our proverb calleth him a proud fool, etc.  
1. David professeth his heart was not haughty, but as a child, Psal. 131. 1.  
2. Humility is a seemly garment for outward carriage, 1 Pet. 5. 5. deck yourselves with lowliness of mind.  
3. There is no great fall from a low place; one of the Fathers calleth it Coronam in tuto, pinnaculum & moenia, ne quis ex alto decidat.  
4. Whatsoever may befall the humble-minded man, the Lord will give grace unto him, 1 Pet. 5. 5. grace of his Spirit, grace of his favour and countenance, grace of his Soul, he will dwell with the humble soul, Isa. 57 15. and it with him; a most happy cohabitation.  Vers. 31. But Peter said more earnestly, if I should die with thee, I will not deny thee; likewise said they all. 
WHen Peter had heard our Lord and Saviour with his wont asseveration tell him so heavy things of himself, 
Cumulation of sin in Peter.  that he should deny his Lord that night thrice, and so renounce his faith, his profession and salvation by him, this should have sound humbled Peter and terrified him; yea should have been as a dagger to his heart to have let out the life of his natural pride and presumption.  
2. Whereas it was sufficient to have made him concieve modestly of himself, at least to have entered into himself and consider of his weakness to take down his carnal temerity and boldness one peg lower.  
3. Whereas it should have brought him to renounce himself, and depend wholly upon the strength and grace of Christ his Lord, which only was sufficient for him.  
4. Whereas it had been enough to make him believe the Word and affirmation of the Lord, before his own conceit; for to all these purposes did the Lord Jesus so forewarn him of his fall; yet he still blinded with vain confidence in himself, or carried away with preposterous zeal, doth more vehemently persist in contradicting his Lord, in which he heaps up a number of sins.  
1. The repetition and falling into the same sin after Christ's admonition and asseveration; 
Four here observed.  but Peter said.  
2. The manner of his sin, he said more earnestly.  
3. The matter of it, I will not deny thee, if I should die with thee.  
4. The effect of it, drawing all the Disciples into the same sin with him, likewise said they all.  
Note. 1. In that Peter falleth into the same sin again, 
Godly apt to fall into the same sin.  and against the means used by Christ; that the Child of God through strength of his corruption may fall often into the same sin, notwithstanding good means against it; For,  
1. It is a very hard thing to lead them out of themselves, 
And why 〈◊〉  almost nothing but experience of their former falls, which is the Mistress of fools, bringeth them to see their folly; so here in Peter, all Christ's warnings too little; and so long they must fall; sense of weakness is their greatest strength.  
2. Till the judgement be changed, the Actions be the same; Peter's judgement is disguised with an erroneous misjudging his own estate; he is the same man after Christ's speech as he was before, and so contradicteth him as before; as the most of the Fathers lived in Polygamy, not because it was ever lawful, but their judgement being dark and erroneous in it, their practice was answerable; and who of God's Children see not, that they know but in part, and grow daily to see errors in themselves which they never saw before, as Peter saw not so much in himself as he did after?  
3. Weakness of grace and regeneration in part causeth even the best to go every day over the same wants and common infirmities; as wand'ring thoughts, idle speeches, unjust anger, etc. which frailties as they be daily renewed, so they must daily renew their repentance, and daily lay hold on Christ's perfect merits for justification; this weakness of grace gave Peter up again to this sin of contradicting his Lord.  
4. The same ends remain still, which may move the Lord to leave his Children to themselves, and to fall in the same sort; to try, excite, humble them, work more serious sorrow, make them more watchful, etc. which was the issue of Peter's fall here.  
Use. 
Comfort to troubled spirits.  Not to enbolden any in sin, or unto sin (for we speak of frailties, not of presumptions, for which we can give small comfort) but to raise up to the comfort of the Covenant, such as are toiled with their corruptions, and find themselves mastered with the same lusts sundry time●, notwithstanding their strife and watch against them.  
To thee I say, the sense of thy weakness is a great part of thy strength; labour to grow up in soundness of judgement and in strength of grace; and though the Lord thy God for good ends sometimes let thee slip into the same frailties, his right hand is under thy head, and thy condition is not worse than the rest of the Saints in the world; Christ's dear Disciple here is moiled in the same sin, but not cast off for it.  
Note. 2. In that Peter more vehemently denied and contradicted his Lord, 
Repetition of sin makes sin the stronger.  that every repetition of sin maketh sin the stronger; for as the body, the more it is nourished and fed, the stronger it groweth; so sin in the soul; every new act is an addition of strength till it come to an habit; it is the Apostles comparison, Jam. 1. 15. speaking of the conception and perfection of sin; when lust is conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death.  
Beside, corruption is clean contrary to grace; as grace if it increase not, i● decreaseth; so corruption, if it decrease not, it getteth strength and increaseth.  
Use. Against them that say they will repent hereafter; pluck up a twig, let it not grow to be a Plant; dash the brains while a child; a Sore, the longer it is let alone, groweth more incurable; fin fashioned by continuance groweth to another nature. Take heed and fear; thou hast an holy God to do withal, and a corrupt heart of thine own, though some grace. And, God observeth not only the sin, but the sinful manner of doing and degrees of sinning, carelessness, carnal confidence, pride of spirit, slackness in use of holy means, relapsing; all very dangerous.  If I should die with thee, I would not deny thee. 
Note 3. PEter thinks himself strong enough to be a Martyr, 
We are apt to over-ween the good that is in us.  now when he hath not learned the first principle of Religion, nor to know himself; before he promised, though all men should be offended, he would not: Now, before he will deny him, he will die the death; it is nothing now with Peter to be a Martyr. Peter considereth not of what metal he is made; that he is dust, earth, and a lump of sinful mire, unable to any thing.  
2. He considereth not his present danger, though forewarned, that he is now ready to be made a prey to Satan, and in the Lion's mouth.  
3. He considereth not, 
Jam. 1. 17.  that every good and perfect gift is from the Father of lights; but hath power in himself to stand out the greatest of all trials; and therefore within a few hours, the contempt of this power of God drives it quite from him.  
Use. Let us well watch the pride of our own nature: Nature is so proud in every one of us, that it will build up a tower to heaven, though it prove but a Babel and Confusion. Pride of heart will make us sacrifice to our own Nets, and rob God of his glory. Peter had good things, and true grace in him; but not acknowledging them in the giver, puffes him up and darkens them; whereas grace received and acknowledged in the giver, are so far from puffing up, as they make humble.  
Grace in Abraham coming near to God, maketh him say, I am but dust and ashes, Gen. 18. 27.  
2. In good things take heed of preposterous and rash zeal, which here Peter falls by; guide it by the Word, by Faith, by Prayer, by thy calling, by considering ourselves; and think it safer to fear, then to be very confident of thyself.  Likewise said they all.] 
THE fourth is the effect of Peter's presumption; he drew in all the Disciples into the same sin: 1. which was the stronger:  

1. Because they had heard our Saviour reproving Peter for his rash confidence.  
2. They had never yet tried their strength.  
3. If they had, they should not at all have contradicted his word, who had said, all ye● shall be offended.  
4. This terrible threatening of themselves and Peter, should have set them out of themselves, and clung unto him, and said, O Lord, we know our weakness; if we do not, thou knowest it; we know thy truth, and cannot but believe thy Word; oh therefore, do thou take care of us, thou that art the faithful Shepherd, keep us silly Sheep from wand'ring from thee.   
But they imitate Peter; they must be as constant as Peter, and must never seem more fearful than he. They must not be behind him, neither in comforting their Master, nor in professing their zeal to their Lord.  
Note. 1. Frailty in the best; no grain without some chaff, no flour without some bran, no rose without some thorn; there is in the best matter of humiliation; the Disciples themselves in Christ's presence show great imbecility and weakness.  
Matter of comfort, which concerns us in our falls; Matthew was one of them that said so, yet Matthew records for our comfort, how he among the rest was vainly confident.  
Note 2. How quickly sin spreads itself; 
Sin is of an infectious nature.  Peter draws all the Disciples after his sin, when all Christ's persuasions cannot stay them. The same of the same Apostle after he had received the spirit, Gal. 2. 14. by not walking with a right foot, drew the Gentiles and Barbarians also into his dissimulation, and compelled the Gentiles to Judaism●; not by teaching any Doctrine to that purpose, for they could not err in that, but in the authority of his example. Example in sin is a kind of compulsion.  
Use 1. Take heed of sinning, lest thou bring many sins upon thee, as Peter's sin here; heavy both in regard of his Master and fellow Disciples.  
2. Beware also of the company of sinners; example is become a kind of Law, and thyself as tinder to receive such sparkles.  
We proceed now to a passage in another part of the Chapter.  Mark 14. 66. 
And as Peter was beneath in the Hall, there came one of the Maids of the high Priests:  
Ver. 67. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked on him, and said, Thou wast also with Jesus of Nazareth.  
Ver. 68 But he denied it, saying, I know him not, neither wot I what thou sayest; Then he went into the Porch, and the Cock crew, etc.  
WE have heard in the former Story, how much Peter had promised of himself; he would not be offended, he would not fly if all should; he will die with Christ before he would deny him.  
We have heard how our Saviour forewarned him of his weakness, and predicted his fall, and how stoutly he contradicted his Lord.  
Now we come to his performance in this Story; which in general shows, that he was not so good as his word; but the Lords word was fully accomplished; Non factum quod Petrus dixerat, sed quod Christus praedixerat.  
In the Story we have; 
Parts.  first, Peter's Sin: Secondly, Repentance: Peter 

Fall.  
Rising.    
1. Peter's denial of his Lord: 2. his sorrow for it; his 

Aversion.  
Conversion.    
The sin and fall of Peter was the foulest and shamefullest of all the Disciples (except Judas) they all forsook him and fled; so did he; none of them denied him once, but he thrice; none forswore him but he, who with cursing and swearing abjured himself, if ever he knew him.  
Quest. The Lord foresaw this sin, foretold it, might have prevented it, and sustained him in the temptation; why should he suffer his dear Disciple so far and so foully to fall?  
Answ. The Lord Jesus, 
Why God prevented not this fall of Peter.  who might have prevented it, neither would nor did, for many Reasons.  
1. He would give us and the whole Church an example of infirmity and weakness, by the fall of such a man.  
2. The strongest must learn fear and watchfulness, and while they stand take heed lest they fall, that the enemy suddenly oppress them not, as Peter.  
3. To crush presumption of men, and to teach to attribute more to the Word of Christ then their own strength, which had Peter done, he had not so shamefully fallen.  
4. The Lord foresaw, that in the last times men transported with the spirit of error, should transform Peter into an Idol, and grow to that madness as to lift him up into the place and office of Christ, giving unto him the headship of the Church, and make him the head of the Antichristian Romish Synagogue; and therefore the Lord set Peter apart above all other Disciples, in whom should break out such weakness as he might be acknowledged not a God, but a frail man; not a Lord, but a weak and sinful servant; so in his life, Acts 3. 12. & 10. 15. Carnal men worship him, but Peter refused.  
And by the way observe, how accurate the Scriptures are to set down not this fall of Peter in the particular circumstances, 
Many other sins no●ed in Peter more than in other Disciples.  but many more above all the Disciples; As,  
1. His curiosity, desiring to walk on the Waters, presently punished with an other sin of infidelety, Mat. 19 28.  
2. His horrible sin o● dissuading Christ from his suffering at Jerusalem, Master pity thyself, Mat. 16. 22. for which Christ called him a scandal or Devil, that is a special instrument of the Devil.  
3. His inconsiderate rashness, Mat. 17. 4. Let us make three Tabernacles; the Text saith, he wist not what he said; he to enjoy that glory, neglected all his fellow Disciples, yea cares not for the Salvation of the whole World; for if he must ever dwell there with him, he must not come down to die, which was against his word.  
4. That he among the rest contended for Primacy, Mat. 18. 2. that he among the rest could not watch one hour with him, Mat. 26. 40. Though Christ had specially warned him and the two Sons of Zebedee of great trial, ver. 43. that he among the rest fled from Christ.  
5. That fact of temerity and rashness in cutting of Malchus his ear, against his calling and without warrant, condemned by Christ.  
6. That he walked not with a right foot to the truth of the Gospel, Gal. 2. 14. but dissembled with the Jews, and brought Barnabas in; for which Paul reproved him to his face.  
All which we note, not to exprobate to that holy Apostle, but to show that the council of God in particular noting these failings would prevent the blasphemous doctrines and doings of the Church of Rome;  
One of the Popes themselves, Leo, Epist. 89. saying that Peter was assumed into the fellowship of the individual unity plainly deifying him, which blasphemy were rather to be buried with stones, then defended as Bellarmine goeth about to do.  
5. In Peter's rising the Lord would give a singular example of mercy, that he might raise up great sinners in the hope of mercy that they might not despair, but trust confidently in the same grace.  
For these Reasons, the Lord would have all the Evangelists with one mouth and pen, and in one manner to record this grievous fact of their fellow Apostle; nay if it be true as some of the Ancients record, that the Gospel of Saint Mark was declared and uttered by Peter and written from his mouth by Saint Mark, that providence so overruled the matter, that Peter himself most ingenuously (for the former Reasons) did publish to the World both his sin and repentance.  
In the first, of Peter's fall, consider the 

Occasion.  
Fall itself.    
In the occasion partly in 

Peter himself.  
Maid of the high Priest.    
In Peter; As Peter was beneath in the Hall warming himself.  
Here first mark how Peter ●un upon temptation; 
Peter's sin in ●oing into the Hall.  for what had he to do there in the Hall of the high Priest? his Lord had set him about other business.  
1. Christ had now told him he could not now follow him, John 13. 26. yet he will follow him afar off; and though Christ had told him he was not able to suffer with him, nor for him, yet forward he will go.  
2. Christ had said to his Apprehenders, 
John 18.  let these go away; yet Peter will not go.  
3. Christ had commanded them all to watch and pray, because temptation was at hand.  
4. Had particularly told Peter what would be the event, if he did follow him; for had Peter been with the other Disciples, or hid himself from the Tempter, he had no more denied his Lord then they.  
5. By a special providence Peter found the door of the high Priest shut against him, which should have been a warning to him, and not idly passed by; for when God casts a stop or bar in every way to hinder us in acting any evil, we should apprehend it as a part of his gracious providence, and stop our sins.  
But Peter will not from the door till he get in; he is hankering about to see what will become of Christ; he hath a love to his Master, and is unwilling to leave him; his zeal is not yet extinct, but rash and inconsiderate; he was greatly bound to his Master, and holdeth it laudable not to leave such a friend in distress; though he could not help him, yet would show duty; he seemeth mindful of his promise also; though all men forsake him, yet would not he; and therefore to the high Priests house he will with another Disciple, as John 18. 15, 16. whom some think to be John who useth in his story so to speak of himself suppressing his name; but it is not likely that John so poor a Fisherman and Disciple of Christ was so well acquainted with the high Priest; but whosoever he was, he was a friend of Christ and his Apostles, and being known to the high Priest was let in, but Peter unknown was kept out, till his friend pitying his standing in the cold, entreated the Maid that kept the door to let in Peter.  
Thus Peter with much ado and importunity of his friend gets into the thicket of temptation; his friend hath besped him into that place, which Christ forewarned him to avoid, which is another argument I think him not to be John, who having heard his forewarn to Peter, in likelihood would rather have dissuaded him from his purpose, then been an Author in it; or if it were he and did not, he were blameworthy, and greatly sinned.  
Use. 1. He that would avoid sin must carefully avoid occasions, 
To avoid sin avoid occasions.  which are the stronger because of our own natural inclination to evil; Joseph fled from his Mistress' company, and so kept himself pure, Gen. 32. 10. it was his wisdom, not only to avoid her filthy desire, but her unclean company.  
The Lord himself is careful to remove occasions of sinning from his People, Exod. 13. 17. carrying them through the Wilderness, would not let them pass by the Philistines, and see War, lest they should start back and sin against him.  
And our Lord Jesus would have prevented this occasion in Peter by forewarning him of it; he that would not be burnt must not touch fire, or go upon coals; stand not upon thine own strength where thou seest so great a Cedar to fall as Peter; thou canst not avoid drunkenness, adultery, profaneness, if thou runnest into drunken, harlotry, and profane Persons and places; beware of evil company, consider thy weakness and their power to seduce.  
Travellers to see fashions in idolatrous Countries, do therein seek temptations, and by the just judgement of God for wantonness find Apostasy, returning corrupt in 

