St. Mark as well as by St. Matthew: and St. John, Matt. xxvi. Mark xiv. John xviii. He acquaints us, that without any Torments or Menaces, or the leaft compulfion at the bare queftion of a poor Maid, he denied. denying his Mafter, and that he denied him thrice, and the last time even with Oaths and Imprecations. A man, that delivers these things of himself, plainly fhews, that he is fo far from all vanity and feeking his own praife, that he can be supposed to have no other aim or defign, but to declare the Truth to the Glory of God and the benefit of Mankind, though it prove to be never so much to his own difgrace. And they relate, that as soon as our Saviour was apprehended, all his Disciples forfook him and fled, when they might have been able to have witnefied in his behalf, and to have confronted Judas, who they might well believe, would have turned his Accufer, after he had betrayed him. But St. Peter foon repented, and both he and St. John took courage and returned to fee what became of their Mafter, and both St. Peter's denial, and their leaving their Mafter thus in his diftrefs, might never have been known, unless they had discovered it themselves.

The Reproofs, and 'fometimes very fevere Reprehenfions, which were given them by Christ, could never have come to Y

our

Saul

our knowledge but by their own informa tion, as that they were blamed for having little Faith, Matt. xvi. 8. no Faith, Mark ix, 19. that our Saviour upbraided them with unbelief and hardness of heart, Mark vi. 52. viii. 17. xvi. 14. for being foolish and flow of heart, to believe all that the Prophets have fpoken, Luk. xxiv. 25. They declare, that they were ambitious, and emulous and fond of Temporal Honours; that they had very wrong Notions of Chrift and his Kingdom, and they fet forth at large how timorous, and how difficult they were of belief, and how very fcrupulous and diffident of Chrift's Refur rection.

St. Paul, the great Apoftle of the Gentiles, as St. Peter was the Apostle of the Circumcifion, by his Difciple and Companion St. Luke, has likewife left an account of himself, which none but a fincere honeft man, regardless of his own praife, would ever have fuffered to be given of him, St. Luke fays, that the witneffes against St. Stephen, laid down their cloaths at a young man s feet, whofe name was Haul, Acts vii. 58. and that he was confenting to St. Stephen's death, which he repeats twice, and once from St. Paul's own mouth in his Speech to the Jews, Acts viii 1. xxii 20. He fays, that St. Paul made havock of the Church, Acts viii.. and breathing out

threat

threatnings and flaughter against the Disciples of the Lord went unto the high Priest, and deftred of him Letters to Damafcus, A&s ix. 1. Thefe are not the words of one, that had a defign to diffemble or extenu ate in favour of any one. And out of a deep fenfe of this offence, though it were committed ignorantly in unbelief, St. Paul declares himself to be the leaft of the Apofles, and not meet to be called an Apostle, because he had perfecuted the Church of God, 1 Cor. xv. 9. and at another time ftiles himself less than the leaft of all Saints, Eph. iii. 8 and chief of finners, 1 Tim; i. 15. afcribing all to the Power and Grace of God. St. Luke relates, that there was a harp contention between St. Paul and St. Barnabas, Acts xv. 39. and St. Paul tells the Galatians, that he had withstood St. Peter to the face, Gal. ii, 11, 14. So plain it is that they did not act by any confe deracy between themselves, and that the Truth was dearer to them than any thing befides. In the mean time the Apostles have left behind them little or no account of their journeyings and labours and fufferings, only St. Paul mentions fome things of himself upon a neceffary occafion; the reft we have from St. Luke, and he speaks chiefly of St Paul, and of him only till his first coming to Rome, and of St. Peter very little in comparison of the reft of the

Apostles fcarce any thing in particular : fo little defign had they of propagating themselves a name to pofterity.

St. Paul ufed all lawful compliances, and he, who when the honour of Religion was concerned, made fo ftout oppofition to St. Peter himself, at other times, when he might fafely do it, became all things to all men. And he joyns others together with himfelf in the beginning of many of hist Epiftles, Cor. i 1. 2 Cor. i. 1. Gal. i. I. Colof.i. 1. 1 Theff. i. 1. 2 Thess. i. 1. Philemon i. which was a great conde. fcenfion, and a kind of communicating his Authority to them, whom he took, as it were, into commiffion with himself. But when through the malice and infinuations of falle Apoftles he was forced to fpeak in his own defence, he does it with great unwillingness, and calls it folly and confi dence of boafting, 2 Cor. xi. 1, 17. and if he must needs glory, he will glory in the things which concern his infirmities, 2 Cor. xi. 30. And at the fame time he confeffes there was given to him a thorn in the flesh, the Meffenger of Satan to buffet him, left he fhould be exalted above measure, and declares himself to be nothing, 2 Cor. xii. 5, 7, 11.

God,

He gives all the Glory enabled

his Office, and the Grace, which, enabled him in the adminiftration of it: and as upon all other cccafions he speaks with the

greatest

萬

great eft abafement of himfelf: fo when the importunate malice of his Enemies constrained him to it and the Glory of God and the Salvation of Men required him to speak fomething lefs fubmiffively of great humility in that he used fo much cauti n, and put in fo many leffening and abating Claufes, that the Glory might redound to God and not to himself: infomuch that it appears to have been one of the greatest instances of the Humiliation and felf-denial of fo truly humble and holy a man, to be forced to speak things which might feem boasting, and make him incur the cenfure of Pride and Folly. But he was willing to be counted vain and proud for the fake of the Gofpel,and had fo far morti ed all pride and vain Glory, as to be contented upon fo juft an account, to incur the difgrace of being fuppofed guilty of it. For there can be no higher inftance of a truly humble and pious mind, than to forego the esteem and reputation of being thought fo, when the Glory ofGod andCharity to the Souls of men require it; he is not throughly humble, who in fuch a cafe would not be thought. proud, but his very Humility is matter of pride to him, and it is the laft degree of vanity, which an humble man can part with, to be defirous not to be efteemed proud. The Truth is, if it were not for the pride

him he difcovers his