clay house that has no windows._ I can see with my mind now; and that,
mother tells me, is the way they see in heaven. I heard mother reading in
the Bible the other day, where it tells about heaven, and it said there
is ‘no night there.’ But _here_, it is night to blind people all the
time. Oh! sir, when I feel bad because I can’t see, I think of Jesus and
heaven, and that helps and comforts me.”
This is a beautiful illustration of this part of the work of the Holy
Spirit. It shows us how the Spirit helps and comforts us. It is by
testifying of Jesus, or by teaching us to know what a precious Saviour he
is and what glorious things he does for those who love him.
And now we have considered the three things about the coming of the
Holy Spirit, mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. We have spoken
of the _time_ of his coming—on the day of Pentecost; the _manner_
of his coming—_expected_—_sudden_—_startling_—and _abiding_; and we
have spoken of the _purpose_ of his coming; this led us to show _what
the Spirit is_—he is a divine Person—one of the three Persons in the
blessed Trinity; and _what the Spirit does_. His work is to _convert_—to
_teach_—to _sanctify_, or make holy,—and _help and comfort_ all the
people of Christ.
Jesus left the great work to be done for his church, and by his church,
in good hands, when he left it with the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray God to give us a larger measure of the Holy Spirit’s presence
and power in our hearts, and then we shall be holy and useful and happy!
THE APOSTLE PETER
In our last chapter, we saw how the Spirit of God came down from heaven
to carry on the work which Jesus left for his people to do after his
ascension. And now, before leaving this subject, it is necessary to show
what the Holy Spirit did to build up the Church on the foundation which
Jesus had laid for it; and to make known to a world of lost sinners, the
great salvation which he had prepared for them. The best way of doing
this, would be to give a sketch of the lives and labors of the twelve
apostles whom our Lord had chosen, and left behind him, to carry on the
important work begun by him. But this would take more room than we can
spare. There are only two numbers now remaining to finish this work. All
that can be done, therefore, is to make choice of three of the principal
apostles, and take their histories as fair specimens of the way in which
the work of building up the Church was carried on by them and their
companions after Jesus, their great Master, had ascended into heaven.
The three selected for this purpose are the apostle Peter, the apostle
John, and the apostle Paul. All will agree in regarding these as among
“the very chief of the apostles.” We begin then with
THE APOSTLE PETER.
And in considering the life of this great and good man, the two points
of view from which we may look at it are _the facts of his history_; and
_the lessons which it teaches_.
We begin then, with considering the facts of St. Peter’s history, as
mentioned in the New Testament. We shall not attempt to give all the
facts woven into this history. It will be enough for our present purpose
if the principal facts are stated. The first fact to notice about this
good man is that he was a native of the city of Bethsaida, on the
northern coast of the Sea of Galilee, and that his father’s name was
Jonas, or Jonah. The next thing known of him is that his occupation was
that of a fisherman. It is a fact that he was first brought to Jesus
by his brother Andrew, who had been one of the disciples of John the
Baptist. Jesus spoke kindly to him, and told him that his name should
be changed from Simon, as he was then called, to Cephas, which is the
Greek word for a rock, or a stone. The Latin word, that means the same
thing, is the word Petrus. And so Cephas, or Peter, is the name by which
he was afterwards called. St. John i: 41, 42; St. Matt. xvi: 18. It is a
fact that he did not continue to follow Jesus, as one of his disciples,
immediately after this first interview with him, but went back, for a
while, to his old employment as a fisherman.
It is a fact that some time after this he was called by Jesus to be one
of his disciples. It happened in this way:—One day, Jesus was standing on
the shore of the Sea of Galilee. A crowd of people were pressing around
him, to hear him preach. He wanted a convenient place from which to speak
to them. Peter was near at hand, in his fishing-boat. Jesus stepped on
board the boat, and asked Peter to push it out a little way from the
land. He did so; and Jesus made a pulpit of that boat, and preached to
the people, as they stood upon the shore of the lake. When the sermon was
ended, Jesus told Peter to push the boat out into deep water and let
down the net, and he would catch a fine lot of fish. Peter said they had
been fishing all night and had caught nothing. Still, he did as Jesus
told him; and immediately they found more fish than their net would hold.
This showed Peter the wonderful knowledge and power of Jesus. He felt
afraid of him, and fell down at his feet, saying, “Depart from me, for I
am a sinful man, O Lord!” Jesus said unto him, “Fear not; from henceforth
thou shalt catch men.” St. Luke vi: 1-11. St. Matthew tells us that on
this occasion Jesus said to Peter and his brother Andrew, “Follow me; and
I will make you fishers of men.” St. Matt. iv: 18, 19.