Doctrine,  
Manners, or both.    
Prov. 21. 27. He that seeks danger, shall fall into it.  
Use. 2. He that would avoid occasion of sin, 
To avoid occasions keep close to the word.  must hold himself to God's commandment, and within the limits of his own calling, which if Peter had done, he had not fallen so foully; Christ had expressed his will and pleasure, that he should not have so much as deliberated on it, much less resolved against it; but he forgetteth the word and commandment of Christ, and so falleth into sin.  
If Eve had remembered the word of God, and kept her to the commandment, neither the beauty of the Apple, nor the subtle persuasion of Satan had alured her away.  
If Saul had kept him to the word of the Lord, 1 Sam. 15. 3. neither sparing of Agag, nor the fat Sheep or Oxen had drawn him into that disobedience which was worse than witchcraft; the word teacheth wisdom to avoid snars of sin, but if a man cast away the Word of the Lord, what wisdom can be in him? keep to the word, and buckle this Sword to thee, which only can cut the Sinews of sin and temptation.  
Use. 3. Peter should have looked to his Calling; 
Suffer not for Christ till called.  he was not now called to suffer, the time was not yet, John 13. 36. Besides, he had not received strength and gifts fit for it; if he shall now come to temptation, he can do nothing but deny his Lord, and shame himself, seeing Christ had foretold him.  
A Christian cannot do a more honourable work then suffer for Jesus Christ, which is more than to believe in him; 
Phil. 1. 29.  but if it be not the will of God, 1 Pet. 3. 17. or if thou be'st not called to suffer, if he forewarn thee with Peter that thou art not able to suffer the cross, or fire, do not suffer.  
Quest. What must I do? must I yield to Idolatry?  
Answ. No, but step aside as Peter was commanded; watch and pray, and get strength, and then come forth, if thou hast tried thy strength and findest it not sufficient to suffer the brunt, this is a sure warning from Heaven, thou must not put forth thyself to suffer; the farther thou goest, with more shame shalt thou fly back. If we must have a calling to suffer for Christ, much more look we have a calling to other inferior duties, else running out of thy calling, thou runnest into danger; thou hast no promise to be kept further than thou art in thy way; a good duty not warranted by thy Calling is sin to thee, though commended in another; 
Nature no sufficient in divine matters.  every man must abide in his Calling, and so maintain God's order.  
Note again, nature is an ill guide; man's own wisdom deceives himself sometimes with show of good, and runs into infinite errors, as Peter must follow his Master, and who would think him blameworthy in showing his love and affection to his Lord, and in minding his promise, that he would not leave him, if all men should; but all was but carnal wisdom; he should have believed his Lord and Master, and relied upon his counsel, not by too much prefidence thrust himself into danger; and surely as the pride of humane wisdom is great, so Satan's cunning more prevails to carry us away with shows of good, than he can in evil; is it not a good thing to become like God? and if Eve will eat the Apple, she may; is it not good to offer thousands of fat Sheep and Bullocks to God in sacrifice? if Saul will spare them alive, he may do it.  
Is it not better and fitter one Vriah be slain, then so great and godly a King stained in his honour and reputed an Adulterer? seldom can Satan draw on a great sin without some false glass or gloss; we must therefore attend to the mouth of God, walk in the paths of his wisdom, and turn not aside for shows; remember Prov. 3. 5. trust to the Lord, and lean not to thine own wisdom, and ver. 6. In all thy ways acknowledge the Lord, and he will direct thy steps.  
Use. 4. Lastly here is a notable rule to be observed in friendship examine the love thou showest to thy friend by the love of God. 
How we are to show love to a friend.   
1. Take heed thy love be subordinate to the love of God, that if thou canst not please both, thy friend be not pleased with God's displeasure, Mat. 10. 37. He that loveth Father and Mother better than me, is not worthy of me; nay, he that hateth them not, Luke 14. 26. so did not Peter, he should first have loved Christ as his Lord, and then as his friend, had he done so, he would have kept his word.  
2. Love the Word better than thy friend, Peter should have stuck to the word, and not to Christ's Person.  
3. See thy love to thy friend be not preposterous, that thy affection destroy him not; here Peter's friend helps forward his sin, though perhaps unawares.  
The subtlety of Satan creeps into our friendship and fellowships, that by our improvidence, we instead of helping and loving them, hurt them more than the Enemies could do. We must pray for wisdom and judgement, that neither willingly nor unawares we either council or lead them into any sin, or uphold any sin in them, or hinder in them any good.  
But contrarily become true friends to their Souls; it is lamentable that a Father should discourage the Child, the Husband the Wife, etc. from piety and religion, or that they should abet evil, or counsel or draw one another to eull; as there is the greatest hatred, so ordinarily it ends in most bitter hatred.  Warming himself by the Fire.] 
WE have seen Peter gotten into the Hall of the high Priest; What is he doing there? [she saw Peter warming himself.] Three of the Evangelists make mention of this circumstance. John 18. 18. expresseth also his company; the high Priests servants and officers stood, etc. who had made a fire of Coals, for it was cold, and they warmed themselves, and Peter also stood among them and warmed himself, Luke 22. 56. Peter sat by the fire and warmed himself. We need take no notice of that small diversity; one of the Evangelists says he stood, another he sat warming himself; both are true; for in so long time he sometimes stood, sometimes sat, warming himself as they did.  
Concerning the Company of Peter he found a great change; instead of Christ and his Apostles, teaching, hearing, conferring, praying, confirming one another against Temptations, and provoking to the love of the Lord, he is among a company of Rackshels and profane Servingmen of the high Priest, who are at busy against Christ as their Master, and all their tongues and talk bend against Christ, which was now the business in hand; and Peter, if he will be safe among them, must frame himself unto them.  
Had he been in the Mountain or in the Temple, or in his own House with his Master, his exercise had been otherwise; but now he is in the Pretory of the Jews, and in the House of the high Priest, where Christ indeed was, but taken and bound, and mocked, accused, and condemned, no safe place to confess the truth; and what can he do there but deny?  
Note How soon even God's children are corrupted with wicked Company; 
Good men quickly the worse for bad company.  even Peter, a great and forward Disciple of Christ, full of zeal and courage, who will pray, profess, and immediately before draw the Sword in Christ's quarrel, within two or three hours afore with Christ and his fellow Disciples, now can deny among persecutors.  
Great is the force of wicked Company, to pervert even a godly mind; how easily was good Abraham brought to make a lie for his own safety (as Peter did here) when he was in Gerar, where the fear of God was not? Gen. 20. 2.  
How easily a good man may be brought to Swear through custom and continuance with evil persons, see in godly Joseph, who dwelled in Egypt, and could swear by the life of Pharaoh.  
Reason 1. A proneness in godly men to be withdrawn by evil Company, as the body to be infected by a Pestilential air, 
And why.  so the mind by the contagion of bad company, it appeareth by the phrase, Prov. 1. 15. When evil men entice thee, etc. withdraw thy foot from their path; drawing back the foot argues an inclination and propensity even in the Son of Wisdom to walk with them.  
And Chap. 4. ver. 14. advising to keep the way of Wisdom as life itself, as a means to hold in the right way, he counselleth not to enter the way of wicked men, nor walk in their way; and to acquaint us with our own inclination that way●; mark his vehemency, ver. 15. Avoid it, go not by it, turn from it, pass by it: What need so many repetitions if we were not prone to the lust of it?  
Reas. 2. There is a bewitching focr● in evil company to draw even a good mind beyond his own purpose and resolution. Do you think Peter had a purpose now to deny his Master, whose purpose immediately before was so strong against it? but now suddenly in other company he is another man.  
Wherefore else did the Lord so earnestly charge his own People, among whom he had done such marvailes as were not done in all the world, Exod. 34. 10. to look diligently to themselves, to make no compact with the people of the Land, lest they should be brought to utter departing from God, and to their most gross Idolatry? ver. 12. 15. Numb. 11. 4. that great sin of Lusting, so fearfully revenged, was begun by some Strangers that came out of Egypt, who fell a lusting, and turned away, and the children of Israel also lusted; and hence it is as impossible for a man to be still in the Sun and not be ●and, or touch Pitch and not be fouled, as to be still in evil Company and not be evil.  
Use. 1. For God's Children to avoid and separate themselves from sinner's society; 
Abhor sinful society.  the danger of infection leaves it not a thing indifferent for a man to choose any Company, but as necessary to avoid sin itself, so the company of sinners; can there be true fellowship with God and his enemies too?  
Motive 1. What agreement between darkness and light, and between righteousness and unrighteousness? 2 Cor. 6. 16. what delight for a Sheep among a herd of Swine?  
2. Every man's company tells what he is; a good man may be cast into evil company by occasion or improvidence (as Peter) and be none of them; but as the company he affecteth and seeketh, is, so is he; Ravens flock together by companies, so do Doves fly together; so wicked men love wicked men's company, 
Psal. 16. 3.  and godly delight in the Saints which excel in virtue.  
A good man is described, that he will neither stand nor walk in the way of sinners, Psal. 1. 1. nor will sort with workers of iniquity, Psal. 1. 4.  
3. The practice of wicked men should make good men shun their company; for wherein are their sports and delights, but in things which displease God and grieve his spirit, and the spirits of all that love God and his glory? what can a good man see in such company, but must either infect him, or at least offend him in every thing almost?  
What else aim they at, when a good man falls into their company, but either to allure him unto some evil, or make him more remiss in some good?  
Objec. But if we should avoid wicked company, we must go out of the world; evil men are so rise, and bad examples so universal, 1 Cor. 5. 10.  
Answ. Every conversation with wicked men is not condemned; there may be some personal conversation, as Lot in Sodom; neither can we expect the floor of Christ so cleansed, as that there is no Chaff with Wheat, and Lilies must grow among Thorns; but  
1. Unnecessary scandals and perilous, prejudicial to our faith and piety, must be avoided; Israel cannot get out of Egypt to sacrifice to the Lord.  
2. If we cannot avoid their persons, avoid their fashions, affections, courses.  
3. Mourn that thou art forced to dwell in Meshech, and to have abode in the tents of Kedar, 
Psal. 120.  Psal. 120. 5.  
Vex thy righteous soul daily with Lot, to hear and see the unclean conversation of the wicked.  
4. Choose to sit alone rather than with such company; Jer. 15. 17. grieving he should be reserved to see such times, he professeth that he did not sit in the assembly of mockers, but sat alone: so Elias complaineth that he was left alone.  
Objec. But this will be thought singularity, pride of heart, disdaining our neighbours; I shall be thought to seem better than others, or that no company is good enough for me, or out of singularity cast off my old company and good-fellowship.  
Answ. 1. Satan hath many pretences to keep good men in bad company; Lot having been once or twice warned by the Angel, prolonged the time, and made not such haste to get out of the company of the Sodomites, till the fire had almost overtaken him, Gen. 19 14.  
But it will be thy safety and duty, to remember the Commandment, and linger not.  
2. I must get God's good conceit of me, and contemn what men sinisterly judge of me; I can never approve myself to God and evil men.  
3. When thou art fully resolved to be a good man, thou wilt utterly disdain evil company, Psal. 119. 115. Away from me ye wicked; for I will keep the Commandment of my God.  
4. Thou wouldst be ashamed of the company of a Harlot, but thy companions are impudent in sin, as the Harlot; nay, their lives are beastly as Beasts themselves, less harm in dwelling with brute Beasts than these reasonable.  
Use 2. Reprove the indifferency of them that can brook all company, 
A sinful indifferency, to run into all company.  and company with all manner of persons; if they be Atheists, Blasphemers, Ruffians, etc. can fashion to them, and be as good fellows as the best; dost thou profess the Religion of God, and in courses join with open enemies? consider Psal. 50. 16. Thou runnest with the Thief, and art a companion with Adulterers; what hast thou to do to take mine Ordinances in thy mouth, either to Preach or profess, seeing t●ou hatest to be reform?  
These men let them fall in company of good men, can personate and speak of matters of Religion, what good Sermons they have heard, give testimony to some good Preachers and others; but herein they are artificial; their other course is natural and proper to them; this most violent and strained; out of one mouth can there issue sweet water and bitter? 
James 3. 10.   
How much blameworthy are they that choose wicked society and familiarity? Is it no sin for Daughters of God to match and marry with Sons of Men? 
Gen. 6. 2.  for a Man professing Religion to marry an idolatrous Papist? A Man acquainted with his own peril will avoid Alliance and bad acquaintance farther off; and be careful to avoid bad company for a little while; much more so near and undivided and personal familiarity. Where is there a Trader that careth who he be familiar withal for gain, or a Merchant almost that refuseth to live in any Idolatrous Nation, as Spain, Italy or other, where he cannot live without bowing to Baal?  
Or Gamester that careth how profane he be that will bear him company or drink? Remember the counsel of Peter to new Converts, Acts 3. 4. Save yourselves from this untoward generation, and you may help to save them, by avoiding them, and making them ashamed, etc. remember the shame in the end, loss of good name, the sorrow of sin committed, and duties omitted.  
Use 3. Join yourselves to such as fear God, 
Join to godly company.  in whom thou mayest espy God's Image and Graces, for thy 

Pattern, Example,  
Provocation, Encouragement.    
By whom thou mayest be admonished, instructed, strengthened, and helped out of thy weakness.  
It seems very sweet to sit warm among wicked men, to eat and drink and be jovial with them; but there is a bitter sauce for such sweet meats, as in Peter; but on the contrary, in company of godly men thou art under the shadow of God's mercy for their sakes; God loveth his children and their friends; for Lot's sake his Family was saved.  
And among the wicked, God's anger hangeth over thy head; as they are punished, so mayest thou be; therefore depart from the tents of these wicked men: A Plague is coming.  Now his Action; Warmed himself.] 
PEter had little business here, but to see what would be the issue of Christ's apprehension; to while away the time, he sitteth down to warm himself with the Servingmen.  
Note 1. Peter had one end in being there, 
Peter had one end, God another.  God had another; had Peter savoured the revealed will of God, he had not been there, who had no other material business but to sit down and warm himself.  
But by the secret will and providence of God Peter must be here, not only to accomplish the word of Christ, but for another special purpose; he must be here more for the Churches good then his own, that while by being here his own Faith fails, he might be a means to confirm the Faith of the Church; so God one rules his weakness, as he must be an eye witness of all Christ's sufferings in the house of the high Priest, both from the council, the Servants, and Master himself.  
Never did any evil befall any of God's Servants, but by God's overruling power was turned to some good to themselves and others, not only of evil punishment, but of sin itself; for even that is under all things, Rom. 8. 28. turned to the best. The greatest poisons are by the skill of the learned Physician tempered to the best remedies; all Satan's temptations chase them but to the throne of grace; all will work in the end for good, in all estates expect this good end.  
Note 2. Peter was cold, 
Warming the body sometime chilleth the Soul.  and it was not unlawful to warm himself; but better he had been cold and comfortless alone in the darkness of the night, then to have set within warming himself in such company.  
Peter was now colder by the warm fir●, than he was without in the cold air; his heart grew cold, and his faith and zeal.  
Use. 1. Let us resolve that that is a cold and comfortless place (though the fire be never so great) where Christ is bound, where Christ cannot be professed, where Christ is scorned, and Disciples of Christ set upon as Peter here.  
Use. 2. Let us labour how cold soever the weather be without, to keep the heart warm in grace; it had been better for Peter to have sitten cold without and warm within, then for outward warmth to freeze and starve inwardly; the season is generally cold, heat of zeal counted madness, godliness disguised, etc. labour in this general coldness to keep our heat.  
Note. 3. When thou sittest by a warm fire, 
When by a warm fire, take heed of temptation.  take heed of temptation; Peter when he followed Christ, suffering cold and want, was strong and zealous; now he cometh to the warm fire he is quite overthrown; the warm fire of prosperity and outward peace hath overthrown a number, who in their wants and trouble stood fast in grace; how many Worthies coming to enjoy the warmth of worldly prosperity, have revolted from their good beginnings and proceedings in piety?  
David while he was in the field fight the Lords battles, how watchful, how conscionable, how gracious, how observant, full of holy meditations, Psalms, etc. but settled in the Kingdom, and fight by his Captains and Generals, himself at some quiet & ease, committed these two fearful sins of murder and Adultery, 2 Chron. 26. 5. Vzziah sought the Lord in t●e days of Zachariah, and serving him he made him to prosper, but ver. 16. when he was strong his heart was lifted up to destruction.  
This cause the Lord giveth of the backsliding of Israel, Host 13. 6. they were filled and their heart was exalted, and they have forgotten me, and those were they that in affliction could serve the Lord diligently, ver. 5.  
The pitt●full experience of many gives light hereto who in their youth or entrance into the World were diligent Christians and conscionable in their ways, careful Hearers, Readers, etc. but grown full and fat, and sitting in the warmth of worldly wealth and prosperity, have clogged themselves with cares, and surfeited of ease, as far gone from their zeal and diligence as Peter here; who followed a far off, and now by the fire farthest off of all, as the Moon never eclipsed but in the full.  
How doth the same warm fire prevail with many, who because they see they cannot sit so warm in their places, if they should be so precise and follow the word in all points, grow first to remit, and then relinquish all their care, growing in the end to the height of profaneness by God's just judgement on them? others to sit by a warm fire, are as easily drawn to lie and use injustice in their trades and dealings as Peter here.  
Many godly men are too secure, as he that sits by a warm fire is subject to sleep; Let this be a stay and some strength if thou hast not prosperity and wealth which others have in the World, and thou desirest; thou wantest the snares of others; God in mercy withholds hurtful wealth, and keeps thee cold without, lest thou shouldest grow cold within; think not thyself stronger then: Peter, Prov. 30. 8. lest I be full and deny thee.  
And contrary if thou be'st in affliction and want be not too much cast down, for in this estate thou standest firmer in grace then in abundance; therefore when prosperity maketh wicked men grow wild and secure, God useth by affliction to reclaim them, Psal. 119. 71. It is good I was afflicted; before I was afflicted I meant a stray, but now I keep thy law.  
Prosperity is not always a sign of God's favour; but when it provoketh to humility and duty; ordinarily the Grazier putteth his cattle for slaughter into best pasture; too much rankness hurts the Corn, and too much fruit breaketh the Trees; what is the cause of few great and rich are truly religious? but than God giveth gifts in mercy, when he maketh us better, not worse. We proceed.  Vers. 67. She looked on him and said, thou wast also with Jesus of Nazareth. 
HERE 

