Page:Peter's repentance, after he had denied his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.pdf/17

 A terrible place to vain swearers: but Peter fell and rose again by faith.

Neither are we to join any other with God in our oaths, for, in so doing, we make base idols and filthy creatures for Peter wept sorrowfully for his sin and offences he had committed against Christ his Lord and Master: and because he repented, God granted him mercy and forgiveness for all his offences which he had committed against him, by denying him with an oath, and cursing and lying; so that Peter's conscience told him that he was a great sinner in so doing, but he repented with a tender conscience, and he wept bitterly, repentance goeth before salvation, and salvation worketh the soul's everlasting joys, in the kingdom of heaven for evermore.

And a maid saw him again, and began to say unto them that stood by, This is one of them, 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 Galilean, and thy speech agreeth thereto :— but he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak; and the second time the cock crew, and Peter called to mind the words that Jesus said unto him, 'before the cock crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice,' and he went out and wept bitterly for it: We have a command from God to shun all devices of evil works. St. Paul saith, Rom. vi. 23. 'For the wages of sin is death, but