France, speaks of "the honor due to his eminent apostleship." An observation which it were easy enough to confirm by abundant instances, were it either doubtful in itself or necessary to my purpose; but being neither, I forbear.

ST. PETER.

SECTION I.

2. The particular time of his birth cannot be recovered, no probable footsteps or intimations being left of it: in the general we may conclude him at least ten years older than his Master; his married condition and settled course of life at his first coming to Christ, and that authority and respect which the gravity of his person procured him amongst the rest of the apostles, can speak him no less; but for any thing more particular and positive in this matter I see no reason to affirm. Indeed, might we trust the account, which one (who pretends to calculate his nativity with ostentation enough) has given of it, we are told

Of St. Peler, from his Birth till his first coming that he was born three years before the blessed

to Christ.

virgin, and just seventeen before the incarnation of our Saviour. But let us view his account.

Nat. est

a diluvio

AN.

AN.

AN.

(ab orbe cond.4034 (Octav. August. 8 (Herodis reg. (20 2379 a lo ejus consul24 ante b. virg. 3 734a pugna Actiac. 12 ante Chr. nat17

U. C.

THE land of Palestine was, at and before the coming of our blessed Saviour, distinguished into three several provinces, Judæa, Samaria, and Galilee. This last was divided into the upper and lower. In the upper, called also Galilee of the When I met with such a pompous train of Gentiles, within the division anciently belonging epochas, the least I expected was truth and certo the tribe of Naphthali, stood Bethsaida, former-tainty. This computation he grounds upon the ly an obscure and inconsiderable village, till lately date of St. Peter's death, placed (as elsewhere he re-edified and enlarged by Philip the tetrarch,* tells us) by Bellarmine in the eighty-sixth year of by him advanced to the place and title of a city, his age; so that recounting from the year of Christ replenished with inhabitants, and fortified with sixty-nine, when Peter is commonly said to have power and strength; and in honor of Julia, the suffered, he runs up his age to his birth, and daughter of Augustus Caesar, by him styled Julias. spreads it out into so many several dates. But Situate it was upon the banks of the sea of Gali- alas, all is built upon a sandy bottom. For belee, and had a wilderness on the other side, sides his mistake about the year of the world, few thence called the desert of Bethsaida, whither of his dates hold due correspondence. But the our Saviour used often to retire; the privacies worst of it is, that after all this, Bellarmine (upon and solitudes of the place advantageously minis- whose single testimony all this fine fabric is erecttering to the divine contemplation. But Bethsaied) says no such thing, but only supposes, merely da was not so remarkable for this adjoining wil- for argument's sake, that St. Peter might very derness as itself was memorable for a worse sort well be eighty-six (it is erroneously printed sevenof barrenness-ingratitude, and unprofitableness ty-six) years old at the time of his martyrdom.— under the influences of Christ's sermons and mi- So far will confidence, or ignorance, or both, carry racles; thence severely upbraided by him, and men aside; if it could be a mistake, and not threatened with one of his deepest woes: "Wo rather a bold imposing upon the world. But of unto thee Corazin, wo unto thee Bethsaida," &c. this enough, and perhaps more than it deserves. A wo that it seems stuck close to it; for whatever it was at this time, one who surveyed it in the last age tells us, that it was shrunk again into a very mean and small village, consisting only of a few cottages of Moors and wild Arabs; and later travellers have since assured us, that even these are dwindled away into one poor cottage at this day. So fatally does sin undermine the greatest, the goodliest places; so certainly does God's word take place, and not one iota either of his promises or threatenings falls to the ground. Next to the honor that was done it by our Saviour's presence, who living most in these parts frequently resorted hither, it had nothing greater to recommend it to the notice of posterity, than that (besides some other of the apostles) it was the birth-place of St. Peter; a person how inconsiderable soever in his private fortunes, yet of great note and eminency as one of the prime ambassadors of the Son of God, to whom both sacred and ecclesiastical stories give, though not a superiority, a precedency in the college of apos

