His following Him "afar off," was another reason of his sad fall. A soldier that hangs back, and lags behind, will soon lose his courage. If he had followed manfully on, and stood close up to his divine Lord, he would have renewed his strength. Truly says one of this fall, that it "began in sneaking!"

This folly is at this day still repeated, and experience proves that it leads to the same end. Let a disciple hang back, or move slowly in the way of duty, and he will soon grow negligent, and perhaps cast his profession off from him entirely. Let him follow Christ afar off for a short time, and he will soon not follow him at all. Notice those persons who keep far back from the regular ordinances of God's house, and you will see those who are easily thrown into sin.

His going in among the rabble, and thus putting himself into temptation, is another reason. His object in following Him afar off, and after they got there standing back among the crowd, was to escape danger if there should be any, and to be at the same time a spectator of the whole trial. Perhaps he reasoned thus. If Jesus be put to shame and crucified, I shall not suffer any loss, but if He should deliver himself with a mighty hand, which seemed likely, then I shall have the honor before the other disciples, of having been with Him. For this reason he kept as close as he well could, only so as not to be observed. And when he was discovered by those around him, it provoked him to anger.

There among the rabble the Saviour was, no doubt, the subject of ridicule this was too much for poor Peter. Matters seemed to look dark for Christ and His cause, so he thought it best to deny Him. Had he been in the place where John was, he would not have heard their low abuse, and it would consequently not have affected him; his very cowardice turned their ridicule upon him, which still more irritated his feelings, and urged him on to the deed of desperate wickedness. Perhaps the faithful John received from the Saviour at times, a look of cheering approbation. and love which strengthened his love and faith-while Peter was left to his own ways.

Having now considered this humiliating and wicked denial, let us consider also his repentance and recovery.

His repentance was genuine. There is a repentance which worketh death, instead of life. Such was the repentance of Judas, who hanged himself.

That his repentance was sincere, may be strongly inferred from his previous life. With all his weakness and errors, Peter was a man of more than ordinary devotion and faith. It is not to be presumed that He, who had commenced so good a work in him, should not carry it forward unto life. Besides, the Saviour declared in His intercessory prayer, that none of those whom the Father had given Him should be lost, but the son of perdition. The Saviour also tells him that He would pray for him, that his faith should not entirely fail, when Satan should "sift him as wheat."

But the genuineness of his repentance, is put beyond all doubt by his subsequent history. He became one of the most prominent, most faithful, and successful apostles of the Lord. In all places he preached Jesus, that he was the Christ. No pains did he spare,-from city to city, from country to country, he went, preaching that Jesus of whom he said, cursing and swearing, I know not the man!

What is to be said concerning the cause of his repentance, will serve still clearer to show its genuineness.

The first thing that moved and melted the wayward and wicked Peter, was a look from the Saviour. When he had denied Him the third time, then the cock crew, and just at that time "the Lord turned and looked upon Peter!" Oh, what a look was that! No doubt He caught Peter's eye, and there was something in that look that went to his soul. There was something in that look, which seemed to say, Peter! He turned and looked upon him. Perhaps it was a tender look. Those eyes which are as mild "dove as eyes by the rivers of water," fell upon him, made his soul tremble, and opened the fountains of his heart. That look carried him back to Gethsemane, and the upper room; where they had so sweetly communed together. It reminded him of the many hours of sweet bliss he had enjoyed with his Lord. Above all, it reminded him of the Saviour's promise, that He would pray for him that his faith should not fail. This gave him some hope; and this hope melted his heart to tenderness and penitence.

A look from the Saviour breaks the heart of the sinner. Go to the weeping contrite sinner, and ask him what has melted him, and he will tell you that Jesus looked upon him and caught his eye. Zaccheus was moved by a look which Jesus cast upward. So those of whom the prophet speaks "looked upon Christ," and He no doubt caught their eye, and when they saw him, whom their sins had pierced, they mourned for Him as one mourneth for an only son, and were in bitterness for Him as one is in bitterness for his first born. Zech. 12: 10. Ask the humble believer, who was once an enemy of Christ, what subdued and melted his heart? and he will say: It was a look from my dying bleeding Saviour?

