The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1888-05-23
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
Notes on the Lesson for May
27-"Peter's Denial"



the twenty-sixth chapter Of Matthew. from
the sixty-ninth to the seventy fifth verssA
INTRODUCTORY
Tho scene IL changed from the open air to
tho close room. from the lesfy shades Of the
garden Of olives to the smoky inner apart
ments Of the dimy lighted palace. From
that early garden scene there l.ngers with US
the sight OF = face turned toward Peter and the
echo Of words that said, -Cculd ye not watch
with me one houry' There Peter answered
IN slumberous unwatch fulness Here he an
swers in waking unfalthfulness And the
lesson closes with those same tender though
reprovmg eyes bent upon the sadly discoln-
flied disciple OF the sword
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
90 Now Peter. In continuation OF that
line OF narrative left IN " So Wuhout
In the outer court -Idiace. The ancient
1 form OF architecture is to be borne in mind
The low rambling rooms aud corridors OF
.old-nms royalty.-DamseL One OF the
attendant maidens of the building. --With
Jesus Along with or in company with. -
Gatitee Jesus the Galilean. Luke says
the damsel earnestly studied Peters face.
before all With all looking on and lis
tening. - What thou sayest Or as one
nigh, answer now. What are you talking
II Gone out Evidently finding it danger
Gus or uncomfortable within Porch The
outside portico or plaza --Aaid Supplied
from the feminine form of the adjective
There 10 no real discrepancy between Matthew
and Luke here, although the latter uses the
masculine John says, @They." There were
party - Unto them The appeal is changed
to the by-stsnders. The Nasarene Chrisfs
more specific designation.
II Wa aa oath Whose very use was
meant for y disclaimer. - do not know
Lying and swearing at one and the same time
Sow Peter Somehow it does not strike rs
as strange that Peter should be mentioned
we are always expecting to hear about Peter
He was so impulsive, so natural in his move
know how we ourselves would have been at
fected. He is the typical man. typical in his
weaknesses as well in his points OF
strength. He was one whom grace laid hold
of and made great Our Papal friends find
in Peter the head of the church. Yes, he led,
IN way. the hosts of the redeemed He
proved IN his varied experience OF defeat and
victory what God Almighty can do with the
children of men. Peter has the primacy in
faith and faithleseness together. Give God
all the glory.
Sat Without in the palace 1t was bad COM
pany. The ragged edge of ourt-house
crowd Is never very respectable. This was
made up OF the ordinary sort, the idle, rib
aid hangers-on about the chambers Of JUS
tice Peter doubtless thought he would slip
in and look on inoognito. He of course did
not mean to say aught to offend his Master,
or to do violation to his conscience; but once
in with that worldly, Chris t-despising throng
He had joined himself to the counsel of the
ungodly, and had, as il were, pitched his
tents toward Sodom.
danasei came unto him. He was not the
first doughty champion put to rout by the
look or word Of q maid Herod succumbed
to one. Samson long before did the same
Satan knows more than one way to shear
strength away and bring to humiliation and
defeat Happy we IL we shall be able to de-
tect the evil one in all his advances. He may
use the most unlikely and seemingly the most
innocent objects or incidents as occasions Of
overthrow. BE on the watch.
Thou also Udst Nth Jesus. Yes, he had
been. He was not now. With Jesus, the
face and hand Of the Christ close beside, he
had been strong and we'll sustained He had
not yet learned to go alone. Or rather, he
had not yet been taught as subsequently he
was. how he might still be with Jesus and yet
be by himself "Thou also cdst" That past
tense carried the secret of his confusion and
discontinue Who 80 weak and weaponless
as the backslider, the man who has been but
is not now with Jesus?"
Bmhe denied before them all 1t was bald
disavowal, open abandonment of Christ
There in the eyes of all Each one turning
toward him perhaps in the alertness of men
hungry for a sensation, ready for any new
spur to their suspended interest The wom-
ans finger is pointing at him. He is the CEN
ter OF the throng's geze. Now, Peter, show
what you are made of! And he does. He
was made Of dust just like the rest of us, weak
and wretched sinners that we are. We are
not speaking here OF what God could make
of him. In himself unendued Peter was
poltroon-
knop not ,ohat thou sayest. All. we un-
derstand the method A startled, wondering
look, an affected lifting Of the eyebrows in
pretended astonishment SMe, why, 1 don't
know what you are talking about" Poor,
foolish Peter Alas, thou knowest not what
thou thyself sayest III thou meanest what
thou art saying now, what was the import OF
that word the other day, Thou art the Christ
the Son of the Living God?7
Another maid sac him There was no nse
of his trying to conceal it He hid himself
away in the crowd The girl found him. He
may have changed his position at the fire; he
was still restless under the searching eyes of
the crowd Presently he had gone out into
the porch; and there another maid, and, az
one of the other evangelists intimates, an
other man pointed the finger at him. Has
ever a man tried to hide his Christian identity
but that he has found himself brought
straghtway to the alternative of confession
or denialY 1t proves again what Dr. Pentecost
in his @Out Of Egypt" calls -the impossibility
OF main tanning secret or hidden Christian
life"
Again he denied Nth an oath Notice how
sin grows. One lie requires another There was
QrSt OF ali taClt 1alsenOOu III feter = VICIOUS
companionship. Then an open lie must be
spoken to make conduct and converse consist
emit Now this spoken falsehood needs q new
and more abandoned partner in evil Present
ly another lie must be aided TO bolster up the
wretched fabrication. U, how sin deceivesl
Thy speech betrayeth thee 1t was doubt
less his provincial dialect The very tongue
with which he denied cried out, @Faise,
falsel" No, Peter was not prepared for
chicanery. He was bungling sort OF de-
ceiver: his was not an artiul imposture
Depend upon it the Christian has no arma-
ment or armor for deception Christ teaches
no methods of treachery. Guileless is the
child of the kingdom. Let him make no eff
fort after the example of a certain establish
ment to compete with the worlds trickeries
Let him rather pray as o little child in the
simplicity of his Lords greatness, lead us
not into temptation, but deliver US from
evil
Then began he TO curse and sUedr. That
settled II. This was not the speech of Canaan
Peters language spoke louder In denial OF
his Lord than the lie itself A, man who
could swear so glibly and curse himself 80
impiously was certainly OF another spirit
than that pure-lipped, patient sufferer in the
inner room yonder. They let him alone now.
apparently satisfied There is many man
ia new communities OF the West once
thought TO have been a Christian. But the
world lets him alone now He has adopted
its language. That is enough. He is one OF