Did Ellen White Plagiarize?
Frederic Farrar, William Hanna, Ellen White
A comparative study; Page Three

by Ulrike


This is the third page comparing Chapter 75 of Desire of Ages by Ellen White, with F. Farrar and W.Hanna's writings on the same events.

On this page we cover Peter's experience at the Trial of Jesus

Page one: Chapter 75, The First Trial before Annas
Page two: Chapter 75, The Second Trial, before Caiaphas
Page four: Chapter 75, The Third Trial Before the Sanhedrin

Following I have simply placed the accounts of each writer, basically as they wrote the story. Similar words have been highlighted but the reader can compare and see not only the similarites but also the difference.

Also notice the similarities between W. Hanna and F. Farrar.

KEY

BLUE = similarities with F. Farrar
RED = similarities with W. Hanna
Bolded = Biblical quoting
underlined = similarities between Farrar and Hanna

Frederic Farrar
"The Life of Christ"

Publisher: A.L. Burt Company, NY

William Hanna
"The Lord's Life on Earth"

Publisher: The Religious Tract Society, Londan

Ellen White
"The Desire of Ages"

Publisher: Pacific press Assc.

KJV
BIBLE

Chapter LIX
The Interval Between the Trials

Page 465

And this was how the Jews at last received their promised Messiah--longed for with passionate hopes during two thousand years; since then regretted in bitter agony for well-nigh two thousand more! From this moment He was regarded by all the apparitors of the Jewish Court as a heretic, liable to death by stoning; and was only remanded into custody to be kept till break of day, because by daylight only, and in the Lishcat haggazzith, or hall of Judgment, and only by a full session of the entire Sanhedrin, could He be legally condemned. And since now they looked upon Him as a “fit person to be insulted with impunity, He was hauled through the court-yard to the guard-room with blows and curses, in which it may be that not only the attendant menials, but even the cold but now infuriated Sadducees took their share. It was now long past midnight, and the spring air was then most chilly. In the center of the court the servants of the priests were warming themselves under the frosty starlight as they stood round a fire of coals, And as he was led past that fire He heard--what was to Him a more deadly bitterness than any which His brutal persecutors could pour into His cup of anguish--He heard His boldest Apostle denying him with oaths.

Section III
The TRIAL BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM

Page 481
The pronouncing of the sentence from the bench was the signal for a horrible outburst of violence in the hall below. As if all license was theirs to do with him what they like-- as if they knew (482) they could not go too far; could do nothing that their masters would not approve, perhaps enjoy--the men who held Jesus (for it would seem they could not trust him, bound though he was, to stand free before them) began to mock him, to buffet him, to spit upon him, and to cover his eyes with their hands, saying, as they struck at him, “Prophesy to us who it is that smiteth thee.” “And many other things blasphemously spake they against him” How long all this went on we know not. They had to wait till the proper hour arrived for carrying Jesus before the Roman Governor, and it was thus that the interval was filled up; the meek and the patient One, who was the object of all this scorn and cruelty, neither answering, nor murmuring, nor resisting, nor reproaching. There was but one man in that hall to look with loving, pitying eyes on him who was being treated thus and in the words which that spectator penned long years thereafter in his distant lonely island, we may see some trace of the impression which the sight of the great sufferer made “I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.

Chapter 75
BEFORE ANNAS AND THE COURT OF CAIAPHAS

DA.710.001 The Sanhedrin had pronounced Jesus worthy of death; but it was contrary to the Jewish law to try a prisoner by night. In legal condemnation nothing could be done except in the light of day and before a full session of the council. Notwithstanding this, the Saviour was now treated as a condemned criminal, and given up to be abused by the lowest and vilest of humankind. The palace of the high priest surrounded an open court in which the soldiers and the multitude had gathered. Through this court, Jesus was taken to the guardroom, on every side meeting with mockery of His claim to be the Son of God. His own words, "sitting on the right hand of power," and, "coming in the clouds of heaven," were jeeringly repeated. While in the guardroom, awaiting His legal trial, He was not protected. The ignorant rabble had seen the cruelty with which He was treated before the council, and from this they took license to manifest all the satanic elements of their nature. Christ's very nobility and godlike bearing goaded them to madness. His meekness, His innocence, His majestic patience, filled them with hatred born of Satan. Mercy and justice were trampled upon. Never was criminal treated in so inhuman a manner as was the Son of God.

