Q. What was the Occafion of his becoming our Saviour's Difciple?

A. The Miracle of the great Draught of Luke 5.9, Fishes, upon which he acknowledged his own 10, 11. Vilenefs, and was by our Saviour made a Fifher of Men, and commanded to follow him; which he immediately complied with, and from that Time became one of our Saviour's conftant and infeparable Difciples.

Q. What Preparation did our Saviour make in the Election of his Apoftles?

A. He withdrew into a folitary Place to ad- Luke 6. drefs to Heaven for Succefs in that Affair of 12. great Confequence,

Q. What may we learn from hence?

A. That all Chriftians fhould implore God Almighty's Guidance in Matters of great Importance: And that the Governors of the Church, fo much inferior to our Saviour, fhould faft and pray earnestly for God's Direction, when they fend forth Labourers into the Vineyard.

Q. Who were the most immediate Companions of our Saviour?

A. St. Peter and the two Sons of Zebedee, St. James and St. John, who were admitted more familiarly than the reft of the Apostles unto all the most secret Paffages of his Life, as is plain Mark 5. in the Cure of Jairus's Daughter, and at the37. Transfiguration.

Q. How did St. Peter behave himself, when feveral of the Disciples for fook our Saviour, upon a more perfect Discovery of his Doctrine?

Matt. 17.

1, 2.

A. He, with the reft of the twelve, adhered to him with great Conftancy and Refolution, profeffing they had no where elfe to go, because he had the Words of eternal Life; and upon John 6. this 68.

Z4

this Account he is by the Ancients ftiled the Mouth of the Apostles, because fo forward upon all Occafions to profefs his Belief in our Saviour, Mat. 16. and for which Reafon he is by our Saviour him, felf pronounced blessed.

17.

Mat. 10.

Q. Does it appear that our Saviour gave any. perfonal Prerogative to St. Peter as Univerfal Paftor and Head of the Church?

A. Though he is firft placed among the Apoftles, becaufe, as moft think, he was firft called; and that his Age and Gravity qualified him for the Primacy of Order, without which no Society can be managed and maintained: Yet it doth not appear that he enjoyed any other particular Privilege; becaufe in confeffing Chrift he spake not only his own, but the Senfe of his Joh. 1.49. Fellow Apoftles, and which Nathaniel profeffed Mat. 16. as well as he; if he is ftiled the Rock, all the Apoftles are equally ftiled Foundations, upon Rev. 21. which the Wall of the New Jerufalem is erected; and the Power of the Keys is promised to the reft of the Apostles as well as to St. Peter.

18.

14.

John 20.

23:

Q. Why did St. Peter decline the great Honour of having bis Feet washed by our Saviour?

A. Out of great Modefty, and a Senfe of his Unworthiness; till understanding the Mystery of the Action, and the Advantage of it, he dered to be washed all over, rather than lofe the Benefit of it.

Q. What may we learn from this Allion of our Saviour?

A. Humility and Condefcenfion; not to boggle at the meaneft Offices of Kindnefs and Charity, when God incarnate vouchfafed fo much to abafe himself.

Q. How

Q. How did St. Peter behave himself upon the Approach of our Saviour's Sufferings?

A. He was unwilling to think that one he loved fo dearly, fhould be fo cruelly used; and betrayed too much Prefumption and Self-confidence, not without fome Reflection upon the Weakness of his Brethren; though all fhould for- Mark 14. Jake him, yet he profeffed he would not deny him. 29, 31. Add to this, his unjuftifiable Zeal in ufing the Sword without his Master's Order; for which he ftands rebuked by our Saviour: And thus trufting too much to his own Strength, he became a great Example of human Frailty, in denying his Lord.

Q. How was St. Peter recovered from his Fall?

A. By our Saviour's gracious Look, whereby he called to Mind what our Saviour had foretold: And by paffionately bewailing his Folly, and the Aggravations of it; endeavouring by his penitential Tears to wash away his Guilt; and in this he is a Pattern for the Direction, as well as the Comforts, of those that fincerely turn from the Evil of their Ways.

Q. Why doth our Saviour fo early appear to him after his Refurre&tion?

A. To comfort him under his great Sorrow for his late Fall; and to encourage him with fresh Affurances of his Favour; withal confirming him in the great Article of his Resurrection, requiring of him, as a farther Proof of his Love, to feed his Sheep, faithfully to inftruct and teach John 21. them, carefully to rule and guide them.

Q. Why doth our Saviour make three feveral

Enquiries concerning St. Peter's Love to him?
4. That St. Peter, who had been fo defective

16.

in his former Profeffions, might be put in mind of his thrice denying our Saviour, and from the Senfe of his Weaknefs be engaged to a better Discharge of his Duty, and give more than ordinary Affurance of his fincere Affection to his Mafter. Befides, this Question, Loveft thou me? thus often repeated, fairly intimates, that as nothing but a mighty Love to our Saviour will. fupport a Man under all the Difficulties and Dangers of the pastoral Function; fo the best Teftimony that can be given of a fincere Affection in that great Office, is carefully to feed the Flock of Christ, and with Zeal to contribute toward the Salvation of Souls.

Q. How did St. Peter behave himself after our Saviour's Afcenfion?

A. In his firft Sermon after the Defcent of the Holy Ghost, he, with the reft of the Apostles, conActs 2.41. verted three thousand Souls; by juftifying those miraculous Gifts the Apoftles had received, and by preaching the Refurrection of that Jefus, whom the Jews had crucified; and when the Sanhedrim would have obliged him to defift, with Boldnefs and Refolution he referred it to their own ch. 4. 19. Determination, whether it was not fit to obey God rather than Man.

Q. How did be punish the Sacrilege of Ananias and Sapphira?

A. With prefent Death. They had confecrated fome Land unto God, and fold the fame to that Purpose; and afterwards, through Co-i vetoufness, they purloined from the Price, and laid but Part of the Sum at the Apostles Feet. The dreadful Punishment they fuffered, fhould make all Men careful not to alienate what is confecrated to God; fince what is fo fet apart,

in a peculiar Propriety and Relation belongs to him, and the converting it to other Ufes, is a robbing of God?

Q. Where was St. Peter's firft Mission?

A. He was fent to visit those Christians Philip Acts 8.14 the Deacon had converted in Samaria; where he 15,17,18. confirmed the new Converts, and by Prayer, and Impofition of Hands, communicated to them the Gift of the Holy Ghoft, and feverely rebuked. Simon Magus for imagining that the Gift of God. could be purchased for Money.

Q. How was St. Peter influenced to open the Door of Salvation to the Gentiles?

A. The divine Goodnefs vouchfafed to remove those Prejudices of his Education, which the Jews had entertained for feveral Ages against the Gentiles, by the Means of a Special Vifion; A&s 10. which, with the Relation of what had happened to Cornelius, fully convinced him, that God was no Refpecter of Perfons; that honeft Heathens, who exercifed Works of Mercy and Devotion, were well difpofed to receive the Chriftian Revelation, and fhould be accepted by him.

Q. How did he carry himself in the Dispute between the Jewish and Gentile Converts?

A. He declared God's Acceptance of the Gen-tiles, which was communicated to him by a Vi-· fion from Heaven; and was farther confirmed by their receiving the Holy Ghoft as well as others; and that therefore the Yoke of the Jewish Rites.. ought not to be laid upon the Gentile Converts. Yet afterwards he diffembled his Chriftian Liberty, by which he confirmed the Judaizing Chriftians in their Errors, and caft Scruples in the. Mind of the Gentiles, for which he ftands juftly Gal. 2.11. rebuked by St. Paul,

Q. How