with him by his Master, since that look of His,--to him so amazed,
comes the question, "Simon, lovest thou Me?" Try to feel that a
little; and think of it till it is true to you: and then take up that
infinite monstrosity and hypocrisy,--Raphael's cartoon of the charge
to Peter. Note first the bold fallacy--the putting _all_ the Apostles
there, a mere lie to serve the Papal heresy of the Petric supremacy,
by putting them all in the background while Peter receives the charge,
and making them all witnesses to it. Note the handsomely curled hair
and neatly tied sandals of the men who had been out all night in the
sea-mists, and on the slimy decks; note their convenient dresses for
going a-fishing, with trains that lie a yard along the ground, and
goodly fringes--all made to match;--an apostolic fishing costume. Note
how Peter especially, (whose chief glory was in his wet coat _girt_
about him, and naked limbs,) is enveloped in folds and fringes, so as
to kneel and hold his keys with grace. No fire of coals at all, nor
lonely mountain shore, but a pleasant Italian landscape, full of
villas and churches, and a flock of sheep to be pointed at; and the
whole group of Apostles, not round Christ, as they would have been
naturally, but straggling away in a line, that they may be shown. The
simple truth is, that the moment we look at the picture we feel our
belief of the whole thing taken away. There is visibly no possibility
of that group even having existed, in any place, or on any occasion.
It is all a mere mythic absurdity, and faded concoction of fringes,
muscular arms, and curly heads of Greek philosophers.

78. Among the children of God, there is always that fearful and bowed
apprehension of His majesty, and that sacred dread of all offence to
Him which is called the Fear of God; yet of real and essential fear
there is not any, but clinging of confidence to Him as their Rock,
Fortress, and Deliverer; and perfect love, and casting out of fear; so
that it is not possible that, while the mind is rightly bent on Him,
there should be dread of anything earthly or supernatural; and the
more dreadful seems the height of His majesty, the less fear they feel
that dwell in the shadow of it. "Of whom shall I be afraid?"

79. If for every rebuke that we utter of men's vices, we put forth a
claim upon their hearts; if for every assertion of God's demands from
them, we could substitute a display of His kindness to them; if side
by si