I saw one hanging on a tree,

In agony and blood;

Who fixed his languid eyes on me,

As near the cross He stood.

Sure, never to my latest breath

Can I forget that look:

It seemed to charge me with his death,
Though not a word he spoke.

Who can look upon the adorable Jesus, suspended upon the cross in all His agony; who can there catch His eye which seems to plead through tears, Father, forgive them," without melting into penitence over those sins, which fixed the nails, and which made Him groan and bleed? Harder must such a heart be than the rocks, and colder than the grave.

The second hammer that smote Peter to make him contrite, was, he " remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow; thou shalt deny me thrice." He remembered the prophecy, and its actual fulfilment. He had, in all the transactions, been so much under the influence of fear or headlong passion, that he could not weigh his actions; but now the piercing look which his Master gave him, directed his thoughts back to a review of his conduct.

True repentance consists, not merely in the sinner's seeing his danger, and becoming alarmed in consequence of it, but it consists rather in his seeing and feeling his sin, and being brought to abhor himself on account of his sins. This was no doubt effected in the mind of Peter by his re

membering the words of Jesus. When those words were spoken, on the way from the upper room to the garden, he was full of love, faith, and devotion to his master. Then, too, he was happy in the assurance of his Master's favor; but now he had sinned, and made himself almost like Judas, at least in his own eyes. He had made such high, warm, and emphatic professions of attachment to Christ's cause, but now how illoyal, how wicked! The other disciples had remained behind, it is true, but he had followed only to deny and wound him; and there was John, the quiet, the unpretending, by his Master's side-this served still more to represent, as in relief, more fully to him the deep enormity of his guilt.

Who can describe that terrible moment. Who can imagine poor faithless Peter's feelings? His whole soul was in a tumult. Wave upon wave of sorrow, rolled over his memory, and it seemed that the night of despair was at last about to settle upon him. Perhaps, at times, he would turn an inquiring look towards his Master, which said, "Is there mercy there?" But there was no reply-not even in the Master's look. That look was still so sad, so tender, and yet, to guilty Peter, so full of reproof. The very loveliness and tenderness of that look, served to show Peter more awfully the baseness of his denial. That look seemed complainingly to say, "Yea, mine own familiar friend in whom I trusted; who did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me!" Ps. 41: 9. Peter could endure it no longer: "he went out."

This is the third stage in his penitence, and served still to deepen what had been begun. "He went out." This he did, no doubt, in order to get away from every human eye, that he might give free flow to his penitential tenderness. The fountains of the deep in the spirit, when stirred up, seek an outlet. The burdened soul is truly burdened as long as it must restrain its sorrow. So it was with David-"I was dumb with silence: I held my peace even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned: Then spake I with my tongue; Lord, make me to know mine end." 39: 2, 3, 4. When he spake, and thus poured out his sorrows, his heart found relief. So with Peter, he went out and wept bitterly! While he wept, his penitence became more composed and sober, but remained no less deep.

Ps.

The sacred writers leave him weeping. How soon he felt relief is not known, and it is well that it is not. It gives no countenance to that hasty, impatient, and mechanical process, by which penitents are sometimes brought to comfort and peace! Let him weep; so thought the Saviour! Let the waves of sorrow completely drench his heretofore lofty spirit. Let the furnace burn around him; it will consume nothing but the dross.

He wept bitterly! When one mountain wave had rolled over his spirit, another succeeded; every one pressing from his heart, floods of penitential grief. Perhaps, between them, a ray of hope fell into his dark spirit to keep him from despair. No doubt these waves gradually rolled more slowly, and admitted more light between them, but still they came.

Ancient tradition says, that through all his life he wept every time the cock crew! It was no doubt often in his mind through his life, keeping him penitent and humble. When at last he was crucified at Rome for the faith of his Master, which he had so faithfully preached, he forgot not his sin; he requested to be crucified with his head downwards, because he did not consider himself worthy to die in the same way Jesus did, since

he had so wickedly denied him! Thrice wicked-thrice penitent, but now thrice blessed Peter! Thou art in heaven-but only of grace! And oh, how lowly, and how joyfully, and how gratefully canst thou sing,— "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us."