3. Being circumcised according to the rites of the Mosaic law, the name given him at his circumcision was Simon, or Symeon; a name common amongst the Jews, especially in their later times. This was afterwards by our Saviour not abolished, but additioned with the title of Cephas, which in Syriac (the vulgar language of the Jews at that time) signifying a stone, or rock, was thence derived into the Greek, IIerpos and by us, Peter: so far was Hesychius out, when rendering Heroes by browv, an expounder or interpreter; deriving it from the Hebrew word which signifies to explain and interpret. By this new imposition our Lord seemed to denote the firmness and constancy of his faith, and his vigorous activity in building up the church, as a spiritual house upon the true rock, the living and corner-stone, chosen of God, and precious, as St. Peter himself expresses it.* Nor can our Saviour be understood to have hereby conferred upon him any peculiar supremacy or sovereignty above, much less over the rest of the apostles; for in respect of the great trust committed to them, and their being sent to plant Christianity in the world, they are all equally styled Joseph. Antiq. Jud. lib. viii. c. 3, p. 618; Matt. foundations. Nor is it accountable either to xi. 21.

tles.

+ Matt. xi. 21.

* 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5, 6.

+ Rev. xxi. 14.

Scripture or reason to suppose that by this name | intended by them, is true only in this respect, that our Lord should design the person of Peter to be that very rock upon which his church was to be built. In a fond imitation of this new name given to St. Peter, those who pretend to be his successors in the see of Rome, usually lay by their own, and assume a new name upon their advancement to the apostolic chair; it being one of the first questions which the cardinals put to the new elected pope, "by what name he will please to be called." This custom first began about the year 844, when Peter di Bocca-porco (or Swine'smouth) being chosen pope, changed his name into Sergius the second; probably not so much to avoid the uncomeliness of his own name, as if unbefitting the dignity of his place, (for this being but his paternal name, would after have been no part of his pontifical style and title,) as out of a mighty reverence to St. Peter, accounting himself not worthy to bear his name, though it was his own baptismal name. Certain it is, that none of the bishops of that sce ever assumed St. Peter's name; and some who have had it as their Christian name before, have laid it aside upon their election to the papacy. But to return to our apostle.

our blessed Saviour made choice of it, to honor it with the frequency of his presence, and the power of his miraculous operations. In length it was an hundred furlongs, and about forty over; the water of it pure and clear, sweet and most fit to drink; stored it was with several sorts of fish, and those different both in kind and taste from those in other places. Here it was that Peter closely followed the exercise of his calling; from whence it seems he afterwards removed to Capernaum, (probably upon his marriage, at least frequently resided there,) for there we meet with his house, and there we find him paying tribute; a house, over which, Nicephorus tells us, that Helen, the mother of Constantine, erected a beautiful church to the honor of St. Peter. This place was equally advantageous for the managery of his trade,standing upon the influx of Jordan into the sea of Galilee, and where he might as well reap the fruits of an honest and industrious diligence. A mean, I confess it was, and a more servile course of life, as which, besides the great pains and labor it required, exposed him to all the injuries of wind and weather, to the storms of the sea, the darkness and tempestuousness of the night, and all to make a very small return. An employment whose restless troubles, constant hardships, frequent dangers, and amazing horrors, have been described by many authors. But meanness is no bar in God's way; the poor, if virtuous, are as dear to heaven as the wealthy and honorable; equally alike to him with whom "there is no respect of persons."

Nay, our Lord seemed to cast a peculiar honor upon this profession, when afterwards calling him and some others of the same trade from catching of fish, to be (as he told them) "fishers of men."

