he wept;"-whereas, St. Matthew and St. Luke record, that he wept bitterly." The greatness of St. Peter's sorrow might be the reason of our Blessed Saviour's distinguishing him, in a peculiar manner, after His resurrection-" Go," says the Angel, "to "the women, tell His disciples and Peter, that He goeth before them into Galilee." Our Lord, in order to encourage this disconsolate disciple, appeared first to him. "The Lord is risen indeed, and has ap

peared unto Simon," say the disciples that went to Emmaus: to which St. Paul alludes when he tells us, "that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve." The Blessed Jesus, compassionating his case, and knowing him to be overwhelmed with sorrow for his shameful denial of the Lord of Life, intended to honor him first with His divine presence, at once to confirm His timid disciple in the belief of His resurrection, and to assure him, that he was restored to the place he before enjoyed in His grace and favor. May we learn from hence to "sorrow after a godly sort," that our sins may be blotted out," and no record may remain against us! May we, earnestly desirous of obtaining mercy, whilst we confess our sin with our . mouths, forsake it in our actions!

"

The Apostle, after expressing the utmost sorrow for the sin he had committed, expiated his offence by his amendment. He had once, shamefully, denied his Master; he ever after, openly, and manfully, confessed Him. Instead of cowardice, he discovered boldness; "out of weakness he became strong." After our Lord's resurrection, when He appeared to the Apostles as they were fishing in the sea of Tiberias, Peter, when he was told that it was, certainly, Christ, girds

K 2

girds about him his fisher's coat, and casts himself into the sea, that he might the sooner get to Him. His zeal concealed from him the danger to which he was exposing himself, and made him impatient of the small delay which must, necessarily, intervene until the arrival of the ship. After our Lord's ascension, we find St. Peter in the Temple, and in the Council, preaching, with great boldness, Jesus and his Resurrection before the Sanhedrim, or grand council of the Jews, and accusing them of "having crucified the

Lord of Life." And after having many years preached the Gospel, after having planted Churches in several countries and distant nations, he, at last, according to the *prediction of our Lord, was condemned to be crucified. Thus he was constant and diligent in the glorious cause he had undertaken, "being in nothing terrified" by the most powerful adversary, but persevering, steadfastly, unto death, whence he is gone to those heavenly mansions, where the souls of them that sleep in the Lord enjoy perpetual rest, and uninterrupted felicity.

It only remains, that I, briefly, exhort you, when you fall into sin, immediately to repent of it, and forsake it. Express the sorrow of your heart, by the change in your life. Esteem yourself happy, that repentance is allowed you; embrace the opportunity of being reconciled unto God. "Flee from evil," when you are so inconsiderate as to commit it," and "do the thing that is good, that you may live, and

that it may be well with you." Instead of permitting sin to "reign in your mortal body,” let your

* Joha xxi, 18.

mind be the habitation of the graces and virtues which Christianity inspires; and let them appear predominant in your conduct. Let your whole behavior be influenced by the Gospel; and when the weakness of nature triumphs, as it will, sometimes, triumph, over the influences of Grace, then "make haste, and delay "not to turn unto God:" beseech Him to take

you

under His protection, to supply you with courage, and animate you with hope, that "you may fight the good "fight of faith," and at last obtain, through the merits of your Saviour, everlasting life.

SERMON XII.

ST. JAMES THE APOSTLE.

ST. JAMES the Great, or the Elder, was one of the sons of Zebedee, and brother to St. John. His mother's name was Mary, otherwise called Salomè, a kinswoman of the blessed. Virgin. This was she that came to our Saviour, with a petition on behalf of her two sons James and John, that one might sit at his right hand, and the other at his left, in the kingdom of heaven. That this importunity did not proceed so much from the fondness of the mother, as from the ambition of her two sons, whilst they kept their uncorrected nature, not yet sufficiently cultivated by the Gospel-doctrine, is plain; because our Saviour directs himself to them, well knowing that it was they who had put her upon this unreasonable petition" ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of ?" Another instance of the ungoverned passion of these two disciples, and which the evangelical goodness and wisdom, taught them by our Lord, had not sufficiently restrained, was, their calling fire from heaven to fall upon the Samaritans, because of their inhospitable treatment of our Blessed Lord, as Elijah had done. before on a similar occasion. For which indiscreet and furious zeal, our Blessed Savioar, gently, rebuked them, telling them that " they knew not what manner of spirit they were of." The Spaniards have a notion, that, after our Saviour's ascension, James went to preach in their country, upon which account he is acknowleged the tutelar Saint of Spain. On

the

the contrary, it does not appear that the Apostle ever stirred. but of Judea, he undergoing martyrdom there very early; for he was killed by Herod, in the second year of Claudius, about eight years after Christ's ascension. He was the first of the Apostles that suffered martyrdom, being brought to that trial by Herod Agrippa, who, newly advanced to his kingdom, was willing to do some popular act to please the Jewish people, who, being influenced by their priests, had conceived a great hatred against the Christians; which, he observing, thought he could not do them a more acceptable service, than to slay, before their faces, one of the chief teachers of this new sect. martyrdom of this blessed Saint. asserts a very memorable story of

Such was the occason of the

Clement of Alexandria St. James, which he tells

as a tradition handed down from his ancestors-that the person who had been witness against him at his trial, when he saw the Apostle so readily lay down his life for Christ, he likewise confessed himself a Christian, and they were led both together to execution. St. James, for some little time revolving in his mind the strangeness of this accident, accosts him with this evangelical salutation-" Peace be unto you:" -he then kissed him, and they were beheaded together.

ECCLESIASTICUS XXI. 11.

The perfection of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.

OR

JOB XXviii. 28.

And unto man he said, the fear of the Lord that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.

WISDOM, and understanding are things which

:

all men are apt to value themselves upon and they who value themselves the most, have, commonly,