doors to all the nations
upon earth.

Now, what sort of a man was this on whom the Lord Jesus Christ put
so great an honour? If we say that St. Peter was nothing in
himself; that all the goodness and worth in him was given him by
Jesus Christ, then we must ask, what sort of goodness, what sort of
worth, did the Lord give St. Peter to make him fit for so great an
office? And how did he use Christ's gifts? For, mind, he might
have used them wrongly, as well as rightly; and the greater gifts he
had, the more harm he would have done if he had used them ill. We
shall see, presently, how he did use them ill, more than once; and
how our Lord had to reprove him, and say very stern and terrible
words to him, to bring him to his senses.

But this we may see, that St. Peter was always a frank, brave,
honest, high-spirited man; who, if he thought that a thing ought to
be done, would do it at once.

The first thing we hear of him is, how Jesus, walking by the Lake of
Galilee, saw Peter with his brother, casting a net into the sea, for
they were fishers. And he said unto them, 'Follow me, and I will
make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and
followed him.' This was most likely not the first time that St.
Peter had seen our Lord, or heard him speak. Living in the same
part of the country, he must have known all his miracles: but still
it was a great struggle, no doubt, for him (and doubly so because he
was a married man), to throw up his employment, and go wandering
after one who had not where to lay his head: yet he did it, and did
it at once. And you may see that he did it for a much higher and
nobler reason than if he had only gone to wonder at our Lord's
miracles, as the multitude did, or even to be able to work miracles
himself. Jesus did not say to him, Follow me, and I will give you
the power of working miracles, and being admired, and wondered at;
all he says is, I will make you fishers of men; I will make you able
to get a hold on men's hearts, and teach them, and make them happier
and better. And for that St. Peter followed him. It seems as if
from the first his wish was to do good to his fellow-creatures.

And, gradually, he seems to have become the spokesman for the other
apostles. When they wished to ask our Lord anything, we generally
find St. Peter asking; and when (as in the gospel for to-day), our
Lord asks them a question, St. Peter answers for them all. Whom say
ye that