4. His father was Jonah, probably a fisherman of Bethsaida, for the sacred story takes no farther notice of him than by the bare mention of his name; and I believe there had been no great danger of mistake, though Metaphrastes had not told us that it was not Jonas the prophet, who came out of the belly of the whale. Brother he was to St. Andrew the apostle, and some question there is amongst the ancients, which was the elder brother. Epiphanius (probably from some tradition current in his time) clearly adjudges it to St. Andrew, herein universally followed by those of the church of Rome, that the precedency given 5. And here we may justly reflect upon the to St. Peter may not seem to be put upon the wise and admirable methods of the Divine Proviaccount of his seniority. But to him we may op- dence, which in planting and propagating the pose the authority of St. Chrysostom, a person Christian religion in the world, made choice of equal both in time and credit, who expressly says, such mean and unlikely instruments; that he that though Andrew came later into life than should hide these things from the wise and pruPeter, yet he first brought him to the knowledge dent, and reveal them unto babes, men that had of the gospel; which Baronius, against all pre- not been educated in the academy and the schools tence of reason, would understand of his entering of learning, but brought up to a trade, to catch into eternal life. Besides, St. Jerome, Cassian, fish and mend nets; most of the apostles being Bede, and others, are for St. Peter being the elder taken from the meanest trades, and all of them brother; expressly ascribing it to his age, that he, (St. Paul excepted) unfurnished of all arts of rather than any other, was president of the col- learning, and the advantages of liberal and inlege of apostles. However it was, it sounds not a genuous education; and yet these were the men little to the honor of their father, (as of Zebedee that were designed to run down the world, and to also in the like case,) that of but twelve apostles overturn the learning of the prudent. Certainly, two of his sons were taken into the number. In had human wisdom been to manage the business, his youth he was brought up to fishing, which we it would have taken quite other measures, and may guess to have been the staple trade of chosen out the profoundest rabbins, the acutest Bethsaida, (which hence probably borrowed its philosophers, the smoothest orators, such as would name, signifying an house, or habitation of fishing, have been most likely, by strength of reason and though others render it by hunting, the Hebrew arts of rhetoric, to have triumphed over the minds word signifying either,) much advantaged herein of men, to grapple with the stubbornness of the by the neighborhood of the lake of Genesareth, Jews, and baffle the finer notions and speculations (on whose banks it stood,) called also the sea of of the Greeks. We find that those sects of phiGalilee, and the sea of Tiberias, according to the losophy that gained most credit in the heathen mode of the Hebrew language, wherein all greater confluences of waters are called seas. Of this lake the Jews have a saying, that "of all the seven seas which God created, he made choice of none but the sea of Genesareth;" which, however

See particularly Oppian, 'Atur. Bibà, a. non longe ab init. The Emperor Antoninus gave a piece of gold for every verse in the description here referred to.-ED.

was despised and scorned, opposed and persecuted, and that had nothing but its own native excellency to recommend it. A clear evidence that there was something in it beyond the craft and power of men. "Is not this," says an elegant apologist, making his address to the heathens, "enough to make you believe and entertain it, to consider that in so short a time it has diffused itself over the whole world, civilized the most barbarous nations, softened the roughest and most intractable tempers; that the greatest wits and scholars, orators, grammarians, rhetoricians, lawyers, physicians, and philosophers have quitted their formerly dear and beloved sentiments, and heartily embraced the precepts and doctrines of the gospel?" Upon this account, Theodoret* does with no less truth than elegancy, insult and triumph over the heathens. He tells them, that whoever would be at the pains to compare the best law makers, either amongst the Greeks or Romans, with our fishermen and publicans, would soon perceive what a divine

world, did it this way, by their eminency in some arts and sciences, whereby they recommended themselves to the acceptance of the wiser and more ingenious part of mankind. Julian the apostate thinks it a reasonable exception against the Jewish prophets, that they were incompetent messengers and interpreters of the divine will, because they had not their minds cleared and purged, by passing through the circle of polite arts and learning. Why, now this is the wonder of it, that the first preachers of the gospel should be such rude, unlearned men, and yet so suddenly, so powerfully prevail over the learned world, and conquer so many who had the greatest parts and abilities, and the strongest prejudices against it, by the simplicity of the gospel. When Celsus objected, that the apostles were but a company of mean and illiterate persons, sorry mariners and fishermen, Origen quickly returns upon him with this answer: "That hence it was plainly evident, that they taught Christianity by a divine power, when such persons were able with such an un-virtue and efficacy there was in them above all controlled success to subdue men to the obedience of his word; for that they had no eloquent tongues, no subtile and discursive head, none of the refined and rhetorical arts of Greece, to conquer the minds of men. For my part," says he, in another place," I verily believe that the holy Jesus purposely made use of such preachers of his doctrine, that there might be no suspicion that they came instructed with arts of sophistry, but that it might be clearly manifest to all the world that there was no crafty design in it, and that they had a divine power going along with them, which was more efficacious than the greatest volubility of expression, or ornaments of speech, or the artifices which were used in the Grecian compositions. Had it not been for this divine power that upheld it," as he elsewhere argues,-"the Christian religion must needs have sunk under those weighty pressures that lay upon it, having not only to contend with the potent opposition of the senate, emperors, people, and the whole power of the Roman empire, but to conflict with those home-bred wants and necessities wherewith its own professors were oppressed and burthened."