DA.710.002 But a keener anguish rent the heart of Jesus; the blow that inflicted the deepest pain no enemy's hand could have dealt. While He was undergoing the mockery of an examination before Caiaphas, Christ had been denied by one of His own disciples.

 

 

John

18:24
Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest.

For during these two sad hours of His commencing tragedy, as he stood in the Halls of Annas and of Caiaphas, another moral tragedy, which he had already prophesied, had been taking place in the other court.
(466)As far as we can infer from the various narratives, the palace in Jerusalem, conjointly occupied by Annas the real, and Caiaphas the titular High Priest, seems to have been built round a square court, and entered by an arched passage or vestibule; and on the further side of it, probably up a short flight of steps, was the hall in which the committee of the Sanhedrin had met. Timidly, and at a distance, two only of the apostles had so far recovered from their first panic as to follow far in the rear of the melancholy procession. One of these--the beloved disciple--known perhaps to the High Priest’s household as a young fisherman of the lake of Galilee--had found ready admittance, with no attempt to conceal his sympathies or his identity. Not so the other. Unknown, and Galilean, he had been stopped at the door by the youthful portress. Better, far better, had his exclusion been final. For it was a night of tumult, of terror, of suspicion; and Peter was weak, and his intense love was mixed with fear, and yet he was venturing into the very thick of his most dangerous enemies. But John, regretting that he should be debarred from entrance, and judging perhaps of his friend’s firmness by his own, exerted his influence to obtain admission for him. With bold imprudence, and concealing the better motives which had brought him thither, Peter, warned though he had been , but warned in vain, walked into the court-yard, and sat down in the very middle of the servants of the very men before whom at that moment his Lord was being arraigned on a charge of death.
Section II
"The Denials of St. Peter"

Page 467
When they saw their Master bound and borne away, all the disciples forsook him and fled. Two of them, however, recovered speedily from their panic. Foremost now, and bravest of them all, John first regained his self-possession, and returning on his footsteps followed the band which conveyed Jesus to the residence of the High Priest. Coming alone, and so far behind the others, he might have found some difficulty in getting admission. The day had not yet dawned; and at so early an hour, and upon so unusual an occasion, the keeper of the outer door might have hesitated to admit a stranger; but John had some acquaintance with the domestics of the High priest, and so got entrance; an entrance which Peter might not have ventured to ask, or asking, might have failed to get, had not John noticed him following in the distance, and, on looking back as he entered, seen him standing outside the door. (468) He went, therefore, and spoke to the porteress, who at his instance allowed Peter to pass in. The two disciples made their way together into the interior quadrangular hall, at the upper and raised end of which Jesus was being cross-examined by Annas. It was the coldest hour of the night, the hour that precedes the dawn, and the servants and officers had kindled a fire in that end of the hall where they were gathered. Peter did not wish to be recognised, and the best way he thought to preserve his incognito was to put at once the boldest face he could upon it, act as if he had been one of the capturing band and had as good a right to be there as others of that mixed company, as little known in this palace as himself. So stepping boldly forward, and sitting down among the men who were warming themselves around the fire, he made himself one of them,

DA.710.003 After deserting their Master in the garden, two of the disciples had ventured to follow, at a distance, the mob that had Jesus in charge. These disciples were Peter and John. The priests recognized John as a well-known disciple of Jesus, and admitted him to the hall, hoping that as he witnessed the humiliation of his Leader, he would scorn the idea of such a one being the Son of God. John spoke in favor of Peter, and gained an entrance for him also.

DA.710.004 In the court a fire had been kindled; for it was the coldest hour of the night, being just before the dawn. A company drew about the fire, and Peter presumptuously took his place with them. He did not wish to be recognized as a disciple of Jesus. By mingling carelessly with the crowd, he hoped to be taken for one of those who had brought Jesus to the hall.

JOHN
18.15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.
18.16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

LUKE
22.55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.

MATTHEW
26.58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.

