self safe, and to think that every one would be too much occupied with his Master's trial, which was going forward, to pay any further attention to him: but the danger was by no means over, as he imagined; for a man suddenly accosted him, and declared in the most positive manner, that he was certain that Peter was one of the followers of Jesus of Galilee, for his speech proved him to be a Galilean. Upon which, another, a relation of the man whom Peter had wounded in the garden, exclaimed, “Did not I see you with "Him in the garden?"

Peter was now alarmed in the greatest degree at the danger to which he would be exposed, if he should be discovered to be the person who had made the attack on the High Priest's servant, and he began to curse and swear; and

again he protested, "I know not the "man;" but ere yet he had finished speaking the dreadful words the cock crew, and the Lord Jesus, who had now been brought back into the hall, and who had overheard Peter's cowardly and ungrateful denial, turned round, and gave him a look which went to his heart. The remembrance of his Master's warning, and of his own repeated protestations, all now flashed upon his mind, and with an almost breaking heart he left the hall, and went out to some retired place, where he wept bitterly.

While you read this story, my dear children, you, perhaps, wonder at Peter's conduct, and think that if you had been in his place you could never have been guilty of such ingratitude to so kind, so merciful a Master; but do not be too sure; Peter was as confident a

few hours before that he could never be prevailed on to commit so great a

sin as you can be, in the hour of trial.

viour's own faithful,

and yet he fell

If Peter, our Sazealous disciple,

did not stand in that hour, how can we be sure of ourselves? But while we learn from Peter's fall, to put no trust in ourselves, let us also learn from Peter to return in deep repentance to our Lord, whenever we have been led to grieve Him by our sins. Do not fancy, because you have been ungrateful to Him, that He will turn from you. The look He gave Peter was not in anger, but was one full of pity, full of love; and so will He even now look down from Heaven upon you, when you return to Him humbled and repenting.

You see, too, how we are led on from

one sin to another. Peter began by an equivocation, and ended with a lie, accompanied by oaths and curses; and if we foolishly and sinfully give way to temptation at first, thinking that it is not very wrong, and that we will repent of it afterwards, we may be hurried on till we have committed sins which before would have filled us with horror even to have thought of.

We should all take warning from Peter to distrust ourselves, and to rely alone on the help of God; for our own strength and our own resolutions will never save us in the hour of danger.

"Let him that thinketh he standeth, "take heed lest he fall."

1 Corinthians, x. 12.

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XXV.

THE CRUCIFIXION.

In the last story I mentioned that our Lord had been taken to the High Priest for the purpose of being tried: you will wonder what accusation they could bring against one whose life had been so spotless; and indeed they were quite unable to find any. Some witnesses were produced against Him, but they had little to say, and that little was, on examination, proved to be totally false. During their infamous accusations, our Lord preserved a meek and unbroken silence; but at last the High Priest rose up, and solemnly ad

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