others, whereby they did not only conquer their neighbors, not only the Greeks and Romans, but brought over the most barbarous nations to a compliance with the law of the gospel; and that not by force of arms, not by numerous bands of soldiers, not by methods of torture and cruelty, but by meek persuasives, and a convincing the world of the excellency and usefulness of those laws which they propounded to them. A thing which the wisest and best men of the heathen world could never do, to make their dogmata and institutions universally obtain; nay, that Plato himself could never, by all his plausible and insinuative arts, make his laws to be entertained by his own dear Athenians. He further shows them, that the laws published by our fishermen and tentmakers, could never be abolished (like those made by the best amongst them) by the policies of Caius, the power of Claudius, the cruelties of Nero, or any of the succeeding emperors; but still they went on conquering and to conquer, and made millions both of men and women willing to embrace flames, and to encounter death in its most horrid shapes, rather than disown and forsake them; whereof he calls to witness those many churches and monuments every where erected to the memory of Christian martyrs, no less to the honor than advantage of those cities and countries, and in some sense to all mankind.

7. The sum of the discourse is, in the apostle's words, that "God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, the weak to confound those that are mighty, the base things of the world, things most vilified and despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are,"† These were the things, these the persons whom God sent upon this errand, to silence "the wise,

6. It could not but greatly vindicate the apostles from all suspicion of forgery and imposture, in the thoughts of sober and unbiassed persons, to see their doctrine readily entertained by men of the most discerning and inquisitive minds. Had they dealt only with the rude and the simple, the idiot and the unlearned, there might have been some pretence to suspect that they lay in wait to deceive, and designed to impose upon the world by crafty and insinuative arts and methods. But, alas, they had other persons to deal with, men of the acutest wits and most profound abilities, the wisest philosophers and most subtile disputants, able to weigh an argument with the greatest accuracy, and to decline the force of the strongest rea* Theodoret, who was one of the earliest and most sonings; and who had their parts edged with the learned historians of the church, lived in the former keenest prejudices of education, and a mighty part of the fifth century, His commentaries on vaveneration for the religion of their country; a reli- rious parts of Scripture display great knowledge and gion that for so many ages had governed the world, piety; but he suffered much from the factious spirit of his age: and in the disputes respecting Nestorius, and taken firm possession of the minds of men. was threatened with the loss of the episcopal rank, And yet, notwithstanding all these disadvantages, to which he had been justly elevated for his virtues. these plain men conquered the wise and the learn--ED. ed, and brought them over to that doctrine that + 1 Cor. i. 27, 28.

85

(20)

the scribe, and the disputer of this world, and to | It was towards evening when they came, and make foolish the wisdom of this world." For therefore probably they staid with him all night, though "the Jews required a sign, and the Greeks during which Andrew had opportunity to inform sought after wisdom, though the preaching a cru- himself, and to satisfy his most scrupulous inquicified Saviour was a scandal to the Jews, and ries. Early the next morning, (if not that very foolishness to the” learned “Grecians;" yet, "by evening,) he hastened to acquaint his brother Sithis foolishness of preaching, God was pleased to mon with these glad tidings. It is not enough to save them that believed;" and in the event made be good and happy alone; religion is a communiit appear, that "the foolishness of God is wiser cative principle, that, like the circles in the water, than men, and the weakness of God stronger than delights to multiply itself, and to diffuse its influmen. That so the honor of all might entirely ences round about it, and especially upon those redound to himself; so the apostle concludes, whom nature had placed nearest to us. He tells "that no flesh should glory in his presence, but him, they had found the long-looked for Messiah, that he that glorieth, should glory in the Lord." him whom Moses and the prophets had so signally foretold, and whom all the devout and pious of that nation had so long expected.