The portress, after the admission of those concerned in the capture, seems to have been relieved (as was only natural at that late hour) by another maid, and advancing to the group of her fellow-servants, she fixed a curious and earnest gaze on the dubious stranger as he sat full in the red glare of the firelight, and then, with a flash of recognition, she exclaimed, “Why, you, as well as the other, were with Jesus of Galilee.” Peter was off his guard. At this period of life his easy impressionable nature was ever liable to be molded by the influence of the moment, and he passed readily into passionate extremes. Long, long afterward, we find a wholly unexpected confirmation of the probability of this sad episode of his life, in the readiness with which he lent himself to the views of the Apostle of the Gentiles (467) and the equal facility with which a false shame, and a fear of “them which were of the circumcision,” made him swerve into the wrong and narrow properties of “certain which came from James,” And thus it was that the mere curious question of an inquisitive young girl startled him by its very suddenness into a quick denial of his Lord. Doubtless, at the moment, it presented itself to him as a mere prudent evasion of needless danger. But did he hope to stop there? Alas, “once denied” is always “thrice denied;” and the sudden “manslaughter upon truth” always and rapidly, develops into its utter and deliberate murder; and a lie is like a stone set rolling upon a mountain-side, which is instantly beyond its utterer’s control.

For a moment, perhaps, his denial was accepted, for it had been very public and very emphatic. But it warned him of his danger. Guiltily he slinks away again from the glowing brazier to the arched entrance of the court, as the crowing of cock smote, not quite unheeded, on his guilty ear. His respite was very short. The portress--part of whose duty it was to draw attention to dubious strangers--had evidently gossiped about him to the servant who had relieved her in charge of the door. Some other idlers were standing about, and this second maid pointed him out to them as having certainly been with Jesus of Nazareth. A lie seemed more than ever necessary now, and to secure himself from all further molestation he even confirmed it with an oath. But now flight seemed impossible, for it would only confirm suspicious; so with desperate gloomy resolution he once more--with feelings which can barely be imagined--joined the unfriendly and suspicious group who were standing round the fire.

A whole hour passed: for him it must have been a fearful hour, and one never to be forgotten. The temperament of Peter was far too nervous and vehement to suffer him to feel at ease under this new complication of ingratitude and falsehood. If he remain silent among these priestly servitors, he is betrayed, by the restless self-consciousness of an evil secret which tries in vain to simulate indifference; if he brazen it out with careless talk, he is fatally betrayed by his Galilean burr. It is evident that, in spite of denial and of oath, they wholly distrust and (468)
despise him; and at last one of the High Priest’s servants --a kinsman of the wounded Malchus--once more strongly and confidently charged him with having been with Jesus in the garden, taunting him, in proof of it, with the misplaced gutturals of his provincial dialect. The others joined in the accusation. Unless he persisted, all was lost which might seem to have been gained. Perhaps one more effort would set him quite free from these troublesome charges, and enable him to wait and see the end. Pressed closer and closer by the sneering, threatening band of idle servitors--sinking deeper and deeper into the more of faithlessness and fear-- “then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man,”

The woman who kept the door was standing near. The strong light of the kindling fire, falling upon the group of faces, her eye fell upon Peter’s. That surely, it occurred to her as she looked at it, was the face of the man whom she had admitted a few minutes ago, of whose features she had caught a glimpse as he passed by. She looks again, and looks more earnestly. Her first impression is confirmed. It is John’s friend; that Galilean’s friend; some friend too, no doubt, of this same Jesus. She says so to a companion by her side; but not satisfied with that, wondering, perhaps at the way in which Peter was comporting himself, she waits till she has caught his eye, and going up to him she says: “Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples?”--a short, abrupt, peremptory, unexpected challenge. It takes Peter entirely by surprise. It throws him wholly off his guard. There they are, the eyes of all those men around now turned inquiringly upon him; and there she is-- a woman he knows nothing of-- perhaps had scarcely noticed as he passed quickly through the porch,-- a woman who can know nothing about him, yet putting that pert question, to which , if he is to keep up the character he has assumed, there must be a quick and positive reply. And so the first hasty falsehood escapes his lips. The woman, however, won’t believe him when he says that he does not understand her question. Both to himself and to others around her, she re-affirms her first belief. Peter has to back his first falsehood by a second and a third: “Woman, I am not one of this man’s disciples; I know him not,” --Peter’s first denial of his Master.

He has now openly committed himself, and he must carry the thing through as best he can. He is not at ease, however, in his seat with the others around the fire. The glare of that light is too strong. Those prying eyes disturb. As soon as conveniently he can, without attracting notice, he rises and retires into the shadow of the porch through which in entering he had passed. A cook now crows without. He hears but heeds it not. Perhaps he might have done so, had not another woman-- (469) some friend in all likelihood of the porteress with whom she had been conversing--been overheard by him affirming most positively, as she pointed him out, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth,” The falsehood of the first denial he has now to repeat and justify. He does so with an oath, declaring, “I do not know the man.” Peter’s second denial of his master.

