Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-05-25
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Notes on the Lesson for May
.27-aPeter's Denial
EKrom the Chic ago Standard.

The lesson for above date may be fOuno III
the twenty-sixth chapter of Matthew. from
the sixty-ninth to the seventy-t fifth verses,
| INTRODUCTORY.
The scene lie changed from the open air to
| the close room. from the leafy shades OF the
garden of olives to the smoky inner apart
lnents OF the dmly lighted palace. From
that early garden scene there myers with US
the sight OF q face turned toward Peter and the
echo of words that said, sCculd ye not watch
with me one hour?" There Peter ans wered
in slumberous unwatchtulness Here he an
swers in waking unfaithfulness. And the
lesson closes with those same tender though
reprovinK eyes bent upon the sadly dlscom-
flied disciple of the sword
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS
60 No" Pcter: In continuation OF that
line OF narrative left Ill Y. 5S-- Without
In the outer court-Palace. The ancient
The low rambling rooms aud corridors OF
od-t.me royalty --Dan.Sel One of the
attendant, maidens of the building = Win
ae AGa aen with h. or oa in company ka saws
the damsel earnestly studied Peters face
10. denied: lie. Told q plain falsehood.
--BetorcaM With all looking on and lis
tenins-WAat tho" rs: sayest Or as a,, one
about!
Il. Conc OCT. Evidently finding it danger ger
GUS or uncomfortable within. -Iosrh. Inc
outside portco or plaza-Aaid Supplied
There is no real discrepancy between Matthew
and Luke here, although the latter uses the
masculine. John says, @They." There we're
doubtless more than one in this interrogating
Rss ss % hs spgss is a dSrss
IL VIII an oath. Whose very use was
meant for dselaimer.--I do not hnom.
Lying and swearing at one and the same time.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES
NO3r Peter Somehow it does not strike us
as strange that Peter should be mentioned
We are always expecting to hear about Peter.
He was 80 impulsive, so natural IN his move
ments When we know what Peter did we
fected. He is the typical man, typical in his
weaknesses. as we'll as in his points OF
strength He was one whom grace laid hold
of and made great Our Papal friends find
IN way, tho hosts of the redeemed. He
proved i'll his varied experience of defeat and
victory what God Almighty can do with the
children of men. Peter has the primacy in
faith and faithlessness together: Give God
all the glory.
Sat scitAoA IN tie palace. 1t was bad COM
pany. The ragged edge of court 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 incogaito. 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, Chrst-despising throng
he let piety slip away along with discretion.
He had Joined himself to the counsel of the
nngodly. and had, as it were, pitched his
tents toward Sodom
A da,nsel cane umto Ian. He was not the
look or word of 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
1ofa half no 40 IN, IL
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 acast ,rith 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 yah as s., subsequently y, he
be by himself Chou also acast" That past
tense carried the secret of his confusion and
discontinue. Who SO weak and weaponless
as the backslider, the man who has been but
| Battle denied before them all. It was bald
There in the eyes of all Each one turning
toward him perhaps in the alertness of men
spur to their suspended interest The WON
ans finger is pointing at him. He is the GEN.
ter Of the throng's gaze. Now, Peter, show
what you are made Of! Aud he does. He
was made of dust, just like the rest of us, weak
not speaking here of what God could make
of him. In himself unendued Peter was 9
poltroon
hnow not schat thou soyest. All, we un.
derstand the method. startled, wondering
look, an affected lifting of the eyebrows In
pretended astonishment @Me, why, don't
know what you are talking about" Poor,
foolish Peter. Alas, thou knowest not wha'
| II
thou art saying now, what was the import OF
the Son of the Living God:"
: Another mdt0 sa1c Htn. There was no use
away in the crowd. The girl found him. H,
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
one of the other evangelists intimates, an
other man pointed the finger at him. Has
ever man tried to hide his Christian identity
but that he has found himself brough,
straig htway to the alternative Of confession
or denial? 1t proves again what DIR. Pentecost,
in his "Out of Egypt" calls @the impossibility
life"
Again lie denied acith az oath. Notice how
sin grows. One lie requires another There was
| first of all tacit falsehood in Peters vlcioue
companionship. Then an open lie must be
spoken to make conduct and converse consist
emit Now this spoken falsehOod needs new
and more abandoned partner in evil Present
ly another lie must be added to bolster up the
wretched fabrication O, how sin deceives
Thy specch Oetraycth thee. 1t was doubt
less his provincial dialect The very tongue
with which he denied cried out, False,
false!" 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 Inn make no Of
fort after the example Of certain establis h.
ment to compete with the worlds trickeries.
Let him rather pray as little child in the
simplicity of his Lords greatness, Lead ue
not into temptation, but deliver us from
| evil"
Ihcm began he to eursc amd secrar. That
settled it. This was not the speech Of Canaan.
Peters language spoke louder in denial OF
his Lord than the lie itself. man who
could swear 80 glibly and curse himself &C
lmpiously 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
in new communities of the West once
thought to have been Christian But The
world lets him alone now. He has adopted
its language. That is enough. He is one Of
| them