The Return of Prayers

3 Saint Peter a man, who seemed by other of his carriages, bold enough, was yet three several times surprised with base fear: once when he tempted Christ, not to hazard himself at Jerusalem, where Christ had told him, that he was to suffer: Matth. 16. 21, 22, 23. Master ⟨p. 337⟩(says he) spare thy self: upon which speech Christ calls him, Satan, rebuketh him more sharply, then at any other time, for which surely there was a more then ordinary cause. Saint Peter thought that if his Master should suffer at Jerusalem, that himself, and the rest should not be safe: That speech therefore proceeded from fear, and therefore Christ doth immediately thereupon call for self denial, and taking up the Cross, verse 24. And this was immediately after peace spoken, verse 16, 17, 18. CHRIST had never more comfortably given testimony to ⟨p. 338⟩Saint Peter, and his faith, then there. Yet again, after this Christ had him up into the Mount and transfigured himself, to hearten him against that trial to come, which made him so confident; yet then he denied him, at his arraignment: when again Christ immediately upon that looked back upon him with so sweet a look as broke his heart for this his folly; and so he returned again, and it cost him many a tear; and Christ after the Resurrection, owned him again, more then any of the rest, bad them that first met him, Go tell Peter, He mentions him by name, ⟨p. 339⟩and in especial, go tell him the first news of it: and then also he asked him, Peter, lovest thou me? and he said, Lord, thou knowest I love thee: as if he had said, Though I have played the wretch, yet I love thee: upon this, though he grew more bold, Acts 4. 13. yet Gal. 2. 11, 12. we find him falling into the grudgings of the same disease, which cast him into another fit, he dissembled, fearing them of the Circumcision: this was a spice of the former sin, though not so gross; and though the outward acts in these sins were divers in their occasions, yet they were all acts and ⟨p. 340⟩