1. The Tempter, 
Occasion of Peter's sin by the Priest's maid.  a Maid seeing Peter, and looking on him said.  
2. The Temptation, Thou wast also with Jesus of Nazareth.    
Peter warming him by the high Priests fire, presently meets with a Tempter.  
Note. 1. Note he that tempts God, a Tempter shall meet with him; he that runs out of his way, 
When a man tempts God, a Tempter soon meets him.  and without the limits of his Calling, shall not want temptation; good David when he gives up his holy prayers and exercises, and getteth up to the top of his Gallery idle, he hath met with a Bathsheba a Tempter, and moils himself in fearful sins; thus many save the Devil a labour in tempting, run afore the temptation, Hunters of Alehouses, of lascivious company, light persons, plays and interludes, temptation need not come to them; they will find him if he be in any corner of the Country.  
Use. Keep thee in thy way, let not Satan thrust thee out of both Callings; every sin is a tempting of God, Mal. 3. 15.  
Note. 2. The Maid that let him in, 
Favours of wicked dear bought.  now tempts him; she had done him a kindness as she thought, but she payeth him with a mischief; a godly man commonly buys a wicked man's favour very dear.  
1. Commonly an evil man if he be an instrument of good to a good man, it is against his mind, being overruled and drawn secretly by God, or inwardly by some sinister end; they cannot show sound mercy, being a fruit of the Spirit, but sergeant a corrupt love and favour.  
2. Sometimes pretending favour, they intent mischief, as the Machiavels of our Age; so Saul will prefer David, maketh him his Son, and giveth him his daughter, 1 Sam. 18. 17. but intended to bring him to destruction by the Philistines.  
In Anno 1572. the most bloody Massacre of Paris was thus effected, under pretence of love, favour, marriage.  
3. Truly saith Solomon of the mercies of the wicked, they are cruel, Prov. 12. 10. for commonly if they intent not cruelty as before, neither did this Maid, yet they overturn their good turns at one time or other with mischief or hurt, either outwardly or inwardly, if occasion be offered.  
Pilate would show mercy to Christ and plead for him, but command him to be whipped, being an Innocent; and the Apostles seem very mercifully dealt with to escape with whipping if Gamaliel himself give none of the malicious sentence, Act. 5. 40. it is the mercy of wicked men to whip Christ, and if any mercy indeed must be showed, it must be to Barrabas, not Christ.  
Use. 1. Count it an hard case to be beholden to evil men; 
An ill case to be beholden to wicked men.  Jacob knew the inconvenience, and refused the kind offer of Esau, who either himself or his Servants would guard him in his way, Gen. 33. 13.  
Balaac will not enrich Balaam, but first he must curse God's people.  
Use. 2. See thy favour benot mingled or poisoned, doing harm and mischief; The Heathen Emperors would show mercy, if the Martyrs will cast but one grain into the fire; their favour must be bought dea●▪ The Witch will favour thee; the Devil will cure thy Body, but he must have thy faith, thy soul; the Father, the Master will allow his Children or Servants sports, recreations, but on the Sabbath day, when the refreshing of the Body is the corruption and destruction of the Soul.  
Many Fugitives go away, and find favour and preferment in Rome, Douai, and in Popish Countries, but on condition they be come traitors to God in open Idolatry, and to their Prince and Country in open rebellion and practice, like Satan's kindness to Christ; all this will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down.  
Note. 3. By what manner of Tempter Peter falls, 
Weak tempeters can foil stout men.  a Woman, not a man, a silly Maid, a very weak party.  
Quest. Why?  
Answ. 1. Peter presumeth that all men could not cast him down, Christ had denominated Peter for his solidity and firmness, and he thought himself ●ure enough; but now he shall see more evidently his frailty, to be so suddenly cast down by a frail Woman; he shall see now that the strength he boasted off is blown away by the breath of a silly girl.  
2. To show him the more, as his pride was more than the rest, a shameful fall for so great a professor, to fall before so vain a Woman; Abimelech would rather kill himself then endure the disgrace to die by the hand of a Woman; 
Judg. 9 54.  but as pride goeth before shame, so God's justice will shame proud Peter, that when he cometh to himself, this circumstance shall kill him, and touch him at the quick, the shame shall be as ill as the hurt.  
Use. 1. How easily God overthroweth the pride of man; 
Man's pride easily overthrown.  he need not come in his own person, he need not bring a Champion or man of War against him, but the sillyest creature is strong enough to confound them; a silly boy or girl shall be Tempter too strong for as presumptuous a Professor as Peter.  
The Lord who resisteth all sinners, 
Jam. 4. 6.  is said often to resist the proud; that is, after a special and severe manner, because they will draw God's glory upon themselves; he commonly so resisteth them as he turneth their glory into shame, and confoundeth their pride by weakness; hath God neither Angels nor men to command against Pharaoh? yes, but will rather confound him with an army of frogs, flies, Caterpillars in derision of his pride; the same God could have turned the dust of the Earth into Lions, Wolves, Bears of strange greatness and fierceness to have met that fierce and cruel King that said, who is the Lord? and in spite of him oppressed the People, but in scorn of his pride he turned the dust of the Earth into Lice, who made him and his enchanters confess it was the finger of God.  
Proud Herod, 
Acts 12.  who assumed the glory of God to himself, it is the voice of God, not of man, the Lord consumeth him with louse the basest of the Creatures, and not so much honoured as wicked Jezabel to be eaten of Dogs, but of Lice.  
Historians writes of a City in France that was depopulated and wasted, and the Inhabitants driven away by Frogs. A History reporteth of a Town in Thessalonica rooted up and overthrown by Moles. We read of Pope Adrian choked with a Fly.  
Thus the Lord playeth as it were with his Enemies, scorneth to come himself in field upon them, but armeth the meanest of his creatures against them.  
Let this humble us under the mighty hand of God; presume of nothing in ourselves, be proud of nothing, lest we know by woeful experience that a thing of nothing shall cast us down.  
If our pride shall resist God, God's weakness shall resist us, and we shall know to our cost, that the weakness of God is stronger than man; never was pride of heart unrevenged with falls, sin and shame.  
Note. 4. The temptation is the same in effect with the former. 
Accusation enough if thou belong to Christ.  This man is one of them; she accuseth not Peter for a Malefactor, or a wicked Liver, but only that he is one of Christ's Disciples; and this is matter of accusation (she thinks) sufficient.  
Note what are the many quarrels of evil men against the godly, and what are their accusations: because they are of the number of Christ's Disciples and Followers. Act. 15. 19 the Accusers brought no crime of such things as I supposed, but had certain questions concerning their own superstitions, and concerning one Jesus, etc. Here they hate not Peter, but so far as he was with Christ.  
Reas. 1. Evil men cannot hate evil for itself, 
And why?  but for sinister respects, yea, they love it, and will not leave it, and therefore evil men commonly accuse not for evil, but for good.  
Reas. 2. Darkness fights not against darkness, but light, and the greatest light most, John 7. 7. because it testifieth of Christ himself most, and against the Members for the head sake; a Thief hates the light.  
Reas. 3. Wicked men lie still under the woe of them that call good evil, 
Esay 5. 10.  and evil good, through corruption of judgement not renewed by grace; and therefore you shall still observe, that the greatest fault objected by the wicked against the godly, is for most part the doing their duty as here in Peter; was it not Peter's duty to be with his Lord? what other cause in Prophets, Apostles, in Christ himself?  
Use. In these days also to be with Christ, 
Wonder not if so it fall out now a days.  is matter of accusation enough against a godly man, John 9 22. 34. the blind man was excommunicated because he had been with Jesus.  
Papists after the same manner exercise deadly hatred against the Gospel, and excommunicate as Heretics all that stand to the Doctrine of justification by the only grace of Jesus renouncing merits of works of Papists, and after a subtle manner out of the depth of Satan, have laid under the reproach of Heretics, such as walk according to the Rules of Christ and his profession in their course, renouncing the Libertine ways of the World and watching more narrowly over their own.  
These at the first restoring of religion and casting out of superstition and Romish Idolatry, Papists who gnashed their teeth for envy at the Lords great work, branded with the names of Puritans, Precisians, and holy brethren, etc. ever since, and at this day more than ever; what is the ordinary quarrel and scorn but the same taken out of the mouths of Enemies, thou art one of them, a Disciple, a Puritan, a Professor, a Brother, all one with this of the Maid, thou wast also with him; now weak things and small go for currant to bring good men into danger, as Peter's here being with Christ; even looking toward good men is ground enough; and evil men can make great noise of it, as Jews against Christ, he is a friend of Publicans and Sinners.  
As Spiders can turn every thing into poison; so wicked men turn wholesome things into poison and malicious accusations.  
Acts 21. 28. Oh men of Israel help; this man, etc. Paul gave the Law his due, only denied justification by it, nor spoke against the Temple, but their hypocrisy who could discover all by coming to the Temple, nor dishonoured their place, but all their fair shows in that place would not serve, but it was as the offering of a Dog without faith or Repentance; this was his duty to teach; nor brought he Gentiles into their Temple, but they supposed so; and suspicion is enough for evil men, and helpeth them well; I thought it had been thus; but what if he had? now the Temple was free for all; Moses Law ceremonial was at an end; so as when these wicked men had said all they could, equity could find no substance in their accusation, yet these grounds were enough against Paul to draw him to death, ver. 31.  
Let a godly Preacher come and lift up his voice as a Trumpet against sin; 
Esay 58. 1.  oh he is an intolerable man, he is so sour, so tart, so judging, he preacheth nothing but damnation, he makes Reprobates of us all; when all this while he doth hi● duty in telling Israel her sin and Judah of her transgressions.  
Let him preach often, and be more diligent than some idle drones, so that the word prevail with men, and they begin to taste the soundness and the sweetness of it, and frequent it with more gladness than the eye of envy would they should; oh than he is factious, draweth Disciples, is popular; if we let him alone, all men will believe him say the pharisees.  
Let him preach with authority, and not as the Scribes, and convince evil men, and seek to pull their lusts out of their hearts and hands, and now they perceive the word too strong for them, than they fetch another windlass; Christ teacheth wonderful well, and he is Teacher from God, and teacheth the way of God truly, but he healeth on the Sabbath day, or breaks some traditions of the Elders; a good man otherwise, but his Disciples wash not, fast not, and the failing in some idle tradition or Ceremony is enough to hate Christ's own Doctrine and to hurt him in his own person to the unmost extremity.  
Secondly, the Temptation; Thou wast also with Jesus of Nazareth; or as John 18. 17. Art thou one of this man's Disciples? Belike both ask the question, and affirming that he was.  
THE Tempter light, not Caiphas himself, but his Door keeper, and that not a man, but a silly Maid. The Temptation as light: she doth not scorn him or his Master; she saith not, belongest thou to this Seducer, nor art thou a follower of this factious fellow, who is now brought in question for his life? but in simplicity and gently enough, Art thou one of this Man's Disciples? yet Peter is too weak for so weak a temptation.  
Note. He that is presumptuously confident where he should not, 
A presumptuous spirit is usually a dimerous spirit.  is basely fearful where he need 〈…〉 ●●rist foretells Peter's fall, but Peter fears nothing; but a silly Damsels 〈…〉 him; an unkind word, and fear hath oppressed him.  
1. It is a just reveng●●hat he that feareth not God, 
And why?  should fear every thing else; and if the fear of God be shaken out of the heart, the fear of man, yea of a veery worm shall be let in; had Peter retained the fear of God, he had not here so feared, but now must fear where no fear is.  
2. God in this kind punisheth the presumption and boldness which a man hath in himself, by turning his carnal courage, which resists true fear, into terrors of heart and vain fears, that were there nothing without him to fear, he shall not want terrors of mind that shall leave him but a little rest. Herod is told enough to behead John, and no man can fear him for it, but his own thoughts fear him; O, John whom I beheaded, is risen; now he fears where no fear is, Prov. 28. The wicked fly none pursuing; his own fancy shall fear him.  
Use. Peter shrinks not before Caiphas, 
Take heed of carnal confidence, which will fail at last.  but his Maid ask but a question; see that carnal confidence and human strength will leave a man in the suds at length; this courage of flesh and blood had carried Peter a great way in the cause of Christ in resisting his apprehenders, following him to the high Priests Hall, brings him to the ●ire, but now leaves him.  
If a man had all the courage we read of among the famous Roman Warriors, it will not carry him after Christ, whethersoever he goeth; it might carry him to contemn death for his Country, for his credit, etc. but for Christ it will fail him. 
Phil. 1. 29.  It is given as well to suffer for Christ as to believe.  
Use 2. Examine well thy boldness, whether it be for God or Man, ere thou trust it; the boldness of flesh will make us courageous before the Battle, but when the Alarm is sounded, than the shaking of a Pike or report of a Musket feareth him as a Child, out of the field. 
How to know true courage.   
Quest. How shall I know?  
Answ. If thou be'st strong in the power of Christ's might, than thou art strong in thine infirmities; 
2 Cor. 12. 10.  that is, hast a strong sense of thine own weakness, and findest thy frailty, and art driven out of conceit with thyself; and having no strength in thyself, leanest only on the strength of thy Captain. Stand in this strength, and in question of thy life, thou shalt have boldness, as John before Herod, Elias before Ahab, when poor Peter, stout in himself, shall fall before a poor Maid, almost unquestioned.  
Use 3. Let him that stands take heed lest he fall, 
Take heed to thy standing.  1 Cor. 10. 12. Thou sayest thou lovest Christ; so did Peter, else he would not have followed now; thou mayest account of strength to stand if all other should fall, so did Peter; but thou seest a Pillar here shaken with a Wenches word, that thought all the threats and tortures of the Rulers could not make him shrink.  
Seest thou the foreman of the Apostles so near and dear unto Christ, who would have confirmed his brethrens, so foully to fall? be not thou highminded, but fear. 
Rom. 11. 20.   
Mot. 1. Consider thyself a child, weak and feeble, soon cast down, and being ready to stumble and fall, get to a stay as fast as thou mayest.  
2. The Adversary is strong, and flesh is weak, Mat. 26. 41. and is only supported by strength of grace; the Lion of the Tribe of Judah foils the roaring Lyon.  
3. Hypocrites not fearing to fall, fall fearfully; but the godly fearing to fall, fall not, at least prevent many falls, and rise out of them all.  
Note. Peter resembles here the state of every Christian, 
Satan either allures to sin, or deals with terror.  set between a warm fire on the one hand, and a dangerous temptation on the other. Thou art one of them.  
Satan's aim is, either to allure and entice us to sin, by a number of weapons out of the storehouse of Prosperity, or daunt us by weapons out of the Armoury of Affliction and Persecution. Rabshekeh, 2 Kings 18. 31, 32. offereth peace and promiseth in his Master's name, if we will lay aside our Arms; and mixeth threats and boasts in his strength: so here.  
Satan's subtlety hath plots amongst all men; if low 〈◊〉, he will browse and make them ordinary fuel for fire; if high Trees, he hath lightning and thunder, and violence of every tempest.  
And in all Estates, Adversity is a sharp Winter, to nip sprigs of Grace; Prosperity as an hot Sun and Summer to nourish Weeds; Peter here feels the force of both.  
Use. That Christians watch both in Prosperity and Adversity; know that frowns and fawns of Satan and the World are alike dangerous; flattery and force, both enemies, and more dangerous if both assault at once; as here Peter.  Verse 68 But he denied it, saying, I know him not, neither wot I what thou sayest. 
HEre is the first denial of this Champion, 
Foulness of Peter's sin.  by a silly Girl; wherein see the foulness of his sin.  
1. He denies flatly, and peremptorily, saying, I know him not.  
2. In doubling it, implying more resolution, neither wot what thou sayest; both which speeches were manifest untruths and lies against his own conscience; for Peter well knew Christ, having been long with him; and one of his first Disciples, he had confessed him, thou art the Son of God; besides, he knew well what she meant, and therefore it was another lie.  
3. In denying him so openly amongst a multitude; before them all, saith Matthew.  
1. The fault is so foul, as one witness were too much; but Peter provides witnesses enough, a cloud of witnesses.  
2. He that denyeth Christ before any man, shall be denied before the Father, Mat. 10. What a great sin to deny him before all men?  
3. In so great a company were a number of wicked men; and now Peter exposeth the name of Christ to all their scorn and opproby; he hardens and animates them, and stands with them in rejecting of Christ.  
There were also some weak ones and wellwishers to Christ, as he that carried Peter in, and some that might be coming forward; and Peter by his example being the foreman of the Disciples, weakens and scandalizeth all these, and destroyeth so many souls, and if he that offends one of these little ones, better a Millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea; what a case is Peter in that offends so many?  
Note 1. How far soever the courage of flesh and blood carries a man, 
Carnal courage will fail sooner or later.  and rash zeal, if not a stronger prop, it will leave a man in the suds at length; for, what is become of all these great words, I will lay down my life for thee; and why can I not follow thee now? And I will die with thee before I will deny thee.  
Is this to follow the Master, to deny himself, his Disciples? is this to lay down the life for the Master, to fear the voice of a silly Girl? Is this not to deny Christ, to deny thyself a Christian? for if thou knowest not him to be the Christ, thou knowest not thyself to be a Christian.  
Thus in one word bold Peter denyeth and renounceth his Lord, his faith, his profession and salvation by him.  
Use. Let us look well to our zeal, 
Take heed to thy spirit.  that it serve us not as Peter did him; the drugs have Adulterates, and the most cunning Coins their slips, and the best graces have in this corruption their cracks and defects; let us try and weigh and sound our zeal for its truth, and that by these marks.  
1. True zeal is earnest for good, 
True zeal what.  but it is not for a fit or passion, as John at his entrance, and Peter here; but it is a gift of the Spirit, and a grace which is constant and lasting.  
2. It riseth out of knowledge of God and ourselves; zeal not guided by knowledge is hurtful, as Rom. 10. 2. so here Peter had zeal for Christ, but knew not himself; as mettle is dangerous in a headstrong Horse; so zeal degenerated in a headstrong passion, not guided by knowledge.  
3. It is attended ever with godly sorrow, 2 Cor. 7. 11. and grief, first for his own sin, and then others; God is dishonoured in both, and he is troubled in both.  
4. Carried with care and fear of falling, not selfe-conceitednesse self-conceitedness, trusting to himself, his strength, his judgement, as this of Peter's did.  
5. Coveteth spiritual things in the world; Christ's was zeal to God's house; so David, 
John 2. 17.  Oh how love I thy house! how dear are thy words unto me! how sweet, etc.  
These ardent desires dried him, and consumed him; Peter coveted God's honour; but how? his own name, reputation, life, and safety was dear unto him.  
Note 2. The nature of Peter's sin which was the most direct denial of Christ that might be. 
Peter's sin of an heinous nature.   
First, not to profess and confess his Doctrine outwardly and secretly, is a denial.  
2. Not to express the Doctrine and power of Religion, which we acknowldge true, whether for fear or otherwise, is an high denial of Christ.  
3. To subvert or overthrow some fundamental point of Religion, is fearfully to deny Christ; for it is all one to deny his doctrine as himself, being of the same nature with himself.  
But Peter's denial was beyond all these, not against his Doctrine only, but against his Person immediately, and this not to deny him by silence, but by speech, whom himself had confessed the Son of God, and had heard him so professed from Heaven by God himself once and again.  
Yes, when he needed not have openly disclaimed him, for the Maid's speech was, whether he was with Christ; he might have contented himself to have belied himself, and said I was not, rather than have sinned directly against his Lord and Master. Or what lawful authority had this Maid to examine Peter; he was not bound to confess that he knew him; neither doth Peter confess some, and conceal some, to fumble or equivocate to tell you; for if this could have saved Peter, he needed not have wept for denying his Master, though some Fathers would excuse him; but he flatly, and stoutly denyeth all, that ever he knew him, or had to do with him; he doth not say, I know him not so well as I should do.  
Alas what a poor case is Peter now in; for if he deny Christ, who doth not confess him that others may know he doth so as well as himself, what a fearful denial is to make others even boys and girls know we disclaim him.  
Doctr. Note hence what a hard matter it is to confess Christ in time of danger and peril, 
Hard to confess Christ in danger.  when so great a Disciple as Peter before any great danger so resolutely denyeth him.  
Reas. 1. Satan's malice; 
And why?  he winnowes and tempts Peter here, and the Saints to pluck them from this confession, because he knoweth that God is greatly honoured by the confession of his Servants. That the truth is notably confirmed which shakes the Walls and foundation of this Kingdom.  
That confessing him before men, notably incites and provokes others to the love and liking of the truth, and to the imitation of such holy examples, and because he would hinder the happiness of Saints, well knowing that 〈◊〉 that denyeth Christ, shall be denied of him.  
Reas. 2. Strength of corruption in us makes it very hard at such times.  
1. How hard is it to deny ourselves? and not denying ourselves, we cannot but deny him; we not only reason with flesh and blood, but conclude with flesh and blood against the yoke of Christ; Paul communed not with flesh and blood. Gal. 1. 16.  
2. How do we blush at the Chain, and shame at the Cross of Christ, which indeed is the glory and crown of a Christian? he that is ashamed of Christ, how can he confess him? 2 Tim. 1. 12. I suffer these things, and am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed; one cause why many among the Rulers believed and durst not confess Christ, was, because they feared to be cast out of the Synagogue, John 12. 42.  
3. How are we glued to the love of the profits, and glory of the World? loath we are to be too great losers by Christ, much less forsake all to follow him; this maketh it hard to confess Christ in cases of loss and disadvantage; this cause is in John 12. 43. the Rulers confessed not Christ whom they knew, because they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Demas would not have his commodities hindered, and so forsook the Apostles, 2 Tim. 4. 10.  
Reas. 3. Weakness of faith and graces; Peter had now true faith in his heart, but weak and raked up in a heap of corruptions; where is no faith, is no confession; a strong faith, a strong confession.  
Peter was now as a man in a swoon or qualm; living, but little show or sense of life.  
Nicodemus a Believer, a lover of Christ, his faith made him come to Christ, but the weakness of it made him speak little and low, and not directly for him.  
Joseph of Arimathia a Disciple and a Believer, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, John 19 38.  
Use 1. Conceive it no easy thing to confess Christ in trial, 
Study to confess Christ in danger.  nor a thing to be performed by our own power, but pray for the gift of the Spirit called the Spirit of strength, Isa. 11. 2. which sustaineth us, no cause shall daunt it.  
2. Pray for wisdom when and how to confess, that the Lord opening our eyes and mouths we may speak as we ought.  
3. Pray for Faith, Psalm 116. I believed, therefore I spoke, Rom. 10. 10. with heart believe.  
2. Resolve of the necessity of confessing Christ, being called thereto, 1 Peter 3. 15. be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh a reason of the hope that is in you. 
Necessity of it.   
Philippians 2. 10. Every tongue must confess Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God.  
Arg. 1. Consider here first the end of our being in the World, to honour God and his truth, and promote our own and others salvation; therefore not only not deny but confess.  
2. The excellency of the truth confessed and witnessed unto, not by us only but by the whole Trinity, the blessed Augels, the holy Prophets, the inspired Apostles and constant Martyrs in all ages.  
3. It is Gods right thou shouldest confess him, even to thy utmost peril, to whom thou art given of the Father, by whose blood redeemed, whose peculiar thou art; how couldst thou brook that servant, to whom thou payest Wages, that being ashamed of thee would deny thee his Master?  
4. Christian's must be considered not only as private men, but in the communion of Saints, glorifying the Gospel, not only by walking worthy of it, but also suffering for it, as lights, not for itself, but for others.  
5. Thou wouldst not be denied of him hereafter, but desirest he should acknowledge thee in another life; but if we deny him, he will deny us, 2 Tim. 2. 12.  
6. Conversion produceth confession, as in the converted Thief; and confession is accompanied with salvation, Rom. 10. 10. with the mouth confess to salvation: only this man is of God, 1 John 3. 4.  
7. Thou canst not but confess Christ, nor keep Faith at home; it is as fire within; and Christ saith, He that is not with us, is against us.  
Quest. How shall I be able to confess Christ in trials?  
Answ. 1. Settl●●hy self in a sound knowledge and judgement of the truth; 
How we may do this.  unstable persons that hang between two Religions, as Meteors, will never abide the trial. If trials should come, many of our ordinary Hearers, for want of settledness of judgement and sound measure of knowledge, will prove as Potter's Clay, fit for any form, or as Wax ready for any stamp or impression; so Meteors between two Religions, enemies to Confession.  
2. Get sound love to the Truth; else God will send strong delusions to believe lies, on them that receive not the truth in the love of it, 2 Thes. 2. 10, 11, 12.  
3. Express the power of Religion now in days of peace; for he that denyeth the power of Religion now in the time of peace, God will never give him the honour to profess in time of persecution; he that will deny by a warm fire, will deny more easily in a fiery trial.  
4. Arm thyself against the sweet and sour, the best and worst of the world; beware of preferring of the best things as better and sweeter than Christ and the glory of heaven; God is not so prodigal of his glory, nor of the gracious merits of Christ, as to bestow it on such as love earth better than himself or his Son; neither gaze with both eyes upon outward things never so little, but on the power of God, which is manifest in weakness.  
5. Set thine eye upon the glory of being confessed by Christ before his Father and his Angels; oh this my servant was more willing to die for me then deny me; and the terror and disgrace that Christ should deny us, when our own consciences are up in arms against us, than he shall proclaim and disclaim us, in that we preferred every trifle before himself, etc.  
6. Look on examples of Saints, keeping the profession without wavering in losses and crosses, Heb. 10. joyfully enduring the spoiling of Goods. Paul's life not dear: compare thyself with these, etc.  Then he went out into the Porch, and the Cock crew. 
PETER having denied his Lord, beginneth to perceive himself in some danger; for he seeth that better than his sin; and seeing it was not safe for him to be there, he beginneth to withdraw himself, and goeth into the Porch; he beginneth to be weary both of the person and place, and perceiving he was gone in too far, he would get back again if he could.  
Note 1. It is not good to go too far into the houses of wicked men; 
Not good to go far into wicked houses. And why?  for hardly shall a man get out without a scar, no more than Peter.  
Reason 1. There can be no agreement between light and darkness, righteousness and unrighteousness.  
2. All their Counsels, courses and examples, being pestilent and hateful to God; a good man should either offend them in reproving, or God in not reproving; thou must do as they do, or leave thy room to such as will.  
Reason 3. What good canst thou expect from them, or what good canst thou hope to do to an obstinate person, who is unworthy of a reproof, unfit for Christian counsel, Prov. 23. 9 Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.  
Use 1. To wonder that many can be inwardly conversant with all Companies, and enter bands of society with all manner of persons, Papists and Protestants, Church-Papists and Recusant Papists, Ruffians, swearers, Drunkards, railers and scorners of good men and good things; how men professing godliness can be inward with such, eat and drink with them, ordinarily uphold them in their courses, fall to their games and exercises; certainly these men cannot hold their own, no more than Peter here, but mustneeds counterfeit▪ an outside. Peter is almost no sooner in the high Priests Hall, but he denyeth his Lord as fast as any.  
Use 2. He that resolveth to uphold his integrity, must say with David, Psalm 119. 115. Away from me ye wicked, for I will keep God's Commandments: and hide himself away from wicked company; neither is it out of singularity, to seem better than others; nor of pride, as disdaining neighbours, or thinking no company good enough for them; but out of sense of their own weakness, and fear of infection from them.  
Use 3. Learn a point of wisdom in Peter; seeing we must be cast among evil men, be not too familiar with them; rather stand without in the Porch then thrust into the ●all; keep aloof from them, for so thou shalt escape best; thus Peter began to do when he discerned his danger by them.  
Note 1. Peter went forth, but not far enough; for he went but into the Porch, but came back.  
Quest. Why did he not go quite away and leave the House as well as the Hall? or going back, why returned he back again?  
Answ. Peter was now as a Bird that had lost his nest, knew not what to do with himself; in staying was danger, and in going now was as much danger; for if now being questioned he should fly upon it, he should confirm their suspicion against him; and confess that which he would fain dissemble.  
Again, he had heard that Servants perhaps mutter against him; for it appeareth there was a great many more than three that set upon him, and feareth they will pursue him, if he should fly, and there resolveth to return among them, set as good a face on the matter as he can, and falleth into familiar and free talk with them, if by that means he might prevent suspicion.  
Note here, 
Get out of the Hall, yea and out of the Porch too.  that whosoever would keep himself free from the danger of sin and sinners, must not only get out of the Hall, but out of the porch of sin too, as Solomon out of the wicked woman's house, so every wicked man's house, Pro. 5. 8. keep thee far from her, and come not near the door of her house.  
Peter should have done better if he had left the house, and not stuck in the Porch; it had been in him, and should be in each of us.  
1. Christian wisdom, to keep without the Harlot's reach.  
2. Christian zeal, hating all sin even the appearance.  
Many step out of the midst of sin, but hang about the Porch, would not be outrageous sinners, but retain a smatch or taste; not open Adulterers, but Adulterous eyes, thoughts and speeches; not noted drunkards, but company keepers and Bibbers; not blasphemous Swearers by Wounds and Blood, but by Faith, Troth, God, etc. not workers on the Sabbath, but idle and profane in words and deeds; not open Railers and scorners of good exercises, and men, but secret haters or dislikers; all which is to stick in the Porch of Sin, and as Peter thou art not gotten out, but coming back into the Hall again.  
Note 2. In that Peter sticks in the Porch and cometh back among them whom he had forsaken, 
Hard to leave ill company.  how hardly a man that hath been long used to bad company and courses, is brought back to leave it altogether, but either he will look back, or tarry in the Porch; Peter that is but new come in, and scarce warm in his place among them, cannot resolve to leave them though he be warmed by sense of peril and danger.  
Sin and Sinners are like Birdlime; the more Peter strives to get out, he seeth himself more limed and entangled.  
How much harder is it to get out of the custom and habit of sin and sinful Companionship?  
Lots Wi●e gotten out of the midst of Sodom, looketh back; nay good Lot himself cannot be got out, but the Lord must stay his leisure, and the Angel must pull him out that the flame catch him not.  
Use 1. Pray that we never fall into bad company, 
Never enter among such.  and bad places, bad alliance, bad acquaintance or courses among earthly minded and ungodly minded men; for surely we will hardly be got out, we will have as many carnal arguments as Peter to carry us back into their company, we must not part with old friends, we shall be thought uncivil, or strange, or it may be we may here some say, what, art thou one of his Disciples, what, become precise? then all is marred, and then if an Angel, yea two Angels bid thee away in haste for our lives, we will with good Lot still prolong the time.  
Use 2. Beware if thou hast set forth out of the company and courses of sinners, 
Or having entered return and never return back.  so far as the Court, that thou dispute not with Peter, much less resolve to go back again; for Peter made his case worse than before, 2 Pet. 2. 20. better never have known the way of truth, 
Luke 9 62.  then forsake it; was Lots wi●e a●● better for getting out of Sodom that looked back? nay, was she not worse, being made an eye mark of God's justice to all posterity.  
Is it not a fearful thing to be weary of well doing, and a fearful wickedness to make defection from God? is he fit for the Kingdom that puts his hand to the Plough, and looketh back.  
Beware thou be'st not one of those Dogs that return to their vomit, nor a Swine washed returning to her wallowing, all the former motions and endeavours were deceitful and hypocritical; for, were they sound, they should have lasted.  
The Devil once cast out and returning, brought seven worse than himself, and the end is worse than the beginning.  
Note also the contrariety of the wicked from God himself, he provideth safety for his Children by night; Esau was admonished by night not to speak roughly to Jacob. The Wicked always tend to destruction of themselves and others.  And the Cock crew. 
NOTE 1. It appeareth it was in the Night that Christ was apprehended, 
Wicked in the night devise mischief.  ●nd in that, how watchful and diligent Christ's Enemies were to work malice and mischief against him; so were the Sodomites busy all Night to abuse themselves and do mischief. Gen. 19  
Solomon saith wicked men cannot sleep till they have done evil, Prov. 4▪ 16. and sleep departeth from them unless they cause some to fall; Judas will watch an opportunity against Christ, even in the night to betray him.  
Reas. 1. Because they are carried wholly and naturally unto evil without any inward restraint; 
And why?  it is a sweet morsel, and perhaps the Lord seeth them not.  
2. Darkness maketh them more bold, and fitter for a work of darkness, as Judas apprehends, and Soldiers lead him away.  
3. Malice against Christ and his Members in the wicked never sleepeth, but watcheth occasions against them; they resemble Satan their guide.  
4. Having got occasion, they will not slip it, but execute presently, though at midnight; they break their sleep for it.  
5. Yet God overruleth that it should be typifyed by a Paschall Lamb, killed by night, Exod. 12. 6. as himself was slain in the evening of the World.  
Use Good men on the contrary learn to watch in the Night for good and gracious purposes; 
Study thou in the night to do good.  let thy reins teach thee Wisdom in the Night; David professeth he will not go up to his Bed, nor suffer his eye▪ lids to slumber, till he have found out a place for God. 
Psal. 132. 3.   
Tully saith it were a shame for him that Catiline should be more watchful for the destruction of the Commonwealth, than he for the safety and preservation of it.  
In sparing sleep for good purposes is a recompense, Gen. 19 4, 29. Consider that Night-sins, have day plagues, 2 Sam. 12. 12. consider, Job 35. 10. God giveth Songs in the Night, and his mercies walk round about thee all night long, he keepeth watches for thee, he thinketh on thee, and doth for thee, that thou dost not for thyself, keepeth thy house, Body, Goods, Soul, while thou sleepest; and therefore in the night do thou think of him.  
Psal. 119. 55. In the night season oh Lord I thought on thee. In the night commune with the Lord by prayer, meditation and confession. Psal. 77. 60. In the night I commune with my heart, and search out my spirit; in the night desire after the Lord, Isa. 26. 9 so the Church, with my Soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me, will I seek thee early; in the night praise the Lord; at midnight I will rise and praise thee.  
Examine thy employment of thoughts in the night, when thou goest to bed and risest, whether thy thoughts run after money and muck, world and business, whether on revenge, pride, hatred, sports, or whatsoever.  
A good heart hath a better treasury within itself, and without it for thee to feed on; meditate and be serious, and remember still how diligent we should be in God's wo●ke; cursed is he that doth God's work negligently, Jer. 48. 10.  
Note 2. God would admonish Peter according to his word by the Cock's crow, if so be Peter will take knowledge of himself; but Peter doth not.  
Quest. Why? it may be being midnight, he was sleepy and could not hear.  
Answ. But Peter had got his first sleep before, Christ went thrice and found them sleeping; besides Peter was now afraid, and fear and danger kept him waking enough, and therefore the cause was,  
1. His heart was asleep and regardless of his sin, and so long all the Cocks in the World cannot wake him.  
2. The time appointed for his wakening was not yet come; he had denied but once as yet; he must deny thrice, let the Cock crow never so often.  
Note. A fearful consequent and Companion of sin is induration and blindness; 
Induration a fearful consequent of sin.  here we see even the godly themselves sleep fearfully after sin; how did David cast hit conscience asleep after he had committed Adultery? his heart is hardened; and after the Adultery, he falleth into Murder, and yet along time he is not wakened till the Lord by his Prophet wakeneth him.  
Gen. 37. 24, 25. when joseph's Brethren had taken him, and stripped him, and cast him into a pit, than they sat-downe to eat bred; a man would have thought they should have sat down to weep for their sin; but their sin hath so blinded them, they rejoice together as if they had nothing offended; nay, now almost twenty years they carry their sin, and never take notice of it.  
Reas. 1. Because man's heart naturally is hard, 
And why?  being infected with the poison of original sin; and this hardness is increased by our own sins conceived or consented to, or committed, or repeated, or continued; there was no deadness or dulness in Adam's conscience in innocency.  
2. Sin hath a property, 
Culpa claudit oculos, Greg.  to stun and benumb the conscience and Soul of man; for as a man falling from an high place, lieth a great while in a swoon or trance, and cannot help himself; so the Children of God in their falls of Sin.  
David after his Sin was a dead man without sense of sin, or of comfort; he had lost his heart, his joy, his feeling, till God created and restored him again, Psal. 51.  
3. The supposed pleasure of sin doth drown Judgement, disturb Reason, and blind Conscience, so as it can soothe itself, and think his own sins less, or scarce sins; every man thinks his own breath sweet; and delight in sin brings on custom, and custom in sin taketh away the sense of sin.  
Use 1. Beware of a sleepy heart and benumbed conscience, 
Beware of a sleepy conscience.  a most fearful fruit of sin, and far worse than sin itself; most men are in love with their Consciences when they lie still and quiet; and this is the case and conscience of the common Protestant, who takes that for quietness and peace which is indeed death itself, or a deadly lethargy of Conscience. But this dead Conscience is like a dead body laid in the grave, sleeps, lieth still, and is clean forgotten, but shall awake, and rise again & be more active than ever it was, either in Mercy, and in season, as in the godly, when they shall sustain sorrow enough, and taste the sour sauce of their sweet meats, and out of deep sorrow recover their joy, as in Peter; Or in Justice, and too late, as in Judas, who slept all the while he conspired against his Lord, but no sooner wakened, but he went and hanged himself; here was the most fearful wakening, because his denial of his Lord was of maliciousness, Peter of infirmity.  
Many living in gross sins thank God they never were troubled in Conscience, proclaim their shame and misery.  
Use 2. If a Conscience renewed in part can be so blinded by sin, 
Worst still in the Wicked.  oh what gross corruption and wickedness reigneth in a Conscience unregenerate? this will make stop at nothing, but groweth senseless in the foulest ways of sin; this goeth on from evil to worse without remorse, till sometimes they be delivered up to a reprobate sense; Cain to kill his Brother, Absalon to rebel against his own Father, Amnon to defile his sister Thamar.  
A Smith layeth as many hard blows on the Anvil as on the Iron he works; the Anvil is the same not dinted, but the other yields to his desire; so here is the difference, but that one hath heat and fire in it, softening it, the other cold without all fire within; so here, God speaketh as loud strokes and as hard on the wicked man's heart, as on the godly; the same void, the same hand, but without all fire and heat of the Spirit mollifying without all impression, only recoils the voice and stroke.  
Use 3. Oh that we could come to feel and cry out of the stone in the heart as we will of the stone in the kidneys, and esteem hardness of heart a fearful plague, as indeed it is.  
If God take away a man's bodily sight or hearing, every man taketh notice, and mourneth under such a rod of God, but when sin hath taken away the inward ear and eye, that there is no seeing or hearing of admonitions and rebukes of sin, no man thinks this a judgement, but a benefit; seeing therefore soft a hearing heart and ear is so great a blessing, as the contrary is a curse, labour for soft hearts, pray against hardness; use means to waken thee; get wise and understanding hearts to observe the crow of the Cocks, to observe the steps and ways of God with us, and his degrees and dealing with us.  
Motive 1. This is a part of God's revenge against sin, both in godly and wicked; David will secretly take another man's Wife, his Wife shall be taken openly on the housetop in the sight of Israel, in which all Israel shall read the sin of David so secretly contrived.  
2. That which the wicked feareth must come upon him; he feareth nothing but light, nothing so much as man's eye, so if he cannot carry his business Cast tamen cau●è therefore God brings this fear on him, and oft Boys and Girls come to know and speak of that they most sought to cover.  
3. Shame and Sin go hand in hand; and in effect.  
The Sinner hateth not only his own soul, but his own good name; the Adulterer that watcheth the twilight, and hideth himself in the night, shuts the doors, windows, draws curtains, &c. cannot shut out God's eye, nor the eye of his own conscience, no nor the mouths of men, but some one or other spyeth him, and for the most part he is reputed as he is.  
The Drunkard that is drunk in the night, he is ashamed of his sin in the day, though many deboyst Persons be not; yet because the Wife, Children, Servants, Neighbours, Companions spy him, he beareth justly the name and shame of his sin, which he thought darkness could bear off; so the Usurer, the unjust trader that smootheth over deceit, one time or other, one Maid or other, one occasion or other, shall detect them, and cast the shame of their sin in their faces, and on their names.  
Nay more, hide thy hypocrisy, thy distaste of God's Servants in the darkest cave and corner of thy heart; lock up secret wrath and displeasure in the most inward Closet of thy breast, God will one day detect thee, he needs neither man nor Maid to discover thee, the sparks of thine own fire within thee shall fly abroad, and make men know thee better than thou wouldst be known; he that hath birds of Heaven to carry forth curses of the thoughts against the King, Eccles. 10. 20. and by that which hath wings can declare the speeches of thy bedchamber, can and will easily in his time declare what thou art in things which of all others thou wouldst be masked in.  
Note 1. Here is another Maid of the high Priest as good as the former, 
Like Master, like Servant.  and both as good as their Master, all of them very busy against Christ and his Disciples, the Master against the Master, and the Servants against his Servants.  
But these Maids forgetting their business, their Sex, their modesty, their place, show themselves very rude in that, in the presence of so many men, they take upon them to prate to a man; a stranger, in a business not concerning themselves or places.  
But learn, that as the Master is, commonly such are the Servants, such is the Family; a good Master will have good Servants, a bad contrary.  
The Centurion, Luk. 7. 8. being a good man, hath a number of good Servants and trained in good order and subjection.  
And we scarce read of a convert, but we read of the faith and conversion of his Family, Acts 16. 33. The Jailor. chap. 18. 8. Crispus believed, and all his House.  
But how contrary we see that of Solomon? Prov. 29. 12. If the Prince be given to lies, all the Servants are wicked.  
If Esau be wickedly and maliciously minded against Jacob, he hath three or four hundred Servants all at his heels ready to destroy him, Gen. 33. 1.  
If Absalon unnaturally plot the death of his own Brother Amnon, he keepeth Servants ready enough to act and execute it.  
A swearing Master, hath blasphemous Servants; a Popish Master, Popish Servants; an Atheist Master, hath Atheist Servants; he careth not, nor careth whether their Religion be for God or the Devil.  
Reas. 1. A good man hath a care to provide himself good Servants, 
Why a good Master hath good Servants  sober, teachable, at least inclinable to goodness; David Psal. 101. will not suffer a vicious Person in his house, a Liar, a Slanderer.  
No man is willing to entertain a Thief in his house, to rob him; and art thou more careful of thy Goods, and weary of him, than he that will rob God of his glory by blaspheming, cursing and wicked courses?  
2. If he find them not so good, he is careful to teach and instruct them; so Abraham was commended that he would teach his Family after him, Gen. 18. 19 and become a good pattern and example of piety and grace; every man for his own advantage will teach and train up his Servants and Apprentices in the knowledge of their own trads and occupations, and much more good men hold themselves bound to train them in the knowledge of God, and way of godly life.  
3. He will carefully reform his Family with Abraham, cast out the Scorner, the profane and incorrigible Scoffers, and such as will not yield to instruction and admonition or correction, he will and must remove and expel as desperate and infectious members, that the whole be not corrupted or infected.  
Reas. 2. Why a wicked Master hath a wicked Family and Servants. 
Why a bad Master hath bad Servants.   
1. Because he delighteth in no other, but such as abett his own evil and execute it; some men think it not for their profit to keep a Servant that cannot lie and swear as fast as speak, so it be to others, not themselves; they must not have their Servants blockish, for than they will neglect their business, nor have too much knowledge; for they will see their faults, and make scruple of their commandments.  
2. Because of the contagion of Sin; Sin is of a strong and swift motion, it can move up hill and ascend from Inferiors to superiors; from the Wife to the Husband, as Jehoram did evil, for ahab's Daughter was his Wife, 2 King. 8. 18. and Ahab was wicked, whom Jezabell provoked.  
From Counsellors to Kings, 
1 King. 12. 14.  as the evil counsel of Rehoboam, and from Servants to Masters, 
1 Chr. 19 3.  from People to Ministers, Isa. 6. 5.  
If it go up Hill so fast, how swift is it down Hill? if it can rise from the feet to the Head so quickly; how suddenly from head to feet? from Superiors to Inferiors?  
3. Because of the countenance sin gets from Superiors; if sin be so bold and active as all the Authority and care of Superiors can scarce repress and restrain it; how can it but thrive, when it hath gotten Authority, countenance, and confirmation, when it is incited, commanded, backed and abetted?  
It's 
2 Chr. 12. 1●  said Rehoboam did commit Idolatry, and all Judah did the like under every green Tree, and on every green Hill, so here, all the Servants, men and maids are as ready as their Master to mischief and wrong Jesus Christ; and it is so in most wicked Families ordinarily, such as depend on Masters for approbation, or preferment, conform to their humours.  
Use. 1. For Masters to provide even for their credit by reforming their Families; 
All should mind the reforming of their families  Many profess Religion and the fear of God, but it is in the Church, not in his house; he cares not who they be he keepeth in his House, Swearers, godless and pophane Persons, and they serve his turn, and do his business, using them as Beasts rather than men, who have souls for which they must make account; say thou art no Swearer, no Sabbath-breaker, no Atheist, no rude or disordered Person; if thou keepest such in thy house, surely thou art either such or mayst justly be so accounted.  
Say not thou hast such bad Servants, and it is so hard to get a good Servant; fear rather thou art a bad Master, who neither carest to choose better, or make them better; and perhaps th●y come out of such rude and disordered Families as thine own be; thou hast run to the Hedge and hast taken in Briars and Thorns, and now complainest: takest them in whom thou canst not govern, and then complainest of encumbrance.  
2. Let Masters hence learn to look to their own ways first, 
Let the Master be first good himself.  and do nothing which they would not have their Families do after them, but as the Sun giveth light to all the Regions round about him, and by his shine expels all darkness; so the Master by his godly example, should be as a light to his Family, inciting and encouraging all goodness, and chase away sin by Instruction, Example, and all due severity.  
Say with 

