our Lord described a personal devotion to Himself, which should never cease to exist. But we must carefully distinguish between the inward quality of faith and its outward expressions. St Peter, in the subsequent denial, failed ; not in his inward belief, but its outward expression. The failure was not in his thoughts but in his words. As a fact, his outward expressions of faith were not protected from error. He said exactly what his intellect contradicted, what he knew was false. The natural inference is that the prayer of Christ was concerned with Peter's inward spiritual state, not with the outward phrases. A very able Roman writer saw this plainly enough. Consequently, he says, Christ demanded here for Peter two privileges—not merely one: first, that he should never lose his faith; secondly, that as Pope he should never teach anything contrary to the faith. That is what the Ultramontane position would require. But that is exactly what did not happen at the denial. The prayer of Christ did not secure St Peter from false expressions. Nor did it secure Peter's personal devotion from a temporary eclipse. But even if Peter's dogmatic insight remained unclouded, that would help his brethren comparatively little if his official utterances could be mistaken. And it was expressly in his utterances that he did fail.
iii. The third theme for analysis is the Strengthening his Brethren.
1. Now to strengthen is to give support. It is employed several times by St Paul. As when he says: "I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established."[1] He says he sent Timothy "to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith."[2] He speaks of "stablishing your hearts unblameable in holiness";[3] prays that
