opportunity to renew the
profession of attachment he had so shamefully denied by three times over
swearing that he not only did not love Jesus, but knew nothing whatever
about the man. And if Peter at first resented the severity of the
scrutiny, he must afterwards have perceived that no greater kindness
could have been done him than thus to press him to clear and resolved
confession. Peter had probably sometimes compared himself to Judas, and
thought that the difference between his denial and Judas' betrayal was
slight. But the Lord distinguished. He saw that Peter's sin was
unpremeditated, a sin of surprise, while his heart was essentially
sound.

We also must distinguish between the forgetfulness of Christ, to which
we are carried by the blinding and confusing throng of this world's ways
and fashions and temptations, and a betrayal of Christ that has in it
something deliberate. We admit that we have acted _as if_ we had no
desire to serve Christ and to bring our whole life within His kingdom;
but it is one thing to deny Christ through thoughtlessness, through
inadvertence, through sudden passion or insidious, unperceived
temptation--another thing consciously and habitually to betake ourselves
to ways which He condemns, and to let the whole form, appearance, and
meaning of our life plainly declare that our regard for Him is very
slight when compared with our regard for success in our calling or
anything that nearly touches our personal interests. Jesus lets Peter
breakfast first, He lets him settle, before He puts His question,
because it matters little what we say or do in a moment of excitement.
The question is, what is our deliberate choice and preference--not what
is our judgment, for of that there can be little question; but when we
are self-possessed and cool, when the whole man within us is in
equilibrium, not violently pulled one way or other, when we feel, as
sometimes we do, that we are seeing ourselves as we actually are, do we
then recognise that Christ is more to us than any gain, success, or
pleasure the world can offer?

There are many who when the alternative is laid before them in cold
blood choose without hesitation to abide with Christ at all costs. Were
we at this moment as conscious as Peter was when this question fell from
the lips of the living Person before him, whose eyes were looking for
his reply, that we now must give our answer, many of us, God helping us,
would say with Peter, "Thou kno