Witness, all ye hosts of heaven,

My Redeemer's tenderness!

Love I much ?-I've much forgiven

I'm a miracle of grace!

Let us learn to be humble. If Peter had not thought more of himself than was proper, he would have trusted less in his own strength. He was too confident in his firmness. "Let him that thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall." 1 Cor. 10: 11, 12. Humility has promises! 1 Peter 5: 5, 6; Matt. 18: 3, 11, 29; "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." Prov. 16: 18, 19; Is. 57: 15; James 4: 10; 1 Peter 3: 4; Ps. 25: 9.

Let us learn to be devoted. If Peter had been devoted like John, he would not have followed him afar off; and consequently would not have been led into temptation and denial. Say, as Ruth said to Naomi, Ruth 1: 16, 17.

Let us learn to be penitent. Let us feel it when the bleeding Jesus turns and looks upon us from the cross! May that look put us to remembering. And may that induce us to go out alone, and there review our life, till tears of bitter penitence flow from our hearts.

Let us learn to be believing. If there was hope for Peter, why need we despair? Think of the aggravation of his sin. Despairing soul, look up! You are a prisoner, but a prisoner of hope!

NOW IS THE TIME TO GET UP NEW LISTS.

The Guardian enters upon the seventeenth year of its age, in many respects, under pleasant and encouraging auspices. After the financial crash of 1857, its subscription list went gradually down, till the out-break of the war, when it began to look for a time as if its mission were at an end! But in 1863 it began to rally, and since then has about trebled its number of subscribers. So that now it is fully up to the best age in its history.

This is very encouraging, and would be fully adequate to its wants in a financial point of view, had paper and printing rates remained at the old figure. As it is, the Guardian still needs all its friends have it in their hearts to do in the way of increase, in its subscription list. During the last year it has gone steadily up; and we have every reason to believe that the New Year will bring in large additional numbers.

Many have voluntarily promised to get up lists of new subscribers, and we are sure it will be done. The Magazine has grown to be a kind of necessity among the young, and in families in the Church, and its continuance is demanded and expected as a fixed fact. Every year adds to the strength and need of its continued existence. "As the tale grows longer

the tub grows stronger."

As we have often asked before-and never in vain-so we ask again, that those who receive it, take measures to get up new and larger lists in their own particular locality. Young ladies have introduced it into many hands: let her who reads this, cheer us by a list of her friends.

The Guardian.

VOL. XVII.-FEBRUARY, 1866.-No. 2.

COMING TO CHRIST.

NOTES FROM A SERMON BY J. W. N., BY A HEARER.*

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.-MATT. XI: 28.

I. The class of persons to whom this invitation is addressed. To all convicted of sin, and feeling themselves under the condemnation of the Law. But this is too limited. The invitation, we might say, is addressed to all the children of grief and sorrow, to all suffering under affliction. Still it has a wider meaning, and is more comprehensive. It is addressed to sinners wherever found. The condition described, is the general condition of all men struggling for the attainment of happiness. Christ, looking abroad upon them toiling in this way, addresses the world through those around Him.

What is not implied as to the character and power of Christ, in that He could thus quietly but grandly call all mankind away from their toils, to His side. The Saviour places Himself in opposition to the world, and claims to be of more account than all the honors, riches, pleasures,-than all the art and science of the world; and His language is a challenge to men to

*Great orators who have only a few orations, and great preachers who have › only a limited number of good sermons, generally ask that reporters be excluded from the audience; and there is a kind of tacit understanding that no one ought to print what they say, lest their "balm of Gilead" should be stolen from them, and they be left in trouble. In the case of the present preacher there is no danger of such disaster, since if one sermon be made public in print, he has always the facility of making another, Hence, as his old pupils will insist thathis thoughts shall be regarded public property, we cannot close our GUARDIAN against the report of the "Hearer." We hope the Dr. will meekly yield the copy-right in this and similar cases.-ED. GUARDIAN.

VOL. XVII.-3