Joshuah, 
Josh. 24. 15.  first, I and my house will serve the Lord.  
Hester, 
Hester 4. 16.  I and my Maids will Fast.    
Thou art a Master, know that true Reformation of thy Family must begin at thyself; if thou canst not abide it in thyself, thou wilt not brook it in others so near thee; sin is a good fellow, is sociable, and would have all like itself.  
Again, 
Mat. 7. 5.  thou canst not truly hate sin in another, and cherish it in thyself, correct it in another, and cocker it in thyself. Cast out thine own beam first.  
Use 3. Masters in the disorders of their Families should humble themselves, 
Or be humbled, if not.  suspect themselves; turn part of their anger against themselves; say, Truly I and my house serve not the Lord; I have not instructed, I have failed in my example, I have not corrected the sin when I might, I have not made right steps to my feet, which hath turned out others, Heb. 12. 13. I have eaten four Grapes, and set their teeth on edge.  
Use. 4. Servants learn hence, 
Servants should look to their ●ule, not bad example.  not to think they can be borne out in their evils by their Master's example, nor do any thing against a good Conscience; your rule is not the rule of your Master, or framing to his example, but to the rule of the Word. If thy Master should do or command thee to do any thing that is unhonest, unjust, unlawful or ungodly, thou must not in any wise do it, but now know thou hast a Master in heaven; happy had it been for this Maid, now her Master was so busy against Christ, if she had taken his part, and the part of his Disciples, Acts 4. 19, and 5. 29. Whether it be right to obey God or men, judge ye.  
Let not Masters think themselves wronged; for neither Apprentice nor Parent, nor Husband must be obeyed but in the Lord. 
Eph. 6. 1.  It was Sarahs' great infirmity, to dissemble twice at her Husband's request; Masters must not drink that water gotten by the hazard of the souls of their Servants, as David.  
Caution 1. If a command be only inconvenient and unmeet, thou must obey; if not unlawful, make conscience.  
2. If thou be sure it be sin, not a conceit or opinion.  
Object. But I am in doubt.  
Answ. Here labour to be grounded: but till then, better doubt and obey, than doubt and disobey.  
3. If sure it be sin, look to the manner of disobedience; though God free thee from obedience in act, yet not from obedience in suffering.  
Though from the Action thou knowest ungodly, yet not from reverend, humble, and dutiful subjection, affection and demeanour.  
To deny unlawful things with sturdy and insolent words or carriage is utterly unlawful.  
Note 3. In the Instrument that Peter falls twice here by two Women; the Papists hence declaim, and make invectives against women, not only because Eve was the cause of Adam's fall, but for that these ' two Maids were means to cast down the pillar of their profession, Saint Peter.  
Indeed the Scripture show what great power is in wicked women to draw men to evil as in Solomon, Jezabell, Herodias, many Women whose hands are as Bands to drag men to sin, who are taken with their persuasion as saith Solomon, even as an Ox to the slaughter.  
Neither is it marvel that sin comes upon us in our nearest friends, nor that Satan first overcomes the weaker Vessel.  
Nor that by that he overcomes the stronger; for we fight not with flesh and blood, 
Ephes. 6. 12.  but with spiritual wickednesses in them; and we can easily hear the whisper and Siren's voices of sin, being altogether corrupt.  
All which should teach 1. Women to be sure their persuasions of Husbands be just, 
Instructions to Women.  holy and good; never to dare to persuade men into sin; as knowing they were given as helps unto men, to help them out of sin; and whereas they are weaker Vessels, and most impotent in their passions and desires, be sure to examine what they persuade too, so much more diligently, lest they be circumvented as Eve, and if they meet with so good a nature, as is easy to be persuaded, and hear them, it is a double sin to abuse it, and seduce it to evil; it is said of a good woman, 
Prov. 31. 26.  that she opens her mouth in wisdom.  
2. It should teach Men to care not to be drawn to evil by women's persuasions; 
And men●  should aman be weak and womanly impotent? Joseph would not be won from his fidelity by any persuasion.  
That all wisdom is little enough to support a man matched with an evil Woman, see in Solomon, to whom no warnings, no wisdom was enough.  
But in these two Maids observe more specially, that as the Women had the first hand in the first sin; so women had hand also in this great sin of the death of Christ; forthough they could pass no sentence against him in public, yet in their places they could scorn him, and endanger his Disciples.  
And consequent it is that women had need of their redemption by Christ's death as well as men; whosoever have hand in the transgression, stand in need of the benefit and means of pardon.  
Many Women are careless of the main business, 
Luke 10. 42.  of the one thing necessary; Martha's; this consideration should stir them up to choose the better part.  
3. All Women learn this; 
What speech Women should use.  seeing much of their speech is directed to men, and they are much in speech, how to guide their speeches.  
1. To open her mouth in wisdom, as the virtuous woman, Prov. 31. 26. the law of grace in her lips; to stir up the grace of God in any, and not the corruption of their heart, and not as many, who if they find their Husband or friends forward or backward make them more backward, and if there be but a spark of goodness, are means quite to dead and extinguish it.  
2. To persuade and council good things; not as Hamans' Wife when he told her of all his prosperity, but Mordecai troubled all, Hester 5. 14. She counselled him to set up a Tree fifty cubits high; and speak to the King to hang Mordecai, which council came home to herself.  
But rather as the Shunamite to her husband, 2 King, 4. 9 I know this is a man of God, let us make a little Chamber, and set him up a Table, Bed, Stool and Candlestick, that he may turn in to us.  
2. Comfort him in his troubles with good and approved comforts,; not as Jezabell did Ahab sick; up, art thou King of Israel? I will get thee Naboths Vineyard, 1 King. 21. 7. but as Manoahs' wife, Judg. 13. 23. If the Lord would kill us, he would not have received our sacrifice, nor showed us all these things.  
Note 2. The Cock crows according to God's word, 
Heart hardened no means do a man good.  which should have been a check to Peter for that he had done already, and a stop to go no farther; but the warning that Christ gives him, wakens not his heart, doth no good; while the heart is hardened, no means can do a man good; here was means enough to stop Peter.  
1. Christ's prediction yet in his ears.  
2. Christ's care in affording him a sign of his sin, to lay to his heart.  
3. The accomplishment of the sign in the Cock's voice, bringing now his sin to his ear, that he might take notice of himself; but yet Peter doth not, because of the senselessness and hardness of his heart.  
Use. As with Peter, so with most men; God offers Peter a great blessing in the crowing of the Cock, but Peter never sees it, nor receives it; Christ by his word as a powerful Cock, would awaken men out of their sins, graciously admonisheth them of their danger of their falls, but men are as deaf as Peter, they will not be dis-eased or wakened, and reform.  
2. Observe the true cause of not profiting by the voice of Christ in his ministry; 
True cause of not profiting by preaching.  not in Christ, not in the Cock here, but in Peter himself not acknowledging that voice; so the word is preached, few profit, few are reclaimed; where is the fault? is it in God? what can he do more than warn the Sinner, is it in the word, 
Rom. 1. 16.  which is the Power of God to Salvation? is it in the Cock or Teacher? may things be made more plain, more intelligent and powerful? no, it is in men's hardening their own hearts, closing their eyes, shutting their ears; oh Israel, thy destruction is of thyself. 
Host 13. 9   
Note 3. What a great plague of God an hard heart is, 
Hard heart a great plague of God.  because it binds their sins upon them; how do Swearers, Liars, Sabbath-breakers, Usurers, hear the voice of the Cock, nay of Christ himself in his word, crying out of their sins, denouncing damnation for them, and yet persist without reformation, but that custom of sin hath made them so deaf that they take no notice either of the sin, or that there is any need of reformation? why doth yet the Adulterer blush, the Drunkard shame, the blasphemous Swearer hide his face for shame at so foul sins, 
Eph. 4. 19  so cried and crowed out upon, but that the conscience by sin is past feeling, and heart dead asleep?  Vers. 69. Then a Maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, this is one of them; but he denied it again. 
NOW we come to the second assault and temptation; for Peter lies now in security, and security is never without temptation; a sleeping man falls with a small motion; Satan needs do but little to thrust him down, he will fall of himself, as Eutychus Acts 20. 9  
Then a Maid saw him again.] A very little while after, a Maid, whether the same Maid, or she had told it to some of her fellows, it is not material, but likely it was another Maid; Matthew saith it was another saw him again.  
Peter was bold to go to Caiaphas' house, because it was night, he was in hope to be hid, and that no body should see him; but one Maid spies him, another wench spies him, and now he sees that he was known well enough.  
Note hence the boldness of Sinners, 
Foolish Sinners think to keep all secret.  who think to carry their sins close and secret from the eye of man; besides, that the Lord sees them through the black cloud, sometimes while they think themselves in a mist, and that they walk invisible; in this path they are espied well enough, and while they think to deceive others, themselves are most deceived.  
If Peter would never so fain shuffle himself in among the high Priests Servants, one maid after another shall descry and disclaim him to be Peter; let him hide himself in the dark, a Maid shall see him hide himself, only Christ shall spy him.  
And whereas it were very hard if they could not devise some quarrel against their Preacher; yet sometimes the Lord so upholdeth his Lights, as they have no just cause that they dare bring into the light, which they can quarrel directly against; his profession and preaching is accused to be the cause of so many evils in the World, and so much preaching makes the World worse, and so as mad dogs they bark at the Sun, and would pull the Sun of out Heaven, because it draws out the stink of a Dunghill; so the word, because it discovers evil is the cause of evil.  
How are good and godly men and Women, Brethren and Sisters of Jesus Christ, members of his body, and one of another reproached and reviled at this day, and charged to be the worst of all sorts of People that live and the common cry runs against them, as Sectaryes, hypocrites, and worse than Idolators; why, but saith Pilate what evil hath he done? you charge him with many several things, but I see no evil in him; nay (say they) as if we would have brought him to thee, if he were not an evil doer; Pilate must take their word, for that other sufficient matter can he wring none.  
Oh but there be great matters against these precise Professors, they be Runners to Church, great Hearers of Sermons; nay they carry Bibles under their Arms, they repeat Sermons when they come home, and sing Psalms in their houses, can go about no work till they have solemnly prayed, nor go to bed without reading and praying, so great is their hypocrisy. They be Jews in keeping the Sabbath, they must do nothing, nor speak but holy things, scarce make their Beds, dress any meat, or eat it when dressed.  
Nay, they have been accused sometimes in Pulpits, sometimes on Stages, that they would not swear, nor suffer an oath in another unreproved, nor they will not be drunk, nor abide to run to Taverns or Alehouses; they are so strict as they will not endure any merry company, nor be merry themselves, as Israel a People that dwelled alone, 
Deut. 33. 38.  and numbered not themselves among the Nations; and are not these proper accusations? or are there any other greater justly cast upon them; so as our Saviour concludes the matter; if ye were of the world, the world would love her own; 
1 Pet. 4. 4.  and Peter, because ye run not with them to the excess of error, but stand with Christ in your own duty and station, and therefore they hate you.  
This so being, let godly men be so much the more wary of themselves and courses, as small things are made great matters in them. Judge yourselves in small things, let the righteous smite you, and the word of God wound your infirmities, lest you fall into their hands.  
Oh that Professors would so walk, as all their accusations would vanish into shadows and smoke; oh that you would by innocency thus dull and blunt all their keen Weapons! the wisdom of a man will make a benefit of an Adversary, much more the wisdom of God in his Servants.  
Lastly, this may be a comfort and encouragement to godly men; if they have nothing but thy profession to upbraid thee for, 
Job. 31. 36.  thou mayst take the Adversaries book, and wear it as thy crown; make account if thou in thy life testify of the evil of the World, 
How Christ witnesseth against the world.  it will accuse thee, if not for evil, yet for good, Christ witnesseth against the World.  
1. By unweariable pains in doctrine, that their works were evil, calling it to repentance, to mortification, remission of sins, and newness of life.  
2. By accusing the hypocrisy of it, 
Mat. 5. 20.  except your righteousness exceed the Pharisee; a fair righteousness must they think they had, that shut them out of Heaven.  
3. By condemning not only their Adulteryes, Usurers, Oppressions, Thefts, murders, but even their prayers, Alms, Fasts, Chastity and piety, abstracted from faith and repentance; could the World endure this?  
4. By innocency of life, opposed to their corruptions, he made both shine clear.  
5. By separating from their company in their evil, plainly declaring what he thought of them and their courses, and do thou the like, be sure thou shalt hear of the World on both sides.  Ver. 70. But he denied it again. 
WHERE 

