October 19

"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said not, him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death. And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Luke 22:31-34.

How faithful is the pen of inspiration!—here Truth, with impartial hand, dips her pencil, now in brighter, now in darker colors, and thus draws her characters to the very life. We have now to contemplate Peter's fall. Consider

HIS WARNING. It was given at a solemn period; after the celebration of the Paschal Supper. Some deny the being of Satan; but he is here spoken of as a person, see Job i. and Zechariah 3:1. He is the Christian's grand adversary. He desires to sift us as wheat, and by his temptations to draw us into sin, that we may fall as victims to his malice, that he may shake our faith, disturb our peace, and destroy our souls; these are his designs, whether he assumes the form of an angel of light, or a demon of darkness.

HIS INTERCESSOR. "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." Here is something naturally supposed. Christ does not intercede that we may not be tempted. He allows it for wise ends, and we have instances of this; Abraham was suffered to utter deceit and falsehood; Moses spake unadvisedly with his lips; Job was tempted to curse God and die. Let no man expect to be free from temptation, but seek sustaining grace. But here is something expressly stated. The Saviour intercedes that our faith may not "finally fail:" the Greek word in the original conveys this meaning. Peter's faith did fail, as has been the case with other saints, but not finally. The difference between Peter and Judas was, the one fell for a time; the other, never more to rise. How desirable is it to have strong faith, that we may be enabled to quench the fiery darts of Satan; and faith in lively exercise, that we may be a match for his devices! What a powerful Advocate has the believer! — a kind Intercessor, who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.