This great apoftle was a man of dif tinction amongst the difciples,-and was one of such virtues and qualifications, as feemed to have recommended him more than the advantage of his years, or knowledge.

On his first admiffion to our Saviour's acquaintance, he gave a most evident testimony that he was a man of real and tender goodness, when being awakened by the miraculous draught of the fishes, as we read in the fifth of St. Luke, and knowing the author muft neceffarily be from GOD, he fell down inftantly at his feet, broke out into this humble and pious reflection ;-Depart from me, for I am a finful man, O Lord!-The cenfure, you will fay, expreffes him a finful man, but fo to cenfure himself,-with fuch unaffected modefty, implies more effectually than any thing else could,that he was not in the common sense of the word,-a finful, but a good man, who, like the publican in the temple, was no lefs juftified, for a felf-accufation extorted merely from the humility of

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a devout heart jealous of its own imperfections.—And though the words, depart from me, carry in them the face of fear, -yet he who heard them, and knew the heart of the fpeaker, found they carried in them a greater measure of defire.-For Peter was not willing to be discharged from his new guest, but fearing his unfitness to accompany him, longed to be made more worthy of his converfation.-A meek and modeft diftruft of himself, feemed to have had no fmall fhare, at that time, in his natural temper and complexion; and though it would be greatly improved, and no doubt much better principled by the advantages on which I enlarged above, in his commerce and observation with his Lord and Mafter,-yet it appears to have been an early and dif tinguishing part of his 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 himfelf with a napkin, and washing the difciples feet;

to which office, not one of them is reprefented as making any oppofition: But when he came to Simon Peter,the Evangelift tells,-Peter faid to him, -Doft Thou wash my feet? Jefus faid unto him, What I do, thou knowest not now, but fhalt know hereafter.

Peter faid unto 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 Mafter fhould infist to do so mean and painful an act of fervitude 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 difguife the true difpofition of his heart, and more temptation when difguifed 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 caft of temper had its difadvantages, at the fame time, as it led him to an unreferved 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 exposed 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 oppofite to the character here given, that you will afk,-How could fo humble a man as

you describe ever have been guilty of fo felf-fufficient 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 honest 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 difciples of the peril of lapfing,-telling them, 31ft 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 should be offended, yet will I never be offended;-to check this truft in himself,―our Saviour replies, that he in particular fhould 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 question by his Lord,-he haftily fummons them all up to form his final refolution,-Though I fhould die with thee,