It is a fact that some time after this, Jesus chose out from the rest of
his disciples Peter and eleven others, to be his twelve apostles. They
were to be with him at all times, to hear his teachings, in private, as
well as in public; to witness his miracles; and be prepared, in this way,
to take up and carry on his work when he should return to heaven. We have
the account of this in St. Matt. x: 2-4; St. Mark iii: 13-19; and St.
Luke vi: 13-17.
It is a fact that in these different lists of the apostles, the name of
Peter always stands first. We are not told why this was so. One thing
is certain, however, it was not because he was set above the rest of the
apostles, or had any power or authority superior to what was given to the
others. It was, probably, only because he was quicker to speak and more
ready to act than his brethren were. Two occasions are mentioned in the
gospels on which he did this. One of them was when some of the followers
of Jesus were offended at his preaching. They went away and would not
hear him any more. Then Jesus turned to his chosen twelve and said: “Will
ye also go away?” Peter, speaking for the rest, immediately replied:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” St.
John vi: 66-69.
The other occasion was when the disciples had returned from one of the
missionary tours on which they had been sent. Jesus asked them what men
said about him. Different answers were given to this question; but none
of them were correct. Then he asked them what they thought about him.
Peter at once, answering for the rest, said: “Thou art the Christ, the
Son of the living God.” This was a noble confession. It showed that Peter
had very clear views of the character of Jesus and of the work he came
on earth to do. Jesus pronounced a blessing on him for this, and said:
“Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it.” St. Matt. xvi: 18. There has been
great difference of opinion among good Christian people about the meaning
of these words of our Saviour. They cannot mean that Peter, in his person
or in his office as an apostle, was to be the rock, or foundation, on
which the Church of Christ was to be built. This is certain; because St.
Paul tells us that there is only one foundation on which this Church
is built, and that is Christ himself. I. Cor. iii: 11. There can be no
doubt, I think, that what Jesus meant here was that the noble confession
which Peter made on this occasion was the truth on which his Church was
to be built. And this we know is the case.
It is a fact that Peter, with James and John, was present to see and
hear what Jesus said, and did, and suffered, on several occasions when
the other disciples were not present. One of these occasions was when he
raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. Another occasion was when
Jesus appeared in such wondrous glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.
And, in striking contrast to this, when he sank to the earth, amidst the
gloomy shades of Gethsemane, overwhelmed by the “agony and bloody sweat,”
Peter was one of the three chosen witnesses of that awful scene.
It is a fact that when he saw his Master walking on the water, he asked
permission to come and meet him, by walking over the surface of the sea.
Jesus gave him leave to come. He got out of the ship, and began that
watery walk. But, when he saw the rough waves rising and swelling against
him, his heart sank, his faith failed, and he was beginning to sink, when
Jesus stretched forth his hand and saved him.
It is a fact that, on one occasion, Jesus sent Peter to the seaside with
a fishing-line to catch a fish, in whose mouth he was to find the money
required to pay the taxes due to the government for himself and his
Master.
It is a fact that the night before the crucifixion of our Lord, Peter
solemnly declared that he would never forsake his Master, though all the
rest of his followers should do so; and, even though he should have to
die for clinging to him. It is a fact, nevertheless, that he did forsake
him that very night, and three times deny that he knew him; yea, even
with oaths and curses. It is a fact that, notwithstanding this, Peter
was freely forgiven, on the morning of the resurrection, and restored to
the place which he had forfeited, as one of the twelve apostles.
It is a fact that after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, Peter was the
first to propose the election of another apostle to fill the place which
had been left vacant by the death of the traitor Judas.
It is a fact that when the Holy Ghost came down on the day of Pentecost,
Peter was the first of all the apostles to preach the gospel; and that
three thousand souls were converted, as the result of one day’s labor;
and that, in all the work done in the earliest history of the new church,
he was the principal preacher.
It is a fact that the first miracle of which we read in the history of
the new church was performed by Peter. It was the miracle of healing the
lame man, who was sitting at “the gate of the temple called Beautiful,”
when Peter and John were entering the temple, at the hour for evening
prayer. Acts iii: 1-9.
It is a fact that when the apostles were forbidden by the Jewish rulers
to preach in the name of Jesus, Peter was the first boldly to tell them
to their faces, that they must “obey God, rather than men”; and that, in
spite of all that might be said, or done, to hinder them, they would go
on, and preach “Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” Acts iv: 13-23.
