136. Wednesday after Second Sunday in Lent.
God, preserve me; for I am of thy people.
Mark 14, 66-72. And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: and when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them; for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But he began to curse and swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
❦
The Lord had said to the disciples that he alone, and none with him, should meet death. He had prayed for them, and had assured their safety from the enemy by his command: “Let these go their way.” But Peter is not satisfied to abide by the word of the Lord; he insists on following out his own declaration, “I am ready to die with thee;” and thus he puts himself in the way of temptation. He thus lacks the rest and strength in the words of the Lord which are a protection against death and danger; and then devils and men attack the defenceless man with fury, and maltreat him in a dreadful way. John they leave in peace.
The weakest Christian is strong and defeats the devil, when he but holds fast the word of God and remains in the Lord’s ways, in humility, the fear of God, and denial of self; but the strongest is as the lightest feather against the devil, when he follows his own devices, departs from the word, imagines himself to be strong, and throws himself in the way of temptation. Defer to the word of God, my Christian friend. This word declares that you walk in the midst of a thousand dangers, that of yourself you are wretchedly weak, that all your strength is nothing but vanity; but it also declares that the Lord is near you, and that none shall pluck you out of his hand. Abide herein, and walk your way with fear and with confidence; then you walk in the Spirit and are borne on the hands of angels. But if you put your faith in your own understanding, if you rely on yourself, or entrust yourself to the wisdom and strength of men, you shall without fail have the bitter experience that “the flesh is weak.” Peter was truly a man of courage and heroism, and none was more honestly loyal than he to the Lord. But it requires strength greater than this to stand against “principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.” What, then, shall be the fate of the Christians of our age, so many of whom have been lulled to sleep by the world, and pillow their heads in fancied security on their own imagined piety?
There is a solemn, we may say a terrible, warning in the fall of Peter; but, on the other hand, the grace of the Lord toward the fallen Peter has unspeakable beauty and comfort. Do you know, dear friend, how the cockcrow stirs, and how the look of Jesus melts the heart? I wonder whether you ever have felt yourself weaken in the courtyard of Caiaphas, or in Antioch? (Galatians 2, 11-14). If you have such an experience hereafter, listen and see, and he shall fill your ear with his voice, and your eyes with his person, that you may taste the tears of bitter repentance, but also experience the power of his blood and tears to heal the soul.
Lord God, teach us to walk with wise care, that we never in carnal security plunge into temptations. When we are to be sifted by Satan, then let thy intercession and thy strength save us, that we may overcome, and obtain victory. Thou knowest that we are foolish and weak, and that hence we can do nothing without thee. Faithful God, do not let us be made ashamed; do not let the devil triumph, and thy name be mocked. Save us in the time of temptation, keep us from falling, and lift us up, that we may praise and bless thee forevermore. Amen.
Arise, my soul, arise,
Shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding Sacrifice
In my behalf appears;
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on his hands.
He ever lives above
For me to intercede;
His all-redeeming love,
His precious blood to plead;
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.