Of St. Peter, from his first coming to Christ till patient of delay, presently follows his brother to his being called to be a Disciple.

upon the shore to hear him. Sermon ended, he resolved to seal up his doctrine with a miracle, that the people might be the more effectually convinced that he was a teacher come from God." To this purpose, he bade Simon launch out further, and cast his net into the sea: Simon tells him they had done it already, that they had been fishing all the last night, but in vain; and if they could not succeed then (the most proper season for that employment) there was less hope to speed now, it being probably about noon. But because where God commands it is not for any to argue, but obey, at our Lord's instance he let down the net, which immediately enclosed so great a multitude of fishes that the net began to break, and they were forced to call to their partners, who were in a ship hard by them, to come to their assistance. A draught so great that it loaded both their boats, and that so full that it endangered their sinking before they could get safe to shore: an instance wherein our Saviour gave an ocular demonstration that, as Messiah, God had "put all things under his feet, not only fowls of the air, but the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the sea."*

lovest is sick,"* as they said concerning Lazarus. Here a fresh opportunity offered itself to Christ of exerting his divine power. No sooner was he told of it but he came to her bed-side, rebuked the paroxysm, commanded the fever to be gone, and taking her by the hand to lift her up, in a moment restored her to perfect health and ability to return to the business of her family; all cures being equally easy to Omnipotence.

SECTION III.

Of St. Peter, from his election to the Apostolate till the confession which he made of Christ. OUR Lord being now to elect some peculiar persons as his immediate vicegerents upon earth, to whose care and trust he might commit the building up of his church, and the planting that religion in the world for which he himself came down from heaven; in order to it, he privately, over night, withdrew himself into a solitary mountain,t (commonly called the mount of Christ, from his frequent repairing thither; though some of the ancients will have it to be mount Tabor,) there to make his solemn address to heaven for a prosperous success on so great a work. Herein leaving an excellent copy and precedent to the governors of his church, how to proceed in setting apart persons to so weighty and difficult an employment. Upon this mountain we may conceive there was an oratory, or place of prayer, (probably intimated by St. Luke's n portuyn, for such proseuchas, or houses of prayer, usually uncovered and standing in the fields, the Jews had in several places,) wherein our Lord continued all night, not in one continued and entire act of devotion, but probably by intervals and repeated returns of duty.

5. Amazed they were all at this miraculous draught of fishes; whereupon Simon, in an ecstacy of admiration, and a mixture of humility and fear, threw himself at the feet of Christ, and prayed him to depart from him, as a vile and sinful person. So evident were the appearances of Divinity in this miracle, that he was overpowered and dazzled with its brightness and lusture, and reflecting upon himself, could not but think himself unworthy the presence of so great a person, so immediately sent from God; and considering his own state, (conscience being hereby more sensibly awakened,) was afraid that the divine vengeance might pursue and overtake him. But our Lord, to abate the edge of his fears, assures him that this miracle was not done to amaze and terrify him, but to strengthen and confirm his 2. Early the next morning his disciples came faith; that now he had nobler work and employ- to him, out of whom he made choice of twelve to ment for him; instead of catching fish, he should, be his apostles, that they might be the constant by persuading men to the obedience of the gos-attendants upon his person, to hear his discourses, pel, catch the souls of men and accordingly he commanded him and his brother to follow him; (the same command which presently after he gave to the two sons of Zebedee.) The word was no sooner spoken, and they landed, but disposing their concerns in the hands of friends, (as we may presume prudent and reasonable men would,) they immediately left all, and followed him; and from this time Peter and the rest became his constant and inseparable disciples, living under the rules of his discipline and institutions.

6. From hence they returned to Capernaum, where our Lord, entering into Simon's house, (the place in all likelihood where he was wont to lodge during his residence in that city) found his motherin-law visited with a violent fever. No privileges afford an exemption from the ordinary laws of human nature; Christ, under her roof, did not protect this woman from the assaults and invasions of a fever. 'Lord, behold he whom thou

* Psalm viii. 6, 7, 8.

+ Matt. viii. 14; Marki. 29; Luke iv. 38.

and be eye-witnesses of his miracles; to be always conversant with him while he was upon earth, and afterwards to be sent abroad, up and down the world, to carry on that work which he himself had begun; whom, therefore, he invested with the power of working miracles, which was more completely conferred upon them after his ascension into heaven. Passing by the several fancies and conjectures of the ancients, why our Saviour pitched upon the just number of twelve, (whereof before,) it may deserve to be considered whether our Lord, being now to appoint the supreme officers and governors of his church, which the apostle styles the "commonwealth of Israel,"’|| might not herein have a more peculiar allusion to the twelve patriarchs, as founders of the several tribes; or to the constant heads and rulers of those twelve tribes, of which the body of the Jewish nation did consist: especially since he himself seems elsewhere to give countenance to