It is a fact that as the first miracle of mercy in the early church was
performed by this apostle, so was the first miracle of judgment. We read
about this in Acts v: 1-10. It was before him that Ananias and Sapphira
were struck dead for the sin of lying and cheating.
It is a fact that the miraculous power of Peter was so great and so
well-known that people laid their sick friends down in the streets along
which he was walking, that his shadow might fall upon them, and heal
them. Acts v:15.
It is a fact that the first missionary journey undertaken, in the early
church, was by this apostle.
It is a fact that in the course of this journey he healed a lame man,
who had been confined to his bed eight years, with palsy. He also raised
to life a good Christian woman, named Tabitha, or Dorcas. She lived at
Joppa, and had spent her time in making garments for the poor. She was
the founder of the first Dorcas society of which we have ever heard; and
her name has been connected with these excellent charities since then,
all over the world. Acts ix: 32-43.
It is a fact that when the time came for the opening of the kingdom
of heaven to the Gentiles, it was the apostle Peter who had the honor
of performing this important act. He was the first minister of Christ
who ever preached the gospel to a Gentile, and made to him the offer
of eternal life. He did this when he preached to Cornelius, the Roman
centurion, and received him into the church by baptism. We read about
this great event in the tenth chapter of the Acts.
It is a fact that, after this, Peter was put in prison by Herod, who was
persecuting the Christians. He had just put the apostle James to death
and intended to do the same with Peter. But his friends united in earnest
prayer to God for him; and God sent an angel, who struck off his chains,
opened the prison door, and set him free. Acts xii: 1-20.
After this we have no clear account of the ministry of St. Peter. We only
know that he spent the rest of his life in going about from place to
place, preaching the blessed gospel of the great Master whom he loved so
well.
It is a fact, however, that he wrote the two epistles which bear his name
and which have been such a comfort and blessing to the church for more
than eighteen centuries. And then, the last fact in his history is that
he suffered martyrdom, by crucifixion, in the city of Rome. We have no
definite information about the time when this event took place, or about
the particulars connected with it. It is generally believed that the
death of St. Peter occurred about the same time as that of the apostle
Paul; and, that they both took place during the persecution that arose
under the cruel and bloody emperor Nero. The tradition is that when St.
Peter came to the place of execution, he requested to be crucified with
his head downwards, because he felt that he was not worthy to suffer in
the same way in which his great Master was put to death.
Here we have woven together more than twenty facts that make up the
history of the apostle Peter.
_The next thing for us to do is to notice some of the more important
lessons taught us by this history._
_The first lesson we may learn from the history of this apostle is,
about—THE DANGER OF SELF-CONFIDENCE._
Solomon says, “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool.” Prov.
xxviii: 26. By a man trusting in his own heart, he means, having too much
self-confidence. And the folly of this sort of trust is seen in this,
that it keeps us from seeking the help of God; and without this help,
we are not able to resist temptation when it overtakes us; and then we
are sure to fall. We see a striking illustration of this in the case of
Peter. When Jesus told the disciples that they would all forsake him,
Peter had such trust in his own heart—such confidence in himself,—that he
said, “Though all men forsake thee, yet will I never forsake thee.” And,
when Jesus told him that, on that very night, he would deny him thrice,
Peter, confidently, declared: “Though I should die with thee, yet will I
not deny thee.” And, no doubt, he was perfectly honest in saying this. He
meant just what he said. The trouble with him was that he did not know
himself. He trusted too much in his own heart. His confidence in himself
led him to neglect praying for the help and strength he would need when
the temptation to deny his Master came before him.
And so, that very night, when Jesus was delivered into the hands of his
enemies, and some of those about him said to Peter,—“Thou art one of
this man’s disciples,” his courage failed him. He not only denied that he
was a follower of Jesus, but even declared, with oaths and curses, that
he did not know him. Here we see the folly of self-confidence, of which
Solomon speaks.
And how many illustrations of this self-confidence we meet with!
“The Folly of a Soldier’s Self-Confidence.” When the English commander,
General Braddock, in the early history of this country, was leading his
little army through Pennsylvania to attack the French fort DuQuesne,
where Pittsburgh now stands, George Washington, then a colonel, was an
officer in the general’s staff. The French had enlisted the Indians on
their side. Washington understood the mode of fighting which the Indians
adopted. He knew their custom was to hide themselves in trees and fire
upon their enemies without being seen.
As the English army was pursuing its march, not far from the fort they
were to attack, they came to a dense forest through which they had to
make their way. Washington knew that it was in just such a woody region
that they might expect to find the Indians. He told General Braddock
what he feared and suggested that he should command the army to halt, and
send forward some scouts to examine the woods and find out if there were
any Indians there before marching through. But the general had so much
confidence in himself and in his own way of managing his army that he
refused to listen to Washington’s advice.
