character. An inftance of this, though little in itself, and omitted by the other evangelifts, is preferved by St. John, in his account of our Saviour's girding himself with a napkin, and washing the disciples feet; to which office, not one of them is represented as making any oppofition: But when he came to Simon Peter, the Evangelist tells,-Peter said to him, -Doft Thou wash my feet? Jefus faid unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but fhalt know hereafter.-Peter faid to him,Thou shalt never wash my feet.-Humility for a moment triumphed over his fubmiffion,— and he expoftulates, with him upon it, with all the earnest and tender oppofition which was natural to a humble heart, confounded with fhame, that his Lord and master should infist to do so mean and painful an act of servitude to him.—

I would fooner form a judgment of a man's temper from his behaviour on fuch little occurrences of life, as thefe, than from the more weighed and important actions, where a man is more upon his guard;—has more preparation to disguise the true difpofition of his heart,

--and more temptation when disguised to impofe it on others.

This management was no part of Peter's character, who, with all the real and unaffected humility which he fhewed, was poffeffed of fuch a quick fenfibility and promptnefs of nature, which utterly unfitted him for art and premeditation;—though this particular cast of temper had its disadvantages, at the fame time, as it led him to an unreserved discovery of the opinions and prejudices of his heart, which he was wont to declare, and fometimes in fo open and unguarded a manner, as expofed him to the fharpness of a rebuke where he could leaft bear it.

I take notice of this, because it will help us in fome measure to reconcile a feeming contradiction in his character, which will naturally occur here, from confidering that great and capital failing of his life, when by a prefumptuous declaration of his own fortitude, he fell into the difgrace of denying his Lord; in both of which he acted fo opposite to the character here given, that you will afk,-How could fo humble a man as you describe ever

have been guilty of so self-sufficient and unguarded a vaunt, as that, though he should die with his Mafter,-yet would he not deny him? Or whence,-that fo fincere and honeft a man was not better able to perform it?

The cafe was this

Our Lord, before he was betrayed, had taken occafion to admonish his disciples of the peril of lapfing,-telling them, 31st verse,All ye fhall be offended because of me this night. To which Peter answering, with a zeal mixed with too much confidence,-That though all fhould be offended, yet will I never be offended;-to check this truft in himself,our Saviour replies, that he in particular should deny him thrice. But Peter looking upon this monition no farther than as it implied a reproach to his faith, and his love, and his courage;-ftung to the heart to have them called in queftion by his Lord,-he haftily fummons them all up to form his final resolution,— Though I fhould die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. The refolve was noble and dutiful to the last degree,—and I make no doubt

as honeft a one-that is, both as just in the matter, and as fincere in the intention, as ever was made by any of mankind;—his character not fuffering us to imagine he made it in a braving diffimulation :-no;-for he proved himself sufficiently in earnest by his fubfequent behaviour in the garden, when he drew his fword against a whole band of men, and thereby made it appear, that he had lefs concern for his own life, than he had for his mafter's fafety.-How then came his refolution to miscarry?-The reason feems purely this:--Peter grounded the execution of it upon too much confidence in himself,-doubted not but his will was in his power, whether God's grace affifted him or not;-furely thinking, that what he had courage to resolve so honestly, he had likewise ability to perform.—This was his mistake,—and though it was a very great one, yet was in fome degree akin to a virtue, as it sprung merely from a consciousnefs of his integrity and truth, and too adventurous a conclufion of what they would enable him to perform, on the sharpeft encounters for his Master's fake:-fo that his

failing in this point, was but a confequence of this hafty and ill-confidered refolve;—and his Lord to rebuke and punish him for it, did no other than leave him to his own ftrength to perform it;-which, in effect, was almost the fame as leaving him to the neceffity of not performing it at all.-The great apostle had not confidered, that he who precautioned him was the fearcher of hearts,—and needed not that any fhould testify of man, for he knew what was in man:-he did not remember, that his Lord had faid before,-Without me ye can do nothing;—that the execution of all our faculties were under the power of his will :-he had forgot the knowlege of this needful truth, on this one unhappy juncture,-where he had fo great a temptation to the contrary,-tho' he was full of the perfuafion in every other tranfaction of his life,-but moft vifibly here in the text, where he breaks forth in the warm language of a heart ftill overflowing with rememberance of this very mistake he had once committed ;-Ye men of Ifrael, why marvel ye at this?—as though by our own power or holiness we had wrought this?—The God I