Peter loved the Lord Jesus; loved him with his whole heart.
When afterwards our Lord asked him, 'Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me?' He answered, 'Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.' And
because he loved him, he saw how beautiful and glorious the Lord's
character was; and his eyes were opened to see that the Lord was too
beautiful, too glorious, to be merely a mortal man; and, at last, to
see that he was the brightness of God's glory, and the express image
of his Father's person.
But, as I said just now, St. Peter's great and excellent gifts might
have made him only the more dangerous man, if he used them ill. And
this seems to have been his danger. He was plainly a very bold and
determined man, who knew his own power, and was ready to use it
fearlessly: and what would he be tempted to do! To fancy that his
power belonged to him, and not to Christ; that his wisdom belonged
to himself; that his faith belonged to himself; his authority
belonged to himself; and that, therefore, he could use his excellent
gifts as he liked, and not merely as Christ liked. He was liable,
as we say in homely English, to 'have his head turned' by his honour
and his power.
For instance, immediately after our Lord had put this great honour
on him, 'I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,' we
find Peter mistaking his power, and, therefore, misusing it.
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