774 "PEI 
fuch a fupernatural appearance, they imagined that they 
faw a fpirit, and cried out for fear, till Jefus quieted their 
apprehenfions by an affurance that it was himfelf who 
approached them. Upon this, Peter took courage, and 
laid, Lord if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 
And he /aid, Come. Prefuming on the ftrengtfi of his 
faith, Peter immediately left the veffel, and walked on 
the fea to go to Jefus; but, finding the waves becoming 
boifterous, his courage failed, and, beginning to Jink, he 
cried, Lord, face me. And immediatehj Jefus Jiretched 
forth his hand, and caught him , and mildly reproved him 
for doubting of his fafety while afting under his orders. 
The circumftances of this adventure, at the fame time 
that they mud have operated as a falutary check on 
Peter’s excefiive confidence, and taught him the necefiity 
of being upon his guard againft future inftances of weak¬ 
nefs, could not but ferve powerfully to confirm his faith 
in Jefus as the Median. Of this he gave proof on the 
following day, when many who had hitherto followed 
Jefus, and profefled themfelves his difciples, under the 
expectation that he would fet up a worldly kingdom, 
were offended with his difcourfe in the fynagogue of 
Capernaum, in which he fpake of the fpiritual defign of 
his miffion, and went back, and walked no more with him. 
After noticing their condudt, which fhowed them to be 
governed by fecularand interefted views, Jefus faid to his 
twelve apoftles, Will ye alfo go away? Without hefitation, 
and with the utmolt zeal and fervour, Peter immediately 
replied in all their names, Lord , to whom Jhould we go? 
thou hajl the words of eternal life. And we know and are 
fare, that thou art the Chrijl, the Son of the living God. 
The fame anfwer was given by Peter to our Lord fome 
time afterwards, when lie enquired of his difciples in 
private what opinion the people entertained of him; and, 
in the next place, whom they themfelves thought him to 
be? When to the latter queflion Peter had replied as 
above, Jefus pronounced him blcjjed on account of his 
faith, which was founded on a rational perfuafion, pro¬ 
duced by an attention to the aftonifhing works which he 
wrought to confirm the divinity of his million. He 
afterwards added, in allufion to the meaning of his name, 
that upon this rock, or confeflion which Peter had made, 
his church fhould be eftablifhed, and prove ultimately 
triumphant over all oppofition. 
Our Lord’s fubfequent declarations, And I will give 
unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven-, and whatfoever 
thou Jhalt bind on earth Jhall be bound in heaven, See. have 
been differently underftood by different interpreters. 
The former, in the opinion of many, was addrefled by 
our Lord particularly to Peter, and contained a promife 
that he fhould have the honour of beginning to preach 
the Gofpel, after his refurreefion, to Jews and Gentiles, 
and of receiving them into the church. Others fuppofe, 
that, as Peter made his confeflion in the name of all the 
apoftles, fo Chrift’s declarations were intended for them 
all ; and that the honours and powers granted to Peter by 
name, were conferred on them all equally. It is at lealt 
certain, that the power of binding and loafing, or of pro¬ 
nouncing what things were forbidden or allowed to 
Chrift’s difciples, was not conferred exclufively upon 
Peter, fince it was afterwards declared by our Lord to be 
a privilege which belonged to all the apoftles. 
Peter, however, was honoured on feveral occafions with 
diftinguiflied marks of his Mafter’s confidence and regard. 
He was one of the three difciples whom our Lord per¬ 
mitted to be prefent at the railing of Jairus’s daughter ; 
and before .whom he underwent his glorious transfigura¬ 
tion on the mountain. He was one of the four apoftles 
to whom our Lord addrefled himfelf, when he foretold 
the deftrufl'ion of the Temple, and the calamities which 
fhould attend it. He was one of the three whom Jefus 
took with him apart from the other difciples, when lie re¬ 
tired to pray in the garden on the night before he buffered. 
After the inftitution of his fupper, when Chrift warned 
E R. 
