ony from
which your flesh and blood may shrink;' and the Lord's words came
true. For, say the old stories, when St. Peter was led to be
crucified, he refused to be crucified upright, as the Lord Jesus had
been, saying, 'That it was too great an honour for him, who had once
denied his Lord, to die the same death as his Lord died.' So he was
crucified, they say, with his head downward; and ended a glorious
life in a humble martyrdom.

And what may we learn from St. Peter's character? I think we may
learn this. Frankness, boldness, a high spirit, a stout will, and
an affectionate heart; these are all God's gifts, and they are
pleasant in his eyes, and ought to be a blessing to the man who has
them. Ought to be a blessing to him, because they are the stuff out
of which a good, and noble, and useful Christian man may be made.
But they need not be a blessing to a man; they are _excellent_
gifts: but they will not of themselves make a man an _excellent_
man, who _excels_; that is, surpasses others in goodness. We may
see that ourselves, from experience. We see too many brave men,
free-spoken men, affectionate men, who come to shame and ruin.

How then can we become excellent men, like St. Peter? By being
baptised, as St. Peter was, with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

Baptized with the Holy Ghost, to put into our hearts good desires;
to make us see what is good, and love what is good, long to do good:
but baptized with fire also. 'He shall baptize you,' John the
Baptist said, 'with the Holy Ghost and with fire.'

Does that seem a hard saying? Do not some at least of you know what
that means? Some know, I believe. All will know one day; for it is
true for all. To all, sooner or later, Christ comes to baptise them
with fire; with the bitter searching affliction which opens the very
secrets of their hearts, and shows them what their souls are really
like, and parts the good from the evil in them, the gold from the
rubbish, the wheat from the chaff. 'And he shall gather the wheat
into his garner, but the chaff he shall burn up with unquenchable
fire.' God grant to each of you, that when that day comes to you,
there may be something in you which will stand the fire; something
worthy to be treasured up in God's garner, unto everlasting life.

But do not think that the baptism of fire comes only once for all to
a man, in some terrible affliction, some one awful conviction of his
own sinfulness and nothingness. N