A full hour has passed. The examination going on at the other end of the hall has been engrossing the attention of the onlookers. Peter’s lost composure and self-confidence have in a measure been regained. He is out in the hall again, standing talking with the others; no glare of light upon his face, yet little thinking all the while that by his very talking he is supplying another mode of recognition. And now for the third time, and from many quarters, he is challenged. One said, “Of a truth this fellow was with him.,” A second: “Did I not see thee with him in the garden?” A third: “Thy speech bewrayeth thee.” Beset and badgered thus, Peter begins to curse and to swear, as he affirms, “I know not the man of whom you speak.” Peter’s third and last denial of his Lord.

Truly a very sad and bumbling exhibition this of human frailty. But is it one so rare? Has it seldom been repeated since? That we may be prepared to give a true answer to such questions, let us consider wherein the essence of this offence of the Apostle consisted, and by what steps he was led to its commission. His sin against his Master lay in his being ashamed and afraid to confess his connection with him, when taunted with it at a time when apparently confession could do Christ no good, and might damage greatly the confessor. It was rather shame than fear, let us believe, which led to the first denial. It was in moral courage, not physical, that Peter failed. By nature he was brave as he was honest. It was no idle boast of his, “Lord I will follow thee to prison and to death,” Had there been any open danger to be faced, can we doubt that he would gallantly have faced it? Had his Master called him to stand by his side in some open conflict with his enemies, would Peter have forsaken him? His was one of but two swords in the garden; those two against all the swords and other weapons of that multitude. But even against such odds, Peter, bold as a lion, drew his sword, and had the use of it been allowed would have fought it out till he had died by his Master’s side. But it is altogether a new and unexpected state of things, this willing surrender of himself by Jesus into the hands of his enemies; this refusal, almost rebuke, of any attempt at rescue or defence. It unsettles, it overturns all Peter’s former ideas of his Master’s power, and of the (470) manner in which that power was to be put forth. He can make nothing of it. It looks as if all those fond hopes about the coming kingdom were indeed to perish. Confused, bewildered, Peter enters the High Priest’s hall. Why should he acknowledge who he is, or wherefore he is there? What harm can there be in his appearing for the time as indifferent to Christ’s fate as any of these officers and servants among whom he sits? That free and easy gait of theirs he assumes; goes in with all they say; perhaps tries to join with them it their coarse untimely mirth. First easy yet fatal step, this taking on a character not his own. He is false to himself before he proves false to his Master. The acted lie precedes the spoken one; prepares for it, almost necessitates it. It was the rash act of sitting down with those men at that fireside, that assumption of the mask, the attempt to appear to be what he was not, which set Peter upon the slippery edge of that slope, down which to such a depth he afterwards descended. Why is it we think so? Because we have asked ourselves the question, “Where all this while was is companion John, and how was it faring with him? He too was within the hall, yet there is no challenging or badgering of him. The domestics indeed know him,. And he may be safe from any interference on their part; but there are many here besides who know as little about him as they do about Peter. Yet never once is John questioned or disturbed. And why, but because he had joined none of their companies, had attempted no disguise; his speech was not heard bewraying him. Had you looked for him, you would have found him in some quiet shaded nook of that quadrangle, as near his Master as he could get, yet inviting no scrutiny, exposing himself to no detection.

That first false act committed, how natural with Peter was all that followed! His position, once taken, had to be supported, had to be made stronger and stronger to meet the renewed and more impetuous assaults. So is it with all courses of iniquity. The fatal step is the first one, taken often thoughtlessly, almost unconsciously. But our feet get hopelessly entangled; the weight that drags us along the incline gets at every step the heavier, till onward, downward we go into depths that at the first we would have shuddered to contemplate. In this matter, then, of denying our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, let us not be high-minded, but fear; and taking our special warning from the first false step of Peter, should we ever happen to be thrown into the society of those who bear no lining to the name or the cause of the Redeemer, let us beware lest, hiding in inglorious shame our faces from him, we be tempted to say or to do what for us, with our knowledge, would be a far worse thing to say or do than what was said and done by Peter, in his ignorance, within the High Priest’s hall.