Peter of his danger, he alfo affured him, that he had 
prayed for him that his faith might not fail, but that, 
when his hour of trial fhould be paft, he might recover 
his firmnefs of mind, and fteadily perfevere in avowing 
and defending his caufe, notwithftanding the perfecutions 
and bufferings which he fhould endure. When Peter 
replied that fuch was his refolution at prefent, and that he 
was ready to go with his Mafter both into prifon and to 
death, Jefus allured him, without queftioning the fince- 
rity of his intention, that be fhould exhibit fuch a proof 
of human weaknefs, as, on that very day, before the 
crowing of the cock, to deny three feveral times that he 
even fo much as knew him. Out of the fervour of his 
zeal, when the Jewifli officers were about to apprehend 
his Mafter, Peter, having a/word, drew it, and J'mote a 
fervant of the high-pr left, and cut off his right ear ; but 
Jefus checked his ardour, ordering him to fneath his 
fword, fince he was determined to fubmit to his enemies 
without refiftance, that the Scripture-prophecies relating 
to him might be fulfilled. Then all the difciples forfook 
him, and fled, though they had only a few hours before 
concurred with Peter in declaring their determination to 
adhere to him, even at the expenfe of their lives. Peter, 
however, and John, anxious to fee what would become 
of Jefus, followed him at fome diftance to the high-prieft’s 
palace, into which they gained admittance. Here Peter, 
hoping to efcape undifeovered, mixed with the fervants 
and officers who were aflembled round a fire in the hall ; 
but he was foon challenged with being one of the follow¬ 
ers of Jefus, when he forgot at once all his late profeffions, 
and denied that he ever had known him. Being charged 
with the fame thing again, he a fecond time moft pe¬ 
remptorily difowned his Mafter. At 1 aft, the charge 
having been brought againft him the third time, he once 
more denied its truth, with oaths and imprecations. 
Immediately afterwards the cock crew; and Jefus direfted 
an expreffive look towards Peter, which pierced him to 
the heart, and excited in him the moft pungent remorfe 
on account of his weaknefs and defeition. Unable, with 
thebe feelings, to (land any longer in the fight of his 
injured jailer, he went out, and wept bitterly. By a re¬ 
pentance as fincere and humble as his crime w'as aggra¬ 
vated, he obtained the divine pardon of his offence, and 
ever afterwards fhowed the greateft zeal and courage in 
his Mafter’s caufe. 
That Peter’s repentance was genuine and accepted, 
may be concluded from the diftinguiflied marks of favour 
with which lie was foon honoured by Jefus. On the 
morning after our Lord’s refurre&ion, when Mary Mag¬ 
dalene and other women came to his fepulchre, with 
fpices which they had prepared for embalming him, they 
faw an angel, who informed them that he was rifen from 
the dead, and direfled them to carry the joyful tidings 
to the Apoftles, and to I J eter in particular. On the fame 
day, Jefus fhowed himfelf to this apoftle, before any of 
his brethren were honoured with the fight of him, though 
none of the circumftances of this appearance are any¬ 
where related. At another appearance of Jefus to feveral 
of his difciples, which is deferibed in the 21ft chapter of 
St. John’s Gofpel, an interefting feene took place, in 
which Peter was particularly noticed. There cur Lord 
renewed ro him the apoftolical commiffion, requiring him, 
as the beft teftimony of his attachment to his perfon and 
caufe, tofcedhisjheepviith fidelity and tendernefs. He 
alfo gave Peter reafon to hope, that in his future conduft 
he would prove an illuftrious example of refolution and 
fortitude'under the moft formidable trials, and at length 
glorify God by his death, in the fervice to which he had 
been appointed. Afterwards Jefus met Peter, in com¬ 
pany with the other apoftles, feveral times at Jerufalem, 
where he difeourfed with them concerning the affairs of 
his kingdom, and commanded them to remain till they 
had received the promifed baptifm of the Holy Spirit, or 
that communication of fupernatural powers which fhould 