1. Repetition.  
2. Manner, with an oath, Mat. 26. 72.    
Peter had first denied his Lord for fear, now he denies again for shame; lest having lied, he be found a Liar; Peter was better contented to be a Liar then so accounted, and therefore stood still in denial.  
Beware of acquainting thy tongue with the least untruth, lest it easily come to be repeated, and into a custom.  
Note He that once cracks his conscience, 
Conscience once cracked, a man adventures ●arther.  will not much strain at it the second time; see it in good Jacob, Gen. 27. 12, 19 he is at first very fearful to seem a mocker to his Father, and to delude him with a lie, but coming unto his Father, maketh a long speech, and professeth himself boldly and securely his eldest Son Esau; and after when Isaac suspected his voice, and asked him, ver. 29. But a●t thou my Son Esau? he answered again, yea.  
Good Joseph, Gen. 42. 15. 16. to show his vehemency to his Brethren, rapt out one oath after another, as it seems was the manner of the Court of Egypt (as now of England) but not fit for Joseph or seemly, nor fit for Joseph or seemly, nor lawful for any.  
Reas. 1. Sin is very bold where once it is bid welcome; if it once enter, 
And why?  it knows the way again, and once admitted will plead, not possession, but prescription; an army is easier kept out, then beaten out.  
2. The Sinner is less able to resist the second time, than he was the former, so Peter here; for grace is weakened and decayed by yielding to the first temptation, and the strength of God which only makes the way of grace easy, plucked away by grieving his holy spirit.  
Therefore Peter here denies as often as he is tempted, and would have denied a thousand times if the Lord by his prediction had not limited the temptation, and returned with new strength.  
3. The way of sin once set open, is as the Gates of a City cast open for the Enemy, by which Satan bringing in his forces, strongly plants them, and quickly so fortifieth them, as a great strength shall hardly raze or remove them.  
Every sin admitted, not only weakens, but corrupts the faculties of the Soul by which it is upheld, it darkens understanding, corrupts the will, disturbs the affections, and raiseth a cloud of passions to dazzle reason, as Peter here in fears and perplexityes, and doubts, marvellous blind for a time.  
Use Be exhorted to give sin no entrance at all, 
Keep sin out or drive it out quickly.  or if thou canst not keep it out, drive it out presently by repentance; as the wise Mariner carefully keeps his Ship from leaking; and if he cannot ever prevent, but it will take in some water, he emptyes and pomps it out at the beginning, because than it is easier emptied than afterward.  
A wise man is careful to prevent a disease, and preserve his health; but if he cannot always do it, he will run to the remedy betime, knowing that an old disease troubles the Physician, which not distemper only, but age and continuance hath confirmed.  
It is a folly to taste of Sin, and the sweet meats of it; but to sit down to feed upon it, is madness to him that knows he must vomit up every morsel, yea every crumb of it, before he can be well.  
Again, seest thou sin let in by sin? though it may solicit thee, yet let it no settle on thee; cast thine eye about, and see how hard, how impossible almost to remove a custom of swearing, of lying, drunkenness, or any evil habit which hath fastened on us; how seldom are such habitual Sinners reclaimed? how hard is it to turn the course of the Thames or River, which time out of mind hath kept his own Channel? how hard to pluck out a Nail which one hath been driving in forty or fifty years? cast thine eye within thyself, observe how some favoured corruption let in, and let go, hath weakened thy Soul, quenched thy good desires, deadened good duties dimmed thy judgement, and wholly unfit thee for exercise of grace and expectation of glory.  
The manner of his denial, with an Oath.  
A Dicer (they say) will grow to be a Beggar in a night, and in a night Peter will grow from a Dissembler to be a Swearer and forswearer.  
Note 1. How ill Peter provides for himself, 
Good men too apt to help themselves by bad means.  to wind himself out of danger and perplexity; evil men set upon him, and he sets upon God, and sets his own conscience against him by increasing sins and evils as the dangers increase; not only evil men, but good men are too prone to help themselves by evil means.  
Not Esau only, being almost dead for hunger, must supply himself by selling his birthright; but Jacob will get it by lying; not Saul only will seek to a Witch to help him in a strait; but good Sarah wanting a child, although having a promise, will give her maid to her Husband.  
Reas. 1. Want of judgement, when passion hath darkened it, takes it for a case of necessity, 
And why?  as Peter here, which we say hath no Law, but falsity; it is not necessity to break the commandment, but necessity not to break it; no necessity for David to kill Vriah so to hide his Adultery.  
2. Weakness of faith which makes hasty and weary of waiting on God's power and providence, his promise and truth set aside; and if he delay our help a little we easily think he denies it.  
Use Let the Godly in their straits seek their enlargement from God alone, 
In straits seek to God for enlargement.  and not to increase their own bonds as Peter.  
Let them in their straits labour to follow God as Abraham, God will provide, labour to keep peace, 
Gen. 22.  liberty and comfort of Conscience, which only can make them look up to God, and expect a good issue.  
Let Satan prevail with others to help themselves to wealth by lies, oaths, deceit, to recovery of health, and things lost by the Witch; to wind themselves out of punishments by hiding themselves in lies and tricks, and to avoid an inconvenience, run into a mischief; but let them beware in their hunger to make stones bread; let them not leap out of the pan into the fire but serving a good Lord, let them expect his goodness in good means, which had Peter done, he had been kept from great offences.  
Note 2. How one sin brings in another, 
One sinbrings in another.  and how the stay in one sin, as to David and joseph's Brethren, brings an increase of sins; denying brings in swearing, swearing brings in forswearing; Peter should not have sworn, much less forsworn; for it was enough and too much to deny the second time.  
1. Here was no necessity for an oath, 
Conditions of an oath.  neither being lawfully called, nor in a thing which (had it been true) might not have been otherwise proved by reason, testimony, or other proofs or Arguments; now an oath is ordained of God for confirmation of a weighty and necessary truth when all other proofs fail.  
2. Here is an oath made, neither for God's glory, which tended to the denial and dishonour of God, where a right oath is a glorious use of God's name; nor the necessity and good of men, except it be good to be deceived in so great matter as acknowledgement or mistaking Gods own Person.  
3. The right end of an oath is a defence and shield of truth to confirms and back it, and not to be a Sanctuary of lies, or to deceive the Person to whom we swear.  
4. But this Oath besides is a perjury in the highest degree; it neither agrees with the truth in the matter, nor yet in the mind; and how fearful is this sin?  
1. How dares Peter produce God himself as a witness to confirm a known lie? how dares he draw God into his sin, so far as he can? knows he not that he is the God omniscient and knows the heart, that he is omnipotent and just, able and willing to revenge all unjust oaths? if he know not, why swears he now by him? if he do know, why will he call a Maintainer of truth and revenger of falsehood against his own soul? knows not Peter that the Lord, who is the Avenger of all guile, 1 Thes. 4. 6. must especially avenge this guile and deceit of the highest kind, masked under a religious and solemn oath? if no fraud shall escape, can this?  
Use 1. Beware of all swearing, 
Brethren swear not at all, Jam. 5. 12.  let your yea be yea, all else is evil, if in ordinary communication, Eccles. 9 2. a righteous man fears an oath; God will not hold him guiltless, that is a Swearer, the third Commandment, a whole book of curses in Folio to fly into the house of the Swearer and the Thief; 
Zach. 5. 4.  consider thou that fillest a whole Volume with thy Oaths, that God will fill a great Volume with plagues against thee, Zach. 5. 3. as oaths are little, so the plagues are great.  
Beware of swearing company; Peter here doth as they do; perhaps they will suspect him the less, to be a Disciple to so strict a Master; easy it is for an Israelite among a company of barbarous Swearers to forget the language of Cana●n.  
Beware especially of false swearing, 
Especial to swear falsely.  which notes a fearful contempt of God's justice and power, a sin that the Heathens trembled at, a sin that we never read the Devils committed; for though he impudently resisted the truth, and is a Liar, and father of lies, and draws his instruments to preminiries daily, yet we read not that ever he durst back his lies with oaths.  
A vain Oath is too much for a Christian, much more a false oath; a Christian should invocate the name of God, as his strongest help, not impricate it as a Revenger.  
But this kind of Invocation is the greatest enemy and bar to true Invocation; how dares that man presume in his want or distress to call on that name for help, which he hath so often profaned by swearing or forswearing?  
In a word, if thou wouldst avoid forswearing, or void swearing itself; an ordinary swearing is an ordinary forswearer.  
Means. Avoid passion and stirring of affections, which made Peter here forswear, and David to swear against the life of Nabal and his Family, and makes many forget themselves, never so little stirred, swearing and blaspheming, as if they never had been where Reason and Religion was, but bewray themselves as the most rude and barbarous Heathens, or as the cursed Dog, scorn and bark and rage against God, if any man cast a stone against him, or cross him never so little.  Verse 70. And anon after, they that stood by, said again to Peter, surely thou art one of them, for thou art of Galilee, and thy speech is like. 
HERE is the third assault and temptation of Peter set down:  

First, by the Time, Anon after.  
Secondly, the moving Cause, They that stood by.  
Thirdly, the Asseveration, Surely thou art one of them.  
Fourthly, the Probation; partly by 

The Country, Thou art of Galilee.  
The Language; Thy speech is like.     
Quest. Hath not Peter expressed weakness enough yet, but he must rise to further sins, and go on like one given up to reprobate sense?  
Answ. Christ had foretold Peter he must deny him thrice, and hereby most justly punished his sin of presumption, who three several times contradicted his Lord, saying;  
1. I will lay down my life for thee.  
2. I will die with thee before I deny thee.  
3. If all men, yet not I Now Peter shall better discern his threefold presumption by his threefold denial, and be as sound humbled as he was vainly puffed up; and he that had no such cause to be proud, shall have cause enough to be humbled.  
Quest. Why doth the Evangelist and all the rest of his fellow-Disciples set down this most third and fearful fall of their fellow Disciple, 
Why Peter's great sin is thus blazed forth.  that was to be so great a pillar in the Church of God? Why do they thus shame him to all posterity?  
Answ. 1. These holy men guided by the holy Ghost in penning the Scripture, looked neither at their own nor other men's glory, but the glory of God; many of the Penmen of Scripture set down their own infirmities and falls, as David, Matthew, John his curiosity, Paul in most vehement wise against himself; and some think that Peter himself did dictate this Gospel, and Mark writ it from him. Had they been guided by a humane spirit, they would have favoured themselves and one another.  
2. They more respect the glory of the grace of Christ in raising him out of such a fall, than the disgrace of Peter in so falling.  
3. More eye the consolation of the weak than his reputation; teaching us, in case of God's glory, neither to spare the reputation of others, or our own; but let God be true and all men liars; let God arise, and all flesh fall down before his footstool.  
First for the time, Anon after.] Luke. 22. 59 determines the time, and tells us, that between the first and last temptation was the space of an hour, a very small time to heap up so many foul sins as in Peter's were.  
Note. How much evil will break out of a good heart in a short space, 
In little time much evil may break out of a good heart.  in one hour, if God's grace uphold it not?  
Reas. 1. The godly are by nature the children of wrath as well as any; and after grace have the seeds and spawn of all sin in them; and that there is any difference in them from others, and they break not out into outrageous Sins, is only by grace; as Paul, by the grace of God I am that I am, 1 Cor. 15. 10.  
2. Do we not see how notwithstanding grace received, we may discern the naughtiness of our nature in a proneness to all evil, to which we are as headlong and naturally carried as a spark to fly upward? the best find in themselves a law of evil, a law in their members, rebelling against the Law of their mind, Rom. 7. A weight of sin which presseth down, and hangeth fast on, Heb. 12. 1. A rebellious flesh which lusts and fights against the spirit, Gal. 5. 17. do we see notwithstanding true grace received, notwithstanding our watch and best endeavour, we are carried captive to sin, and forced to do things we hate; how lamentable Slaves and Captives should we be? how forlorn and forward unto all unrighteousness; were it not for the Spirit of grace restraining and renewing?  
Use. Take notice of the evil lying in the best of our hearts who knows the gulf of evil there? 
Lessons in this respect.  we are like Hazaell, we will not believe we can be such dead dogs to do thus or thus, 2. King. 8. 12. would David have believed the day before, or that forenoon, that his prayers, praises, Psalms, all should be turned to wantonness, foul Adulteryes, outrageous Murders, other sins so quickly afterward?  
2. Acknowledge it is not of ourselves that we stand or fall not so soulely as others, our hearts being as slippery and ready to play false play, but by grace we stand, Rom. 11. 14. Thou standest by faith, be not high minded, Rom. 6. 14. sin shall not reign, because ye are under grace.  
3. Pray, not to be led into temptation as Christ counselled Peter and the rest; and with David, Lord forsake me not overlong; arm thyself with God's armour of pro●fe, 
Mat. 26. 41.  beware of vain confidence, promise nothing of thyself, 
Psal. 119. ●.  as Peter did, depend on God's strength; a staff stands no longer upright, than the hand holds it.  
4. Learn to beat down pride of heart; many think themselves in good case, no Thiefs, Adulterers, Murderers, but strangers at home, look not into their sink within, which may make them so and worse than so in as short a time as Peter.  
Secondly, the moving causes of this denial, They that stoood by said to Peter.  
SAint Luke 22. 29. saith that a certain other affirmed, verily this man was with him, for he is also a Galilean; and Saint John 18. 26. describes him to be the high Priests Servant, Cousin to him whose ear Peter smote off; our Evangelist speaks in the plural number, and so Mat. 26. 73. they that stood by.  
Answ. Both are true, many now set upon him, and many speak to him.  
But one especially followed the temptation, who was Malchus his Cousin, and to him they all consented and agreed, and in Scripture what one among a Rout of wicked men speaks, all are said to speak; for they are commonly all of one mind, and have all one voice; as crucify him, crucify him.  
Note 1. Peter was set upon before by one, 
As security increaseth temptation increaseth.  now by many at once; for sin and security increaseth, temptation increaseth and groweth more dangerous; for Satan draweth evil men from evil to worse, and even good men to the highest evil he can, both for God's highest dishonour, disgrace of goodness, shame of the Gospel, and sorrow of their own hearts.  
Note 2. In that this multitude of men take the Maid's part against Peter; 
All take part against a godly man.  if one wicked man have a quarrel against a Disciple of Christ, all wicked men, further than outward respects restrain them, combine with him against such an one; they will speak all one thing.  
Reas. 1. They are all of one heart and mind, 
And why?  and nothing differ against the fear of God.  
2. All led by the same Spirit that rules in the world.  
3. All cunning to unite their strength against God and his children, yea let them be never such enemies among themselves, all of them can be friended and agree against Christ and his Disciples, Luk. 23. 10.  
4. All of them Lovers of darkness, and bend to set forward every sin or work of darkness, and contrary Haters of the light.  
5. Experience shows us how Birds of a feather do flock together in wicked combination, as Prov. 1. 12. 14. and what is done to one, is taken as done to all.  
Use 1. Not to think it strange if it be with us as with Peter; 
Wonder not such partaking.  a lewd lying fellow cannot de●ise a quarrel against a godly man, professor or preacher, but h● shall be abetted in his courses of malice countenanced, pleaded for, preached for perhaps; why so? not for the goodness of the cause or Person, but because his Opposite hath some goodness, some light, which the Owl-light of carnal men cannot abide if he have been with Christ, it is cause enough to combine against him.  
Use 2. Let godly men learn hence to unite themselves, 
Godly should unite for good Luke 16. 8.  and join in good things, bestir themselves, to set forward good motions and actions, lest the wicked prove wiser in their generations then the Children of light.  
Alas, how comes it, that in good motions so many doubts and inconveniences are cast so many Lions in the way, till opportunity be cut off amongst godly men, when as not any wicked motion but grows an end, and a number of hands carries it lightly away?  
May we not be as bold for God and good causes as they against them? should not the fire of God's spirit, I mean the coals of zeal from the Altar be as hot and burning within us, as the sparks of Hell in them?  
Is not our cause as good? have we not the better end of the staff? serve we not as good a Master? expect we not better wages? therefore let us provoke one another to love and good works; 
Heb. 10. 24.  and the rather, because the time is short.  
Use 3. Godly men learn, 
Be of one mind in good things.  and should labour to be of one mind in good things, a Pet. 3. 8. to consent in the truth; to be of one judgement, will and affection in and for the truth: and 1 Cor. 1. 10. that all speak one thing; that there be no dissension, but knit togeher in one mind and in one judgement; with one mind and one mouth glorify God, Rom. 15. 6. And rather,  
Mot. 1. Because Satan seeks to combine evil men in evil; seeks to break off unity, and make division in good things; well knowing what a glory and grace it is to Religion to consent in one. He brings in division between Jews and Samaritans, between Papists and Protestants, all Christians; between Puritans and Formalists, all Protestants; this opens the mouths of Adversaries, and weakens the forces against the common Adversary.  
2. Consider what a seemly thing it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity; we profess and believe communion of Saints, and shall we not knit in this Communion? take example by the first Christians, who were all of one heart and mind●, Acts 2.  
3. God is a God of peace, the most simple unity in himself, a lover of unity in verity: 
Mat. 18. 20.  1 Cor. 14. 33. the Author of peace, and not of confusion; binding his presence to two or three, consenting in any thing in his name.  
Besides, Christ is one and not divided, his Coat without seam, and his members aptly joyntd both to the head and within themselves.  
4. By this thou expressest the humility and charity commended to Christians, laying aside self love and vainglory, 
Rom. 15. 1. 2.  when thou followest the truth in love, not seeking to please thyself, but thy Brother for edification.  Thou art also one of them, for thou art of Galilee, and thy speech is like. 
OF the Asseveration before; of it and the Probation jointly; Peter is now hard beset, not only by many at once, but by apparent circumstances and signs.  
1. His Country.  
2. His Speech.  
3. Malchus his Kinsman tells him of the Garden, where he had newly committed a riot, and struck off his Kinsman's ear.  
●. He is an eyewitness, and appeals to Peter; Did not I see thee with him in 〈◊〉 6. ●den? Peter could not now but know his falsehood was known, and yet 〈…〉 himself in that which all see but himself, and after the manner of impudent Malefactors, thinks to outface all still.  
Note 1. It seems the Galileans speak no other tongue then the Jews, but in another Dialect, or pronounced otherwise, by which pronunciation they gathered him to be a Galilean. As in our Nation, the same speech is in the Southern and Northern Countries, but the pronunciation and dialect differ, that they shall easily know a Northern man by his speech, if he continue there from the Southern; such difference it seemed was between them of Galilee from them dwelling about Jerusalem.  
This was indeed but a poor Reason, and no strength in it; for Peter might well have excepted against it, and have quitted him of it far better and handsomer than he did; for will this prove him a Disciple, because he was a Galilean, or because he spoke as a Galilean? for, were there not many of Galilee, and which spoke as they which were no Disciples? must every one of Galilee be a Disciple presently? hath Christ on the sudden a whole Country of Disciples.  
Note 2. What poor Reasons and weak Arguments go currant against Christ and his Disciples? 
Poor reasons hold current against godly men.  Mat. 11. 19 Christ eats with Publicans and sinners; he is invited to men's houses, therefore he is a good Fellow, a Glutton, a drinker of Wine.  
John Baptist came in austere and abstinent manner, therefore he hath a Devil in consequent, but enough to refuse their person, and their doctrine.  
1 Sam. 22. 9 Abimelech refreshed David, therefore a Traitor; the same at this day; let a Preacher come as John Baptist, be strict in his Doctrine, in his life, be rough to remove high holds of sin; oh he is so precise, so singular, so tart and rough, he preacheth only damnation, he preacheth the law, therefore no good Preacher, comes near the sins of Persons, a factious Preacher or Puritan; let him come mild, gentle, converse familiarly and freely with men; oh he is a flatterer, a Companion, timeserver; thus shall a godly Preacher every way be turned off.  
Reas. 1. Let a good man by doctrine or life disgrace sin justly, 
And why?  sinners will be ready to disgrace them unjustly; whatsoever comes to hand will serve their turn as a stone to fling at goodness, a slander, a suspicion, nay a necessary duty; thou wast with Christ; an Hearer of Sermons, therefore an hypocrite.  
2. A desire in the wicked any way to blemish such as take more notice, or any way discover their foul spots, and therefore will assault their names if not for great things, for smaller; if not for evil, for good; if not for substance, for shadows and trifles, they must keep themselves doing; Paul mad, Disciples Devils.  
3. They hope to discover their own faults by clamour against them that find fault with them as most faulty; the most shameful Offenders are the most shameless Accusers, none worse than they.  
Use 1. Not to be too credulous when we hear religious Persons and men fearing God accused, 
Receive not accusations of such easily.  and their faults aggravated; for though good men are not Saints exempted from failing or error, yet commonly they are not faulty in the matter, or in that measure that evil men and scorners most accuse them in.  
2. Evil men will make molehills swell to such Mountains against godly men; how would they insult if they can catch just advantage? let godly men be so much the more watchful and careful; if they cannot stop their malice, yet to stop their mouths, and starve their malice, leaving it no just matter to feed upon; offences must come, 
Mat. 18. 7.  but woe he to him by whom they justly come.  
3. Comfort ourselves, if our conscience tells us we suffer causelessly, or for innocency, if they beat us with the same staff they did Christ, Luke 23. 24. I find no fault in him, let us chastise him, and send him away.  
Note 2. This was indeed Peter's honour which they object as a crime, 
Our speech should manifest us Christians.  his speech betrays him, a Christian, a Disciple.  
Let our speech manifest ourselves Christians, both for the matter, as 〈…〉 all did not, and for the manner as his they say did.  
Reas. 1. A note of a true Israelite to speak the language of Canaan, 
And why?  Pro●. 16. 23. A wise man will guide his speeches wisely, a Christian man Christianly.  
2. No better way to express love to God and man then by speaking for God, and for men's edification.  
3. Imitate Christ, testify thou hast been with him; never man spoke so, nor can speak so, but we must imitate him, and make him our precedent, his speeches were either for God to set up the glory of his Father, or to God, in fervent prayers and praises for himself and others.  
Or else to man 