DA.710.005 But as the light flashed upon Peter's face, the woman who kept the door cast a searching glance upon him. She had noticed that he came in with John, she marked the look of dejection on his face, and thought that he might be a disciple of Jesus. She was one of the servants of Caiaphas' household, and was curious to know. She said to Peter, "Art not thou also one of this Man's disciples?" Peter was startled and confused; the eyes of the company instantly fastened upon him. He pretended not to understand her; but she was persistent, and said to those around her that this man was with Jesus. Peter felt compelled to answer, and said angrily, "Woman, I know Him not." This was the first denial, and immediately the cock crew. O Peter, so soon ashamed of thy Master! so soon to deny thy Lord!

DA.711.001 The disciple John, upon entering the judgment hall, did not try to conceal the fact that he was a follower of Jesus. He did not mingle with the rough company who were reviling his Master. He was not questioned, for he did not assume a false character, and thus lay himself liable to suspicion. He sought a retired corner secure from the notice of the mob, but as near Jesus as it was possible for him to be. Here he could see and hear all that took place at the trial of his Lord.

DA.712.001 Peter had not designed that his real character should be known. In assuming an air of indifference he had placed himself on the enemy's ground, and he became an easy prey to temptation. If he had been called to fight for his Master, he would have been a courageous soldier; but when the finger of scorn was pointed at him, he proved himself a coward. Many who do not shrink from active warfare for their Lord are driven by ridicule to deny their faith. By associating with those whom they should avoid, they place themselves in the way of temptation. They invite the enemy to tempt them, and are led to say and do that of which under other circumstances they would never have been guilty. The disciple of Christ who in our day disguises his faith through dread of suffering or reproach denies his Lord as really as did Peter in the judgment hall.

DA.712.002 Peter tried to show no interest in the trial of his Master, but his heart was wrung with sorrow as he heard the cruel taunts, and saw the abuse He was suffering. More than this, he was surprised and angry that Jesus should humiliate Himself and His followers by submitting to such treatment. In order to conceal his true feelings, he endeavored to join with the persecutors of Jesus in their untimely jests. But his appearance was unnatural. He was acting a lie, and while seeking to talk unconcernedly he could not restrain expressions of indignation at the abuse heaped upon his Master.

DA.712.003 Attention was called to him the second time, and he was again charged with being a follower of Jesus. He now declared with an oath, "I do not know the Man." Still another opportunity was given him. An hour had passed, when one of the servants of the high priest, being a near kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked him, "Did not I see thee in the garden with Him?" "Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto." At this Peter flew into a rage. The disciples of Jesus were noted for the purity of their language, and in order fully to deceive his questioners, and justify his assumed character, Peter now denied his Master with cursing and swearing. Again the cock crew. Peter. heard it then, and he remembered the words of Jesus, "Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny Me thrice." Mark 14:30.

John
18.17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.
18.18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself. ...
18.25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.
18.26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
18.27 Peter then denied again:

LUKE
22.56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
22.57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
22.58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
22.59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
22.60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest.

MATTEW
26.69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
26.70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
26.71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
26.72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
26.73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
26.74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.

MARK
14.66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
14.67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
14.68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
14.69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
14.70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
14.71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
14.72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

And at that fatal moment of guilt, which might well have been for him the moment of an apostasy as fatal and final as had been that of brother apostle--at that fatal moment, while those shameless curses still quivered on the air--first the cock crew in the cold grey dusk, and at the same moment, catching the last accents of those perjured oaths, either through the open portal of the judgment-hall, or as he was led past the group at the fireside through the open court, with rude pushing and ribald jeers and blows and spitting-- the Lord--the Lord in the agony of His humiliation, in the majesty of his silence--”the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.” Blessed are those on whom, when He looks in sorrow, the Lord looks also with love! It was enough. Like an arrow through his inmost soul shot the mute, eloquent anguish of that reproachful glance. As the sunbeam smites the last hold of snow upon the rock, ere it rushes in avalanche down the tormented hill, so the false self of the fallen Apostle slipped away. It was enough” “he saw no more enemies, he know no more danger, he feared no more death,.” Flinging the fold of his mantle over his head, he too, like Judas, rushed forth into the night. Into the night, but not as Judas; into the unsunned outer darkness of miserable self-condemnation, but not into the midnight of remorse and of despair; into the night, but, as has been beautifully said, it was “to meet the morning dawn.” If the angel of Innocence had left him, the angel of Repentance took him gently by the hand. Sternly, yet tenderly, the spirit of grace led up this broken-hearted penitent before the tribunal of his (469) own conscience, and there his old life, his old shame, his old weakness, his old self, was doomed to that death of godly sorrow which was to issue in a new and nobler birth.

