The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1914-11-12

ext, ! Cor. x, f2-ConmcEtary Prs
! pared by Rev. Q. M. Stearrs.
| \ few weeks ago we saw in the
story Of Jesus Christ ana Judas lscari.
OF, God and the devil face to face: NOW
we have the same Lord Jesus in the
| hands of His enemies and the strange
! conduct, or, rather, misconduct, of one
of His most favored disciples. All WIN
! are not saved are lost, but lie cam,
! to seek and to save the lost. When
| any lost one is convinced of sin ana
truly receives the Lord Jesus Christ
they become saved ones. ana all such
are equally saved; no one is more saved
than another. for all have the same
Saviour and the same salvation Bin;
the experience Of such as are saved is
very varied, and the rewards wiil~be
according to service
Some follow fully as dill Caleb and
Joshua. while some follow nfar off like
Peter in this lesson. Some utterly re-
n0uncc the world. the flesh and the
devil. while some are more or less con
formed to this present evil age.
Some have no confidence in self and
lean wholly upon the Lord, but others
are too often self confident as Peter
was when he said Il will lay down nv
life for Thy sake (Iohn xiii, 30.
When the band of soldiers took Jesus
and led Him away Peter followed Him
afar off, even unto the palace of the
high priest, ana sat with the servants
and warmed himself at the fire oversees
%, 5A. The record in John xviii. II.
16, is that Peter and John both follow
ed Jesus, IL. John being known to tho
high priest went into the palace. but
Peter stood at the door without until
John spoke unto her that kept the door
and brought in Peter.
There is growth in grace and in the
knowledge OF our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. Il blessed experience Of
which Peter speaks in the last verse
of his second epistle III Pet. iii. IS
There is also a possibility of growing
departure from the Lord. even in the
case of a saved person, and that the
saved one enter the kingdom saved rs
by fire Il Cor iii, II: Y, -. but accord
ing to the words of the Lord Jesus Him
self it is impossible that saved one
should ever perish John Y, 2SD
Peters downward steps rs a disciple
seem TO have been his self confidence
and consequent laundering. his follow
ing afar instead Of fully his sitting in
tho pf tho f. nd
ing himself mt their fire. followed BY
his profanity and base denial Earlier
in the record we hear Peter advising
the Lord not to speak of suffering. but
rather to pity Himself; on which occH-
sion he WAS told that 1t WAS Satan
speaking through him and that he sd
vorel of men rather than of God Matt.
xvi. 22. 81. On this occasion he was
again in the hands Of Satan to he sift-
ed, but our Lord had prayed for him
duke xii 31-34. Peter learned by
bitter experience something of the wilCS
of the devil and therefore could write
all the more fOrcefully BE sober, he
vigilant, because your adversary. the
devil. as a roaring lion, walketh about
seeking whom he may devour, whom
resist steadfaSt in the faith" Il Pet. V,
s, 81.
The true Christian life is the Not |,
but Christ" Not l, but the grace of
Cod attitude No confidence in the
flesh, but rejoicing In Christ Jesus Gal
ii, 20; | Cor. Ky, 10; Phil. iii. .. Tho
company of the ungodly is no place for
child of God. and it is not for US to
walk or stand or sit with them. We
do not need the warmth of their fire,
but by meditation on the word Of God
may have such fire In us as the dis
ciples had with whom the Lord walked
to Emmaus Ps. i, l, 2; xxx, 3; Luke
xiv, So. Unbelievers have a great
many warming up places, such as the
theater the dance, the card table and
too often those who profess to lie
Christians, and perhaps are, may he
found in such company and yet do not
hesitate to sing, Thou, o Christ, art
all l want, more than all in Thee !
find"
We should he careful to sing the truth
as well as speak the truth. for only MS
we do this is it real worship.
That Peter should be ashamed or
afraid to confess Christ before these
servants seems pltiful indeed. l judge
from his cursing and swearing that he
was probably given to profanity before
he began to follow Jesus, and this was
a sudden outbreak of the old nature
which remains in us as long as we stay
| in these mortal bodies and concerning
which we are said to be always deliv
cred unto death Oh Cor. iv, 10, II:
Rom. vi, IL. What a look of love and
pity and sorrow it must have been that
Jesus gave TO Peter and which srnt him
out to weep bitterly, for he was evi-
IDENTIFY where Jesus could see him duke
xii, 81, 62).
1t would be well for us if we would
always remember that those same eyes
are ever upon us. searching us through
and through, and live by the well of
Him that liveth and seeth me 0I Cor.
xvi, 8; Gen. xvi, 10, IA, margin. Con
| trast this SANE Peter, spirit filed in
the presence of the high priest and
the council, bold as lion (Acts ~. 5-13
| 10, 20), and let us be so filed.
| ANY fear of man Is an indication that