Either for the conversion or confirmation of the Elect.  
Or for the just admonition or conviction of the wicked.    
His words were never idle or empty, but filling and feeding many.  
Use. Happy is that man whose words testify him a Disciple of Christ; would to God a Jew could thus accuse us Christians.  
Means 1. Get a good fountain of a good heart, 
Means so to frame our language.  that is a good treasury, Mat. 12. 35. Psal. 37. 30. Prov. 10. Psal. 45. 1.  
2. Propound a good end, that thy lips may feed many, and thy speeches minister grace, may tend to God's glory, edification of many, and discharge of thy own duty; so David professeth, Psal. 39 1. I will take heed to my ways that I offend not.  
3. Prayer. Lips are sealed till the Lord open the mouth, Psal. 51. 15. The Lord must dispossess this dumb devil that makes us tongu●tyed when we 〈◊〉 speak, and Psal. 141. 3. Set a watch O Lord, and keep the door, etc.  
But how darest thou profess thou hast been with Christ, or art a Disciple, or Christian, in whose mouth dwell oaths, lies, curses, rottenness, ribaldry, slandering, whispering, etc. Consider,  
1. Thou that takest no account of thy words, 
Mat. 12. 36.  the Lord hath a time to call every of thy idle words to account, and thee for them, much more for hurtful and deceitful, wicked and poisonful.  
2. It is froth and filthiness of a bad heart, scum of a boiling heart.  
3. So it is a work of darkness as well to speak wickedly, as to do wickedly; a good man, a child of light, must make conscience of filthy words as well as filthy actions.  Vers. 71. And he began to curse and swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 
PETER was now in great danger, he hears of the Garden, and is in danger to be revenged for his tumult, his quarrel, and wronging Malchus, he is pressed by evident signs that he was with Christ, and now if he bestir him not, he shall not avoid present danger; or if he do, he shall be branded for a common Liar and perjured Person for ever, and therefore out of great fear he more stoutly denies his Master then before, and because neither his simple denial will serve him as in the first, nor his binding it with Oaths, and swearing as in the second; as if he had not done enough, he curseth and imprecateth himself, wishing not only mischief to himself, but calling on God a just Judge to avenge the falsehood, and inflict the deserved punishment on him if he knew of whom he spoke; Oh fearful sin!  
1. To deny his Lord and dear Master.  
2. After so many warnings on Christ's part.  
3. After so many confessions and professions of his own.  
4. After so often, three several times, so much time of deliberation coming between; one might seem infirmity, but thrice argues resolution.  
5. With lying and perjury.  
6. With cursing and imprecation.  
Thus Peter is in the forwardest of them that make falsehood their refuge and trust in lies.  
Note. How a man having begun to fall falls apace, and hath no stay of himself till the Lord stay him; 
One fall, and fall apace.  Peter here falls from lying to false swearing, from swearing to cursing; as Hamans' wife to Haman, if thou begin to fall, thou shalt surely fall, so fall follows upon fall where the Lord withdraws his hand, or stands aloof.  
2. Wicked men shall fall from evil to worse, till they fall into Hell; Saul from disobedience to Sorcery, from Sorcery to self-murder; Pharaoh shall fall ten times and not be warned till he fall into the bottom of Hell; and even the Child of God may fall fearfully, and should finally were he not stopped and stayed, and supported, as in our example.  
Reas. 1. Satan would have every man sins out of measure sinful; and every yielding to temptation invites his violence, 
And why?  and nothing will serve evil men but riot and excess of sin.  
2. One sin commonly goes not alone, but one pulls on another; a Garden undressed hath not one weed, but of all sorts of weeds; as graces go in a chain, faith brings love, love obedience; so vices go in a link, and sins are concatenated; David's security brings lust, lust whoredom, Adultery murder.  
Solomon first betakes him to Idolatrous Wives, then to Idolatrous worship; sin as we 〈◊〉 a good fellow, one hangs to another as bars, one sin cannot well be defended without another, or covered.  
3. One faculty corrupted corrupts another; imagination being corrupted by cogitation of sin, that corrupts the judgement, the judgement corrupts the affection, so as there is delectation in sin; affections corrupts the will, bringing it to consent, the will corrupts the parts by repeating custom and habit; thus sin in the Soul as a gangrene in the body eats up the next parts, till it speedily mortify the whole.  
4. The Lord in justice often punisheth sin with sin, as Pharaohs sin with obstinacy and hardness, Exod. 9 12. The Gentiles, by giving them up to their hearts lusts, Rom. 1. 23.  
Use. To stay beginnings of sin; 
Wisdom to stay beginnings of sin.  sin as an Infant at first may easily be overcome as being weakest; stop the fountain, close the windows, else thou shalt find it easier to get into the midst of sin, then find the way back again; Israel went at his own pleasure into Egypt, but could not come back again into Canaan when they would; A man may leap quickly and nothing lets him till he come into the bottom of a pit, but he shall get out with more leisure and difficulty.  
Means. 1. Therefore our Saviour saith; 
Mat. 26. 41.  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation; if once ye enter, ye will not come out without a foil, much less move to sin and offer temptation.  
2. Buckle the fear of God unto thee, 
Psal. 111. 10.  which is the beginning of wisdom; else thou goest headlong in sin; experience we have of men that at first are ashamed somewhat of what they do, and get some Cloaks, some covers to hide themselves under, but by a little continuance grow to some boldness, and cast away fear; very shortly grow to impudence and hardened faces in their sins, care not, nor fear what men see or say of them, and presently from not fearing man, come not to fear God at all; but as Nimrod was a mighty Hunter before the Lord; so these mighty Drunkards before the Lord, mighty Adulterers, Usurers, Swearers, Cursers, Railers before the Lord, no fear of God restrains them; take heed therefore and fear.  
If a Pillar, a Rock, one chosen by Christ could fall so headlong, let us not presume on our strength.  
Psal. 4. 4. stand in awe and sin not, Heb. 11. 7. By faith Noah being warned of God of the things which were as yet not seen, moved with reverence, prepared the Ark to the saving of his household, through the which Ark he condemned the World.  
3. Consider thy danger to fall, 
Particular means availing thereto.  and so far, so suddenly under prop thyself with good means afforded by God to up hold thee, as 1. The preaching of the word; many say, what need so much preaching? what need Preachers be so instant, so earnest in threatening us; God is merciful for all that; but God will make good their words against the soul of the wilful Sinner; seest thou no need of such earnest preaching, thy blind eyes see not the danger before thee, but God's Seers do; that notwithstanding their pains and labour thy sin is a ripening, and thou art running headlong, or rather flying swiftly to thine own damnation; if the Trumpet will not awake thee, I fear thou art de●●.  
2. Make use of the rods and crosses of God brought on thee to stay thee from the excesses of sin; where the Lord cannot prevail with the rod of his mouth he comes with the rod of his hand, and lasheth him sometimes with the loss of Goods or Friends, Wife, Children, etc. sometime with shame and loss of good name and respect; suffering them to fall into some notorious and shameful sin; sometime with smart and pain in Body, with lingering diseases, etc. and all to help them out of sin; if these be slightly passed by, they are forerunners of mischief; as thou makest haste in sin to come to the height, so the curse hasteneth which will oppress thee eternally; 
1 Sam. 2. 25.  as Elyes Sons regarded not their Father's admonishions because God would destroy them.  
3. Let the mercies and favours of God be so many Sermons of repentance, Rom. 2. 4. Knowest thou not that the bountifulness of God should lead thee to repentance? and a note it is of a wicked man, not to be drawn to God by cords of love. Isa. 26. 10. Let mercy be showed to the Wicked, he will not repent, in the land of uprightness he will do wickedly.  
Hast thou any life in thy Soul, and feelest not what great mercies God offereth unto thy soul, body, thyself and thine?  
Hast thou any sense and understanding in Scripture, and seest not how the Lord still makes sin more grievous by mercies received and despised? Isa. 1. 2. 2 Sam. 12. 7. in David himself: Gen. 49. 2. Rubens excellency gone, because being excellent he got up into his Father's bed; a fearful thing to have means of repentance without the grace of repentance.  
Register up the mercies of God to thee, as the ancient Believers did, set up an Altar in thine heart to offer Sacrifices of praise and thanks, take thyself to task, ask the question; oh what have I done for all the benefits, etc. shall I do so still?  
Let thy thankful obedience be as a monument set up, that others may see that God's mercies have deeply affected thee.  
Doctr. Note 2. That Peter was not so assaulted by both the former temptations as by this, 
Last temptation commonly the worst.  nor is in so great danger.  
The last temptation is commonly the worst and strongest, and most dangerous, and the most dangerous reserved till the last place; Satan bids not Peter curse himself if ever he knew the Lord, for this he would have detested; but first follow aloof, and then go into the high Priests Hall, then sit among God's enemies, then do as they did, and having once denied his Lord, stands to it stoutly.  
So Judas, he doth not as first bid him betray his Lord; for, as wicked as he was he could not be tam repentè improbus; but first to covetousness, and blinded his eyes with the offer of thirty pieces, and then struck up the matter by degrees, and yet after the betraying of his Lord, he must go and hang himself.  
He doth not usually tempt the Adulterer to cast himself upon the bed of his Harlot; but first David must look upon Bathsheba, and that is a small thing, then grow to liking, then to familiarity, and then to commit the heinous fact of Adultery.  
He doth not usually tempt the cruel man to murder his Neighbour or Brother at first, which is fearful and desperate, but first to dislike and fall out with him, then to hate him, then to kill him actually.  
Reas. 1. This is Satan's method in his temptations, 
And why?  to begin with small things wherein so much blackness appears not, which are easily swallowed, wherein men are more secure, as not thinking them to need any great resistance; but there he means not to stay; experience of every day shows, that being to deal with melancholy dispositions, he makes them discontent and impatient in some cross or loss, which is a great sin, but lies close and hides itself, as in a just sorrow; then brings them to discontent themselves in God's blessings, they joy not in Husband, Wife, Children, wealth, nor any thing; then to fall out with himself, no joy of themselves; and then the last temptation is worst, to kill thyself or thy Children, which was too black at first, and needed a time to prepare them.  
2. Satan's subtlety, who knows well by less temptations to make way to greater, as a cunning Thief by a little hole can wrinch up and open a great Gate; so this subtle Serpent can by a little hole wind himself into the heart, and cast open the doors to all Robbers and Spoilers.  
Use 1. Where Satan begins his temptations, 
Resist first temptations.  begin our resistance; we are wise for our Bodies, to prevent diseases in the first grudge, so for our Souls, kill the hellish Serpent in the shell, Eph. 4. 29. Give no place to the Devil. Wise Citizens keep every Enemy without the Wals.  
Solomon first betakes him to Idolatrous Wives, then to Idolatrous worship; sin as we 〈◊〉 a good fellow, one hangs to another as bars, one sin cannot well be defended without another, or covered.  
3. One faculty corrupted corrupts another; imagination being corrupted by cogitation of sin, that corrupts the judgement, the judgement corrupts the affection, so as there is delectation in sin; affections corrupts the will, bringing it to consent, the will corrupts the parts by repeating custom and habit; thus sin in the Soul as a gangrene in the body eats up the next parts, till it speedily mortify the whole.  
4. The Lord in justice often punisheth sin with sin, as Pharaohs sin with obstinacy and hardness, Exod. 9 12. The Gentiles, by giving them up to their hearts lusts, Rom. 1. 23.  
Use. To stay beginnings of sin; 
Wisdom to stay beginnings of sin.  sin as an Infant at first may easily be overcome as being weakest; stop the fountain, close the windows, else thou shalt find it easier to get into the midst of sin, then find the way back again; Israel went at his own pleasure into Egypt, but could not come back again into Canaan when they would; A man may leap quickly and nothing lets him till he come into the bottom of a pit, but he shall get out with more leisure and difficulty.  
Means 1. Therefore our Saviour saith; 
Mat. 26. 41.  Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation; if once ye enter, ye will not come out without a foil, much less move to sin and offer temptation.  
2. Buckle the fear of God unto thee, 
Psal. 111. 10.  which is the beginning of wisdom; else thou goest headlong in sin; experience we have of men that at first are ashamed somewhat of what they do, and get some Cloaks, some covers to hide themselves under, but by a little continuance grow to some boldness, and cast away fear; very shortly grow to impudence and hardened faces in their sins, care not, nor fear what men see or say of them, and presently from not fearing man, come not to fear God at all; but as Nimrod was a mighty Hunter before the Lord; so these mighty Drunkards before the Lord, mighty Adulterers, Usurers, Swearers, Cursers, Railers before the Lord, no fear of God restrains them; take heed therefore and fear.  
If a Pillar, a Rock, one chosen by Christ could fall so headlong, let us not presume on our strength.  
Psal. 4. 4. stand in awe and sin not, Heb. 11. 7. By faith Noah being warned of God of the things which were as yet not seen, moved with reverence, prepared the Ark to the saving of his household, through the which Ark he condemned the World.  
3. Consider thy danger to fall, 
Particular means availing thereto.  and so far, so suddenly under prop thyself with good means afforded by God to up hold thee, as 1. The preaching of the word; many say, what need so much preaching? what need Preachers be so instant, so earnest in threatening us; God is merciful for all that; but God will make good their words against the soul of the wilful Sinner; seest thou no need of such earnest preaching, thy blind eyes see not the danger before thee, but God's Seers do; that notwithstanding their pains and labour thy sin is a ripening, and thou art running headlong, or rather flying swiftly to thine own damnation; if the Trumpet will not awake thee, I fear thou art dead.  
2. Make use of the rods and crosses of God brought on thee to stay thee from the excesses of sin; where the Lord cannot prevail with the rod of his mouth he comes with the rod of his hand, and lasheth him sometimes with the loss of Goods or Friends, Wife, Children, etc. sometime with shame and lose of good name and respect; suffering them to fall into some notorious and shameful sin; sometime with smart and pain in Body, with lingering diseases, etc. and all to help them out of sin; if these be slightly passed by, they are forerunners of mischief; as thou makest haste in sin to come to the height, so the curse hasteneth which will oppress thee eternally; 
1 Sam. 2. 25.  as Elyes Sons regarded not their Father's admonishions because God would destroy them.  
3. Let the mercies and favours of God be so many Sermons of repentance, Rom. 2. 4. Knowest thou not that the bountifulness of God should lead thee to repentance? and a note it is of a wicked man, not to be drawn to God by cords of love. Isa. 26. 10. Let mercy be showed to the Wicked, he will not repent, in the land of uprightness he will do wickedly.  
Hast thou any life in thy Soul, and feelest not what great mercies God offereth unto thy soul, body, thyself and thine?  
Hast thou any sense and understanding in Scripture, and seest not how the Lord still makes sin more grievous by mercies received and despised? Isa. 1. 2. 2 Sam. 12. 7. in David himself: Gen. 49. 2. Rubens excellency gone, because being excellent he got up into his Father's bed; a fearful thing to have means of repentance without the grace of repentance.  
Register up the mercies of God to thee, as the ancient Believers did, set up an Altar in thine heart to offer Sacrifices of praise and thanks, take thyself to task, ask the question; oh what have I done for all the benefits, etc. shall I do so still?  
Let thy thankful obedience be as a monument set up, that others may see that God's mercies have deeply affected thee.  
Doctr. Note 2. That Peter was not so assaulted by both the former temptations as by this, 
Last temptation commonly the worst.  nor is in so great danger.  
The last temptation is commonly the worst and strongest, and most dangerous, and the most dangerous reserved till the last place; Satan bids not Peter curse himself if ever he knew the Lord, for this he would have detested; but first follow aloof, and then go into the high Priests Hall, then sit among God's enemies, then do as they did, and having once denied his Lord, stands to it stoutly.  
So Judas, he doth not at first bid him betray his Lord; for, as wicked as he was he could not be ●am repentè improbus; but first to covetousness, and blinded his eyes with the offer of thirty pieces, and then struck up the matter by degrees, and yet after the betraying of his Lord, he must go and hang himself.  
He doth not usually tempt the Adulterer to cast himself upon the bed of his Harlot; but first David must look upon Bathsheba, and that is a small thing, then grow to liking, then to familiarity, and then to commit the heinous fact of Adultery.  
He doth not usually tempt the cruel man to murder his Neighbour or Brother at first, which is fearful and desperate, but first to dislike and fall out with him, then to hate him, then to kill him actually.  
Reas. 1. This is Satan's method in his temptations, 
And why?  to begin with small things wherein so much blackness appears not, which are easily swallowed, wherein men are more secure, as not thinking them to need any great resistance; but there he means not to stay; experience of every day shows, that being to deal with melancholy dispositions, he makes them discontent and impatient in some cross or loss, which is a great sin, but lies close and hides itself, as in a just sorrow; then brings them to discontent themselves in God's blessings, they joy not in Husband, Wife, Children, wealth, nor any thing; then to fall out with himself, no joy of themselves; and then the last temptation is worst, to kill thyself or thy Children, which was too black at first, and needed a time to prepare them.  
2. Satan's subtlety, who knows well by less temptations to make way to greater, as a cunning Thief by a little hole can wrinch up and open a great Gate; so this subtle Serpent can by a little hole wind himself into the heart, and cast open the doors to all Robbers and Spoilers.  
Use 1. Where Satan begins his temptations, 
Resist first temptations.  begin our resistance; we are wise for our Bodies, to prevent diseases in the first grudge, so for our Souls, kill the hellish Serpent in the shell, Eph. 4. 29. Give no place to the Devil. Wise Citizens keep every Enemy without the Wals.  
2. The lesser the sin to which thou art tempted, 
Resist small temptations.  the more suspect the Enemy that he 〈◊〉 a further drift hid from thee; suppose that be but a little one, it hath certainly hold of a greater, though a little poison be deadly; he tempts thee to go into such a company, thou leavest thy calling, thou spendest thy time, abettest idle persons in idle courses, there thou pourest out vain words, there thou scornest, jestest, quarrellest, there thou swearest, cursest, perhaps as Peter; Satan bid thee not at first curse and swear; but this was his intent, thus he hath gained and made thee a greater loser than thou lookedst for.  
Seldom tempts he men to hate all religion at first, but first scorn these Puritans, hate such and such a Preacher, rail on him, belie him, persecute him, hear him not, he never preacheth good to thee; and thus by degrees leads him to cast up all religion, and to turn plain Atheist.  
3. Fear not to be too precise, 
Fear not to be too precise.  nor scorn others as being so; what, say some, they be so precise, they may not swear a small Oath, nor we may not be merry, nor pass some time in sports and recreations, we may never be angry or speak one hasty word, we must be Saints, flesh and blood must be without infirmities.  
1. But first Satan desires but to get thee to pretend this, against thine own safety.  
2. It is more than thou art aware off, when Satan hath prevailed, that then thou shouldest account thy watch against small Sin's scruple and preciseness.  
3. If Satan should here desist, thou mightest with more reason so plead; but by these lesser evils he knows how to make way for greater, and you shall not hear one of a Thousand thus pleading for small sins, but some reigning sin or sins have him under, or shall have.  
4. Nay, happy might we be, if we could meet every sin in the first rising of the heart, cut off Adultery in the look, murder in the angry thought, choke idle words within the throat, and cut off evil actions in the motions, in the occasions; this is a preciseness that well pleaseth God and disappointeth Satan in his further designs; resemble such as are taught by grace, thou canst not be hard enough for that Enemy.  
Doct. Note 3. Peter having a bad cause, 
Bad causes are thrust on by bad means.  thrust it on by bad means, before by false swearing, now by fearful execration and cursing of himself, and indeed bad means are never far to seek, but are at hand to bolster up bad courses, and even good men are ready to use bad means for their own safety and purposes; Jacob must get the blessing by a lie or two; as Peter here will escape death by denying the Lord of life; Lot will save his Guests by prostrating his Daughters.  
Use 1. Beware of these base tricks to save ourselves by; 
Beware of base tricks to help thyself.  many urged, and some scarce urged, in things they would conceal, fly with Peter to lying, to false swearing by horrible oaths, and to fearful cursing; God confound me, as God shall judge me, God let me never live, let me never speak, let me sink where I stand, I would I were hanged, etc. and all this while call God a Judge against themselves.  
Alas, thou knowest not what thou 