The army entered the forest; but they had not gone far before they were
fired upon from every side. The firing was kept up. The soldiers were
falling to the ground, killed, or wounded; but no enemy was in sight, and
no one could see where the firing came from. General Braddock and his
chief officers were killed. The army was defeated; and Washington, the
principal officer left alive, gathered their shattered ranks together;
led them out from the woods and marched them back to the place from
which they had started. The failure of that military enterprise, stands
out on the page of history as a striking illustration of the folly of
self-confidence.
“The Folly of a Sailor’s Self-Confidence.” The captain of a ship had
brought his vessel to the entrance of the channel that leads to the
harbor of one of the principal seaport towns of Scotland. He had often
sailed in and out of that harbor. He felt confident that he could take
the vessel in himself. When the pilot came and offered his services, he
said: “No, I’ll be my own pilot. I know every rock in the channel. I am
sure I can take the ship safely in.”
He started on his way. It was blowing a gale at the time. But he had not
got far before the ship was dashed against a hidden rock of which he
did not know. The vessel went to pieces, almost in sight of the harbor,
and the captain and his crew were all lost. Here we see the folly of
self-confidence.
But we often see this folly even when it does not lead to such fatal
results as followed in the illustrations already given. This is clearly
shown in the following fable:
“The Owl That Thought He Could Sing.” “What in the world can bring so
many people into the grove to hear the nightingales sing?” said a young
owl to his mother.
The old owl didn’t know and didn’t care—she was busy watching a bat.
“I am sure I have as fine a voice as any nightingale and a good deal
stronger.”
“Stronger, certainly, my son,” said the owl, blinking her eyes, for the
bat had escaped.
“I shall go into the grove to-night, and give them a song,” said the
self-confident young owl.
The old owl opened her round eyes very wide, but said nothing.
So, when night came, and the hour for the sweet singing of the birds drew
near, he flew heavily along and placed himself in a part of the grove
where he could be seen and heard to the best advantage.
But the nightingales did not like the prospect either of his company or
his help in their concert; so those of them who were going to sing flew
away to another grove, while those who were to be quiet for the night
kept snugly at roost.
“Where can the nightingales be?” said one of the people who had come to
hear them.
Then the self-confident young owl set up a hoot so long and loud that it
startled the people.
“That horrid creature has frightened them all away,” said one. “Where’s
my gun? I’ll soon fix him.” The owl took the hint and without waiting
till the gun appeared hastened back home.
[Illustration: Jesus Showeth Himself at the Sea of Tiberius
But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the
disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them,
Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. And he said and unto
them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They
cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude
of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It
is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt
_his_ fisher’s coat _unto him_, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself
into the sea. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of
coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them,
Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.... And none of the disciples
durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then
cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. This is now
the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he
was risen from the dead.—_St. John xxi: 4-7, 9, 10, 12-14._
_NOTE BY THE ARTIST_
_Next in order of the recorded appearances is that by the Sea of
Tiberius, whither the disciples had returned to await the promised
meeting with their Master, the seven who were fishermen resuming
meanwhile their former occupation. Disheartened and weary with a
fruitless night’s toil, they were returning homeward at dawn, when they
perceived in the dim light the figure of one who had seemingly come down
to the shore to buy their fish; and supposing from his words that he had
noticed indications of a shoal, they readily followed his directions,
laying out the net in the manner still in use on the lake. The success of
the cast at once suggested its true cause, and Peter, standing naked in
the boat after swimming round with the net to “ring” the fish, paused but
a moment to gird on his short, striped abba, and once more leapt into the
sea, eager to verify the glad surmise that the stranger was none other
than the Master himself. The background of the picture is the shore of
the lake to the north of Magdala with the Wady Hammâm and Kurn Hattîn in
the distance._
78]
“Your feathers are ruffled, my son,” said the old owl. “Have you been
singing?”
Then the foolish young owl told about his disgrace and his narrow escape
from death.
“It is just what I expected,” said his mother, “and I’m glad you are safe
back.”
“Then why did you let me go?” he asked.
“Because I saw you wouldn’t mind what I said, and that nothing but
experience would teach you the folly of thinking too much of yourself.”
That young owl had reason to feel thankful that he had learned this
lesson without any greater harm or loss to himself.
The first lesson from the history of this apostle is about the danger of
self-confidence.
_The second lesson from this history is about—DELIVERANCE FROM
TEMPTATION._