The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1902-09-25
i tell you that i know t1lm not.

tell you Inag know hlm not.
| This is the denial that comes because OF
some unconfessed sin. Alas for the man
who allows any sin to go without imme.
date confession. 1t will spring upon him
some day like tiger from the Jungle, and
will overthrow him before he can have
time to call for help. Sin is always down
| grade in it's tendencies, and he who denies
Christ at the wicket gate will ere long
deny Him face to face.
| H.
| This text is also to be used in connection
with the sufferings of Jesus. 1t may not
be amiss to give a brief account of His
| trial
| First of all, He appeared before Annas,
the high priest, an account of which we
read in John xviii: 10 to 22-"The high
priest then asked Jesus of His disciples,
and of His doctrine. Jesus answered him,
| | spake openly to the world; ever taught
| IN the synagogue and in the temple, with
| er the Jews always resort, and in secret
have said nothing. Why askest thou Me?
| Ask them which heard Me what I have
| said unto them: behold, they know what
| said. And when He had thus spoken one
| of the officers which stood by struck Jesus
with the palm of his hand, saying, An
swerest Thou the high priest so?"
1t was an awful thing for this man with
| open hand to strike Him in the face. To
strike Him, before Whom the angels yelled
| their faces; to strike Him before Whom
| the archangel sang: "Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty"
But do you notice that when they struck
Him He never shuddered? They could not
hurt Him with any such blows as this, but
when we read, "Now Simon Peter stood
without and warmed himself" this is a
| blow which makes the Son of God shudder
and His heart grow sick.
The second part of the trial was His APP
| pearance before Caiaphas. Here, although
false witnesses appeared against Him He
was perfectly silent. "But Jesus held His
| peace. And the high priest answered and
said unto Him, l adjure Thee by the living
God that Thou tell us whether Thou be
the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said
| unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless /
say unto you, Hereafter shall We see the
| Son of Man sitting on the right hand of
power and coming in the clouds of hea-
ven."
"And they did spit in His face" but He
| never saw them. His eyes were blinded to
His insults, but Peter in the presence of
His enemies was blow at His very heart.
They smote Him UNTIL if He had been only
man He would have staggered in His weak
ness, but they might as well have struck
rock like Gibraltar and expected it to fall
| as to move Him with their blows, but
when Peter stood in the presence of those
who were against Him, like one of them
himself, it was a terrific blow at the Son
of God
The third part of the trial was before
| the Sanhedrim. He is led out from the
court where He has seen both Annas and
court to another room where the Sanhe-
drim is to meet. AS He passes, possibly
near enough to reach out His hand and
| touch His disciple, suddenly He hears
Peter say:
II tell you know Him not"
| He could forget the splitting of His ene-
mics, the blows of those who hated Him,
and the rods that had fallen upon Him in
| the hands of the angry multitude, but He
could not forget Peter.
| That which hurts Him the most in these
| days is not the sin of the unregenerate-
| this He must expect, but the sins of His
| own people for whom He suffered and
| died, and rose again.
| There is an infinite amount of pathos in
| the words, ''He turned and looked at Pc
| ter" No word of reproach fell from His
lips, but simply an expression of sorrow
| was there to be seen. Does He not look
upon you to-day, and does He not arouse
| memories in your life-vows that you have
broken-pledges that you have never kept?
| ''Jesus, let Thy plying eye call back the
wandering sheep.
| False to Thee like Peter, I would fain
like Peter weep"
III.
| But do not be discouraged. Mans USE
| fulness not infrequently springs from his
recovery from some sin. Out of Peters
| fall came his first epistle. The best glimpse
| that | have of the Saviour's heart is that
| which comes when I think of His personal
| dealings with individuals When I think
| of the God of Abraham think of one who
| strengthens His child under trial. The
| God of Jacob is my encouragement to be-
| lieve that my old nature may be con-
| quered, and my name changed from Jacob
| to Israel, the prince of God. The God of
| Elijah teaches me that prayer must be an
| swered. The Saviour of Thomas encour.
ages me while in doubt; the Saviour of
| Paul sustains me in my suffering, but the
! Saviour of Peter is the restorer Of the pen
| itent
Peter and Jesus met after the Resurrec-
| ton on the shore of the lake. It is most
significant that when he denied Christ it
| was in the presence of the fire of Goals in
| the court of the enemy. When the Son
of God met him on the shore of this lake
| there was fire of Goals Burning there |
| doubt not but that all the story Of his de-
| NAL came rushing upon him. What was
| said at that interview we shall not know
until we hear it from Peters own lips but
| it is safe to say that all his sins were for
! given, and even the marks Of his denial
| were taken away.
If you have denied this same Lord in
your business, IN your home. or in society,
| He waits to forgive and to forget, and He
lis the same yesterday, to-day and for
ever"