Sayest, or  
Dost.    
This ordinary cursing in true things or false, is an open and notorious brand of a forlorn and wicked miscreant, who without all fear of God toss curses against themselves and others as tennis balls out of their mouths; these tongues are kindled with the fire of Hell, James 3. 6.  
How contrary is this to the nature of God's child, who is called to bless, and be blessed of God for ever, is a Son of blessing; who must not curse them that curse him, but a Priest unto God, Rev. 1. 5. whose office was to bless the People, Numb 6. 23. Rom. 12. 14. Bless and curse not. How contrary to the nature of the blessed God, who being full of mercy and compassion, is made an executioner of the malice of wretched men: Dost thou think that God will be at the command of every mischievous wretch to wreak their malice, as the Devil is at the Witches command?  
Object. Then my curse doth him none ill?  
Answ. Thou throwest the sweet name of God into a sinkehole, and hast executed thy malice, and art a Manslayer, etc. You have lately heard how that same Curse compassed, and doth still, the Jews at this day; His blood be on us and our Children.  
And thy curse against thyself or others shall as a Garment cover thyself, and as water come into thy Bowels and rot thee away, according to thy curse. Many stories I could allege of such as whose Curses have instantly over-taken them, some in one kind of death, some in another. If God have let thee hitherto outstand thine own curse of thyself, it is to provoke thee to Repentance, and bewail so high a sin against God's sovereignty and thine own salvation.  
Use 2. See in Peter, 
Little credit to be given to Swearers and Cursers.  how little Swearers and Cursers are to be believed; many Oaths and Curses make not a matter good, but far worse and less credible; for he that makes no bones of needless Swearing or Cursing, be sure hath made none of a lie, no more than Peter; will a wise man think thou speakest truth, because thou swearest and cursest? I would be charitable, but I cannot be so blind, but thou mayest Lie as well as Swear, or Curse uncalled, as here these Men believe Peter as little as before.  
Use 3. Peter sins so foully as he could do, more to sink himself into eternal damnation; wonder to see the child of God fall so headlong: Where is Peter's freewill, that so little besteads himself in so great need?  
How can the Pope challenge from him freedom from error? How can they exempt themselves from error, who at this day teach men to imitate Peter in lying, swearing, and cursing themselves?  
Object. Prove it and I will be no Papist.  
Answ. Rhemists Testament in Acts 13. 12. If thou be put to an oath to accuse Catholics, if thou hast no courage to refuse, know that such an Oath binds not at all in Conscience.  
Note 4. Though Peter here swear and curse, 
Temptations limited to God's People  they believe him as little as before; they believe their eyes, they saw him in the Garden, knew him by face and by speech; Why do they let him go and draw him to no further punishment?  
Answ. 1. Time was not yet; when Peter was old, than he must be led where he would not.  
2. Christ had said that his Disciples must go their way.  
Reas. 1. Every temptation and danger is limited for substance, manner, measure, and all circumstances, beyond which the enemy cannot go. Here Temptations come thick upon Peter, one in another's neck, but shall not utterly overthrow him; besides, these were as restless against Peter as against his Lord, yet can they not touch an hair of his head, because his hour was not yet come, as his Lords was.  
Reas. 2. Let the Adversaries be never so violent and busy, yet God's providence is so wakeful, as nothing shall befall, wherein he hath not a good hand and a good end.  
3. God's mighty power restrains Satan's power and his instruments, who are as Lions in chains. A Legion cannot hurt a Swine of Gaderens, till Christ say, Go; and when he permits Satan to molest Job, he commands him in save his life.  
Use. Comfort to the godly, who are never so committed or permitted to Satan or danger, but that the Lord watcheth over their life and salvation, yea, their very hairs, etc.  
Go on therefore cheerfully in the Lords work, while thou hast a day. Tell Herod that Fox (saith Christ) I must work to day and to morrow.  Verse 72. Then the second time the Cock crew.] 
THat the Cock crew again, was an ordinary and natural thing; but at this time ordained for a special end.  
First, to put him in mind of his promise.  
2. To reprove him of his sin; for as the dumb Ass reproved the foolishness of the Prophet, so the Cock here reproves the foolishness of Peter.  
3. To bear witness to the words of Christ, which Peter will not, till now, believe to be true.  
4. To accuse Peter to his own Conscience, he should have cried and crowed aloud and lifted up his voice, to have awaked others out of their sin, but he needs the voice of a Cock to help him out of his sin.  
Secondly, he is admonished by this voice, that the silly Cock kept his watch, according to the word of his Creator; but Peter hath not kept his watch with his Lord, but fearfully fallen in his station.  
Doctr. Note, 
Voice of creatures a teaching voice.  If Peter will not hear the voice of his Lord, and be taught by his Master, he shall hear the voice of the Cock, and be taught by him. God puts his Creatures to a threefold use.  
1. To serve man serving his Lord, the best of them not too good; the Angel's fellow servants.  
2. To punish man rebelling against his Lord; for they all take their Lord's part, are his Hosts, his Armies, as against Pharaoh.  
3. To teach man many lessons, which otherwise he is loath to learn; as when Balaam will not hear the voice of God, God opens the mouth of the Ass, and she speaks, Numb. 22. 28. So when Peter will not hear the voice of his Lord, his Lord opens the mouth of the Cock, and he speaks.  
If the stiff necked Jews will not hear the voice of the Prophets, the very Ox and Ass shall be called in to teach them to know their owner and feeder, Isay 1. 3.  
Quest. But have the Creatures more power to teach then God himself, or why doth the Lord thus use them?  
Answ. God is the chief Teacher, 
Why God sets them to teaching man.  what Minister or Instruments soever he useth, he teacheth Principaliter & Authoritative; but all Creatures teach Ministerially, and all their voice is subordinate to the voice of God; as this Cock was to Christ. And therefore God speaks not to us by Creatures, as if they had more power and persuasion to effect what he cannot; but hereby to shame the dulness and obstinacy of men, whose sin hath made them inferior to the very Creatures, over whom the Lord gave them Lordship and sovereignty. Now Balaams' Ass is wiser than his wilful Master; and man who was made Lord and Ruler of the Creatures, is now become of less understanding than they, yea, must be brought into order by them whom he should order.  
Use 1. To hear the voice of the Creatures waking us, 
Hear their voice, and learn duty.  calling us, inviting us to repentance.  
Their voice in General and in special; not one of them, but all in their kind reprove Man's rebellion; they stand in their kind and station, Man doth not. The Cock crows and keeps his watches according to the law of his Creation; so do they all further than man's sin hath disordered them; when as great a Disciple as Peter sleeps and snorts, and cannot watch one hour with his Lord; not one of them but all of them by their example, teach us to grow weary of our present servitude of sin, and wait for promised deliverance, Rom. 8. 21.  
Shall we be more senseless than insensible Creatures? All of them call for our obedience; our ready attendance to perform the Lords Hests and Commandments.  
The Sun rejoiceth to run h●s course. If he speak to the Fire, Water, to the Frogs, to Grasshoppers, to Winder, they obey his word.  
Oh how should his Word bind the reasonable Creature, to whom it was delivered?  
In Special; 
Mat. 10. 16.  hear the voice of the Dove, learn simplicity; of the Serpent learne wisdom; 
Prov. 6. 6.  of the Emmet learn providence; of the Fowls and Lilies learn contentment and confidence; 
Luk. 12. 27.  of the Stork, 
Jer. 8. 7.  Crane and Swallow to know our season.  
Use 2. But much more hear the voice of the Creator. 
Much more the voice of the Creator.   
Peter should first have heard the voice of his Lord, and then the Cock might have spared his voice.  
And know, if thou wilt not hear God's voice accusing thee, as Peter would not, thou shalt hear the voice of one Cock or another; one Creature or other accusing and condemning thee. If Cain will not hear the Lord accusing him, and take up his lamentation, he shall hear the blood of his Brother; a fearful voice of blood accuse him.  
If covetous persons and Usurers will not hear the voice of God's Word accuse them, 
Jam. 5. 34.  they shall hear the voice of the Rust, 
Hab. 2. 11.  and their Gold and Silver, yea, the Stone in the wall and timber in the roof shall cry against them.  
If Saul will not hear the voice of the Lord, the voice of the Sheep and lowing of the Oxen shall proclaim his rebellion. If God's voice cannot prevail against thy sin, the cry of thy sin shall come up in the ears of the Lord, and prevail even against thy too late cries for mercy.  
Then Peter remembered the words 

1. The Time, Then.  
2. The Means.  
3. The Manner, Wept.    
NOW we come to Peter's Conversion; wherein is. 1. Agnitio peccati; the knowledge of his Sin, by two means 

1. Cock crew.  
2. Christ looking back, Luk. 22. 62.    
2. The manner of his Repentance: 1. Went out. 2. Wept bitterly. Time, Then.  
Note 1. Peter now begins to waken and come to himself.  
There is a time when God will awake the Elect out of sin, 
Elect have a time to repent  who suffers none of his to sleep in death. Psal. 37. 24. Though he fall, he shall not be cast off; for God puts under his hand. 2 Cor. 4. 9 We are cast down, but we perish not; God is faithful to give with every temptation an issue.  
Hence we read of the Saints that have laid a great while, as if they had been quite cast off, as David, joseph's Brethren, Solomon, Manasses; but in God's time remembered and called to mercy, as Lazarus lay four days in the grave, but was at length raised; the same in this first Resurrection.  
Reas. God loveth with an everlasting love, and leaveth not very long, not to their loss but good.  
Use 1. far (we say) he goes that never turns; the godly never go so far; though Peter went so far, yet repent; the Prodigal Son went into a far Country, but at last came to himself, and so to his Father.  
2. Hence take no warrant to venture; a River that seems shallow at brink, may duck him that will wade along, and many adventurers are never fetched out; think with thyself it is no small power nor mercy to bring a sinner back out of the depth of any sin; it was a wonder that ever Ionas was brought safe to land out of such a deep, presuming to run from God. This Doctrine is for penitent not presumptuous sinners.  
Use 3. Thou that hast taken a time to sin, examine whether thou hast found a time of Repentance; for if thou belong to God, thou hast or must; and let it be a motive to hasten our Repentance, lest delaying too long, thou be forced out of anguish of soul to say with that despairing Papist, 
Spira.  I have sinned with Peter, but not repent with Peter: a sign of a Reprobate, not to find Repentance, as Esau, Judas.  
4. How to understand that and such places, 2 Tim. 2. 12. If we deny him, he will deny us, except himself graciously look upon us, to give us repentance and recover us.  
Note Secondly, 
Repent of sin presently.  Peter hath no sooner sinned, but he returns and reputes. The fittest time of Repentance is presently upon the sin, without delay. David 2 Sam. 24, 10. had no sooner numbered the People, but his heart smote him. Luke 17. 8. Zacheus presently made restitution, so soon as he knew his sin.  
Motive 1. Consider the Exhortation, Heb. 3. 7. To day if ye will hear his voice: hast thou a lease of thy life till to morrow, that refusest to repent to day? the day may come on thee as a snare, Luke 21.  
2. Sin gets strength by continuance; thou art unfit to morrow, grace weaker, corruption more rooted; the nail is hard driven in; conscience more corrupted by custom of sin; now wrath treasured, Rom. 2 5. heart more hardened through deceitfulness of sin, Heb. 3. 13.  
3. Nature teacheth in other things to take the fittest season; to sow in Seedtime, to make Hay while Sun shines, to trade while Fair lasts, to take the wind and tide, which stays for no man. Let grace teach thee to know thy season, thy day of visitation; look on Christ mourning over Jerusalem, that knows not the season of her own mourning.  
4. Late Repentance is seldom true Repentance; we never read of any that Repent at last but one, that we should not presume; and yet one, that none should despair. August. For God giving now a call, and putting forth his voice, if thou wilt not hear, God may be not only dumb, never to call thee hereafter, but deaf, never to hear thee call, Prov. 1. 28. And it i● just, that thou who wilt not be at God's command, to repent now, shalt find that Repentance shall be out of thy command hereafter.  
The like of forced Repentance, of such as be sick or distressed, pretend a Repentance, pray, promise, cry, vow, and what not? but not rising out of love, but forced fear, their Fear is slavish and base, and so is their Repentance; and so they grow worse in time. The Devil returns with seven worse spirits; and running away from God again, God is gone farther than ever.  
Secondly the Means of Peter's Repentance was, 
Means of Peter's repentanc  the knowledge of his sin, wrought by two means 

1. Without him, 

1. Crowing of the Cock.  
2. Looking back of Christ.    
2. Within, 

1. Remembering.  
2. Weighing the words of Christ.      
Note 1. The Cock crows the second time, 
1. external. A second crow sometime necessary.  and by this crowing Peter is wakened.  
Quest. Why had this second crowing effect, and not the first? it was as loud.  
Ans. 1. So now unto us, that God will call men when he pleaseth.  
2. That he tieth not himself to such means as he tieth us unto.  
3. That we should look beyond the means for the success and blessing of them.  
4. To note how far a degree of sin Peter was now entered into, who had wonderfully grieved the spirit, and hardened his own heart so far, as the former admonition was lost upon him.  
We read of few of the children of God, but they have been moved and wakened by the first crowing of the Cock, as good David by the admonition of Nathan; so Hezekiah, etc. But to Peter the Cock must crow again, according to Christ's prediction.  
Use 1. Comfort to painful Ministers, who are the Lords Cocks, cry out and crow against the sins of men, labour to awaken sinners, proclaim to them their sins and danger, but they hear not, remember as little as Peter; no good is done.  
What comfort have they, but that the Cock may crow the second time and be heard at one time or other? the Lord may let them see their labour not lost; God hath his set times to bring things to pass. The time of Saul's conversion was when he was most furious; and this time we wait and pray for, to men as furiously bend against God's word and Gods Ministers, as Saul against the Church.  
Use 2. To show us where the fault is, that the word so little profiteth among many; the fault was not in the Cock at first that Peter remembered not himself, but in himself; so when little good is done, the fault is not in the Preacher or in the word, but in the hardness of thy heart.  
Was the the fault in Moses and Aaron, that Pharaoh let not the people go? was not the fault in that Herod would not let go Herodias?  
Use 3. In use of means still to depend on God's blessing, 
Pray for the Spirit to go with the word.  that he would open the ear, and accompany his word with his blessed Spirit; for the hearing ear is from him, Job. 33. 14. God speaks once or twice, and one sees it not, till he open the ears of men which were sealed, ver. 10.  
God hath spoken not once, but a thousand times amongst you; but a number of tough corruptions in the heart are like earwax which stops that the voice cannot enter in.  
This is the cause that many are like the Fish in the Sea who lives in salt Water▪ but without all taste of Saltness.  
A settled ministry is like the salt of the earth under which many live without any seasoning, because they neglect the higher teaching, even the spirit of truth that must lead them into all truth, John. 16.  
2. external means to bring Peter to acknowledgement of his sin; Christ's looking back upon him, non oculo exteriore, sed oculo clementiae.  
By this looking back of Christ we must not conceive a bar turning of his face or eye upon Peter, nor an extraordinary look or countenance; for Christ also set his eyes upon Judas when he came to apprehend him, 
Christ's look what it imports.  and on Pilate sitting ready to sentence him, and on the Jews stoning him, who were never the better by Christ's looking upon them; but with his look he adjoined a gracious and secret efficacy of his blessed spirit.  
The very looks of Christ was a most real and effectual Sermon to Peter's heart; the tongue of Christ was now otherwise employed in defence of his innocency and putting of the malicious accusations of the wicked Jews; but the eyes of Christ silently speak unto Peter after this manner; oh Peter dost thou thus persist in denial of me thy Lord? where is thy faith, thy fidelity, thy love, thy great promises of not forsaking me? have I made thee of a poor Fisher, a chief Follower of me to this end? is it not enough that thy eyes see me despised and refused among mine enemies, but thou must also deny and refuse me? oh Peter, these vex my Body, but thou my mind; thy unkindness is greater to me than theirs, and thus the Lord might take up the complaint, Psal. 142. 4. I looked on my right hand, and behold there was none that would know me, all refuge failed me, and none cared for my Soul; he looked for no great help on his left hand among his Enemies; for even his dearest friends and Disciples on his right hand failed him, and knew him not.  
Note 1. Christ hath an eye of grace and favour for his People in all sad cases. I have surely seen the affliction of my People in Egypt, Exod. 3. 7. The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect towards him, 2 Chron. 16. 9 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry, Psal 34. 15.  
Reas 1. His heart is upon them continually, and then no wonder if he have a loving eye toward them; 
Vbi amor, ibi oculus.  because, where the heart loves, the eye looks, and is loath to be taken off; as it was said of the Temple, 1 King. 9 3. mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.  
2. Is there not a cause? Peter's case in the Text tells us, that even a good Soul needeth Christ's looking to it, that so it may recover out of every fall, and stand in terms of favour with God; all means else without a gracious aspect from Heaven will never keep us tyte in the course of true piety.  
3. When all is well with the soul in respect of grace and gracious conformity to the will of God, yet there needs a good look from Christ in respect of sound comfort, 
Psal. 63. 3.  which is the light and life of the Soul. The loving kindness of God is better than life; and if he hide his face a little, the good Soul is soon troubled, Psal. 30. 7.  
Use 1. Which may marvellously cheer and refresh the spirit of God's people in all sad cases, that go over them from time to time, and not only in afflictions or persecutions for righteousness sake, but in all their foils and falls into sin, wherewith their righteous souls are much troubled, and sometimes ready to sink into despair; yet remember for your comfort, that the high and lofty One, who inhabits eternity, 
Esa. 57 15.  looks also unto him that is poor, and of a contrite Spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite ones; and when such do most put away comfort, as too good for them, he will restore comforts to the Mourners.  
Use 2. If Christ have an eye to thee in all thy sad cases, do thou ever remember to keep thine eye open unto him, 
Look to Christ, as he to thee.  yea, both thine eyes.  
First, an eye of Faith, to wait for the gracious issue he will please to give out of all thy trials: Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord; say with the Church in their proverbial speech, In the Mount the Lord will see and be seen. What if the vision stay beyond thy time in hastiness prefixed for deliverance? yet in due time it will speak, and not lie. Still therefore make use of thy Faith, which is the evidence of things not seen, and the foundation of things hoped for.  
Secondly, the eye of Obedience; still keep close to him in Duty, whether he deliver or no; still have respect to all his commandments; remember how the promise runs, to keep thee in thy ways, and in these ways be sure he will take his time, and the best time, to grant deliverance, or any mercy thou wantest. He is a God of judgement, and waits to be gracious to his People, and blessed are they that in his own way wait for him, Isa. 30. 18.  
Use 3. Lastly, if God have ever an eye of love to his People, than woe be to his and their enemies; his eye of jealousy is set against them, to root out and destroy, as the Egyptians marching against Israel, Exod. 14. 24. The Lord looked on their Host, and troubled them; So in Psal. 11. 6. 7. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest, this shall be the portion of their cup; why? for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright; it is time therefore for such to humble themselves before God and his people, and take the Counsel which pilate's Wife gave him; have thou nothing to do against that just man.  
Note 2. Peter was now at a very low Water, 
God sometime lets his be brought very low, before deliverance.  both in respect of sin and danger, not knowing well which way to turn himself, and now his Lord looks back upon him, so to turn the stream again. The Lord many times lets his People be brought into a very low estate, and then turns their captivity for them.  
Zachariah 3. 2. The state of godly men, is to be as brands plucked out of the fire, miserably smeared, scorched, and in that burnt, but plucked out.  
Reas. 1. To try our faith and obedience; 
And why?  as in Isaac, who must not be delivered till the knife be at his Throat.  
When Ionas was wrapped in Waters in the bottme of the Sea, than came deliverance.  
2. To see our inability to help ourselves, therefore our Lord would not hold Peter from sinking, nor help him till he cried Master, save, I perish.  
3. To set forth his mighty power which sets in when all means fail; Lazarus must not be raised till the fourth day, when it is impossible to the power of nature, nor Christ himself till the case was hopeless after the third day, and Disciples faith somewhat quailed.  
4. Sore crosses drive to God, and make us seek him diligently, Host 5. 15. upon which search he will be found.  
Manasses out of Fetters would never seek the Lord; that is the Lords season to be found of him.  
David will cry out of Deeps, and Moses at the red Sea, when there is no way of escape, cries to the Lord, and the Lord cuts out a way.  
5. It is Gods ordinary dealing with Sinners when they come to extremity, becomes either to  

