The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-11-29
IN THE RELIGIOUS WORLD
What Church Folk Are Think
ing Abont and Doing
THE Man WHO BROKE.
The International Sunday School les
son for December 4 is Peters De-
Mail" Matt. 26: 31-35, e9-75
(By William 7. Ellis !

This is the story Of a typical man
5n% most human OF all the characters
IN the world S greatest portrait gallery
lie was like the rest OF as. In him
3he race strikes an average. IJis var1,
dIunderS and stumbleS endear him 70
mankind. Simon Peters biography is
Jhe second most popular in the Bible.
Here We have him at his great crisis
md collapse. The hero broke-but he
teli as mortals fa4, and we still love
aim. Judas had sinned as a fiend-in
cold blood. calculating. avaricious
s~elhshness, and no mortal is too mean
a. loathe him. Peter just
5nto disloyalty; and once he had been
sIfted out OF that miry pit, he never
again Tell into it. The scare which
his soul ever wore from that expert
ence was a constant warning to him
thereafter. He fell terribly, but he
arose srandly-and that is the best
thing about a man.
The Humbling of ~ocksureue
This mar was son OF the sea and of
the soil He had few of the parlor ac-
rompEshments. A long journey un-
der the blazing sun and over dusty
roads, or a battle with the tempestu-
GUS waves of Ga1lilee. was all in the
08y s work for him. He knew how to
take care Of himself, and he had all
81 a strong mans consciousness Of that
i3ct Peter was no weakling. The
iH-Ap ilidllN anu GcSOGrCofulnn esq
which he was foever displaying might
he misguided at times, but they were
the traits OF strength. That he, like
most leaders of men, was given to
cocksureness. is all too apparent.
IN that awesome hour in the upper
room. where the worlds Redeemer
Dared his breaking heart to his friends,
II was Peter who was foremost in pro-
testing against the possibility of dis
loyalty. Cried he, Though all men
shall be because Of thee, yet
Will never be offended. .
Ihough should die with thee,
vet VIII L not deny thee" We COM
WIN Peter alone; the record runs.
-LkeWise also said all the disciples"
me whole lot fell, only Peter fell the |
1aEthest.
He meant all that he said about
Ti@holng fast Only he was too sure of
Feter. a measure of se1f-distrust sits
We'll upon everybody. The most au-
0acious should not fail to take counsel
Of prudence. Pau was quite as brave
as Peter. and really more daring, but
he qualified his s~elf-confdence by "I
can do all things-through Christ
which strengtheneth me" NO man is
safe in saying that he is too strong to
iatI INTO sin. 1t is when a person
thinks he standeth that he is to take
heed lest he fall, like Peter, and the
other protesting ten.
With the Wrong Crowd.
One of the laws of Scion was that, IN
case of Instruction, the citizen who
Cld not attach himself to one side or
the other should be branded with In
fanny. There Is no neutral ground In
life. Jesus made the case clearer
when He said, He that is not for me
Is against me- Everybody should line
UP with his own crowd. Peters mis-
take was that he associated himself
with the eneIaies Of his Master.
Perhaps because he wanted the
warmth that cold December night. or
perhaps because his world was tum-
a daze, he joined the company Of sol
uiers and retainers about the fire IN
the high priests courtyard. An. Pc
ter; the world has no fire that can
drive the chill from the heart or a
wandering Christian.
This glimpse of the COURTYARD proun
US. as it were. a peep at the great
event from the underside. While the
CHIEF actors in the tragedy were busy
elsewhere, the servants and followers
were exchanging gossip and expert
ences about the open fire. Did the
h had first laid hold on Jesus
still boast about it? What was the sto-
~ Of the soldier who had clutched at
cloak Of the fleeing young man?
How did they regard the Prisoner?
What was their opinion of Judas? We
wish for more Of the history of this
evenings coarse conversation about
courtyard fire. We want a clearer
Of the faces of these rud SOL
diers and of the serving maids who
moved to and fro in the flare of the
itful fire. perhaps bearing refresh s
ments to the soldiers. r
There sat Peter, III h misery we :
scarcely understand, until his feel )
ngs were turned to acuie terror by :
The word O.. a sharp-eyed maid Eve Z
on what occasion she had seen :
Jesus with His band ?)-"Thou also :
vast with Jesus of Ga1li1ee." With a +.
oud denial and protestation hat he E
,ould not even understand the mean =
ng Of the charge, Peter moved out :
INTO the porch. There another maid
him-little escape the eye of a 7