A TREATISE ON RE-BAPTISM. 415 againstPeter became more and more apparent when the Lord was apprehended, and, frightenedby the damsel, he said,"I know not what thou sayest,neitherknow I thee;"1 and again when, using an oath,he saidthissame thing; and forthe thirdtime,cursingand swearing,he affirmedthathe knew not theman, and not once,but frequently,deniedHim. And thisdisposition,becauseitwas to continueto him even totheLord's passion,was long beforemade manifestby the Lord,thatwe alsomight not be ignorantof it. Again, after theLord's resurrection,one of His disciples,Cleopas,when he was, according to the errorof all his fellow-disciples, sorrowfullytellingwhat had happened tothe Lord Himself, asifto some unknown person,spoke thus,sayingof Jesusthe Nazarene," who was a prophetmighty in deed and in word before God and allthe people; how the chiefpriestsand our rulers deliveredHim to be condemned to death, and fastenedHim to the cross. But we trustedthatit had been He which should have redeemed Israel."2And in addition tothesethings,allthe disciplesalsojudged the declarationof thewomen who had seen theLord aftertheresurrectionto be idletales; and some of themselves,when they had seenHim, believednot,but doubted; and they who were not then pre sentbelievednot at alluntilthey had been subsequentlyby theLord Himself in allways rebuked and reproached;because His death had so offendedthem that they thought thatHe had not risenagain,who theyhad believedought not to have died,becausecontrarytotheirbeliefHe had diedonce. And thus,as farasconcernsthedisciplesthemselves,theyarefound to have had a faithneithersound nor perfectin such matters aswe have referredto; and what ismuch more serious,they moreover baptizedothers,asitiswrittenin theGospel accord ing to John. 10. Besides,what wiltthou say of thosewho are in many cases baptizedby bishopsof very bad character,who yet at length,when God so willsit,convictedof theircrimes,are even deprived of theirofficeitself,or absolutelyof com munion ? Or what wiltthou decideof thosewho may have 1Matt.xxvL70. * Lukerxiv.20,21.