Conversion, as Peter.  
Confusion, as Judas.   
Use 1. Comfort to the Saints in their great troubles, 
To comfort Saints in great troubles.  seeing the Lord departs not for ever, but departs for a season, that he might return for ever; Nay his comforts are the nearest, when affliction is at the height; as in the Body, the disease come to the height, is most raging, most hopeless; but presently there is a change and recovery, but not before the disease have been desperate; so here.  
joseph's Brethren were in great extremity, and knew not what way to turn themselves, and even when Joseph must needs discover himself unto them after he had long dissembled his affections.  
So the Lord seems not to know us, when we are known well enough, and hides his affections, when they yearn within him toward us, Psal. 9 9 He is a present refuge in time of affliction; he steps in to Abraham's comfort not till the third day, not till Isaac was bound on the wood, and the deadly stroke a fetching; he steps in for Peter not till the night before he was slain, Act. 12.  
Use 2. Not to be too hasty to limit the Lord for time or manner of deliverance, 
Limit not the holy one of Israel.  whose help comes never too late, 2 King. 5. 11. Naaman would be cured by his own devised means; I thought he would in the place have called on the Lord and touched and healed the Leprosy; and John 11. 32. Marry would have had Christ there before her Brother was dead, as if now he had been come too late.  
But in these and such like examples we are taught to shut up our own eyes and leave all to him who knows times and seasons and means of our good.  
Use. 3. Nothing can keep God from his Elect, 
Nothing can separate from and his love.  nor them from him; Peter here was not only in an exceeding strait of affliction, but led away in temptation, and swallowed up in the quick sands of a number of heinous sins; yet being the Lords, the Lord looks on him, and fetches him out.  
The Belly of the whale could not keep Ionas from God, nor God from Ionas, but he must deliver him again.  
The hellish Behemoth may seem to swallow up Peter, or any other of God's Children, but he must deliver him again.  
In Peter's example, Act. 12. we see the strongest prison, watch, chains, cannot keep the Lord from him, nor here a stronger prison and chain of sin cannot still bind him, but the Lords very look looseth him.  
David rescues the Sheep out of the mouth of the Lion and Bear; the true David rescues his out of the Devil's jaws and maws; death itself cannot keep the Elect from God, nor him from them, but at the second resurrection, the Grave, the Sea, the fire, water, and all elements shall give up their dead to Christ; and even not sin which is the death of the Soul, nor the Grave of sin which is continuance, and rotting in it, shall still hold the Elect; but this first resurrection of grace shall deliver them up to Christ, and give up their dead unto the life of grace, etc.  
Which doctrine must not encourage to sin, but stir up to repentance and the life of God, that thou mayest have some good testimony thereby of thy Election.  
The inward means of Peter's repentance 

1. Remembered,  
2. Weighed the words of Christ.    
Note 1. A strong forgetfulness in Peter, 
In main matters we are very forgetful.  who had forgotten the words of his Master, so nearly concerning him, spoken a very few hours before, yea almost the last words of his loving Master unto him, yet he forgets them quite, as not spoken.  
Because the corruption of our memories in things that are good, as unable to retain good things as a five to hold water; and who can deny this to have been the beginning of all the sin and misery we are wrapped in, that Adam suffered to slip out of his memory the words which God himself had spoken a little before? and the cause why Peter here was foiled that his memory was corrupted in all the acts of it?  
The memory sanctified hath four actions.  
1. To commit and place in the mind needful things. 
Offices of memory sanctified.   
2. To retain them, as in a store-house.  
3. To recall them, on occasion.  
4. To apply them to our own needful uses.  
Peter now doth none of all these, and so falls foully.  
Use 1. See in ourselves the same corruption, and such forgetfulness, as we have lost what Peter speaks to us [as Peter] often before the Preacher have done speaking.  
Quest. What is the cause?  
Answ. 1. Want of estimation; old men remember things they care for, Psal. 119. 129. thy testimonies are wonderful, therefore doth my soul keep them.  
2. Want of affection, Psal. 119. 16. I will delight in thy statutes, and I will not forget thy word.  
3. Earthliness; for things Heavenly and earthly cannot be minded together; the same eye cannot look 

Upward.  
Downward.    
2. See how many errors we are given up unto by reason of this corruption, which, did we remember the several lessons we heard, we durst not, we would not venture upon.  
Use 3. The remedy of helping our memories.  
1. Often hearing a continual Monitor. 
How to help our memory.   
2. Meditation holds things as our own.  
3. Godly conference, a whetstone of grace.  
4. Prayer gets the Spirit, whose office it is to bring things to our memory.  
Use these conscionably, as seeing in Peter, how a corrupt memory corrupts the whole man; hear the word carelessly as Peter his Lord, no marvel if thou run as far as Peter, who had never returned, had not the Lord looked upon him. And as into sin, so into smart and punishment, Deut. 18. 19 joined with Judg. 3. 7, 8.  
When Peter remembered his Lords words.  
THAN when the sin was done, 
Sin will come to remembrance sooner or later.  and he in so fearful manner denied his Lord, but not before; so men forget the word of Christ while they purpose and practise their sin; but after the sin committed, it shall come one time or other into their remembrance.  
Let Peter deny and dissemble a while, let him lie and swear, forswear and curse, let him forget himself and the words of his Lord, yet a little while and he shall remember himself.  
Reas. 1. The Word shall take hold on thee one time or other, 
And why?  Zach. 1. 6. David in the pride of his heart sends out to number the People, never thinks of God's word against it, till Joab had done, and so soon as ever it was done, his heart smote him, and he confessed his folly.  
2. God crosses the conceits and conclusions of sinners applauding themselves in sin; Oh I shall have peace, fear nothing; he says to his soul, rest, thou hast enough for many years; 
Luk. 12. 19, 20  God crosses it, Thou Fool, this night shall it be required.  
Use. Sin thou as merrily as thou canst, 
Reproof to them that will needs forget their sins.  as securely against the Word, a day of remembrance comes, when thou thinkest them forgot they shall be brought to mind.  
Because God is patient and holds his peace, the evil heart thinks him like himself; but a time comes to set thy sins in order before thee, Psal. 50. 21. O consider this ye that forget God. Let his silence and long days break off thy sin, and lead thee to repentance, and not fill up the measure of it.  
Consider 1. God's silence cannot make him forget any thing he hath to do. 
Terror to this kind o● sinners   
2. He is the same that ever he was, and his memory is not so short as thine; thy sin is written with a pen of Iron in thy forehead.  
3. What madness to think all is well that begins well, and never respect the end, but run along to deny thy heart no pleasure? a wise man cannot think a present misery better than a future mercy.  
4. Sin is sweet as Ratsbane in going down; but he that forgets the danger and follows his palate to please it, shall be shortly put in remembrance to his cost; or like that Poison▪ that makes men die laughing.  
5. Sin is ever in the way and never rests; but the order of God brings it, first, before his goodness and patience; secondly, before the Law and sentence. Thirdly, before execution and judgement.  
All which show it is an high point of wisdom, to remember the latter end of sin, which is bitterness.  
Use 2. To teach us to remember ourselves and ways in season, 
Remember s●n timly; & how?  and so order our ways, as that we go not on to the perfecting of sin.  
Quest. How?  
Answ. David set the Lord ever in his sight, and so fell not, Psal. 16. 8. Abraham walked with God, Henoch, and other holy men.  
Quest. How may I do it?  
Answ. 1. If before the action thou consultest with God and his Word.  
2. If in the action thou remember'st the Lord, whose service it is, or aught to be.  
3. If after the action thou presentest it before the Lord, if good, seeking approbation; if evil, seeking a cover and pardon.  
Secondly, The weighing the words of his Master.  
THE voice of the Cock not only puts him in mind of his Master's words, but moves him to bethink himself better, as one that by woeful experience begins to find all true that his Master had said.  
Peter had heard his Master telling him of his weakness and frailty; but he weighed not that word; he thinks himself strong enough for all that; he had heard his Master's word telling him that he should shamefully and suddenly, even that night, deny him thrice; but he weighs not that word, he scorns to be thought so wicked.  
But now weighing the words of his Master, he finds himself in a woeful case, now he feels the verity of his Master's prediction, the vanity of his own presumption; now he rates himself that he heard not the first Cock, that he might have prevented the fearful falls he had taken; now the second crowing hath put him in mind of the whole matter.  
Doctrine. Not the hearing of the Word, 
Due weighing of the Word, helps out of sin.  but the weighing of it makes it a powerful means to help us out of sin.  
A man may hear the Word a thousand times, as Peter heard the words of his Master many times repeated; but without weighing and considering it, shall never either prevent, or repent of any sin.  
Adam heard the word of God well enough, but not well weighing it, was taken by the first temptation.  
Reas. 1. As meat never so good received into the stomach, if it be not retained and digested into wholesome nourishment, is so far from profiting, as it is very hurtful; so the word never so powerful, coming into the mind, if it be not considered and weighed, goes as it comes, leaves no fruit of instruction or consolation; but ordinarily more hardens and tends to condemnation.  
2. Not the hearing of the word makes it powerful on the conscience, but the weighing it; for let a man hear all the Sermons in the World, if he weigh not the word of God in the Author of it, in the truth, in the eternity, in the necessity of obedience unto it, he shall easily loosen himself from obedience, further than himself listeth.  
But this consideration makes the word weighty in itself, and upon the consideration that God whose word it is, will ever make it good on the godly in mercy, on the wicked in justice and judgement.  
3. Is it only weighing of the Word that makes sin weighty and burdensome? many remember their sins but weigh them not, and so carry them lighter than a Feather; others remember them, and weigh them in false weights, or in a false manner, or lay a false finger on the Scale; our own judgement and corrupt affections are as false weights, or we favour ourselves, or we would not have our sins so heavy, so great, so damnable, though we be Sinners as other men be.  
But if we weigh them in the balance of the law, we shall find them weighty, and exceed the Mountains of the Earth, or in the curse of the Law, we shall find them so heavy as they weigh us down to Hell.  
Or in the Doctrine of the Gospel, the least of our sins so heavy, that it weighs Christ out of Heaven or else the Sinner for ever.  
1. Resolve with David, Psal. 112. 15. I will meditate on thy precepts and consider thy ways; 
Ponder the Word heard or read.  he knew it is not hearing or knowing that discerns between truth and falsehood, but weighing and discerning in the balance of sound judgement.  
Why doth the Usurer hold his sins, or the Drunkard, or the Sabbath breaker? etc. not because they know not what is good, what is evil, or because he is not taught, but he weighs not, nor considers the word of God; he weighs the word in his false weights, and not his false ways by the weights of the Word, balance of the Sanctuary; they weigh not the sin in the sentence of the Law nor by the bitter end, but present profit or pleasure.  
So, why do men generally bolster themselves in all their sins, and embolden themselves against God and their duty, but because they weigh not the word? they have promises, and God is merciful, and Christ died for Sinners, etc. but weigh not to whom the promises belong, which are children's bread.  
As John said to one, what hast thou to do with prayer, or with the promises? God will not be merciful to an obstinate Sinner; they weigh what God is, and they weigh not themselves, what themselves are; God is a God of mercy, but no● all of mercy; Christ is a Lamb for meekness, but weigh it that he is a Lion also, and will tear in pieces all impenitent persons.  
Use 2. To comfort Ministers who see their Doctrine slightly regarded for the present; many they have to hear, almost none consider, but see in Peter, that an happy use may be made in time of things, which at first were heard carelessly; so the Disciples heard Christ often speak of his passion, of his resurrection, and other articles of Religion; but heedlessly for the time, neither remembered nor weighed, but after made more use of them; sometimes careless Hearers are brought into as great straits as Peter here, and then they have time and occasion to weigh things better, and rate themselves for their unprofitable hearing.  He went forth. 
BY going forth is meant an utter forsaking of the place and company where he was; he went forth before, after the first temptation, but not far enough, as now.  
He went out.] the first thing in the manner of Peter's repentance.  
Quest. Wherefore went Peter forth? 
Why Peter went forth.   
Answ. 1. In respect of the place; the Hall and Porch were no places of safety or tranquillity, but full of danger and fear and tumult, and not fit place for consideration.  
2. In respect of the company; he sees the longer he stays among wicked men, the more sins he heaps up against the Lord, and against his own conscience, and therefore he sees it high time to be gone.  
3. In respect of the business in hand; 
Threefold business he had now to do.  he is to bewail his sin, to weep bitterly for his offence; but the Hall and Porch are no fit places to weep in.  
2. He truly sorrows that he doth it sine teste secret tears flowing from the inward affection of his heart, frees his repentance from hypocrisy, in that it is not done in respect of men, but only in the sight of God and his Angels.  
3. Peter is to get out of himself, which he will not do till he get out from so ungodly a rout, as he is now among.  
Doctr. The man that would avoid evil, or set himself about any good, must avoid evil company, 119. 115. Away from me ye wicked, for I will keep the commandment of my God; he saw it was a very hard thing among wicked men to retain any good purposes or practices.  
Reas. 1. Bad company are great provokers to evil, great strengtheners in evil; a little bad counsel spreads, and is soon allowed.  
If Pilate once speak of Christ's death, it shall be quickly hearkened too; if the Pharisees once suggest to deliver Barrabas, all the noise will be, not him, but Barrabas; a little leaven leavens the whole lump. How three Traitors in Corahs' Camp presently prevails with two hundred and fifty Captains, men of renown, appears in story; how one evil man may kindle an unquenchable fire in a Town, so evident as one plague soar may taint a whole City or Kingdom; one Achan enough to plague a whole congregation; how much more when a Company of evil persons are knit together?  
2. As they are great Drawers to evil, so they are strong Resisters of good; the darkness in them must needs fight against the light; what they can, they will hinder, what they cannot hinder, they can scorn.  
Peter here durst not acknowledge him a man, whom among Disciples; acknowledged the Son of God.  
3. Our own inclination to evil makes it more dangerous; a little Pitch will stick to his fingers that toucheth it; Israel in Shittim will commit whoredom with the Daughters of Moab, Numb. 25. 1.  
Joseph will swear a little by the life of Pharaoh in the Court of Pharaoh; Peter denies among Denyers, and we are commonly as our company which we choose.  
Use 1. To avoid evil company; thrust not into such company when we need not, nor stay longer than needs must in such fellowship; for,  
1. He that will cleave to God, must sever from God's Enemies; the same grace that binds us to God, loseth us from the wicked; solitariness is better than bad company.  
2. What comfort can a Sheep have among a Herd of Swine, which wallow and tumble in foul lusts? or a silly Dove among a company of Ravens? how can a good heart but grieve in their society whose sports and pleasures are in such things as only grieve the Spirit of God? how can a Christian solace himself among such as care for none but brutish delights, in eating, drinking, sporting, gaming, attended with swearing, railing, drunkenness and idleness? but to speak of God, or of Religion, to discourse of sobriety, temperance, watchfulness and prayer, is to be unseasonable as Snow in Harvest; can a good heart be glad among them who can never be merry till God and all thoughts of him be shut out of doors?  
What comfort can a man have among a company of dead men, who as Ghosts are moved by the Devil? no spirit of grace, no breath, or life of grace, but in whom the Devil rules effectually; 
Eph. 2. 2.  and the like comfort can the Child of God have among wicked men, dead in sin, and enemies to the life of God, ruled at the pleasure of Satan.  
What safety among evil men, whether we respect themselves or their practices? for themselves they are so poisonful, so infectious, as we can hardly participate with them in good things, and not be defiled; as with some persons we dare scarce eat or drink wholesome meat or drink of the same cup, because of some poysonful and infectious disease; we would not take a sweet flower from some hand; so here.  
For their practices how just is it if we join ourselves in their sins, that we should not be disjoined in their judgements? as they that stood with Corah were all swallowed up together.  
4. This hath been the practice of the godly, Psal. 26▪ 4. I have not haunted with the wicked; for they know, blessedness is promised to such as neither walk, stand nor sit with them, Psal. 1. 1.  
He that sees the mischief that hath befallen him by such company, will shake them off.  
He that hath been drawn to scorn godliness, to reform godliness must abhor such company.  
He that hath been taught to swear, lie, be drunk; to reform, must avoid such company.  
Use 2. If we fall among, 
Directions how to carry ourselves in such company.  or be cast into such company, take some directions how to carry ourselves, which our Apostle here omitted.  
1. Enter not into their company, fashion not to them, separate in 

Fashion and  
Affection    
As Lot among Sodomites, go not to them, but let them come to thee; Peter went to them, and so fell by them. Prov. 1 10. If Sinners entice, consent not.  
2. Consider, who thou art; Peter should have remembered himself to be a Disciple, by grace separated from this graceless company; so think with thyself; I am distinguished and severed from the world by grace of Adoption, and a Son of God; oh what an honour to Peter, or for thee to show thyself a Son of God in the midst of a naughty generation?  
3. Look upon ungodly examples, to detest them, to grieve at the dishonour of God, to grieve at the wickedness of man made to the Image of God; how did good Lot vex himself at the unclean conversation of Sodom? 2 Pet. 2. 8.  
What a pain was it to David to see the transgressors? Psal. 119. And make this use of it, to bless God that thou art not so far given up, whose nature is as vile as theirs.  
4. See them, to stop them if it be possible; if there be hope of doing good, admonish them, 1 Thes. 5. 14. warn them that are unruly, warn them of the wrath of God coming on them that do such things; win them, and pray for them and their amendment.  
5. If there be no hope to win them, yet by thy godly carriage convince them, check them, confute, shut their mouths.  
Let thy light shine in despite of their darkness, to glorify thy Father; and at least let them see thy watch and godly care to preserve thyself from their contagion.  
6. If thou hast been a little tainted and drawn aside by them; go forth quickly like Peter, and bewail thy sin; to which sorrow of Peter now we come.  And Peter wept bitterly. 
PETER, 
Of repentance itself see the tract.  as he had chosen a fit place, so he expressed his repentance by an excellent token and sign of it, which is abundance of tears, both salt and dry.  
Quest. Whether is weeping always true repentance for sin?  
Ans. No; 
Tears no certain signs of true repentance.  for then Esau and Judas had been truly penitent; but where is true sorrow, it will often wring out tears▪ which are not repentance itself, but an effect of true repentance.  
Quest. Whether are tears necessarily required in sorrow for sin?  
Ans. In true sorrow of sin must be always a deep displeasure with himself, 
Whether required necessarily to true repentance.  sighs and groans of a broken and bleeding heart for the displeasure of God, which is a supernatural motion of the heart.  
But as for that bodily and sensible motion of the heart, which produceth tears and crying, it is always commendable where it is, but not always simply necessary; for sundry things may hinder tears, and yet true sorrow be with dry cheeks; As,  
Reas. 1. Abundance of grief may stop tears; as a man may weep for his friend, and cannot at the death of his own Son.  
2. Sometimes the constitution of the body will afford none, when the consolation of the heart desires to ease itself by them.  
3. Sometimes the Spirit of God supplies joy and comfort in the midst of their heaviness which abates the sensible smart, although it abates not the displeasure of our wills against sin, but enlargeth it.  
4. Tears proceed from many causes outward, as excessive joy, excessive sorrow, anger, compassion; and in a word, both from feigned repentance, and unfeigned, as we may not count them among the infallible signs of true repentance and sorrow for sin.  
FINIS.