The oaths with which he sealed is third denial were yet fresh on Peter’s lips, when (471) a second time the cock crew. And that shrill sound was yet ringing in his ears when “the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.” How singularly well-timed that look! The Lord is waiting till the fit moment come, and instantly seizes it. It might be wrong in us to say that but for the look, the second cock-crowing would have been as little heeded as the first. It might be wrong in us to say that, but for the awakening sound, the look would of itself have failed in its effect. But we cannot be wrong in saying that the look and the sound each helped the other, and that it was the striking and designed coincidence of the two--their conjunction at the very time when Peter was confirming his third denial by oaths-- that formed the external agency which our Lord was pleased to contrive and employ for stirring the sluggish memory and quickening the dead conscience of the apostle. And sluggish memories, dead consciences, are they not often thus awakened by striking outward providences co-operating with the Word and with the Spirit? Have none of us been startled thus, as Peter was, amid our denials or betrayals of our Master? Let us bless the instrument, whatever it may be, by which so valuable a service is rendered, and see in its employment only another proof of the thoughtful, loving care of him who would not let us be guilty of such offences without some means being taken to alarm and to recover.

Let us believe, however, that of the two--the sound and the look--the chief power and virtue lay in the latter. “The Lord turned” He turned from facing those scowling judges; from listening to all the false testimony brought forward against him; from bearing all the insults that masters and servants were heaping upon him; from all the excitements of a trial which he knew was to end in his condemnation unto death. Forgetful of self, still thoughtful of his own, “He turned and looked upon Peter.” Was that a look of anger; of unmingled, unmitigated rebuke? Such a look might have sent Peter away to hang himself as Judas did; but never to shed such tears of penitence as he went out to weep. The naked eye of the very Godhead might be on us; but if from that eye there looked out nothing but stern, rebuking, relentless wrath, the look of such an eye might scorch and wither, but never melt and subdue hearts like ours. Doubtless there was reproach in the look which Jesus bent upon Peter; gentle reproach, all the more powerful because of its gentleness. But that reproach, quickly as it was perceived, and keenly as it was felt, formed but a veil to the tender, forgiving, sympathising love which the Master felt for the erring disciple. Volumes of pity and compassion lay unfolded in that look. It told the apostle how well He, of whom he had just been (472) saying that he knew him not, knew him; how thoroughly he knew him when he forewarned him of his fall. But it told Peter at the same time, that it was no thought or feeling of the injury or wrong that had been done personally to himself, which made Jesus fix such an earnest gaze upon him. Not so much of himself as of Peter was he thinking; not for himself, but for Peter was he caring. It was the thought of that wrong which Peter had been doing himself which winged the look, and sent it on its hallowed errand into Peter’s heart. He felt, as it fell upon him, that it was the look of one, not angrily complaining of injury, not indignantly demanding redress, but only desiring that Peter might feel how unkindly, ungratefully, ungenerously, he had acted towards such a Master; of one who wished him above all things to be assured that if he but saw and felt his error, there was readiness and room enough in his heart to receive him back at once and fully into favour,--forgive all, forget all, be all to him he had ever been. Another kind of look the apostle might have encountered unflinchingly, but not a look like that. Instantly there flashed upon his memory those words of prophetic warning, spoken a few hours before in the guest-chamber. Thrice had Jesus forewarned him, that before the cock crew twice, he should thrice deny him. Had he never thought of these words till now? In the distraction of the moment he might have allowed the first cock-crowing to pass unheeded, but how, during the whole hour which followed his first two denials, should that striking warning never once have occurred to his memory? Very strange it seems to us; but very strange are the moods and passions of the mind-- what is remembered by it, and what forgotten, when some new strong tide of thought and feeling rushes in, and fills, and agitates the soul. In the strange, unexpected, perilous position in which he had so suddenly been place, peter had forgotten all;--the meeting of the upper chamber, the triple warning, the “Verily, verily, I say unto you”, which had then sounded in his ears. But now, as if the awakened memory, by the very fullness and vividness of their recall, would repair the past forgetfulness, he sees all, hears all again. Those words of warning are anew ringing in his ears, and as he thinks how fearfully exact the fulfilment of those forgotten predictions of his Master has been, a sense of guilt and shame oppresses him. He can bear that look no longer; he turns and hurries out of the hall, seeking a place to shed his bitter tears-tears not like those of Judas, of dismal and hopeless remorse, but of genuine and unaffected repentance. He goes out alone, but whither? It was still dark. The day had not yet dawned. He would not surely at such an hour, and in such a state of feeling, go back at once into the city, seek out and join the others who had fled. (473) Such deep and bitter grief as his seeks solitude; and where could he find a solitude so suitable as that which his lord and Master had so loved? We picture him as visiting alone the Garden of Gethsemane, not now to sleep while his Lord is suffering; but to seek out the spot which Jesus had hallowed by his agony, to mingle his tears with the great drops of blood which had fallen down to the ground.

