Peter's Denial and the Perils of Rash Profession

"I will not deny Thee in any wise," Peter declared—yet hours later, he denied Christ thrice. This transaction teaches us not to be too forward in our professions, or too confident in our own strength, lest confidence increase the guilt and shame of failure. The chief of the apostles mistook the firmness of his own spirit. In the day of peace, it is easy to form good resolutions and be confident we shall perform them. Yet to resolve in private and act in public require vastly different degrees of firmness, both in understanding and in regulating the affections of the heart.

Rash resolutions are foolish; rash vows cannot be innocent. Yet our weakness itself proves that vows and resolutions ought to be made—deliberately, not ostentatiously; not to be heard, but to be kept; not to man, but to God. We must hope the best of those whose tempers are mild, cool, and firm. In St. John, we find no forward professions, no hasty declarations of invincible spirit. He was firm and faithful, yet meek and unoffending. His zeal united gentleness. Without such guidance, feeling is bold, forward, and capricious, liable to error. But conviction and principle are steady and permanent; truth and right are forever the same.

If we be surprised into any failure in our duty, we may be forgiven upon repentance and reformation. St. Peter delayed his repentance only until he knew his fault. Hand-in-hand with conviction came contrition.