Meditations on the fall and rising of St. Peter

Great Promises require great cares; and he who hath deeply engaged himself in any service, must needs be either very vigilant, or very faithless. How is it then that after so many promises I find Peter sleeping even then when his Master is sweating? and that that Garden should be the bed of so secure a rest, which was the Theatre of so exquisite and unimitable an anguish? Can he follow Christ a whole night to ⟨p. 21⟩his Judgment, that cannot watch one hour for his comfort? can he command his life to be laid down for Christs Truth, that cannot command his eyes to be the witnesses of his sorrow? so long as we are out of the view of danger, we can make large promises of our strength to bear it; but when once it draws near, and creeps upon us, we begin to look with another colour both on it and our selves, and become either desperately fearful, or supinely stupid. Like untoward and forgetful ⟨p. 22⟩children, which never fear the Rod till they feel it.

GReat Promises require great cares; and he who hath deeply engag'd himself in any service, must needs be either very vigilant, or very faithless. How is it then that after so many promises I find Peter sleeping even then when his Master is sweating? and that that Garden should be the bed of so secure a rest, which was the Theater of so exquisite and unimitable an anguish? Can he follow Christ a whole night to ⟨p. 21⟩his Judgment, that cannot watch one hour for his comfort? can he command his life to be laid down for Christs Truth, that cannot command his eyes to be the witnesses of his sorrow? so long as we are out of the view of danger, we can make large promises of our strength to bear it; but when once it draws near, and creeps upon us, we begin to look with another colour both on it and our selves, and become either desperately fearful, or supinely stupid. Like untoward and forgetful