DA.712.004 While the degrading oaths were fresh upon Peter's lips, and the shrill crowing of the cock was still ringing in his ears, the Saviour turned from the frowning judges, and looked full upon His poor disciple. At the same time Peter's eyes were drawn to his Master. In that gentle countenance he read deep pity and sorrow, but there was no anger there.

DA.713.001 The sight of that pale, suffering face, those quivering lips, that look of compassion and forgiveness, pierced his heart like an arrow. Conscience was aroused. Memory was active. Peter called to mind his promise of a few short hours before that he would go with his Lord to prison and to death. He remembered his grief when the Saviour told him in the upper chamber that he would deny his Lord thrice that same night. Peter had just declared that he knew not Jesus, but he now realized with bitter grief how well his Lord knew him, and how accurately He had read his heart, the falseness of which was unknown even to himself.

DA.713.002 A tide of memories rushed over him. The Saviour's tender mercy, His kindness and long-suffering, His gentleness and patience toward His erring disciples,--all was remembered. He recalled the caution, "Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." Luke 22:31, 32. He reflected with horror upon his own ingratitude, his falsehood, his perjury. Once more he looked at his Master, and saw a sacrilegious hand raised to smite Him in the face. Unable longer to endure the scene, he rushed, heartbroken, from the hall.

DA.713.003 He pressed on in solitude and darkness, he knew not and cared not whither. At last he found himself in Gethsemane. The scene of a few hours before came vividly to his mind. The suffering face of his Lord, stained with bloody sweat and convulsed with anguish, rose before him. He remembered with bitter remorse that Jesus had wept and agonized in prayer alone, while those who should have united with Him in that trying hour were sleeping. He remembered His solemn charge, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation." Matt. 26:41. He witnessed again the scene in the judgment hall. It was torture to his bleeding heart to know that he had added the heaviest burden to the Saviour's humiliation and grief. On the very spot where Jesus had poured out His soul in agony to His Father, Peter fell upon his face, and wished that he might die.

DA.713.004 It was in sleeping when Jesus bade him watch and pray that Peter had prepared the way for his great sin. All the disciples, by sleeping in that critical hour, sustained a great loss. Christ knew the fiery ordeal through which they were to pass. He knew how Satan would work to paralyze their senses that they might be unready for the trial. Therefore it was that He gave them warning. Had those hours in the garden been spent in watching and prayer, Peter would not have been left to depend upon his own feeble strength. He would not have denied his Lord. Had the disciples watched with Christ in His agony, they would have been prepared to behold His suffering upon the cross. They would have understood in some degree the nature of His overpowering anguish. They would have been able to recall His words that foretold His sufferings, His death, and His resurrection. Amid the gloom of the most trying hour, some rays of hope would have lighted up the darkness and sustained their faith.

LUKE
22.61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
22.62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly

MATTHEW

26.75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

THE BIBLICAL ACCOUNT

MATTHEW
26.58 But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.
26.69 Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.
26.70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
26.71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.
26.72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
26.73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
26.74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
26.75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

MARK
14.54 And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.
14.66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:
14.67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
14.68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
14.69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them.
14.70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
14.71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
14.72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.

LUKE
22.54 Then took they him, and led him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off.
22.55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.
22.56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
22.57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
22.58 And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
22.59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.
22.60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.
22.61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
22.62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.

JOHN
18.15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.
18.16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.
18.17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.
18.18 And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals; for it was cold: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself.
...

18.25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of his disciples? He denied it, and said, I am not.
18.26 One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
18.27 Peter then denied again: and immediately the cock crew.
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